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Last week, Reps. John Conyers (D-MI) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), both of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the former Ohio Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the state's Bush/Cheney '04 campaign committee, J. Kenneth Blackwell, inviting him to appear next week at a subcommittee oversight hearing on voter suppression issues.
To the surprise of almost nobody, Blackwell has refused the invitation to testify, claiming his "schedule [would] not permit" him to attend the hearings.
The snub, according to both the following report from Jon Craig at the Cincinnati Enquirer and additional indications given to The BRAD BLOG by a Judiciary staffer other than the one quoted by Craig, may lead to an escalation of the longtime standoff between Conyers and Blackwell. A congressional subpoena requiring an appearance by the controversial former SoS, who presided over one of the worst-run Presidential Elections in American history, may well be in the offing.
As Craig reports today at the Enquirer's political blog...
Jonathan Godfrey, a Conyers spokesman, said Blackwell has not responded and could be subpoenaed if he doesn't appear voluntarily.
"I don't think it's unlikely," Godfrey said today of a subpoena.
Though our own Judiciary source spoke to the same point, if not quite as directly, the comments above from Godfrey offer an additional indication that we may be headed to a showdown.
Such a subpoena would require a majority vote of the committee, which likely wouldn't come in time for the hearings currently scheduled for next Friday, according to Craig's report.


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"Revisiting Kathmandu" is an international symposium on the conservation of living urban heritage. It takes place in the context of a rapidly changing understanding of heritage as a concept that does not only include monuments any more, but complex urban spaces, where people live, work, worship and celebrate. As values and aspirations of society change, urban settlements must adapt and respond to this change.
The symposium will discuss on how to maintain the delicate balance between conserving what represents the intrinsic character and value of the historic city, while at the same time allowing for the change that is required for the city to continue to live.
The symposium, which will open on the evening of 25 November 2013, will cover the following issues around one specific theme: authenticity, community, management and disaster risk reduction. Each day's programme will include a keynote speech, presentations of case studies, group work and discussions. Additionally, there will be various supporting activities and posters presented in the evenings.
The Kathmandu Valley is a highly relevant venue to discuss the four themes of the symposium for a variety of reasons. The Nara Document on Authenticity adopted in 1994 has its origins in the controversy that arose from the restoration methods employed on the I Baha Bahi courtyard monastery in the Kathmandu Valley and the discussions at the World Heritage Committee in 1993. The same controversy also led to a decade-long discussion and the inscription of Kathmandu Valley on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2003. It was removed from the Danger List in 2007 when the Integrated Management Plan was adopted by the Government of Nepal. The Plan is being reviewed with discussions on community involvement. At the same time, disaster risk management is being given high priority in the document, as the return-period for a large earthquake in the Valley is looming.
The symposium will take place from 25 to 29 November 2013 in the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property. The papers, for which abstracts should be submitted by 25 August 2013, should address the four main themes of the conference, namely authenticity, community, management and disaster risk reduction.

subset: commoncrawl


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Environmetal policy
LAURA PATERSON wants to contribute to the sustainable development of society and that of the environment with which it interacts. Our commitment to the environment is included within the responsibility policy of our organisation.
The following are some of the objectives and actions developed within LAURA Paterson's environmental commitment:
- We save energy using the latest technological advances.
- Our warehouse is eco-friendly
- We reduce waste produced and recycle.
- At LAURA PATERSON we consider it our duty to make society aware of a sustainable way of life. We have an environmentally aware team and believe that public awareness arises through training and education, which we transmit, to our staff and clients.
We save energy.
We have reduced energy consumption in our installations. In order to achieve this we have introduced sustainability and efficiency criteria. Electricity, lighting, heating, cooling the use of renewable fuels...all in order to save and optimise energy and natural resources.
We produce less waste and recycle. At LAURA PATERSON we recycle everything recyclable (plastics, paper, cardboard, glass, ink cartridges, etc…) Also, all the cardboard, paper, bags and plastic used in the packaging are recyclable.
Our commitment is extended throughout all our staff, producing an environmentally aware team.
Our bags are PVC-free.
All our products are sent via TNT.
TNT Express in Spain is certified with quality standard ISO14001: 2004 since 2006.
On corporate level TNT signed, in 2007, an alliance with the United Nations Environment programme (UNEP) helping to fight pollution and global warming. They have named this programme Planet Meº and our commitment meº. It is an initiative thought up by the company and its workforce focused on radically reducing CO2 emissions on a global scale.
Planet me is comprised of three areas:
- Count Carbon: Monitoring and measuring TNT´s performance.
- Code orange: Reducing CO2 emissions on a corporate level.
- Choose orange: Engaging our employees to adopt sustainable behaviour at home.
Code Orange:
- Aviation: our airplanes produce 38% of CO2 emissions produced by TNT.
- Buildings: The objective is to achieve that CO2 emission in future buildings are reduced for example by installing new technologies like solar panels and automatic lighting.
- Business Trips: Business trips will only cover critical meetings; the rest will be replaced by videoconference.
- Company cars: We will reduce emissions caused by our fleet by up to 6% for 2011 putting into practice TNT´s commitment. Our policy encourages the driving cars less contaminating.
- Field vehicles: Our lorries and vans generate 55% of our CO2 emissions. From now on we will only purchase those vehicles that follow strict environmental guidelines. We will design a new fleet cleaning strategy and will sign new agreements with companies in the automobile industry, fuel suppliers and universities.
- Suppliers and subcontractors: We will extend our environmental commitment to suppliers and subcontractors, defining new selection criteria.
All products of animal origin sold in our shops, including fur and leather originate exclusively from animals raised in food farms and under no circumstance sacrificed only for their hide.


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- Regulatory Status
- Ave. Rating
- Submit a Review
- Product Citations
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Cat # | Size | Price | Quantity Check Availability | Save | ||
280109 | 25 µg | 572€ |
CD8+ T cells are essential components of the immune system. They function through TCR recognition of antigens (peptide epitopes) presented by the class I MHC (HLA in humans) molecules. Thus, TCR recognition of cognate MHC/peptide complex can be utilized for the detection of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells.
The peptide ATEGALNTPK is from SARS-CoV-2 Nucleoprotein (134-143).
Product Details
- Verified Reactivity
- Human
- Formulation
- PBS containing 0.5% BSA and protease inhibitors
- Concentration
- 0.1 mg/mL
- Storage & Handling
- Store frozen at -20°C or -80°C. Aliquot upon receipt before freezing; avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Protect from light.
- Application
ELISA - Quality tested
FC - Verified - Recommended Usage
For flow cytometric staining, the suggested use of this reagent is 30 μL of 0.1 mg/mL biotinylated monomer, incubated with desired streptavidin fluorophore conjugate, following our recommended protocol. This will generate tetramers sufficient for 15 tests.
- Application Notes
Two-color staining with the same allele/peptide combination is recommended for flow cytometry analysis to increase the resolution and specificity of the assay.
To order custom products please fill out the Custom Flex-T™ Request Form.
Antigen Details
- Biology Area
- COVID-19, Immunology
- Gene ID
- 3105 View all products for this Gene ID
Related Pages & Pathways
Related FAQs
- Is there any peptide length recommended?
There are no special requirements for the peptides. Peptides that naturally bind to MHC molecules will bind to Flex-T™ reagents. For class I molecules, typical length is about 8 – 10 amino acids. Class II molecules accommodate longer peptides, about 14 – 20 amino acids1.
1) Mohan JF and Unanue ER. Unconventional recognition of peptides by T cells and the implications for autoimmunity. Nat Rev Immunol. 2012 Oct;12(10):721-8. - What are MHC tetramers and what can you do with them?
The T-cell mediated innate immune response is defined by the interaction between antigen presenting cells and T cells, through the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) and the T cell receptor (TCR). MHC molecules present a peptide to antigen-specific T cells that recognize this peptide. Soluble, monomeric MHC molecules bind very weakly to the TCR. However, by making a tetramer through a fluorescently labeled streptavidin conjugate, the complex binds to several TCRs, creating a more stable interaction and making it useful for flow cytometric detection of antigen specific T cells.
- How many biotin molecules are per antibody structure?
- We don't routinely measure the number of biotins with our antibody products but the number of biotin molecules range from 3-6 molecules per antibody.
- I am interested in finding novel peptides instead, are there any resources for this?
There are a number of databases and webpages that can help, these are three of them:
- What are the specifications of the UV source?
Long-wave UV, 366 nm, 8 Watts (We recommend, for example, CAMAG cat# 022.9115, or Ultraviolet Crosslinker CL-1000). The distance from the solution to the light source should be 2 – 5 cm (approximately 0.8 – 3 inches).
- What is Flex-T™?
Flex-T™ (Flexible-Tetramers) is BioLegend's brand name for our Soluble MHC product line. It encompasses monomers, the ultraviolet (UV) peptide exchange technology, and all associated products and applications.
- Do I need to know the sequence of the UV-labile peptide?
The sequence of the UV-labile peptide is not needed to use the reagent. MHC molecules are not stable without a peptide, so these peptides are used just for two purposes: stabilize the MHC molecules and serve as a place holder to be substituted by the peptide of interest.
- Do you offer mouse monomers or tetramers?
Not currently.
- Do you offer custom products and services?
Yes, please contact our Custom Solution Team with your request at email@example.com, or contact your local BioLegend representative.
- How do I evaluate the efficiency of the peptide exchange?
Follow the protocol for HLA class I ELISA. An assay positive control is provided (Cat#280301) that can be diluted to a high, medium, and low concentration. Signal intensity can be correlated to affinity of the peptide.
- What is the peptide exchange technology and what's the advantage of using it?
Flex-T™ MHC monomers are loaded with a peptide that can be degraded by the use of a UV light source. This allows for a peptide exchange when the UV irradiation is done in the presence of the peptide of interest (which is not UV-labile). This flexibility permits the screening of virtually any peptide of interest with enough affinity for the MHC allele that it is loaded onto.
- Is it feasible to screen not just peptides, but also several specificities of antigen-specific T cells in one sample?
With the traditional pre-assembled Tetramer approach, this is difficult to do, and not cost-effective. With Flex-T™ technology, as there is more flexibility to assemble the tetramers, it is easy and affordable to screen a sample for several specificities2. To facilitate this approach, a combinatorial color coding system has been developed. Please visit the Flex-T™ webpage for a detailed description.
2) Hadrup SR et al. Parallel detection of antigen-specific T-cell responses by multidimensional encoding of MHC multimers. Nat Methods. 2009 Jul;6(7):520-6. - Is there any advantage in buying biotinylated monomers?
Yes, the same monomer can be assembled with different Streptavidin conjugates, providing great flexibility for color choices. Additionally, it can be stored frozen and the tetramer assembled shortly before the experiment. This increases the storage time of the reagent.


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Secretary's Approval Letter for Texas ESEA Flexibility
September 30, 2013
Honorable Michael L. Williams
Commissioner of Education
Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
Dear Commissioner Williams:
I am pleased to approve Texas' request for ESEA flexibility, subject to Texas' meeting the condition described below. I congratulate you on submitting a request that demonstrates Texas' commitment to improving academic achievement and the quality of instruction for all of its elementary and secondary school students.
In the fall of 2011, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) offered States the opportunity to request flexibility from certain requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), in exchange for rigorous and comprehensive plans designed to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction. This flexibility is intended to support the groundbreaking reforms already taking place in many States and districts that we believe hold promise for improving outcomes for students. I am encouraged by the innovative thinking and strong commitment to improving achievement for all students that is evident in Texas' request.
My decision to approve Texas' request for ESEA flexibility is based on our determination that the request meets the four principles articulated in the Department's updated June 7, 2012, document titled ESEA Flexibility. In particular, Texas has: (1) demonstrated that it has college- and career-ready expectations for all students; (2) developed and demonstrated that it has a high-quality plan to implement a system of differentiated recognition, accountability, and support for all Title I districts and schools in the State; (3) committed to developing, adopting, piloting, and implementing teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that support student achievement; and (4) provided an assurance that it will evaluate and revise its administrative requirements to reduce duplication and unnecessary burden on districts and schools. This approval decision is also based on Texas' assurance that it will meet these four principles by implementing the high-quality plans and other elements described in its request and in accordance with the required time lines. In approving Texas' request, I have taken into consideration the feedback that was received from the panel of peer experts and Department staff who reviewed Texas' request, as well as Texas' revisions to its request in response to that feedback.
The waivers that comprise ESEA flexibility are being granted to Texas pursuant to my authority in section 9401 of the ESEA. A complete list of the statutory provisions being waived is set forth in the table enclosed with this letter. Consistent with section 9401(d)(1) of the ESEA, I am granting waivers of these provisions through the end of the 2013–2014 school year. If Texas meets the condition described below prior to the end of the 2013–2014 school year, Texas may request an extension of these waivers through the end of the 2014–2015 school year. At that time Texas may request a further extension of these waivers.
My decision to place a condition on the approval of Texas' request is based on the fact that Texas has not yet finalized its guidelines for teacher and principal evaluation and support systems. However, I have determined that, in the 2013–2014 school year, Texas is able to fully meet the ESEA flexibility principles while it continues to finalize its new guidelines for teacher and principal evaluation and support systems.
To request approval to implement these waivers beyond the 2013–2014 school year, Texas must submit to the Department for review and approval, by May 2, 2014, an amended request incorporating final guidelines for teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that meet the requirements of ESEA flexibility, including the use of student growth, as defined in ESEA Flexibility, as a significant factor in determining a teacher's or principal's summative evaluation rating. If Texas does not submit final guidelines for teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that meet the requirements of ESEA flexibility by May 2, 2014, the waivers being granted to Texas will expire at the end of the 2013–2014 school year, and Texas and its schools will be required to immediately resume complying with all ESEA requirements.
In the coming days, you will receive a letter from Deborah Delisle, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, containing additional information regarding Texas' implementation of ESEA flexibility, as well as information regarding monitoring and reporting. Please note that the Department will closely monitor Texas' implementation of the plans, systems, and interventions detailed in its request in order to ensure that all students continue to receive the assistance and supports needed to improve their academic achievement.
Texas continues to have an affirmative responsibility to ensure that it and its districts are in compliance with Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age in their implementation of ESEA flexibility as well as their implementation of all other Federal education programs. These laws include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
A copy of Texas' approved request for ESEA flexibility will be posted on the Department's Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility/requests. Again, I congratulate you on the approval of Texas' request for ESEA flexibility and thank you for the work that you and your staff have done. I look forward to continuing to support you as you implement Texas' ESEA flexibility request and work to improve the quality of instruction and academic achievement for all students.
Arne Duncan
cc: Honorable Rick Perry Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds, Chief Deputy Commissioner


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Shelly O'Neil, Realtor
eXp Realty of California Inc. and CA DRE#01878277
As a San Diego native I've lived and worked as a broker in San Diego and surrounding counties for the past 15 years, and I am well versed in the school districts, neighborhoods, and diverse sections that make up San Diego County. I want to be a resource for you, whether you're buying or selling your first home or 21st. With my experience, market knowledge, negotiation skills and compassion you can be assured you're in the right hands. I expect that my clients will remain friends throughout the years and long after the transaction, and I build my initial relationships with that end result in mind. Always results-driven and client-focused.
San Diego (Spanish for 'Saint Didacus'; SAN dee-AY-goh, Spanish: [san ˈdjeɣo]) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth-most populous city in the United States, the second-most populous city in California and the seat of San Diego County, the fifth-most populous county in the United States, with 3,286,069 estimated residents as of 2021. The city is known for its mild year-round Mediterranean climate, natural deep-water harbor, extensive beaches and parks, long association with the United States Navy, and recent emergence as a healthcare and biotechnology development center. San Diego is the second largest city in the state of California after Los Angeles. Historically home to the Kumeyaay Native Americans, San Diego has been referred to as the Birthplace of California, since it was the first site visited and settled by Europeans on what is now the U.S. West Coast.
Alta Vista, Alvarado Estates, Azalea - Hollywood Park, Bankers Hill, Bay Terraces, Broadway Heights, California Terraces, Cherokee Point, Chollas View, Del Cerro, East San Diego, El Cerrito, Emerald Hills, Encanto, Fairmount Park


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Student volunteers help keep the conference running smoothly; in return, they have free accommodations, while still having most of the time to enjoy the conference.
Pay attention: the places are limited so do not wait till the last minute to apply.
For which period is accommodation covered? Accommodation is covered from Sunday 22th to Friday 26, August 2016 (including nights from Sunday to Monday and from Thursday to Friday). Students will be hosted in student rooms. ESUG additionally covers for the lunches during the week and one dinner.
Which costs are not covered? Travel costs in particular are not covered! Only 1 dinner during the week is covered (for the social event).
Duties include handling registration as people arrive at the conference, filling coffee machines, collecting presentation slides for ESUG right after the presentation is given, being present at an information desk to answer questions, and generally being helpful. Student volunteering makes the conference better, takes a fairly small amount of time and doesn't significantly interfere with enjoying and learning from the conference. Please Note, this role requires discipline and constant attention to all attendees.
You will be hosted at Art Hotel Meda. Additional nights may be available depending on other events hosted at the time. If you want to arrive before Sunday and/or leave after Friday, make it REALLY clear.


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Reliable website hosting, email, and affordable domain prices.
Give your website the reliable, high-performance home it deserves.
Register your domain with us and receive everything you need to get online.
We understand that everything doesn't always go to plan. That's why we pride ourselves on top-notch quality of support, any time of the day.
Call (480) 624-2500.
*Price excludes applicable taxes and ICANN fees.


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The Houston Dynamo fell to the Colorado Rapids, 3-2, in a preseason scrimmage on Sunday morning at Methodist Champions Field at Houston Sports Park. Tony Cascio and Giles Barnes scored goals for the Dynamo, who will travel to Tucson, Ariz. on Tuesday to continue preseason.
With the game tied 2-2 in the 86th minute, the Rapids won the ball at midfield and broke down the field. At the edge of the penalty area Charles Eloundou slid a pass to Gabriel Torres, who found the top corner of the net for the winning goal.
Colorado opened the scoring in the 12th minute. A combination between Dillon Serna and Chris Klute led to an opening inside the box, and Serna hit the far corner from 12 yards for a 1-0 lead.
Houston responded three minutes later as Cascio – on loan to the Dynamo from the Rapids – collected the ball on the left flank and took an opportunistic shot from 25 yards that deflected off Rapids defender Drew Moor and into the net, tying the game 1-1.
The Dynamo took a 2-1 lead in the 38th minute when trialist Sito Seoane slotted a through ball to Barnes, who muscled off Colorado defender Tolani Ibikunle before breaking alone on goal and beating Rapids goalkeeper Joe Nasco with a calm finish.
Colorado evened the score nine minutes later. Midfielder Marlon Hairston fed Deshorn Brown in behind the Houston defense, and Brown finished his chance to level the score 2-2.
Before Torres' game-winning goal, Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric made an important save to keep the game tied. Eloundou created space inside the penalty area and fired a shot from 15 yards that Deric tipped off the crossbar.
Houston's chances included a pinpoint cross from Brian Ownby, who found Omar Cummings inside the penalty area, but he was thwarted by a pair of Colorado defenders after settling the ball.
Earlier, Cascio played a curling pass behind the Rapids defense intended for Will Bruin, but Nasco came off his line to prevent a chance for Bruin.
Then, Boniek Garcia dribbled past his marker inside the box and drove a low shot toward the near post from ten yards that required a diving save from Nasco.
The Dynamo travel to Tucson, Ariz. on Tuesday for three preseason scrimmages against MLS clubs. Houston's first scrimmage is Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT, when it faces the Portland Timbers at Kino Sports Complex. The match will be streamed live at www.MLSsoccer.com.
Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids
February 2, 2014 – Houston Sports Park
Preseason Scrimmage
Scoring summary:
COL – Dillon Serna (Chris Klute) 12
HOU – Tony Cascio 1 (unassisted) 15
HOU – Giles Barnes 1 (Sito Seoane) 38
COL – Deshorn Brown (Marlon Hairston) 47
COL – Gabriel Torres (Charles Eloundou) 86
Houston Dynamo – Tyler Deric (Michael Lisch 78); Mike Chabala (Brian Ownby 46), Eric Brunner (David Horst 46), AJ Cochran (Anthony Arena 46), Euan Holden^; Boniek Garcia (Andrew Driver 46) (Bryan Salazar 78), Ricardo Clark (Servando Carrasco 46), Sito Seoane* (Alex López 46), Tony Cascio (Jason Johnson 46); Giles Barnes (Omar Cummings 46), Will Bruin (Mark Sherrod 46)
Colorado Rapids – Joe Nasco (John Berner 61); Albert Edward (Marvell Wynne 61), Grant Van De Casteele (Jared Watts 46), Drew Moor (Tolani Ibikunle 31), Chris Klute (Kory Kindle 31, Marc Burch 61); Juan Guzman (Marlon Hairston 46), Samuel Galindo (Nick LaBrocca 61); Marvin Chavez (Charles Eloundou 31), Kamani Hill (Reuben Ayarna 31, Nathan Sturgis 61), Dillon Serna (Vicente Sanchez 61); Edson Buddle (Deshorn Brown 31, Gabriel Torres 61)
^Guest player
Discipline summary:


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Laxatives are a type of medicine that can help you empty your bowels if you're having trouble going to the toilet.
They're widely used to treat constipation if lifestyle changes, such as increasing the amount of fibre in your diet, drinking plenty of fluid and taking regular exercise, haven't helped.
Laxatives are available over-the-counter, without a prescription, from pharmacies and supermarkets.
Types of laxatives
The main laxatives used in the UK are:
- bulk-forming laxatives – such as ispaghula husk and methylcellulose, which work in the same way as dietary fibre; they increase the bulk of your stools (faeces) by helping them retain fluid, encouraging your bowels to push the stools out
- osmotic laxatives – such as lactulose and polyethylene glycol, which soften your stools and make them easier to pass by increasing the amount of water in your bowels
- stimulant laxatives – such as bisacodyl, senna and sodium picosulfate, which speed up the movement of your bowels by stimulating the nerves that control the muscles lining your digestive tract
- stool softener laxatives – such as arachis oil and docusate sodium, which increase the fluid content of hard, dry stools, making them easier to pass
There are also a number of alternative laxatives that are less commonly used, including bowel cleansing solutions, peripheral opioid-receptor antagonists, linaclotide and prucalopride.
Which laxative should I use?
Although laxatives have been around for a long time, there's a lack of high-quality evidence about exactly how effective they are and whether certain laxatives are better than others.
Unless there's a reason why specific laxatives may be more suitable than others (see below), most adults should try using a bulk-forming laxative first. These usually start to work after about 2 or 3 days.
If your stools remain hard, try using an osmotic laxative in addition to – or instead of – a bulk-forming laxative. If your stools are soft, but are still difficult to pass, try taking a stimulant laxative in addition to a bulk-forming laxative.
Osmotic laxatives usually start to work after about 2 or 3 days, while stimulant laxatives usually have an effect within 6 to 12 hours.
Speak to your GP or pharmacist if you're unsure which laxative to use. Also see your GP if you're still constipated after trying all of the different types of laxative, or if you think your child might benefit from taking laxatives.
Things to consider
Although laxatives are available over-the-counter, they're not suitable for everyone.
Laxatives aren't usually recommended for children, unless advised by a doctor, and some types of laxatives may not be safe to use if you have certain conditions, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
Before using laxatives, carefully read the patient information leaflet that comes with the medication to make sure it's safe for you to take.
Read more about the considerations regarding laxatives.
How to take laxatives
How you take laxative medication depends on the form it comes in, they are commonly available as:
- tablets or capsules you swallow
- sachets of powder you mix with water and then drink
- suppositories – a capsule you place inside your back passage (rectum), where it will dissolve
- liquids or gels that you place directly into your back passage
Some laxatives are also designed to be taken at certain times of the day, such as first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
Read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medication so you know how to take it properly. Ask your pharmacist for further advice if you're still not sure how to take your medication.
While taking bulk-forming or osmotic laxatives it's particularly important to stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. This is because these laxatives can cause dehydration.
Never take more than the recommended dose of laxatives because this can be harmful and cause troublesome side effects (see below).
How long should laxatives be used for?
Ideally, laxatives should only be used occasionally and for short periods of time. Stop taking a laxative when your constipation improves.
After taking a laxative, to help stop constipation returning you can make certain lifestyle changes, such as drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly and including more fibre in your diet. These types of measures are a better way of preventing constipation than excessive use of laxatives.
See your GP for advice if you're often constipated, despite making appropriate lifestyle changes, or if your constipation hasn't improved after taking laxatives for more than a week.
Don't get into the habit of taking laxatives every day to ease your constipation because this can be harmful.
In some cases, you may be prescribed a laxative to use regularly, but this should always be supervised by your GP or a gastroenterologist (a specialist in digestive conditions).
Side effects
Like most medications, laxatives can cause side effects. They're usually mild and should pass once you stop taking the medication.
The side effects you may experience will depend on the specific medication you're taking, but common side effects of most laxatives include:
- bloating
- passing wind (flatulence)
- painful tummy (abdominal) cramps
- feeling sick
- dehydration – which can make you feel lightheaded, have headaches and pass urine that's darker than normal
Contact your GP for advice if you experience any particularly troublesome or persistent side effects while taking laxatives.
Excessive or prolonged use of laxatives can also cause diarrhoea, intestinal obstruction (where the bowel becomes blocked by large, dry stools) and unbalanced levels of salts and minerals in your body.
It's often possible to improve constipation without having to use laxatives. Before trying laxatives, it may help to make a number of lifestyle changes, such as:
- increasing your daily intake of fibre – you should eat about 30g of fibre a day; high-fibre foods include fruit, vegetables and cereals
- adding bulking agents, such as wheat bran, to your diet – these will help make your stools softer and easier to pass, although bran and fibre can sometimes make bloating worse
- drinking plenty of water
- exercising regularly
Read more about preventing constipation.
Most people can use laxatives, but not all types are suitable for everyone.
For example, you should check with your GP or pharmacist before using laxatives if you:
- have a bowel condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
- have a colostomy or ileostomy (where the small or large intestine is diverted through an opening in the abdomen)
- have a history of liver or kidney disease
- are pregnant or breastfeeding
- have an obstruction somewhere in your digestive system
- have diabetes, as some laxatives can cause a rise in blood sugar levels, which could be dangerous if you have diabetes
- have difficulties swallowing (dysphagia)
- have a lactose intolerance, as some laxatives contain lactose
- have phenylketonuria (a rare genetic condition where the body is unable to break down a substance called phenylalanine), as phenylalanine is found in certain bulk-forming laxatives
- are taking opioid painkillers, such as codeine or morphine
These situations don't usually mean you can't use laxatives, but certain types of laxative may be more suitable for you than others.
Children and laxatives
Laxatives aren't recommended for babies who haven't been weaned. If your baby is constipated, try giving them extra water in between feeds. Gently massaging their tummy and moving their legs in a cycling motion may also help.
Babies who are eating solid foods may be able to use laxatives, but you should first make sure your baby drinks plenty of water or diluted fruit juice and increase the amount of fibre in their diet. If they're still constipated, your GP may prescribe or recommend a laxative.
In older children, osmotic or stimulant laxatives are often recommended alongside dietary changes as the first treatment for constipation.
Always check with your GP before giving your baby or child a laxative.
Read more about treating constipation in children.
Last updated:
03 March 2023


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I was a big fan of Jim Carrey when I was a kid. In Living Color was one of my touchstones, one of my earliest influences and it (and Kids in the Hall--hands down, Canada's most important cultural export besides Strange Brew) was one of the first things that made me want to be a comedian. I loved Carrey on that show. Fire Marshall Bill? Please. It's still funny today. And I loved his early movies, especially Dumb & Dumber. I was twelve when Dumb & Dumber came out. I was the target audience.
The problem Carrey has always had, despite doing solid-to-good dramatic work in movies like The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the widely unseen I Love You Phillip Morris, is that 1) people just don't cotton to Dramatic Jim Carrey and 2) his audience has remained twelve years old. Carrey's humor was always rooted in the juvenile, but eventually you have to figure out other ways of making people laugh besides talking with your ass or else it gets sad. There's something especially depressing about a comic doing the same joke he used fifteen years ago on an audience that wasn't even born when he first told the joke (see also: Adam Sandler).
Carrey, no question, needs a comeback. Unless he wants to spend the rest of his life recycling Ace Ventura, he needs to find a way to redefine himself for audience. Last week we took a look at how Kevin Costner is reinventing himself for the second half of his career, and now it's Jim Carrey's turn. Deadline reports that he's been approached about a small but important role in Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall (yes, that's the title). Carrey is known to be a big fan of the original movie, so I'm sure on a personal level this is thrilling in a way I can't comprehend, but professionally this is the kind of role he needs to be taking. He needs a distinctive character, very different from himself that he can use to reintroduce himself to
Back in 1996 Carrey earned his first $20 million paycheck, for The Cable Guy. This is what fascinates me about this generation of movie stars—they all reached that pinnacle of success, commanding the biggest paychecks and the sweetest deals, only to see their influence and earnings drain away as the Movie Star died. I really don't think any actor is worth $20 million up front, so I have zero issue with them making less these days, but I do find it interesting, watching this generation, the $20 million generation, re-strategize and prioritize their careers. I'm kind of obsessed with what they think about. Does it chap their ass to have to essentially start over in the middle of their career? It would have to, right?
Carrey has his work cut out for him in terms of a comeback. He's not working the same kind of good will as Costner, who made some seriously beloved movies (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 4 life). He's already taken one smart move in the right direction, though, partnering with Steve Carell for the comedy Burt Wonderstone next year. Carell isn't a box office guarantee but people like him. Joining Kick-Ass 2 would be another smart one, giving him some much-needed cool cred with younger, but not twelve year old, audiences. The inevitable Dumb & Dumber sequel, though…I don't know. The potential is there, sure, but that's also the kind of thing that can blow up in your face. It's hard for aging comedians because what you think is funny and what people find funny about you changes over time. Carrey was a very inventive comic performer, once upon a time; he should be able to complete the career rebound. But one thing Carrey could definitely do to improve his image is ditch the ludicrously pretentious website.
Attached - Carrey leaving the Aerosmith afterparty in LA a few weeks ago.


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In rebel-held Aleppo, Syrian civilians try to impose law through courts, not guns
| Aleppo, Syria
Mahad Youssef walks into this bare, new office, sinks into a chair, and holds her head in her hands. Her two adult daughters stand beside her, arms crossed and looking worried, as Mrs. Youssef tearfully petitions the man in the pressed suit sitting behind a desk.
"I swear on the Quran, my son did nothing," she says. "My son is a good man. If he confessed anything, it's because they are torturing him."
This, the newest court in Aleppo, is her last hope to get her son back. And perhaps the slump in her shoulders is an indication of her confidence in its abilities.
Ms. Youssef's son was recently arrested by a brigade of the Free Syrian Army, who accused him of being a member of the shabiha, or a thug working for the Assad regime. They were detaining him, and, she is afraid, torturing him. The judge, who sits behind his desk, waves to a court investigator, who enters the room and informs the woman that he visited the brigade that captured her son, and they promised to turn him over to the court tomorrow. Youssef begins to cry.
"I swear on the Quran, I swear on the Quran, my son is innocent!" she cries.
This newly established United Legal Council of Aleppo is an attempt to bring law and order back to war-torn Aleppo, where rebels and the Syrian regime have fought over the city for three months now. In rebel-held territory, the citizens who haven't fled the fighting find themselves with no courts to perform marriages or try thieves, and at the mercy of the armed rebel groups fighting the regime.
But this group of lawyers and judges is finding it difficult to exert civilian accountability over the rebel groups, whose guns are the law.
"In times of war, justice suffers first," says Abu Ibrahim, the judge who heard Youssef's petition. A judge in a government appeals court before the uprising, he asked not to use his real name because his family lives in an area under the control of the Syrian regime.
The court was established one month ago by a group of about 50 former lawyers and judges. Many of the rebel groups fighting in Aleppo already had their own informal courts, usually based on sharia or Islamic law. Abu Ibrahim says this court is an attempt to build a unified system to apply justice, both for civilians and fighters.
He and the other council members met with the leaders of the various rebel groups to secure their promise that they would cooperate with the new court, to give it legitimacy. Most of them have agreed, he says, with a few holdouts.
But even among those that have nominally agreed, it's not clear how much those words are worth. The judicial council works in an edifice built before the war and never used. The bare walls and floors echo with the voices of the people who fill a hallway, waiting to make their complaints. Downstairs in the basement, several rooms prepared as prisons sit empty, waiting for the rebels to turn over their prisoners to the legal council. Only one cell is occupied, by just two prisoners.
Rebels accused of atrocities
Some rebel groups have been accused of atrocities while battling the regime. This week, a video became public of rebel fighters executing a group of apparent regime soldiers, apparently near the northern town of Saraqeb, where heavy fighting had taken place. Human rights groups say the actions in the video, if verified, may represent a war crime.
Such battlefield crimes are unlikely to make it to this court. But what Abu Ibrahim hopes it can do, at the least, is bring accountability to the interactions between the armed groups and civilians, as well as handle civilian complaints. He hopes it will become the foundation of a civilian infrastructure that can supersede the control of the rebel groups.
The legal council hears about 15 new cases a day, says Abu Ibrahim. It has recognized marriages and divorces and mediated family disputes. There have been many cases of theft, but in each case the council has ordered the thieves to return what they stole, and has declined to punish them because of the difficult circumstances of war.
In fact, the council has yet to punish anyone. That's partly because it has little power to enforce its rulings, or to force an armed group to turn over prisoners.
The obstacles ahead are many. An Aleppo legal expert who asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution says a main obstacle is extremists, who don't like the mixture of civil and Islamic law the court applies, and want instead to see a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
"We need the application of the law. The problem is we have extremists and they have their own laws. They want the application of Islamic sharia, but not a moderate sharia," says the legal expert. "There are few of them, but they are increasing."
He says the drawn-out conflict is increasing the influence of extremist armed groups, while their more plentiful resources are an added draw. Even among the rebel groups who do not adhere to an extremist ideology, only a fraction of them are "good," says the legal expert, who calls most of them thieves. "To stop their influence, we have to support civilian institutions. We need courts, and police with uniforms and weapons and salaries."
A fledgling police force in rebel-held Aleppo is good, "but they're also weak," he says. "Because there is no support. No weapons, no uniforms, or cars."
The rebel fighters get support from outside Syria, while civilian efforts like the court suffer, he says.
Some of the rebel brigades appear to prefer their own justice to handing over prisoners to the legal council. Abu Tawfiq, the operational commander of Liwa el Tawhid, one of the largest rebel divisions in Aleppo, says that his group is considering cooperating with the court.
"We have our own judges and lawyers, and they have to agree about this," he said when asked why the division didn't agree to send its prisoners to the court.
The case of an FSA fighter
Even what might be considered a success story for the court -- a Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighter imprisoned after being accused of murder -- is complicated.
Kamal Al Abd is accused of shooting a suspected member of the shabiha. He was working with his brigade at a checkpoint, and allegedly shot the unarmed suspect when he fled. His brigade turned him over to the court.
Downstairs in his chilly and dimly lit cell, Mr. Abd says he is not beaten or mistreated in the jail. His guards remained outside the cell while he talked to a reporter. But Abd complains that he doesn't deserve to be imprisoned. He was only one of six men from his brigade who killed the suspected thug. He says he was the only one arrested because the man who died was from the same village as himself, and Abd was accused of killing him to settle a personal score.
"I've been a fighter with the FSA for a year. I fought at the front. The guy outside the door defected recently. Why am I in here and he's out there? It's not fair," he says. He says he has not been given a chance to tell his side of the story to the judge, despite being held for nearly a week.
Back upstairs, Abu Ibrahim says he has spoken with the man, and the investigation into his case is just beginning. He will get a lawyer and a chance to defend himself, he says. He is interrupted when a court worker brings in a complaint handwritten in Arabic. Filed by a doctor in the town of Al Bab, it accuses rebel fighters of breaking down the door to a medical clinic and stealing records.
A day after their first appearance at the court, Mahad Youssef's two daughters are back outside Abu Ibrahim's office, waiting for news of their brother. One of them, who gives her name as Shahad and wears a hijab and a long coat over her clothes, says her brother was taken because of a personal dispute. One of the neighbors wanted to marry her, but her family refused.
She says the angry neighbor then accused her brother of being one of the shabiha. His case was complicated by the fact that her father is listed on activist websites as working as a regime thug. She and her mother say their father is estranged and they haven't seen him for months. Shahad says she doesn't know where she would have turned without this new legal council, but she's not sure if it will bring justice for her brother, either.
She likes Abu Ibrahim, she says. "He listens, and answers." But at midday on the day the brigade promised to turn her brother over to the court, she is still sitting on a chair outside the judge's office, waiting.


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Users / nvidia drivers
« on: February 08, 2013, 03:34:05 am »
Is there any way to manually download nvidia drivers. I have no internet right now. Needed to reinstall, that want pretty good except for myth. That doesn't matter because I have no cable either. So all I really need is some way to install nvidia drivers. I can use my phone to download them. Then some how copy them somewhere to install.


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Last modified: Friday, September 23, 2011
IU Informatics dean testifies in D.C. on need for K-12 computer science improvements, job opportunities
Sept. 21, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing Dean Bobby Schnabel today (Sept. 21) warned members of a U.S. Congressional subcommittee on science, space and technology that the United States could lose tremendous job opportunities if more isn't done to teach computer science in grades K-12.
Schnabel, who is also chair of the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) Education Policy Committee, said university computing and information technology graduates were meeting the needs of the workforce, but that there were too few of them.
"Despite the tremendous job opportunities that computer science knowledge offers, participation in advanced placement computer science (courses) has been flat for over a decade," Schnabel said.
Schnabel testified along with George Strawn, director of the National Coordination Office of the U.S. Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program; Edward Lazowksa, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington; and Robert Sproull, retired director of Oracle Labs. He offered points made in a Computing in the Core coalition report (https://www.computinginthecore.org/), released last year, on where computer science education in K-12 had failed, and he also offered recommendation on how NITRD could take steps to address the problem.
"K-12 computer science education is currently focused on basic skills, which teach students how to consume technology, versus acquiring deeper knowledge and skills which teach them to create new technologies," Schnabel told members of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Research and Science Education. "Further, only nine states 'count' computer science courses toward a core academic graduation credit, and, finally, few states have robust teacher certification programs for K12 computer science teachers."
Schnabel said ACM wanted to make the following recommendations on how NITRD, at the federal level, could specifically address the systemic issues facing K-12 computer science education:
- NITRD programs should report to the National Coordinating Office what steps they are taking to address K-12 computer science education reform.
- Include the Department of Education in the NITRD program.
- Include and clearly define computer science in federal education programs.
- Create state planning and implementation grants for computer science K-12 curriculum and build national networks of support for K-12 computer science education.
- Create pre-service and professional development opportunities for K-12 computer science teachers.
For more information or to speak wth Schnabel, please contact Steve Chaplin, University Communications, at 812-856-1896 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Tomorrow, the Color Palette Challenge will be posted first and the Stash Report will be posted an hour or so later. Please be careful when adding your links so you catch the right link box. Please remember that links need to be to a specific blog post and not to your main blog.
The UFO number for April is:
Did you get your March UFO finished or get lots of work done on it? I never found mine. Looks like my 2013 UFO List may be the same as the 2012 list. The tops I had been working on at the rental seem to be the ones that are buried the deepest.


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RIVERSIDE, Calif. — When Jose Chavez Gonzalez moved to the United States from El Salvador, he took any job he could get — stocking warehouses, construction, cleaning houses and working in a meat processing plant.
But unlike most of the other immigrants he worked alongside, Chavez, 38, was a doctor with eight years of medical training. He came to the U.S. in the mid-1990's to be with his family, but like all doctors from other countries, he still had to pass the U.S. medical boards and go through at least three years of residency in order to practice here. The process can be both expensive and time consuming, so during the day he worked various menial jobs and at night he studied for the boards.
"I had to do it. And I wouldn't complain," says Chavez. "It was OK to me. I mean, of course medicine is my passion, but since I didn't have a license here, I couldn't practice it."
A quarter of U.S. doctors are foreign-born, mostly from countries like India that focus on training medical students to work in the U.S. Many other immigrant physicians never become American doctors, particularly those who come from Latin American countries like Chavez.
But a program at the University of California is seeking to change that, while at the same time helping to address the shortage of primary care doctors in the state. The UCLA International Medical Graduate Program offers Latino doctors a stipend along with board preparation classes, mentorship and references to help them find a good residency slot in primary care. In return, the doctors pledge to work in an underserved area of California for two or three years.
The program at UCLA was founded by Dr. Patrick Dowling and Dr. Michelle Bholat to help address the shortage of primary care doctors in the state, and a particular shortage of doctors of Latin American heritage. Though about 40 percent of the state's population is Hispanic, only 5 percent of its doctors are.
Nearly half of the estimated 5 million Californians expected to be newly eligible for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act are Latino, and Dowling says it's key that patients see a doctor who understands their language and culture.
"You can either do total body cat scans on everybody or you can sit down and try to understand what the patient is saying and why and what's going on in their life," says Dowling.
The program is small. But slowly, it's making a dent. Chavez was able to pass his medical exams in two years. Today, he's hard at work as a first-year resident at the Riverside County Regional Medical Center. Most of his patients are Hispanic, and many are immigrants like him.
Graciela Jauregui came to the clinic with severe pain in her knee. She was born in Mexico but has lived in the U.S. for 17 years, working as a housekeeper. She's 62 and doesn't speak English. She says she always prefers to see a doctor who can actually understand her.
Speaking through an interpreter, Jauregui says, "All doctors are good people, but when they speak Spanish it's better."
Chavez's fluency in Spanish is prized by his boss, Riverside's chief of family medicine Dr. Geoffrey Leung. Leung says the clinic employs translators, but they are often in short supply. And even with a translator, important details can be lost.
"No matter how good of a translator you have, your concern is that you may lose some part of the integrity of the message," Leung says.
So far, the UCLA program has placed 54 Hispanic doctors into family medicine training programs – Dowling says that's almost as many as came from all 10 California medical schools put together.
Dowling says hundreds and maybe thousands of immigrant doctors from Latin America could be practicing, but are instead working other – often menial – jobs. And that's a wasted resource.
"I was just reviewing an applicant this morning who's currently working in McDonalds," Dowling says. "And I thought of the irony: She's serving people Big Macs right now and what she could be doing is explaining to people that isn't what you want you want to be eating."
Chavez, for his part, is happy to be treating patients again: "[It] gave me the opportunity to stop working and focus full-time on studying. Without the program, I would still be working on construction."


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The European Golf Club
Brittas Bay,
Wicklow, Ireland
Tel : +353 (04)04 47415 Fax : +353 (0)1 280 8457
A links course which tumbles through tall sand dunes and overlooks the Irish Sea. Designed an owned by Pat Ruddy who has also designed several other famous Irish Golf Courses.
Ranking achieved as at August 1998! No.6 In Ireland per Irish Golf institute; No.27 In Britain and Ireland per Golf Monthly; No.25 In world per Golf Magazine.
N11 south from Dublin, pas villages of Ashford and Rathnen, (by pass Wicklow Town) to jack White's Inn. Left into Brittas bay and right to Links. 35 miles from Dublin city centre.
Further Information
Trolley hire available. Practice and restaurant facilities. Societies arranged by Sidon Ruddy or Gerald Ruddy.
Course Details
Course Name: European Holes: 18 Yardage: 6800 SSS: 71 |
The Links of The European Club presents a stunning golf and visual experience as it tumbles through almost 200-acres of glorious sand dunes and runs along the beach on Ireland's lovely east coast just south of Dublin. This is the first links to have been built on Ireland's east coast this century. An important happening in view of the fact that only 150 of the world's almost 40,000 golf courses are links! Links golf is, of course, the original of the species and all other courses are modelled on the natural principles of linksland play bunkers, mounding and fast running greens. The European Club has been designed to be the greatest links of the 21st century and great care has to be taken to move links design into new age with great sensitivity to the traditions and skills of linksland golf. Blind shots are notably absent at The European Club but all the thrills of pitch-and -run golf, pot bunkers of cavernous proportions, tall dunes and the opportunity to slice your ball onto the beach provided for an unforgettable round. For an appreciation and independent view of this course please see golfer reviews. press here for The European Golf Club course reviews |


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Calgon Carbon Corp. received the California Department of Health Services
approval of its ISEP continuous ion exchange system to treat perchlorate and
nitrate for drinking water distribution."Before
rendering our decision, the Department's Surface Water Treatment Rule
Committee extensively reviewed ISEP's performance in pilot work," explained
Richard H. Sakaji, Ph.D., PE, senior sanitation sanitary engineer for the
California Department of Health Services. The committee also noted that, "ISEP
has been successfully applied in nitrate removal applications locally and
outside California. The investigation of the committee concluded that ISEP has
demonstrated its ability to remove perchlorates from source waters to acceptable
Calgon Carbon Corp.)


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Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps
On October 14, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy gave a speech to students at the University of Michigan in which he challenged them—future doctors, technicians and engineers–to further the cause of peace by living and working, for a time, in developing nations as a service to their country.
Five months later, on March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the executive order officially establishing the Peace Corps within the U.S. State Department. Today, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of that proclamation.
The primary goals of the Peace Corps are threefold: to help people in interested countries meet their need for trained volunteers, to help promote a better understanding of Americans by those served and to help promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans. Since 1961, more than 200,000 people have heeded that call to service, volunteering in over 139 countries.
This year, the Smithsonian honors the accomplishments of the Peace Corps by celebrating its volunteers and the people they serve during the 2011 Folklife Festival. The Peace Corps program is designed to bridge cultures and foster greater understanding by promoting awareness and appreciation for the countries in which Peace Corps volunteers have lived.
Once volunteers return home from their 27 months of service, their lives are forever changed, often requiring some blending. When Jason Bowers, program coordinator for the Peace Corps Program, returned from his years of service teaching in Slovakia, he moved to New York, where he found and visited lived in a small Slovak community in Queens. "I was able to live both of my lives, my American life and my Slovak life, by attending cultural events, visiting restaurants, bars or stores that were owned by Slovaks," he said. "I was able to really participate in the third goal by bringing my experience back to other Americans and also to Slovak Americans who themselves may not have been back to their mother country in a number of years."
Bowers was also able to share his experience with his parents who were not able to visit him in Slovakia, but got a taste of what his life was like there while visiting him in New York. That, he says, is the essence of the Folklife Festival. "It's a great opportunity for anyone who has ever been connected to Peace Corps, whether directly themselves as a volunteer, or for parents, for families, or even children of volunteers, to share some of that experience," he says.
Today, the Peace Corps is still active in 77 countries around the world, with volunteers focusing their efforts in the fields of education, health, business development, the environment and youth development, among others. "One of the goals of Folklife is to help our public better understand what Peace Corps volunteers have done during the past 50 years and also to better understand the cultures worldwide with whom Peace Corps volunteers have been interacting and working," said James Deutsch, program curator for the Peace Corps program.
Bringing together past and present volunteers with many of the people from other countries with whom they have served, visitors are invited to join in the festivities and enjoy musical and theatrical performances, craft demonstrations, food and cooking demonstrations, dancing and hands-on activities for the entire family.
This free festival, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., June 30-July 4 and July 7-11, 2011, will also feature programs on Colombia and North American Rhythm & Blues.
As celebrations for the Peace Corps semicentennial continue throughout the year, President Kennedy's initial message still rings clear —"I think Americans are willing to contribute," he said. "But the effort must be far greater than we have ever made in the past."
Update: March 3, 2011: This post was updated to correct an error and to add additional information.


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"The Clarion Call of Prophets," Ensign, Nov. 2003, 32–34
The Clarion Call of Prophets
Prophets and apostles stand at the head of this work today as it goes forth to all the world.
As I look out over this vast congregation, in my mind's eye I see not only those present in the Conference Center, but those of you who are participating in this conference in meetinghouses and homes throughout the world. Although you may be near or far away, you are so vital to the work of the Lord and the establishment of the Church where you live.
We are united in our love for God our Eternal Father. We honor His name and that of His Only Begotten Son, the Savior of the world, even Jesus Christ. In this conference, there will be communicated to us—through the power of the Holy Ghost—feelings that will increase our faith in the Father and the Son and our love for the principles of the restored gospel. In turn, those feelings will draw us nearer to Them as we feel Their presence in our lives and desire with all our hearts to know Their will and to become like Them.
My message and testimony to you is that prophets and apostles stand at the head of this work today as it goes forth to all the world. They have been called of God by revelation. They are indeed prophets, seers, and revelators. The Lord loves them, and as members of the Church, we honor them and look to them as servants of the living God. The clarion call of the prophets is as clear today as it ever was in the past, and the testimony of the prophets will continue to the very moment that the Lord Jesus Christ returns to reign in glory.
We live in wonderful but perilous times. Throughout the earth, the fabric of nations and the collective world appears to be deteriorating. We see discord and enmity between leaders and nations, conflicts between communities, and contention within families. The solution to the ills of the world is found in understanding the doctrines and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and the application of those principles in the lives of every human being. Divine doctrines and teachings have been taught with clarity by prophets, both ancient and modern, as moved upon by the Holy Ghost. As we hear those truths, they are communicated to our hearts and minds by that same Spirit.
As we consider the role of prophets, it is vital to understand that, first, prophets are called of God and He testifies to the world of their calling. The ancient book of Abraham describes an event that occurred in the premortal existence as God looked over the spirits He had created: "And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born" (Abr. 3:23).
Of Samuel, the Old Testament prophet, the scriptures record that "Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord" (1 Sam. 3:19–20).
The Book of Mormon quotes the Savior in ancient America when He emphasized the value of Isaiah's Old Testament prophecies:
"And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.
"For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; …
"And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake. …
"… Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things" (3 Ne. 23:1–3, 5).
Second, the role of prophets is to teach of Christ and testify of His divinity and His mission. Adam, the first prophet, with his wife, Eve, heard the voice of the Lord and initiated the pattern for the dispensations that would follow. Of that momentous event it is recorded that "Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.
"And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
"And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters" (Moses 5:10–12).
Helaman, an ancient American prophet, taught his sons Nephi and Lehi: "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Hel. 5:12).
Perhaps the most powerful testimony of the Savior in this dispensation was given in 1832 by the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon:
"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
"For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
"That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created" (D&C 76:22–24).
The third characteristic of prophets is that their teachings are recorded and are taught by succeeding prophets and teachers to the inhabitants of the earth. The Lord said to the Old Testament prophet Moses, "Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them" (Ex. 24:12).
The Lord's living prophets today have given an equally compelling testimony when in 1995 they testified to the world of the sacred nature of marriage and the family:
"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children. …
"We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan. …
"We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society" ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Liahona, Oct. 1998, 24; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).
Later they also gave their personal witness, as the Lord's Apostles, to the mission of Jesus Christ:
"We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world. …
"We testify that He will someday return to earth. … He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts" ("The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles," Liahona and Ensign, Apr. 2000, 2–3).
At their very core, the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are intended to convey to the soul of every sincere person who will ask of God in faith a personal testimony of our Lord and Savior and the role of the prophets from the dawn of time to this very moment. I testify that the succession of prophets has continued from Joseph Smith, the first prophet of this dispensation, to Gordon B. Hinckley, the Lord's prophet today. Of that I bear my witness and testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.


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NGK.com specializes in hard to find NGK products. We are not NGK Spark Plugs USA. To contact them, click here.
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About a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote about engine idling and how most of the time it's simply a waste of gas and money and pumps unnecessary pollution into the air.
I feel even more strongly about it today.
Everywhere I go, I continue to see people letting their engines run when there's no need. They get into their car, start the engine, then light a cigarette and fiddle with their phones for two or three minutes before moving on.
That's just one example. There are many others.
Multiple sources, from AAA to environmental organizations, say there's no point in letting your engine idle for more than 30 seconds, or certainly no more than a minute, even in cold weather. Driving the car warms it up.
It's a myth that it takes more fuel to restart a car than to run the engine for a minute or more.
"Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it," according to the California Energy Commission.
For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile, the organization's Web site states.
According to many sources, idling can even damage the engine.
"An idling engine is not operating at peak temperature, resulting in incomplete fuel combustion. Fuel residues can condense on cylinder walls, contaminate oil and damage engine components," according to the group LEaP (Lowering Emissions and Particulates).
I realize that most people let their engines run without thinking about it. That's why I'm writing about it again — so people will think about it.
I've caught myself doing it. I've gotten into the car and started it up, thinking I'm going to leave right away. Then I start looking for something in my backpack. I don't do it much anymore, though, and when it does happen, I catch myself quickly and either start driving or turn off the engine to finish what I'm doing.
I can see idling when windows are iced over and need to be defrosted. And though some red lights take two or three minutes to cycle through, AAA doesn't advise drivers to turn off their engines in those situations because it can hold up traffic, spokesman Dave Overstreet said.
Other than these instances, what would be the point?
Being aware of when the engine is running, and whether it needs to be running, is part of being a mindful driver.
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AAA: http://tinyurl.com/GasWatcher
Lowering Emissions and Particulates: www.makealeap.org/idling_myth
California Energy Commission: http://tinyurl.com/IdlingCars
Mid-America Regional Council: http://tinyurl.com/AirMyths
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Chemistry: Acids and Bases
Acids and Bases
As you learned way back in Chemical Equations, acid-base reactions have equations with the general form HA + BOH ⇔ BA + H2O. So far, that's all I've really said about them. As you've probably guessed, there's a lot more to acids and bases than this equation.
The reason that acid-base reactions are so important is that many of the things you come into contact with on a daily basis are either acids or bases. Most fruits are acids, as are carbonated beverages, tea, and battery acid. Common household bases include baking soda, ammonia, soap, and antacids. As you'll find, acids and bases really aren't that difficult to understand once you get the hang of them.
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chemistry © 2003 by Ian Guch. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book direct from the publisher, visit the Penguin USA website or call 1-800-253-6476. You can also purchase this book at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.


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The Vancouver Taxi Association is moving ahead with its own ride-hailing system, using a B.C.-based smartphone app that will allow taxi companies to co-operate to deliver the nearest licensed cab to customers.
Kater, a Surrey-based company, has plans to launch its own fleet of vehicles to compete with established ride-hailing services such as Lyft and Uber. But for now it wants to set up taxis to use its app, starting in the Lower Mainland, the only large metropolitan area in North America that doesn't have legal ride-hailing.
RELATED: B.C. ride hailing battle carries on into 2019
RELATED: B.C. adds hundreds of taxis, delays ride hailing
The association has informed the B.C. Passenger Transportation Branch that it has formalized an agreement with Kater to begin using the service in some of its member taxis, the B.C. transportation ministry confirmed in a statement. The taxi group wants to get a jump on ride-hailing, which the province intends to legalize by the end of this year.
"The ministry, through the Passenger Transportation Branch, is taking steps to ensure that all current provincial and licensing requirements are met including a regular, government approved safety inspection of the vehicles, insurance that will cover the carrying of paying passengers and compliance with licence boundaries and other requirements until the fall of 2019 when new regulations will come into force that will allow ride-hailing companies to enter the market," the ministry statement said.
Last January, Vancouver Taxi Association representative Carolyn Bauer announced the plan to partner with Kater. Bauer told a B.C. government committee the taxi industry wants to embrace new technology, and recognizes the problems people face getting a ride around Metro Vancouver.
"We're the ones that are being screamed at when people can't get service," Bauer told MLAs.
The committee was proposed by B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver, who has pushed for B.C. to join most large cities in North America to allow Uber, Lyft and other services to supplement taxi service.
The NDP government passed legislation in November to allow ride-hailing services as soon as next fall, with restrictions on their numbers and a requirement for private vehicle drivers to obtain a class four driver's licence, pass a criminal record check and have vehicles inspected.
Michael van Hemmen, Uber Canada's Western Canada manager, called the restrictions "key barriers to entry that have prevented ride sharing from operating in B.C.," but said his company will continue to work with the province to begin operations.
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How to Practice Japa Mantra Meditation
- Krishna Meditation—the significance of, reasons for, and philosophy behind Hare Krishna mantra meditation.
- "You Can Pronounce Krishna in Any Way"—Does true spirituality require a specific hairstyle, clothing style, vocabulary, and a diet of curried vegetables?
- How to Chant on Beads—How to get up and running in your practice of chanting Hare Krishna in the privacy of your own home.
- Does it Matter What Mantra I Chant?—Mantras and the process of devotional service have special power, provided they are received from the authorized person.
- Nothing a Goat Won't Eat—With everybody babbling back and forth about nothing of consequence, how can we meditate on things that really matter?


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Fender Acoustic guitars is pleased to announce several new models for the summer, including a fresh take on a popular signature model, a dreadnought bass and a pair of mandolins.
The Tim Armstrong Hellcat-12 takes off where Tim's distinctive six-string model left off. The richly resonant Tim Armstrong Hellcat-12 is a 12-string version of his popular signature model, and has distinctive features including a solid mahogany top with scalloped X bracing and four-ply tortoiseshell pickguard,Hellcat position inlays, 12-fret double-skulls inlay, Fishman preamp and Armstrong's signature on the truss rod cover.
The CD-220SCE All Zebrano dreadnought acoustic is stunning both visually and sonically thanks to its all-zebrano wood back and sides, which look fantastic and impart wonderfully balanced tone with rich harmonics. Other features include scalloped X bracing and back center stripe mosaic inlay, abalone rosette and tortoiseshell pickguard, mahogany neck with dual-action truss rod, 20-fret rosewood fingerboard with smaller (3 mm) dot inlays, rosewood bridge with compensated saddle, black bridge pins with abalone dots, mother-of-pearl Fender logo headstock inlay, gold hardware and Fishman Presys pickup system with active onboard preamp, tuner, volume and tone controls and low-battery indicator light.
The Fender California series meets the Hot Rod Design series. When you cross Sonoran™ and T-Bucket acoustic models, the result is a truly amazing guitar – the new Sonoran-Bucket dreadnought. Premium features include a vintage-sunburst flame maple top with T-Bucket rosette, laminated mahogany back and sides, Stratocaster® headstock and maple neck with 12th-fret F logo, rosewood bridge with compensated saddle and Fishman Isys III pickup/preamp system with built-in tuner.
The CB-100CE Bass is an affordable dreadnought cutaway acoustic bass with pro features, including a resonant spruce top with scalloped X bracing and mother-of-pearl acrylic rosette, mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck with Jazz Bass® profile and dual-action truss rod, rosewood bridge with compensated saddle, and Fishman Isys III pickup/preamp system with built-in tuner.
The ever-popular FM-63S is now electrified with a piezo pickup and volume and tone controls. The FM-63SE mandolin also features a solid spruce top with tone barbracing and f holes, carved solid maple back, flame maple sides, ivory bodybinding, three-ply tortoiseshell pickguard, bound fingerboard and headstock, pearloid dot inlays, rosewood bridge with compensated saddle, gold hardware and tail piece, and mother-of-pearl headstock inlays.
The FM-101 Mandolin rings with great tone, performance and value, with features including a laminated spruce top with f holes and tone bar bracing, ivory body binding and gloss sunburst finish, bound fingerboard, rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, rosewood bridge with compensated saddle, and chrome tailpiece.


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With today marking the start of the four-month countdown to Christmas (yes, really…), let's take a look back at this sweet HoliBlog post from several years ago.
This email arrived recently from Natalee and Chris G., from Memphis, Tennessee:
I want to tell you about the most precious moment this weekend.
By Saturday afternoon, our little Caroline was exhausted! My job was to get her to sleep in her stroller. This was very easy as the morning in the water park had worn her out! I wanted to find some place cool so I decided to shop in the Christmas store.
When what to my wondering eyes did appear – but Santa coming back from lunch! I told him I was glad Caroline was asleep as she did not like him one bit. I went on to explain that she loved him in theory. She calls him "Ho Ho" and will point him out anytime she sees him, but being close enough to touch him is a whole other story!
Santa asked me if she was a good sleeper. I said yes – she was "out" and would not wake up for a while. We decided to try to see if Caroline would sleep in Santa's arms for one picture. Sure enough, she never budged. Santa even pretended to nap with her. He also gave her a little "Ho Ho" to hold during the picture. He told me that when she woke up, show her the picture and she would know it was from him.
Definitely the most precious picture I have in my whole collection of Caroline pictures – and as our only child, I assure you our pictures are numerous!
An hour or so later, Caroline woke up. Her new little "Ho Ho" was in her arms. She looked at me as if to say, "where did this come from?" I showed her the picture. I think – even at one year old – she understood that the REAL "Ho Ho" had given her the new toy.
I guess she enjoyed that nap in Santa's arms with little "Ho Ho." She has played with that little stuffed Santa and even took a few more naps with him since we have been home.
Please tell Santa thanks for helping to make our vacation so memorable!
Originally posted 6/4/09


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There was a while there when we thought TV opening credits were dead and gone. In favor of more commercial time, the networks were content to give you a few seconds of "previously on," an opening scene and then a title. But then came quality cable series, and along with movie stars, explicit sex and a lot of gore, they brought fancy fonts, theme songs and computer animation that elevated the opening titles to the kind of art form we love to geek out over (and, of course, parody).
We thought about just listing our favorites here ( the Breaking Bad sequence and all those chemistry symbols! Orange Is the New Black's Regina Spektor song!), but that's been done. Instead, here are the ones that make a knot form in our stomach in anticipation of the coming hour's drama.
6. Da Vinci's Demons
I only know about this one because it's also nominated for two Emmys (theme song and title sequence). But, wow, the orchestral score paired with Da Vinci's drawings brought to life really make us feel like we're inside the not-completely-sane-but-beautiful mind of the quintessential renaissance genius. Which, is exactly what the Starz drama is all about.
5. Hannibal
Is it wine or blood forming the shape of a human head? We are not supposed to know.
4. Pretty Little Liars
The heightened colors, the perfect lipstick and manicure, the strange lilting song, "Secret," the dead girl and her four beautiful friends, one of whom is staring straight at the camera — all the jarring juxtapositions here perfectly illustrates how this may be an ABC Family show, but it's about vicious murder and blackmail all the way.
3. American Horror Story: Asylum and Original Flavor
OK, the fetuses in a jar from Original Flavor alone would push this show into #1 rank. But taken as a whole, the two series' openers are a bit obvious and too much like every trailer for a horror movie we've ever seen.
2. The Walking Dead (Season 3)
Both here and in the opening sequence from the first two seasons, we see the remains of a destroyed civilization, and &%$# is it scary and lonely and something is definitely going to pop up from behind that gravestone. Also, now there's the added scare of that zombie eyeball and the pocket watch. I hear these violins in my nightmares, people.
1. Dexter
Is there anything so shudder-inducing as the sight of that knife going into fleshy ham? Oh, yeah, the cold look in Dexter's eyes after he's finished getting ready for his day. This one hits all the right notes: almost happy music, mundane objects manipulated to make your skin crawl, blood. It's almost so unsettling, we don't want to watch. But then we do anyway.
rest @ source


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While you're having your fun in the sun this summer, are you staying safe in the heat? Summer weather and more outdoor activities means there's a higher risk of injury from things like sun exposure, dangerous insects, heat injury and more. Make sure you're prepared for your summer fun by stocking up on these essential items that will keep you safe all summer long:
When heading outside this summer, it's important to remember to slather on the sunscreen first. Many people remember to bring sunscreen to the beach or pool, but doctors recommend wearing it every single day to protect your skin from harmful UV radiation from the sun. Not only does sunscreen prevent sunburn, but it also significantly decreases your risk of developing skin cancer later on. Experts recommend wearing at least SPF 15 sunscreen and reapplying every two hours that you are in the sun for maximum protection.
Hats aren't just a fashion item; they can help protect your head, face and neck from the sun's harmful rays. When heading outdoors for extended periods, consider bringing a hat along for your own protection. Whether you're at the beach, enjoying a baseball game or simply taking a stroll around the neighborhood, your head and neck will thank you for the extra shade of a hat.
Bug Spray
You're not the only one who is enjoying the warmer weather. Bugs love it too, and the summertime can present a whole new host of insects that enjoy snacking on unsuspecting humans. Ticks, mosquitos and spiders are some of the critters you may find a lot more of this time of year, and a bite from one of them is no laughing matter. Not only are bug bites itchy and painful, but they can also spread dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease, Zika virus and more. Protect yourself from harm by investing in a bug spray to use before going outside this summer, especially before trekking through grassy or wooded areas.
Did you know that your eyes can be damaged by the sun as well? UV rays can be harmful to both your eyes, and the skin around them. Sun exposure around your eyes can lead to cataracts or even skin cancer. Protect your vision with sunglasses that block UVA and UVB rays — the kind that wrap around your entire eye area are best. Additionally, sunglasses protect your eyes and the sensitive area around them from premature aging and wrinkles and help keep dirt and sand away.
Sun-Protective Clothing
Most people wear less clothing in the summertime. From bathing suits to shorts and tank tops, it can feel nice to show off a little skin in the summer heat. But it's important to remember that showing off some skin means less protection from the sun's harmful rays. When you don't feel like wearing as much sunscreen, opt for clothing that keeps you covered in the heat. With options like beach cover-ups, light and flowy long-sleeve shirts, linen pants and flowy skirts, you'll be sure to stay cool while remaining protected from the sun.
Don't let summer fun turn into summer pain. Remember to stock up on sunscreen, bug spray and other protective gear before leaving the house, and you'll be sure to have a good time in the sun. But if you do experience an unexpected injury, head to AFC Urgent Care Edgewater. With shorter wait times and lower costs than an emergency room, you'll be back outside and having fun again in no time. And this time, don't forget the sunscreen!


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At its re:Invent developer conference, AWS made so many announcements that even some of the company's biggest launches only got a small amount of attention. While the company's long-awaited Elastic Container Service for Kubernetes got quite a bit of press, the launch of the far more novel Fargate container service stayed under the radar.
When I talked to him earlier this week, AWS VP and Amazon CTO (and EDM enthusiast) Werner Vogels admitted as much. "I think some of the Fargate stuff got a bit lost in all the other announcements that there were," he told me. "I think it is a major step forward in making containers more cloud native and we see quite a few of our customers jumping on board with Fargate."
Fargate, if you haven't followed along, is a technology for AWS' Elastic Container Service (ECS) and Kubernetes Service (EKS) that abstracts all of the underlying infrastructure for running containers away. You pick your container orchestration engine and the service does the rest. There's no need for managing individual servers or clusters. Instead, you simply tells ECS or EKS that you want to launch a container with Fargate, define the CPU and memory requirements of your application and let the service handle the rest.
To Vogels, who also published a longer blog post on Fargate today, the service is part of the company's mission to help developers focus on their applications — and not the infrastructure. "I always compare it a bit to the early days of cloud," said Vogels. "Before we had AWS, there were only virtual machines. And many companies build successful businesses around it. But when you run virtual machines, you still have to manage the hardware. […] One of the things that happened when we introduced EC2 [the core AWS cloud computing service] in the early days, was sort of that it decoupled things from the hardware. […] I think that tremendously improved developer productivity."
But even with the early containers tools, if you wanted to run them directly on AWS or even in ECS, you still had to do a lot of work that had little to do with actually running the containers. "Basically, it's the same story," Vogels said. "VMs became the hardware for the containers. And a significant amount of work for developers went into that orchestration piece."
What Amazon's customers wanted, however, was being able to focus on running their containers — not what Vogels called the "hands-on hardware-type of management." "That was so pre-cloud," he added and in his blog post today, he also notes that "container orchestration has always seemed to me to be very not cloud native."
In Vogels' view, it seems, if you are still worried about infrastructure, you're not really cloud native. He also noted that the original promise of AWS was that AWS would worry about running the infrastructure while developers got to focus on what mattered for their businesses. It's services like Fargate and maybe also Lambda that take this overall philosophy the furthest.
Even with a container service like ECS or EKS, though, the clusters still don't run completely automatically and you still end up provisioning capacity that you don't need all the time. The promise of Fargate is that it will auto-scale for you and that you only pay for the capacity you actually need.
"Our customers, they just want to build software, they just want to build their applications. They don't want to be bothered with how to exactly map this container down to that particular virtual machine — which is what they had to do," Vogels said. "With Fargate, you select the type of CPUs you want to use for a particular task and it will autoscale this for you. Meaning that you actually only have to pay for the capacity you use."
When it comes to abstracting away infrastructure, though, Fargate does this for containers, but it's worth noting that a serverless product like AWS Lambda takes it even further. For Vogels, this is a continuum and driven by customer demand. While AWS is clearly placing big bets on containers, he is also quite realistic about the fact that many companies will continue to use containers for the foreseeable future. "VMs won't go away," he said.
With a serverless product like Lambda, you don't even think about the infrastructure at all anymore, not even containers — you get to fully focus on the code and only pay for the execution of that code. And while Vogels sees the landscape of VMs, containers and serverless as a continuum, where customers move from one to the next, he also noted that AWS is seeing enterprises that are skipping over the container step and going all in on serverless right away.


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Are you missing Flashpoint on CBS? Can't wait for it to return to primetime? Well, we have some good news and bad news.
On the downside, season four of Flashpoint averaged a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 6.25 million viewers on CBS. That made it the weakest original programming on the network. It won't be back.
On the positive side of things, the ION cable channel has licensed the first four seasons of Flashpoint and is ready to start airing them. That's 62 episodes, including 11 installments that CBS didn't purchase the rights to run. They begin airing on Tuesday, October 18th.
What's more, ION acquired the rights to air all of the existing episodes of Flashpoint from CBS Television Distribution — as well as any future episodes. Flashpoint is produced in Canada for the CTV network and they've already ordered a fifth season of 18 installments. If ION finds rating success with the 62 they've already licensed, they have the exclusive option to purchase the new episodes as well.
Here's the press release from ION:
NEW YORK, September 12, 2011- ION Television premieres its newly acquired hit police drama "Flashpoint" on Tuesday, October 18 at 10pm ET/PT with new original episodes. ION Television, the new home for the award-winning series, will schedule "Flashpoint" in a two-hour block on Tuesdays from 10pm-12am ET/PT and again on Saturdays from 9-11pm ET/PT.
To support the series launch, ION Television will unveil an integrated marketing campaign, including television, print, out-of-home & digital advertising. As part of the campaign for the first-time ever, ION will feature a Quick Response code on all printed marketing elements, which will provide fans access to exclusive cast interviews, a never-before-seen sneak peek from the premiere episode and entry into the 'Flashpoint Alert' contest, starting September 26th. The online contest provides fans a chance to win weekly cash prizes by scheduling the premiere episode onto their digital calendars and their social media platforms.
ION Television, a top-10 network, acquired the rights to all existing episodes and future production of "Flashpoint" from CBS Television Distribution earlier this year. The production of the season's upcoming episodes marked ION Television's first venture into originals planned by the network in the coming year.
"Flashpoint" joins ION Television's primetime line-up of hit off-network series such as "Psych," Monk," "Criminal Minds," and "Without a Trace," and its blockbuster theatricals, which have driven record ratings for the network. The new series joins the schedule on the heels of ION's recent acquisition of the hit series "Leverage" and "House," both set to launch on ION in 2012.
Starring Hugh Dillon (Durham County), Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars), Amy Jo Johnson (Felicity) and David Paetkau (Whistler), "Flashpoint" is the nail-biting cop drama and an emotional journey into the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of police in the Strategic Response Unit (inspired by Toronto's Emergency Task Force). Members of a highly-skilled tactical team, they are trained in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the subject's head to understand the emotional breaking point (the "flashpoint") that triggered the crisis.
"Flashpoint" is produced by Pink Sky Entertainment and Avamar Entertainment in association with CTV and CBS. Executive producers are Anne Marie La Traverse and Bill Mustos. Creators are Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern. David Frazee is Series Consultant.
Source: Top 10 Rank; Nielsen Media Research, Live+SD, 9/27/2010-8/28/2011, M-Sun 7P-12A, A25-54 (000). Excludes kids, news, and sports nets.
About ION Television
ION Television is a leading U.S. general entertainment network, combining high-quality programming and dependable broadcast distribution with an attitude of innovation and growth normally associated with a cable channel. Its "Positively Entertaining" network brand positioning features a formula of proven series, an expansive catalog of blockbuster movies and a commitment to introduce new original programming. Since its recent launch in 2008, ION's reach has grown to 99 million households and has become one of the top-15 TV rated U.S. networks in record time. For more information, visit www.iontelevision.com.
What do you think? Will you be watching Flashpoint on ION? Are you excited about the new episodes?
Image courtesy CTV.