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Zapper makes it quicker and easier for your customers to pay for their meals. But besides a great user experience, Zapper also helps increase revenues at your restaurant through greater efficiencies and targeted promotions.
Zapper allows your customers to pay using their smartphone without having to call the waiter back to the table. Zapper even supports splitting the bill.
Customers scan the QR code on their bill with the Zapper app to pay instantly. They get an immediate notification of successful payment, and so does the restaurant.
Wait-staff have more time to provide excellent service, tables turn quicker and your customers are happy for the convenience.
Zapper's light-touch solution fits seamlessly into your existing POS system. A Zapper QR code gets added to your paper bill. Your customers can then Scan, Pay and Go!
Both you and your customer get notified instantly of payment success and they are free to leave.
If required, Zapper can allow customers to leave a tip for service. There is also a handy feature to make splitting the bill quick and simple.
The benefits of Zapper do not end when the customers leave. Zapper's merchant portal and CRM provides useful analytics and can be used to drive further custom.
Every time someone pays for their meal at your restaurant using Zapper, they're joining your tribe of customers. You can bring them back with attractive vouchers and reward their loyalty.
Zapper is not just awesome for mobile payments, it helps to build revenues at your restaurant by helping you to know your customers and engage them directly.
Zapper for Restaurants is available in the UK, Australia, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Sweden, the USA and will soon be available in Germany.
We are opening in new regions all the time so please, watch this space!
If you're ready to get Zapper in your restaurant or just want some more information, please click GET STARTED below and one of the Zapper team from your region will get in touch to answer any questions and get the process started.Get Started
If you just want to use Zapper to pay for a meal, you don't need to register here.
Just download the Zapper app and follow the instructions.
As a Zapper restaurant, you have access to an online dashboard and CRM. Here you can see all the details of your mobile payments and learn who your VIP customers. You'll have a crystal clear insight into everything that's going on including monitoring your voucher campaigns.
Zapper is already fully integrated into many quality ePOS systems but we're looking to add more. If you want to boost the functionality of your ePOS with Zapper's integrated mobile payment and digital marketing solution, please get in touch so we can discuss the best forward from a technical and commercial perspective. Learn more.Get in touch
These are just some of the great feedback we're getting from restaurants. Click here to read more.
Tarryn Leigh NashMarketing Coordinator,
Doppio Zero, South Africa
Alexandra LeaGroup Marketing Manager,
Burger & Lobster, UK
Jordi VidalOwner,
UDON, Spain
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Children who eat fast food three or more times a week have a higher chance of developing asthma, eczema, or hay fever, a New Zealand-led study has found.
Eating fresh fruit, in contrast, can act as a protective factor against these allergy-based conditions.
The study, published today in journal Thorax, surveyed more than 400,000 children from 51 countries. Over 26,000 of them were New Zealanders.
It found that teenagers who ate fast food three or more times a week had a 39 per cent increased risk of severe asthma, while primary school-aged children had a 27 per cent higher risk.
However, eating three or more servings of fruit a week could cut the chance of severe asthma, eczema, and hay fever by between 11 and 14 per cent across the age groups.
The University of Auckland's Professor Innes Asher, who led the study, said parents should sit up and take notice of the results.
"These results are quite concerning, because fast food outlets are on the rise," Prof Asher said.
"The bottom line is that people should be careful about the amount of fast food they eat."
Though the exact reason why consumption of fast food is linked to these conditions is unknown, Prof Asher cites factors such as high levels of trans- and saturated- fatty acids as possible contenders.
These fats are known to affect immunity, which could in turn lead to allergy-related conditions.
Eating fresh fruit provides protection against these conditions because they contain beneficial antioxidants, she said.
The study indicates an association between the factors, rather than establishing a causal link.
The research team is currently looking for funding for a future study, which would establish whether this link is present.
If causality is established, then "the findings have major public health significance owing to the rising consumption of fast foods globally," Prof Asher said.

subset: commoncrawl


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Fans show NFL the money with Tebow jersey sales
Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow has yet to throw a pass in an NFL game, but he is already No. 1 in the league in at least one category.
The rookie, one of the two first-round picks for the Broncos in this past April's draft, had the league's top-selling jersey between April 1 and June 30. The figures were tabulated only for merchandise sold on the league's website — NFLShop.com.
The sales totals put Tebow ahead of such established NFL veterans Donovan McNabb, whose new Washington Redskins jersey was the No. 2 seller over that span, Saints quarterback Drew Brees (No. 3) and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (No. 4).
Tebow was the only Broncos' player among the top 25. Currently he is the Broncos' No. 3 quarterback behind Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn.
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was the second pick of the April draft, was the only other rookie among the top 10 sellers. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was the other rookie among the top 15.
Tebow's power to pull people to cash registers won't help the Broncos' bottom line more than any other team in the league since the NFL's 32 teams currently divide all merchandise revenue evenly, but it does show Tebow's star power is substantial even before he has appeared in a regular-season game.
Former Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, now with Miami, was at No. 16 on the list.
According to NFLshop.com:
1. Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos
2. Donovan McNabb, Washington Redskins
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
5. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
6. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings
7. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
8. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions
9. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams
10. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets
11. Eli Manning, New York Giants
12. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
13. LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets
14. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
15. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
16. Brandon Marshall, Miami Dolphins
17. Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints
18. Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs
19. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
20. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
21. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
22. Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
23. Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys
24. Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia Eagles
25. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
(April 1 through June 30):
1. Denver Broncos
2. New Orleans Saints
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. New York Giants
6. Washington Redskins
7. Miami Dolphins
8. New York Jets
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Chicago Bears


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NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Herbs, prescriptions, counseling and lifestyle advice can all help women with cancer improve their sex life, two U.S. doctors say.
Dr. Elena Ratner and Dr. Mary Jane Minkin of the Yale School of Medicine provide patients with options that can range from medical prescriptions to lifestyle changes at the Sexuality Intimacy and Menopause Clinic at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven.
The clinic is the brainchild of gynecologists Minkin, who specializes in menopause, and Ratner, who specializes in oncology. Their partner, Dwain Fehon, provides interdisciplinary care to cancer survivors.
After a thorough evaluation, the specialists offer women a wide array of services, including acupuncture, individual or couples counseling, medical and herbal remedies, Reiki and even a Zumba class, the physicians said.
More than 6 million U.S. women are cancer survivors, but the treatments that saved their lives can cause life-altering symptoms, which can be embarrassing for women to discuss with their doctors, or they can be dwarfed by concerns about the cancer, the physicians said.
"I think many cancer specialists are of the belief that the patients sort of adopt: You're a survivor; you should be happy," Minkin said in a statement.


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Swimming Into the 21st Century
Leisure Press, 1992 - Natation - 255 pages
Presents a panoramic perspective of every phase of competitive swimming and looks at where it has been, where it is, and where it is going. The book details the search for improved stroke techniques, the development of improved training methods and more.
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Principles of Stroke Mechanics
The Technique of the Crawl Stroke
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adaptation aerobic airfoil altitude American Swimming Coaches anaerobic angle of attack athletes Australian backstroke blood lactate body bound vortex breaststroke butterfly butterfly stroke Carlile cause champion changes competitive swimming Counsilman crawl stroke Cureton drag East German effect efficiency elbow endurance fartlek faster Figure flow reactions foil Forbes Carlile force forearm freestyle Gerschler hand heart rate history of swimming human swimming ideal important improve increase individual medley interval training James Counsilman kick lactate lift lift force maximum ment mers meters ming minutes rest motion moving muscle oncoming flow overarm oxygen pace pattern performance phase physiological pool produce propeller propulsive impulse pull Reprinted by permission resistance rotation Schleihauf season seconds rest shed sidestroke skilled swimmers speed sport sprint steady flow streamlined stroke cycle stroke mechanics swimmers swimming propulsion swimming stroke Swimming Technique taper testing tion training program velocity vortices Warm-up workout world record


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Perfect for agencies, designers or organizations of any size - SiteWrench is an extremely flexible system. It has all of the tools and functionality you need and is backed by our team of web experts. You can spend less time managing websites, while seeing greater results.
Whether we design the sites or you do it all yourself, SiteWrench has virtually no design limitations. You're also welcome to use one of our templates.
You are never on your own when you need help; we are quick, helpful and can manage all the details. Spend your time growing your business, not troubleshooting problems.
With regular monthly updates, SiteWrench is improving and adding new features as technology changes.
SiteWrench websites are mobile friendly & can include mobile-specific versions. Take advantage of one of our free responsive templates, if you like.
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Building and managing a website can be tricky, but SiteWrench makes it possible. Concerns about private material, website functionality and even an individual's ability to access the website are thoroughly researched and addressed.
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SiteWrench, a CMS that keeps everything looking uniform, with endless available functionalities, was the perfect fit for us. Editing is simple and quick. Updates keep everything fresh.
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I've worked with a number of content management systems and SiteWrench is—by far—the easiest and most intuitive to work with. SiteWrench can handle any and all website and application needs from the ground up.
—Drew Ryan Designer/Front-end Developer


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OsteoporosisJanuary 2005
By Richard P. Huemer, MD
A serious and disabling disorder, osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease in the Western world. Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and the deterioration of bone structure leading to fragility and susceptibility to fracture. The most common fracture sites are the spine, hip, and forearm. Osteoporosis is more prevalent in women than in men, and its incidence increases with age.
More than 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and many more have a lesser form of weak bones called osteopenia.1 The health consequences of osteoporosis are far-reaching, as people who suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis have an increased risk of disability and mortality.
The Dynamic State of Bones
Throughout life, cells known as osteoblasts construct bone matrix and fill it with calcium. At the same time, cells called osteoclasts work just as busily to tear down and resorb the bone. This fine balance is regulated by many factors, including systemic hormones and cytokines. Bone mass reaches its peak by the middle of the third decade of life and plateaus for about 10 years, during which time bone turnover is constant, with bone formation approximately equaling bone resorption.2
As our bodies age, this fine balance is lost. As the relative hormone levels shift in midlife—more drastically in women than in men—the osteoclasts gain the upper hand and bone mass begins dwindling away. Some bone is already being lost by the time women reach menopause, but the rate of loss can increase as much as tenfold during the first six years after menopause. This is the essence of type I osteoporosis.
From midlife onward, bone health is threatened by overactive osteoclasts. To add to the problem, the osteoblasts may become less active from age 60 onward, thus causing type II osteoporosis. Whereas trabecular (spongy-looking) bone in the vertebrae and elsewhere was formerly at risk from excess osteoclast activity, now the cortical (dense) bone of the hip, shin, pelvis, and other sites becomes more prone to fracturing because osteoblasts do not make enough of it.
A fractured hip is an all-too-common prelude to death in elderly adults, and, at an average cost of $40,000, an economic burden on patients, families, and the health care system.3 Over 30% of all hip fractures occur in men.4
Who Is at Risk?
Genetic factors help set the stage for osteoporosis.5 Americans of European or Asian ancestry are more susceptible than African-Americans. Our genetic "cards" are shuffled with each generation, so you may not have received all the same genes as your osteoporotic relative.
Regardless of the genetic hand you were dealt, your chances of developing osteoporosis greatly depend on your environment and health habits. Individuals with a slight frame or a history of anorexia or bulimia are at greater risk for osteoporosis later in life. A history of amenorrhea, or the absence of menstrual periods, also increases risk. Smoking and heavy alcohol use promote weak, brittle bones. A high-phosphorus diet—epitomized by a fast-food hamburger and soft drink—causes a calcium-phosphorus imbalance that favors osteoporosis. Inactivity and lack of weight-bearing exercise, as in space travel or prolonged bed rest, also weaken the bones.
Age itself is a factor for bone health. Hormonal balance changes with age, as levels of bone-protecting sex hormones decline, more precipitously in women than in men. The hormonal form of vitamin D—1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D—declines, as do melatonin and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Cortisol and parathyroid hormone increase with age. Hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone generally favor bone maintenance, as do vitamin D, DHEA, and melatonin.6 The thyroid, parathyroid, and glucocorticoid hormones (such as cortisol) favor bone destruction.
Unfortunately, medications such as cortisone-type drugs cause some cases of osteoporosis. Antiepileptic drugs can also weaken the bones, apparently by interfering with vitamin D metabolism.7 Lithium, tamoxifen, and very high doses of thyroid hormone likewise may reduce bone mass.8
Reducing Risk with Calcium
Adults can reduce their risk of osteoporosis by engaging in regular weight-bearing exercise, eating a variety of healthy foods, avoiding tobacco and alcohol, and minimizing their use of bone-weakening prescription drugs.
Foods that promote bone health include calcium sources—such as dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, legumes, canned salmon, and sardines—and dairy products like milk and cheese.
Paradoxically, osteoporosis is quite common in Sweden and Norway, where milk consumption is high. Among the explanations advanced for this anomaly are excess vitamin A intake from fortified milk9 and widespread vitamin K deficiency.10
Daily calcium requirements vary by age. The National Academy of Sciences and National Osteoporosis Foundation recommend the following guidelines:11
While obtaining your daily calcium requirement from foods would be ideal, the fact is that many Americans' diets often fall short in this regard. Hence, calcium supplements are good insurance against deficiency. Some doctors, no doubt attempting to be helpful, suggest chewable antacid tablets as a calcium supplement for their patients. That is not a good idea, however, because the type of calcium in those tablets—calcium carbonate—is poorly absorbed, especially in many elderly people who lack adequate stomach acid.
Preventing deficiency should perhaps begin at an early age, when the bones are still growing. In one double-blind study, 94 teenage girls were given calcium citrate malate (a form of calcium preferred for its absorbability) or placebo for 18 months.12 The supplement increased the girls' calcium intake from 80% of the recommended dietary allowance to 110%, with striking results: 24 grams more bone gained in the calcium group, amounting to an additional 1.3% of skeletal mass per year. This "head start" should protect these young women from the risk of osteoporotic bone fracture later in life.
The same research team repeated their study of calcium citrate malate with a somewhat larger subject group for 24 months.13 The results and conclusions were similar. The calcium's effectiveness depended on the subjects' degree of physical maturity, a reflection of their sex hormone activity.
Long after a person's bone mass has begun to decline, calcium can still protect by slowing the rate of loss. In a study from the USDA's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, men and women aged 65 or older were given 500 mg of calcium citrate malate and 700 IU of vitamin D daily for three years. The supplemented group had less than half as many non-vertebral fractures as the placebo group, and significantly less total-body bone loss.14 An earlier study from the same institution showed benefits from added calcium in postmenopausal women with inadequate calcium intakes; a supplement of calcium citrate malate performed better than calcium carbonate.15
Medical Tests and Treatments
Several tests are available to measure bone mineral density, and all are considered good predictors of risk for future fracture. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) uses a small amount of radiation to measure bone density in the spine, hip, or wrist, the most common sites of osteoporotic fractures. Bone mineral density of the hip is considered the best predictor of hip fracture risk, while central DEXA of the hip and spine is the preferred measurement for definitive diagnosis. Peripheral DEXA or single-energy x-ray absorptiometry can be used to measure bone mineral density in the forearm, finger, and sometimes the heel. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) measures trabecular and cortical bone density at several skeletal sites, but is most commonly used to measure trabecular bone density in the spine. Ultrasound densitometry assesses bone in the heel, tibia, patella, or other peripheral sites. While ultrasound measurements are generally not as precise as DEXA or QCT, they appear to be useful in predicting fracture risk.9
A diagnosis of osteoporosis is based on the measurement of bone mineral density at the spine, hip, or wrist. Normal bone density is indicated by a measurement that is within one standard deviation of a normal young adult, or a T-score between -1.0 and 1.0. The World Health Organization defines osteoporosis by a measurement of bone mineral density that is 2.5 standard deviations below that of a healthy young person, or a T-score at or below -2.5. T-scores between –1.0 and –2.5 signify osteopenia, a lesser degree of bone mineral loss.9
In addition, biochemical markers can be assessed to provide an indication of bone turnover. While these are useful for evaluating the success of therapy, they do not measure bone mass and so do not directly indicate the presence of osteoporosis. Biochemical markers include N-telopeptide, C-telopeptide, and deoxypyridinoline.
Bone mineral density should be tested on all women aged 65 or older, in any postmenopausal woman with a fracture, and in postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors (such as smoking, low body weight, or use of certain prescription drugs). Some health providers recommend bone density screenings at an even younger age as part of a comprehensive approach to preventive health care.
Medical treatments for osteoporosis include drugs, hormones, and nutrients.16 The most commonly used drugs are bisphosphonates and selective estrogen-response modifiers (SERMs). The bisphosphonates (such as Fosamax® and Actonel®) suppress osteoclast action, promote apoptosis (cell suicide) in osteoclasts, and prevent fractures. SERMs such as raloxifene (Evista®) provide the osteoclast-suppressing benefits of natural estrogen, without estrogen's risk of uterine and breast cancer.
In place of SERMs, many integrative medical practitioners prefer soy isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein, which stimulate estrogen receptors in bone cells without undesirable activation of uterine and breast cells. In one recent double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in China, postmenopausal women received various amounts of soy extract along with conservative doses of calcium and vitamin D. The women who took the most soy (80 mg of isoflavones) lost the least bone from the hip area.17
The preponderance of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, compared to men of similar age, was long believed to reflect estrogen deficiency. For many years, hormone replacement therapy was offered to women as an osteoporosis-prevention strategy, though most doctors prescribed horse-derived estrogens that are not identical to human estrogens. Because estrogen can promote breast and uterine cancers, and increase heart disease risk, its use is now controversial, with some clinicians recommending it18 and others warning against it.19
Male hormones such as testosterone build bone.20 In women, however, testosterone's side effects include excess hairiness, or hirsutism, and deepening of the voice. The combination of testosterone and estrogen builds bone in osteoporotic women.21
The hormone calcitonin inhibits bone breakdown by osteoclasts. Calcitonin derived from salmon is available for administration by injection or as a nasal spray.2 Another hormone recently approved for medical use is teriparatide, which is a fragment of the human parathyroid hormone.22
The idea of using parathyroid hormone to treat osteoporosis might seem contraindicated, as sustained high levels of parathyroid hormone stimulate osteoclasts that resorb bone. However, when a patient is intermittently dosed with a synthesized fragment (the 1-34 part) of parathyroid hormone, the bone-building osteoblasts are stimulated.23 This therapy is an exciting new development because it can add bone mass.24,25 It works in conjunction with vitamin D,26 though combining it with a bisphosphonate seems to be unnecessary, or even detrimental.27
New therapies for the treatment of osteoporosis are under development. For example, Amgen is investigating the use of AMG 162, a genetically engineered antibody that mimics the action of the body's natural osteoprotegerin protein for potential use in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Phase 3 studies on AMG 162 are currently under way. (More information is available at www.amgen.com.)


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DI Men's Basketball Player of the Week - No. 4
By Chad Waller, Director of Communications and Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Jeremy Rodgers of Martin Methodist (Tenn.) has been named the NAIA National Division I Men's Basketball Player of the Week, the national office announced Tuesday. Rodgers was selected based on his performances from Jan. 21 - 27 and was chosen out of a pool of conference/independent/unaffiliated groupings.
Rodgers, a 6-foot-5 senior forward from Memphis, Tenn., lifted Martin Methodist to two wins last week with his averages of 24.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.5 steals. He shot 68 percent (22-of-32) from the field during those two TranSouth Athletic Conference victories.
He posted a career-high 27 points in the 84-71 victory over Mid-Continent (Ky.) Jan. 24. On Jan. 26, Rodgers pulled down a personal-best 14 rebounds to go along with 22 points in a 69-53 win over Life (Ga.). He also finished his night with a career-high four blocks and four steals. That scoring effort put him over 10 points in three of his last four contests.
On the season, he ranks first on the club in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and third in scoring (12.4 ppg).
For a complete listing of all the national statistical leaders, click here.
The next Player of the Week announcement will be on Feb. 5. For the complete Player of the Week calendar, click here.
Nominees: Brandon Davis, LSU Shreveport (La.); Chris Gorman, Vanguard (Calif.); Cordaryl Campbell, Tougaloo (Miss.); Jeremy Bennington, Shawnee State (Ohio); Kenny Joyner, Southern Wesleyan (S.C.); Ben Steinlage, Baker (Kan.); David Rawlinson, West Virginia Tech; Kyle Harvey, Williams Baptist (Ark.); Reggie Fondren, Wayland Baptist (Texas); Nick Jones, Carroll (Mont.).
2012-13 Division I Men's Basketball Player of the Week
Week 1 (Jan. 8): Brandon Davis, LSU Shreveport (La.)
Week 2 (Jan. 15): Marcel Towns, Great Falls (Mont.)
Week 3 (Jan. 22): Anthony Dorsey, Truett-McConnell (Ga.)
Week 4 (Jan. 29): Jeremy Rodgers, Martin Methodist (Tenn.)


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MPAA Keeps Wanting To 'Educate' Others, But Why Does It Never Learn Anything Itself?
from the simple-questions deptOver the past few decades, one thing that's been fairly consistent coming from the legacy entertainment industry is this incredible blind faith in the claim that "if only the public were more educated about copyright law, piracy would go away." This mantra never goes away. This was the stated rationale behind the RIAA's many thousands of lawsuits against individuals. It's been the stated rationale behind programs like six strikes and Hadopi. And it's the reason behind a series of ridiculous school propaganda programs, the latest of which (which doesn't appear much different from past versions) is being rightfully mocked.
Of course, as we've noted over and over again, there is almost no indication at all the "problem" the industry faces is an education problem. Instead, it appears to be a problem of their own making, in that they refuse to recognize what the public is demanding, and thus are failing to deliver the product properly. Furthermore, this focus on "education" has never been shown to work. Past attempts to educate school kids resulted in kids rolling their eyes and verbally mocking such obvious propaganda. Furthermore, historical attempts at "educating" people not to copy have never worked. And that's because it's never actually been an education problem. Sure, many in the public may not be fully educated on the ins and outs of copyright law. But, that's generally not why they're engaging in unauthorized access to content. They're doing it because they want to see/hear/read/run/play the content, and often that's the most convenient way.
This incredible disconnect by the MPAA is exceptionally clear in the actions the MPAA was taking in its legal fight against IsoHunt, right before the two sides agreed to a silly $110 million settlement that will never be paid. Right before that settlement, TorrentFreak had a great article mainly discussing the MPAA's nearly apoplectic desire to avoid letting the jury hear anything about (the lack of) actual damages arising from IsoHunt. It was an interesting story, though not quite as sensationalistic as the original article suggests. The MPAA is actually legally correct in arguing that one of the key points for having statutory damages is so that the copyright holder doesn't have to go through the process of determining actual damages. I (and many others) have serious problems with the whole concept of statutory damages for this very reason -- because it seems absurd to order incredibly high damages when no actual harm was done -- but that is what the current law is.
That said, I think the story is more interesting because of a few other points. First, the MPAA totally misrepresented the law and what IsoHunt was arguing. The MPAA was correct in noting the nature of statutory damages, but took it out of context concerning that lawsuit. The MPAA would have been correct if IsoHunt was using the effort to research actual damages to try to get out from paying any damages. But it was not. IsoHunt had already lost that part of the lawsuit, and it was clear that the company was going to have to pay something. The question was how much.
IsoHunt was arguing, quite reasonably and well within the law, that in helping the jury determine where in the wider range of statutory damages the award should end up, it would be helpful to look at actual damages. That's perfectly reasonable. As it stands, a jury can award between $750 and $150,000 per infringement. All IsoHunt was arguing is that some showing of actual damages is reasonable for the jury to learn about to determine where in that rather large range the award should fall. That's both within the law and reasonable.
But much more insane and questionable was the MPAA's conduct in trying to pile on many more infringements after the fact. The case itself revolved around a claim of infringement of 44 different movie files, which IsoHunt was found guilty of "inducing." We have serious issues with the idea that a third-party software provider should be found guilty for the actions of its users, but, given that the court has already decided this, the range of statutory damages should clearly be based on those 44 files. Instead, however, at the very last minute, the MPAA added 3,903 more files to the list (3,190 of which are TV shows instead of movies) and said the statutory damages should be calculated on each of those files. That jacked up even the minimum statutory award from $33,000 to $2.96 million. And moved the maximum up from $6.6 million to $592 million. At that rate, $110 million looks like a "bargain."
But -- and this is the important part -- at no point has anyone, including the MPAA, proved in a court that IsoHunt "induced" the infringement of all of those files. In fact, as IsoHunt notes, they barely had any time to process the details of those files. In July, the MPAA suddenly announced that it was adding a bunch of files that weren't reviewed during the trial stage. It then refused to tell IsoHunt what those files were until September 16, when it provided it with a massive list of 4,145 files, barely giving IsoHunt any time at all to review all of those claims to see if they were legit. Furthermore, IsoHunt pointed out that, just in looking through the list and grabbing random samples, it found numerous examples where "the claimed infringement does not match the claimed work."
It should seem obvious that it's a massive abuse of basic due process to try someone over a specific legal infraction, and then only after the fact, at the point where damages are assessed, to magically add in thousands of more alleged infringements, which were never actually reviewed during the trial. And that's especially true in copyright cases, where different files may have different fact patterns and different defenses.
So why is the MPAA doing this? Even the judge in the case is befuddled, but the MPAA has its reason: education.
Even the judge was confused why the MPAA wanted to pile on so many extra files when it was clear that it wouldn't make a difference. The transcript reveals the whole "we want to learn them internet folks" mentality coming from the MPAA's lawyers:
THE COURT: What do you estimate to be the resources of [Defendants]? . . . What do you suspect?But this is how the legacy entertainment industry guys think -- and it (once again) shows how out-of-touch and clueless they are. In the past, they've made this same argument in trying to justify the massive awards courts ordered against Jammie Thomas-Rasset and Joel Tenenbaum. The highly compensated lawyers think that awards of many millions of dollars (or over $100 million against companies like IsoHunt and Limewire) help "educate" people away from such things by scaring them.
PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL: Based on our estimate, Your Honor, we believe a couple to a few million dollars would exhaust Mr. Fung's or defendants' ability to pay...
PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL: A couple to a few million dollars would exhaust defendants' --
THE COURT: Does that mean, like $2 million --
PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL: Two million dollars to $4 million, $5 million at the most.
THE COURT: So why are you making such a fetish about 2,000 or 3,000 or 10,000 or 100 copyrights?
MR. FABRIZIO: Your Honor, the purpose of statutory damages is not only to seek compensation from the defendants, extraordinarily important purpose is to create -- send a message to other would-be infringers like defendants, and there are thousands of them.... THE COURT: But if you strip him of all his assets -- and you're suggesting that a much lesser number of copyrights would accomplish -- copyright infringements would accomplish that, where is the deterrence by telling the world that you took someone's resources away because of illegal conduct entirely or 50 times over?
But what they don't realize is that this strategy almost certainly backfires badly every single time. That's because the money is too high. To average people making average amounts of money (i.e., not the lawyers the RIAA and MPAA hires, nor the execs from either of those organizations), millions of dollars is not a large number that is scary. It's an inconceivable abstract concept. It's so insane to actually feel unrealistic. It has no deterrent factor, because it's incomprehensible. Your average person doing some random file sharing recognizes that having to pay over a million dollars for such actions is so patently ridiculous that it doesn't even register as being something to be afraid of. It's not realistic.
You don't "educate" people with such high numbers. It's only the money-obsessed RIAA and MPAA that think the higher the number, the scarier the message, and the more effective the education. The reality is quite different. It just makes people respect those organizations less, and find the entire legal effort completely surreal and detached from reality. The RIAA and MPAA have gotten these types of awards before, and it has had no real impact. People continue to access unauthorized content, and new platforms and services (often harder to track down) pop up every single time one of these sites gets shut down.
The MPAA thinks that it has to keep ratcheting up the "education" by seeking ever more ridiculous numbers, but at what point do they realize this doesn't work and has never worked? When the "punishment" seems perfectly absurd to anyone with common sense, and tactics like piling on thousands of extra infringements not mentioned in the trial raise significant questions of due process and fairness, all the MPAA is doing is making sure that people have less respect and less interest in actually paying attention to the details of copyright law, because the MPAA (along with the RIAA) has worked so damn hard to "educate" the world that the punishments associated with copyright law make absolutely no sense.
Filed Under: copyright, education, gary fung, piling on, takedowns
Companies: isohunt, mpaa


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2013 Contests Are Now Open!
following awards are offered once a year by the Bellingham Review.
The 49th Parallel Award for Poetry1st Prize: $1,000
Final Judge: Kevin Clark
>The 49th Parallel is the nickname for the US/Canada border that stretches from Washington State to Minnesota. Bellingham, Washington, the home of Western Washington University and theBellingham Review lies just shy of the border.
The Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction1st Prize: $1,000
Final Judge: Dinah Lenney
Born April 30, 1945, Annie Dillard is best known for her nature-themed writing. She has explored her past and present dealings with nature through poetry, essays and novels. Often compared to Thoreau and other transcendentalist writers, Dillard is unique in her defiance of any strict categorization. As she examines the natural world, her subjects move between wildlife, God and the human condition. Among the nine book-length publications Dillard has published over the past twenty years, her use of multiple genres allows her to seamlessly move from Virginia creeks, to the Puget Sound, to the Galapagos Islands.s
The Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction1st Prize: $1,000
Final Judge: Marjorie Sandor
Born in 1945 in Alabama, Wolff has been regarded as the master of memoir and short stories. His best known work, This Boy's Life, recounts the story of his early childhood years in the Northwest and was the basis for a 1993 motion picture starring Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio. A three-time winner of the O. Henry Award, Tobias Wolff is celebrated for his collections of short stories, novels, and memoirs. Wolff's second collection of short stories, Back in the World (1985), was hailed as a sensitive work of fiction focusing primarily on the experiences of returning Vietnam veterans. In literary circles, Wolff is revered as much as a teacher as he is as a writer. After completing a Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University, Wolff served as the Jones Lecturer in Creative Writing at that institution (1975-1978). He later spent 17 years leading the Creative Writing Program at Syracuse University (1980-97). In 1997, he returned to Stanford where he currently resides and teaches.
Contest Submission Guidelines


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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Documents detailing the dubious fundraising practices of a disgraced Roman Catholic religious order called the Legion of Christ were released to the public Friday, showing how the organization took control of an elderly woman's finances and persuaded her to bequeath it $60 million.
All fundraising is dubious when based on a myth that is sold by what amounts to a priestly Ponzi scheme.
The records include the first-ever depositions of high-ranking Legion officials. They shed light on the inner workings of a secretive congregation placed under Vatican receivership after the Holy See determined that its founder was a spiritual fraud who sexually abused his seminarians and fathered three children with two women.
The Pope worked for the New Inquisition within the Priesthood, inheritors to mass murder of untold thousands, including Serbs, gypsies, the Wise Women (with their abortifaciants), homosexuals ("fagots" with which to start the burning of heretics), and, yes, a scientist or two, not to mention the Cathari, the Jews of the Middle Ages and later, the Arianists, and all manner of rival religious movements and especially the Christian gnostics.
A Rhode Island Superior Court judge said last year that the documents raised a red flag because a steadfastly spiritual elderly woman transferred millions to "clandestinely dubious religious leaders." But they had been kept under seal until The Associated Press, The New York Times, the National Catholic Reporter and The Providence Journal intervened, arguing that they were in the public interest.
In effect, this scheme amounts to Indulgences on a grand scale: millions given to rascally priests so that one may be bought out of Hell or Purgatory, the priests empowered with special prayers to intervene in one's afterlife existence, changing God's mind, as it were.
Pope Benedict XVI took over the Legion in 2010 after a Vatican investigation determined that its founder, the late Rev. Marcial Maciel, had lived a double life. The pope ordered a wholesale reform of the order and named a papal delegate to oversee it.
Why did he not intervene when he was second in command? The next to top guy does the dirty work; it is his last challenge before payday: white smoke. And all this time Benedict oversaw dealings with pedophile priest in the U.S., aiding and abetting the obstruction of justice and the enabling of recidivist priests in finding new parishes and new boys to molest, or girls as the case might be.
The Legion scandal is significant because it shows how the Holy See willfully ignored credible allegations of abuse against Maciel for decades, all while holding him up as a model of sainthood for the faithful because he brought in money and vocations to the priesthood. The scandal, which has tarnished the legacy of Pope John Paul II, is the most egregious example of how the Vatican ignored decades of reports about sexually abusive priests because church leaders put the interests of the institution above those of the victims.
"Willful ignorance" has a technical legal meaning: it suggests acts just short of malice; it means turning one's gaze away from activities that should have been reported in each instance to child protective services, failure to do so being a crime. It suggests deprivation of the civil rights of the victims of the abuse, a violation of their most fundamental being.
The will of Gabrielle Mee, who died at age 96 in 2008, is the focus of the lawsuit. Mee's niece, Mary Lou Dauray, had alleged that Mee was defrauded by the Legion and unduly influenced by its priests into giving away her fortune. Her late husband was a onetime director of Fleet National Bank, which has since been absorbed by Bank of America.
There we have it: a dying widow is easy pray (pun intended): at 96, one has little will and can be subjected to undue influence. One imagines a Marcial Maciel whispering sweet nothings into the old gal's ears as she lay dying, telling her God has forgiven her for his sins, though he might put her in Purgatory a little while just to make sure he hasn't come across any entries that were overlooked in his big Omniscience computer system. A generous gift would buy her advance up the Heavenly Ladder.
Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein ruled in September that Dauray could not sue, but he noted there was evidence that Mee had been unduly persuaded to change her trusts and will and give the Legion her money. Dauray's lawyer, Bernard Jackvony, said Friday that the documents being released show an orchestrated effort by higher-ups at the Legion to get Mee's money and cover up Maciel's misdeeds.
And just who do you suppose was overseeing the doings of the Legion and taking the God Father's share of the filthy lucre?
The Legion says its actions surrounding Mee and her estate were appropriate and honorable. It says it did not exert undue influence over her decision-making, and that the gifts she gave to the order were made of her own free will.
What "free will"? Very clever but ridiculous.
Among the documents being released are depositions given by top-ranking leadership of the Legion, including the Rev. Anthony Bannon, who was once Maciel's deputy, and the Rev. Luis Garza, current head of the Legion's North American operations. In one deposition, Garza acknowledged that he was on a committee of Legion officials that was created to distribute funds from one of Mee's trusts exclusively for Legion activities.
I should think the government might want to look into this Luis Garza. Taking advantage of a widow is unconscionable.
Views: 1225
During my occult period, I "worshiped" Baphomet, but only symbolic of Pan. Rival religions so feared the popularity of the god of shepherds (sound vaguely familiar?) they perpetuated the myth that Pan, who was presumably immortal, had somehow "died." Wiki on the matter:
"According to the Greek historian Plutarch (in De defectu oraculorum, "The Obsolescence of Oracles"),[23] Pan is the only Greek god (other than Asclepius) who actually dies. During the reign of Tiberius (A.D. 14–37), the news of Pan's death came to one Thamus, a sailor on his way to Italy by way of the island of Paxi. A divine voice hailed him across the salt water, "Thamus, are you there? When you reach Palodes,[24] take care to proclaim that the great god Pan is dead." Which Thamus did, and the news was greeted from shore with groans and laments."
Pan, for me, was nothing but the reinvention of Shiva. That is because he is of that class of classical deities are endowed with extraordinary sexual endowments and propensities, the original pansexualists. (Note that his is enirely the opposite of the Christians, who make sex dirty and in some cases "perverted" as if they did nothing themselves a little odd when it comes to matters sexual. By turning sex into a sin, The Priesthood could blackmail more congregants into submission. The sexual morality espoused by them comes from 5,000-year-old "holy" books, hoary volumes that make eating shrimp a cardinal sin. I like my oysters on the half-shell myself, with a little lime juice, hot sauce, and saltine crackers; alas, today, it's O'Doull's N.A. to wash the forbidden fruit of the sea down my pie hole.
Danielou said that Shiva became Dionysus, but what is Pan if not Dionysus without the wine? Here He is with Daphnis. Note the horny nature of Him. He thinks of nothing but sex, with the exception of mentoring young people, as here.
We (my hubby and I) collected quite a bit during our occult period as well, we have a gorgeous representation of Cernunnos that I picked up somewhere along the way, a Pan in my office, several goat pieces scattered about and we had a thing for horned skulls and built up quite a collection during that time. I even have one mask from Kenya with horns, I always loved the imagery of that god and I never understood the vilification of sexuality, after all, it's how we all got here. Love that piece you posted, would love to have a replica of that for the yard!
When I got into it, I shopped at an occult book shop in NYC where the owner, a fat, tres gai neo-pagan with a pissy disposition, glanced at the little statuette I was buying and I blushed and said "Pan." He replied: "Dionysus. Look at the jug he's carrying." Sure enough, my ithyphallic Dionysus, he of the platypus lips, clutches closely his jug of wine. The owner, who also carried merchandise relating to voudoo, witchcraft, and other heretic or pagani belief systems, was well known in occult circles, which tends to be a very hermetic subculture, you should pardon the pun.
Then there's the millions the Catholic Church got from Mussolini, and used it to build a real estate empire. Evil, evil, evil.
What is a Baphomet?
"Baphomet (/ˈbæfɵmɛt/; from medieval Latin Baphometh, baffometi, OccitanBafometz) is a supposed pagan deity (i.e., a product of Christian folklore concerning pagans), revived in the 19th century as a figure of occultism and Satanism. It first appeared in 11th and 12th century Latin and Provençal as a corruption of "Mahomet", the Latinisation of "Muhammad",[1] but later it appeared as a term for a pagan idol in trial transcripts of the Inquisition of the Knights Templar in the early 14th century. The name first came into popular English-speaking consciousness in the 19th century, with debate and speculation on the reasons for the suppression of the Templars.[2]
Since 1855, the name Baphomet has been associated with a "Sabbatic Goat" image drawn by Eliphas Lévi. It represents the duality of male and female, as well as Heaven and Hell or night and day signified by the raising of one arm and the downward gesture of the other. It can be taken in fact, to represent any of the major harmonious dichotomies of the cosmos. However, Baphomet has been connected with Satanism as well, primarly due to the adoption of its symbol by the Church of Satan.
Baphomet - http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229563
Let us not forget the words of the Great Beast, Aleister Crowley (who took the "magick name" of Baphomet, only for Qabalistic purposes, he had to spell it "Bafomitr," I think it was): "The Devil is the God of people one personally dislikes." Crowley should be more widely read. He was no Satanist, he was a yogi.
I couldn't agree more, his are the books we refuse to part with, well to be honest I find it hard to part with books period LOL... /somebody help me I think I'm going to end up on hoarders!
Reading your story about the Pan/Dionysus above, I have this one Moses bust that I thought was a pagan statue when I bought it, remember the one with what appear to be horns? Supposedly his rays of inspiration or some such nonsense, I forget how they described it. I kid you not, I thought he was Greek...! I still have him, I rub his horns from time to time and it makes me laugh, find joy where you can!
I think that statue is by Michelangelo. Fairly famous. It's supposed to be Mosheh, but it looks like Pan.
Let me think for a minute ... there is a corrupt system of males with corrupt male leaders who have sexual problems telling our people and wanting to influence our laws in the USA that contraception is bad, abortion is murder and the mother of the aborted child is a murderer.
Now, to whom does one give allegiance? Do we want church to get messed up with state? Are all religions and religious corrupt and sexually sick? NO, But can I tolerate the destruction of the wall of separation between church and state? NO
Why do you think I contribute a modest sum to Americans United for Separation of Church and State each year? To judge from all the religions we thought we had left in England and Europe when the Pilgrims came here, they are all alike in one respect: they feel that theirs is the only "true" religion. That tends to mean that if church and state are united, the prevailing religion, just as they have in the past, will slaughter those who don't go along with the charade.
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How to make a blink drive subject to the actions of pirates, especially in the vastness of space?????
Metzi limit discovered at 23 parsecs from Sol, all attempts at FTL travel beyond this limit are lost. (a limit of ~74.9 ly still leaves 224 G type stars, and upwards of 10K total stars)
Colonization of Solar SystemDue to the exponential increase in populations on Earth, mankind began settling (and terraforming where possible) the various planets, planetoids, satellites, rocks, space debris, and basically anywhere there was room in the solar system. Space travel became inexpensive and trade between Earth and the Colonies flourished.The Lunar RebellionFed up with being governed from afar by their various parent governments, the colonies of Luna united under the banner of the United Lunar Federation and declared independence from Earth. During the following conflict, numerous other colonies did likewise and Earth's hold as political master of the system was shattered. In the aftermath Earth remained a cultural and economic juggernaut, but its direct political control of the colonies was over.The Second DiasporaWith the perfection of the blink drive, humanity took to the galaxy at large. Within a decade the Metzi limit had been found and thoroughly mapped.UnificationA third, and final, world war breaks out on Earth. Nearly a third of the population dies as a direct result of the conflict, with an additional fifth dying in the aftermath as a result of famine and plague. From the ashes rises the United Terran Confederacy, the one world government some had been dreaming of for centuries.ConquestThe Lunar Succession Crisis gives the UTC a justification to send troops to its satellite, ostensibly on a peace keeping mission. Within a decade Luna has been admitted to the UTC. The UTC public, spurred on by firebrands and the belief that humanity should rightly be under control of the mother world, calls for the annexation of all the colonies in the solar system. The rest of the galaxy watches as Sol is united, for the first time, under a single government.TransformationThe UTC central government calls for delegates from all member colonies to help write a new constitution, in order to prevent the excesses of the First Diaspora leading up to the Lunar Rebellion. Members are given certain constitutional protections from the central government and a small degree of autonomy, while the UTC is renamed the United System Alliance.ExpansionPublic opinion and greed drive the USA leadership to begin annexing extrasolar colonies, in response to this show of "naked aggression" the Centauri Convention is held, where roughly a third of the extrasolar governments sign a collective defense pact in hopes of preventing further Terran expansion.The Great WarFollowing an attack on a Pact-State by the USA, known space is torn asunder by war. The hostilities lasted for nearly 30 years and were responsible for reducing the population of the galaxy by nearly 20%. The Armistice ended open warfare, though officially the war is still ongoing.The Shadow WarFollowing the cessation of hostilities, the CP and USA governments continued to try to one up each other. The two governments regularly engage in propaganda, espionage, assassinations, letters of marque, the funding of "freedom fighters" in the others territory, and proxy wars in unaligned worlds in their continued struggle to destroy the other.
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- Search for JobsSearch for Jobs
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Account Executive
Job Code2019-49905
Account Executive
- Job ID
- 2019-49905
- Category
- Sales
5NEWS, on KFSM-TV and KXNW-TV, is looking for an Account Executive. The primary focus of the Account Executive is to generate growth for the Station in all potential arenas.
Responsible for the retention of current business and the development of new business as evidenced by the attainment of sales goals in two areas:
- Total Revenue: defined as all revenue billed by salesperson
- Emphasis Revenue: defined by Management as high priority revenue
- Responsible for special projects that generate new business.
- Accomplishes objectives by building strong relationships, thoroughly understanding the business objectives and advertising strategies of clients, and by finding ways to help them achieve their objectives through the effective use of electronic media advertising.
- Develops and successfully executes aggressive territory growth, overcomes obstacles, continuously improves client relationships, enhances profitability and increases revenue by fully leveraging the Station's unique advantages.
- Contact local direct advertisers and local advertising agencies as a liaison between the station and the advertising community.
- Make sales presentations to all classifications of advertisers to obtain orders for advertising time and use of commercial production facilities.
- Co-ordinates internally the actual purchase of advertising time, placement of the schedule, and availability of production material.
- Assists in the collection of past due accounts.
- Performs sales duties on computer as required.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Knowledge Skills & Abilities:
Ability to type, use computers, telephone and other business equipment. Command of the English language. Understanding of Broadcast Industry, Sales tools and terminology. Must possess a valid State Driver's License (or be able to get one).
Education Requirements:
A Bachelor's degree is pred or equivalent work experience.
Physical Requirements:
Dexterity to operate computer and other business equipment. Communications skills used in business setting to negotiate sales. Vision to enter, review and approve sales proposals and orders.
Statement about other duties:
The foregoing is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all functions essential to the job for which the employee is responsible, nor an exhaustive list of the minimum requirements and specifications necessary to perform the essential functions, including all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different functions be performed when circumstances change or exigencies require it.
Equal Opportunity Employer
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Wedding Packages
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Preston House
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Marriage Requirements
Planning Your Wedding
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hank you for choosing the Mentone Wedding Chapel for your wedding. For such a special occasion, it is our desire to provide you with memories that will last a lifetime.
Our chapel, a replica of early Appalachian churches, sits in a peaceful wooded park-like setting. A steep cedar shake roof with a bell and steeple add to the quaint charm. Inside, soft light filters through the stained glass windows and door, accenting the tasteful elegance of the interior with its carriage lamps, bows, flowers and fittings. Fifty-candle candelabrum encircles the wedding party while our organist plays traditional music during the ceremony. The lovely mountain setting draws romantic couples to Mentone's mountains for their wedding and honeymoon.
Many couples who choose the Mentone Wedding Chapel for their wedding do so because we offer personal, caring service before, during and after the ceremony. The convenience we offer in arranging for services such as photography, receptions, flowers, and the honeymoon is another reason couples prefer the Mentone Wedding Chapel. We also welcome second marriages and the renewal of vows.
Under Alabama law, there is no waiting period for a marriage. Licenses may be obtained at any courthouse within the state and are valid for 30 days from the date of issue. The cost is $45.00. Courthouses are generally open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. central time.
Weddings are performed Monday through Saturday, by appointment. For your convenience, we can arrange for a minister to perform your ceremony. The minister's donation is to be no less than $100. A non-refundable $100.00 deposit is required to hold your date and time. The full balance is due the day of the wedding. We ask to be informed of cancellations at the earliest possible date, but no later than one month prior to the wedding.
We invite you to check out the following links for information on wedding and reception packages... Wedding Packages and Photo and Flower Packages
For information, appointments and reservations,
please contact:
Linda Patterson
Phone: 256-634-4181
Mentone Wedding Chapel
P.O. Box 267
Mentone, AL 35984


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Protecting galleries with a password
You can password protect Photo Album galleries so that visitors can only view them if they have the password.
Note: If you use the same password for multiple galleries, visitors will be able to access all galleries that use that password.
You can also make your photo galleries private so that they;re only accessible to you, and visitors won't be able to see them on your website. For more information about making a photo gallery private, see Making Photo Galleries Private.
To Password Protect a Photo Gallery
- Log in to your GoDaddy account.
- Click GoDaddy Photo Album.
- In your GoDaddy Photo Album Account list, click Manage next to the account you want to modify.
- Click the name of the gallery you want to password protect.
- Click the Edit
hyperlink for the gallery you want to edit, where the gallery name is the name of the gallery you selected. The hyperlink is located next to the Thumbnails tab.
- From the Privacy settings area, select Password protected.
- In the Enter Password field, enter the password.
- Click Save.


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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Google is turning to its massive user base to vote on the usefulness of the search engine's results. For certain queries, searchers are shown a polling widget that asks "Which result do you prefer?" Searchers are then directed to visit both pages before voting on a winner.Other choices in the poll include "Both results are equally good" and "Neither result is good for my needs."
Help Improve Google:
We want your thoughts on search results to help inform the changes that we make.Search is constantly evolving. In a typical year, we experiment with tens of thousands of possible changes. These changes, whether minor or major, are tested extensively by professional search evaluators, who look at results and give us feedback, and "live traffic experiments" where we turn on a change for a portion of users. Testing helps us whittle down our list of changes to about 500 improvements per year.Your responses complement our existing evaluation methods by enabling you to provide direct feedback. This feedback is particularly valuable because it comes straight from you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.By crowdsourcing aspects of user response data that was once limited to human search quality raters, Google is expanding its data arsenal to measure the efficacy of algorithm changes, which have recently increased in frequency and magnitude. It's worth noting that while Google's searchers are voting on the quality of their search results, the team of contractors that Google has hired as "search quality raters" have been given instructions to "ignore the location of the page when rating its quality and to avoid thinking about how helpful the page/document might be for a search query," according to Search Engine Land. Google's contractors are rating the quality of a page -- users are voting on the quality of their search results. -- Written by John DeFeo in New York


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This rectangular counter height table is finished in a a burnished saddle brown color, creating a warm atmosphere. It features a unique trestle base and a rectangular top with simple line molding on each side. It also has two 13-inch leaves, extending it from 70-96 inches.
The Omaha Brown Counter Height Trestle Table with 2 Leaves by Standard Furniture at Wilcox Furniture in the Corpus Christi, Kingsville, Calallen, Texas area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
The Omaha collection features regular and counter height trestle tables, chairs, and dining benches. A coordinating sideboard includes lots of storage for your wine glasses, bottles, china, and silverware. The seating pieces have X-motif backs and comfortable leather-looking upholstered seats. This collection is completed with burnished finishes, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
The Omaha Brown collection is a great option if you are looking for Transitional furniture in the Corpus Christi, Kingsville, Calallen, Texas area.
These images are representative of this group as a whole and may differ from this item.
Browse other items in the Omaha Brown collection from Wilcox Furniture in the Corpus Christi, Kingsville, Calallen, Texas area.
This item has been tagged as: Table, Dining Tables, Table Set, Dining Table Set, Pub Table, Counter Height Table, Bar Table, Pub Table Set, Counter Height Table Set, Bar Table Set, Dining Room Furniture, Entertaining Furniture, Furniture Sets, Game Table Set, Gaming Tables, Office Furniture, Conference Tables, Meeting Tables, Serving Tables, Kitchen Table, Kitchen Table Set, Bistro Table, Bistro Table Sets, Pedestal Table, Leg Table, Dining Room Tables, Food Table, Table with Leaves, Leaf Table, Dinner Table, Dinette, Dinette Set, Extension Dining Table, Extendable Table
Nothing on this page may be copied or reproduced without explicit permission.


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Elkers fall in playoffs to Redbank Valley
NEW BETHLEHEM – There weren't many defensive stands Friday night but a Redbank Valley stand has the Bulldogs moving on. A Nick Shoemaker interception in the final minute preserved a 31-26 win over Ridgway Friday night at Redbank Valley High School.Redbank Valley had a slim 28-26 lead and took over with just over six minutes remaining in the second half. The Bulldogs were able to convert a pair of third-down conversion to drain much of the remaining clock and force the Elkers to take all three of their timeouts. On 3rd-and-4 at the Ridgway 44, quarterback Jake Dougherty ran for six yards and a Redbank Valley first down. Three plays later, Redbank Valley converted again as Daughterty ran for 14 yards and another first down. The Bulldogs were content to run three plays up the middle for little yards before Redbank Valley kicker Zane Watson nailed a 35-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 31-26 lead with 39 seconds left.


text:
Contact Information:
Tom Eager, PhD
FHM National Program Manager
Forest Service-USDA
Stop Code 1110
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-1110
Email: email@example.com
Phone: (703) 605-5344
Fax: (703) 605-5353
Remote sensing utilizing satellite sensors is an effective way to detect changes in forest cover, fragmentation, and land use at regional scales. Airborne hyper spectral scanners and classical aerial photography can provide useful information regarding tree damage distribution on a landscape scale
Aerial detection surveys are widely used for collecting data on biotic and abiotic damage to forested ecosystems. Forest Health Protection (FHP) and its many State and Federal cooperating partners have been conducting aerial surveys in some areas, for over 50 years. These provide annual information on insect, disease, and weather related damage. The information is used for regional and national reporting on insect and disease conditions and trends. Aerial detection survey data are used by forest land managers, the public, and government officials. The FHM program uses this data to evaluate tree damage that may be missed on periodically visited ground plots. To better serve all our customers, FHP and FHM have been working together to ensure that more consistent data are collected, national historical records are maintained, and that data standards and quality assurance procedures are developed and implemented among the states and FS Regions/Area. Many cooperators are now using automated digital sketch mapping systems that link to aircraft global positioning systems.
Ground plots for monitoring forest health indicators have been a critical component of the FHM program since its inception. They provide information on a broad suite of forest health indicators. Since 1999, FHM ground plots have been integrated into the ground plot network maintained by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program.
Invasive species detection. Monitoring for invasive plant, insects, and diseases is fast becoming a large part of DM efforts. Once the most dangerous potentially invasive pests are identified, early detection programs are implemented to find incipient invasions before they have the opportunity to spread. A risk-based approach is used incorporating knowledge of pest biology, susceptible hosts, suitable environment, and likely pathways of introduction to identify high-risk areas for invasions. Sampling protocols are developed for cooperative surveys targeting specific invasive pests involving federal, state, and local partners. Public information is disseminated to encourage reporting of suspected invasive pests and developed information management systems facilitate the rapid sharing of detection monitoring results.
DM data are used in local, State, regional and national assessments of forest condition. The goal is to integrate all scales of monitoring so that a more complete picture of forest health is possible.
The National Forest Agent Range Maps are an integration of various sources, reviewed by regional authorities. They are intended to display the biological extent of major damage agents, or the range over which they have been a managerial concern.


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I'm so excited to switch roles for the day with Jackie from The Seaside Baker! While my post all about 5 Dinner Recipes Made in Under 50 Minutes is live over on her site today, she's sharing with you all her Top 5 Dessert Bar Recipes!
What an honor it is to be guest posting on WhitneyBond.com! Whitney and I first met for a cup of coffee a couple months ago after realizing we were both San Diego food bloggers. I was so excited to finally meet someone with the same passion. Whitney is not only passionate about food blogging, this girl is motivated. Watch out fans, this girl is going to take the world by storm!
I decided to share with you some of my Top 5 Bar Recipes. While I love to eat little cookie rounds, I prefer to make bars. They are a lot less time consuming, and are perfect for large gatherings when you need to serve many people.
2. Salted Dulce de Leche Cookie Bars
I hope you enjoy these recipes and please visit The Seaside Baker anytime to satisfy your sweet tooth after making one of Whitney's fabulous meals!


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Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model. NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- BMC Software (Nasdaq: BMC) is trading at unusually high volume Monday with 5.5 million shares changing hands. It is currently at four times its average daily volume and trading up $1.26 (+3%) at $42.75 as of 3:31 p.m. ET.
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We all know that Barry Bonds hit more home runs than any other player in Major League Baseball history. Even if we ignore the Performance Enhancing Drugs allegations, that doesn't necessarily mean he was the greatest slugger of all-time.
But how do we compare power hitters?
Home runs is one measure. But that hurts players like Hank Greenberg, who only played 13 seasons. We could also use Slugging Percentage (SLG). But SLG includes singles, so somebody like Ty Cobb will still rank high even though he had almost no power.
One way to compare power hitters is to use a stat called Isolated Power (ISO) which is simply the number of extra-bases per at bat. It is also easily calculated by subtracting batting average from slugging percentage.
On the next few pages, we will take a look at the greatest pure power hitters of all-time (min. 1,000 games). And some of the names might surprise you.


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How to Use
(Hawaiian Service, Inc.)
(Beth Boland)
1. Do you think the Memorial is effective in keeping the memory of the war alive? Why or why not?
2. In what ways does the memorial evoke an emotional response? What is your reaction to the Memorial and the USS Arizona?
3. Do you think the Memorial helped to reconcile American and Japanese bitterness over the war? If so, how?
* You can obtain high resolution versions of Photo 3a and Photo 3b, but be aware that they will take about 30 seconds and 60 seconds, respectively, to load with a 28.8K modem.


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Hey readers! I'm starting at my new job today, and I'm very excited for my grown-up life to begin (yeah, right…hahaha). Sadly, it's one that requires me to be in business attire, and I now have to keep my nails in check. To celebrate (perhaps mourn) the occasion, I'm posting a polish I could never wear to the office. Sigh.
Nubar's Violet Sparkle. I got this at Winners a few weeks ago for a reasonable price (under $7 probably?). I've never seen Nubar being sold anywhere else in Vancouver, so I had to give it a shot. Glitters are not typically my thing, but this one hypnotized me. It's a highly reflective, super bright purple glitter, with its tiny particles suspended in a clear base. A party on your nails! It dries to a pretty gritty finish, so I had to follow with another coat of top coat the next day. Not really a big issue though.
As expected, removal is a big pain. With glitters, I sometimes like to apply one more layer than necessary (over a base coat). Followed with two coats of top coat, and you're left with a brittle, thick layer over your nails – that is so easy to chip/peel off. I know it's horrible for my nails, but the base coat makes it easier to peel off without damaging the natural nail. The glitter comes off in several pieces, and you don't have to use nail polish remover (which just gets glitter all over the place)!


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Inbee Park withdraws from Safeway Classic
Portland, OR – World No. 1 Inbee Park withdrew from the Safeway Classic on Tuesday, citing an illness.
"I'm disappointed I will be unable to play this week in Portland due to an illness," Park said via the LPGA Tour's twitter feed. "Safeway is such a great supporter of our Tour and I always look forward to playing in front of the great crowds in Oregon."
Park has won six times this year and is just one of three players with multiple victories. Stacy Lewis and Beatriz Recari are the other two players with multiple titles this season.
The 25-year-old South Korean hasn't finished inside the top 10 after winning three straight events, including her second and third major championships of the year.
Park hopes to be able to play in two weeks, when the tour has its' fifth and final major, the Evian Championship.


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If your Samsung Galaxy S3 has randomly died without warning fear not, as a firmware update is on its way to cure your poorly smartphone.
Before Christmas some Galaxy S3 owners reported that their shiny new handsets were dying after just a few months, with the 16GB model later singled out as the at risk version.
The issue appeared to be with the main circuit board, but Dutch site Tweakers believes new hardware isn't required with Samsung confirming it will release a firmware update to resolve the problem soon.
Limited impact
Instead of the main circuit board being faulty the cause of the issue is actually a bug in the firmware which is used to control the board.
Thankfully most Galaxy S3 owners won't need to worry about this, as it only effects a small number of handsets, but if you are one of the unlucky ones at least a fix is on its way.
We'll keep an eye on developments and let you know when the firmware update roll outs so you can breathe new life into your Galaxy S3.


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Nuheat standard size pre-built floor heat mats come ready to fit the room and will keep almost any flooring at a warm and comfortable temperature that you set on the Nuheat thermostat control.
You can use more than one Nuheat mat combined to fit any room size or shape, up to the amp limit of the thermostat (150 SF for 120v / 300 SF for 240v Mats). All Mats connect to the Thermostat, not to each other.
Nuheat mats are like electric blankets - you choose the size or sizes to cover your desired floor area - or ask for our expert assistance at NO OBLIGATION. The mats cannot be cut or altered, so be sure to choose the right size. We can help with that!
Nuheat mats are squares and rectangles in over 120 sizes and will fit any room regardless of shape or size. When installing your floor, the heating mats are set in a thin spread of mortar (the same bonding materials used to lay your tile floor). Once your subfloor is prepared, and you have installed the Nuheat mat, apply another layer of thinset or mortar, lay your tile as usual and make the final connection to the Nuheat Thermostat control.
Laminate & Engineered Hardwood: simply install the Nuheat mat as above. Next, cover the Nuheat mat with at least 1/4 inch mortar or floor leveling cement. Once the mortar has cured, install your floor according to the flooring manufacturer's instructions.
50° Degrees F / 10° Degrees C
15 Amps
20 A Breaker.
Install 4-6" away from the toilet drain wax ring. It can be under the front of toilet - Approximately 20" from wall.
Yes, can be installed in a tiled shower.
Minimum 3/8" x 1/4". Works for most ceramic tile; verify with tile/mortar manufacturer.
|Safety Listing
|UI (US) 1693; UL (CAN/CSA) C22.2 #217; NEC Article 424 Floor Warming Systems
|Ohms Reading (resistance value)
|163 - 189 ohms
|Spacing of Heating Wire
|Heated Area Size Covered
|Size in Feet
|7' x 4' (7x4 feet)
|Size in Inches
|84" x 48" (84x48 inches)
|Size in Meters
|2.13m x 1.22m (2.13x1.22 meters)
|Mat is .083, total is 1/8" with thinset underneath.
|Amp Draw
|Wattage per SF
|Heating Power Output per Hour (BTU)
|41 BTU per Sq Ft/Hour
|Heating Power Output Total
|1148 BTU total
|Power Lead Length
|Power Lead Type
|TEW Wire with Stainless Steel ground braid rated to 105 C and 300v max.
|Power Lead Wire Gauge
|What's In The Box
|Nuheat Mat, Complete instructions. Installation videos online.
|Brand Name
|Warranty from Manufacturer
|25 year warranty
|Wire Construction
|Copper/Copper Alloy Heating wire insulated with ETFE and surrounded with protective Stainless steel ground shield.
|Length of Heated Area (ft)
|Length of Heated Area (in)
|Total Watts
|336 watts
|Indoor / Outdoor
|INTERIOR floor heating application only. Embedded in thinset mortar only.


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WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior quarterback Mike McCarthy rushed for 93 yards and threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns to lead the big-play Bridgewater State University Bears to a 26-14 victory over Westfield State University on Saturday, Sept. 29.
Bridgewater improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Bogan Division of the New England Football Conference. Westfield, playing in front of a large Family Day crown of 2,009, is now 1-4 and 0-2.
The Bears bolted to a first-half 23-0 lead on three long scoring strikes. McCarthy began the scoring with 6:50 remaining in the first quarter when he found receiver Nick Pistacchio wide open down the middle of the field for a 66-yard touchdown.
After Brian Smith's 34-yard field goal with 2:00 remaining in the first quarter, the Bears' backup quarterback Caleb Gelsomino rifled a 60-yard scoring strike down the right sideline to Jake Scott that pushed the lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter.
McCarthy (7-14, 133 yards) and Gelsomino (8-13, 148 yards) played well in their alternating role behind center as they combined to complete 15 of 27 passes for 281 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
McCarthy increased the lead to 23-0 (the PAT was no good) with 4:06 left in the first half when he hooked up with Matthew Green for a 27-yard scoring strike that capped a short-field drive of 40 yards.
Westfield had 107 total offensive yards in the first half, 69 coming on its final drive of the half when sophomore running back Michael Mercadante capped the 10-play march with a one-yard touchdown run on fourth down. The big play in the drive was a 28-yard screen pass reception by Mercadante to the Bear four-yard line.
Westfield outscored Bridgewater, 7-3, in the second half, and the Owls had two drives halted deep in Bear territory by interceptions as Bridgewater turned to its defense for big plays in the final two stanza.
Following a 28-yard field goal by Smith that increased the lead to 26-7, the Bears came up with its first big defensive stop when Vincent Henry intercepted a pass at the Bridgewater one-yard line to halt a Westfield scoring threat.
Early in the fourth quarter, Bridgewater made its second big defensive stop when David Silvia intercepted a pass at the five-yard line on a second down from the six.
Westfield finally converted in the red zone when freshman quarterback Erik Washburn scored from one yard out with 2:16 remaining in the game to cap a six-play, 34-yard drive.
The Owls made things interesting when Gregg Jackson recovered the onsides kick at the 50, but Westfield's comeback drive stalled at the Bridgewater 25 with 1:29 remaining.
Both teams had success moving the ball through the air. Washburn, in his first collegiate start, completed 21 of 30 passes for 218 yards but he threw four interceptions, including two in the first half.
Bridgewater, meanwhile, had a balanced attack with 195 net yards rushing for a total of 476 in total offense. Westfield was held to 32 net yards rushing.
Led by McCarthy's 93 yards on 11 rushes (8.5 average), eight players carried the ball for the Bears, with Ben Desmarais the second leading ground gainer with 57 yards on 12 carries.
The Bears also displayed a balanced passing attack with seven players catching the ball. Scott (4-78) and Adam Ledoux (4-36) both had four receptions.
Senior receiver Kevin Parnell led the Owls with seven catches for 69 yards. Parnell also totalled 106 yards in returns, including a 56-yard kickoff return. Tight end Jeff Winchell had five catches for 70 yards.
Westfield senior linebacker Justin Ehrhardt posted a game-high 15 tackles (8 solos, 2 for losses) and forced a fumble. Sophomore linebacker Troy Cutter had 11 tackles.
Linebacker Alex Monteiro notched a team-high 12 tackles for the Bears, while Silva had 10 stops and his interception. Eddie Jewell had two first-half interceptions and down lineman Paul Melicharek contributed seven tackles, including four for losses.
Notes: McCarthy now has 2,221 yards passing for his career as he moved past Paul Brennan (2,176 yds, 1974-76) into seventh place on the Bears' all-time passing list....McCarthy also upped his career rushing total to 1,424 yards as he passed Anthony Forte (1,359 yds, 1994-96) on the Bears' all-time rushing list.


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Cosmetic Dentist Natchez – What Do You Need to Know?
Cosmetic dentistry is a field of dentistry which aims to improve the overall appearance of the face by making corrections to the teeth. Cosmetic dentists in Natchez is not a distinct branch of dentistry. Rather, it is a combination of various techniques with the sole motive of improving the appearance. Cosmetic dental procedures are somewhat costly when compared to normal dental procedures. It also takes a lot of training and expertise to become a cosmetic dentist.
Natchez Cosmetic dentistry differs from normal dentistry in a number of ways. General dentistry places more emphasis on restoring the functionality of teeth that have been damaged by various diseases and conditions. On the other hand, cosmetic dentistry is mainly about the aesthetic appearance. However, it should be noted that the domains of normal dentistry and cosmetic dentistry overlap in a number of places.
There are a number of procedures available today that can improve the appearance of the person. Some of the common dental procedures include teeth whitening, shaping, false teeth, dental veneers and dental implants. In some cases, cosmetic dental procedures may be used in combination with other cosmetic procedures that are aimed at improving the appearance of other parts of the face.
Not all procedures offered by Natchez cosmetic dentists are costly. For example, teeth whitening is easily affordable for everyone. However, it is not a specialized procedure and doesn't require a lot of skill on the part of the dentist. It is also performed at most dental clinics. It can also be performed at home by using teeth whitening kits that are readily available in the market today.
Finding a good cosmetic dentist in Natchez. There are a number of reasons why cosmetic dental procedures are costly. First and foremost, it takes years of training to become specialized as a cosmetic dental surgeon. Cosmetic dental surgeons acquire their skills over a long period of time by working at various clinics as interns. For this reason, they charge exuberant fees. Additionally, the materials involved in the surgery are also very costly. Diagnostic and screening equipment can also be very costly to operate. All of these overhead costs add up and make cosmetic dental procedures very costly.
Choosing Cosmetic Dentist?
Ever wondered if cosmetic dentistry could give you the smile you always dreamed of having, but not sure where to start? This list should help...
A is for Anesthesia. Most people opting for cosmetic dentistry are happy with a local anesthesia, which blocks pain transmission by the alveolar nerves by a needle usually inserted behind the back molar. Usually lidocane or xylocaine are used, while a topical anesthetic may be applied first to numb the area. When lots of tricky work needs to be done or when the patient is unusually nervous, sedation dentistry or general anesthesia may be used.
B is for Bridges. Dental bridges bridge the gaping holes left by missing teeth. Traditional bridges are the most common, with crowns on either side. Cantilever bridges are used when one tooth sits alone on just one side of the missing one. Maryland bonded bridges are more elaborate, constructed using plastic teeth and gums.
C is for Crowns. Used for both cosmetic and structural purposes, dental crowns sit on top of teeth to make them stronger, look better, or be closer to their original shape. Made of either porcelain, metal or both, they can make worn-out or crooked gnashers appear sparkling brand new.
D is for Dentures. Complete or full dentures are for people who have lost all their teeth, partial dentures are "bridges" of false teeth which are usually fixed in place. They cannot be removed for cleaning, but they look more natural than complete dentures. However, they can only be worn by people who still have some teeth of their own adjacent to the bridge for support.
E is for Enamel. Most people looking at your smile will notice your tooth enamel before anything else. It's the outer layer of your teeth and can be anything from very yellow to a gray whitish color. Tooth decay affects enamel thanks to plaque, which breaks it down and causes a cavity to form. While yellowing teeth is not abnormal, cosmetic dentists nonetheless do lots of work on tooth enamel!
U is for Unlicensed Practitioners. They abound in areas such as tooth whitening, so make sure you only visit a qualified dental practitioner for the best care in cosmetic dentistry available.
V is for Veneers. Cover the teeth to make them look better. Can be made of porcelain (see above) or composite resin. Sometimes professional whitening is all you need to get that gorgeous smile.
W is for White Fillings. The preferred way to fill a cavity as they are functional, look more natural and are considered safer than other types of fillings. However, it is recommended to replace existing fillings only when your dentist says it's absolutely necessary.
X is for Xerostomia. Also known as terminal cotton mouth, this is a condition where the mouth is always dry because of reduced spit in the oral cavity. Often it's the result of another medical condition or a by-product of certain medications, but if can affect your medical and dental health.
Y is for Yellowness of Teeth. While genes play a role in our teeth color, so do outside factors such as whether we drink too much tea, coffee or red wine, whether we smoke, medications taken as a child and yes, our dental hygiene. Proper tooth cleaning - including flossing - and regular dental visits should be the first step before investigating drastic whitening measures.
Z is for Zoom Whitening. One of the most popular whitening treatments around, it involves a dentist applying a special gel followed by a special light to get rid of as many stains and as much discoloration as possible. Several treatments are necessary.


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EPA plans cleanup of lead danger in Chicago
EPA tests find dangerous lead contamination, prompting cleanup plans for a forgotten lead smelter site in a Chicago neighborhood. The action is a result of a USA TODAY investigation.
The soil at a forgotten lead factory site in a Chicago neighborhood is dangerously contaminated, putting the area's children and other residents at risk, according to records released this week by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Tests by EPA contractors of the vacant lot where Loewenthal Metals operated in the 1940s have found widespread lead contamination, and samples contained as much as 57 times the amount of lead the agency considers hazardous in bare soil where children play.
Because of the danger at the site, the EPA said it will begin the process to do a "time-critical" cleanup of the property, which is next to homes and down the street from Walsh Elementary School in the city's Pilsen neighborhood.
The EPA tested the site, at the request of Illinois regulators, in response to findings in USA TODAY's "Ghost Factories" investigation, which featured Loewenthal Metals in a series of reports last April. USA TODAY's tests of soil around the Loewenthal site found high levels of lead near factory property and in the yards of neighborhood homes.
The action in Chicago is the latest by federal and state regulators at dozens of sites nationwide in response to USA TODAY's series, which is online at ghostfactories.usatoday.com.
Properties adjacent to the Loewenthal site will have their soil tested to determine the extent of the lead contamination, the EPA said. The agency did not respond to questions Wednesday about when the off-site testing would begin or how far it would extend into the surrounding neighborhood if contamination is found on the adjacent properties.
It's also unclear how soon a cleanup of the former factory property will begin. The EPA's testing of the site was delayed in part because the agency had to obtain a court order to access the property. The agency said on its website that it needs to ask the property owner's permission to do the cleanup, but if it isn't given, the agency may have to go to court again.
State and federal environmental regulators did initial tests of the site in 2006 that also found dangerous levels of lead. Their report at that time noted that "the possibility of the exposure is high" because so many people walk by and on the property. The report was filed away without action until USA TODAY began asking questions in 2011, and the site remained unfenced until December.
The EPA's latest report on the site, dated Monday, notes that the contaminated property is in a residential area, that a community garden is nearby and a popular walking path and sidewalk border it. People and animals are at risk of exposure to the high levels of lead, arsenic and other contaminants found on the site, the report says.
Lead is one of the greatest environmental threats to children, who are exposed when they ingest it, often by putting dust-covered hands or toys in their mouths. Regular exposure to even tiny particles of lead can cause lost intelligence, ADHD, behavior problems and other health issues.
For more information about the Loewenthal Metals site, including a video, details of USA TODAY's soil test results and a historical map showing the plant when it was in operation, go to: http://usat.ly/R5r4fK
Loewenthal Metals Corp. operated a lead smelter during the 1940s along West Cullerton Street in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, records show. The former factory site is now a vacant lot in the middle of homes, and it is down the street from a school.