text:
Pond's White Beauty Daily Spot-less Lightening Cream and Facial Foam Review
Pond's is perhaps one of the most familiar brands with Indian women. Almost all of its products come with an assurance of quality and satisfaction. So when I saw the Pond's White Beauty range, I was wondering: "So, even this brand is into this fairness fad???" I am totally in antipathy of fairness products as not only I don't think pale skin is the yardstick of beauty, but also class 10 biology taught me about basics of skin and its pigmentation-that the idea of wiping away melanin is certainly vague. Moreover, the absurdity of fairness cream ads are a big turn-off..I think fairness creams are portrayed in India as love potions and crash course to success! Outrageous!!!
So initially I was unfazed by this whole of White Beauty thing. However, I only yielded when my sister told me about how she looked so fresh after coming back home from her badminton session. That's when she suggested me the Pond's White Beauty Face Wash. And I went to buy it and came home with the White beauty cream as well..dont call me a hypocrite –I just yielded to the SA because she said I already have nice skin (that's pretty rare for SAs..they only dig out flaws) but the cream will give it a pinkish glow. After using these two products for about 2 months, now I feel like writing on them.
Pond's white beauty Daily Spot-less Lightening Cream
Price Rs 150 for 50gm
Pond's white beauty Daily Spot-less Lightening Cream claims to have Pro-Vitamin B3 + Multiple UV Protection. The product demands "Finally, a lightening moisturizer that goes well beyond just whitening your skin. With new Pond's white beauty, see your skin visibly transformed to a radiant pinkish-white glow. It gently evens out skin tone as it works from within to nourish protection keeps skin safe from damaging UV rays. Your radiant, new pinkish-white complexion is here to stay!"
Key Ingredients
Water, Stearic Acid & Palmitic Acid, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Glycerin, Titanium Dioxide & Aluminium Hydroxide & Stearic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, allantoin, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate & Zea Mays (Corn) Starch & Lycopene & Glucose & Sodium Ascorbate & Tocopherol, Fragrance.
Pond's white beauty Daily Spot-less Lightening Cream
My Experience with Pond's white beauty Daily Spot-less Lightening Cream
The first day that I used this cream, I was pretty impressed-the fragrance was really nice and there actually was a pearly glow on my face (I wondered how could that come so soon ☺) So I used it for a week. I then had a mixed reaction to this product. The cream felt mattyfying and drying on my face although I have oily skin. It does not blend easily as one can see from the snap above. Streaks remain here and there-and this makes the skin look patchy and gives it a different complexion from rest of the body-that is the look is not natural. The brightening stays for 2-3 hours. However, after a week, this cream broke me out severely. After the trouble-bubbles on the face faded..I again thought of using this cream-just because of the fragrance and matte effect-and it AGAIN broke me out-and since then I have discontinued using this. I never wore it in the sun-so I can't comment on its sunblock properties-however-instead of discarding the cream-I often use it as a hand cream just to use it up. Here it works well ☺
Rating (:-*:-*:-*- :-* )/5 (-1 for breaking me out)
And yes-after a weeklong use of this white-beautifying cream-I am again assured of my class 10 biology-nothing can make one "fair", but one can look "bright and fresh" with some products (or even a BIG smile!). That's when I talk about Pond's White Beauty facial foam.
Pond's White Beauty Pinkish White Glow Lightening Facial Foam:
Price Rs 60 for 50gm
Pond's White Beauty Pinkish White Glow Lightening Facial Foam is a face wash- a gentle foam- that deeply cleans and brightens skin transforming the complexion to a radiant, fair look. The foam's unique formula reduces dullness and brightens skin, while washing away old weary, sallow skin.
Pond's White Beauty Pinkish White Glow Lightening Facial Foam claims to have:
Vitamin B3: Skin Lightening active, known to act on melanin to give you a lighter and glowing complexion.
Pearl Extract: Natural extract, known to stimulate the skin and help create smooth, radiant skin.
Glycerin: Nourishing moisturiser that penetrates into skin to improve skin natural water balance.
My Experience with Pond's White Beauty Pinkish White Glow Lightening Facial Foam:
The facewash is a bit different from regular face washes-it is very creamy and lathers like a foam. The smell is very nice and just like that of the White Beauty cream. I must say, I was impressed with this product right from the first and till the last use. After working out a good lather on the face and washing off with water , this product leaves the skin truly brighter than before-and you actually look fair (read : radiant) even if you are just back from a badminton net all tanned and grimy. It leaves the face tad cleaned and matte. But on the con side-it is a bit drying on skin and although it mattifies skin-it does not fight occurrence of pimples-so I don't use it for washing my face after removing makeup.
Rating: 4/5
Have you tried Pond's Lightening Facial Foam and Pond's Daily Spotless Lightening Cream? Please Rate in the Box Below:


text:
Guess who has done it again!?!?
That's right…5x ASP Women's World Tour Champion & ROXY team rider, Stephanie Gilmore was voted #1 on ESPN's list of the top 50 female athletes in action sports!
Stephanie Gilmore came out swinging in 2014. After a lackluster, injury-plagued season that saw her slide down the ASP ratings to an uncharacteristic fifth in 2013, Stephanie proved she's just as much a competitive threat as ever, dominating the ROXY Pro Gold Coast to take the first event of the new year. She is currently tied for 1st place on the Women's World Championship Tour with Carissa Moore.
Transcending surfing, Gilmore is also an ESPY winner, as well as a Laureus World Sports Award recipient.
Roxy stands out as the true heart of the mountain and the wave, with 3 athletes clenching positions in ESPN's top 50. Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Torah Bright was ranked #9 and Sally Fitzgibbons, an ASP world championship contender, rounded out the list at #31.
Congrats to Stephanie, Torah and Sally on this incredible achievement for women in action sports! Check out ESPN's full list of the top female action sports athletes HERE.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Safety data for stevia extracts is 'robust': Cargill/Coke-funded study
Stevia has GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status in the US, and steviol glycosides were approved for EU-use in 31 food categories, including high-fiber breakfast cereals.
Despite a wealth of safety data in its favor, two recent publications (Brahmachari et al., 2011, Arch. Pharm.344, 5–19, Tandel, 2011, J. Pharmacol. Pharmacother. 2, 236–243) have raised questions about the safety of the ingredient.
The new paper, published in Food and Chemical Toxicologyand funded by Cargill Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company, lays to rest any such concerns, and concludes that: "The recent suggestions that steviol glycosides present a mutagenic – and therefore carcinogenic – risk to consumers are not supported by actual test results.
"The database of genotoxicity studies for steviol glycosides and steviol as it currently stands, combined with a lack of evidence for neoplasm development in rat bioassays, is adequate to establish the safety of these food ingredients with respect to their genetic/carcinogenic potential."
The new paper is authored by Dr. Jonathan Urban and Dr. Michael Carakostas from ToxStrategies, Inc., and David Brusick from the Brusick Consultancy.
Review details
Dr Urban and his co-authors analyzed the genotoxicity studies causing the concern, as well as the overall database of evidence including more recent genotoxicity data.
"The current database of in vitro and in vivo studies for steviol glycosides is robust and does not indicate that either stevioside or rebaudioside A are genotoxic," they said.
"The fact that steviol and stevioside have already shown to be negative in both the [unscheduled DNA synthesis] and the more sensitive comet assay argues that further study of the genotoxicity potential of steviol glycosides using transgenic animals is unwarranted."
Source: Food and Chemical Toxicology
Volume 51, January 2013, Pages 386-390
"Steviol glycoside safety: Is the genotoxicity database sufficient?"
Authors: J.D. Urban, M.C. Carakostas, D.J. Brusick


text:
What happens when you put a lighter in a blender.
(Thanks to Claire Martin)
« Previous | Main | Next »
What happens when you put a lighter in a blender.
(Thanks to Claire Martin)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Thank you.
How about Congressmen?
FIRE! FIRE! heh heh...
Oh! Bright and shiney!
*rethinks Christmas decorations*
I can make that kind of flame with a lighter and no blender. Just let me finish this burrito first.
duh. but another reason to notify the nobel folks.
only a guy.
What I would like to see from Blendtech would be 'Will It Blend Barry Manilow Snow Globe.'
I am so much happier now that I know this.
hah. back in '76 i watched a feller hit one (lighter, not a blender) off a tee with a 5-iron with similar results.
The kids that made that are gonna be in BIG trouble when their parents get back from vacation.
mudstuffin - I'm pretty sure the lighter off a tee would have been really cool to see. Did you happen to get it on video?
Posted by: Margaritaville | 10:51 AM on December 19, 2008
No, that's hot.
All I can say is this is the stuff that keeps me coming back to the Dave Barry blog.
All I can say is this is the stuff that keeps me coming back to the Dave Barry blog.
I think the eggnog is ready.
Okay, after further examination of this video, I'm wondering how this even happened. If you watch the video, you'll notice that the fireball starts at the bottom of the blender base...outside of the blender container. How did that happen? Isn't the blender container supposed to be, I don't know, a sealed environment? I'm not able to see that the container itself has ruptured.
I know, I'm being too over-analytical here. I understand that is not the guy way. I'll blame it on Global Warming. And if that's not available, then there's always my parents.
Here's the Will It Blend: Bic Lighters version.
Schadey, at the youtube comment thread, someone pointed out the same thing and got this reply:
"actually, it IS the electricity from the motor starting the fire, the fuel leaked through bottom and the motor ignited it. i watched this episode and they explained it"
Perhaps you can ask him about your parental relationship issues.
I'll have a frozen margarita, please. Hold the bic.
Now I want to add to my deep fat turkey fryer experience.
One of my reps witnessed her brother doing this, so I'm working from a reliable second-hand source.
Her brother tried to deep fry the turkey, but didn't realize there was a problem with the burner and the oil was not nearly up to temperature. The turkey soaked for a couple of hours.
"I know what I'll do to save Thanksgiving. I'll toss the turkey onto the gas grill!" said the enterprising gentleman.
Apparently, the oil in the deep fryer had saturated the turkey. Putting oil on open flame resulted in the turkey exploding, leaving a trail of smoke behind as it arced through the sky. Although not linked to any particular war, I imagine that more than one person ducked (turkeyed?) for cover.
Give it up for The Exploding Turkeys!!!
Bic™ Flambé?
And this is news, exactly ... um ... why? ("If a guy can dream up a way to cause an explosion, it will happen." — Newton's Seventh Corrolary of Physics )
As God is my witness..I thought turkeys could fry.
NMUA - Cooking oil doesn't really explode, but it will "flash" - probably a useless technical distinction in this case.
What probably happened is the soaked bird got hot enough for the oil to begin vaporizing. When the vapor got dense enough, and the flame hit it, it flashed over and the result was a "WHOOOM!" rather than a "BANG!".
But it would have been so cool to see.
NMUA, your link said they're sending Brussels sprouts to the troops.
Revenge against the Taliban?
Bic lighters and turkeys have nothing on compared to those good folks at Blendtec.com ("The Will It Blend?" guys) tossing a GPS in a blender.
It says they're flying in new turkeys.How long does it take for a turkey to fly from England to Afghanistan?Also they're serving gammon.That's a French word for "blown up pig".
I am in awe of its awesome awesomocity.
By this time next month, every blender sold in America will be required to have a sticker on it that says: "WARNING! Do not put one or more cigarette lighters in this blender and turn it on. Unless you have a high-speed camera."
This is from a show called TimeWarp, on the Discovery Channel. I would expect this to be must-see-TV for the blog.
They did the flash-fried-turkey on one episode, as wells as firebreathing, breaking glass, face punches...
I'm late to the game, butt Schadeboy, way up there ^, my family had a video tape recorder, back around 1976, and it was actual tape, on reels. There wasn't much video taping done of random events, hauling around heavy big boxes slinging reels of tape.
The last company still making VCR's stopped production last month. Wow. End of an era. In 1969, I remember going to the local HS to watch a B&W replay of the moon landing. They had just bought a VCR, 4" tape, $150,000 cost. Now they sell for less than $50. But a 1tb disk drive is now $130 at CostCo. 8 years ago, Micrsoft's 1 tb disk "farm" filled a basketball court, cost over $1 million, and used $50,000 in power, per month.
The first VCR I bought cost $600,and was a 2 head machine.Tapes were on a rental basis due to cost.I still have 2 VCR's and about a thousand tapes.I still buy them when I can,at yard sales and discount stores.Old movies,preferably.
Sorry, I had to let my inner-geek out to play for a bit :)
*Flaps in for a moment*
Blend me, shake me
Anyway you jounce me
Long as you move me, I'll ignite
Blend me, shake me
Anyway you whip me
You hit the power, I'll burn oh, so bright
You could put the overpaid CEO of my company in a large blender and all of the hot air would seep out of him and have the same effect.
Ïîçíàâàòåëüíî! Âñå î÷åíü ïîíÿòíî è ãðàìîòíî. Ñïàñèáî àâòîðó!
I liked the content on this site. Would like to visit again. http://www.aamarbangla.com
I'd flick a Bic for your song, JD, but someone would only grab it, toss it in the blender, and *phoom*!
Thanks, PB. With this group, I'd bet on it.
OH, MY GOD, what IS that??!! ----------->
*swipes PB's Bic, flicks a tribute to JD, dropkicks Bic into waiting blender*
Hmmmm.... Puree? Grate? Liquefy?.... Ah: Launch.
I'm sure I saw Satan's face in that fire.
We now need to know what happens to a Bic® when it's put in a microwave.Research please.
*Snork* @ Meanie! In 3...2...1...
I Googled,"lighter in a microwave".I am a lot smarter than I was at 03:44.----And a lot more worried.
If you ever want to dispose if a computer CD disk, dim the lights and pop one in the microwave for 5 seconds.
Warning: There will be a slight ozone/hot plastic smell, but (hopefully) not enough to set off your smoke alarm.
We use this method at the PirateJob to get rid of old software. Much more fun than shredding it! That *that*, Microsoft!
Oopsie! "Take that, Microsoft!"
Dave? Fire my spellchecker, please?
OK, who wants eggnog??????
OK, who wants scrambled eggs?
scrambled eggnog?
Hunh. A cheesy rip-off of our flame-thrower in a cement-mixer experiment for the DIA, back when Peanuts was Prez. He chortled, we got funded, the Sandinistas took over Nicaragua, Pac-Man became obsolete. Unintended consequences, people. Unintended consequences.
Hell, Reagan wanted to do away with Christmas, as a "big-governnment boondoggle." We nixed Arbour Day, instead. Oh, and there were Anti-Xmas Carols.
I just want a toaster that doesn't burn my buns.
Takes a glass, um, plate, BOWL of scrambled eggnog.
P'boy - since you were mocking Microsoft, your spellchecker acted on its own. Be careful.
My Christmas-clogged arteries scream for BACON!!! I can't find some of the gifts I hid. I hid them in August. That may have something to do with it.
Punkin, glad to see you're not frozen.
Hi Annie - Ho Ho Ho! (Don't take that too personally!)
We're warm now, just can't get the door open cuzza all the snow. We'll just snuggle by the glow of the TV.
Hope your palm trees are all garlandy!
Not quite as much snow here in Kansas City, but it is bitterly cold: six degrees above zero, with a wind chill of minus ten (and more, depending on the wind gusts.)
They just said on the Chiefs' radio broadcast that when the Dolphins got on the plane in Miami yesterday to travel to KC, the temp there was 80.
Will manfully resist urge to make any "frozen fish" jokes. Especially since the Chiefs this year have shown real talent in blowing games late...
What is this snow of which you speak of?
...And sometimes the Chiefs have even shown talent in blowing games early.
"The play clock is frozen at 14 seconds" according to the referee in the frigid Chiefs/Dolphins game.
TD Dolphins!!!
Before this is over,Punkin will have about a feet of snow she can send Souxie.It's spitting a little snow here in the Downeast,where the meanies are going to shut down our PBS station.
Here in the deserts of Southern Kalifornia, we had more than a foot of snow since Monday. I was literally snowed in Monday through Thursday. On Friday, I tried to walk to my car and met this mysterious substance known as "black ice". I was *standing still*, two feet from the PirateMobile, when *whoosh*, followed by *thud*, which was the sound of me hitting the frozen ground. I must have looked like Charlie Brown trying to kick that football. I think my feet were higher than my head. Naturally, my back took the brunt of it all.
Stoopid snow! How long until summer?
I bet alcohol can ease back pain! The BlogNogg Bar is open! Double shots for all!!!
No no, Dolphins have to lose so New England goes to the playoffs... sorry. (Hi Siouxie! I'm in Florida again)
Hey Jan!!!!
Yes, Pirateboy and I had snow on our palm trees. Really. It snowed in Malibu. Britney was frightened. She thought the stuffing was finally falling out of her head.
LOL Annie! time to make a snowcone!
And another TD for the FINS!
PB, I'll pass on the eggnog. I'm having one of those motorized Heineys.
*Loves some hot cocoa to her Fins*
Poor widdle fishies are frozen.
Damn. The Chiefs/Dolphins score is 28-24 at halftime.
Must be a lot warmer on the field than it is in the stands...
31 to 31
*bites nails*
Ok..I'm off to go shopping. Help. Me.
Me, too, Siouxie. Maybe I'll see you out there. If I get lost and head 3,000 miles to the East.
Hey, the Wise Men did it.
YAY! Fins!!!!
"Motorized Heineys" is ether AGNFARB, or some new type of "toy". Which is it Siouxie?
p.s. Giants are in danger of tanking.
News flash: Giants win in OT! A great game, well played by both teams.
The comments to this entry are closed.


text:
Peyton Manning Could Make History (Again) & Other Things to Know About NFL Week 7
Quarterbacks could rewrite the record books in Week 7 of the NFL season. Here's a preview of this week's most interesting storylines:
Thursday, Oct. 16
Does Geno Smith Know How To Butt Fumble?
N.Y. Jets at New England | Gillette Stadium; 8:25 p.m. (ET) on CBS/NFL Network
A potential AFC East showdown before the season, the Jets-Patriots game in Foxborough, Mass. on Thursday could be a literal mess. Heavy rain and strong winds are expected as New England (4-2) looks to bury New York (1-5) even further in the division's cellar.
The last time these teams met for a Thursday night game (in 2012), sloppy weather and sloppier play by then-Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez produced the infamous "Butt Fumble" and a big Patriots' win. Current New York QB Geno Smith has played terribly in nice weather this season, so inclement conditions could guarantee his place in infamy (and Michael Vick's move into the lineup).
Sunday, Oct. 19
Division Leaders Battle In Indy
Cincinnati at Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium; 1 p.m. (ET) on CBS
The Bengals and Colts are quietly shaping into legitimate AFC title contenders. Each team has played well enough to lead its respective division after six weeks. If not for Mike Nugent's faulty leg — and a defense that was scorched by Cam Newton's arm and legs — Cincinnati (3-1-1) would have as many wins as Indianapolis (4-2).
Colts owner Jim Irsay returns from his six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated last spring. While Irsay won't help the Indy defense stop Cincy QB Andy Dalton, the team could receive an emotional boost from his presence — or they could get clobbered by a fired-up Bengals attack.
Philip Rivers Is Historically Good Right Now
Kansas City at San Diego | Qualcomm Stadium; 4:05 p.m. (ET) on CBS
Irritating as he can sometimes be, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is also an excellent passer. Last week against the Raiders, Rivers became the first NFL QB to earn a passer rating of 120 or better in five straight games. That makes San Diego (5-1) the favorite over Kansas City (2-3), a team that could already be looking at must-win games. The Chargers are making it their mission to show how good they are.
Chiefs fans may find some confidence in the way Raiders' rookie QB Derek Carr torched the Chargers' secondary for four touchdowns (and the fact that their baseball Royals are nearing a World Series berth). Doesn't seem that promising, does it?
How Many Yards Will DeMarco Murray Roll Up On The Giants?
N.Y. Giants at Dallas | AT&T Stadium; 4:25 p.m. (ET) on Fox
The New York Giants (3-3) looked absolutely awful while getting shut out, 27-0, by the Eagles last week. One of the worst parts of the team's performance was the 203 yards rushing its defense allowed — the most since 2012. Worse news: Cowboys' running back DeMarco Murray, aka the NFL's leading rusher, lines up to run at the not-so Big Blue defense this week.
Dallas (5-1) is on an absolute high, having won five games in a row and establishing itself as an early Super Bowl contender. The Cowboys can take another big step — and crush a division rival — with a win at home on Sunday.
Peyton Manning Can Break Brett Favre's Record For Career TD Passes
San Francisco at Denver | Sports Authority Field at Mile High; 8:30 p.m. (ET) on NBC
When his playing career is over, Broncos' quarterback Peyton Manning will hold many NFL records (and that's not even counting the ones for helmet size). This Sunday night, Manning could eclipse Brett Favre's NFL record for career touchdown passes when he leads Denver (4-1) against San Francisco (4-2).
Heading (sorry) into the game, Manning has 506 TD passes, just two behind Favre's 508. The 49ers defense figures to try to prevent history from happening to them. What San Francisco really needs is for its offense to control the ball against the Broncos' defense and keep Manning on the sidelines.
Other Games
Sunday, Oct. 19
Carolina at Green Bay| Lambeau Field: 1 p.m. (ET) on Fox
Atlanta at Baltimore | M&T Bank Stadium; 1 p.m. (ET) on Fox
Tennessee at Washington | FedEx Field; 1 p.m. (ET) on CBS
Seattle at St. Louis | Edward Jones Dome; 1 p.m. (ET) on Fox
Cleveland at Jacksonville | EverBank Field; 1 p.m. (ET) on CBS
Minnesota at Buffalo | Ralph Wilson Stadium; 1 p.m. (ET) on Fox
Miami at Chicago | Soldier Field; 4:05 p.m. (ET) on CBS
New Orleans at Detroit | Ford Field; 1 p.m. (ET) on Fox
Arizona at Oakland | O.co Coliseum; 4:25 p.m. (ET) on Fox
Monday, Oct. 20
Houston at Pittsburgh | Heinz Field; 8:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN
Bye: Philadelphia, Tampa Bay


text:
THESE ARE HALOGEN CRYSTAL CLEAR SEMI-SEALED BEAM GLASS FACED / METAL BACKED HEADLIGHTS WITH A RGB MULTI-COLOR ANGEL EYE SMD 48-LED HALO RING! SMD 5050 Multi-Color LED rings - White / Blue / Red / Green / Orange / Yellow / Teal / Purple. Rings are controlled with RF wireless remote control. Halo Rings can be set to stay on a single color, flash different colors, or slow fade different colors.
5-3/4 ROUND HEADLIGHT - PAIR. COLOR CHANGE RGB 5050 SMD LED HALO. CLEAR GLASS LENS / METAL BACK. 55/60W SUPER WHITE HALOGEN BULBS. INTERCHANGE: H5006, H5001, 4000, 5001. LED RGB RADIO FREQUENCY CONTROLLER W/ REMOTE. Set to any color you want to stay on / fade / or flash! ON SOLID - WITH FULL SPECTRUM OF COLORS TO CHOOSE FROM AND ADJUST BRIGHTNESS.5 LIGHT PATTERNS: STATIC / FLASH / STROBE / FADE CHANGE / RGB SLOW FADE CHANGE. 7 PRESET COLORS AND 6 DIY CUSTOM SAVED COLOR BUTTONS. ADJUST SPEED TO SLOW OR SPEED UP COLOR CHANGE. INCLUDES (2) HALOGEN XENON SUPER WHITE H4 60/55W BULBS!
THIS LISTING IS FOR A PAIR OF 2 NEW 5 3/4 CRYSTAL CLEAR GLASS FACED / METAL BACKED HALOGEN HEADLAMP BULBS WITH SMD RGB COLOR CHANGING 48-LED HALO ANGEL EYE RING. INCLUDES XENON SUPER WHITE HALOGEN 60/55W H4 BULBS AND RF CONTROLLER WITH REMOTE. THESE WILL FIT ANY CAR OR TRUCK THAT HAS 5 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER HEADLIGHTS. HALO RING IS POWERED BY A 12V POWER WIRE AND A GROUND WIRE.THESE ARE GLASS AND WE WILL TAKE EXTRA CARE IN PACKAGING. INTERCHANGE: H5001 / H5006 / 4000 / 5001. Input / Output Voltage: DC 12-24V Total power output: 12A RGB output: + Temperature range: -20 ° C to 60 ° C. Supply voltage: DC 12V- 24V Output: 3 channels. Controller dimension: L128 W64 H24 mm.
Packing size: L145 W95 H50mm. To the right of the item there's a drop down menu with a "return this item" option.
Follow steps to print a return label from your printer. In respect of any consumables or other consumables in respect of the product or any part of the product. Where the purchaser is in breach of any of our terms and conditions. Are incomplete or missing parts; or. Product cannot be identified by product serial number. Show signs of physical damage to the product or its packaging. Have an expired Return Authorization Number. If returning or exchanging products, all merchandise must be in NEW condition with the original packaging, materials, and instructions. We have a real store & warehouse we are not working out of our garage.We specialize in Automotive, Motorcycle, Marine, and Home / Business Lighting. We are located in Southern California in the United States. Everything you see listed online is in stock and ships directly from our warehouse.
We inspect, test and securely pack every item to ensure that we do everything possible to make sure you get your merchandise in good working order. Powered by Solid Commerce The All-in-One Listing, Inventory & Order Management Solution. The item "5-3/4 RF RGB SMD Color Change White Red Blue Green LED Halo Angel Eye Headlights" is in sale since Wednesday, December 6, 2017.
This item is in the category "eBay Motors\Parts & Accessories\Vintage Car & Truck Parts\Lighting & Lamps\Headlights". The seller is "octane_lighting" and is located in Simi Valley, California. This item can be shipped worldwide.


text:
I ran BitchX on three different Linux OS-es because I got this weird � (question mark) on two of them (Linux OpenSUSE 11.4 and BackTrack 5 R1) using yakuake/konsole (OpenSUSE) and terminator/tilda (BT 5 R1).
However, on PuppyLinux Lucid 528 with RoxTerm the character is displayed as it should be (it is the Greek character "fi"). Now, on both SUSE and BT I have checked to see the value of $LC_CTYPE, and it's the same as in Puppy Linux (namely en_US, so no utf-8 encoding).
I've experimented on both SUSE and BT with different character encodings (from terminal's settings), I've noticed the changes, but the text was still sometimes garbled, instead of the question mark I got some weird unintelligible "u"-s (in Puppy it is always displayed correctly).
What could cause this annoying problem?
What could be different and how can I check the difference?


text: Comments on our use of dialogs, with regard to the Qt4 port(Michael wrote) > I don't care about KDialog vs. QDialog though, and if possible, could we get > rid of all the stupid [redacted] Apply buttons except for the ones that actually > make sense? KDE3 is full of Apply buttons that are totally stupid, just like > Windows. I know dozens of people who think they have to click Apply and then > OK instead of just clicking the [redacted] OK button. It drives me nuts, and > we're full of this kind of nonsense too, which I always assumed was from > KDialogBase. If you're making a "settings" dialog – anything where you may want to fiddle with something, try it (or save it half-completed for paranoia purposes), fiddle with it again etc – then you only really have two choices: instant-apply (changes take effect as soon as you make them) à la Gnome and OS/X, or a separate non-closing Apply button à la KDE and Windows. In the first case, you should have a single Close button; in the second, you need Apply, OK and Cancel. If you just give the user OK and Cancel, they have no way to find out what their change will do until it's too late and the dialog has gone. In many of our "settings" dialogs we do Apply/OK/Cancel and make it so that nothing actually changes until you Apply (config dialogs, metronome dialog etc). We're not consistent though – e.g. the Manage MIDI Devices dialog is instant-apply (changes take effect as soon as you make them). And the bank editor has Apply, Reset and Close, which even confuses me. Of those, the metronome and bank editor should probably be instant-apply (though I'm not sure where that would leave Undo, in the case of the bank editor… that whole dialog is so horrible that it's hard to know where to begin). The other sort of dialog is the "action" dialog, the sort that doesn't have any effect until you finish describing what you want and OK it – e.g. inserting a clef, or exporting to a file format. In that situation OK/Cancel is right. Most of the time we get that one right – it's easier than the settings case. Not always though: see Remap Instruments, which has OK, Apply and Cancel where it should have OK and Cancel (and even if the buttons were right, they'd still be in the wrong order). So it all depends on the dialog… we should list the dialogs that are "wrong" and try to sort them out. Note that QDialog also does the cunning trick of re-ordering the buttons if running under GNOME or on a Mac where people expect OK to be on the right. I assume the KDE4 KDialog will also inherit that behaviour. Which dialogs will eventually need fixing?


text:
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare)
Polaris High School10701 Kilpatrick Avenue Oak Lawn, IL
When: Summer, 1995
What: The pop icon, rapper, super-producer and controversy-starter grabs his high school diploma, and embarks on the journey that will define his life and career. Not long after graduation, he links up with mentor No I.D., producing tracks for local artists before making his way to the New York rap music scene. The rest, as they say, is history.
In celebration of Black Music Month, TheUrbanDaily's "It's All Black Music" presents 100 Rewarding Black Music Moments, sponsored by Southwest Airlines.
Each Black Music Moment is associated with an actual place that you can visit. During the month of June, check in to at least three of these places on Foursquare to unlock TheUrbanDaily's exclusive "It's All Black Music" Badge. Check out the locations and details on our Foursquare page!

Facebook Live Is Loading....


text:
Have a strategy.
Tailor your strategy for each public relations opportunity. Think about the audience you want to reach and how to create excitement. An effective part of your strategy should be to enforce your organization's core messages in all news releases.
Have a good story.
A news story must have a compelling beginning, middle, and end. Journalists recognize a strong story within seconds, so tell your story quickly and succinctly.
Know your audience.
You wouldn't follow up on a potential business opportunity without knowing something about their business, so don't call the news media blindly. Before you pitch to any media outlet, study their work. Read the publication, watch the show, and listen to the radio broadcast. Get familiar with the characteristics of the media outlet you are targeting. Find out about their main audience and their likes and dislikes. (Internet message boards are good for this.)
Invest in relationships.
The more you know about the media organization and your target editor, the better and more confidently you can pitch to them. Building relationships now means editors will be more likely to take your call when you've got an important story to tell. Best of all, even if they can't offer you coverage on this particular story, they may refer you to another reporter who can. As with any relationship, building trust is critical. Keep your promises, and be on time. Be upfront about what you can and can't do. You might not be able to do everything, but reporters will appreciate your honesty.
Think before you speak.
A word of caution: everything you say to a reporter is on the record, regardless of disclaimers. You are representing your organization at all times. The impression that you give has a definite impact on how the media views your organization.
Monitor your media coverage.
Media coverage shows your success. As a media relations expert, the end goal is always positive media coverage for your organization. When your organization is spotlighted in major media outlets, you bring attention and respect to your business.
Look for a unique angle.
Look for personal stories that can spur news media interest. For instance, if a local school board is considering Linux to save money, focus your story on the human interest angle. Unusual stories and angles that affect a media's audience are more likely to get media coverage than mundane ones.
Know your story inside and out.
Research your story carefully. This allows you to revise your pitch if the editor has specific needs. You also must be able to answer any questions that the editor may have.
Be persistent.
There is a fine line between being persistent and annoying, but if you have a good story and know your audience, it is fine to make contact attempts until you get feedback from a reporter.
Follow up.
Many potential leads are lost because public relations people fail to follow through. If a reporter tells you to call back another time, make sure you do! Also, if a reporter doesn't answer your email immediately, do not assume they are not interested. They might not have had time to respond to the large volume of emails they receive.
Be creative.
Infusing your media relations plans with innovative thinking produces stronger, more effective results, so avoid recycling the same old news releases and fact sheets.
Find information.
Do you sometimes feel like you just can't write the news release? This blockage often indicates you don't have enough information. Do outside research. Interview an industry analyst. Get another perspective. This investigation can lead to the information for a great story.
Study and adopt good writing skills.
Use a journalistic approach. Look carefully at how reputable publications like The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal structure a story. What is the lead? What kind of quotes do they use? Study different types of stories. Features, appointment announcements, news articles, and opinion pieces can all be useful in your public relations campaign. Often, you will see the most important information is in the lead and that the rest of the story follows. This inverted pyramid style is usually the best way to organize an article.
Eliminate jargon and techno-speak.
Buzzwords are like bees—they can be highly irritating. Write with clear language, and avoid clichés, which are another sign of weak writing.
Expect results.
Media coverage means increased visibility, which exposes your organization to more prospective customers. The more people you can reach, the better the impact will be on your organization.
Finally, the success of your media relations efforts means success for you in the dynamic, engaging, challenging, and creative business of public relations.


text:
We'll cut to the chase: This 2011 Dodge Durango is the brand's best vehicle not called Charger. After a two-year hiatus, the Durango is back, with a unibody design based on the same underpinnings that spawned Jeep's stellar 2011 Grand Cherokee, which came in tops in its first comparo. As handsome as the last one was brash, the 2011 Durango offers rear- or all-wheel drive, standard seven-butt seating (the Jeep is shorter and seats only five), a swank soft-touch and chrome-trimmed interior, and assembly quality that rivals anything else in the segment. Although the new Durango is heavy—our rear-drive V-6 model weighed in at 4955 pounds, and Chrysler quotes 5200 to 5350 pounds for trucks with the Hemi V-8—Dodge is nonetheless positioning it as a performance-oriented alternative to the current segment offerings, a claim backed up by the retention of rear-wheel drive and the resurrection of the Durango R/T, which nabs a standard Hemi V-8, unique exhaust tuning, sportier styling, and a lowered, tuned suspension.
Enjoyable to Drive, for a Big 'Un
We sampled V-6– and V-8–powered Durangos on the roads in and around Napa Valley, California, and as with the new Grand Cherokee, the Teutonic foundations—the architecture will also be put to work under the next Mercedes M-class—pay big dividends in the driving department. The base 290-hp, 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 is quiet and smooth, although it needs to be revved to its 6400-rpm redline to access all 290 hp. Its torque peak of 260 lb-ft is also somewhat high at 4800 rpm, so we often found ourselves deep in the throttle in our attempt to drive with any sense of spirit. With 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque at a more accessible 5150 and 4250 rpm, respectively, the Hemi V-8 makes for brisker acceleration, with an extroverted rumble replacing the V-6's mechanized whir.
Strapping our test gear to the rear-wheel-drive V-6, we recorded the same 8.4 seconds to 60 as we did with the Jeep Grand Cherokee despite the Dodge's additional 183 pounds. In the quarter-mile, the Durango nudged out the Jeep by a tenth, arriving in 16.5 seconds at 87 mph. Chrysler's planned swap of both vehicles' ho-hum five-speed automatics for more modern units with at least one more ratio could further hasten acceleration. (Most Pentastar-equipped Chrysler vehicles have six-speed automatics; a ZF-designed, Chrysler-built eight-speed is also in the company's future.) The extra gears also should help raise the Durango's marginal-to-awful fuel-economy figures, estimated at 16 mpg city and 22 to 23 highway for V-6 versions—we observed 16 mpg overall—and 13 to 14 mpg city and 20 highway for V-8 models. (Many vehicles in the segment return similar numbers, but that doesn't make them any more acceptable.)
Thanks to its unibody architecture, nearly 50/50 weight distribution, and more carlike driving position, brisk runs along mountain roads in a Durango are possible and even sort of enjoyable. The steering provides actual road feel, and the brakes grab with reassuring linearity, hauling the Crew down from 70 mph in 176 feet. Body motions are mannerly, allowing us to take corners at speeds we would never have attempted in the old Durango, as well as cruise drama-free at triple-digit speeds up to the governor-limited 113 mph maximum. Even more impressive is its ride smoothness, which is even better than the Grand Cherokee's on account of the Dodge's five-inch-longer wheelbase. But when really going after corners, the stability control steps in early and can't be disabled, limiting skidpad performance to just 0.75 g. That's probably not a deal-breaker for many people.
So Many Competitors. How Does It Fare?
The Durango's four trim levels and $12,600 base-price spread give it a huge competitive set. The base Express and mid-grade Crew models will provide stiff competition for other large three rowers like the Ford Flex, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Honda Pilot, and Mazda CX-9, all of which are V-6–powered with output and fuel-economy figures similar to the Durango V-6's. None of them, however, offers a V-8 or rear-wheel drive. We surmise some Ford Expedition and Chevy Tahoe shoppers may check out this Dodge, too, especially if they haven't heard that the Durango has lost its separate frame. Those folks in particular might be interested in the Durango's maximum towing capacities, which are 6200 pounds for V-6 models and 7400 pounds (7200 pounds with 4WD) for V-8 models.
Direct competitors for the more athletic R/T are few and are perhaps limited to—in terms of driving dynamics, anyway, and we're stretching here—the Ford Edge Sport, which has two rows of seats and 55 fewer hp from its V-6 but some 700 fewer pounds to cart around. Finally, at the acme of the Durango food chain, the dressy, top-shelf Citadel model will take on the Buick Enclave and Lincoln MKT in V-6 form—offering more involving dynamics and snappier styling than either—and the Citadel V-8 will cast sideways glances at the pricier GMC Yukon Denali.
The vehicle we expect will be most cross-shopped with the Durango, however, has yet to go on sale. The 2011 Ford Explorer, which also has made the unibody conversion for 2011 (albeit with front-wheel-drive architecture), will stare down the Durango with multiple efficiency-minded engines and the new MyFord Touch infotainment interface.
Get One Now
The new Durango is on sale now, starting at $30,045 for the V-6–only Express, which includes 18-inch wheels, cloth seats, and some surprising features like remote start, three-zone climate control, a fold-flat front passenger seat, trailer-sway control, and hill-start assist. The $34,045 Crew model adds a 28-gig infotainment system with a nine-speaker Alpine audio and 6.5-inch touchscreen, keyless entry and start, a power liftgate, a roof rack, and the option to add the $5000 CrewLux package that nabs 20-inch wheels, a Garmin-powered navigation system, leather seating with heaters for the first two rows, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic high-beams. The cushy Citadel is priced at $42,645, bringing ventilated front seats, nappa leather upholstery, 20-inch chrome-clad wheels, parking and blind-spot assistance, rear cross-path detection, and adaptive cruise control. The R/T is equipped much like the Crew, with its racier bits adding a reasonable $2000 or so, putting it at $36,315. All-wheel drive is available on every model for a $2000 premium, and the Hemi is a $1495 option for the Crew and Citadel. All-wheel-drive Hemi versions will have a low-range transfer case.
The Durango—like other recent Chrysler products—has sprung back into relevance in a big way. And although we didn't miss it while it was gone, we're glad it's back.


text:
Puptown Houston The Woodlands
We Make Dog Experiences More Fun.
Puptown Houston in The Woodlands Texas offers the best dog obedience training and puppy training classes. Our certified trainers specialize in Borden train canine training with everything from basic dog obedience like walking on a loose leash, potty training, crate training, socialization all the way to advanced dog training such as Offleash dog training, recall training and behavioral modification
Magnolia is a city in southwestern Montgomery County, Texas, United States within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. It is named for the magnolia trees that grew in the area. The population was 2,359 at the 2020 United States Census. == Geography == According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) all of which is land. == History == The first settlement in the Magnolia area was a town named Mink Prairie, founded in about 1845 when a farmer named Mink built a homestead.
Amanda Whitehorn, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene, Anglia Homes, Audubon, Audubon, Audubon | Empire Communities, Beazer Homes Timber Hollow, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene - Magnolia, Coventry Homes - Escondido, Crestview, Cripple Creek Farms, Decker Forest, Decker Oaks Estates, Decker Place, Devon Street Homes, Enclave at Dobbin


text:
London's visitor economy set to benefit from at least £11bn investment leading up to Olympics
As the city marks 1,000 days until the opening ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games on 27th July 2012, a new report by Visit London reveals that in excess of £11bn will be invested into projects directly benefiting visitors to the city.
The developments cover a huge range of facilities including improved and new transport links such as the East London line extension, the upgraded DLR and new cycle tracks and walkways; hotel openings from the 1021 bedroom Park Plaza at Westminster Bridge to the renovated Savoy as well as attractions across the capital including in Stratford, East London where the spectacular new urban park is being built - one of the biggest in Europe for more than 150 years.
Sally Chatterjee, Interim CEO, Visit London commented:
"As Londoners, we should celebrate our position as the host city of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and the significant investment that this status brings. With the 1,000 days countdown underway, we can already see how significantly the Capital will change. What is so exciting for visitors is that they really don't need to wait – the transformation is happening now. We have an unprecedented opportunity to show the world exactly what London has to offer and these new developments will benefit Londoners and visitors alike for many years to come."
London will also play host to some major new architectural buildings including the London Bridge Tower otherwise known as The Shard with a six star Shangri-La hotel and the Heron Tower in the City which is set to have breathtaking views across the London from its rooftop. Other key investments include:
- Kings Cross redevelopment – Completion of parts of this project from 2012 with an investment of around £2bn
- London Bridge Quarter including The Shard and New London Bridge House – Due for completion 2012 with an investment of around £2bn
- The Heron Tower, City – Due for completion in 2011 with an investment of around £1.85bn
- East London Line extension – Due for completion in June 2010 with an investment of around £1bn
- Westfield Stratford – Due for completion in 2011 with an investment of around £1.45bn
There are many other smaller projects underway which will have a major impact on the tourist experience. These include the reopening of the Cutty Sark in spring 2011, the new wing of the Tate Modern – Tate Modern 2 – in time for the Olympic Games and the launch of the Meantime Brewery in Greenwich early next year.
The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games provide a unique opportunity to showcase the capital's attractions, landmarks and neighbourhoods to the whole world. The amount of investment in London reveals a long term confidence in the city that can be experienced by visitors in the run up, during and after the Games.
Visit London, as the official tourism organisation for the capital, is committed to promoting London both in the UK and internationally both in the run up and beyond the Olympic Games to ensure London remains one of the world's most visited cities.
To mark the 1,000 day countdown, Visit London has compiled a timeline indicating when and where some of the key launches and openings will be happing in the run up to 2012.


text:
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
My First Look at FamilySearch Family Tree - Post 2: Source Citations
I noted that there was no sources attached to the persons that I had previously added to the Family Tree using RootsMagic 5 software. I was curious as to the source information and format that could be added at present to the system, so I decided to do one source citation manually using copy and paste. Here was my process:
1) From the Person page for Isaac Seaver:
2) At the bottom of the Person page above, is the "Sources" area, and a link to "Add a New Source." I clicked the link and saw:
3) The screen above has a "Create" button and says "To add a new source, select the Create button. I did, and the "Create a Source" window opened:
There are four fields in the "Create a Source" screen above - "Source title (Required)," "Web Page (Link to the Record)," "Where the Record is found (Citation)" and Describe the Record (Note)." Each field has example text that can be typed over. Here is what I added (rightly or wrongly):
Source title: Westminster, Massachusetts, Copy of Record of Birth
Web Page: blank (since I have a piece of paper, not a web page)
Where the Record is Found: City Clerk's Office, Westminster, Mass.
Describe the Record: Copy of Record of Birth: Isaac Sever, born 16 October 1823 to Benjamin and Abigail Sever (birth certificate dated and seal affixed 17 September 1990).
4) I clicked the "Save" button above and another window appeared for "Attach to Isaac Seaver" saying "Explain why you are attaching this source to this person...":
I entered this text into the field:
"Source provides derivative source, primary information and direct evidence of birth of Isaac Seaver (1823-1901), son of Benjamin and Abigail Seaver in Westminster MA on 16 October 1823."
5) I clicked on the "Attach" button and saw:
The screen above shows the source information for what I entered into the source fields. Apparently, there is no source citation in a "footnote" or "bibliography" format for this source.
6) I went back to the Birth record information and clicked on the Birth Record, and edit fields opened for the birth date, the birth place and an "Evidence and Analysis:"
Note that the date and place fields have a green background, indicating that the format for the date and place are correct. I added text to the "Evidence and Analysis" field:
"Westminster town clerk records (original handwritten page), Westminster town vital record book, and birth certificate obtained from Westminster town clerk's office indicate this date and place, and parents Benjamin and Abigail Sever."
7) The Birth Record information now shows my input:
This source citation, and the evidence and analysis, input was fairly simple. But it took some time to figure out just what to enter in the fields.
The process will probably be a lot easier if the genealogy software (like RootsMagic 5 or another program) can add the source citation without the information for every Fact/Assertion being typed in by hand.
I have these concerns:
* I think that the Source citations should be attached to the Event or Fact/Assertion rather than to the Person.
* I don't see a way to add more than one assertion for a given Fact/Event. We don't always have direct evidence in primary information form that definitively identifies the name, date and place for an event, and this information is useful to draw a conclusion.
* I'm curious as to how the genealogy software will add the different source elements in the software to the Family Tree fields. All of my sources are "free-form" meaning that the information is not in separate title, author, web site, description, detail fields. Some software has this information in source template fields that are unique to the source type being cited.
I'm not going to take this series much further until some of the sourcing, merging, deleting and other issues are settled and included in the FamilySearch Family Tree.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/03/my-first-look-at-familysearch-family_27.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
2 comments:
- Geolover said...
Randy, thanks for this account. I noticed that the source-citation pane does not have a place for an author.
My understanding is that two of your wishes that I share are not on a present agenda. There is no present plan to have a source citation for each event, nor the option for more than one citation for each event, nor a source citation option specifically for relationships. - Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 3:59:00 PM PDT
- Suemax said...
This is really an issue that FamilySearch needs to deal with. They are trying to make it easy enough that MOST people will add a source. However, it will probably never be as detailed as us genealogists want it to be. The best solution I can suggest is to go to FEEDBACK on the site and voice your opinions. They DO listen to feedback and the more feedback saying the same similar thing, the more they listen. So feedback every chance you get.
- Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 2:01:00 PM PDT


text:
Custom Illuminated Signs to Enhance Your Brand Image
We want to use our 30 years in the industry to help your brand come to life and reach new customers. If you need Illuminated Signs in Centennial, CO, our team will collaborate with you to find the best solutions, materials, styles, and techniques. Work with us to enhance your brand image and achieve your business goals with stylish and affordable custom signs and graphics.
Sturdy and UV Resistant Aluminum Signs
Aluminum signs are among the most popular styles for exterior signs. Exterior signs need to withstand the elements while still capturing your brand image and looking great for years to come.
Aluminum signs are:
- Sturdy
- UV Resistant
- Impact Resistant
- Versatile
- Flexible
Why UV resistance is important
We tend to think a lot about wind, moisture, and extreme temperatures when we think of harsh weather conditions. However, UV rays can quickly cause a sign to fade, warp, and crack if you don't choose your materials wisely.
Aluminum won't break down or deteriorate in the Colorado sun. Similarly, the full-color graphics on the aluminum sign is laminated for extra protection before mounting, assuring that the colors, text, and graphics stay crisp, sharp, and high-resolution.
Custom shape and size
Customize and personalize the shape and size of your aluminum sign to bring out your brand personality. While most signs are rectangular, there's no reason we can't cut the aluminum to your exact specifications and measurements.
We can cut and carve designs and letters into the aluminum sign for a beautiful, professional, and modern effect using a router.
Get Stylish and Creative Signs and Graphics in Centennial, CO
Let's get started on your custom signs to boost your brand. Work with us to strengthen your business and brand in Centennial, CO.


text:
Orthopedic rehabilitation is a form of therapy that treats a large variety of conditions that affect the skeletal and muscular systems. A wide range of orthopedic injuries and disabilities, including amputations, joint replacements, fractures, neck and lower back disorders and other orthopedic complications, are treated with orthopedic rehabilitation.
Each patient receives a patient-specific and specialized rehabilitation plan. Our team of rehabilitation experts targets the specific needs of the patient and develops strategies to maximize each patient's function. Therapeutic objectives can include:
Join us for a virtual tour of our hospital where you will see our patient rooms, exercise facilities, and more. You can also set up a personal tour by calling our hospital.
Learn more »
I feel that I would not be as far as I am now, a month post surgery, if I had not had the training at your facility.
Other patient testimonials »


text:
Also published on The Huffington Post and techPresident
The fruits of Eric Cantor's new "YouCut" project made it to the House floor last week, with results entirely predictable: nothing passed, and it did so amid great partisan kerfluffle. But according to the House Minority Whip's office, some 280,000 people voted online or via text on the particular measure they'd like to see deleted from the federal budget, in what Cantor's new media guy described as "the most direct use of technology to establish a more direct democracy in the history of the federal legislature." Mission accomplished? Not quite.
Leaving aside the question of whether or not we settle the federal budget via popular vote in this country (if you like direct democracy, you're going to LOVE California), something's rotten at the core of YouCut. Of course the language involved in describing the various programs YouCut participants vote to "kill" is slanted (just about any government program taken out of context can be made to sound ridiculous), but that's politics. And yes, it's a naked attempt to get the emails and cell numbers of Tea Partiers and their fellow travelers, but again, list-building via online activism is an internet classic. I'm talking about something more fundamental: YouCut is dishonest, the cynical act of a leadership that's put the scoring of short-term political points ahead of developing a coherent plan to govern.
Any time you ask someone to take a political act, you're implicitly asking them to trust you that it matters. As former MoveOn organizer Adam Green said on a panel we shared at last year's Personal Democracy Forum, you need to give them a clear and effective path to change in the real world. By that measure, list-building for list-building's sake is an insincere act, something my friend Charles Lenchner has also argued in the nonprofit space. These guys are purists, no doubt, since almost every organizing activity we do in politics has some element of cold calculation involved. Names are names and supporters are supporters, and campaigns and advocacy groups MUST build their lists if they're going to be able to leverage support, raise money and apply politicial pressure in the long run.
So there's a balance involved in most online outreach, between the short-term need to get people to take a single concrete act and the long-term need to expand the support base. And here's where I fault YouCut: by failing on the first front, it endangers the second. Let's be honest — there is no way in hell that the Democratic leadership is going to let the Republicans kill the programs voted on under YouCut, any more than a Republican leadership would let a Democratic minority get away with something similar. YouCut provides NO effective way to change policy, other than through some amorphous process of awareness-raising, making it at heart a lie — Cantor is asking people to vote for something with zero chance of passing. In fact, after last week's public charade, I wonder if it'll even it make it to the House floor again.
YouCut is dishonest on a second level, too: even if the programs on its list were to die tomorrow, they wouldn't make the slightest difference in the federal budget or the federal deficit. In a budget in which a billion dollars is a rounding error, killing a program that costs a few million a year may be worse than useless, since it lets activists FEEL like something substantive has been accomplished when nothing has, other than to deprive the people who received benefits under the program in question. It's like the classic promise to cut the budget by eliminating "waste, fraud and abuse" — if that were all it took, we'd have been out of the fiscal woods a long time ago.
I'm not naive; it's not exactly uncommon for politicians to make promises that they don't intend to keep. But actions do have consequences, and you have to wonder how many times most YouCut activists will bother to cast a vote if they decide that their involvement is essentially meaningless. And there's the long-term danger — political action is ultimately based on emotion, on people's feelings about the issues and the politicians involved. Campaigns like Obama's in 2008 treat their lists as precious resources, with supporters' willingness to act seen as a commodity to be tapped with great care, lest people burn out and turn off. Take advantage of them, or let them FEEL that they've been taken advantage of, and you risk poisoning the implicit relationship that keeps them engaged, involved and effective.
Tea Partiers in particular are a dangerous crowd to trifle with, because at heart they're purists like my friends Adam and Charles — they don't seem to trust politicians of any stripe, meaning that Cantor is potentially playing with fire. During the healthcare debate, and farther back during the 2008 elections, Republican leaders tried to ride the wave of right-wing discontent, but in the process they risked awakening forces they couldn't themselves control. A crowd that's tasted the red meat of partisanship, paranoia and power can find that it has a hunger for more, and it's not always going to be picky about who's on the menu — just ask Senator Bennett in Utah or Trey Grayson in Kentucky.
Of course, I could be completely wrong — YouCut might turn out to be a fantastic tool to raise awareness about the federal deficit and a way to keep conservative activists engaged and involved. But somehow, I doubt that it's going to make much difference, other than giving Republicans a way to score a few cheap political points at Democrats' expense. And while getting your talking heads on cable news can help "win" a few spin wars, it's no way to govern a country. But real governing doesn't seem to be a high priority of Republican leaders of this generation, from "heckuva job" Brownie to Bush's deficit explosion to the outright fraud and theft of Abramoff and company. And that may be the greatest lie of all: that the Republican leaders who claim to want to help this country seem only to care about their own short-term political (and financial) interests. God help 'em if the Tea Partiers turn on them, and God help us all if they get into power again.
– cpd


text:
Company Offers Help To Those Seeking To Become Legal U.S. Citizens
The U.S. Program Of Green Card, also known as USAFIS, is helping people who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. According to the website, the program makes 55,000 immigrant visas available through a lottery.
One Green Card winner from Tajikistan writes, "Following the advice of friends, we have registered for the American "green card lottery". We had thought this would be very complicated, but it has not turned out to be that way. Happily, it seems we have won the card and our dream has come true to be able to live and work in America legally. Thanks to all. PS. Thank you so much for your help, empathy, and understanding."
The State Department (DOS) holds the lottery every year, and randomly selects approximately 110,000 applicants from all qualified entries. The DOS selects the approximately 110,000 applications since many will not complete the visa process. However once 55,000 are issued or the fiscal year ends, the Diversity Visa Lottery Program (DV) program is closed. If anyone receives a visa through the program they are authorized to live and work permanently in the United States. They are also allowed to bring their spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 to the United States, the site reports.
The annual DV lottery program provides an opportunity for potential immigrants to obtain the status as a permanent legal resident of the USA. This program runs each year and provides 50,000 "Green Cards" to applicants randomly selected in a lottery process – known as Green Card Lottery. A Green Card is a permanent residence visa and gives a person the legal right to live, work and study permanently in the United States and to enter and leave the country freely. Immigrants may work in any government, public and private job that is available. A permanent residence visa is generally good for life.
Green Card holders also receive health, education, retirement, taxation, social security and other benefits. The Green Card doesn't affect the immigrant's present citizenship. A Green Card holder may later apply for United States Citizenship, if desired.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery has been established in the 1990 Immigration Act in order to give immigration opportunity to natives from countries other than the main source of immigration to the U.S.A. This official U.S. government program aims to diversify the American population by creating an immigration opportunity to under-represented ethnic groups. Application to this program is open for all individuals worldwide that fulfill the two basic entry requirements.
For more information, click the link following this article.


text:
By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico posted its highest homicide rate in decades, with the government reporting Sunday there were 29,168 murders in 2017.
The number is the highest since comparable records began being kept in 1997 and is also higher than the peak year of Mexico's drug war in 2011, when there were 27,213 murders.The Interior Department, which posted the number, reported the country's homicide rate was 20.5 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2017, compared to 19.4 in 2011.
But Mexico security analyst Alejandro Hope said Mexico's murder rate is probably higher than the Interior Department statistics show, because the department does the per 100,000 count based on the number of murder investigations, not the number of victims, and a killing may result in more than one victim. Hope says the real homicide rate is probably around 24 per 100,000.
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's tweet last week claiming Mexico is "now rated the number one most dangerous country in the world," there are several nations in Latin America with higher rates. Brazil and Colombia had about 27 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, still well below Venezuela's 57 per 100,000, according to a World Bank report. El Salvador reported a rate of 60.8 for 2017.
Several U.S. cities — including St. Louis, Baltimore, New Orleans and Detroit — also had higher rates. But some parts of Mexico were singularly violent: The Pacific coast state of Colima had a rate of 93.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants; Baja California Sur, home to the twin resort towns of Los Cabos, had a rate of 69.1; and Guerrero, home to the resort town of Acapulco, had a rate of 64.2.
While President Enrique Pena Nieto had campaigned on a pledge to end the violence that occurred during his predecessors' 2006-2012 offensive against drug cartels, there was only a temporary drop in killings between 2012 and 2014.
By 2015, killings began rising again, and 2017 was the bloodiest year, probably since the early 1990s. This year promises to be even bloodier: During the first few days of 2018 in just the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, nine people were killed, dismembered and had their body parts stuffed into a van in the state capital of Xalapa.
The grisly scene — literally a jumbled pile of human limbs and torsos topped by a threatening note apparently signed by the Zetas drug gang — was reminiscent of the mass dumping of bodies in the state in 2011.
Earlier in the new year, five severed heads were found arranged on the hood of a taxi in the tourist town of Tlacotalpan, Veracruz and four others found in another city in the same state. Experts say drug violence and other factors, such as bloody turf battles sparked by the expansion of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, played a role in Mexico's rising murder rate. But Hope says the problem is complex.
"The violence in Mexico has many causes. Drug trafficking is one of them, of course, but it is not the only one," said Hope. "There are social triggers, institutional ones, historical ones, issues of land rights, it is complex." In fact, Hope argues, the period from 1997 to 2007 — when murder rates in Mexico plunged to as low as 9.3 murders per 100,000 — was in fact the exception.
"What we have seen in the last decade is regression to the mean" that prevailed throughout much of the 20th century, he said. "The anomaly is the decade before this one." Hope says murder rates now are about where they were in the mid-20th century.
"The violence was different then, no doubt, but your possibility of being murdered in the 1930s was considerably higher than it is now."


text:
'Eastbound & Down' to Lindsay Lohan -- You're F**kin' In!
'Eastbound & Down' to Lindsay Lohan You're F**kin' In!
They both experimented with drugs ... they both torpedoed their careers ... and now Lindsay Lohan and Kenny Powers are joining forces on "Eastbound and Down," TMZ has learned.
SPOILER ALERT: sources close to production tell us, Lindsay signed on to play the adult version of Kenny's illegitimate daughter on the HBO series finale ... and she's currently filming on set in North Carolina.
Makes sense Kenny's kid would become Lindsay Lohan. If you recall, Kenny stashed his bong and all sorts of sex toys in the room of his infant son's room at the end of last season.
It's a pretty big opportunity for Lindsay -- her first real acting gig since she left rehab -- because if she's funny, a spin-off could be in the cards. Crazier things have happened.
Now here's a clip of Kenny Powers dancing his face off on ecstasy.


text:
The main idea behind the Hurd design is to allow users to replace almost any system functionality (extensible system). Any user can easily create a subenvironment using some custom servers instead of the default system servers. This can be seen as an advanced lightweight virtualization mechanism, which allows implementing all kinds of standard and nonstandard virtualization scenarios.
However, though the basic mechanisms are there, currently it's not easy to make use of these possibilities, because we lack tools to automatically launch the desired constellations.
The goal is to create a set of powerful tools for managing at least one desirable virtualization scenario. One possible starting point could be the subhurd/neighborhurd mechanism, which allows a second almost totally independent instance of the Hurd in parallel to the main one.
While subhurd allow creating a complete second system instance, with an own set of Hurd servers and UNIX daemons and all, there are also situations where it is desirable to have a smaller subenvironment, living within the main system and using most of its facilities -- similar to a chroot environment. A simple way to create such a subenvironment with a single command would be very helpful.
It might be possible to implement (perhaps as a prototype) a wrapper using existing tools (chroot and unionfs); or it might require more specific tools, like some kind of unionfs-like filesystem proxy that mirrors other parts of the filesystem, but allows overriding individual locations, in conjunction with either chroot or some similar mechanism to create a subenvironment with a different root filesystem.
It's also desirable to have a mechanism allowing a user to set up such a custom environment in a way that it will automatically get launched on login -- practically allowing the user to run a customized operating system in his own account.
Yet another interesting scenario would be a subenvironment -- using some kind of special filesystem proxy again -- in which the user serves as root, being able to create local sub-users and/or sub-groups.
This would allow the user to run "dangerous" applications (webbrowser, chat client etc.) in a confined fashion, allowing it access to only a subset of the user's files and other resources. (This could be done either using a lot of groups for individual resources, and lots of users for individual applications; adding a user to a group would give the corresponding application access to the corresponding resource -- an advanced ?ACL mechanism. Or leave out the groups, assigning the resources to users instead, and use the Hurd's ability for a process to have multiple user IDs, to equip individual applications with sets of user IDs giving them access to the necessary resources -- basically a capability mechanism.)
The student will have to pick (at least) one of the described scenarios -- or come up with some other one in a similar spirit -- and implement all the tools (scripts, translators) necessary to make it available to users in an easy-to-use fashion. While the Hurd by default already offers the necessary mechanisms for that, these are not perfect and could be further refined for even better virtualization capabilities. Should need or desire for specific improvements in that regard come up in the course of this project, implementing these improvements can be considered part of the task.
Completing this project will require gaining a very good understanding of the Hurd architecture and spirit. Previous experience with other virtualization solutions would be very helpful.
Possible mentors: Justus Winter (teythoon)
See also: https://fosdem.org/2017/schedule/event/microkernel_virtualization_on_hurd/
Exercise: Currently, when issuing 'reboot' in Subhurds, 'boot' exits. Make it reboot the Subhurd instead.


text:
Distinguished women in science were few prior to the dawn of the 20th century. Among the most prominent was Mary Fairfax Somerville, a twice-married Scotswoman whose international reputation as a scientist was gained in the intervals of raising a family of six children. Her achievements are all the more remarkable given her lack of formal education and the context of the repressive society in which she lived, where it was unthinkable for young women to purchase books, especially on math or science. Her perseverance in pursuing scientific endeavors caused her to be publicly denounced in York Cathedral, but in the end her work earned her distinction among her colleagues.
Born on December 26, 1780, in Jedburgh, Scotland, Somerville was the daughter of a vice admiral in the British Navy. Her formal education was scant and rather haphazard, with only one year of full-time schooling at a boarding school for girls, where she was miserable. But it was there she acquired a taste for reading. She studied her first arithmetic at age 13, and discovered algebra quite by accident when she happened upon some mysterious symbols in the puzzles of a women's fashion magazine and learned they were algebraic expressions. Intrigued, she persuaded her brother's tutor to purchase someelementary literature on the subject for her.
Marriage intervened in 1804, when, at 24, she married her second cousin, Samuel Grieg, a member of the Russian Navy with little interest in math and science and a low opinion of intellectual women in general. She quickly bore him two children, but he died three years into the marriage, leaving her with a comfortable inheritance. Now financially independent, she was free to study as she pleased. She quickly mastered J. Ferguson's Astronomy and also studied Newton's Principia, gradually building up a small library of works to provide her with a sound background in mathematics. She remarried in 1812 to William Somerville, a surgeon in the British Navy who was very supportive of her intellectual endeavors. They had four children together.
Her scientific career began in earnest in the summer of 1825, when she carried out a series of experiments on magnetism, presenting a paper on her findings the following year to the Royal Society. Apart from the astronomical observations of Caroline Herschel, it was the first paper by a woman to be read to the Society and published in its Philosophical Transactions. Although the theory presented in her paper was eventually refuted by other scientists, it distinguished her as a skilled scientific writer and was favorably received by her colleagues.
In 1827 she was asked to write a popularized rendition of LaPlace's Mecanique and Newton's Principia, aimed at reaching a larger audience by communicating the concepts clearly through simple illustrations and experiments. The Mechanism of the Heavens (1831) was a tremendous success and became the most famous of her writings. Her second book, The Connection of the Physical Sciences, was published in 1834, and dealt with physical astronomy, mechanics, magnetism, electricity, heat, sound and optics. It earned her election to the Royal Astronomical Society, along with Caroline Herschel, the first women to receive such an honor.
In 1848, at age 68, she published yet another book, Physical Geography, which proved to be her most successful yet and was widely used in schools and universities for the next 50 years. She and her husband had moved to Italy in 1838 because of his deteriorating health, and he died in 1860. Somerville and her surviving daughters stayed in Italy, where she continued her scientific work, publishing Molecular and Microscopic Science in 1869, her least successful work. But she remained mentally alert and keenly interested in mathematics despite her advancing age, and was revising a paper on quanternians the day before she died peacefully at 92 in 1872. London obituaries hailed her as "the Queen of Science."
Throughout her life, Somerville felt keenly that she was not an original scientist, and, a product of her age, thought that perhaps women were not gifted with that type of creativity. But she clearly demonstrated great mathematical and scientific intelligence and had a talent for evaluating conflicting ideas, and for organizing and synthesizing knowledge in clear and accessible prose. Her first three books contributed enormously to scientific education through most of the 19th century and she acted as mentor to many young scientists, both male and female.
Somerville's significance continued after her death. A ship built in Liverpool, England bore her name and carried her image as its figurehead. An Arctic island, and a girl's college in Brisbane, Australia are also named after her, and Oxford University founded its first college for women in her honor. Somerville College played a leading role in the many battles for equality that were waged in the early 20th century, and, like Somerville, its alumnae have pioneered career opportunities in fields where women were historically excluded.
Further Reading:
Neeley, Kathryn A. Mary Somerville: Science, Illumination and the Female Mind. Cambridge University Press, October 2001.
APS encourages the redistribution of the materials included in this newspaper provided that attribution to the source is noted and the materials are not truncated or changed.