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Main cast: James McAvoy (Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Raven Darkhölme/Mystique), Oscar Isaac (En Sabah Nur) Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy/Beast), Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert), Evan Peters (Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver), Tye Sheridan (Scott Summers/Cyclops), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Olivia Munn (Psylocke), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), and Ben Hardy (Archangel)
Director: Bryan Singer
About ten years have passed since the events in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine had gone back to his timeline, so this one takes place in the "second reboot" timeline – you know, the one without Patrick Stewart. Don't worry, Hugh Jackman is still in here in a brief cameo, as heaven knows, he could really use the box office hit to boost his CV. So, in this timeline, people know about the mutants, and Charles Xavier runs his happy school alongside Hank. Meanwhile, Mystique is a mercenary, traveling around the world and rescuing mutants who need rescuing. Erik has assumed a new identity, married some woman, and has a daughter. Alas, the wife and the daughter die soon after, making him go, "Huh, huh, the world is evil and I must mete out justice, huh huh!" His identity blown, Erik goes on the run. Mystique, hearing of his problem, heads back to Xavier and her other old comrades to see whether they can help Erik out.
Meanwhile, the first mutant ever, En Sabah Nur, wakes up from his millennia-long slumber to discover that the weak humans have taken over. Well, he can't have that. He recruits Storm, Psylocke, Archangel, and – of course – Magneto to be his Four Horsemen as he goes about showing who the boss is. When Xavier uses Cerebros to locate and communicate with Erik, he falls under Mr Apocalypse's notice, and our super villain decides that he could certainly find a use for Xavier's power. Being able to mind rape and communicate with every human and mutant in this world – at one go! – is certainly something every respectable super villain should approve of, after all!
In other news, the school sees some newcomers: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, and of course, Quicksilver. Jubilee is there, too, for about 3 minutes to show the world that this movie has some token Asian characters in it so diversity is, indeed, love.
Now, the X-Men movies never boasted particularly clever or remarkable stories, and, honestly, they are made by the sheer charisma and chemistry of the cast. In this particular trilogy, the presence and chemistry of James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, and Michael Fassbender make up for the weaknesses in the past two movies. Something has changed here, however. While Jennifer Lawrence is still as earnest as ever, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are merely going through the motions. Then again, at least Ms Lawrence has some rallying cries – Ms McAvoy is reduced to mouthing some of most vapid lines ever about trust in one's goodness, while Mr Fassbender is made to mostly pout and pose in the backdrop. In a way, this is a "passing the torch" kind of movie, as the focus is also on the young cast of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, and Quicksilver, but their roles are stripped down to one-dimensional cardboard cutout realness. The only characters that make a bit of an impression is Nightcrawler who is channeling Michael Jackson full force in his appearance and red jacket, and Quicksilver, if only because the script allows him to hog the screen for so much for who knows what reason. Maybe Evan Peters has blackmail material on Bryan Singer? Heaven knows, with his greasy-looking hair and bleary bullfrog eyes, I don't think he's cast for his good looks.
X-Men: Apocalypse is, as a result, a shockingly boring movie. It's not even a movie, just an overlong film of people posturing and posing, as if they are hoping to be immortalized in memes and animated gifs. Seriously, the Four Horsemen spend more time posing on screen than actually doing something – what you see of Storm, Psylocke, and Archangel in the trailers is pretty much the extent of the action time here. Also, the absence of a few number of more expensive actors seemed to have the people behind this movie go, "Let's hire more no-name people to fill up the set!" as the number of people running all over the place means that nobody really has a chance to develop into anything more than a stereotype. The newcomers are so bland, I find myself missing the older cast equivalents in the first trilogy.
Oh, and it's actually funny in a sad, cringey way how casually and easily they kill off Havok to let the pouty, bland Cyclops take over.
The worst thing about this movie, though, is the script. Even for what it is, this one is unbelievably nonsensical. En Sabah Nur is supposedly the most powerful mutant ever, but he spends most of time posturing and making aggrandizing speeches before being killed off in an unintentionally funny one-hit-kill way by Jean Grey, who suddenly unleashes her Phoenix power at the last minute, screeching like a banshee as she is wrapped up in CGI flames, and then oops, Apocalypse is dead. Talk about an anticlimax. He also has human worshippers, but he doesn't make use of them. Then again, he doesn't even make good use of his followers. Recruiting Magneto makes sense, given his powers, and Storm too… but recruiting Psylocke who can only do magic blades and Archangel who flies around? What are these two going to do, make coffee and take down minutes during meetings? The villain is built up to be awesome, but he is a failure in planning and a flop of a threat to the good guys.
There are also inconsistencies, such as Cyclops's optic beams either destroying things one minute or acting like some kind of holding shield the next, but the most cringe-inducing of all is the continuing woobie-fication of Magneto. Now, I know, there are many people who want to have sex with Michael Fassbender, which probably explains his character's continuous freedom and existence, but come on, how many times do we need to see Magneto kill people and take part in a plot of mass destruction, only to have Charles let him walk free in the end? Here, Magneto actively causes the deaths of millions before he decides to help take down Apocalypse – the fact that Charles sees nothing wrong in calling him friend and letting him go without accounting for his sins only makes Charles look like a complete hypocrite. He talks about humans and mutants holding hands and singing around campfires… and enables a terrorist who wants to cause harm to humans.
Then again, this is the same movie that wants me to feel sorry about Magneto losing his wife and kid. You know, the same guy who did those things in the last two movies. He has killed many people's loved ones – what makes his losing his loved ones so special?
Not that I want a woobie Magneto, mind you. Mr Fassbender's Magneto is the sexiest and most memorable when he's just being evil, and I detest how they are trying to make Magneto a woobie, badly so at that.
The clichés also come fast and loose. Again, Magneto provides a good example – when he tells his daughter he'd never leave her, and he and his wife portray such a perfect family together, complete with a ridiculously well-furnished and spacious cabin in the woods, of course the wife and the daughter will die. Seriously, with the amount of the problems in this movie associated with Magneto, no wonder Mr Fassbender looks like he is counting the minutes until his contract is up. He provides the much-needed pretty jawline and stubble factor that has decreased considerably with Hugh Jackman's appearance reduced to only a cameo, but his character is the pits in this movie.
Oh, and the overload of CGI is pretty bad looking. Everything looks really fake here, as if they let the untried interns do the CGI this time to cut cost. Psylocke's pink whip, Jean Grey's standing on an invisible platform (is that supposed to be her hovering in mid-air?), and all the shows of telekinetic powers are especially horrible.
I also don't understand why these movies can't have a new plot. How many movies now have these people been talking about humans not trusting mutants, blah blah blah? More than 10 years, right? The characters are going through the same issues after all these years, so the entire franchise is fast approaching Terminator levels of crappiness when all they do is to mangle the same story line again and again. Come on, how about a different story for once?
X-Men: Apocalypse is, for a box office film, disturbingly too much like some crap movie hastily churned out to allow Fox to keep the license a little longer. It's something best watched only when it's available for rental – nothing in here comes close when compared to the previous two movies in this particular reboot.


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May 15, 2011
Anatomy of an Encounter: I Could Be Wrong
I thought the facts made me right. Image by spelio
As I stood in a long line at the ATM outside my bank I smelled smoke. It came and went and, after a while I started to look around for the smoker. At first, I couldn't spot him but finally noticed the man right in front of me was holding a cigarette behind his back as he conversed with the woman in front of him. When I was young I had a severe form of asthma with no help, I'm sure, from my parents' 1950s smoking habits. Luckily, I grew out of the disease. But to this day, I relive those years whenever as much as a simple chest cold impedes my breathing. So you can see why I don't like inhaling secondhand smoke. Rather than passively accepting my fate, I've started to be a little more proactive when it comes to this part of my health. I watched him for a while, assessing his approachability, but decided not to pursue it.
Yet, I really didn't want that smoke wafting in my face. I felt I was being held hostage in line. The next nearest bank branch was a few miles away and my lunchtime was almost up. And, yes, he was shorter than me and dressed in a business suit with no visible tattoos but you never know with smokers (okay, to be fair, you never know with anybody). I took a few steps back to catch my breath and consider my options. "Please don't say anything," I told myself. "Remember when you nicely asked a woman smoking just inches from a restaurant door to please move away? Don't do it." Suddenly I heard myself saying, "Excuse me, would you mind not smoking in line?" And with that I stepped over to the other side.
"I will throw this cigarette away," he replied. "But there is no law that says I have to. Do you see a sign anywhere?" I noted the interesting edge to his response: initial politeness ending with a you've crossed that line twist. "I merely asked you if you wouldn't smoke in line. I wasn't demanding." In fact, I had lowered my voice and gone out of my way to be polite so as not to embarrass him. But I was only able to get the first part of that sentence out of my mouth. He repeated his rights as he gingerly and expertly flicked his cigarette into the street.
Time began to move on two very different trajectories. Inside I was operating in slow motion. It seemed to take forever to sense his defensiveness and when I finally did I reacted with an academic's penchant for studious and distanced observation, bogging me down even more. While outside I was trying to quickly manage both my feelings and his. His diatribe escalated. "Who the hell do you think you are? DO YOU SEE A SIGN HERE?!" I looked to others in line for support and solace (a knowing nod of exasperation would have been enough). But there was no eye contact. Nothing. They had already decided not to fight this fight.
I tried one more attempt at reconciliation but it was a lost cause. It was only then I successfully shut myself up. I was seething. And so was he. As I walked away from the ATM, money in hand, time and fresh air allowed me to clear my head.
Control was the primary objective for both of us. Most smokers know smoking is a nasty and unhealthy habit. And there is a long line of loved ones and doctors telling them to stop. But we know how difficult it is to quit. I wanted him to stop smoking; he wanted me to stop reminding him how difficult it was for him to do so. But instead of that realization he got pissed at me for impinging on his "rights." I was tired of feeling trapped in open air by smokers passing me by on the street; he was tired of society's allowable, but slowly shrinking space in which to pursue his habit. In our own way we both felt trapped. And we were both pretty angry about it.
Was I wrong to engage him? Kathryn Schulz, author of Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error, calls this error blindness. In her recent TED talk she said: "Most of the time, we don't have any kind of internal cue to let us know that we're wrong about something, until it's too late." It was too late for me when I realized I might be wrong —not wrong to want a smoke-free environment. I was wrong to think I could tell this man how I felt without consequences, or, from his point of view, how to run his life. I anticipated the possibility, but my sense of righteousness propelled me forward anyway. "…Trusting too much in the feeling of being on the correct side of anything can be very dangerous," Schulz continues.
This is a male, "power meets power" thing. And none of it is very pretty. At the very root, I felt humiliated. This is what men feel when they've lost control. No one talks about it much. It's an intense emotion with no outlet other than venting (unless you learn to talk or write a story about it). Angry men are often humiliated men. And it takes a huge amount of effort to come down from that precipice. When I made that very conscious decision to shut up (after my second attempt) it took a gargantuan amount of energy to do so—to take a step back.
Think for a moment about what it means to feel right. It means that you think that your beliefs just perfectly reflect reality. And when you feel that way, you've got a problem to solve, which is, how are you going to explain all of those people who disagree with you? It turns out, most of us explain those people the same way, by resorting to a series of unfortunate assumptions. The first thing we usually do when someone disagrees with us is we just assume they're ignorant. They don't have access to the same information that we do, and when we generously share that information with them, they're going to see the light and come on over to our team. When that doesn't work, when it turns out those people have all the same facts that we do and they still disagree with us, then we move on to a second assumption, which is that they're idiots.
It would be so easy for me to say that guy was an idiot and be done with it. "Piss on you!" I could say to myself and walk on. (Or, knowing I have little self-control I might say it out loud and run.) But, that's just it. I have an inner voice. Without it I'd only have my anger. Schulz says "We love things like plot twists and red herrings and surprise endings. When it comes to our stories, we love being wrong." So, why not in real life?
Maybe I was wrong to engage this guy. If I wait just a few more years perhaps I won't have to ever do it again. New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg has signed into law a smoking ban in parks, beaches, public plazas, and boardwalks. And, if I want an even better ending to this story I'll imagine that maybe, just maybe, that guy with the cigarette wrote a story about our encounter too. Perhaps he also entertained the notion that he was wrong. Oh, hell, who am I kidding.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Perfect Care of the Baby At the Hour of Need
During your stay at the maternity ward, childcare assistants will teach you how to wash your baby and provide the care necessary for his daily hygiene. Even if you followed with diligence (and with your spouse), all the explanations given by these professionals, once at home, it is not impossible that a little apprehension related to being suddenly "alone with baby you may be assaulted and, therefore, you do not remember the proper course of action.Create your private pregnancy space and share with your loved ones.
Baby care back from maternity
After a few days to find the perfect organization, baby care becomes a truly enjoyable moment. Rest assured, even if the first bath "parents alone with baby" can be a little scary, you will take quickly and you will find a small organization perfectly matching the layout of your bathroom that will allow you to lead the toilet and care hand master. Now with the Baby Care Tips For Moms The situation is going to be better.
The first days, think that your baby is so small that often your sink can act as a bathtub which will allow you to be at a good height, to spare your back and, the basins are often surrounded by a large plan you can put all your products and accessories on it without having to leave the sink one step. A daily bath is not necessary, and many maternities give baths only every other day. Newborns do not get dirty, and if you properly clean your buttocks and genitals with each change, a bath every two days is enough.
In contrast, baby care must be daily. They obviously concern the care to be done at each change but also the cleaning of the umbilical cord, face, eyes and nose. Some moms care after feeding their baby and others just before.
During the baby bath, each step is important
Your bathroom should be well heated, ideally between 22 and 25 ° C. Start by bathing before undressing, even if your bathroom is well heated, newborns cool down excessively quickly.
Prepare your bath by always running hot water first and then adding cold water to reach the correct temperature.
Equip yourself with a reliable bath thermometer to ensure that the water temperature is at 37 ° C (judged by hand is not precise enough, it is enough that you have more or less hot for your impression is distorted). Once the bath is ready, completely undress your baby and soap it either directly in the water or very quickly on the changing table with a hypoallergenic liquid soap specially formulated for babies (as wherever possible, opt for organic and natural products free of any chemical).
Emphasize the folds and genitals. Remember to soap her head to avoid "milk crusts". The ideal is to soap baby by hand, the washcloths being true nests with bacteria if they are not washed (at 90 ° C in machine) every day.
The Risks and the Process of Anesthesia
This means that it is about 25 times lower than the risk of having a very serious car accident and it is comparable, from a probabilistic point of view, to the risk that you would take by taking a long journey by plane. Speaking in simplistic terms, you are much more likely to have a serious accident in your daily life that could cause you permanent death or disability, than during the anesthesia to which you should be subjected. He must know that in 1982 the risk of a serious accident during anesthesia was 1 / 10,000-20,000. This is where persons like Dr. Grewal know their trade well.
The Development of Complication
However the risk of developing complications in anesthesia also depends on his age, sex, his life habits (smoke , alcohol , drugs, etc.), his health and the presence or otherwise of heart diseases , of the lungs , of the liver , of the kidneys etc.
- All these aspects will be carefully evaluated by your anesthesiologist in order to choose, with you, the most adequate and safest method and technique for your case and your health condition. If any of your family members had a problem in an anesthetic in the past, tell your anesthesiologist. There are some hereditary diseases that can occur during anesthesia. However, know that they are exceptional and very rare events.
- The anesthetic visit is a stage of approach to the surgery of fundamental importance, during which the anesthesiologist will proceed to compile an in-depth anamnesis, evaluating for example:
- This visit allows the anesthesiologist to properly calibrate the anesthesia, to guarantee the patient first of all the necessary safety and, secondly, to minimize the risk of discomfort and side effects.
What are the differences between the different types of anesthesia?
We can identify three main types of anesthesia:
Local anesthesia: the anesthetic drug is injected onto the skin in order to anesthetize a small surface, generally superficial; is a technique widely used especially in dermatology.
Regional anesthesia: The two most common loco-regional anesthesia approaches are the spinal and epidural , useful for anesthetizing large regions of the body, for example from the waist down. In many cases the patient remains awake and conscious, does not feel pain and there may be a reduced or absent sensitivity to the area to be operated.
General anesthesia: This is the most invasive approach, in which the patient is put to sleep; both drug and intravenous drugs can be used. During surgery, a breathing tube is usually inserted through the mouth to ensure respiratory function
We also remember the possibility of resorting to sedation only, which helps to prevent anxiety and pain; the patient may "doze" during surgery, but can easily be woken up if necessary.
Why do we prefer spinal and epidural to the total?
Heart and brain are not affected by regional anesthesia and the risk of serious complications is thus drastically reduced.
A website like sunshinedentalgroup.com.au will provide you with the highest quality in the industry.
Why Chiropractor Treatment is better than Medications and Surgeries?
Are you facing the issue of back pain, stress, tension, chronic pain? And you also try the medications, but not get the effective results, then take the Chiropractor treatment. This is ultimate treatment for curing any kind of joint pains, back pain, and chronic pain. It gives effective results as compared to the medication you were taking for a very long time. Take the advice and treatment from specialists of KENT CHIRO-MED wellness center in Ontario, Canada.
- Cost-effective: The treatment process of chiropractor is very cost effective as compared to the medication and surgeries. The visiting fee for a chiropractor is around $90, and if you want a regular appointment, then you have to pay the fee of $65 which is very cheaper than medication. If you don't want a medication and surgeries. At KENT CHIRO-MED wellness clinic you will get the treatment about your joint pains, back issues, headache, stress, tension, and migraine at a very affordable price.
- Low treatment time: Taking the Chiropractor
- adjustment treatment will be best for curing the back, spinal alignment, chronic pain, scoliosis, and many other diseases. Once you try the session of chiropractic adjustment treatment which is only 15 to 30 minutes which is the best time for the people who have a busy and hectic schedule.
- No surgeries: If you are taking the chiropractic adjustment treatment, then you don't need any kind of surgeries to cure your health issues. At KEN CHIRO-MED wellness clinic in Ontario, Canada you will get the high-quality of treatment by the regular session of your treatment. For cuing the joint pains, chronic pain and hear diseases this treatment is incredible and give efficient results about your treatment.
- Effective results: From this treatment, you will get effective results for your injuries and pain. This treatment method gives the same positive effects which you can get from taking the medication and surgery. But most of the time medications and surgeries will not give any kind of effective result which you get from the chiropractic adjustment treatment.
- Medications: If you hate eating the medicines to get rid of the chronic pain, back pain, spinal alignment, and heart diseases, then you can take the chiropractic adjustment treatment. In this treatment you don't have to eat any medicines you require any medication for curing the joint pains, heart diseases, and spinal alignment, etc.
Learn About the Founder of YOR, Mr. Dennis Wong
Dennis Wong studied electrical engineering however chose to go into the realty sector. Finding much prosperity with his older sister and organisation partner, Dennis went far for himself in the CA housing scene. The duo captured the business sense of a handful of rich businessman and quickly this poor kid from overseas was a millionaire. At 30 years old, Dennis Wong had fought the dreaded cycle of poverty and discovered success in America.
According to Wong, chagrin was indeed a regulating his life. For numerous years, he wanted to return to China and reside amongst others who were simply as poor as he was — or perhaps those worse off. But, Dennis looks back to his mother guiding him that things would improve if he chooses to discover to follow in the footsteps of American dreamers. He did simply that and following briefly getting consumed with the bad crowds, Dennis Wong revitalized his top priorities and signed up for college.
Mr. Dennis Wong was born to a toxic family in downtown Hong Kong. Life was deplorable but Dennis Wong invariably realized support and love from his mom, who ultimately picked up the household to California with the assistance of her uncle. Mr. Wong and his family quickly adapted to U.S. culture, although he dealt with financial resources throughout Dennis' early stages. In among his most agonizing childhood recollections, Dennis recalls exiting high school crying due to the fact that his dad could not manage his prized snack.
Then at the age of 41, Wong was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. This, along with heart illness and stopped up arteries, sufficed to reroute his attention back to what mattered most– his health and his family. This health care crisis is what prompted Dennis Wong to begin looking into health and nutritional products. Today, Wong acts as CEO of YOR Heath and works with product developers, clinical advisors, and athletic therapists to market an exclusive line of exceptional nutrition. To continue reading, please visit denniswongyorhealth.com.


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Caltech and The Feynman Lectures Website are pleased to present this online edition of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Now, anyone with internet access and a web browser can enjoy reading a high quality up-to-date copy of Feynman's legendary lectures.
...This edition has been designed for ease of reading on devices of any size or shape; text, figures and equations can all be zoomed without degradation.
...arguably the most popular physics book ever written, selling more than 1.5 million copies in English, and getting translated into a dozen languages.


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Ultimate Strength Analysis of Stiffened Panels Using a Beam-Column Method
Chen, Yong
MetadataShow full item record
An efficient beam-column approach, using an improved step-by-step numerical method, is developed in the current research for studying the ultimate strength problems of stiffened panels with two load cases: 1) under longitudinal compression, and 2) under transverse compression. Chapter 2 presents an improved step-by-step numerical integration procedure based on (Chen and Liu, 1987) to calculate the ultimate strength of a beam-column under axial compression, end moments, lateral loads, and combined loads. A special procedure for three-span beam-columns is also developed with a special attention to usability for stiffened panels. A software package, ULTBEAM, is developed as an implementation of this method. The comparison of ULTBEAM with the commercial finite element package ABAQUS shows very good agreement. The improved beam-column method is first applied for the ultimate strength analysis of stiffened panel under longitudinal compression. The fine mesh elasto-plastic finite element ultimate strength analyses are carried out with 107 three-bay stiffened panels, covering a wide range of panel length, plate thickness, and stiffener sizes and proportions. The FE results show that the three-bay simply supported model is sufficiently general to apply to any panel with three or more bays. The FE results are then used to obtain a simple formula that corrects the beam-column result and gives good agreement for panel ultimate strength for all of the 107 panels. The formula is extremely simple, involving only one parameter: the product λΠorth2. Chapter 4 compares the predictions of the new beam-column formula and the orthotropic-based methods with the FE solutions for all 107 panels. It shows that the orthotropic plate theory cannot model the "crossover" panels adequately, whereas the beam-column method can predict the ultimate strength well for all of the 107 panels, including the "crossover" panels. The beam-column method is then applied for the ultimate strength analysis of stiffened panel under transverse compression, with or without pressure. The method is based on a further extension of the nonlinear beam-column theory presented in Chapter 2, and application of it to a continuous plate strip model to calculate the ultimate strength of subpanels. This method is evaluated by comparing the results with those obtained using ABAQUS, for several typical ship panels under various pressures.
- Doctoral Dissertations [14057]


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I would like to share a piece of work that I think is awesome on so many levels. First, it involves the weakly electric knifefish: a curious creature that maneuvers via ribbon-finned propulsion (a marvel of fluid dynamics) and possesses an uncommon sensing modality in the form of electric field sensing (essentially electrostatic / capacitive sensing). Second, the work models the fish as a dynamic system through its measured frequency response expressed in Bode plots, a process familiar to pretty much any type of engineer. You read that right, they made Bode plots of a fish -- how cool is that!? Be sure to check out the videos and photos below.
A quick introduction to our subject:
Weakly electric fish of the order Gymnotiform (commonly called knifefish) possess a unique sensing modality, electroreception. An electric organ (EO) located in the tail generates a weak electric field. Thousands of voltage sensitive pores detect small changes in transdermal voltages; these voltage measurements collectively form an image of the proximal electric field. Fluctuations in this "electric image" correspond to objects in the fish's environment.
In essence, the electric field sensing allows the fish to "see" in murky water to locate prey and avoid predators. Curiously, scientists claim that these fish have the natural ability to solve a very difficult problem called electrical impedance tomography (EIT), also sometimes called the inverse conductivity problem. Unfortunately, humans have no such ability, though we have co-opted electric field sensing (also called electrostatic / capacitive sensing) to build some pretty amazing devices, even without closed-form EIT. My favorite examples are from Josh Smith of Intel Labs, who uses electric field sensing on robots to provide "Pretouch" sensing and to sense electrical outlets. Josh's earlier thesis work, called the School of Fish project, suggests how the knifefish might use its unique sensing modality to perceive its surroundings.
Like many small fish, the knifefish will go to great lengths to remain hidden inside crannies and crevices, as shown in the videos below, where the knifefish tries to stay hidden inside a moving PVC pipe.
Well, Dr. Noah Cowan and Dr. Eric Fortune from Johns Hopkins' LIMBS Lab and Fortune Lab (respectively) investigated sensorimotor integration in weakly electric knifefish and published their findings in the Journal of Neuroscience in a paper entitled, "The Critical Role of Locomotion in Decoding Sensory Systems." To quote from the work:
The fish (brown) maintains its position within a rectangular tube. This refuge has a clear polycarbonate top and white plastic sides with ceramic filled windows (gray). Schematic view of the video data captured using a camera positioned above the fish is shown. Three values are the position of the fish [x(t), purple lines] ,the position of the refuge [r(t), green lines], and the relative difference between the fish and the refuge [e(t), dashed blue line].
Tracking data from a fish (stimulus amplitude, 0.5 cm). The height of each trace is scaled identically; the width of each trace is scaled to show two stimulus cycles (green) at three rates of motion (labeled). The amplitude of fish movements, x(t), decreased with increasing stimulus frequency with increasing phase lag.
Bode amplitude and phase plots for stimulus rates from 0.1–1.3 Hz. Error bars indicate the standard deviation (N = 4 fish). The dashed curve indicates the first-order model (rejected), and the gold region indicates 95% confidence intervals for this model. The solid curve indicates the second-order model, and the blue region indicates 95% confidence intervals for this model.
So, apparently knifefish can be modeled (with pretty high confidence) as a 2nd order system with cutoff frequency of around 1Hz with decent phase margin -- cool. Here's the fish being a good little 2nd order system.
Many thanks to the Georgia Tech Robotics and Intelligent Machines (RIM@GT) seminar series for having Dr. Cowan come present his work last year, exposing me to this cool piece of work.
@ Brian,
I'm not entirely sure I understand the Avatar reference -- though it is a stellar movie with plenty of cool robots :-)


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Romney Announces Energy Policy: Domestic Independence by 2020
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) -- Mitt Romney will reveal new energy policy Thursday that will hinge on states, and not the federal government, being able to control energy development on federal land, a shift that the campaign says will result in North American energy independence by the year 2020.
"What Governor Romney is proposing is that state governments, which already control the development of energy resources on their own and private lands within their borders, would also control the development of energy resources on federal land within their borders," said Romney Domestic Policy Adviser Oren Cass in a briefing call with reporters to preview Romney's energy speech slated to occur later Thursday in New Mexico.
Cass said that Romney believes the challenge in getting to energy independence by 2020 is "not about the resources we have, it's not about the technology that we have, it's about the government we have."
"The question is are we going to pursue the political reforms that will allow us to develop the resources to their fullest," said Cass.
In addition to shifting the power of energy development exploration on federal lands to the state level, Romney's policy also calls for opening more offshore drilling options, starting off the coast of the battleground state of Virginia as well as the Carolinas.
Romney's plan also calls for the pursuit of a "broader North American energy partnership" with Canada and Mexico that would include building the Keystone pipeline, a development Romney calls for frequently on the stump while simultaneously criticizing the Obama administration's rejection of the pipeline.
Romney will also make a renewed call for the reassessment of what energy resources actually exist in the United States already, Cass noting that this has never been "accurately explored." Finally, Romney's plan will call for private sector-led development of new energy technologies.
Asked how the campaign will respond to criticism that Romney's plan favors the oil industry, members of which helped Romney raise $7 million in a single day of fundraising in oil country in Texas earlier this week, Romney senior adviser Ed Gillespie said that those who will benefit from "unleashing" more energy resources are "consumers and families and workers who will get the benefit of more jobs and more affordable energy."
But the Obama campaign has already pounced, former Clinton Energy Secretary Federico Pena writing in a statement on behalf of the campaign, "Only two days after a fundraiser hosted by the CEO of major oil companies, Romney is expected to defend billions in oil subsidies while opposing efforts to use oil more efficiently and develop homegrown alternative energy. We will never reach energy independence by turning our backs on homegrown renewable energy and better auto mileage."
"President Obama has championed an all-of-the-above approach to energy that responsibly develops America's great natural resources. And under President Obama, we are producing the most natural gas ever, the most oil in 14 years, and are on track to double the amount of electricity we get from renewable sources like wind and solar," wrote Pena. "We are investing in the future of clean coal, biofuels, and other forms of energy. His investments in clean energy have already supported nearly 225,000 jobs and are helping American workers to complete with China and India for these jobs of the future. And affordable, homegrown sources of energy will strengthen American manufacturers and small businesses."
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


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Increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration are a common component of multiple signal transduction pathways regulating a wide variety of responses ranging from rapid events such as membrane fusion and muscle contraction to control of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Since Ca2+ signals typically occur in a time frame of seconds to minutes, how Ca2+ transients can regulate events that occur over hours to days is poorly understood. Recent investigations from our lab have led to the identification of Early Growth Response 1 (EGR1) as a regulator of the expression of STIM1, a required component of store-operated Ca2+ entry, the primary means of Ca2+ entry in non-excitable cells. This observation has led us to the hypothesis that Ca2+ signals are modulated via coordinated EGR-dependent control of STIM expression.
The first aim i s to define EGR-mediated control of STIM1 and STIM2 transcription using a combination of luciferase, Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) to investigate the extent to which the properties of EGR1 can be applied to other family members. Experiments will be performed in optimized cell systems including HEK293 cells and Jurkat T cells.
The second aim i s to analyze receptor-mediated control of STIM1 and STIM2 expression. Here, the ability of receptor-mediated changes in EGR1 and EGR4 expression to change STIM1 and STIM2 expression will be examined in both fibroblasts and mast cells derived from wild type and EGR1 knockout mice, using insulin, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF;fibroblasts) and Stem Cell Factor (SCF;mast cells) as agonists. The contribution of Ca2+ itself to receptor-mediated EGR1 and EGR4 expression will be examined using STIM1 and STIM2 knockout fibroblasts. Finally, the third aim is to examine EGR-mediated physiological control of Ca2+ signaling. The impact of insulin vs. SCF-induced changes in STIM expression on Ca2+ signals in mast cells will be determined by exposure to varying concentration of DNP-BSA after priming with anti-DNP IgE. Overall impact on cytosolic Ca2+ concentration will be determined in fura-2 loaded cells, while electrophysiological analysis of Ca2+ currents will be used to measure both STIM1- and STIM2-mediated changes in channel activation in mast cells where endogenous currents are at measurable levels. Finally, the impact of EGR-mediated changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration on mast cell activation will be determined focusing on cytokine production and release in wild type, EGR1-null and STIM1-null mast cells. Considered in combination, these investigations will provide the framework for a new understanding of how Ca2+ signals in cells are modulated over extended time periods via crosstalk between autocrine, paracrine and endocrine factors.
STIM-operated Ca2+ signals represent the primary means of Ca2+ entry in mast cells, with critical contributions to their activation. The current proposal is based on the concept that EGR-mediated changes in STIM expression modulate Ca2+ signals over extended time frames. This concept is uniquely relevant to mast cells;while brief induction of mast cell activity contributes positively to the immune response, chronic mast cell activation leads to multiple pathophysiological outcomes including allergic responses, anaphylactic shock, asthma, sclerderma and rheumatoid arthritis.
|Hooper, Robert; Zaidi, M Raza; Soboloff, Jonathan (2016) The heterogeneity of store-operated calcium entry in melanoma. Sci China Life Sci 59:764-9
|Blair, Harry C; Soboloff, Jonathan; Robinson, Lisa J et al. (2016) Suppression of arthritis-induced bone erosion by a CRAC channel antagonist. RMD Open 2:e000093
|Brailoiu, G Cristina; Deliu, Elena; Console-Bram, Linda M et al. (2016) Cocaine inhibits store-operated Ca2+ entry in brain microvascular endothelial cells: critical role for sigma-1 receptors. Biochem J 473:1-5
|Samakai, Elsie; Hooper, Robert; Martin, Kayla A et al. (2016) Novel STIM1-dependent control of Ca2+ clearance regulates NFAT activity during T-cell activation. FASEB J 30:3878-3886
|Hooper, Robert; Rothberg, Brad S; Soboloff, Jonathan (2016) Sterol hindrance of Orai activation. Sci Signal 9:fs4
|Hooper, Robert; Zhang, Xuexin; Webster, Marie et al. (2015) Novel Protein Kinase C-Mediated Control of Orai1 Function in Invasive Melanoma. Mol Cell Biol 35:2790-8
|Hooper, Robert; Soboloff, Jonathan (2015) STIMATE reveals a STIM1 transitional state. Nat Cell Biol 17:1232-4
|Wang, Xizhuo; Wang, Youjun; Zhou, Yandong et al. (2014) Distinct Orai-coupling domains in STIM1 and STIM2 define the Orai-activating site. Nat Commun 5:3183
|Hooper, Robert; Rothberg, Brad S; Soboloff, Jonathan (2014) Neuronal STIMulation at rest. Sci Signal 7:pe18
|Hooper, Robert; Samakai, Elsie; Kedra, Joseph et al. (2013) Multifaceted roles of STIM proteins. Pflugers Arch 465:1383-96
Showing the most recent 10 out of 20 publications


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The family of Michael Jackson, the pop star, may move to Devon to escape the media spotlight.
The singer's older brother Tito, a judge in the BBC One duet contest Just The Two Of Us, has spent the weekend house hunting in the town of Barnstaple in the West Country.
"We hope it will be a family hideaway where my brothers and sisters can escape the media attention when we need to," the actor told the North Devon Gazette newspaper.
Tito, 54, added that the move would make sense because of his television work in Britain. "Michael likes North Devon, too, as no one bothers him."
He confirmed that the pop star, along with their brother Jermaine and other Jackson siblings, have privately visited Devon in recent years.
"My family love the wonderful countryside and friendly people."
A few years ago Michael Jackson headlined a fundraising event at the Exeter City Football Club, to the amazement of thousands of fans of the Devon club.
Before the pop star achieved fame in his own right, the clan shot to fame as The Jackson 5 in the 1970s with hits such as ABC and I Want You Back.
Tito Jackson's friend Matt Fiddes, a celebrity bodyguard who lives in the area, said the actor put in offers on two properties.
"Tito has been staying with me in north Devon, and he and his family love the area. He likes it because it is so laid back after the hassle of California."
Mr Fiddes, who has known the Jacksons for about 11 years since being introduced by spoon bender Uri Geller, said his friend came to north Devon with the "mission" of finding a "getaway" home.
"It's definitely going to happen," Mr Fiddes said.
"Tito spoke with Michael on the phone the other night and all the family are certain that this is the area where they want to find a UK family hideaway."
He added: "The family is very close, so I do not see why we should not see them in north Devon in the future."


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Kamen Rider Drive Episode 30 Preview
Next week on Kamen Rider Drive, Kiriko is worried that Gou ran away and continues to pursue his mission to eliminate Chase while working with Brain. Plus more will be revealed next week!
Categories: Drive , Kamen Rider , News , Preview , Tokusatsu
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What is an Imaging Plate?
The imaging plate (IP) contains a photostimulable storage phosphor layer (typically 0.1 to 0.3 mm thick), which store the radiation dose as a latent image within the phosphor layer as elevated electron energies. When the IP is then transported through the scanner (read out), the scanning laser beam causes the electrons to relax to lower energy levels (photostimulated luminescence), emitting light that is detected by a photo-multiplier tube, which is clocked at a specific resolution or pixel capture frequency, this signal then being converted to an electronic signal and significantly amplified. The electronic signal is then quantized via an ADC to discrete (digital) values for each pixel and placed into the image processor pixel map. Imaging plates can theoretically be re-used thousands of times if they are handled carefully and under certain radiation exposure conditions.
Imaging Plates are nearly ideal electron and x-ray detectors that give you highest quality digital Images. DITABIS Imaging Plate Technology enhances your results with all the benefits of digital imaging. Exploring the advantages of the Imaging Plate Technology, best results are obtained in resolution, linearity, sensitivity, dynamic range and DQE.
Advantages of Imaging Plates
- Flexible and thin
- Different formats
- High evective area
- High dynamic range
- Reusable
- High resolution
- High sensitivity
- Usable for more than one TEM or X-Ray source
- More information about the physics of imaging plates
Imaging Plate Scanner by DITABIS
DITABIS is an expert in digital imaging. We already developed several Imaging Plate Scanner systems. The DITABIS scanner are used in electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction but also in dental radiography.
Here you can see a cryo image made by a transmission electron microscope:
The DITABIS Imaging Plate Scanner Micron can scan up to 20 Plates (size 81x100 mm) in one turn. Other Imaging Plate sizes are available on request.
- Information about scanner technology
- Information about scanner software
If you are interested in the DITABIS Imaging Plate Scanner technology then please get in contact with us busdev(at)ditabis.de
- You can find more information about the Imaging Plate Scanner Micron here!


text: MINISO Canada has opened its doors in Waterloo, ON at Conestoga Mall! Located by entrance 6 near Old Navy, this marks MINISO Canada's 7th store in Ontario. For the latest updates on new store openings, products and promotions, check out MINISO on: Twitter: @MINISOCanada Facebook: @MINISOCa Instagram: @MINISO.Canada MINISO...Read more


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Is my child overweight or obese?
Are you worried that your child might be overweight or even obese? There is a growing number of parents who are concerned about their child's wellbeing given the statistics from around the world highlighting the increasing number of children who are overweight and obese.
If you'd like to learn more about how you can help your family thrive, you've come to the right place.
This is the third interview in my series on FOOD and your family: how to develop a stress-free, healthy and balanced lifestyle for everyone from toddler to teen with Deb Blakely.
In the first interview Deb and I explored the topic of Healthy eating for parents: being a good role model for your family. If you could do with a few tips on how to make small, realistic changes so you can have a healthier lifestyle for you and your family then listen to our interview. Click here to listen
In the second interview Shaping your teens good eating habits and developing a healthy attitude to food, we explored how parents can support their teenagers to maintain a healthy lifestyle given the pressures on teens today. With all of the issues around body image and peer pressure to eat certain things, to look a certain way – it's hard for teens to know what a healthy diet looks like. Listen to the interview for practical ideas on how you can help your teen develop great habits to hold them in good stead for life! Click here to listen
In this third interview Is my child overweight or obese?
Deb Blakey from Kids Dig Food, and I explore whether you should be worried about your child's weight, and if your child is overweight you'll learn what is helpful and what isn't helpful in supporting your child to have a healthy body weight. Our focus is to provide you with information and ideas so you can make the right choices for your family. Click here to listen
In this interview you'll learn about:
- Assessing the growth of your child and whether you should be worried in the first place.
- Understanding that your child is entitled to love their body, no matter what shape or size.
- How to talk about weight in a supportive and healthy way.
- Why NOT to put your kids on a diet and why it doesn't help.
- And how to create a healthy family food environment.
Deb has a passion for helping families to develop a healthy relationship with food rather than the impossible tasks of trying to be "perfect" at eating all the "right" foods. We all know that's hard work, no fun and so of course it's impossible to maintain. Enjoy the interview!
Dr Rosina interviews Deb Blakely, founder of "kids dig food" on how parents can support a healthy lifestyle with their family. Deb is a Dietician and Nutritionist, who works with families so they can lose the guilt, stop the battles and eat happily! If you'd like to know more about her workshops, webinars, or have a consultation in person or online email email@example.com or see her website at www.kidsdigfood.com.au


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Morning Glory/
Quiet time. A phrase often used by Christians to describe spending time with God.
You might ask what this looks like, or even means exactly. I'll start with what I consider the critical components, in general, for spending some quality time with the Big Man.
God [who never leaves you, so is thus always there] Self Undivided attention Time
You might be surprised that a Bible, journal, or even silence aren't included in the list. It's something I've come to be humbled on, realizing I can make spending time with God about a lot of things other than him.
Now, don't misunderstand me -- I believe His Word, the Bible, is absolutely vital to our lives. There are, however, ways to spend time with Him in addition to reading. Taking a hike through nature while praying, driving in the car listening to worship music, or going on a run, for example.
When I think of "quiet time", I think of getting my heart and mind quiet before the Lord. While some may prefer literal quiet for that, it doesn't have to be. I can be sitting in a coffee shop but instead of thinking about my to-do list for the day or working on blogs (cough), I give Jesus my undivided attention.
My daily way of connecting with God is through spending time reading the Bible when first waking up. I pour a hot cup of coffee, stir in some homemade pumpkin spice creamer and sit at our kitchen nook curled up in a blanket.
Some days I'll read out of my New International Version Bible, other days on our iPad from The Message or Amplified version. Currently, I'm reading through the New Testament chronologically, so that's how I decide where to start. I occasionally like to journal different verses that stand out to me, people I'm praying for, things I'm struggling with, cool moments I've had recently, and what I feel like God is telling me.
My typical QT elements: Bible Journal Coffee iPad G2 pen (I'm a nerd)
I also love to go on bike rides, bake, listen to podcasts, read a devotional book, or go in a quiet room and put on worship music, light candles and sing to God.
Because I'm so
scatterbrained organized, I keep a notepad nearby to help me stay focused. If I think of a task that needs done later that day, I'll write it down so as not to let it distract me. I put my phone away. Headphones in. And do my thing. It might last 15 minutes or two hours. In my opinion, mornings are the best time--in the quiet, before the chaos of and yuck of the day have a chance to wear you down.
Bottom line: make time with Jesus a priority. Keep it fresh and creative. After all, I wouldn't want to spend time with my husband the same way every single day. Don't feel confined to a pattern or routine.
Some personal recommendations:
- Books of the Bible
- John, Galatians, I John
- Podcasts
- Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill
- Steven Furtick, Elevation Church
- Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch
- Devotional Books
- Comforts from the Cross, Elyse Fitzpatrick
- Jesus Calling, Sarah Young
- For the Love of God, D. A. Carson (commentary that takes you through the Bible in a year)
- Smartphone apps (free unless marked):
- FighterVerse - Scripture memorization ($3)
- YouVersion - tons of versions of the Bible
- Bible 360
- Christian music
- Hillsong
- All Sons + Daughters
- Jesus Culture
- Daylight Worship
- Tenth Avenue North


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Well it has been quite a while since I have posted and lots has happened in the past 3 months. The re-organization of IBM has caused some internal shakeup but I have landed in the Cloud group which still is the home of the IBM DevOps solution. So I get to keep my current trajectory. With that though I have tried to expand my horizons and learn some new things. I have started to look at UrbanCode Deploy with Patterns more closely. It will play a key role in the IBM Cloud software offerings and will be the center point of HEAT document editing.
To back up a bit, HEAT is the OpenStack project focused on orchestration. The mission of the OpenStack Orchestration program is to create a human- and machine-accessible service for managing the entire lifecycle of infrastructure and applications within OpenStack clouds. In other words, HEAT provides the ability to define full stack application definition in a human readable artifact. The HEAT engine then reads the artifact and farms out the necessary tasks to other parts of the Cloud infrastructure to fulfill the parts as defined in the artifact.
UrbanCode Deploy with Patterns (UCD+P) provides a rich editor that allows you to craft HEAT documents in a visual way. It also defines some custom extensions to HEAT that allow some additional capabilities that are necessary to provide full stack functionality. Let's examine in more detail.
UCD+P provides extensions that allow you to assign components from UrbanCode Deploy (UCD) to nodes in the blueprint. The component drawer of the resource pallet provides the list of components available to the user that can be applied to nodes.
The entries in this drawer come directly from the UCD integration. The first time you drag a component onto the blueprint canvas you are presented with a dialog. This dialog is to confirm the application that you want to associate to the blueprint. In UCD you will end up with a new environment of the application you choose once the blueprint is provisioned. Remember that components can be included in more than one application and therefore this dialog allows you to choose which one.
Here is a picture of a node after a few components have been assigned to a node.
Now let's switch over to the blueprint source view and take a look at the UCD information that is included. First we see the blueprint parameters. Notice the UCD values that are necessary when provisioning the blueprint.
Next we can look at the component information. We see two different resources defined. The war file deploy component defines the type of server it is being installed on. The version property is important. UCD+P defaults to the LATEST component version. This is fairly unrealistic. There are most likely a limited amount of scenarios where the LATEST version of all components are installed. More likely would be a snapshot. Unfortunately as of the writing of this post there is no capability to specify a snapshot name. This would be easy to add to the "choose an application" dialog since snapshots are associated with applications. This will be my first UCD+P enhancement request. I encourage anyone reading this to also chime in on this RFE.
A few other details to note are found in the component configuration resource. Here we see the name of the component and the component process to use. Note that the process name defaults to "deploy." I believe it assumes you will have a process named "deploy." You can change it to something else if you want to use another defined process. This again would be easy to add to the user interface when dragging it onto the blueprint canvas. But this one isn't as critical as users typically define a default deployment process named "deploy." Also note the input property that is required (JKE_DB_HOST). This is defined in UCD as a component environment property and is picked up via the UCD integration. It is not clear if, for example, I have a process property that is required or some other property whether those will be picked up as well. Note that this property can be associated with a UCD+P property that is then gathered at provision time.
The UCD+P integration to UCD is very powerful and these HEAT extensions allow us to define both storage, compute, and networking information along with UCD component info in the same blueprint making this a true full stack artifact.
Now I am sure you can image some things that are missing in this picture. I will give you some hints. First, it looks to me in the example that I have shown that the middleware installation (and non-application configuration) is being performed by UCD. I am not sure this is the best place to perform this type of task and maybe there is a better way to do it. Also, it won't take long in talking with an operations team some additional activities that are necessary in a production "Go Live" scenario. Stay tuned to some additional posts on things coming down the pike to fill in some of the gaps in the full stack picture.


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To John Adams from Thomas Brand Hollis, 23 November 1790
The Hide Novem: 23d. 1790.
Rebout St Etienne address is too good to be lost as also Castellane opinion.
I have sent you a Packet by mr Cutting as unwilling to lose the opportunity—had no time to write and beg the favour of you to forwards the others. If there are any particular books regarding the Italian States you wish to have let me know and I will endeavour to procure for you, tho from this sale too late, as it is desirable you should be complete, having introduced that Knowledge wch before was not attended too & for wch the publick owe you much.
Burke & the convention will amuse the town for a little while which is always provided with a tub.—
I have endeavoured to amuse you and have tired my self & it is time I should release you by assuring you that I am with great esteem & regard
Dear Sir / your very sincere Friend
T. Brand Hollis
MHi: Adams Papers.


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Greenfield Assisted Living
Offers Assisted Living and Nursing Homes
Reviews of Greenfield Assisted Living
Nursing Home Reviews for Greenfield Assisted Living
September 02, 2015
I visited this facility
Costs for Greenfield Assisted Living
Cost of Assisted Living
Starting Price
Services and Amenities of Greenfield Assisted Living
- Rent Plus Care Fees
- Fee Structure Extra: We Offer A Month To Month Rental
- Assisted Living Starting At: $2200/month
Room and housing options
- 1-bedroom apartments
- Companion Suites: We Do Not Offer Companion Suites
- Studio Apartments
Dining options
- In Room Kitchens
- Dining Room Shared Meals
- Beauty Barber Shop
- Resident Transportation
- Coffee Shop
- Party Space
- Tv Room
- Garden And Patio
- Resident Parking
Cleaning services
- Laundry For Linens
- Housekeeping
- Laundry For Clothing
Technology and entertainment
- Cable In Rooms
- Internet Enabled Rooms
- Wifi
- Technology Extra: $35 Cable Tv Fee
Health services
- Skilled Nursing
- Medication Management
- Physical Therapy
- Nurse On Staff: We Have 24 Hour Nurses.
- Offsite Activities
- Music
- Games
- Stories
- Religious Services
- Lectures Discussions
- Book Clubs
- Fitness Room
- Gardening
- Cooking
- Arts And Crafts
Financial guidance
- Home Sale Assistance
- Va Benefits Consultation
- Financing Advice
Guest services
- Guest Parking
- Guests At Mealtime
- Overnight Guests
- Health:
- Overall:
- Quality:
- Staff:
- Medicare Provider Number: 165383
- Ownership Type: For Profit Corporation
- Date Certified: 08/01/2019
- Resident Capacity: 57
- Minimum Age: 55
- Pets: Small Pets Allowed
Range of services
- Physical Therapy
- Licenses: IOWA
About Greenfield Assisted Living
Welcome to Greenfield Assisted Living Community.
Greenfield is the premier assisted living community of Adair County. Our safe, residential environment is staffed by an expert team that provides support and assistance when you need it. Our goal is to promote your independence and the quality of life you desire.
You will have many choices whether it's our delicious meal options prepared by our top chef, exciting social activities, or organized group trips. With home-style apartments, beautifully landscaped patios and gardens, a relaxing whirlpool spa and a full-service hair salon, Greenfield has everything you are looking for in a retirement lifestyle!
Schedule your tour today, and see why so many have chosen to call Greenfield Assisted Living home.
What Makes Us Special
At Greenfield we offer a variety of care services personalized for you. • Nutritious and delicious meals prepared daily • Housekeeping and linen services • Daily bed-making and trash removal service • Medication monitoring • Assistance with activities of daily living • 24-hour certified nursing assistants (CNAs) • 24-hour on-site staff • Complete interior and exterior maintenance • Social, activity, wellness and daily fitness programs
Map of Greenfield Assisted Living
Senior Living Communities near Adair County, IA
Other Senior Care in Greenfield, IA
Helpful Articles
- 11 Signs It Might Be Time for Assisted Living
- Nursing Home, Assisted Living, or Independent Living?
- Assisted Living or In-Home Care?
- Assisted Living Checklist: What to Look for, What to Ask
- Cost of Assisted Living
- How to Pay for Assisted Living
- How Levels of Care Affect Assisted Living Cost
- Tips on Moving to Assisted Living


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Family Design
Practical Living
Location: Bellingham, Washington
Square footage: 2,700 sf
This spec design has been used for multiple projects, with minor adaptations specific to each site. The living spaces have vaulted ceilings which flow into outdoor spaces. Plenty of individual private space and ample shared living space make this an ideal family home. An office is located at the front of the house, attached to a butler's pantry containing ample space for food storage. This flows into the well-sized kitchen, living, and dining area. The master suite and associated private deck are also located on the main level. Upstairs, three bedrooms, two baths, and a bonus room above the garage complete the home.
- 4 bedroom, 3 ½ bath
- Upstairs laundry room
- Bonus room above garage
- 3-car garage
Builder: Northwest Signature Homes


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Electric Gates by Mitech Joinery.
Electric gates are becoming more popular every year. Customers now want more flexibility, and peace of mind that their property will remain safe and sound in their absence.
Today, there are so many different systems to choose from, and Mitech Joinery is dedicated to providing you with only the best solution. We manufacture gates for the Automation Trade across the UK, which provides insight into what is currently trending, and what type of automation is delivering the reliability customers expect.
We design and tailor every electric gateway to your exact needs. For example, if it's a high use gateway, we will use a system that will withstand the constant motion. This is often found with 24volt systems, as they are built for high frequency of operation.
As most of our handmade electric wooden gates carry an air of class and elegance, we tend to use the underground system. Two good examples of automation motors are the Nice Metro kit and Came Frog AE-P kit, both of which are reliable and strong units.
The beauty of this system is that it is buried at the base of the gate's hinge-end. With the correct drainage built in, the galvanised box will last for years, as will its stainless steel counterpart, which has a better resistance to rot. As the box is underneath the gate, there is no sign that the gates are automated, giving an all-round professional look to your driveway entrance.
All gates manufactured by Mitech Joinery are made with automation in mind and as part of the strength and structural ability of the wooden frame. Take a basic approach to your automated gates with the three simple factors, below.
1 . Gates need to open and close on demand, or with a handheld key fob on approach.
2 . Visitors with no key fob need a keypad/intercom or side pedestrian gate for access.
3 . Safety! All electric gates should comply with relevant health and safety laws. Safety ribs on areas where trapping is a possibility, crush-tested and approved motors, and safety beams or induction loops to create safe areas of gate operation near vehicles or pedestrians; these are all great examples of a few things to consider.
Once you have considered the above, along with other factors, please feel free to contact us about our electric wooden gates. We will be more than happy to answer any questions and advise accordingly, and site visits can be arranged for further guidance.


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Get your absolute best workout every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning right in the heart of Charlestown. That's right, during those beautiful Boston summer months we are at Bunker Hill Monument. As for those cold frigid winters, we got you covered when we go inside at the Harvard Kent elementary school.
So come energize your mornings with us! Increase your performance, burn fat, build strength and improve your overall endurance. Our energetic and skilled coaches will guide you through modifications, so you get a workout made for you! We combine high-intensity intervals with strength and conditioning styles of training using sandbags, resistance bands, agility ladders, medicine balls and more. Work all major muscle groups and burn calories even beyond your workout.
Using various equipment and styles of training, each class is designed to work your entire body.
Our instructors are experienced trainers. We will teach you how to execute each exercise with proper technique.
CoachES with PASSION
We love what we do and we want you to get your best workout every time. Our instructors know how to bring the energy.
"I feel like I've learned a lot and have seen results - a great combination!"
"Charlestown Bootcamp provides structured coaching that encourages you to safely reach your fitness goals."
"I never realized I could actually get up in the morning, workout, and feel so good all day!"
Get Started FREE!
See what all the buzz is about. Submit your email and receive a promo code for 3 FREE classes!
Ready to commit?
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Get your Unlimited Month-To-Month Bootcamp Pass.
Busy schedule?
Come to class on your terms. Drop-In or save a few bucks with our 6-Pack option.


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Lyrics Depot is your source of lyrics to The Rover by Great White. Please check back for more Great White lyrics.
The Rover Lyrics
Artist: Great White
Album: Great Zeppelin: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin
I've been to London, seen seven wonders. I know to trip is just to fall
I used to rock it, sometimes I'd roll it. I always knew what it was for.
There can be no denyin' that the wind 'll shake 'em down
And the flat world's flyin'. There's a new plague on the land
If we could just join hands (X3)
Traversed the planet when heaven sent me. I saw the kings who rule them all
Still by the firelight and purple moonlight. I hear the rested rivers call
And the wind is crying, from a love that won't grow cold
My lover, she is lying, on the dark side of the globe
If we could just join hands (X3)
You got me rockin' when I ought to be a-rollin'
Darlin', tell me, darlin', which way to go
You keep me rockin', baby, then you keep me stolen
Won't you tell me, darlin', which way to go... that's right
Oh how I wonder, oh how I worry and I would dearly like to know
I've all this wonder of earthly plunder will it leave us anything to show
And our time is flyin' see the candle burnin' low
Is the new world rising, from the shambles of the old
If we could just join hands.
Great White Lyrics
Great White Great Zeppelin: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin Lyrics
More Great White Music Lyrics:
Great White - Again and Again Lyrics
Great White - Desert Moon Lyrics
Great White - Lady Love Lyrics
Great White - Mista Bone Lyrics
Great White - Never Trust A Pretty Face Lyrics
Great White - Once Bitten Twice Shy Lyrics
Great White - Saint Lorraine Lyrics
Great White - When The Levee Breaks Lyrics


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Blog: The next big thing in China: the Winnebago
Glenn Brooks | 26 September 2013
With its major cities' roads in perma-clog, China has a massive problem that needs a solution. Makers of RVs believe they could well have an answer, a new report says.
I'm starting to get a small idea of the scale of things here in China, but really, I'm only scratching the surface of this vast country....
Given the startling complexity of obtaining a journalist visa for China - the code 'J2' is now indelibly stamped on my mind - it was with some surprise how swiftly I managed to sail through airport im...


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Steven Dresselhaus
Wheaton, Illinois
Bio: Steve is a career missionary with TEAM. TEAM is a faith based, international, non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to making life better for everyone now and in the future. We do this by creating sustainable and reproducing gatherings of Jesus followers who understand that as long as they are here they have the privilege of serving Jesus by serving their neighbors and by teaching them spiritual truths found in the Bible. Steve is a SCUBA diver, sea kayaker and an avid cyclist. Meeting with followers of Jesus every week is a number one priority for him. Making the world a better place by obeying Jesus is what energizes him.


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Studying in Uppsala
As a student at the Department you will be part of a vibrant research community and thrive among motivated high-performing fellow students. You also get the chance to do internships and study abroad.
Useful information and tools to help you manage your studies
Facilities and support for you as a student
Contact information
Bachelor's programme:
Ms. Chris Chau
Programme Administrator and Study Counsellor
E-mail: email@example.com
Phone: +46(0)18 471 23 79
Fax: +46 (0)18 69 51 02
P.O. Box 514
SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
Master's programme:
Ms. Ingalill Blad Ögren
Programme Administrator and Study Counsellor
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: +46 (0)18 471 23 49
Fax: +46 (0)18 69 51 02
P.O. Box 514
SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
The DPCR Student Office is located at Gamla Torget 3, 1st floor (via the Student Lounge).
Drop-in hours for Bachelor students:
- Mondays: 10:00-12:00
- Wednesdays: 10:00-12:00
Drop-in hours for Master students:
- Tuesdays: 13:00-15:00
- Fridays: 13:00-15:00
Appointments in other hours can be made via email.
Please note the student office will be closed from June 10 - August 31 and reopen on Sep 2.


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Donald Driver: a Brief Retrospective
How do you summarize the career of one of the greatest players to wear a particular team's uniform?
Well, certainly not all at once. It's probably best to remember him slowly, reflecting on his accomplishments and recalling notable moments and stats measuring what he's done.
That's certainly the case with Donald Driver, at least, a remarkable wide receiver with a megawatt smile and sprightly legs that carried him well past the age when most players begin to decline.
For example, did you know Driver caught exactly 5,000 yards worth of passes at Lambeau Field over his career? Or that his streak of 133 consecutive games with a reception puts him first (where else) in franchise history by nearly two seasons worth of games? (Sterling Sharpe is second with a 103 game streak.)
Did you know that Donald Driver didn't always wear his now-famous number 80? Nope...he used to be number 13, back when he was a rookie and at the bottom of a long climb to the top of the depth chart.
Did you know he snagged his first catch against the Carolina Panthers on December 12, 1999. Oddly, Driver would victimize the Panthers again in 2011, when he surpassed James Lofton's career yardage mark against Carolina in Week 2 of the 2011.
This is the best way to remember a man who may quickly become a legend. One fact at a time. One story at a time. One highlight at a time.
Like this sticky fingered grab against the Rams:
Or this catch and run, when the legs were perhaps a bit more fresh:
Maybe you'd like to go even longer than 71 yards. How long? Well, how about 85 yards...the longest regular season touchdown of Driver's career.
You'll notice I said the longest regular season touchdown of Driver's career. He went for 90 in the playoffs once, in what would be Brett Favre's last game as a Packer.
And don't forget, perhaps the greatest run after a catch in Packer history
We'll miss you Donald, for your smile, your energy, and your dancing ability. We'll miss your jitterbug runs after the catch. We'll miss your team-first attitude. We'll miss the Super Bowl runs and the records. Thanks for the memories.
For more on Donald Driver, check out his career stat summary, courtesy of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, or the Packers.com complete coverage.


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The Computer Science Department at Midwestern State University offers B.A., B.S., and M.S. degrees in Computer science. Below is more information as well as degree requirements for each program.
Undergraduate Program
The undergraduate program offers a core curriculum in computing that meets standards of computing-industry employers while allowing students to tailor the selection of advanced courses to fit their interests. Students may elect to take courses from exciting fields such as artificial intelligence, graphics, parallel computing, networking and game development. The baccalaureate program also features a developing emphasis in undergraduate research. The highly student-oriented faculty are committed to the success of their students and encourage participation in the program and in university activities. The members of the faculty practice an open door policy, allowing students frequent opportunities for one-on-one interactions.
2012 - 2014 Degree Plans:
Bachelor of Science Degree Plan here.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Plan here.
2014 - 2016 Degree Plans:
Bachelor of Science Degree Plan here.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Plan here.
Graduate Program
The mission of the Masters of Science degree is to provide a source of knowledge to experienced Information Technology professionals, and advancement of knowledge to recent graduates of computer science programs, and the opportunity for career change to those with undergraduate preparation in fields other than computing. The degree provides classroom and laboratory experiences which emphasize the theory, application, and contemporary research in the computing sciences.
For degree requirements click here.


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Welcome to Fieldquip
With constant research and development, along with state of the art manufacturing you can be assured that the very high level of respect we have gained in the market place will be maintained.
Fieldquip manufactures and provides implements you can rely on, year in year out. Our aim is to provide quality, versatile products that are safe and easy to use and loaded with features our clients want.
From reception to our experienced sales … staff, you will discover why we are one of Australia's fastest growing companies in the agricultural equipment industry!
..a cut above the rest
Featured Products
Farm and Lifestyle Machinery
Latest News & Events
- A tough topper for pasture and land clearance in New Zealand When the going gets tough, the Cyclone pushes the roughness aside and keeps on cutting for Tom Grant in New Zealand The geographical nature of the Bay of Plenty the Kiwifruit capital of the world, in North Island, New Zealand is ideal for agricultural and forestry activities. It also demands robust and durable machinery to cope with the toughest conditions, a job the Major Cyclone proves to handle without fail. For Tom Grant of Grant Farms, Ltd, the award-winning Cyclone mower was the ideal solution. "We do agricultural as well as earth moving contracting – it's the guts of the business for the last 37 years. We're managing an area of 400 hectares from various states of pasture, from rough stuff to the good stuff. We plan on making this rough stuff into good stuff. Before, we'd generally just do land clearance with a bulldozer – we'd bulldoze it all into a pile and bury it". Land management techniques are changing to have less impact on the environment. Bulldozing requires lots of time and resources, something farmers and contractors increasingly have less of. "We're doing a kind of land clearing mulching – it leaves the root system there, which we think might be more eco-friendly. The Major Cyclone can knock it down and keep pastures in order. It can chop some pretty massive stuff. Prior to that we would get in a bulldozer with a root rake and just root rake it all". When the Bay of Plenty Regional Council needed to clear a riverbank, Tom knew the Cyclone – a superior alternative to a flail mower – was up to the task. "It was the worst piece of riverbank to start with. There was a flood 12 months ago and hidden in the long grass are willow logs. But we just attacked this piece of overgrowth with Mr. Major and within 10 minutes we hit a willow log. It sheared the shearbolt off but it spat the log out – didn't wreck the machine at all. We put on another bolt and were away. It only ever did one bolt". "A reason we got this mower is because it's tough. We bought it for the staff to tidy up pastures and doing the topping. Farm staff don't really like these jobs so they'd come back with a mower that's demolished or half a mower with the other half tied up on a trough or something. If the machine comes back in one piece that's really quite a bonus for the day". Final words from Tom: "You can be rough with this and it'll just push the roughness to one side and just keep cutting".... Read more...
- A Hard Nut to Crack!Major Flex Wing offers best return for Australian Macadamia growers Daniel and Belinda Blanco The Macadamia nut is the only native Australian crop to be developed and traded internationally as a commercial food product. The tree is indigenous to the eastern seaboard of Queensland where ideal soil and climate conditions in Australia's rainforests produce superior quality nuts. Australian farmers produce more than 50,000 tons per annum or 30% of global production with more than 70% of crops exported around the world. Daniel and Belinda Blanco farm 140ha of Macadamia nuts in three locations near the town of Gympie, Queensland, about 160km north of the Brisbane. "There are around two hundred and forty Macadamia nut growers in Australia," commented Daniel Blanco. "We get paid top dollar for a top quality product, which can go into a variety of markets. These might include the rapidly expanding macadamia milk industry, the fast-food industry – because of the high temperature capabilities, cosmetics, and, of course, as a table delicacy, to name a few". "A recent market survey concluded over eighty percent of macadamia nut consumers in the global market preferred our Australian grown product at the top. There's definitely a big difference in quality between our product and those that come from other countries when you measure levels of protein, oil content and flavour," added Daniel. Growing a high value crop demands significant attention to detail with regards to husbandry, maintenance and harvesting. For the Blanco's and their team of four support staff, harvest is the busiest time of year. Their day begins at 3am to get the crop in for collection by trucks and off to the processors in the same day to maintain absolute freshness and quality of product. "Maintenance in the orchard is paramount to enabling disease control and maximising yield potential," Dan continued. "We spray regularly for pest control between the trees and use a high-end mower to cut the grass between the rows which are ten metres apart. We used to use three Kubota front-mounted mowers when we first moved here but that was too costly, extremely labour intensive and very time-consuming. So we bought a new Major Flex Wing five-point four metre (5.4m) from Vanderfield, our local John Deere dealer in Gympie, who are the agents for Major Equipment in this area. It's proven to be an absolutely perfect solution to grass maintenance in the orchards". The Major Flex Wing is manufactured in the Republic of Ireland by Major Equipment, who are renowned for manufacturing their equipment from high quality components and have a global reputation for reliability and longevity. "The Major FlexWing has a hydraulically folding wing section either side and is mounted on the three-point linkage and flexes from minus fifteen degrees (-15deg) to plus twenty five degrees (+25deg)," said Dan. "It's so easy for transporting between orchards at only two-point three metres (2.3m) and even though it's nearly five and a half metres wide (5.4m) working, the wings either side just follow the contours of the ground which helps us to maintain a highly effective cutting regime. We set the height of cut to the lowest setting – at around fifty mil (50mm) – and it always leaves an absolutely perfect lawn finish without scalping. The secret of this mower is the tip speed of the double-blade system. That and the quality of manufacture is why we bought it". General mowing duties means that the orchards are topped once every two weeks during the off-season and weekly, depending on the weather, when the trees are in blossom. Machine maintenance is also important to ensure reliability in the field and the Major Flex-Wing has a number of service improving benefits. "It's a three section mower with contra-rotating blades," said Dan. "Because we cut very close to the ground, we go through blades, but they are so easy to change. There are only a couple of daily grease points and because it's shaft driven, there are no belts – which is the weakest point on any mower. We clean it off at the end of every day and it's so easy to take care of. Just this one mower means we get the mowing done in half the time compared to the old system and with just one man instead of three. It's been a big cost saver". "There's absolutely nothing I dislike about this mower," said Dan. "So much so that I have ordered another one exactly the same size and it is being delivered shortly. Both Belinda and I are expanding our macadamia nut farming hectarage and we will definitely be buying a third Flex Wing next year. It might cost a little more than some of the cheaper alternatives at the beginning, but it's definitely a hard nut to crack! With the durability, performance and reliability, this machine pays for itself over and over and will be with us for many years to come. Nothing returns dollars per hectare like macadamia nuts, and it pays to invest in the best, to get the best return," he concluded.... Read more...
- Diamond in the roughAsk anyone who has played at the Ballybofey & Stranorlar Golf Club (B&SGC) and they'll tell you it's one of the most relaxing and picturesque 18 hole courses in Ireland. Situated in the east of County Donegal, it boasts beautiful views of the Donegal Mountains and the valley of the Finn River – but for some enthusiasts, it also carries a little sting in its tail! Founded in 1957, it was created by course architect P.C.Carr who designed it to require the use of 'every' club in the bag – a sure challenge for visitors and a lot of fun for its enrolled members. B&SGC is situated on 100 acres of tree-lined fairways on an undulating, parkland landscape of heavy clay and woodland which has been extensively drained and is playable year-round. All greens conform to USGA specification and the current membership is around 500. Whilst B&SGC has produced many a notable player on the international scene from both the ladies and men's sectors of the club, one of the most important aspects that also receives significant recognition, is that of the quality greens. B&SGC greens are considered amongst the best in the country. The club team of four green-keepers is led by Head Green-keeper Richard Thompson who has been at B&SGC since 2002. Said Richard, "One of the defining benefits of the club's management team is that they have a lot of foresight and allow us to choose the right equipment to get the right finish. They clearly understand that to produce the best quality playing surface, you have to choose the best machinery and that doesn't mean it has to be the most expensive, it just has to be right for our course." Having a golf course based on a clay foundation does have its benefits, but in the winter months and when there are periods of high rainfall, it also has its limitations. "We invested recently in a new wide-area mower to maintain the rough and semi-rough sectors of the course," added Richard. "Our old mower was unreliable, had seen the best of its days and couldn't cope with the varying ground conditions. So we reviewed the marketplace and looked at the leading brands, trying out a couple on our own course. We decided on the Major Contoura which has a number of additional features that meet our requirements and as an added bonus, it was more competitively priced than other machines. It's proven to be the right choice, we are very happy with it." The Major Contoura is a 3.6m wide machine designed around a unique pivoting frame and assembled as three independent, trailed mowing units, each with two rotors, fitted with two knives. Full-width rollers at the front of the cutting assemblies means that ground undulations are followed closely and the height of cut maintained throughout. Height of cut can be quickly adjusted from 10mm up to 110mm. It also has a 'zero-turn' capability and includes a 'kerb-lift' specification enabling the decks to be raised without disengaging the PTO drive. Constructed of a very high strength steel, the Contoura is strong, very durable and long-lasting. "One big plus from the Contoura" commented Richard, "is that it doesn't have a belt drive, which always seems to be the weakest part of a mower. Instead, it's gear-driven and therefore handles even heavy grass with ease. We use a Kubota L5030 tractor which is only fifty horsepower and the Contoura is not hard to drive – it doesn't leave trackings – even when the ground conditions are wet." B&SGC bought their Major Contoura through their local dealer, Laird Machinery who provide full after-sales service and back-up when needed. "One thing we get measured by, every day," laughed Richard, "is the quality of finish of the playing surface. If it's not right, we certainly hear about it. But I have to say that this new Major Contoura leaves a perfectly striped and even finish – far better than we were used to. I get a lot of pride in walking out and looking at the finish after it has been through the rough and I think this mower will be with us for a very long time. The design and construction of the Contoura is far advanced over anything else on the market and I see this as being an investment that will see us through the next ten to fifteen years at least." he concluded.... Read more...


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Sony Wins Crucial EU Case over Pre-Installed Windows
The European Union's highest court on Wednesday issued a ruling that should spark a collective sigh of relief across much of the PC industry—it is not illegal to sell a computer that comes with pre-installed software, without offering a "barebones" option that's free of software.
The case dates back a whopping eight years, to when a man named Vincent Deroo-Blanquart bought a Sony (SNE) laptop in France for €549 (around $850 at the time). He proceeded to challenge the idea that the machine came with Windows Vista Home Premium, which he did not want.
To illustrate just how long ago this was, Microsoft's (MSFT) operating system is now three generations along and Sony stopped making laptops two years ago.
Anyhow, after buying the laptop Deroo-Blanquart sued Sony, demanding €450 for the software plus €2,500 in damages for what he claimed were unfair commercial practices, designed to distort economic consumer behavior. Such practices are illegal in the EU.
He argued that the unfairness lay in forcing the consumer to buy the PC without any option of buying it sans software, and that it was also a misleading practice to sell laptops without indicating the price of each piece of pre-installed software.
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The French courts asked the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to settle the matter according to EU law, and on Wednesday the court handed down its verdict.
According to the CJEU, it is not necessarily an unfair commercial practice to bundle computers with pre-installed software, so long as "such an offer is not contrary to the requirements of professional diligence and does not distort the economic behavior of consumers."
The court pointed out that people tend to expect their computers to come with pre-installed software, and Deroo-Blanquart knew when he bought the Sony laptop that it would come with specified pieces of software. What's more, when Deroo-Blanquart first complained to Sony, the company offered him a full refund in exchange for the laptop (which he refused).
So that's a fair amount of evidence for the French courts to consider when judging whether Sony exercised its professional diligence—the CJEU's rulings are supposed to guide the national courts that asked for them.
"The national court must determine whether, in the situation where a consumer is informed before the sale that the model of computer is not marketed without pre-installed software and that he is therefore free to choose another model of computer, of another brand, with similar technical specifications and sold without software, the ability of that consumer to make an informed transactional decision was appreciably impaired," the CJEU said in a statement.
As for whether Sony broke the law by not breaking down the value of each piece of software when advertising its laptop's price, the CJEU said this definitely does not constitute a misleading commercial practice.
For more on the PC industry, watch our video.
Why not? Because the consumer doesn't need that breakdown to make an "informed transactional decision."
There are arguments to be had (particularly involving fans of alternative operating systems such as Linux) about whether or not all computers should come in an operating-system-free form, in order to encourage more competition in the OS market. It is indeed difficult for most people to get a "barebones" laptop these days, though rather easier when you're building your own desktop.
But in terms of whether failing to provide the option is actually illegal in the EU, the court has spoken. Even if Sony itself is no longer in the PC business, the ruling will certainly be music to the ears of Microsoft and Apple (AAPL) and probably also to those of manufacturers who get to keep their product lines relatively simple.