text:
Hebrides - Scottish Islands
- Isle of Arran
A small island, 20 miles long and 56 miles round, located off the south-west coast of Scotland. Easy to reach from Glasgow. It can be accessed by ferry from Ardrossan (Ayrshire) or Claonaig (Kintyre). Known as 'Scotland in miniature'. It has history (castles and standing stones), wildlife (birds, seals and deer) and leisure facilities (tennis, golf, yachting, pony trekking, bowling, cycling). Something for everyone. For keen golfers, it boasts a choice of 7 courses.- Isle of Bute
This small island less than an hour from Glasgow is an easy place to get away to on a short break. It has many sandy beaches, 3 golf courses, several ancient monuments and is home to the exquisitely sumptuous Mount Stuart House.- Isle of Coll
Sandy beaches and wide open spaces make this a great place to relax. Inspiration for the Katie Morag children's books.- Isle of Colonsay
Accessible by ferry from Islay or Oban. Visit colonsay.org.uk (external site) for detailed info.- Isle of Gigha
Purchased by the islanders in 2002. Visit isle-of-gigha.co.uk (external site) for detailed info.- Isle of Iona
Only 5 minutes over the sea from Mull sits this tiny island with its Abbey, now famous for its history relating to Saint Columba and Celtic Christianity.- Isle of Islay
With its many whisky distilleries, empty beaches, nature reserve and historical sites, Islay is a good place to get away from it all. Known as The Queen of the Hebrides.- Isle of Jura
Very close to Islay is this sparsely populated island, home to thousands of deer. George Orwell chose to retreat here and write his novel '1984'.- Isle of Mull
Second largest of the Inner Hebrides, this large, unspoilt island has hills, waterfalls, sea caves, standing stones, forest walks and beaches with a coastline of over 300 miles. Home of the BBC TV series called Balamory (Tobermory). Just a short ferry ride from Oban. From Mull, you can take boat trips to neighbouring islands including Iona, Staffa and the Treshnish Isles.- Small Isles
The four islands of Eigg, Rum, Canna and Muck each have their own character. Accessed by boat from Arisaig and Mallaig.- Isle of Skye
The largest and most popular of the Inner Hebrides, this island is famous for its mountain scenery (the Cuillins and Quiraing), waterfalls and castles. Reach by bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh, or by ferry from Mallaig and Glenelg. Skye's neighbouring island of Raasay is well worth a visit too. You can also take the ferry from Skye over to the Western Isles (Outer Hebrides).- Isle of Staffa
Take a boat trip from Mull or Iona to see the famous Fingal's Cave!- Isle of Tiree
Off the west coast of Mull, right on the edge of the Atlantic. With a mild climate and sunny skies, Tiree is a popular destination for windsurfing.
The Outer Hebrides of Lewis and Harris featured in the BBC Call the Midwife Christmas special (December 2019). Filming took place at the Callanish / Calanais standing stones (Lewis), Gearrannan black house village (Lewis), Rodel church (Isle of Harris), Luskentyre beach (Harris) and Eilean Glas Lighthouse (Scalpay). The cast stayed at Amhuinnsuidhe Castle (Harris).
- Isle of Harris
A beautiful island of contrasts: its rocky east coast looks like the moon, in the west its golden beaches are often deserted. Offshore are the tiny islands of Scarp and Taransay. Just over 90 minutes by ferry from Skye or just a drive over the border from the neighbouring Isle of Lewis which can be reached by air. From Harris you can also sail over to the Uists.- Isle of Lewis
Its capital Stornoway is the largest town in the Western Isles and is less than 3 hours by ferry from Ullapool and a plane ride away from many UK airports. The island has lots of unspoilt sandy beaches and is home to the famous Callanish standing stones (second only to Stonehenge). Offshore is the beautiful island of Great Bernera with an Iron Age Village overlooking a spectacular beach.- The Uists
North Uist - Benbecula - South Uist. This chain of islands has alsorts on offer: hills, sandy beaches, nature reserves and ancient monuments. The Uists are reachable by ferry and plane from the mainland and the neighbouring islands.- Isle of Barra
Situated towards the end of the Western Isles chain, this little place has been described as "Barradise" with its hills and beaches. One of my personal favourites for getting away from it all. Accessible by plane and ferry.- St Kilda
Approximately 55 miles west of Harris, this little archipeligo comprises the islands of Hirta, Dun, Soay & Boreray. Inhabited for centuries, then evacuated in 1930. Famous for its remoteness and sea bird colonies. Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Rabbie's offer award-winning 5 Star tours in a 16 seat Mercedes minicoach. TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice 2018, British Travel Awards 2017 and 2018.
Options include:


text:
QuakeCon 2016 (22)
Leave a Reply
Let's Play Hitman GO (Steam)
We run through all box sets and levels, getting every single 100% objective in the game! This was a pretty fun puzzler game that requires you to think pretty hard about enemy movement and timing. Overall, a fun experience that's pretty laid back and makes you brain think a little bit. I enjoyed the references…
Let's Play Spyro: Year of the Dragon
Our third Spyro game and the final for the Reignited Trilogy takes place on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year on the year of the dragon: 2024! What incredible timing! We get the full 100%+ completion, bonus level and special cutscene! What a great way to end off our reignited adventures with…
Let's Play No One Lives Under the Lighthouse (Steam)
This creepy old island that contains a lighthouse must be maintained by your lonely character. As the days progress, you'll find out that not everything is what it seems on this island and that there are things happening beyond your imagination

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Health reform reality check: The cost
The Congressional Budget Office is set to roll out cost estimates for health reform proposals. Watch the temperature soar.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Ah, summer: Time to enjoy a quiet vacation. Kick back with a good book. Walk on the beach.
Not Douglas Elmendorf. He'll spend the next two months suffering voodoo-eyes from powerful people on Capitol Hill.
Elmendorf is director of the Congressional Budget Office, the ordinarily low-profile federal agency that will estimate how much money health reform will cost or save.
The CBO's estimates, the first set of which are due next week, carry a lot of weight because Congress uses them in making legislative decisions.
In an age of trillion-dollar budget deficits, the numbers will carry even more weight than usual.
"Strictly speaking, the CBO advises the budget committees, and the committees can override what CBO recommends. But they rarely do," said Robert Reischauer, who headed the CBO during the infamous health care debate during the Clinton administration.
That's because CBO is known for providing objective analysis in a partisan town.
That doesn't mean there won't be serious griping and spinning on the part of lawmakers, lobbyists or the White House budget office, which makes its own estimates.
During the debate over the Clinton plan in the early 1990s, the Washington Post called Reischauer "the most powerful umpire in Washington."
Reischauer, who is now president of the Urban Institute, believed the Clinton plan would have cost more than the White House estimated. And he also would have accounted for it in such a way that it would have expanded government spending as a percentage of GDP. That was exactly what the White House didn't want since government expansion was catnip for Republican opponents of the plan.
Elmendorf in some ways is under even greater pressure than Reischauer, under whom he worked during the Clinton era.
The CBO today is scoring proposals in the face of a federal balance sheet with eye-popping deficits that health care reform aims to curb.
The agency estimates that the amount of money the government, businesses and individuals spend on health care this year will be about 18% of GDP. It's on track to top 20% by 2018. And federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid will have doubled by 2019 from where it is today.
By 2035, the Government Accountability Office estimates that all federal revenue will be consumed by Medicare, Medicaid and interest on the public debt.
When Reischauer headed the CBO, "the health care challenge was 'Don't make the [budget] situation worse.' Now, it's 'Do health care reform so we can make the budget situation better,' " he said.
Indeed, he added, "some of the biggest pressures [Elmendorf] will face are being asserted by advocates of health reform, not opponents. They desperately want reform to succeed and their proposals to pay for it to be sufficient to cover its costs."
Figuring out whether they can is a job the CBO will perform with more health analysts on board and more data than was at its disposal in 1994.
Despite that, the task at hand is difficult because the agency will be forecasting the effects on individuals and businesses of unprecedented changes in the health care system.
"There are a lot of proposals that we think should reduce health care costs over time. The evidence is uncertain. The impact will depend very much on details yet to be specified, and on our ability to implement them in a smooth, efficient way," Reischauer said.
Elmendorf told the National Journal his goal is to find the middle ground -- neither too pessimistic nor too optimistic about how much a proposal will cost or raise.
"Our job is to be in the middle of the distribution of possible outcomes," he said.
In addition, the agency's preliminary estimates may well have some holes in them if lawmakers don't supply sufficient information about a measure for the CBO to score. The biggest case in point: the proposal to add a government-funded insurance plan to compete alongside private insurers. So far, its supporters haven't specified a definitive framework for one in a bill.
Nevertheless, Democrats are still aiming to have a bipartisan health reform bill voted through both chambers by August and President Obama has said he wants a bill on his desk by October.
Whether that's realistic or not is anyone's guess. But one thing is certain: CBO will be running fast between now and then to keep up with every twist and turn in the legislation along the way.


text:
UAB alumni Tom and Janet Hicks began working in China as physicians in 1996. They have seen steady progress in the quality of care provided during the past 15 years, but there is much more that needs to be done — especially in physical therapy.
Scott Bickel (right), assistant professor of physical therapy, was among a team of eight people — six with UAB ties — that spent a week in Lanzhou, China, teaching physical therapy techniques to health-care providers. |
So the Hickses invited a team of physicians, nurses and other health-care providers to China. As a result, an interdisciplinary team of eight people — six with UAB ties — spent a week in Lanzhou, China, this past summer. Part of their mission was to teach physical therapy techniques to health-care providers at a hospital and nursing home. They also lectured on the state of practice in trauma/burns ICU, pediatric critical care and laparoscopic surgery.
"The Chinese government realizes its rehab programs are not doing as well as they could," says Scott Bickel, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and one of the team members. "In some aspects, it's like going back in time 40 years. People stay in the hospital longer than they do here. Their rehab options are very limited. They see they can be doing better in that area, and they want to improve."
Bickel and his fellow team members spoke and conducted training sessions at a Lanzhou hospital and a local nursing home. Other UAB team members on the trip were Brittni Russell, registered nurse in Trauma/Burn ICU and a School of Nursing alumni; Kate Sewell, registered nurse at Children's Hospital and a School of Nursing alumni; Jenny Wilson, physical therapist at Spain Rehabilitation Center and Department of Physical Therapy alumni; Lee Willingham, a student in pre-nursing; and Gabrielle Hood a student in pre-med. Other team members included David Mallette, a physical therapist and clinical instructor for UAB students; surgeon John Touliatos; and physician Tom Worthington.
The UAB team also trained community health workers and nursing home volunteers on best-practice physical therapy techniques that ranged from turning patients in their beds to basic exercises patients can do for a variety of problems.
China is the world's most populous nation, with more than 1.3 billion people. Bickel says the best estimate is that 30,000 of those 1.3 billion could be considered a rehab professional — that could be a physician, therapist, occupational therapist or anyone who calls himself a rehab professional.
By comparison, the United States has a population of 300 million and 200,000 physical therapy jobs.
"And that doesn't count physicians or occupational therapists," Bickel says. "China has a big discrepancy in terms of the population to rehab professionals. But they want to improve that and increase the number of people and quality of training."
Hicks says the quality of physical therapy care provided in China often varies by region. There are some areas in the east that have strong programs, he says, but the northwest, where he and Janet work, is struggling.
Hicks hoped that bringing professionals from the United States to demonstrate physical therapies to local hospital staff would encourage them to think about ways to develop their program.
"I think the visit was very successful," Hicks says. "They opened some eyes and caused some people who already thought they were doing physical therapy — when it really was just a massage — to reevaluate what they were doing in terms of patient care and outcomes. I have high hopes this will stimulate further development of PT in local hospitals."
Bickel had traveled to Beijing previously and seen patient rehabilitation in some of the largest hospitals. This summer's trip provided him an opportunity to compare the big hospital experience with the treatment in rural settings.
"In Beijing there are rehab professionals and a rehab department in the hospital," Bickel says. "Now you go out to this rural hospital in Lanzhou, and there's a rehab department, but with much fewer personnel. But at the nursing home there is none. So there is a great need."
The Department of Physical Therapy has been part of multiple projects in China in recent years through Project Hope, connected to UAB through Howard Houser, Ph.D., professor emeritus and the former associate dean in the School of Health Professions. Houser and UAB personnel have made trips to China and hosted visiting scholars to train in rehabilitation.
Both Bickel and Hicks hope there can be future partnerships.
"For the past seven years, I've been trying to find ways to tie my profession to some international activities, and I have an interest in that part of the world," Bickel says. "My mother was born in China, and we adopted a child from Taiwan. There's a great need there, and I hope to continue to be part of helping out."


text:
I found this function totally accidentally when I knocked my mouse into a key when something interesting popped up on Twitter. I happened to have a variable selected like so: The key that I knocked was the Number Pad "+" key, and it expanded the selection like this: As any self respecting Systems Administrator would do I wondered if doing exactly the same thing repeatedly would have equal or compound effects. Strangely enough it worked, the selection will continue to expand selecting increasingly larger sections of code. The reverse works as well if you press the Number Pad "-" key the selection will be reduced.
As I was looking for documentation on this function; I found that you could use the CamelCase select function to start selections off using Ctrl+Shift+Left (or Ctrl+Shift+Right) this will take your selection from the current cursor position to the next upper case character to the left (or right). This can be coupled with the Number Pad "+" to expand your selection from a variable to an expression, to a line then a block. Neat! Each of these discoveries was announced with a handy little popup in the bottom right hand corner of the viewport telling me what happened, and if relevant what function was suppressed. I am going to make a concerted effort to spend my lunch break watching some more videos on DevExpress' training site. I got 10 minutes today and watched what appeared to be footage from a launch event or a conference which was interesting but didn't really teach me anything specifically.


text:
Ooh la la! Vintage Carina - by Carina Gardner...new products arriving in the JS store soon! I did these layouts with the Paris & Co. papers and elements. Not my usual color palette but very refreshing! Love these cute pics of Abby and Ellie.
Like what you see...you can go NOW and pick up several of the items I used:
Paris & Co. Ala Mode Paper Pack
Sew Crafty Stitches by Splendid Fiins
Keep a watch in Carina's shop at JS to see MORE Vintage Carina: French Paper Pack 2, Ribbon Stash and Lil Travel Journal Strips-- will pop in very soon!


text:
Results for: art, rajam
Know Thyself Cover
Gurudeva and Sishya in the forest atmosphere, lush alive with creatures and creeps. Lotus blossoms in the pond
Performing Yamas and Niyamas
Banyan tree in the center and people performing Yamas in the left side and Niyamas in the right...
Performing Yamas and Niyamas - 2
Shiva sitting on a golden throne in the center, people performing Yamas on the left side and niyamas...
Shiva Blessing the World
Shiva above in the clouds. Ripe mangoes in the grove. Twenty Shiva bhaktars walking towards Shiva
Karma Management
The idea here is that the man is the creator of his own Karma. He is carving his...
Karmic Storm
The ten-headed snake represents the 10 keys to Karma Management. The snake protects this man as he faces...
Positive and Negative Karmas
This is a one-wheeled chariot with two passengers being the same person. On the right, he is facing...
Ganesha with His Many Devotees
Ganesha is surrounded by many happy worshippers from all walks of life.


text:
Single-minded prayer
Those who like to cook while watching TV, or respond to e-mails while taking phone calls, might have been surprised by the results of a study on multi-tasking released earlier this year. The two major findings from the University of Utah study could be summed up as follows: (1) People aren't really very good at doing two or more tasks at once, and (2) somewhat paradoxically, those who chronically multi-task (and consider themselves adept at juggling assignments) are actually the most distracted overall (Nancy Shute, "If You Think You're Good at Multitasking, You Probably Aren't," npr.org, Jan. 24).
Most of us wouldn't think of prayer as a "task" like driving or washing dishes – yet it's still a discipline, an activity that must be managed against other constraints on our time. For those who consider quiet communion with God as one of their top priorities, insights into the pitfalls of multi-tasking might offer some lessons.
Doesn't the multi-tasking study point to the conclusion that, for whatever portion of the day we choose to devote to it, prayer deserves our complete attention? Distracted prayer isn't likely to be very effective, just as distracted driving isn't likely to be very safe. And when our attention is flipping back and forth between prayer and other demands (or even entertainment), we're probably not hearing God's direction as clearly as we could be.
It's natural for each of us to want to pray deeply, honestly, and undistractedly because we reflect God, who is divine Principle. In fact, prayer itself involves affirming the presence and activity of Principle in our own thinking. In prayer, we insist that we're not subject to a chaotic material scene but governed by divine laws of goodness, and that as we perceive this goodness more clearly in our thoughts, we'll see it more clearly in our experience through relationships strengthened, safety upheld, supply found. Why shouldn't we feel drawn to give this kind of prayerful affirmation our full attention?
Much has been written about how Jesus devoted himself to prayer, often going off alone to commune with God (see for example: Luke 5:16, Mark 6:46). Jesus could have chosen a constant multi-tasking approach to his ministry – there was no shortage of people clamoring for him to heal them and preach to them – but instead he devoted long stretches of time to nourishing his connection with his Father. Jesus demonstrated that when it's not held hostage to other demands on our time, consecrated prayer allows us to do the most effective healing work imaginable.
Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, underscores this sentiment with a reminder that "to understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire" ("Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," p. 3). Our daily routines, rather than being hurried and pressured with competing obligations and distractions, can reflect a measure of the balance that's inescapably part of our spiritual makeup.
From an editorial in the Christian Science Sentinel.


text:
Dick Trickle 911 Call -- 'There's Gonna Be a Dead Body'
Dick Trickle 911 Call 'There's Gonna Be a Dead Body'
Dick Trickle sounded extremely calm for a man planning to kill himself when he called 911 yesterday and told the operator, "There's going to be dead body ... suicide."
TMZ has obtained the 911 call made by the NASCAR driver moments before he shot himself. In the call, Trickle gave the dispatcher very detailed instructions about where to find the body at Forest Lawn Cemetery in North Carolina.
When the dispatcher asked Trickle if he was calling about someone else, Trickle replied, "No, I'm the one."
The operator begged Trickle to wait for help ... but her pleas went unanswered.
When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, Trickle's body was discovered right where he said it would be.
Officials say Trickle died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.


text:
Sorry we could not find local specialist in Yorkshire Area.
As a courtesy we can do a deep research to find local specialist in your area. Call Now 844-318-0096.
Find Local Physical Therapists organized for you the most updated list of local Physical Therapists experts in Yorkshire, OH
Click on one of the listing to learn more about the local business or search again to find more local updated result in Yorkshire, OH
copyrights © 2024 Find Local Physical Therapy Clincs Near Me . All rights reserved.


text:
Think about negotiating an intricate maze, and you begin to appreciate the challenge of designing and fabricating test stand piping for NASA's RS-25 rocket engine.
NASA is meeting that challenge at its Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss., where liquid oxygen (LOX), liquid hydrogen and related piping is being produced for RS-25 engine testing on the A-1 test stand. Testing of the core-stage engine for NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) is scheduled to begin next spring. The SLS is being developed to carry humans deeper into space than ever before.
"This is a big undertaking," said Robert Ek, systems engineer for the RS-25 test project at Stennis. "These are massive lines, weighing hundreds of pounds, and they have to be threaded through a great deal of other stand equipment and structure needed for testing. It's a real challenge."
NASA engineers now are conducting gimbal, or pivot, testing on a J-2X engine on the A-1 stand, but that hot fire series is scheduled to end in early September. Stand equipment then must be modified to meet RS-25 rocket engine drawing and specification requirements. A new thrust frame adapter already has been fabricated for installation on the stand this fall. Fabrication of the new piping system is under way.
Design of the piping was an involved process that required collecting a lot of information about the RS-25 engine and its performance specifications. Even though RS-25 engines were used as space shuttle main engines, some modifications will be made before testing begins.
"Even with the RS-25 engine's flawless performance on all 135 space shuttle missions, a different rocket like SLS has new environmental and thrust conditions and therefore different test considerations," said Mike Kynard, SLS Liquid Engines program manager. "Anytime we make changes to an engine, or to environmental conditions in which it will run, we'll need to put it through a full set of tests. What we typically do in the rocket engine industry is run things twice as long as we plan to use them in flight to ensure the robustness of the design. We run it at different conditions to make sure we've covered the full range of the design."
Engineers had to take into account new engine performance factors to determine such things as the flow rate of cryogenic fuels needed in the lines and the pressures under which they must operate. In terms of simple geometry, they also had to make sure piping connections were located properly and identify how and where to install supports to hold the piping in place.
"Negotiating a maze is a good analogy," Ek said. "There was a lot of ingenuity and working together to make sure good decisions were made. The design engineering team, supported by both operations and systems engineering, did a great job in finding answers along the way."
The RS-25 testing project was accelerated by a few months, shortening the time for preparation work on the A-1 test stand. The piping now being fabricated by Jacobs Technology crews at Stennis is expected to be completed and installed on the stand by the end of the year.
Once in place, the lines will be sealed and tests performed to make sure there are no leaks in the system and that they perform properly at the extremely low temperatures required to flow LOX and liquid hydrogen propellants. The first installation of an RS-25 engine will be in early April 2014, with a series of LOX chill tests and eight hot fire tests to follow.
Once tested and certified, the engines will be used for both SLS test flights and operational missions, a fact that Ek and others at Stennis find gratifying. "I used to work on space shuttle main engines during the Space Shuttle Program," Ek said. "That program has ended, but the engines live on to fly again. It's very exciting to help make that happen."
For more information about NASA exploration, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
For information about Stennis, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis
Cite This Page:


text:
Dickey's franchise owners Peggy and Joe Anicka have enjoyed serving the Commerce Township, Michigan, community slow, pit-smoked barbecue.
On Friday, January 25, Dickey's will be offering $1 Pulled Pork Big Barbecue sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in honor of its grand-opening celebration.
"There are so many wonderful people in this community, and we couldn't think of a better place to own a business," says local owner Peggy Anicka. "Our kids grew up here, and we've spent the last 10 years volunteering in their schools and on their sports teams."
Joe Anicka, who served as park officer for the State of Michigan, has also worked for 25 years in restaurants. Peggy Anicka has 15 years of restaurant experience and also spends her time giving back to the community through volunteer work.
Kim Smart, the general manager for this location, also brings 25 years of restaurant experience to the team.
"At our grand-opening event, we will be drawing for a prize of free barbecue for a year," Peggy Anicka says. "We'll choose three lucky winners, so come join the party and satisfy your barbecue craving."


text:
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — Superstorm Sandy still isn't done with the Jersey shore — investigators are blaming the storm for damaging electrical wiring that touched off last week's devastating boardwalk fire in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights.
And they said similar danger could be lurking elsewhere underneath other boardwalks, businesses or homes that were exposed to floodwaters from the storm last year.
"I'm sure on every boardwalk everywhere (at the Jersey shore), there may be compromised wiring," Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said. "We don't want to start a panic mode; we just want to be reasonable. If you're a property owner and you think your electrical work came in contact with water and sand, we strongly recommend you have it inspected."
Gov. Chris Christie's administration decided the state will use Sandy-recovery money to pay for debris removal. He also pledged $15 million in Sandy money to help rebuild the burned businesses.
Christie said Tuesday the state will let businesses affected by the fire postpone filing sales and use tax returns that were due this month until Oct. 21 to help them recover.
The boardwalk fire began accidentally Thursday in aged wiring that had been compromised by salt water and sand during the Oct. 29 storm, federal and county investigators said Tuesday at a news conference. The wind-whipped blaze destroyed more than 50 businesses in the two towns.
Seaside Heights Mayor William Akers, reached after the briefing, said there is no issue with potentially compromised wiring on the surviving sections of the boardwalk.
"We did a total rebuild. All 16 blocks got all new wiring," he said.
In Point Pleasant Beach, one of the approximately half-dozen Sandy-ravaged towns where businesses with electrical connections are located on the boardwalk, Mayor Vincent Barrella said streetlight wiring is all new in a section of the boardwalk that was rebuilt last winter.
But he said about half the boardwalk, including sections in front of businesses, still needs to be redone this winter. After the prosecutor issued his warning, Barrella said he instructed borough officials to work with the local electric company and identify any wiring that might need to be replaced as part of the upcoming work.
Flood-damaged wiring caused fires in several houses in Sandy-damaged communities once power was turned back on last November. Many homeowners had to replace their electrical wiring and main electrical boxes before moving back in.
Investigators said last week's fire began in wiring that dated to the 1970s, and was located under a Kohr's frozen custard stand and the Biscayne Candies shop last Thursday afternoon.
Jessica Gotthold, a senior special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said investigators located wires under the boardwalk that somehow came in contact with each other, causing an electrical arc that is believed to have started the fire. Coronato said those wires had been exposed to the storm surge and grating sand action of the storm, which compromised them.
But as far as why the wires contacted each other, he said, "we will never know."
The prosecutor said the investigation ruled out all other possible causes of the fire, including careless smoking or a deliberate act of arson. The wiring was inaccessible to the public, he noted.
Authorities even pulled financial records of the businesses involved in the blaze to make sure no one had a financial motive to start a fire.
"We left no stone unturned," he said. "This was not a suspicious fire."
Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tagged with tED


text:
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've at least heard of Star Trek. You probably recognize the odd phrase ("Beam me up," "Set phasers on stun," or perhaps "Live long and prosper") and the guy with the pointy ears. Some of you recognize quite a bit more, but the imperative Paramount gave to its golden boy J.J. Abrams was to bring in the non-fans (known variously as "Trekkies" or "Trekkers") with a movie that says "global blockbuster" and not "nerd fest." Quibbles aside (and the fans, oh yes, they will quibble...), producer-director Abrams and screenwriters Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci have effectively served both masters: the rebooted Star Trek will please the lion's share of fans while reaching out to what may be the biggest audience the series has ever enjoyed.
For the record, I'm a Trekkie myself, one who liked the idea of giving Abrams a shot at reinvigorating the franchise. Abrams has taken essentially the same tack here as he did with Paramount's other big TV-derived franchise, Mission: Impossible. Like Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek runs mostly on fast-paced, big-budgeted, explosive action, fuel-injected with enough melodrama to provide the impression of character building, if not always the real thing. Though Star Trek aficionados will get an extra charge from it, Star Trek's bravura opening sequence immediately thrills and tugs at the heartstrings in ways that should work nearly as well for newcomers. But brush that tear from your eye, as Abrams is about to hurtle through and hurdle over enough scrapes for dozens of cliffhanger serials.
Abrams and company have achieved quite a bit in reframing the future adventures of the explorers of Starfleet (a "peacekeeping and humanitarian armada"), which represents the United Federation of Planets. The crew of the Enterprise includes Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), first officer Spock (Zachary Quinto), communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), helmsman Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), 17-year-old navigator Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and the brash and unwelcome James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), destined to follow in his father's footsteps to become a Starfleet captain (also on the fringes: Simon Pegg's Scottish starship engineer Montgomery Scott). Before the Enterprise takes its maiden voyage in response to a mysterious threat (involving Eric Bana's Romulan "war criminal" Nero), Abrams gets to work with some surprisingly rich and certified-fresh myth-building.
Pegged by Pike as "the only genius-level repeat offender in the Midwest," Kirk is a womanizer, and a hard-drinking brawler. But fatherly Pike gets the fatherless Kirk's acting out, and challenges him to quit wallowing and make something of himself that would be worthy of his father's heroic legacy. Meanwhile, intellectual giant Spock also has parental issues that lead to brawling, a serious no-no on his home world of Vulcan. Unlike other pure-bred Vulcans who have learned to control their emotions with pure logic, Spock has a human mother (Winona Ryder) as well as a Vulcan father (Ben Cross). Touchy on the subject, Spock rejects a condescending invitation into the prestigious Vulcan Science Academy in favor of joining Starfleet. It's this Star Trek's greatest stroke of genius to conceive of Kirk and Spock as two rebels looking for a cause, who butt heads on the way to becoming lifelong friends:
Kirk: I don't believe in no-win scenarios.
Spock: A captain cannot cheat death.
The filmmakers fill the film with spectacular ILM special effects and fan-pleasing in-jokes and references, including walking reference Leonard Nimoy reprising the role he created as the elder Spock (referred to in the credits as "Spock Prime"). No fair telling how or when he turns up, but I will say this: he comes along with one mother of a plot hole that's close to inexcusable (and definitely illogical). Abrams hopes he's got the film moving too fast for viewers to notice or care (on first viewing, anyway), and he's probably right. Those wanting to excuse the plot hole can tie it into the film's strong sense of destiny, despite the villain's largely successful attempts to disrupt the timeline.
Speaking of quibbles, here are four others: an easily impressed young Spock finding "Fascinating" a chair that spins automatically; the unearned, campy touch of putting some kind of space sword in Sulu's hand (he fences, don'cha know?); the hellishly spiky and impractically designed Romulan tech (Star Trek bad guys never met a catwalk they didn't like); and, after a while, that relentlessly manic action-movie pace. At times, you may wish, as I did, that this most dizzyingly hyperactive of movies would calm down just a little.
The rest of the strenuous plot gymnastics pretty much work, and by pressing the continuity reset button, Abrams and company are able to make some bold—in fact, downright apocalyptic—changes to the Star Trek universe. But change is good for the soul, so they say, and the new cast members acquit themselves admirably. Pine, Quinto, Urban, and Yelchin do especially bang-up jobs of channeling their forebears without suffocating their own personalities, and though their characters don't seem so familiar, Saldana, Cho, and the reliably humorous Pegg are no less likeable. Also earning kudos: production designer Scott Chambliss, whose shiny retro chic dazzles, and composer Michael Giacchino, whose new Star Trek theme almost makes us forget the Alexander Courage original (don't worry: that's here, too).
What would series creator Gene Roddenberry think? "The Great Bird of the Galaxy," as fans affectionately took to calling him, would recognize the quick nods to space exploration and diplomacy, political allegory (though brief, there's a scene of torture amid evocatively sloshing water) and the Western (a scene that finds Kirk and Spock, side by side, playing phaser-packin' "space cowboys" against the Romulan "Indians") as a reflection of his original concept: "Wagon Train to the stars." Ever the horny devil, Roddenberry would also appreciate the film's sexiness (besides the obligatory green babe, her academy roommate Uhura proves greatly desirable, as do the once-more-svelte Kirk and Spock).
Paramount has a lot riding on Abrams' version of Star Trek, a perennially lucrative niche market that the studio hopes will break through into stratospheric box office numbers for the first time in its 43-year history. Though it's hard to know whether the pricy new film will turn the instant profit Paramount desires, Abrams has already proven a wise investment.
[This review first appeared in an edited form in Palo Alto Weekly.]


text:
A Information Goldmine
Many times during the day, I am looking for different bits of information online. Like many people, I often turn use the easiest source (Google) instead of the best source.
While I've read the book, The Invisible Web (some time ago), Sam Richter points out on page 99 of his excellent book, Take The Cold Out of Cold Calling, "In my presentation, when I ask people what percentage of web pages that can be accessed by search engines like Google and Yahoo, the typical response I receive is 75 percent or higher. Would it surprise you that at best -- combined popular search engines probably index less than 20 percent of publicly accessible Web pages?"Step-by-step Sam Richter gives specific tools for the reader to excel at research and information gathering. Why? As a writer, the more you know about a target publication or publisher, then you will be more equipped to target your pitch and submission.
In the introduction to Take The Cold Out of Cold Calling, Richter writes, "Knowing what's important to your prospects, what their competitors are doing, and what their industry trends are is imperative for proper meeting preparation. Information is the key for building your credibility, offering customized and relevant solutions, and providing ongoing client value. Understanding your client's world is ultimately what differentiates one company--and one salesperson--from another." (page III of preface)This book is packed with incredible online resources to learn about different industries. For example, in the publishing community, this book highlights Publist which is a database of more than 150,000 magazines, journals, newsletters and other periodicals. It is free but registration is required.
Or consider this resource Richter highlights, "Imagine if you could use the Web to locate a company's employee directory? Unless the company made a big mistake and posted it online, you probably can't. Spoke.com, however, might be the next best thing." (page 169)I've only used two of many examples with great detail in this excellent resource. The other tool that every reader can use is the resource center called "the Warm Call Center." Go to this sitewww.takethecold.com) , register with your email address and you will have access to a wealth of links and resources for any time of research. I downloaded the toolbar to my browser and it's been an amazing resource to use as I do research. (
Sam Richter has pulled together a remarkable resource. I highly recommend.Labels: research, Sam Richter, Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling


text:
This is a syndicated post from The American Catholic. [Read the original article...]
A friend forwarded me this excellent article written by Archbishop Charles Caput. It's a detailed post outlining our responsibilities as Catholic citizens.
The Archbishop begins with an anecdote that hits a little close to home.
A priest I know does a lot of spiritual direction. Two of the men he was helping died suddenly this past year, one of a heart attack and one of a stroke. In both cases they were relatively young men and quite successful. In both cases they watched Fox News. And in both cases they had gotten into the nightly habit of shouting at President Obama whenever he came on the TV. In both cases, the wives believed – and they still believe – that politics killed their husbands.
Now that's a true story. And it's a good place to begin our time together today. Henri de Lubac, the great Jesuit theologian, once said that if heretics no longer horrify us, it's not because we have more charity in our hearts. (i) We just find it a lot more satisfying to despise our political opponents. We've transferred our passion to politics.
I don't yell at the television - well, not every night. I do spend more time than I should on the internet. Now there are some excellent sites - like this one, of course - but the cumulative effect of reading so much about politics can be bad for both the soul and the heart. And there are times when my obsession with politics truly dispirits me.
At the same time, there is the opposite temptation to completely shut oneself off from politics. There have been times over the past few months where I have felt like completely tuning out. Despair is a terrible sin, and when it comes to politics it is easy to despair when it seems like so many things are going wrong that you can't even keep track anymore. Yet this would be just as irresponsible as shutting out all things except politics. Archbishop Chaput explains why we can't exactly separate the political and religious aspects of our lives.
What all this means for our public life is this: Catholics can live quite peacefully with the separation of Church and state, so long as the arrangement translates into real religious freedom. But we can never accept a separation of our religious faith and moral convictions from our public ministries or our political engagement. It's impossible. And even trying is evil because it forces us to live two different lives, worshiping God at home and in our churches; and worshiping the latest version of Caesar everywhere else. That turns our private convictions into lies we tell ourselves and each other.
Later on he adds:
Third, despite these concerns, Christians still have a duty to take part in public life according to their God-given abilities, even when their faith brings them into conflict with public authority. We can't simply ignore or withdraw from civic affairs. The reason is simple. The classic civic virtues named by Cicero – prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance – can be renewed and elevated, to the benefit of all citizens, by the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity. Therefore, political engagement is a worthy Christian task, and public office is an honorable Christian vocation.
Read the rest of the Archbishop's excellent article. It's refreshing to read a cleric who can discuss these issues so unambiguously and without concern that he might be offending someone somewhere.
Incoming search terms:
- archbishop chaputs on separation of church and state
- Archbishop Charles Chaput
- Archbishops engagements
- bishop chaput
- bishop chaput on freedom
- chaput on catholic politicians 2012
- Charles Chaput
- real catholic tv


text:
More than two years after the European Food Safety Authority signaled concerns about a pesticide made by Syngenta, the Swiss agrichemical giant has avoided an EU ban on the product after mounting a campaign to undermine the watchdogs findings.
Emails, letters and technical papers released by the European Commission in response to a POLITICO request show the Commission twice withdrew a proposal to remove Syngentas pesticide, called diquat, from the market after the company questioned the methodology behind EFSAs science.
The battle over diquat illustrates how Syngenta used its lobbying in Brussels to drive a wedge between the Commission and its own food safety agency. The companys questioning of EFSAs science has helped kick the prospect of a ban down the road.
Scientists and pesticide activists question why member countries and the Commission, by not banning diquat, have seemingly overridden the concerns of the EUs food safety regulator.
"Given that there are other alternatives to diquat … at least in my mind, I would not see any repercussions at least economically if you were to ban diquat" — Geoff Calvert, medical officer
The decision to keep diquat on the market has "no legitimacy," said Hans Muilerman, chemicals officer for PAN Europe, an organization that seeks to expose the influence of the chemical industry. Had the Commission looked specifically at the hazardous components of diquat, he added, it would have found that "reapproval is not possible."
Syngenta insists it was simply doing its job by pointing out what it saw as a weakness in EFSAs case. Lobbying on behalf of company products "is a normal part of any functioning political system," said Anna Bakola, a spokesperson for Syngenta in Brussels. "The Commission has not taken diquat to vote whilst the technical discussions were ongoing and there was uncertainty in the robustness of the evaluation by EFSA," she added.
Although diquats license ran out in 2012, it has been extended in the EU on a temporary basis since then, in what Bakola describes as a "routine" process for such products.
Syngentas campaign to keep diquat on the EU market took place largely out of public view, while a high-profile political battle raged in the last couple of years across Europe over glyphosate, the active ingredient in a ubiquitous weedkiller made by U.S. company Monsanto.
In that case, EFSA deemed glyphosate to be safe. It was exposure to diquat that it concluded was a worry. But that dossier didnt get much public scrutiny. Eighteen months after the Commission standing committee was first supposed to decide on diquats fate, no vote has taken place and the pesticide is still on the market.
Its not the first time that Syngenta has ended up on top in an EU policy debate. In 2013, when the Commission banned neonicotinoid pesticides suspected of harming bees, the company — together with two other pesticide manufacturers — drew up a highly effective plan to keep the products on the market by exploiting emergency authorizations.
A quiet offensive
Syngentas problem emerged suddenly in late 2015, when Parma-based EFSA published a scientific opinion outlining its concerns about the use of diquat, a widely used pesticide product that is sprayed on crops like potatoes, oil seed rape and sunflowers. The product earns tens of millions of euros every year for the Basel-based conglomerate.
The EFSA assessment, finalized in November 2015, concluded that exposure levels of diquat to agricultural workers were "a critical area of concern" and noted that the substance could potentially disrupt human hormonal systems and disturb the reproductive cycle of wild birds and mammals.
As part of its review of diquat, EFSA deduced that exposure to the product for workers exceeded acceptable levels by several thousand percent in certain cases.
Using a British approach to measuring the AOEL, or "acceptable operator exposure levels," EFSA found that using five liters of diquat per hectare of farmland would exceed acceptable exposure levels by up to 350 percent should people nearby be unprotected.
Another test conducted using a German approach for measuring exposure showed the AOEL to be exceeded by up to 483 percent for residents. Another exposure scenario using tractor-mounted equipment under the British model for workers wearing protective gear showed the AOEL was exceeded by 4,150 percent.
The use of diquat has long been a controversial subject for scientists | Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images
The use of diquat by farmers has been at the center of a years-long dispute among scientists. In 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a federal agency in the U.S., performed studies on the human impact of diquat and discovered five deaths and thousands of diquat-related illnesses in the U.S., where the substance has nonetheless been authorized.
The previous year, a team of toxicology experts from Newcastle University in the U.K. also found in an in vitro study that diquats potential to cause Parkinsons disease was higher than that of paraquat, a chemical already banned in the EU.
"I think definitely there could be a tougher approach in the EU. You guys have already banned paraquat and I dont think there have been any severe repercussions on your agricultural industry as a result of banning paraquat," said Geoff Calvert, a medical officer and senior author of the scientific study on diquat carried out by NIOSH. "Given that there are other alternatives to diquat … at least in my mind, I would not see any repercussions at least economically if you were to ban diquat."
Calvert noted, however, that four of the deaths he found were due to deliberate ingestion of the product. One of the chief reasons why paraquat was banned in the EU, and other countries such as South Korea, was its links to suicides and what critics say are difficulties in handling the substance safely due to its harm to lungs. Syngenta said the fifth death was likely due to a miscarriage. It disputed the link between the miscarriage and diquat.
Swiss fightback
In Brussels, health officials in the European Commission were alerted about the 2015 EFSA findings and set about drafting a bill to take diquat off the market. EU health ministries and Syngenta were then informed that a vote on the withdrawal would take place at the October 2016 meeting of the Commissions Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, emails between Syngenta and the Commission show.
In response, Syngenta appealed directly to the Commission and worked the grassroots. It contacted farming organizations in Ireland, Germany, the U.K. and Brussels to coordinate a region-wide "growers campaign" and put pressure on Brussels to relicense diquat for use in the EU, documents show. Lobbying material produced by Syngenta also says that 50 percent of growers in the EU would revert to "mechanical alternatives that are costly, very labor intensive, use more fuel and are not reliable on their own" should diquat be banned.
EFSA found that using five liters of diquat per hectare of farmland would exceed acceptable exposure levels by up to 350 percent should people nearby be unprotected | Remdo De Waal/AFP via Getty Images
The company was also forthright in its attacks on EFSAs work.
Syngenta wrote to Bernhard Url, executive director of EFSA, on December 12, 2016 to complain that his agency had not done its job properly. The company argued that EFSA used overly conservative parameters when working out human exposure to diquat. For example, Syngenta said EFSA had not included important data, specifically in the German model, on diquats apparently limited ability to produce vapor, drift across fields and be inhaled.
"Our main concern … is that EFSA did not provide complete calculations using the German model, and still has not, despite having all the necessary input parameters, included measured values of diquat with the original dossier," two senior company officials, whose names have been redacted by the Commission, wrote to Url.
The letter also claimed that Syngenta had uncovered evidence that diquat had been treated unfairly by EFSA compared to "other equivalent substances." As a result of risk managers in EFSA missing "critical information" when reaching their decision, Syngenta told Url that it would "follow up directly with the Commission on this matter."
Email correspondence between Syngenta and Commission officials shows that the Basel-based company was first informed on May 3, 2016 that a vote would go ahead to remove its product from the market in October.
It was a sign that its arguments were failing to gain traction. Just two months before, Syngenta had filed comments to the Commission in which it argued that EFSAs conclusion on diquat was "unnecessarily precautionary." Should the risk assessment be revised and mitigation measures implemented by workers, "acceptable levels of exposure can still be demonstrated," the company argued.
After all of its back and forth, Syngentas push to get EFSA to revisit its findings appears to have yielded results.
Its efforts, however, had hit a brick wall.
On September 6, Syngenta was again informed that "all procedures are ongoing to include the withdrawal of approval of diquat in the October meeting."
After no vote took place in October, the Commission told Syngenta in a meeting held on October 27 that the vote would happen in December, emails between the Commission and Syngenta show. That vote never took place.
Brussels retreats
Asked why Brussels has stepped back from holding a vote on removing diquat from the market, a Commission spokesperson said Syngentas criticisms about EFSAs process had influenced officials in charge of the dossier.
"The Commission decided not to proceed with a vote, as initially foreseen, in order to first await the outcome of the technical discussion between Syngenta and EFSA, as the comments made by Syngenta pointed to the fact that EFSAs conclusions might need to be revisited and thus merited a thorough analysis by EFSA," the spokesperson said.
The Commission also said that EFSA had expressed a need to reassess how it looked at worker exposure, as Syngenta argued. "It is important that EFSAs conclusions are technically and scientifically correct before the Commission takes a final decision," the spokesperson said, adding that a vote on the matter would take place "in the coming months" and definitely before the current expiry date for the product on June 30, 2018.
The European Commission earlier this month gave EFSA a mandate to reassess non-dietary exposure of diquat | Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images
Over half a year later in July 2017, the agrichemical giant again lobbied the Commission to tell EFSA to do more research on diquat. In an email, Syngenta requested the Commission provide a mandate to the watchdog "to enable a complete assessment" of diquat "based on a correct calculation."
After all of its back and forth, Syngentas push to get EFSA to revisit its findings appears to have yielded results. In October 2017, José Tarazona, EFSAs pesticide unit chief, told the company in a letter that the Commission "might consider the need to reassess the non-dietary exposure to diquat" as certain detailed calculations were not part of the agencys original assessment of the product.
Whats more, a December 1, 2017 email from Syngenta to EU diplomats following the file states the companys confidence that the Commission would be "open to consider extending the expiry date [for diquat] again beyond June 2018."
The Commission earlier this month gave EFSA a mandate to reassess non-dietary exposure of diquat, a Commission spokesperson said.
Nevertheless, EFSA told POLITICO that it stood by its assessment of diquat and accused Syngenta of trying to undermine its credibility.
"EFSAs assessment is finalized. In other words its conclusions are technically and scientifically correct," an EFSA spokesperson said. "EFSA often receives criticism about its work on regulated products. This is aimed at discrediting the solidity of our scientific approach when our assessments do not meet the expectations of interested parties."


text:
- Although the body care segment has seen rough times recently, there are distinct opportunities beauty brands can take advantage of in body care.
- Brands offering body care products with sustainability and ethical harvesting claims are seeing a boost from consumers, as well as having interesting stories to tell.
- Beyond moisturization, body slimming products also continue to be a stealthily growing body care category, as consumers seek efficacious products that don't monopolize their time or money.
It hasn't all gone smoothly in the body care market for the past few years. Research firm Mintel reported a 10% drop in sales in the U.S. between 2007–2012, and while some of the free fall may have been due to the lagging economy (23% of regular consumers claim to buy what's on sale rather than a specific brand), the category is beginning to once again find opportunities through innovation. [For more on the market, read Euromonitor International's "Bath & Body Hunts for New Consumers" report.]
"When it comes to body care, customers have and always will request one thing: results," says Lenette Casper, president and CEO, Phytomer USA. Indeed, Mintel also reports that only 27% of body care consumers claim to have discovered a lotion that works well for them.
This offers a lot of room for opportunity for body care brands. Through more efficacious products and delivering upon promises of responsibly sourced ingredients, the body care market—and the brands within it—can only advance.
Actively Sustainable
Consumers' eco-consciousness continues to grow, and according to Mintel, nearly a third of those purchasing body care products are seeking more eco-friendly personal care products. They're not willing to compromise on efficacy either, thus brands that can deliver both are poised for success.
The Plantacare and Plantaren ingredients, based on the APG range from BASF Care Creations, are sugar-based surfactants made from renewable, plant-derived sources. "For face and body cleansers, liquid soaps, baby washes and wipes, these glucoside surfactants offer gentle cleansing with good foaming properties," says Laura Partynski, marketing communications manager, BASF. "They are gentle on the skin, and are perfect for sensitive skin formulations."
Croda's Sederma division offers a host of eco-friendly ingredients developed through its HTN (High Tech Nature) Plant Cell Amplification method. Sonia Dawson, marketing manager, botanicals, Croda, explains, "This proprietary process is an eco-friendly and highly sustainable means for the precise selection and amplification of the most desired natural molecules, reaching levels far greater than those achieved from traditional means. It is through this high level of active concentration that we deliver measurable cosmetic benefits."
The Biointec marine biotechnology range of products from Lipotec also works well for sustainable body care. "Naturally occurring, non-genetically modified organisms are used to manufacture cosmetic ingredients by biotechnology means, achieving a sustainable production of actives from the sea and preserving the environment, since there is no harvesting, or extracting from nature," says Cristina Davi, product manager coordinator at Lipotec's Barcelona headquarters.
Ethical Sourcing
When body care products do include natural resources in the ingredient list, consumers appreciate responsible sourcing as well. "We source as many ingredients locally as possible, and many are actually grown on our organic farm," says Tata Harper, owner of the eponymous skin care line. "We produce our products in a vertically integrated facility in Vermont, so there is very little shipping involved and overall a small carbon footprint for our production."
Phytomer Group's botanical brand, Fleur, sources Moroccan argan oil and simultaneously helps support microenterprise. "[The argan oil] is supplied through the Targanine network in Morocco, a cooperate organization of Berber women who plant argan trees to prevent desertification," says Casper. "Selling this traditionally harvested, high-quality raw material provides the women with income to have a good standard of living and helps with literacy and education programs."
Victor Morrison, CEO of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, notes the brand was approached this year by Whole Foods to meet the chain's non-GMO certification requirement, and could show it has been compliant in this area since 1967. "We must stay true to our reputation as both natural skin care experts and purveyors of products manufactured from the finest ingredients available," says Morrison. "Often, that requires that we develop direct relationships with growers, and, in some cases, that we assist in establishing a channel for key ingredients. To this end, Dr. Hauschka Skin Care has ethical sourcing and fair trade alliances worldwide. These relationships ensure the quality of key ingredients, including shea butter, essential rose oil and mango butter."
A Good Feeling
In the body care category, it's key that a product delivers results and a good story, but it also has to feel good on the body. "The sensory experience of personal cleansing formulas is important, where that tactile experience can be a deciding factor in if a consumer will be a repeat purchaser," says Partynski. "Delivering longer-lasting fragrance, having nice, plush foam properties and rinsing clean are some examples."
"Lubrizol's versatile offerings of rheology modifiers and emollients enable the development of a wide variety of appealing textures and product forms with the right spreading and quick absorption to turn a simple body care application into a full sensorial experience," says Marie Ollagnier, global strategic marketing manager, skin care, Lubrizol.
Harper agrees that delivering sensory benefits is a must, especially in time for winter. "We'll be releasing a Fortifying Body Lotion early in the year," says Harper. "It's a 100% natural, super rich, deeply hydrating formula that targets aging in the skin by helping to promote elasticity, strengthen the skin and firm the appearance of the skin."
And according to Jennifer Donahue, marketing manager, skin care, Croda, "One of our focus areas has been to deliver ingredients with unique sensory benefits. In 2014, we will launch the first in a line of sensory-driven emollients, Sensemol LST, which is a high-spreading emollient that leaves a light, silky touch on the skin. The emollient choice is an important finishing step in determining formulation aesthetics, and Sensemol LST can be used in a variety of formulations due to its pH range stability and overall compatibility."
Slimming is Growing
When a brand can deliver on claims regarding a product's slimming and contouring properties, it's usually thanks to innovative active ingredients. "Slimming is always an unmet need, as customers are looking for higher-volume reductions in less time," explains Davi. "We developed a campaign last year with two new peptides to regulate body volume for the desired silhouette. [Lipotec's] Silusyne functional ingredient and Adifyline peptide offer the required slimming or replenishing effect respectively to shape the body as desired."
Phytomer also has seen success in this area, notably with a night-specific product. "Phytomer recently launched Glycolight Night Contouring Bi-Gel, which is formulated to match the biorhythm of the body to target fat cells through the night using powerful marine extracts and vectorized caffeine. It's the first product of its kind; conceptually like a topical 'diet,'" says Casper.
"Without giving too much away, Phytomer [also] has new slimming and cellulite-fighting treatments and products launching in 2014."
Savvy brands will monitor growth of slimming and contouring products in body care, as they may kick the category into higher gear in the next year and beyond. "For the body care category, it is important to keep an eye on what is happening in the facial skin care category and in the sport/fitness or plastic surgery industries, as skin appearance improvement is a critical goal for consumers," concludes Ollagnier.
Lisa Doyle was formerly the associate editor of GCI magazine and is a freelance writer in the Chicago area. Her work has appeared in Skin Inc. magazine, Salon Today, America's Best, Renew and Modern Salon.


text:
Home | Reviews | Extras | Forums |
Black Jack TVSynopsis(taken from the YTV media kit for Black Jack) A young boy is born into happy family has his bright future ripped away in a horrible accident. Facing certain death, he survives countless hours of critical surgery and endures a long, torturous rehabilitation. Orphaned and disfigured, the boy vows to become a surgeon and follow in the footsteps of the kindly old doctor who was not willing to give up on him. Many years later, the miracle worker Black Jack is born. A doctor of unearthly skill who can do the impossible on the operating table. A doctor who charges his patients unbelievable fees. And a doctor who plies his trade without a license. It's not clear why he works underground. Perhaps his license was revoked, or perhaps he has too much contempt for formality to be licensed in the first place. But licensed or not, there's no denying that this man is a surgeon the likes of which the world has never seen. Many come to seek his aid, from dubious characters to children and even animals. Patients on death's door, patients whom other doctors gave no chance, all turn to Black Jack as their last shred of hope. When they arrive at the doctor's house overlooking the sea, they are greeted by his only companions, Pinoco, a childlike girl who claims to be an adult and a strange dog named Largo. And then the mysterious figure in black appears. "I will perform the surgery. But it will cost you..." ReviewTezuka Osamu presents the quintessential antihero in the character Kazama Kuro. The young, charismatic but sinister prodigy whose god-like medical skills are spoken in careful whispers throughout the hospital hallways. Under the pseudonym Black Jack, the rogue doctor performs incredible, even impossible, procedures, vowing to defy science, ethics, and even fate for the sake of life--the very life that was tragically ripped from his mother during his early childhood. Equally as famous as his medical skills are his outrageous service fees. No one knows what the doctor does with the money he receives--he lives modestly with his assistant and companion Pinoco (the "eighteen-year-old elementary-schooler" who smitteningly insists she is her doctor's wife, regardless of her childlike appearance) just off the Yamanote and Seibu Shinjuku lines near Takadanobaba (*fangirls* where I live!!!). But the fees certainly scare off the frivolous. Black Jack only operates on those who truly understand the true value of life. Though the tone of the television series is still quite serious, Black Jack TV is drastically lighter in tone than its grittier releases from the mid-90s that American fans are more familiar with. Some might consider that a drawback--whereas I do not. The Black Jack TV series is able to reach a wider audience--still maintaining the soul and depth of our hero, without subjecting the audience to the sometimes shockingly graphic medical procedures that would never back in American or Japanese prime time. Having worked as my father's assistant in his veterinary practice, intestinal fortitude has never been an issue of mine. But the Black Jack movies and OVAs quite successfully portrayed the horror that can befall a human body (and just seeing clips of it made me pale). The television series chose to focus on a different aspect in the battle called life--and that is the horror that can befall society that doesn't appreciate the value of even the smallest life. Rather than a medical psycho-thriller, Black Jack TV presents us with a progressive and timely social commentary (really deeming BJ a classic character, considering he was conceived in 1973) based loyally on Tezuka's original manga. Contrasted against Black Jack's lone, brooding presence is a supporting cast who, outside of Pinoco, had a much smaller presence or were completely absent from the storyline prior to this series. Pinoco and Largo, the sixth-sense dog thief, have nearly equal (though not quite!) airtime to the Doc--but fortunately they never over-stay their welcome or ruin any serious or touching scenes. Normally a viewer should be annoyed by the loud, bossy, and pushy little girl (Chibiusa, anyone?), but Doc loves her, and so do we (especially if you know her backstory). Other regulars include other Tezuka regulars, namely Sharaku--the soft-spoken boy with a strange bandage on his forehead he refuses to remove (he is actually one of Tezuka's most beloved characters from the Three-Eyed One manga, which was his second most popular boy's manga after Astro Boy--the bandage is actually covering a third eye--but there is no sign if this is true in this series' canon), his tomboyish partner Wako, the Master of Tom Coffeeshop Tetsu, and the daughter of the late Dr. Honma Jotaro, who pieced the young Kuro together after the explosion. None of the supporting cast are too intrusive on the feel of the series--though if I really wanted to be nitpicky, I would complain that Sharaku serves as too much a distraction for Pinoco, whose heartwarming and sometimes tragic love for the doctor takes a backseat or serves more as comic relief for the kiddos. Certain details are omitted, such as the mirror in Pinoco's room which distorted her reflection so as to make her appear more adult, in favor of lightening the tone to make the show more standard kiddy fare. (It does air in the time slot before Detective Conan, after all.) But this is okay--really, I don't think I could handle thirty minutes of dark brooding every week (especially since I am following NANA currently). Maybe some of you can, but I like to be moved and entertained at the same time. I like feeling good about things after watching them. Again Tezuka Productions makes good on the Tezuka name. Though the TV series isn't without its gimmicks ... 1: celebrity appearance by Hiro--formerly of the group SPEED--who sings the second theme song,--Detective Conan did it with Two-Mix, it's a YTV/AvexTrax merchandising scheme, 2: stock footage on the rare occasion -- BJ scrubdown! *henshin!* 3: a larger supporting cast of reoccuring characters. ...it doesn't take away from what is a quality, long-running television series. I think I have a new favorite series--and yes--an anime lust object. I have returned to the fandom full-force! (Sidenote: This series gets my vote for best opening theme ever. "Gekkouka" by J'anne de Arc was the 2nd best-selling theme song last year.) Now excuse me. I have Japanese fansites to browse... I cannot remember the last time a series reduced me into a fangirling mass of goo. Best theme song ever, best anime character ever--who would expect less from the god of manga? Take away a star if you insist your Black Jack be dark and nasty all the time, or if you really can't stand Pinoco. (How could you?! T.T) — Melissa Sternenberg Recommended Audience: Recommended for anyone who wants thought-provoking, but not angst-inducing, drama. Version(s) Viewed: digital source Review Status: Partial (24/61) Black Jack TV © 2004 Tezuka Productions / YTV |
© 1996-2015 THEM Anime Reviews. All rights reserved. |


text:
Financial Calculators
The results and findings presented by these calculators may vary due to user input and assumptions. To discuss your results in greater detail and for a more in-depth financial analysis, use the contact form provided and a CFS* Financial Advisor will contact your shortly.
*Non-deposit investment products and services are offered through CUSO Financial Services, L.P. ("CFS"), a registered broker-dealer (Member FINRA / SIPC) and SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Products offered through CFS: are not NCUA/NCUSIF or otherwise federally insured, are not guarantees or obligations of the credit union, and may involve investment risk including possible loss of principal. Investment Representatives are registered through CFS. The Credit Union has contracted with CFS to make non-deposit investment products and services available to credit union members.
Financial Advisors are registered to conduct securities business and licensed to conduct insurance business in limited states. Response to, or contact with, residents of other states will be made only upon compliance with applicable licensing and registration requirements. The information in this website is for U.S. residents only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase brokerage services to persons outside of the United States.
CFS representatives do not provide tax or legal guidance. For such guidance please consult with a qualified professional. Information shown is for general illustration purposes and does not predict or depict the performance of any investment or strategy.


text:
VETS News Release: [04/23/2014]
Contact Name: Michael Volpe or Egan Reich
Phone Number: (202) 693-4651 or x4960
Email: email@example.com or email@example.com
Release Number: 14-0688-NAT
Obama administration launches online Veterans Employment Center
One-stop-shop connects veterans, transitioning service members,
and their spouses to employers
WASHINGTON At today's anniversary celebration of Joining Forces, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden announced the launch of a new integrated employment tool to connect veterans and service members with employers, and to help translate military skills into the civilian workforce. The Veterans Employment Center, an integrated, online tool connecting veterans, transitioning service members and their spouses with both public and private-sector employers, is the result of an interagency effort to improve, simplify and consolidate the current array of employment resources for veterans. Additionally, this will provide one comprehensive database of resumes for employers who are seeking to leverage the skills and talents of veterans, service members, and their spouses.
"Our service members haven't always had the time or information they needed to prepare their resumes, to plot their career goals, to meet with employers and get the jobs they deserve. And that's simply not acceptable," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "As my husband has said, when you've fought for this country around the world, you shouldn't have to fight for a job when you return home. Starting today, every single service member, every veteran, and every military family will have access to a new online tool that will revolutionize how you find jobs in both the public and private sectors. All you have to do is log on to ebenefits.va.gov."
"Veterans deserve an authoritative source for connecting with employers," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "The online Veterans Employment Center is the single, federal source for veterans looking for new career opportunities, service members transitioning to the civilian workforce, and spouses and beneficiaries looking to connect with job opportunities."
The new online resource, called the Veterans Employment Center, is the first interagency tool to bring a wealth of public and private job opportunities, a resume-builder, military skills translator and detailed career and training resources together in one place. In connection with the First Lady and Dr. Biden's Joining Forces initiative, the Department of Veterans Affairs worked with employers, the Departments of Defense, Labor, Education, and the Office of Personnel Management to design and develop the site and incorporate features of existing online employment tools within government.
The result is an integrated solution providing veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses with the tools they need to connect to employers. With this tool, employers will be able to search and view Veteran, Service Member, and spouse resumes in one comprehensive location.
"Our service members transitioning to civilian life, as well as their spouses, deserve the resources they need to be successful," said Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. "Through this effort, they are getting that help. Our troops and their spouses are proven leaders, highly-skilled and hard-working. Employers hiring them are getting the best this nation has to offer."
"Improving veterans' employment is an all-hands-on-deck enterprise," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. "With more than 1 million service members projected to leave the military in the coming years, the Veterans Employment Center, along with the wealth of services the Department of Labor offers through its 2,500 American Job Centers, will connect our veterans and service members with both public and private sector employers eager to hire those with military experience."
"OPM's USAJobs program is excited to be partnering with the VA on making this a robust tool for our nation's veterans and transitioning service members seeking Federal employment," said OPM Director, Katherine Archuleta. "It has been more than four years since President Obama established the Veterans Employment Initiative and, in that time, the Executive Branch of Government hired the highest percentage of military veterans in more than 20 years – of the 195,000 new employees hired in FY 2012, approximately 56,000 were veterans, equaling 28.9 percent of total hires. We can continue to honor and show our appreciation for the dedicated and heroic service of America's veterans by ensuring that they have every opportunity to continue their service to this great nation as Federal civilian employees. The Veterans Employment Center helps us honor these men and women by making employment opportunities available when our servicemen and women lay down their uniforms."
The Veterans Employment Center will provide employers with access to a targeted pool of resumes from veterans and transitioning service members, allowing them to search resumes to identify veterans with skill sets applicable to civilian employment at their organization, and to track progress towards reaching their veteran hiring goals. Resumes are visible to all employers with an active LinkedIn or Google profile. To prevent spam, an applicant's name and email address are redacted and only visible to employers verified by the VA as registered companies with the IRS.
Joining Forces is a national initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Biden to engage all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned. The site is built using open data and an open application programming interface to attract private-sector innovation. The Veterans Employment Center can be found at: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs. For a tutorial video on how to use the Veterans Employment Center, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWfhI-eSoWk.


text:
AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn Tigers begin their "new day" with some of the same old issues.
Those include question marks at quarterback and receiver and a defensive front that must show it's ready to stand up to the bullying Southeastern Conference. There are reasons for renewed optimism, too.
First-year coach Gus Malzahn has trumpeted the "it's a new day" theme since his hiring to run a program he helped win a national championship two years before last season's 3-9 freefall. Fans, who nearly filled Jordan-Hare Stadium for the spring game, and players appear to have bought in.
"Coach Malzahn stresses 'a new day' and that's what it feels like," H-back Jay Prosch said. "A new coaching staff came in, brought a new attitude, a new vibe. Brought a fire back into us. Guys are working hard. We're getting our edge back."
Malzahn brought more than a catch phrase to Auburn.
He returns with the fast-paced offense that Cam Newton ran to perfection in the 2010 title season. Malzahn has had a different starting quarterback every year of his college career, so this is nothing new. The former Tigers offensive coordinator even has another junior college transfer quarterback — Nick Marshall — gearing up for a second chance in the SEC, a la Newton.
Marshall had to contend with returnees Kiehl Frazier and Jonathan Wallace and freshman Jeremy Johnson in preseason camp.
A bowl bid would be a big step for Auburn, which hasn't missed the postseason in consecutive seasons since 1998-99.
"There's a lot of question marks going into this year," Malzahn said. "It's really hard for me to predict anything other than the fact that we'll learn a lot about or team during fall camp. We'll learn a lot about our team early in the season."
Five things to watch during Auburn's upcoming season:
1. WHO'S THE QUARTERBACK?: Auburn's quarterback play was abysmal during the one-year switch to a pro-style offense. The three starters combined for just eight touchdown passes and were intercepted 15 times and sacked 37. Marshall and Johnson, Alabama's Mr. Football, are trying to get a handle on Malzahn's offense during preseason camp. Marshall, a former Georgia defensive back, is a dual threat who was a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in junior college last season. Malzahn even removed the quarterbacks' orange, non-contact jerseys for the first scrimmage.
2. DEFENSIVE PROGRESS: Veteran coordinator Ellis Johnson has had Top-5 defenses at South Carolina and Alabama. He takes over a defense that ranked 79th and 81st the past two years in total yards allowed, though Auburn has eight returning starters. He's implemented his 4-2-5 defense. Defensive end Dee Ford led the team with six sacks last season, but the Tigers have especially struggled against the run the past two seasons.
3. NEWCOMERS: It's no surprise for a team coming off a miserable season, but the Tigers need instant help from the new guys, besides the QBs. Ellis Johnson has made it clear junior college transfers like linebacker Kenny Flowers, defensive tackle Ben Bradley and safety Brandon King weren't brought in to ride the bench. JUCO transfer Cameron Artis-Payne could form a formidable tailback duo with 1,000-yard rusher Tre Mason. The most intriguing spot is the defensive line, where Auburn brings in coveted prospects Carl Lawson, Montavius Adams and Elijah Daniel.
4. ATTITUDE: Auburn didn't put up much of a fight in late-season losses to Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama — by a collective score of 150-21. Players have raved about offseason workouts compared to last year. Malzahn said they've bought into the "new day" theme. He said the big key for the Tigers is to regain the mental and physical toughness and team-first mind-set. As he put it, "Lose the entitlement." Added Malzahn: "History shows if Auburn has their edge, they can compete for championships and win games."
5. PLAYING CATCH: The Tigers' returning wide receivers had a collective 33 catches last season, 17 fewer than Emory Blake. Quan Bray (14 catches) and Trovon Reed (nine) are hoping to emerge as consistent performers. Youngsters like Sammie Coates, Ricardo Louis and Jaylon Denson have shown flashes of talent but haven't produced so far in games. Auburn brought in three freshman receivers.
Predicted finish in SEC: 5th, Western Division.
AP college football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org/
Follow John Zenor on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jzenor


text:
Columns Retired Columns & Blogs |
Cut and Thrust: RIAA LP Equalization
Until the Recording Industry Association of America hit the headlines in recent years with its antipiracy campaign, the initials RIAA meant one thing to seasoned audiophiles: the vinyl-disc equalization characteristic introduced in the 1950s to standardize what had previously been an anarchy of different EQs. Three decades later, as CD gained ascendance, a large proportion of audiophiles still knew what RIAA equalization was, and a good number of them had some idea or better of what the RIAA EQ curve looked like, and why it was applied.
Footnote 1: There have been hi-fi pickup cartridges that are displacement transducers, generating an output voltage proportional to stylus displacement rather than velocity, but they are rarities. The Decca Deram ceramic cartridge was one popular example. Such cartridgeswhich have mostly occupied the cheaper end of the market and used either piezoelectric ("crystal") or electrostrictive ("ceramic") generatorsrequire different, milder replay equalization to account for the differences between the RIAA record characteristic and a true constant amplitude cut. This is usually achieved internally, allowing them to be connected to a "flat" preamp input.
But that was a generation ago. In the interim, vinyl replay has dwindled to a small if still thriving niche of the hi-fi industry, and a new flush of audiophiles exists to whom the subject of disc equalization may be unknown or, at the very least, arcane. Yet the subject occasionally reemerges, such as in the recent debate about the "Neumann ultrasonic time constant." If the history of and theory behind RIAA/IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) disc equalization are mysteries to youor have faded from memorythen this article will bring you up to speed and up to date. Everything the audiophile (though not the design engineer) really needs to know about the subject is here.
The requirement for disc equalization exists because of the nature of the cutting head used to gouge the groove into the lacquer master disc, and that of the pickup cartridge used to replay the pressed vinyl record. Both are normally velocity transducers, the significance of which will shortly become apparent.
First, let's consider the nature of the modulations (wiggles, if you like) that we wish to impose on a record groove. Ideally, we would want them to be constant-amplitude in nature, so that a given signal level at, say, 100Hz occupies no more or less lateral space than the same at 10kHz. (I'm thinking of a mono record here, or a stereo one in which the signal is at equal amplitude and in phase in both channels, so as to produce purely lateral movement of the cutting stylus.) This will prevent any part of the audible spectrum from hogging too much disc space, and ensure that the groove modulations are, so far as possible, large relative to the asperities of the groove surface, thereby maintaining a good ratio of signal to noise.
In order to cut a record groove with a constant-amplitude characteristic, it is not sufficient to provide a signal of flat frequency response to the cutting head because the latter is electromagnetic by operation, and hence, as already mentioned, a velocity transducer. It generates at the cutting stylus a velocity, not a displacement, proportional to the input voltage.
Fig.1 illustrates the consequences of this by showing two in-phase sinewaves, one twice the frequency of the other. Because the peak velocity of a sinewavewhich occurs at the zero crossing pointis proportional to both amplitude and frequency, the amplitude of the higher-frequency sinewave must be half that of the lower-frequency wave in order for them to have equal velocity. It follows that if we feed the cutting head with a signal having a flat frequency response, high-frequency components will be cut into the groove at lower amplitude than low-frequency components.
Fig.1 Two sinewaves, one twice the frequency of the other. For their peak velocities (red lines) to be equal, as shown here, the higher-frequency wave must be of half the amplitude. This is what would happen if a flat-response signal were fed to a record cutter: the amplitude of the groove modulation would halve for each doubling of frequency. To prevent this, preemphasis is applied.
To obviate this and produce the constant-amplitude cut we desire, electronic equalization (called preemphasis) must be applied to the signal fed to the cutter. Ideally, this preemphasis needs to double the signal voltage for every doubling of frequency, equivalent to a 6dB/octave rise throughout the audible frequency range. This is illustrated as the red line in fig.2 alongside the actual RIAA preemphasis curve (blue), which doesn't deliver an exact constant-amplitude cut but a fair approximation of it. (The reason for not adopting a true constant-amplitude correction is that it would require 60dB of amplification at 20kHz relative to 20Hz, equivalent to 1000x gain, whereas the kinked RIAA curve requires only about 40dB of amplification, equivalent to 100x gain.)
Fig.2 RIAA preemphasis (record) curve (blue), with the +6dB/octave equalization required for a true constant-amplitude cut (red).
Because the pickup cartridges used to replay records are usually electromagnetic transducers as well, they act like the cutter in reverse, generating an output voltage proportional to the velocity of the groove modulation. So to restore a flat frequency response, replay equalization (deemphasis) that is the inverse of the record equalization must be applied. This is done in the disc input stages of the replay system's preamplifier (footnote 1).
The RIAA pre- and deemphasis curves are defined by three time constants (T), each of which is related to a corner frequency (f) in the amplitude response by the equation:
These time constants (3180, 318, and 75 microseconds) and their respective corner frequencies (50.05, 500.5, and 2,122Hz) are depicted in the red trace of fig.3, which shows the straight-line approximation of the RIAA deemphasis (ie, replay) curve, alongside the actual curve (blue). Note that the latter is a mirror image of the preemphasis curve in fig.2, so that the two are exactly complementary: applying the deemphasis on replay cancels the effect of the preemphasis applied during cutting, to leave a flat response overall (footnote 2).
Fig.3 RIAA deemphasis (replay) curve (blue), which is the inverse of the preemphasis curve in fig.2. Red trace shows the straight-line approximation based on the filter's time constants.
Although originating in the US, RIAA record and replay equalization were quickly adopted internationally, and duly became part of the IEC 98 standard, first published in 1964 (now, in revised form, IEC 60098, "Analogue Audio Disk Records and Reproducing Equipment"), which described a lot more besides concerning the format and dimensions of microgroove records.
All was hunky-dory until September 1976, when, in its inscrutable Swiss way, the IEC thrust an unexpected wrench in the works with an Amendment to IEC 98 that included a change to the replay characteristic. A fourth time constant was added (7950µs, corresponding to 20.02Hz) that imposed a 6dB/octave rolloff at frequencies below audibility, the intention being to reduce the levels of infrasonic frequencies generated by record warps and ripples and the fundamental arm-cartridge resonance being passed along to the amplifier and, particularly, the loudspeakers (footnote 3).
Howls of protest greeted this development, for reasons both philosophical and practical. Objectors railed against the lunacy of unpicking the complementarity of the record and replay equalizations (the preemphasis applied at the recording end remained unchanged), and pointed out that if excess infrasonic output was sometimes a problem with vinyl disc replay, then it would be more logical to tackle it on a switchable basis by using sharper high-pass filtering.
The force of the latter objection is clear from fig.4, which compares the original RIAA/IEC replay characteristic (blue trace) with the IEC revision (orange), and graphs the difference between them from 1 to 100Hz. Because it generates a slow, first-order rolloff, the extra replay time constant introduces significant response errors within the audible range (3.0dB at 20Hz, 1.0dB at 40Hz, 0.5dB at 60Hz), and is quite poor at suppressing the frequencies of concern. Attenuation at 13Hz (a good frequency to place the arm-cartridge fundamental resonance) is just 5.3dB, or 0.54x; and, at 4Hz (a typical record-ripple frequency), 14.2dB, or 0.20x.
Fig.4 a) Repeat of the RIAA deemphasis curve, the orange curve showing the effect of the additional IEC time constant; and b) the difference introduced by the latter up to 100Hz.
Footnote 1: There have been hi-fi pickup cartridges that are displacement transducers, generating an output voltage proportional to stylus displacement rather than velocity, but they are rarities. The Decca Deram ceramic cartridge was one popular example. Such cartridgeswhich have mostly occupied the cheaper end of the market and used either piezoelectric ("crystal") or electrostrictive ("ceramic") generatorsrequire different, milder replay equalization to account for the differences between the RIAA record characteristic and a true constant amplitude cut. This is usually achieved internally, allowing them to be connected to a "flat" preamp input.
Footnote 2: It is worth noting here that diagrams of the RIAA curves that show the ±3dB points either side of 1kHz to coincide with the 318 and 75µs time constantsfor example, fig.12.3 in the Audio Electronics Reference Book, edited by Ian Robertson Sinclair (Blackwell Science, 1989)are incorrect. To be accurate, the responses are actually ±2.73dB at 500.5Hz and ±2.78dB at 2122Hz for the record and replay curves, respectively, with the response at 1kHz being ±0.09dB. (This using the equations given in IEC 60098.) If the responses are normalized to 0dB at 1kHz, then the figures become ±2.64dB at 500.5Hz and ±2.87dB at 2122Hz.
Footnote 3: In this era of digital audio sources, it is easy to forget what a problem this could be, particularly with reflex-loaded loudspeakers whose bass cones would sometimes undergo large excursions, driving the reproduction of audible frequencies into premature nonlinearity. The current hegemony of reflex-loaded speakers and the relative rarity of closed-box designs was initiated by the arrival of CD.


text:
Concentrated Amino-Peptide Complex with a Velvety-Smooth Feel
Beautifully Regenerates Skin's Appearance.
Olay Regenerist helps regenerate your skin's appearance without such drastic measures as chemical peels, cosmetic surgery or laser. Clinical tests have proven that amino-peptides can help regenerate damaged skin. Olay has now proven that Regenerist, using this technology, also regenerates your skin by renewing the outer layer to give you younger-looking skin. The result Beautifully regenerated skin, one cell at a time.
Olay Regenerist comes in three non-greasy versions. All three can be used individually or in combination based on your needs.
Enhancing Lotion - Regenerates and moisturizes to enhance your skin's condition, with an exclusive amino-peptide complex, UVA/UVB (SPF 15) sunscreen, vitamin C and Olay moisture.
Perfecting Cream - Regenerates and intensely hydrates, with an exclusive amino-peptide complex, vitamin E, pro-vitamin B5 and Olay moisture.
Daily Regenerating Serum - Maximum Regenerist regeneration and hydration for optimal skin condition. It has concentrated amino-peptide complex that can be used on your entire face and leaves it with a velvety-smooth skin feel.


text:
We designed these 2 versions of a "BOO" door sign and enclosure poem/instructions because we are SO excited about Halloween this year. Did you see our Happy Halloween Printable Design Collection that is ON SALE?!)
Download your printable "BOO" collection here!
Make sure to send it to your friends and family, too! Let's get the BOO started the right way! ;-)
Here is what the PDF file includes: (2 versions of the Boo sign - one is a little easier on the ink cartridge, and the instructions letter)
Be the first in your neighborhood to "Boo" and use these stylish printables to do so!
Get your "BOO" on the right way this year!
Check out our shop for the coordinating
Happy Halloween Design Collection printable package
$275 worth of graphics for only $10! (on sale!)
As seen on Hostess w/ the Mostess!


text:
Discerning travelers looking for a luxury home away from home will find it in Grand Cayman's most exclusive boutique hotel. Thirty-seven spacious 1-3 bedroom Suites and Villas build on the edge of the water and overlooking spectacular Seven Mile Beach combine the glamour and adventure of a world-famous resort with the comforts of a truly opulent home.
We'll stock your gourmet kitchen and attend to every detail so you can enjoy our tropical paradise and rejuvenate. Do what you like – in the style to which you're accustomed.
You can relax. You're home.
For more information please click here.