text:
Results from a clinical study by a UBC-Vancouver Coastal Health research team have increased hope for a new, effective and inexpensive anti-microbial treatment using inhalable nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide is produced naturally by the body's immune system and is a potent anti-microbial agent against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, but the safety of nitric oxide given to humans at microbe killing concentrations has not been studied until now.
In the new study, published in this month's edition of the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, healthy adult volunteers show no adverse effects associated with therapeutic antimicrobial concentrations of nitric oxide. The study was conducted at UBC Hospital, where healthy volunteers were recruited and inhaled nitric oxide gas was administrated over a period of one week.
"In retrospect, it's not surprising to find that a molecule naturally produced in our own body to fight invading pathogens is useful as an antimicrobial drug," says lead author Prof. Chris Miller, assistant professor in UBC's Division of Respiratory Medicine and a member of the Immunity and Infection Research Centre at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. "This study confirms the safety aspect of an efficacious mode of delivery."
This Phase I safety study was funded by the Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation, and leads the way to efficacy studies targeting the spread of resistant pulmonary infections – focusing first on Cystic Fibrosis and Tuberculosis, a deadly pulmonary infection that kill millions of people every year. The study results were licensed by the UBC Industry Liaison Office to AIT, an Israeli company.
The UBC Faculty of Medicine provides innovative programs in the health and life sciences, teaching students at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. Its faculty members received $295 million in research funds, 54 percent of UBC's total research revenues, in 2010-11. For more information, visit www.med.ubc.ca
Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) is the research body of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which includes BC's largest academic and teaching health sciences centres: VGH, UBC Hospital, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. In academic partnership with the University of British Columbia, VCHRI brings innovation and discovery to patient care, advancing healthier lives in healthy communities across British Columbia, Canada, and beyond. www.vchri.ca.


text:
Israel's response to the renewed partnership between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas was admirably, and literally, constructive: It advanced plans to build 1,500 housing units in so-called Jewish "settlements" — i.e., burgeoning Jerusalem neighborhoods and several nearby West Bank communities. The Israeli housing minister, Uri Ariel, described the decision as "an appropriate Zionist response to the establishment of the Palestinian terror government." Hamas and its allies aim at uprooting the Jewish state; Israel's answer is to send those roots down a little deeper.
Anywhere else in the world, new housing construction would be unobjectionable. But normal standards don't apply to the Middle East. Though the Obama administration decided it could support a Palestinian regime backed by Hamas, a notorious terror organization, it pronounced itself "deeply disappointed" by Israel's plans to construct the new apartments, which the State Department calls illegitimate. For his part, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned that Palestinians would "respond in an unprecedented way to this step." Meaning what? Abbas didn't elaborate. But when the head of the PLO partners with Hamas, it's safe to assume that more violence is in the offing.
Indeed, Hamas issued a fresh call on Monday for "men of resistance in the West Bank" to kill Israeli soldiers and settlers. A few hours earlier, two Qassam rockets were fired from Gaza toward Ashkelon in southern Israel.
Of course Palestinian terror and threats are anything but "unprecedented." So is the canard that peace is somehow undermined by Jewish development of homes and neighborhoods across the Green Line. In the United States, anyone trying to bar Jews — or blacks, or Asians, or Muslims — from moving into a neighborhood because local bigots don't want them there stands a good chance of being prosecuted for violating civil-rights laws. "But in the case of the Palestinians," as George Gilder has written, "we are to take as natural and right their claims to be squeamish about living anywhere near Jews."
After a lifelong pursuit of a Palestine ethnically cleansed of Jews, Abbas knows only how to say no to a Jewish state. When he vows to "respond in an unprecedented way" to the building of additional housing in long-established Israeli settlements, he is really only saying what, in one way or another, he has always said: Jews Out.
Imagine, though, a genuinely unprecedented Palestinian response:
Imagine that the president of the Palestinian Authority were to admit that Jews have as much right to live in the Judean Hills or East Jerusalem as Palestinians do. Imagine that Abbas not only acknowledged the historical fact that Israel's Zionist founders urged Arabs to remain in the new Jewish state in 1948 but sought to emulate their example in a new Palestinian state. Imagine his regarding it as a matter of Arab honor and self-respect that Jews should feel no less safe and comfortable going to work or school in Jenin or Gaza City than Palestinians do in Tel Aviv or Haifa.
To all but a fringe of Israeli Jews, the notion that Arabs should be forcibly excluded from pre-1967 Israel is abhorrent. The expulsion of Jews from a Palestinian state, on the other hand, is something Abbas and his lieutenants insist on. "In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli — civilian or soldier — on our land," Abbas said last year. Saeb Erekat, the senior Palestinian negotiator, insisted in January: "No settler will be permitted to stay in a Palestinian state, not one, because the settlements are illegal." After promoting that kind of blind rejectionism for so many years, a change of heart by the Palestinian Authority would be more than unprecedented: It would be radically pro-peace.
For what peace requires, above all else, is acceptance by the Palestinians that Jews are not interlopers but neighbors, and that Palestinian aspirations can be fulfilled without the destruction of Jewish aspirations. Mahmoud Abbas — like his mentor Yasser Arafat, like the fanatic haters of Hamas — has spent a lifetime seeking to "liberate" the historic territory of Palestine from any vestige of Jewish sovereignty. If only the Palestinians had a different goal — of sharing that territory with a Jewish state rather than resisting to the bitter end the right of Jews to be there in the first place — what a paradise they could build together.
Eventually that day will come. When it does, the building of homes will be cause for mutual celebration, by Israelis and their Palestinian neighbors alike.
Jeff Jacoby can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeff_jacoby.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
2004 Guardian Award Winner Authors Book About Future
This year's recipient is Lord Martin Rees.Lord Martin Rees is Royal Society Professor at Cambridge University, a Fellow of Kings College, and the U.K.'s Astronomer Royal. The winner of the 2001 Cosmology Prize of the Peter Gruber Foundation, he has published numerous academic papers and books including Our Final Hour: A Scientist's Warning: How Terror, Error, and Environmental Disaster Threaten Humankind's Future In This Century On Earth and Beyond.
Lord Martin Rees warns "Science is advancing faster than ever, and on a broader front… But there is a dark side: new science can have unintended consquences; it empowers individuals to perpetrate acts of megaterror; even innocent errors could be catastrophic. The 'downside' from twenty-first century technology could be graver and more intractable than the threat of nuclear devastation that we have faced for decades."
He goes on to say "If there were millions of independent fingers on the button of a Doomsday machine, then one person's act of irrationality, or even one person's error, could do us all in."
Lord Martin Rees concludes "Even a few pioneering groups, living independently of Earth, would offer a safeguard against the worst possible disaster the foreclosure of intelligent life's future through the extinction of all humankind."
Other books by Lord Martin Rees include Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe, Our Cosmic Habitat, and Before the Beginning: Our Universe and Others.


text:
Lindsay Lohan is back on the market.
Sources confirm exclusively to E! News that she and rocker Avi Snow have broken up after a brief, yet PDA-friendly, romance.
The details of what led to their demise as a couple remain scarce and it's unclear if they've seen each other since Snow saw her off to Brazil last week.
The rehab-bound actress, who, quite frankly, spent a week living it up in South America while ostensibly on a business trip, flew back to L.A. on Tuesday.
Snow, meanwhile, jetted to New York after his then-girlfriend left town, but then drove back to L.A. with his City of the Sun bandmates.
He told E! News after City of the Sun's L.A. gig last week, before Lohan took off, that she was "really awesome" and "a lot of fun."
Lohan is due in New York next week to appear on Late Show With David Letterman on Tuesday, after which she's planning on returning to SoCal to attend the Coachella music festival that weekend. According to her rep, she will not be attending the NYC premiere of Scary Movie 5 next Friday.


text:
Trask Performance is the fastest growing performance company in the world. Trask offers a variety of packages that will make your Harley run stronger and smoother. All Trask Turbo Systens are well thought out and thoroughly tested.
Turbo-charging is the best and most cost effective way to producing rideable, smooth horsepower. Ease on the drive train results in minimal drive than upgrades. Reliability of the stock engine is retained until boost is applied. You could effectively ride around all day without getting in the boost, so fuel economy and reliability will not be compromised.


text:
$28.30 $33.92
--Made of high quality silicone, it is comfortable to wear.
--Monitor heart rate and blood pressure, with the client APP, personalized setting and synchronize data.
--All metal body, super texture, fashionable.
--Sleep monitoring, sedentary reminder, call reminder, information reminder, alarm clock, seconds change, countdown and other functions.
--Gorgeous, free color collocation.
Battery capacity :180 ma
Screen size :1.3 inches
Communication function: unsupported
Appearance size :42.6*37.3* 11.8mm
Operation mode: touch + button
Applicable platform :android platform, apple iOS platform, fully compatible
Function: sleep monitoring
Wearing method: wristband
Product weight: 50g
Material: silicone
Wireless distance :5m(incl.)-10m(incl.)
Product includes:
1*Smart Bracelet, 1* data cable, 1* user manual
The light socket and the different screens can cause the color of the item in the image to be a little different from the actual one. The allowed measurement error is +/- 1-3 cm.


text:
We all need to start thinking outside of the box or there will nothing left for future generations
Game Over: How You Can Prosper in a Shattered Economy by Stephen Leeb.
Game Over makes that case that we're running into resource limits on every front--energy, metals, water--and that this problem is going to affect everything we do. Then, it looks at what can we do about it, as individuals and as a society.
The book breaks down into four sections.
The first lays out the case that we're running into resource limits on every front. The second suggests that we, as a society, may well be able to do something about this--but only if we're clever and foresightful. The third looks at some issues related to the way we've been running the economy for the past few years. The fourth suggests a bunch of things individuals might do, to position themselves so that their finances don't get too beaten up by the problems.
Part one begins with peak oil, but then expands on that issue by pointing out that we're hitting limits with many other resources as well--metals, water, etc.
It's no surprise that we're hitting so many limits at once. For almost any resource there are partial substitutes. The end result of going down that path, though, is that the substitutes get used wherever they're adequate--meaning that eventually they'll hit a limit as well. If you aggressively substitute the cheapest alternative in every case--which is exactly what happens in a free market--pretty soon all your resources will be pushing up against their own limit.
Leeb lays out the case for peak oil pretty well. At some point--roughly at the point when half the oil has been produced from a field--that field hits a peak: it produces more oil than it has ever produced before or will ever produce again. This is clearly true of individual fields--we've seen it over and over again, all over the word. It is also clearly true of countries. The United States hit its peak in 1970. Since then, even with the addition of oil from Alaska, we've never produced as much oil again. It is true of the world as a whole as well--add up all the production from all the fields, each one eventually hitting its own peak, and at some point the planet hits a peak. Every year after that, the world will produce a bit less oil than the year before.
Besides laying out the case for peak oil, Leeb introduces another concept that he calls "absolute peak oil," by which he means that point at which it takes more energy to produce a barrel of oil than you'll get by burning the oil. It's an important concept, although I don't think Leeb develops it very well.
The concept he's referring to is the "energy return on energy invested," usually abbreviated EROEI. When your EROEI is less than one--when the energy produced is less than the energy it took to produce it--whatever you're doing is no longer an energy source. Of course, that doesn't make it worthless. Batteries, for example, have an EROEI of less than one--it takes a lot more energy to construct a battery and deliver it to you than your battery-powered device will ever get out of it. But that's okay. Batteries are an energy delivery mechanism, not an energy production mechanism. As long as people will pay more for a battery than it costs to make it, people will keep making batteries.
Peak oil will start to bite long before we hit that point. Once we hit the peak, the world as a whole will have to burn a bit less oil each year than the year before. The consequences for how people live will be enormous.
Part two talks about the development of alternative sources of energy, and the key message is that many alternatives that look possible simply don't scale, because of limits in other resources.
Wind, for example, could replace most of the energy that we get from oil. The EROEI for a wind turbine is pretty good. But there's a huge capital investment--you need to build towers, turbines, and generators. You can build hundreds of wind turbines no problem, but if you tried to build enough wind turbines to replace the energy we get from fossil fuels, you start running out of things like steel to build them out of.
All the alternatives have similar issues. Try to replace oil with ethanol and you start running out of land and water (and, in the shorter term, food). Try to replace oil with tar sands, and you run out of natural gas and water.
The key take-away from part two of Leeb's book is that there are many possibilities for alternative energy production, and that many of them will work to some extent, but that we need to look very seriously at which ones can be scaled up to produce enough energy to make a difference without hitting other resource limits.
I should add that this part of the book has Leeb's worst misstep. He talks about conservation as part of the basket of choices to get us through the rough patch where resource limits really start to bite--and then thoughtlessly dismisses the notion on the grounds that our conservation probably just makes the energy cheaper, so other people will use it up all the faster.
The point he misses (and he's certainly not the only person to make this mistake) is that the goal of conservation is not to "stretch out" the depleting supply for a while longer. The point is to find a balance between the production of energy and the use of energy.
It's sad that he couldn't take this step, as it follows rather directly from his previous point--that if we try to build enough windmills to replace the energy we get from oil, we run out of steel. Suppose, though, we could build some windmills--enough to replace a fraction of the energy we get from oil. Suppose we could also get modest-but-significant amounts of energy from other renewable sources (photovoltaics, biofuels, geothermal). The point of conservation is to find a way to live comfortably using only that much energy. Duh!
The third section talks about the economy, making the case that inflation will be the big economic problem over the next few years, and that it won't be easy to deal with.
The central banks have made the determination of late that inflation is the safer risk. We know how to end inflation, so it's safe to risk a little inflation in an effort to avoid a depression. Leeb says that this isn't going to work. Yes, we know how to stop inflation--but only by causing a recession. If the economy is already in a recession, the central banks will never make that worse just to end inflation.
There is, of course, the key counter-example of the policies of the Federal Reserve under Paul Volker in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Leeb's analysis, though, is that we were in better shape then to tolerate the disinflation, but that we're not now.
Personally, I hope he's wrong--and I think there's a good chance he is. In a recession, the pain hits some much worse than others--business owners suffer, workers who lose their jobs suffer. In an inflation, the pain hits everybody, but it especially hits people with money. To the extent that "people with money" have power within society, I think eventually the pain of a bad inflation will push policy maker's to grind the inflation out of the system, even at the cost of a recession.
The last section of the book is on investments. It's informed by his thinking on inflation, so one key suggestion is gold. He suggests a variety of companies that should make money as we try to build out alternative energy production facilities, and he suggests some companies that will thrive as developing countries (where they use less energy than the rich countries do) continue to grow.
On balance it's a good book. Certainly it's right about the problem. It also has a thoughtful (if limited) look at the range of possible solutions. His economic analysis is different from mine, which leads to different investment suggestions than I would make, but that's really the least important part of the book (and time may yet prove that he's hit closer to the mark than I).
If you're interested in learning more about how limits in energy and other resources are going to affect us, and how we might address those problems both as individuals and as a society, Game Over is a good place to start.
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Eh, we've been "running out of oil" since the 1970s. While I think that oil is not a limitless resource, I do think there are many deposits we have not found yet. Devon Energy has made an entire business out of finding these deposits.
I do think that from a political standpoint, we ought not be so dependent upon oil at all. After all, we're sending billions of dollar to countries that don't like us much.
Chris Martenson has put together a presentation outlining the intersection of several major trends/factors in the economy, the environment and energy.
I found his charts and graphs to be more comprehensive and compelling.
The top story of the year is that global crude oil production peaked in 2008.
The media, governments, world leaders, and public should focus on this issue.
Global crude oil production had been rising briskly until 2004, then plateaued for four years. Because oil producers were extracting at maximum effort to profit from high oil prices, this plateau is a clear indication of Peak Oil.
Then in August and September of 2008 while oil prices were still very high, global crude oil production fell nearly one million barrels per day, clear evidence of Peak Oil (See Rembrandt Koppelaar, Editor of "Oil Watch Monthly," December 2008, page 1) http://www.peakoil.nl/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/2008_december_oilwatch_....
Peak Oil is now.
Credit for accurate Peak Oil predictions (within a few years) goes to the following (projected year for peak given in parentheses):
* Association for the Study of Peak Oil (2007)
* Rembrandt Koppelaar, Editor of "Oil Watch Monthly" (2008)
* Tony Eriksen, Oil stock analyst; Samuel Foucher, oil analyst; and Stuart Staniford, Physicist [Wikipedia Oil Megaprojects] (2008)
* Matthew Simmons, Energy investment banker, (2007)
* T. Boone Pickens, Oil and gas investor (2007)
* U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2005)
* Kenneth S. Deffeyes, Princeton professor and retired shell geologist (2005)
* Sam Sam Bakhtiari, Retired Iranian National Oil Company geologist (2005)
* Chris Skrebowski, Editor of "Petroleum Review" (2010)
* Sadad Al Husseini, former head of production and exploration, Saudi Aramco (2008)
* Energy Watch Group in Germany (2006)
* Fredrik Robelius, Oil analyst and author of "Giant Oil Fields" (2008 to 2018)
Oil production will now begin to decline terminally.
Within a year or two, it is likely that oil prices will skyrocket as supply falls below demand. OPEC cuts could exacerbate the gap between supply and demand and drive prices even higher.
Independent studies indicate that global crude oil production will now decline from 74 million barrels per day to 60 million barrels per day by 2015. During the same time, demand will increase. Oil supplies will be even tighter for the U.S. As oil producing nations consume more and more oil domestically they will export less and less. Because demand is high in China, India, the Middle East, and other oil producing nations, once global oil production begins to decline, demand will always be higher than supply. And since the U.S. represents one fourth of global oil demand, whatever oil we conserve will be consumed elsewhere. Thus, conservation in the U.S. will not slow oil depletion rates significantly.
Alternatives will not even begin to fill the gap. There is no plan nor capital for a so-called electric economy. And most alternatives yield electric power, but we need liquid fuels for tractors/combines, 18 wheel trucks, trains, ships, and mining equipment. The independent scientists of the Energy Watch Group conclude in a 2007 report titled: "Peak Oil Could Trigger Meltdown of Society:"
"By 2020, and even more by 2030, global oil supply will be dramatically lower. This will create a supply gap which can hardly be closed by growing contributions from other fossil, nuclear or alternative energy sources in this time frame."
With increasing costs for gasoline and diesel, along with declining taxes and declining gasoline tax revenues, states and local governments will eventually have to cut staff and curtail highway maintenance. Eventually, gasoline stations will close, and state and local highway workers won't be able to get to work. We are facing the collapse of the highways that depend on diesel and gasoline powered trucks for bridge maintenance, culvert cleaning to avoid road washouts, snow plowing, and roadbed and surface repair. When the highways fail, so will the power grid, as highways carry the parts, large transformers, steel for pylons, and high tension cables from great distances. With the highways out, there will be no food coming from far away, and without the power grid virtually nothing modern works, including home heating, pumping of gasoline and diesel, airports, communications, and automated building systems.
Documented here:
Oh yeah. Suuuuure. Riiiiiiiiight.
I can't even prosper in a booming economy, how am I supposed to prosper in ashattered economy?
Leeb wrote about Peak Oil in The Coming Economic Collapse; at that time I think he was predicting near-term $200 oil.
I devour as much of this stuff as I can find, but I still don't see how any of this knowledge can help me prosper.
I have been reading this book called Small Is Beautiful. It's an interesting book that was published in the early 1970's that foretold the impending doom that we face if we don't use our resources wisely. It's unfortunate that our lives our so dependent on non-renewable natural resources. It makes me wonder if the future generations have to look forward to a life similar to the pre-industrial age.
There is a lot of argument for peak oil ...
And ...
There is a lot of research in new extraction technology and new technologies for alternative fuel production ...
No matter which side you sit on these theories (I'm on the fence.)
DON'T FORGET the HUGE auto production increases in the two most populace countries of the world (China and India.)
Even if new extraction and alternative fuel technologies were already online today - it's not possible to meet the increased fuel supply demand from the numbers of cars being produced for the peoples of China and India, as they begin their mad rush to embrace our western consumer ideals.
No matter which side of the fence you are on concerning global climate change/warming ...
It is clear (no pun intended) - the earth can't sustain the current levels of carbon release.
Katie bar the door when you look at increased carbon contribution from easterners newly discovered love affair with the automobile.


text:
The Philadelphia Eagles have found their new punter.
The Eagles announced Monday that Donnie Jones has agreed to terms on a one-year contract. The nine-year NFL veteran replaces Mat McBriar, whom the team released in a corresponding move.
Jones spent last season with the Houston Texans, for whom he averaged 47.2 yards per kick with a net of 40.5. He ranks fifth in NFL history in gross (45.6) and net punting average (39.0), and is a two-time All-Pro selection.
"Donnie Jones is a guy that we have admired over the last several years," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in a statement released by the team. "He has one of the strongest legs in the entire NFL and we're excited we had a chance to sign him. We watched a lot of tape on him and he's coming off a very good season with Houston. We feel he'll add a good element to our special teams units."
McBriar exits the picture despite a solid 2012 season in which he averaged 46.5 yards and 36.5 net on 55 punts. Roseman said the Eagles "just decided to go in a different direction."
Despite Jones' achievements, this will be his fifth team in nine years. Such is the life of an NFL punter.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.


text:
Los Angeles, CA – Jordan Adams scored 21 points and yanked down seven rebounds to pace 13th-ranked UCLA past Indiana State, 86-59, at the newly-renovated Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins (1-0), who are coming off a 19-14 season, also received 17 points from Travis Wear. Identical twin David Wear netted 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Kyle Anderson scored 10 and had 10 rebounds in the win.
Justin Gant and Khristian Smith both had 11 points for the Sycamores (0-1), who compiled an 18-15 mark and went to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament last season.
It was the first athletic event in the new facility since the building closed for renovations in March 2011. New Pauley has 13,800 seats and recently completed a $136 million facelift.
There was one prominent absence for the Bruins. Before the game, UCLA announced guard/forward Shabazz Muhammad has been ruled ineligible due to a violation of NCAA amateurism rules.
Muhammad is widely considered to be one of college basketball's top freshmen. The NCAA is reportedly investigating connections Muhammad's family had with a pair of financial agents.
Gant scored the first points in the renovated arena with a 3-pointer, and RJ Mahurin's jumper had the visitors within 25-23. The Bruins came back by scoring eight in a row, capped by Tyler Lamb's 3-pointer.
The Bruins held a 36-27 lead at halftime and widened the gap to 56-36 on an Adams layup with 11 1/2 minutes remaining. The double-digit margin remained the rest of the game.
Game Notes
Although this was only the second meeting in the all-time series between Indiana State and UCLA, there is a legendary connection. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden was at the helm of Indiana State's basketball team during the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons, where he posted a career record of 44-15 ... UCLA is 8-2 in season-opening games under head coach Ben Howland ... UCLA senior Larry Drew II returned to action after having transferred from North Carolina following the 2010-11 season. He had one point and five assists ... Manny Arop scored 10 in defeat.


text:
ARIES (March 21 to April 19)
A stubborn refusal to go ahead on a project mystifies colleagues who expected more flexibility. But once you explain your position, they'll understand and even applaud you.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20)
A relationship seems to be stuck in the same place. Now it's up to you, dear Bovine, how far you want it to go and how intense you want it to be. Choose well and choose soon.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20)
A relationship progresses more slowly than you would prefer. Best advice: Insist on a frank and open discussion. What is learned could change minds and, maybe, hearts.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22)
It's all right to be grateful to a workplace colleague who has done you a good turn. But gratitude shouldn't be a lifelong obligation. The time to break this cycle is now.
LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22)
It's going to be especially nice to be the King of the Zodiac at this time. A recent money squeeze eases. Plans start to
work out, and new friends enter Your Majesty's domain.
VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22)
Before you make a commitment on any level (personal, professional, legal), get all of the facts. There might be hidden problems that could cause trouble later on.
LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22)
Personal relationships improve. Professional prospects also brighten. A job offer could come through by month's end, and an old friend seeks to make contact.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21)
Your senses detect that something is not quite right
about a matter involving a workplace colleague. Best advice: Follow your keen instincts, and don't get involved.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21)
A prospect offers rewards, but it also demands that you assume a great deal of responsibility. Knowing you, you're up to the challenge, so go for it -- and good luck.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19)
A favor you did a long time ago is repaid, as a trusted colleague steps in to help you with a suddenly expanded workload. A family member has important news as well.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb.18)
A new job offer could require moving across the country. But before you let your doubts determine your decision, learn more about the potentials involved.
PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20)
Your sense of fair play doesn't allow you to rush to judgment about a friend who might have betrayed you. Good! All the facts on the matter are not yet in.
You have a romantic nature that allows you to find the best in people. You would excel at poetry and drama


text:
This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research.
Written and recorded by Hank Williams Sr. When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels The [G] ceremony was [C] over A [D7] lad stood alone in [G] tears For he had just [C] said goodbye To the [D7] one he had loved thru the [G] years. He stood all alone with his head bowed down As though his heart would break Then the Parson came over and took his hand And to him these words he did say. CHORUS When [G] God comes and gathers his [C] jewels All his [D7] treasures of diamonds and [G] gold You'll meet her up there in [C] heaven so fair When [D7] God comes and gathers his [G] jewels. (Substitute I'll meet her.....on last chorus) Each night when the pale moon is shining You can see this lad all alone With his eyes lifted to'ard heaven He's repeating these words he was told. CHORUSHome


text:
NEAQS: New England Air Quality StudyWhy?New England can experience unhealthy levels of air pollution, especially during the summer months. For example, figure 1 shows a color-coded map of ozone pollution recorded on August 2, 2001. Areas shaded with orange experienced ozone concentrations (measured in parts per billion or ppb) that are considered unhealthy for people with respiratory problems. Areas shaded in red had ozone levels that pose health risks to everyone. Note that on this day the worst ozone pollution occurred in the coastal regions extending from Connecticut into northeastern Maine. This distribution is believed to be caused by long-range transport of pollutants from the East Coast metroplex extending from Washington D.C. to Boston, long-range transport from the industrial Midwest, local pollution from sources along the I-95 corridor, and coastal wind patterns associated with a meteorological phenomenon known as the land-sea breeze circulation. Aside from identifying the sources of pollution and pathways for horizontal transport of pollutants, we must also understand the physical processes that mix and distribute pollution vertically in the atmosphere. To help scientists to understand New England's air quality better, the U.S. Congress funded the New England Air Quality Study. Summer 2004 activities served as a pilot study for a larger study that may occur in 2004. The overarching goal of this program is to gain a better understanding of what causes bad air quality in New England and, ultimately, to improve air quality forecasts. Research at the NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory focuses on increasing our knowledge of the meteorological processes that control air quality in the Northeast.
What?ETL (know part of PSL) deployed a suite of sophisticated instruments to measure meteorological and air chemistry profiles above land and at sea. By LandA scanning Doppler lidar was situated at Rye Harbor State Park on the coast of New Hampshire. This instrument provided detailed measurements of the sea breeze circulation. An integrated wind profiling observing system was deployed at the Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island. This system provided wind and temperature measurements from the surface to 2-4 km above the surface for winds and 0.5-1.5 km above the surface for temperature, depending on atmospheric conditions. These wind and temperature profiles observed maritime conditions offshore from the lidar at Rye Harbor. By SeaOn the NOAA research vessel Ron Brown, ETL deployed a vertically pointing ozone lidar, a 915-MHz Doppler wind profiler, and a GPS rawinsonde system. The lidar provides ozone and aerosol backscatter intensity profiles from 200 to 2000 m above the surface. The wind profiler provides maritime wind conditions on a continuous basis over the same altitude range as the lidar. Together, these instruments assisted scientists in determining the best course for the ship to follow in order to meet specific scientific objectives. Standard meteorological soundings were taken with the rawinsonde system to help characterize the marine boundary layer. These soundings provided initial conditions over the data sparse Atlantic for numerical modeling studies conducted after the experiment. The locations of instrumentation deployed for NEAQS and a sister project, the New England Temperature and Air Quality Pilot Study, are shown in the map. ResultsScientists will use the datasets collected during the Summer 2004 to quantify numerical model performance as a function of the physical parameterizations contained in the models. The ultimate goal of this work is to improve the meteorological models used for air quality and temperature forecasting. |


text:
Some destinations have a "90/180 rule" which says you can come and go but you must not spend over 90 days out of any 180 days in the area. A recent question asked by a new contributor concerns this rule.
At least Schengen and Turkey have this rule, probably depending on where the traveller is from and what kind of visa they apply for.
Maybe I'm a dummy but I've always had a lot of trouble trying to add up how many days I've spent in such places when I've entered and left several times over recent months.
Is there an easy way to do this I'm missing or is it difficult for everybody? I'm guessing something based on counting backwards from the end date might be the trick?
Maybe you know of an app or website that can do this for you.


text:
Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Postal Service does not have the money to meet an obligation to a retiree health care trust fund coming due at the end of the month, but if there's a default, officials promise no interruption in the mail, the payroll, or payments to suppliers.
Commenting in response to a New York Times article Monday suggesting the Postal Service may have to shut down within months, spokeswoman Yvonne Yoerger told CNN there's "nothing actually new in the Postal Service's position."
"We are required to make this $5.5 billion dollar payment into the future retiree health benefits fund, and probably won't be able to make it when it comes due September 30th."
The fund was mandated by a 2006 postal reform act that postal officials today believe does not match the reality of declining revenues and a smaller workforce. Tuesday, congressional lawmakers will address the matter in a hearing on postal operations.
Yoerger said at that hearing, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe will insist that the fund be re-scaled from the days when there were 900,000 people on the payroll. The mandated funding level has not changed in the years since then, although the Postal Service has trimmed 250,000 jobs.
She said "the fact is, no other government agency, and few corporations in the private sector are required to fund retiree health benefits 75 years out."
The newspaper quoted U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Delaware, as saying the financial problems are so dire the Postal Service may close later this year.
Yoerger agrees her agency does not have a sustainable business model, but stopped short of saying a shutdown is possible. One answer is to adjust those mandated payments.
"We want to have the pre-funding mandate eliminated, and have the money already paid into it used for those purposes" of covering health care benefits for future retirees. She said, "We've overpaid into our retirement funds, and we'd like some of those overpayments refunded and used for future funding."
She acknowledged the basis for the advance payments were mandated in 2006 because lawmakers wanted assurances the Postal Service could cover benefits for its future pensioners.
In addition to relief from the future retiree payment mandate, Yoerger said the proposed business plan of the Postal Service would include a combination of closing post offices, expanding joint ventures with private industry, and changes in how often you get the mail.
"Right now we are required to deliver six days a week," she said, "if it can go to five days a week, as proposed, we could better match the declining volume of mail."


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
Samsung brews half-asleep OCTO CORE phone brain MONSTER
Set to burst upon a terrified world late in 2013
Samsung will tear the wraps off an eight-core ARM processor in February although half of the chip will spend most of its life asleep.
The architecture is called big.Little, which ARM presented in October last year. Four cores run software all the time if they can, and the other four are only powered up when the user launches a 3D game, starts editing video, or does something equally processor hungry.
The big.Little concept uses two quad-core blocks: one is a Cortex-A7 design, and is used for normal operations. The other is a Cortex-A15 block, which is ramped up when needed and turned off when it's not - primarily to extend battery life between charges.
Samsung will show off the system-on-a-chip in February, according to EE Times.
The pair of 32-bit quad-core blocks will be squeezed onto a single 28nm-process die. The A7 quad-core block runs at 1.2GHz, which is fast enough to take care of the basic functionality. The A15 side will run at 1.8GHz for bigger jobs and have a 2MB level-two cache. The complete package is likely to rear its head at the International Sold-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in February and appear in devices in late-2013.
The South Korean chip maker wants to expand its operations in silicon, and won't be making processors for Apple forever. The A6 used in the iPhone 5 is fabricated by Samsung, but with such animosity between the two companies, Apple is expected to end that relationship as soon as it can.
Samsung is also developing its own radio electronics for its latest Galaxy smartphones to boot out rival Qualcomm's silicon. Market analyst biz ABI Research dismantled a Galaxy S III from South Korea and discovered that the handset lacks the Qualcomm components common to the rest of the range. By taking apart the SHV-E210s, as the country's variant is known, ABI found a Samsung chip handling LTE, HSPA and GPRS connectivity, where previously Sammy had only provided LTE hardware.
Intel isn't planning anything exciting at next year's ISSCC, but will talk about its new 1Tb/sec scalable inter-chip bus. ®


text:
There is nothing quite like a taco to satisfy hunger. Tacos are one of the easiest Mexican foods everyone can prepare, and making an authentic meal from them is just as easy. Basically all one needs is the filling, some corn tortillas, a little chopped cilantro, finely chopped onions, lime or lemon slices, and your favorite salsa to give them an additional boost of flavour and spice. Simple enough, right?
Tacos are a meal I love to cook because it takes minimal effort and time to prepare, perfect for the busy days of summer. Another wonderful benefit of taco nights is that leftovers can easily be transformed into an authentic Mexican taco feast. I'll give you some pointers for turning leftovers into tacos another time, for now we'll be working with fresh meat.
For this taco night I used pork but chicken or turkey may also be used. I was craving tacos al pastor but didn't have all the peppers and ingredients needed, so instead I created these. Also I was really craving a spicy meal so I opted for the chile de arbol, quite a spicy pepper. To give the meat more flavour I also added a ancho chile which gave a wonderful taste. Overall the tacos weren't super spicy but spicy enough and quite satisfying.
Here is what the chiles I used look like and also where they can be purchased.
And now for the recipe
- 700 gms boneless pork cut into bite-size pieces, excess fat removed
- 1 dried chile Ancho
- 5 dried chiles de arbol
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 medium onion, peeled
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, optional
- olive oil or vegetable oil of choice
- corn tortillas
- finely chopped onion
- chopped cilantro
- lime or lemon wedges
- your favorite salsa
- Place pork pieces in a glass bowl and set aside. Bring a small pot of water to boil, add the dried chiles, tomato, garlic and onion and simmer over low heat. Allow the chiles to rehydrate before removing, the onion and tomato will take longer. After it has softened, remove the skin from the tomato. Place the soften onion, garlic, tomato and chiles in a blender. Add a little salt, the vinegar and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Pour the chile marinade over the pork, stir until well combined and refrigerate overnight or for at least 30 minutes.
- While the meat is marinading chop up the toppings. The next day, or after 30 minutes, heat some oil and cook marinated pork until cooked through. Serve with corn tortillas, finely chopped onion and cilantro, lime or lemon wedges and your favorite salsa.
-- Instead of pork, chicken or turkey may be used.
-- Chiles de arbol are very spicy, make milder by cutting down and adding another chile ancho -- which is very mild.
-- The sauce marinade tastes wonderful and it can also be used for other cooking purposes.
If you'd like to make it a complete feast serve with my Mexican green beans recipe and wash it down with an agua fresca.
Delicioso to the last bite!
For dessert we had this golden watermelon. When I saw it at the green grocers I was so intrigued to see a melon that look exactly like watermelon on the outside, and on the inside it was yellow instead of red. I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted exactly like the red variety.
Happy Tuesday amigos, I hope you make it a taco night tonight.


text:
Earth to Karl Rove and Sheldon Adelson: Do This
The Frisky
Why not?
Mitt Romney and the GOP lost, but it wasn't for lack of money. They spent a lot; they just didn't get enough bang for the buck.
Billionaire Sheldon Adelson alone donated $150 million. But Romney lost anyway, especially among unmarried women.
Which is why I think that rich people wanting to support the Republican Party might want to direct their money somewhere besides TV ads that copy, poorly, what Lee Atwater did decades ago.
My suggestion: Buy some women's magazines. No, really. Or at least some women's Web sites.
One of the groups with whom Romney did worst was female "low-information voters." Those are women who don't really follow politics, and vote based on a vague sense of who's mean and who's nice, who's cool and who's uncool.
Since, by definition, they don't pay much attention to political news, they get this sense from what they do read. And for many, that's traditional women's magazines — Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, the Ladies Home Journal, etc. — and the newer women's sites like YourTango, The Frisky, Yahoo! Shine, and the like.
Then, how about buying a spot on Comedy Central to combat Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert?
Buy a spot on Showtime to ridicule Bill Maher. There is plenty of material and talent.
Winning the culture/political war, one television show, one website at a time…..


text:
Adafruit just posted an awesome tutorial on reading analog sensors with the Raspberry Pi. It's a great walkthrough that can be applied to your next Raspi project as well as any project where you just need one more analog input.
Earlier, the folks over at Adafruit posted a tutorial on using a MCP3008 ADC with the Raspi to directly read analog values using a Raspi. Sometimes, though, you don't need eight analog inputs and a 12-bit ADC to get a project off the ground. Adafruit's tutorial for reading analog values without an ADC relies on a single 1μF ceramic capacitor attached between a digital input and ground. By pulling the sensor line high for a millisecond or two, the capacitor charges at different rates depending on the value of the analog sensor.
Yes, it's just an RC timing circuit but seeing as how the Raspi doesn't have an analog input, we figure this tutorial could help out a few people.


text:
Cartoon Network's "Regular Show" Season 4 Premiere Scores Big
via Cartoon Network press release:
Cartoon Network's Regular Show Season 4 Premiere Scores
as #1 Telecast of the Day on All Television Among Kids & Boys,
Out-Performing Competition by Double & Triple Digits
Emmy®-Winning Animated Comedy Delivers Most Viewers Ages 2+ in its History
Fresh from its recent Primetime Emmy® win for "Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program," Cartoon Network's original series Regular Show returned Monday night, Oct. 1 (8 p.m.) with its fourth season, scoring its best performance in its history, ranking as the #1 telecast of the day among all targeted kids and boys ages 2-11, 6-11 and 9-14, according to Nielsen Media Research. The hit animated comedy from first-time show creator JG Quintel earned significant ratings and delivery growth, ranging between 2% and 31%, vs. the same time period last year. Regular Show also out-paced all kids television competition by double and triple digits ranging between 14% and 600%, and propelled Cartoon Network's entire Monday night prime time (7-9 p.m.) line-up of animated comedies to #1 on all television among boys 2-11, 6-11 and 9-14. Additionally, Regular Show attracted more than three million viewers 2+, up a remarkable 37% vs. the same time period last year.
Looking at its broadest audience, the fourth season premiere of Regular Show out-delivered total viewers 2+ vs. its previous season premieres by double digits—season one (Sept. 6, 2010) by 41%, season two (Nov. 29, 2010) by 25% and season three (Sept. 19, 2011) by 16%.
Highlights of Regular Show's fourth season premiere performance, compared to the same 2011 time period, include the following:
- Kids 2-11 delivery (1,595,000) increased by 12%, and ratings (4.0) by 18%
- Kids 6-11 delivery (1,141,000) increased by 2%, and ratings (4.8) by 7%
- Kids 9-14 delivery (1,003,000) increased by 28%, and ratings (4.2) by 31%
- Boys 2-11 delivery (1,119,000) increased by 11%, and ratings (5.5) by 17%
- Boys 6-11 delivery (852,000) increased by 4%, and ratings (7.1) by 9%
- Boy 9-14 delivery (742,000) increased by 24%, and ratings (6.1) by 27%
- Total Viewers 2+ delivery (3,047,000) increased by 37%
Created by JG Quintel and produced by Cartoon Network Studios, Regular Show features Mordecai and Rigby, two groundskeepers at a park whose attempts to escape their everyday boredom take them to fantastical extremes. The job is so deadly dull that the two friends will do anything they can to avoid it. This doesn't go over well with their boss Benson (an anthropomorphic gumball machine)—but their efforts often result in insane escapades that delight Pops, a humanoid-looking lollipop, who has spent his entire life there.
Since its debut in September 2010, Regular Show has become a global sensation. In addition to the series recently winning the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award, it also won the 2012 Ottawa International Animation Festival Award for Best Television Animation for Children, and has been nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Award for Best Television Series (Kids), several ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards and a Cynopsis: Kids !magination Award.
Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in 99 million U.S. homes and 178 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for youth and families.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.


text:
As discussed here on Tuesday, the long-running CW sitcom, Girlfriends, is saying goodbye after eight seasons. As tough as that is for fans of the show to hear, it's made even worse by the notion that the show won't be going back into production to film any more episodes to give some sort of closure for the characters.
It turns out, as one might expect, that the reason is pure economics. The CW network has said that they're only resuming production on TV series which the network is considering renewing next season. Since the ratings have been down for Girlfriends, they're canceling the sitcom and that apparently makes it a lame duck.
Orlando Sentinel's Hal Boedeker reports that a spokesperson for the CW said, "This was a very difficult decision for us, and was based solely on the considerable cost to license each episode in an extremely unusual business environment."
But wait, after bringing the CW and UPN networks millions and millions of dollars in ad revenue over the past eight years, don't the show and it's fans deserve a proper send-off?
Girlfriends creator Mara Brock Akil is philosophical about the cancellation and said, "Although it's always difficult to say goodbye, I choose to focus my energy on the history that Girlfriends has made, the human stories that we told, the beautifully complex images that we projected and the blessings 172 episodes bestowed on us, both personally and professionally."
She went on to say, "I am immensely thankful to the amazingly talented cast, writers, directors, staff and crew for their endless dedication and hard work for eight seasons, to the network that always wanted us and the studio that always supported us, but mostly to the audience, especially African-American women, who took the time to tune into us every Monday night at nine to have a dialogue with us and who have been our partner in this journey."
As far as the series finale, it looks like it will indeed be some sort of compilation of clips. Akil said, "I am currently in talks with the studio and network on putting together a retrospective show which will honor and celebrate this landmark series, so please stay tuned."


text:
Issue 64 is more of a "mixed bag" than previous issues, with various perspectives on a large variety of topics of interest to professional workers.
Coeditor Jim Sisti tackles the thorny issue of just what to call what it is that professional performers do. Alain Nu then begins a new series of columns discussing various ways to carry around all of our magic "baggage." Scott Davis joins "The Magic Menu" staff in this issue and will be weighing in on the all-important topics related to marketing and promotions. "In the Trenches" correspondent Paul Green talks about an unusual, impromptu card sword to illustrate the benefits of quick thinking on your feet. "Financial Wizard" Eric Henning then chimes in with the fourth part of his very important series on covering your assets, this time about what to do when disaster strikes. Richard Robinson discusses the profundity of a simple "thank you" and David Acer revisits a book from one of magic's most influential personages which should be on your shelf already. Mark Zacharia offers his perspectives in "New Magic and Book Reviews" and finally in "Tricks for the Trade," Issue 64 offers two pieces from the publishers-a nest of boxes routine from Andrew Pinard and Jim Sist's torn and restored card with a surprise ending.
42 pages.
Do you own this product? Write a review.


text:
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Godsmack have always been vocal about how much of an influence Pantera had on their career and so it seemed only fitting that when the 2012 Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival rolled into Pantera's home state of Texas that the band would pay homage to them at some point during the night. It didn't take long to get that ball rolling as Sully Erna and Godsmack were joined center stage by Mike Mushok and Aaron Lewis of Staind . Together they ripped into 'This Love' from Pantera's 1992 release 'Vulgar Display of Power,' a disc that coincidentally just secured the No. 1 position in Loudwire's Top 10 Albums of 1992 proving what an impact it made on both musicians and music fans alike. The stage quickly became an all-star cast of the 2012 Class of Uproar Fest with members of Fozzy , P.O.D. and more providing gang vocals during the chorus on one side of the stage while Rita Haney, the longtime girlfriend of late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott , joined in on the other side of the stage, making for quite a special metal moment. Erna closed out the song, saying, "Rest in peace Dimebag Darrell, we miss you." Fans in the crowd managed to capture the performance from several different angles. Check out a few of their takes below. Uproar Fest wraps up at the end of September, check out all of the remaining dates and locations here . Watch Fan-Filmed Footage of Godsmack, Staind + More Performing Pantera's 'This Love' [button href="http://loudwire.com/godsmack-awake-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/" title="Next: Godsmack: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs" align="center"]
See the rest here:
Godsmack + Staind Perform Pantera's 'This Love' During Texas Uproar Fest Stop


text:
Next: Foo Server, Previous: IRC Server, Up: Existing servers [Contents][Index]
If the GNU Serveez package is configured with the control
protocol enabled, running 'serveez --help' will show
the option -P
and the following documentation applies.
Otherwise, feel free to skip to the next section.
Serveez implements something like a telnet protocol for administrative purposes. You just need to start a telnet session like:
$ telnet www.lkcc.org 42420
After pressing RET you will be asked for a password which you might setup passing Serveez the -P argument. See Using Serveez. The next section describes the interactive commands available.
This command will give you a very short help screen of all available commands.
This command closes the connection to Serveez.
Restarts the internal ident coserver. This is useful if you just want to start a new one if the old one died or is otherwise unusable.
Restarts the internal dns lookup server.
Restarts the internal reverse dns lookup server.
This might be useful if Serveez seems to be unstable but you do not want to restart it. With 'killall' you disconnect all client network connections except the control protocol connections.
Disconnects a specific connection identified by its ID. These IDs will be stated when you type 'stat con' (see below).
General statistics about Serveez. This will show you some useful information about the computer Serveez is running on and about the state of Serveez in general.
Statistics about all running coserver instances.
This command is for selecting certain server instances to be listed. SERVER is one of server names you specified in the configuration file.
Show statistics about a specific connection. This will give you all available information about every connection you specified. See Writing servers, for more information about how to provide these information.
Connection statistics. This will give a list of all socket structures within Serveez. If you want more detailed information about specific connections, coservers or servers you need to request these information with 'stat id NUM' or 'stat all'.
Server and coserver instance statistics. This command lists all the information about instantiated servers and coservers. See Writing servers, for more information about how to provide these information.
HTTP cache statistics. This command produces an output something like the following where 'File' is the short name of the cache entry, 'Size' the cache size, 'Usage' the amount of connections currently using this entry, 'Hits' the amount of cache hits, 'Recent' the cache strategy flag (newer entries have larger numbers) and 'Ready' is the current state of the cache entry.
File Size Usage Hits Recent Ready zlib-1.1.3-20000531.zip 45393 0 0 1 Yes texinfo.tex 200531 0 0 2 Yes shayne.txt 2534 0 1 1 Yes Total : 248458 byte in 3 cache entries
Reinitialize the HTTP file cache. Flushes all files from the cache.
There is nothing to be configured yet.
Next: Foo Server, Previous: IRC Server, Up: Existing servers [Contents][Index]


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
Win 7 remote kernel crasher code released
File and print freeze menace revealed
Microsoft has reportedly begun investigating a potentially nasty denial of service vulnerability affecting Windows 7.
A security bug in windows 7 and Windows 2008R2 makes it possible to lock up affected systems. The crash would happen without a Blue Screen of Death or other visible indication that anything was amiss.
The system freeze can be triggered remotely by sending malformed packets to targeted systems - specifically a NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) header that specifies an incoming SMB packet is either four bytes smaller or larger than it actually is. Server Message Block (SMB) is a network protocol used to provide shared access to files and printers.
Proof of concept code was posted by white hat security researcher Laurent Gaffié in a blog entry on Wednesday. "Whatever your firewall is set to, you can get remotely smashed via IE or even via some broadcasting nbns tricks, [with] no user interaction," Gaffié writes.
Gaffié previously highlighted flaws in Microsoft's implementation of SMB that created an even greater code execution risk back in September.
While it might be used to knock over targeted systems, there's no evidence that the latest flaw lends itself to code injection, a far more serious type of problem. News of the bug broke a day after Microsoft's regular Patch Tuesday updates came and went.
Microsoft's six patches on Tuesday included a fix (MS09-065) for a critical hole in the Windows kernel of Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The same update had an "important" (ie lesser risk) patch for Vista and Windows Server 2008. Windows 7 users were not affected by either this or two other Windows-related security updates released earlier this week.
Redmond's security gnomes have reportedly begun investigating the Windows 7 denial of service risk, but Microsoft UK was unable to shed extra light on the issue this morning. We'll update this story as and when new details emerge. ®


text:
US magazine readership stable amid digital shift
US magazines managed to hold circulation nearly steady in the second half of 2012 as more readers turned to digital editions, an industry report showed Thursday.
The Alliance for Audited Media, formerly known as the Audit Bureau of Circulations, said total paid and verified circulation for the 402 major US magazines decreased 0.3 percent from a year earlier.
Paid subscriptions were up 0.7 percent, while single-copy sales decreased 8.2 percent, according to the alliance, which counts both digital and print editions in circulation data.
The report said 289 magazines had more than 7.9 million digital replica editions, or 2.4 percent of the total industry circulation in the last six months of 2012.
"Nearly 65 percent of magazines that filed this period have digital replica editions as part of total circulation," said a blog posting by the alliance's Neal Lulofs.
The number of digital magazine copies sold has more than doubled from a year earlier, when 245 magazines reported 3.2 million digital replica copies, or less than one percent of the total.
Among key titles, Reader's Digest circulation declined 0.6 percent but remained among the top magazines at 5.5 million. Time Magazine saw a 0.5 percent drop to 3.28 million.
The largest circulation belonged to AARP's magazine for retirees, at 22.7 million, while the biggest digital edition was Game Informer, which covers the videogame sector, with 2.3 million.
For single-copy sales, women's publication Cosmopolitan was on top with 1.19 million, but that was a drop of 18.5 percent from a year earlier.
(c) 2013 AFP


text:
On the 16th April 2009, a young man from County Tipperary was shot dead by Bolivian special forces in Santa Cruz, along with a Hungarian, Arpad Maygarosi and a Bolivian-Hungarian Eduardo Rosza Flores. The story flashed around the world with graphic images of the dead mens bodies sprawled on the floor of the Hotel Las Americas and covered in blood. The Bolivian authorities claimed that they were right wing terrorists, attempting to assasinate Bolivias first indigenous President, Evo Morales.
"About 120 protesters outside Mullingar station Ming Flanagan, Maura Harrington, etc. Supporting McCabe. M" - Ex-Garda Commissioner Callinan
"You can judge a man by his friends" Brian Purcell - SG of Dept of Justice
"Some shower Brian" Callinan


text:
All articles are copyrighted © by the authors
This site, Idiot Free Zone llc, maintains this website as a service to its clients and associates. By using web sites owned and operated by Idiot Free Zone or its affiliates, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms of use, which may change at any time.
For our full Privacy Statement see Privacy Policy
Links to Third Party Sites
The Idiot Free Zone website contains links to third-party Websites. The linked sites are not under the control of Idiot Free Zone, and Idiot Free Zone is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. Idiot Free Zone is providing these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement of the linked site by Idiot Free Zone
Idiot Free Zone trademarks identify Idiot Free Zone products and services, and let the public know the source of those products and services. You may make fair use of our trademarks in news, advertising and promotional materials, and in referring to our products and services (for example, in a magazine article) without our permission, provided you follow standard trademark usage practices and provide proper attribution. Other uses require written permission from Idiot Free Zone. Please make such requests by contacting us: click here
We will evaluate your request as soon as possible. In addition, you may not use Idiot Free Zone trademarks, whether design or word marks, in the following ways:
- In a non-Idiot Free Zone product name or publication title.
- In, as, or as part of your own trademarks.
- To identify products or services that are not ours.
- In a manner likely to cause confusion.
- In a manner that implies inaccurately that we sponsor, endorse, or are otherwise connected with your own activities, products, and services.
- In a manner that disparages Idiot Free Zone
When you use Idiot Free Zone trademarks, please include the following brief statement attributing the trademarks to Idiot Free Zone:
"Idiot Free Zone is a trademark of Idiot Free Zone llc"
Contacting the Website
If you have any questions about this statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Website, you can contact us:


text:
We at LitReactor ("Site") have created this policy to explain why we collect particular information and how we will protect your personal privacy within the Site. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for the Site located at the URL www.LitReactor.com or any successor site (the "Site"). We reserve the right to change this policy at any time by posting a new privacy policy at this location.
What Information We Collect and How We Use That Information:
Contact Information: Some areas of our Site request or require contact and other information. During the registration process, we collect information such as your name, mailing address, and e-mail address. Your contact information may be used to get in touch with you when necessary with respect to transactions conducted through the Site or for other internal purposes. We do not share your contact information with any third party without your consent, except to a court or governmental agency if permitted by law, as authorized by a court or to the limited extent described below under "Certain Third Party Transactions".
Financial Information: To conduct transactions through the Site, we may collect certain billing and financial information. Such information may include credit card numbers. We do not share your financial information with any third party without your consent, except to a court or governmental agency if permitted by law, as authorized by a court or to the limited extent described below under "Certain Third Party Transactions".
Demographic Information: Demographic and profile data (e.g., age and gender information) may also be collected at our Site. This data may be shared with advertisers or other third parties on an aggregated basis. We may also maintain a database of transactions on the Site and use this information in aggregate form to track the success of our Site.
Internet Protocol Address: We collect an IP address from all visitors to our Site. We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server, and to administer our Site.
Use of cookies:
Our Site may use cookies to enhance your experience while using our Site. If you would prefer not to receive cookies, you can alter the configuration of your browser to refuse cookies. If you choose to have your browser refuse cookies, it is possible that some areas of our Site will not function properly when you view them.
Public Forums:
This Site may make chat rooms, message boards, and other postings on the Site available to users. Please remember that any information that is disclosed by you becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information.
This Site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. However, it is not possible to guaranty the security or integrity of information you disclose online since a sufficiently powerful attack from an unauthorized third party could compromise your data.
We may send communications regarding services, the Site or otherwise. You can opt-out of receiving such communications by indicating your desire to opt-out in an email sent to firstname.lastname@example.com.
If any of your registration information changes or is incorrect, especially your email, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com with your correct information.
Certain Third Party Transactions:
We may disclose personal information to third parties we engage to provide services that involve data processing on our behalf. Also, if some or all of the assets of our business are sold to a third party, that third party will be entitled to use the personal information disclosed by users of this Site, but only in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.
Contacting the Web Site:
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this Site, or your dealings with this Site, you can contact our Web Site Administrator at email@example.com or contact us Literary Reactions, LLC, 5404 Whitsett Ave., #175, Valley Village, CA 91607, USA.


text:
It's time to talk Disney trip traditions!!! Over the years, my "first day at Disney" traditions have changed and evolved. But there's nothing like looking forward to that thing you love to do first when you get to Disney World or Disneyland.
So my question for you today is this: Do you have a favorite "Welcome to Disney" tradition that you always look forward to? Let us know in the comments below — I might just have to change mine once I get inspired by a few of yours!
In the interest of fairness, I'll share one of mine, too… 🙂
Take a Deep Breath and Enjoy the View
One of my favorite "first night traditions" in Disney World is shaking off the stress of travel with a deep breath and a relaxing view. The best place to do this in my opinion? Disney's Polynesian Resort!
I usually choose one of two options once I get there: Either lounge in a comfy, wicker chair at the Tambu Lounge, or head to 'Ohana for a sunset dinner! (And sometimes I do both!)
"The Poly" offers lots of choices for relaxing! 😉
I always choose the luxurious Lapu Lapu for my first Disney drink — a mix of rum and tropical juices served in a fresh pineapple! This drink is extravagant to be sure, but it really sets the tone for a relaxing vacation.
And if you're going non-alcoholic, they'll make you a virgin one in the pineapple, too! No matter which way you go, a drink in pineapple really does say "I'm finally on vacation!!"
After I take a breather with my pineapple, I'll often head next door to 'Ohana (with a previously booked Advance Dining Reservation, of course) for dinner.
Then, if I haven't seen the Magic Kingdom Fireworks from 'Ohana, I'll head down to the Polynesian Beach for the show!
Whether I'm watching the sun set over Seven Seas Lagoon or catching an awesome view of Wishes, this is the perfect way to unwind after what can be a stressful day of traveling on my first day at Disney. The bonus here? You don't burn a day on your tickets with a trip into the parks, and you still get to see fireworks! Score!!
So how about you? Do you head immediately from the airport to the Magic Kingdom for a Dole Whip? Stop off in Epcot for a ride on Spaceship Earth and dinner at Biergarten first thing? Go to the hotel for a swim? What is your first day or first night at Disney tradition?
Let's hear all about your favorite First Disney Day tradition — what it is, how you do it, why it's special! Share below in the comments!


text:
Clean Pro Folsom
The best gutter cleaning service and maintenance Folsom has depended on for years!
You don't need to worry about cleaning clogged gutters or downspouts. We are the trusted choice for the best professional Folsom gutter cleaning services. Folsom homeowners trust Folsom Gutter Cleaning to provide high-quality gutter and downspout cleaning services. Our trained specialists thoroughly examine your downspouts and gutter systems to determine how to most effectively clean your gutters. Our Folsom Gutter Cleaning experts will take care of any clogged gutters. We are your best choice for top-quality gutter cleaning services in Folsom, California and the surrounding area.
Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is commonly known for Folsom State Prison, the song "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, as well as for Folsom Lake. The population was 80,454 at the 2020 census. Folsom is part of the Sacramento−Arden-Arcade−Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. == History == Folsom is named for Joseph Libbey Folsom who purchased Rancho Rio de los Americanos from the heirs of San Francisco merchant William Alexander Leidesdorff, and laid out the town called Granite City, mostly occupied by gold miners seeking their fortune in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
American River Canyon North, American River Estates, Briggs Ranch, Broadstone, Cimmaron Hill, Folsom Heights, Lake Natoma Heights, Los Cerros, Natoma Station, Natomas Heights, Prairie Oaks, Rancho Diablo, Sierra Woods, The Briggs Ranch, The Parkway


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — LinkedIn provided further evidence of online networking's popularity and moneymaking potential with a fourth-quarter performance that got a glowing review on Wall Street.
The results announced Thursday indicate LinkedIn Corp. is playing an increasingly influential role in the employment market as millions more people post their resumes there. The professional-networking service has been turning into a digital rolodex for headhunters and job seekers alike.
LinkedIn added another 14 million profiles during the final three months of last year to bring its total membership to 145 million. Meanwhile, more companies have been paying to get additional access to LinkedIn's membership as the U.S. economy has been steadily adding jobs in recent months.
LinkedIn gets more than two-thirds of its revenue from fees it charges companies, recruiting services and other people who want broader access to the profiles and other data on the company's website. The rest comes from advertising.
The trends helped LinkedIn fare far better than the company's own management and analysts had predicted. The pleasant surprise came a day after online coupon distributor Groupon Inc. raised investor doubts about young, rapidly growing Internet companies by announcing an unexpected fourth-quarter loss.
LinkedIn's numbers seemed to lift spirits; the company's stock surged more than 8 percent late Thursday.
The ebullient reaction may bode well for an upcoming IPO from Facebook Inc., which has built an online network of 845 million users by focusing on family and friendships instead of career advancement. Facebook filed papers last week for an initial public offering of stock. It's expected to be completed in May or June. The IPO is expected to value Facebook at $75 billion to $100 billion.
LinkedIn, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., has emerged as one of the stars from last year's crop of Internet IPOs. During the first nine months of trading, its stock has remained well above its IPO price of $45 and is moving upward again. The stock rose $6.44, or 8.4 percent, to $82.83 in extended trading Thursday after the release of results.
LinkedIn earned $6.9 million, or 6 cents per share, during the final three months of last year. In 2010, the company had income of $1.6 million, or 3 cents per share. It's not directly comparable because LinkedIn's outstanding shares have ballooned since its IPO in May. Before figuring the net income credited to shareholders, LinkedIn's net income for the latest quarter increased 30 percent from $5.3 million
If not for certain accounting items unrelated to its ongoing business, LinkedIn said it would have earned 12 cents in the fourth quarter. That figure topped the average estimate of 7 cents per share among analysts polled by FactSet.
Revenue more than doubled from the previous year to nearly $168 million — about $8 million above analyst estimates.
Management's projections for the first quarter and full year also called for revenue above analyst forecasts.


text:
What is Spina Bifida?
Spina bifida is a birth defect that occurs when the bones in a baby's spine do not fully form during early pregnancy. This results in an opening on the back, usually in the mid- to lower back.
Spina bifida is a birth defect that occurs when the bones in a baby's spine do not fully form during early pregnancy. This results in an opening on the back, usually in the mid- to lower back.
Spina bifida can be mild to severe. The mildest form, called spina bifida occulta, usually does not cause health problems.
The more severe types of spina bifida include myelomeningoceles, meningoceles, lipomyelomeningoceles and other less common lesions.
Children who are born with myelomeningocele can experience serious health problems, such as hydrocephalus (an excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain) and paralysis. The severity of paralysis depends on where the opening occurs in the spine.
Some babies who are diagnosed with myelomeningocele during pregnancy may undergo prenatal myelomeningocele surgery to repair the spinal defect.
In fact, results from a seven-year clinical research study called "Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS)" showed that babies who received prenatal repair of myelomeningocele can significantly benefit. The study, published in 2011, compared the effects of fetal surgery vs. surgical repair after birth. It followed 183 women and found that if a baby is operated on while still in the womb, some serious complications of myelomeningocele can be lessened.
MOMS showed that babies who had fetal surgery for myelomeningocele are less likely to suffer from hydrocephalus, a fluid collection in the brain. Babies who are born with hydrocephalus usually need ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting, which involves surgically implanting a thin, hollow tube with a valve underneath the skin, behind the ear, that drains excess fluid from the brain into the belly or chest area. In MOMS, 40 percent of babies who had fetal surgery for myelomeningocele needed a VP shunt, while 82 percent of babies who had surgery after they were born needed a VP shunt.
Another finding in the study is that 42 percent of the children who had fetal surgery were able to walk without crutches by age 2½. Only 21 percent of babies who had surgery after birth were able to walk unassisted at that age.
However, all this potential benefit comes at a cost that only the mothers can bear. She must go through extensive surgery, which requires Cesarean deliveries for future pregnancies and a risk for uterine rupture during the current pregnancy. This needs to be discussed with your doctors.
These and other results of MOMS are promising, and physicians are cautiously optimistic. Follow-up studies are under way to assess the long-term effect of prenatal myelomeningocele repair vs. surgery after birth.
Myelomeningocele typically is detected through routine ultrasound during the 18th to 22nd week of pregnancy. A preliminary diagnosis can be made as early as 16 weeks through a blood test that screens for maternal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Elevated AFP levels can suggest the presence of a neural tube defect. In this case, patients may undergo an amniocentesis or ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis.
Patients referred to the Cincinnati Children's Fetal Care Center with a diagnosis of fetal myelomeningocele can be seen within a few days of their initial call to the center. We offer a two-day assessment that may include another ultrasound and MRI to confirm the diagnosis and provide additional anatomic detail about the myelomeningocele and the brain. At the end of the second day, patients meet with specialists at the center to discuss the diagnostic findings, treatment options and long-term prognosis. Whether patients can return home after the surgery or need to stay in Cincinnati is also discussed.
Our team includes maternal-fetal medicine specialists, fetal surgeons, pediatric neurosurgeons, neonatologists, genetic counselors, developmental pediatricians and social workers. Referring physicians are welcome to participate in team meetings via video teleconferencing.
Our team works with each family to determine whether fetal surgery is a possible solution. Fetal surgery for myelomeningocele can offer significant benefits to the baby, but it also carries serious risks and potential complications. Our team provides extensive testing and counseling to ensure that patients meet the criteria for fetal myelomeningocele surgery and have all the information they need to make an informed decision about whether to undergo the procedure. Our surgeons have considerable experience in performing this delicate operation. Patients also benefit from exceptional follow-up care before and after the baby is born.
MOMS provides specific guidelines about who is a good candidate for fetal surgery and who is not. The Fetal Care Center follows these guidelines closely. A full list of criteria can be found here.
A partial list includes:
Patients may be eligible for surgery if they meet the following criteria:
Patients are not considered good candidates if the:
Prior to a patient's first visit, we ask a number of questions by phone to ensure that she meets preliminary criteria for fetal surgery to repair myelomeningocele. An extensive screening takes place during the patient visit to the Fetal Care Center.
Open fetal surgery for myelomeningocele takes place after the 19th week of pregnancy and before the 27th week of pregnancy begins. During surgery, the doctor makes an incision across the mother's abdomen and opens the uterus. The neurosurgeon removes the myelomeningocele sac, if one is present, and repairs the spinal defect in layers before closing the skin to protect the spinal cord from exposure to amniotic fluid. After the procedure, the uterus and abdomen are closed.
Patients recover in the hospital for four to five days. Weekly follow-up appointments and ultrasound tests take place to monitor the mother's and baby's condition.
Women who undergo fetal surgery deliver by a scheduled Cesarean section around 37 weeks gestation (earlier if labor begins before the scheduled date). This is done to prevent any stretching or tearing of the scar that was left on the uterus from the fetal surgery.
When patients are not eligible for fetal surgery or decide against it, surgical repair takes place after the baby is born. This involves operating on the baby within a few days after birth to close the opening in the spine to prevent infection and prevent further injury to the spinal cord and nerves.
However, it cannot correct the defects in the spinal cord and nerves. Babies who are born with hydrocephalus may need a shunt to help drain the excess fluid from the brain. Shunt placement surgery may take place within the first few weeks after the baby's birth.
Other issues that occasionally can develop in children born with a myelomeningocele include trouble breathing or swallowing. This is called the Chiari II malformation, and it occurs when the myelomeningocele affects a part of the brain called the brainstem.
Learning disabilities, trouble with hand-eye coordination, scoliosis, sexual dysfunction and a number of other problems may develop or become noticeable as the child gets older.
How well a child with myelomeningocele does after fetal surgical repair depends on many factors. Some children will require minimal ongoing care, while others will require medical and educational support for many years.
The Center for Spina Bifida Care at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary and family-centered medical care to infants, children and adolescents living with repaired myelomeningoceles and other neural tube defects. In addition to excellence in medical service and care coordination, the center is committed to becoming a leader in spina bifida education and research.
Data based on patients cared for by the Cincinnati Children's Fetal Care Center from Feb. 1, 2004, through June 30, 2023.
For more information or to request an appointment, contact the Cincinnati Children's Fetal Care Center at 1-888-338-2559 or use our online form.
Myelomeningocele Surgery: Our Biggest and Hardest Decision : Anna Joy is the youngest of four incredible little girls. My pregnancy with her was going smoothly — nothing seemed amiss.


text:
"Preparing the future of heritage sites - Building a project and management plan"
A second intensive training programme for francophone managers of cultural sites will be jointly organized at the Abbaye de Cluny in Burgundy (France) by the Centre-Arts et Métiers - ParisTech de Cluny with the European Archeological Centre of Bibracte, in partnership with the IUP Denis Diderot, the National Monuments Centre and the Network of Grand Sites in France. Participants also include the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Governing Body of Suomenlinna (World Heritage site); financial support is also provided by the Burgundy Regional Council.
The goal of this training programme is to help managers to better grasp their responsibilities and to create a sustainable, strategic vision for their professional duties. The objective is also to create an international network of francophone professionals in order to capitalize on the experience of each in order to complete group study projects through interactive workshops.
Candidates will be considered in the order in which their files are received. Each file must be completed with a cover letter, a curriculum vitae and a justification of fluency in French.
The file must be received by 29 August 2008, by:
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Fax: +33 (0) 3 85 59 53 81
Or by post to the attention of Emilie Nardon, Formation ENSAM/UNESCO 2009, at the following address:
Centre - Arts et Métiers- ParisTech de Cluny
Bureau des mastères
Rue Porte de Paris


text:
Allan Haley in U&lc on November 30, 2011
There were only three issues of U&lc in Volume Fourteen but, from cover to last page, each was packed with great content for lovers of type, lettering and typography. New typefaces were announced, more "families" were written about, antique crafts were celebrated, and an illustrator – soon to become a type designer and illustrator – was introduced to the readers of U&lc.
The Cover of U&lc Volume Fourteen, Number One, is the result of a three-month labor of love. The accompanying feature on the work of Ray Morrone should be a delight for lovers of type, lettering, and Spencerian scripts. What he produced with a Gillott® 290 pen was pure magic. An article on antique type specimen books and the annoucement of the ITC Pacella™ typeface family also make this issue a great read.
The illustrations of Daniel Pelavin are showcased in Volume Fourteen, Number Two. The next time Pelavin is written about in U&lc is when his first commercial typeface, the ITC Anna™ family, was announced. Pelavin continues to draw alphabets and create dynamic illustrations today.
Volume Fourteen, Number Three, carried the first U&lc cover designed by me. OK, the terrific illustration is from painter, Robert Heindel whose exceptional work is synonymous with the world of ballet; but the little typography in the upper right corner of the page is mine. The ITC Tiepolo™ family from Cynthia Hollandsworth and Arthur Baker also made its debut Volume Fourteen, Number Three. They drew many more typefaces. I didn't do any more U&lc covers.
The dancing d'Amboises, Brothers Grim and hockey's Gordie Howe and sons were featured in the Families to Remember series in Volume Fourteen – along with the ITC Eras®, ITC Benguiat® and ITC Korinna® typeface families.
Click the PDFs below to find out what else was in U&lc Volume Fourteen.
Low Resolution:
Volume 14-1 (Low Res).pdf (14.3 MB)
Volume 14-2 (Low Res).pdf (12.1 MB)
Volume 14-3 (Low Res).pdf (14.5 MB)
High Resolution:
Volume 14-1.pdf (64.1 MB)
Volume 14-2.pdf (58.3 MB)
Volume 14-3.pdf (71.0 MB)
Start your free fonts.com web fonts subscription today
Start Subscription


text:
David Cameron has apologised to veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner after he made fun of the 79-year-old's age.
Last month the Bolsover MP tackled the prime minister in the Commons over whether culture secretary Jeremy Hunt should keep his job given questions over his links to News Corporation.
Cameron responded: "Well, the honourable gentleman has the right, at any time, to take his pension and I advise him to do so."
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday the prime minister appeared to recognise that his past comments had not gone down too well.
"I deeply regret my last intervention, it was a bit more sharp than it should have been, I hope he will accept my apology for that," Cameron said.
"He is a tremendous ornament of this House and always remains the case."
It is not the first time the prime minister has responded aggressively to questions from Skinner. In January he made another joke widely seen to be a slight against his age.
Cameron said: "I often say to my children 'no need to go to the national history museum to see a dinosaur, come to the House of Commons at about half past twelve."
Today's apology came less than an hour after he was forced to withdraw an attack on shadow chancellor during prime minister's questions after he called him a "muttering idiot".


text:
Republican strategist Karl Rove says in a new memoir that the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq badly damaged the Bush administration's credibility and led to dwindling public support for the war.
The former White House political adviser blames himself for not pushing back against claims that President George W. Bush had taken the country to war under false pretenses, calling it one of the worst mistakes he made during the Bush presidency. The president, he adds, did not knowingly mislead the American public about the existence of such weapons.
In "Courage and Consequence," Rove argues that history will look favorably on Bush's two-term presidency, particularly his decision to invade Iraq. He calls the 2003 invasion the most consequential act of the Bush presidency and a justifiable response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, even though al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, not Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, were responsible.
In the run-up to the war, Bush and his national security team, including Vice President Dick Cheney, attempted to link Saddam to the attacks as a way to build support for the invasion.
"Having seen how much carnage four airplanes could cause, Bush was determined to do all he could to prevent the most powerful weapons from falling into the hands of the world's most dangerous dictators," Rove wrote.
'Impressive' president
Rove depicts Bush as a courageous and resolute leader whose conduct in office was forever shaped by the Sept. 11 attacks. He calls Bush's achievements over two terms "impressive, durable and significant" and says many of the controversies that weakened his presidency were falsehoods perpetuated by political opponents.
Rove staunchly defends Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated states along the Gulf of Mexico in September 2005. Bush came under withering criticism for the federal government's response to the crisis; his memorable praise for FEMA administrator Michael Brown — "Heck of a job, Brownie" — was fodder for those who said it revealed the administration's detachment and incompetence.
In the book, Rove blames state and local officials for botching recovery efforts, particularly Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, both Democrats.
He also has sharp words for President Barack Obama, calling him a stereotypical Chicago politician who plays fast and loose with the facts.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the book in advance of its March 9 release by Threshold Editions, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, CBS Corp.'s publishing arm.


text:
Now in its sixth year, the Great World Wide Star Count gives you a great excuse to enjoy a dark night sky and do something to help protect it from light pollution.
The late, great statesman Tip O'Neill once famously quipped, "All politics is local," and much the same can be said about light pollution. Case in point: A few years ago I moved to a new house that was less than 5 miles from my old one — and in doing so my night sky got at least two magnitudes darker.
So how starry is your starry night sky? You can find out easily, thanks to a sky-awareness campaign called the Great World Wide Star Count. It'll take just 20 minutes or so, and you'll be joined by thousands of equally-curious skygazers around the globe. Do it on your own, with your family, or as part of a larger group.
All you'll need are a clear evening sky sometime between October 5th and 19th, your own two eyes, and a set of simple star charts. First, download the handy five-page activity guide (available in 16 languages) and print the star charts. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you'll be looking high up for the constellation Cygnus, and its Northern Cross asterism. If you're south of the equator, the target area surrounds the Teapot in Sagittarius. Each of the seven maps shows stars down to a different magnitude limit, plus one for a cloudy sky.
Then, after stepping out under the early-evening sky and letting your eyes adjust to the darkness, match one of the charts to what you see overhead. Step back inside and report what you've found online. You're done! (Unlike many contests, you can enter more than once! You might be surprised by how much the sky's darkness can vary from night to night.)
GWWSC is a managed by UCAR's Windows to the Universe project. Previous efforts netted more than 22,000 observations. (If you've done this activity before, please do it again! In that way, you can help track long-term trends in light pollution's growth — or, just maybe, its decline.)
Go ahead — participate in the Great World Wide Star Count and become a "citizen scientist"!


text:
Sewall Knowledge of Maine Communities Is Key to Program Buy-Up Potential
(Old Town, Maine—12 November 2012). James W. Sewall Company recently contracted with Woolpert, Inc., to deliver geospatial products and services under the Maine GeoLibrary Orthoimagery Program.
Launched in early 2012, the program is a five-year initiative to collect and provide online delivery of new orthoimagery for the entire state. The data includes four-band imagery at two-foot or one-meter pixel resolution. Maine municipalities, state and local organizations have an additional buy-up option to purchase higher-resolution orthoimagery, LiDAR data, and GIS map products derived from the imagery, such as contours, land use/land cover, impervious surfaces, building footprints, and wetlands and vernal pool delineation.
Sewall's geospatial, engineering and natural resource professionals will complement existing program partners Woolpert and Kappa Mapping in geospatial data acquisition and development services. Sewall staff will also play a key role in communicating to clients and local constituencies the benefits of the program.
Woolpert Project Manager Brian Stevens, CP, SP, says, "Sewall brings not only technical expertise and experience to the team, but knowledge of Maine and the needs of Maine's communities. Sewall's connections will be invaluable as we develop the enormous buy-up potential of the program."
About Woolpert
Woolpert provides professional design, geospatial and infrastructure services to clients in the public and private sectors. Founded in 1911, Woolpert's innovative design approach and commitment to the creative application of technology have grown the firm into a leader in the consulting industry. With more than 650 professionals in 22 offices located throughout the US. Woolpert's collaborative and multidisciplinary approach is driven by great people, great clients and great projects. For more information on Woolpert, visit www.woolpert.com
About Sewall
Founded in 1880, Sewall is an international professional consulting organization specializing in energy, infrastructure and natural resources. The company's diverse portfolio is based on 132 years' experience in surveying, forest appraisal and civil engineering; 60 years' in aerial mapping; and 30 years' in GIS and application development. To obtain more information, please visit www.sewall.com or contact: Lisa Schoonmaker, at 207-827-4456; firstname.lastname@example.com