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Western Alamance carries an 8-2 record into its regular-season finale, yet the Warriors will look like long shots in the game against Northern Guilford.
The Nighthawks are 9-0 and hold the state�s No. 1 ranking in Class 3-A.
�This is a different animal,� said Western Alamance coach Jeff Snuffer, whose team owns a three-game winning streak. �We�ll try to play our best.�
Western Alamance stomped McMichael 66-0 last week in a game reduced in some ways by a second-half running clock.
�Hopefully, we can take a few of these points to next week,� Warriors running back Donovan Apple said.
-- RIGHT ON SCHEDULE: Williams High School coach David Green spoke to the importance of notching consecutive Mid-State 3-A Conference victories with the playoffs approaching.
�We�re getting close to playoff time now, so this is the time of year where you really want to be peaking, really want to be getting better,� he said. �And I think we are, very similar to what we did toward the end of last year.�
The Bulldogs won two games in the Class 3-A state playoffs a year ago despite entering the postseason with the final spot on the bracket.
-- FOR THE TITLE: Eastern Randolph coach Seth Baxter said his team knows the challenge this week against Reidsville.
On the line is the Mid-State 2-A Conference crown.
�It�s an exciting time,� Baxter said. �We divided our season in three sections � non-conference, conference and postseason. We�d love to finish with a conference championship.�
A victory would give the Wildcats a 5-1 conference record and would be the first conference defeat for Reidsville.
-- DISCIPLINED FOOTBALL: In a 20-17 overtime victory, every yard mattered during Eastern Alamance�s key Mid-State 3-A Conference victory.
That magnified the fact that Eastern Alamance tied a season-low with four penalties, costing it 39 yards. Meanwhile, Rockingham County committed 16 penalties for 129 yards.
�We�ve been on the other end of that,� Eastern Alamance coach John Kirby said. �It�s a hard-fought game and you go after it. We don�t always agree with (the calls), but (Friday night) it went our way.�
-- CUMMINGS LOOKS AT BACKUP: Late in the fourth quarter against Bartlett Yancey, Cummings High School quarterback Keith McAdoo took a hit that knocked him out of game. Coach Steve Johnson said removing McAdoo from the game was more of a �precautionary measure.�
Tevin Smith replaced McAdoo, completing his two pass attempts for 24 yards.
�Tevin Smith is a very adequate quarterback, but with Keith at quarterback, he manages the show very well and allows us to be able to play Tevin all over the place because Tevin plays every position,� Johnson said. �Sometimes, you just can�t find him out there.�
-- PASSING PATRIOTS: In the past two weeks, Southern Alamance has faced multi-touchdown deficits at halftime. Each time, the Patriots have come out throwing in the second half, looking to score quick points.
Two weeks ago against Greensboro Page, Southern Alamance�s aerial attack was limited. But last week against Greensboro Grimsley, the Patriots racked up 262 yards through the air.
�We completed some passes in the second half. We were behind and we needed to open it up a little bit to get back in the game,� said coach Henry Trevathan, whose team lost 38-21. �We hit some deep balls, which helped us get back into the game.�
In two of its last three games, Southern Alamance has had more than 260 passing yards.
-- FINDING HIS WAY: Quarterback Addison Benton, making his fourth start of the season for Eastern Guilford, finished 12 of 22 for 208 yards with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Jacob Finerty and two interceptions. Benton also ran eight times for 43 yards and a touchdown.
�Addison�s come a long way,� Eastern Guilford coach David Hines said. �He got into the flow of the game and was able to lead his group like he has been taught to in practice. We�ve just got to keep that going and keep building his confidence.�
The Wildcats weren�t able to score until junior running back Devonte Williams� 16-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds left in the third quarter, a frame in which Eastern Guilford was able to get some consistency on offense. Benton had 176 of his passing yards in the second half.
�It looked like (the offense) finally clicked,� Hines said. �We�ve been waiting on that to happen pretty much all season. We were able to put up 21 points. We had some breaks go our way. We�ve just got to continue building on what happened in the middle third and fourth quarter (Friday night).�
The Wildcats were without starting junior quarterback Heith Justice and were also missing sophomore playmaker Jarius Morehead, who was injured earlier in the week.
For Eastern Guilford, a year marked by injuries comes to a close this week. But Hines saw some good things from his team that gave him confidence moving forward. He also mentioned the health of his quarterback, who was hobbled after the game with an ankle problem.
�I think we�ve got to build on our offense and defensive performance in the middle third and fourth quarter,� he said. �Fix a few things here and there. If we can just continue to get better, that�s our key right now, to just continue the progress on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of the ball and special teams, get (Benton) healthy and just get going.�
-- EIGHT IS ENOUGH: Williams High School took advantage of a few mishandled balls by the Eastern Guilford special teams unit in the third quarter. The Bulldogs offense had control of the ball for eight straight minutes and scored a touchdown on all three drives in that span.
�You score, you kick-off, you get it back,� Green said. �One of the them was kind of unfortunate. We missed the kick and it didn�t go very far and we ended up getting that one. It wasn�t something that we were trying to do, it�s just one of those things that happens sometimes. Other than that, I was pleased. Our kids were getting down the field, hitting people and being aggressive.�
Yet, the defense was considered sluggish by Green and linebacker Jaylin Jeffries, even though the unit didn�t allow a touchdown until late in the third quarter.
�The defense started a little slow, but as the game progressed, we got a little better,� Green said. �We got a little more aggressive, we didn�t have any turnovers on our side, we had a bunch of takeaways on our side. So that�s always a good thing.�
Jeffries said: �We need to turn it up on defense in the beginning. We�re really playing below our potential.�
Williams defensive back Chuck Johnson snagged a fourth-quarter interception.
-- MORE HITTING: At the end of the Williams / Eastern Guilford game, players from both teams were involved in a scuffle that was quickly broken up with no ill effects on either side. �We got everybody separated and that�s all I know,� Hines said. �Nothing major happened and that�s the good thing. Two fired-up teams at the end of the ball game. I don�t really know a whole lot else.�


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Rockin' soul: Pure and simple southern sounds
at Starr Hill Music Hall
Sunday, April 10
Imagine Blackwater, Florida. Probably on the panhandle of the state, or maybe in the less explored regions of the northern neck of the woods. Regardless of its exact location, it's country. Florida country.
Before Sunday night, I didn't know Blackwater existed. But the band headlining Starr Hill Sunday night, Mofro, wore their Blackwater southern heritage like a badge of honor. Mofro began as a duo in rural Florida and has since expanded into a full quartet, playing the festival circuit as well as prestigious events like Jazz Fest in New Orleans.
The group has developed their own version of a down home southern sound that sits somewhere amid old-time R&B, gospel, funk, and southern rock.
The melody and bass were driven by a Hammond B3 organ. I have a low tolerance for organ-driven music. The high pitches tend to rub me raw after a while. With Mofro, things were different. At no point in the evening did I feel the chafe.
The drummer had an uncanny resemblance to Galactic drumming phenom Stanton Moore. They both play a style common along the Gulf Coast– a traditional style Moore is introducing to a new generation of players. Mofro's drummer lacked Moore's fancy fills but still held down a steady pulse, only showing off when given the chance to solo midway through the set.
Mofro's lead man controlled the evening's vibe. Over the course of the night he played Wurlitzer keys, guitar, harmonica, and sang the vocals. When he wasn't rendering the message with soulful crooning or touching up the melodies with his fingers on the keys, he was taking his time with his drink, and delivering diatribes on life to a very attentive audience. The rambles were just as entertaining as the music. He kind of reminded me of a dirty, drunken gospel preacher in an old Baptist church, the way he carried on with the music just grooving in the background.
To the singer's left sat another guitarist who picked up a lap steel from time to time. He never looked up at the audience, keeping his eyes tightly focused on his strings and effects. While what he played was simple and subtle, it seemed to be all the right things at all the right times.
That philosophy proved to be the backbone of the Mofro sound: a place for everything and everything in its place.
The band finished early and returned to the stage for an expected encore of three songs. By the end of the evening, their music had drenched me in unadulterated southern soul. Mofro was a true melting pot of country culture and a perfect way to jumpstart my glutes into another work week.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hilton Head Hospital must pay $40,000 toward Bluffton's tree bank as a condition for not replacing all trees to be removed for its proposed outpatient center on U.S. 278 near Buck Island Road.
And, if a spending recommendation is backed by the Town Council, the revenue would provide a funding source for the town to landscape the new roundabout at Bluffton Road (S.C. 46) and Bluffton Parkway.
The Bluffton Planning Commission took up the issue Wednesday, when it heard and denied a request for a waiver to tree mitigation requirements. The 12-acre site is at 75 Baylor Drive in Bluffton Commons, now home to a Publix-anchored shopping center.
Town Attorney Terry Finger said the tree code's intent is to get a developer to save as many trees as possible. Otherwise, it provides a way to do plantings in public places and rights of way.
The application from Acquisition Advisors LLC sought waiver of an $82,200 fee in lieu of planting 274 hardwoods to meet town tree mitigation requirements.
On a motion by Commissioner Carmen Washington, members voted 7-0 to basically split the difference and require the hospital to pay $40,000 toward the tree bank.
"I don't feel like it's so much a penalty, but part of the cost to build," Washington said before moving to deny the waiver but reduce the fee.
Planning Commission Vice Chairman Josh Tiller first made a motion to waive all but the town Tree Committee's estimated $16,500 cost for landscaping the roundabout, but the motion failed. Washington also said she'd like the fee to cover that project, which is in the planning stages.
The hospital announced plans in April for the project with an estimated $18 million development cost.
Before it builds, along with a town building permit, the hospital must receive Certificate of Need (CON) approval from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. The application was received in May and is under review, a DHEC official said Thursday.
"The time frame of this project calls for construction to start the first quarter of 2012, with the center to open the fourth quarter of 2012. This is all contingent upon CON approval. We are anticipating 30 new positions," hospital spokeswoman Kelly Presnell said Thursday.
Ryan Smith of Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co. said plans call for first-phase construction of 60,000 square feet and build-out at 80,000 square feet.
Tree bank spending is up to the Town Council, and Tree Committee recommendations will be sought, town administrators said.
Town staff had recommended granting a full fee waiver for meeting the "the spirit" of the code by "preserving a significant amount of existing canopy and replanting a substantial portion of the site. Staff has concluded that additional trees cannot be sustainably supported on the site, as the applicant's landscape plan has proposed a dense plant-back of large canopy trees," Planner Danny Wilson's report said.
The bank now holds $4,400 paid by the Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority.
To read the project announcement story, go to www.blufftontoday.com/bluffton-news/2011-04-20/new-outpatient-center-be-built-bluffton.
The partially wooded, 12-acre outpatient center site includes planted pines and hardwoods. For removal of large, native trees, the town requires inch-per-inch replacement of the caliper at breast height.
Full compliance would require replanting 521 trees, at 2.5 caliper inches at planting time, according to town Planner Danny Wilson.
The site includes 340 hardwoods with a total 5,319 inches. The applicant proposes preserving 247 hardwoods (73 percent) with 4,018 inches (76 percent), removing 93 hardwoods (27 percent) with 1,301 inches (24 percent) and replanting 283 hardwoods (of 3 inch and 1.5 inch calipers) with 616 inches.
That left a shortfall of 274 hardwoods (at 2.5 inch caliper), or 685 inches. The shortfall cost of $82,200 was based on $300 per tree for purchase, installation and one year of maintenance.


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Forecasters with the National Weather Service's office in northern Illinois got an up-close look at severe weather.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports lighting struck the forecasters' office in Romeoville on Saturday afternoon.
The office is on the campus of Lewis University in Chicago's southwestern suburbs. It's the agency's headquarters for the Chicago area.
The lightning strike temporarily knocked out weather radar and limited the facility's communications.


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Deploy a scalable private cloud on Lenovo Performance Rack Servers powered by Intel with Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform.
Resource Library » Brochures » Infographic - Red Hat Openstack
Most Recent Flipbooks
The Path to a Successful Cloud Strategy
Orchestrate your IT infrastructure with a truly seamless, end-to-end hybrid cloud solution.
Announcement: Open Platform NFV Verified Program For NFVi
The Open Platform NFV Verified Program is an open source, community-led compliance program to demonstrate the readiness and availability of commercial NFV products and services using OPNFV and ONAP.
ThinkSystem SR635 and SR655: Engineered for data-intensive and Edge workloads
Efficient single-socket servers with AMD EPYC™ processors deliver world record performance and enhanced application security without performance compromises.
Lenovo Database Solutions for Microsoft SQL Server DWFT
Reduce time-to-value with pretested hardware configurations
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Guaranteed 3:1 data reduction without sacrificing performance. Partner with the industry's fastest growing flash provider.
Why Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory on Lenovo ThinkSystem Servers
Enables larger workloads with data persistence and greater affordability.
Lenovo for the Data Center Portfolio Guide
Enabling the future-defined data center
Best Practices for the Lenovo ThinkAgile VX solution for SAP HANA
The Lenovo ThinkAgile VX appliance and certified nodes help you simplify IT infrastructure, reduce costs, and accelerate time to value.
Infographic - Security Is in Our DNA
Protect your data and fortify your business against cyberattacks with a foundation of built-in security for data center infrastructure from Lenovo.
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This document details solid state drive support for Lenovo ThinkSystem servers.
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Optimize SAP HANA or SAP BWA infrastructure for peak performance.
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Lenovo experts can seamlessly manage the physical installation of your server, storage, or networking hardware, so you can quickly benefit from your investment.
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Provision networking virtualization for efficient connectivity.
Lenovo Server Positioning


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It's amazing the amount of waste and toxins that can go into caring for our teeth. There are tooth brushes, mouthwash, toothpaste, and dental floss. There are more natural options though, that help us reduce our carbon footprint and are healthier for us.
While there are many natural toothpastes out there at are free of things like SLS, fluoride, artificial sweeteners, and dyes, there is one thing most of those still have that maybe bad for our teeth, glycerin. Glycerin is thought to coat your teeth and make it where they can't remineralize.
One great natural option is tooth soap. Tooth soap is just a soap made for teeth, it takes a bit of getting used to. However, they are in flavors that taste pretty good and some people like the way it foams. It does leave your teeth feeling nice a clean. A popular option for natural tooth soap is Rose of Sharon Acres, it comes in several flavors. If you just can't make yourself use the soap you can also get glycerin free toothpaste from Miessence. Or there are tooth powders which are very similar to tooth soap. Both are also great options.
For mouthwash you also want something glycerin free. This is also hard to find even in natural mouthwashes. One great option is the certified organic mouthwash from Miessence. It's highly concentrated so there is less waste and it lasts a long time.
Tooth brushes can mean a lot of plastic waste. This is a big subject all on its own so for more check out this post on My Plastic-Free Life about tooth brush options. For dental floss check out Eco-Dent or Tom's of Maine.
With a few simple changes your oral care can be better for you and the planet. Do you use any of these oral care options? Are there other green oral care products you like?
Photo credits:
Tooth Soap- Rose of Sharon Acres
Mouthwash- Ely Organics
I'm not a dentist so as with all medical things, do your own research and talk to your dentist if you have questions. This is just what I have found works for me.


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This update comes a little late, given we posted at the start of December, but the current weaving words into light collaboration between Sarah Mercer and myself, was inspired by Leonard Cohen's song, 'In My Secret Life'.
With the arrival of the new year, I'm determined to make a stronger effort to post updates to my blog, whether in the form of new work I'm creating, or older images I've managed to now work through and edit.
I managed to edit quite a lot of older work during the past year or so, but very little of it made it onto my blog, or even onto my website, so I hope to rectify that this year. Many of the posts will be image posts, but maybe I'll even manage some words here and there.
2013 was a good year for the most part, though for much of it I felt like I was in a holding pattern:
I made a conscious effort to minimise my shooting and concentrate on the mammoth backlog of images stored on my hard drives that had not been seen by anyone but myself. I managed to complete editing of thousands of photographs taken during a road trip in 2009, another road trip in 2010, and the majority of photographs taken during my residency at Hospitalfield in 2011. The bulk of posts to come will allow you to see that work.
I'm still working through the self-portraits from my residency and working on creating my interior / exterior book, and I'll keep you updated on the progress of that.
I was pleased to have my work exhibited in London for the first time in October, at the Printspace. That was definitely a highlight for me. I hope it will be only the first of many exhibitions here in the UK.
My partner, Kyle, joined me in London in mid-July, which was a pretty momentous and long-anticipated event, after having been in London for 2.5 years already myself at that point. We are quite excited that in the next week or so we will move into a flat of our own, which will no doubt give a greater opportunity for new shoots. Effectively living in one overcrowded bedroom can tend to stifle one's inspiration.
2014 is definitely feeling like a year of promising beginnings and it is upon my shoulders to ensure I maintain momentum. I am optimistic...


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With our superior service, thoughtfully detailed apartments, and a great location in Burtonsville, Country Place Apartments is a warm and exquisite community. Our scenic apartment community in Montgomery County is surrounded by lush landscaping, and beautiful cherry trees providing a serene environment.
We believe renting an apartment home also means joining a community, so Country Place provides a friendly environment to call home. Meet-and-greet wine and cheese events, holiday gatherings, poolside parties, and more, give you the opportunity to meet your neighbors and build lasting relationships. Since we put serving you first, we encourage our residents to give us input on ways we can improve the community. Your feedback helps our dedicated team members put serving residents first, which provides you with five-star customer service and a pleasant living experience at Country Place.


text:
ee News Europe provides marketing professionals in the electronics
industry with integrated online and print marketing services. EE News
Europe's print/digital edition is a monthly magazine that brings news,
analysis as well as product and design information to 70,000+ readers
in over 40 European countries. EE News Europe's www.eenewseurope.com
website and related designlines welcome an average of 100,000 unique visitors per month and it's daily newsletter reaches +/- 60000readers
eeNews MEDIA DATA 2019
Please click link below for full Media data (Online + Print)
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Design Channels
eeNews Europe publishes 5 vertical Design Centers connecting engineers with expert sources of knowledge, from vendors, consultants,
independent designers and application engineers. These dedicated web sites deliver breaking news, reviews, product announcements,
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eeNews Design Channels 2019 EURO
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SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ – Jersey Shore is being brought back for a second season. The Pope declares Snooki Polizzi the Patron Saint of the Jersey Shoreline.
Amid controversy and condemnation, MTV is bringing its show Jersey Shore back for a second season. Criticized for its use of ethnic stereotypes and mindlessly broad appeal, the show still found a strong audience among the "televised train wreck" crowd and the hopelessly shallow. Over 10 million viewers tuned in to watch Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi get punched in the face during one episode. Now, Snooki is being declared the Patron Saint of the Jersey Shore.
Traditional voices within the Catholic Church are criticizing this move as blatant act of populism. Cardinals and Bishops around the world are calling the move a "publicity stunt." "This is demeaning to the great Mother Church," said Bishop Arlino Guthrizzi. "Our sacred and dignified institution is being demeaned by her inclusion! When I first heard the news I spilled trans-substantiated wine all over myself!" In response to these criticisms Pope Benedict has said, "Who's infallible?"
"Even the most wayward of God's children need a shepherd. And I don't know how to relate to these kids. So here you go, have a saint." Polizzi will be considered the Patron Saint of the Jersey Shore, artificial tanning, and hair product.


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Product Details
- high end
- brass
- velvet
- contemporary
Product description
Questions about the Angular Armchair With Gold Frame in Pink
Do you have a question about this product?
If your question isn't answered below, drop us an email using the form on the left. We'll respond to you personally by email and may also post the answer here to help others.
We're here to help! Fire away.


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IPSLA Video Operation Across Cisco Platforms
Cisco IPSLA has been a very popular tool for network pre-deployment assessment and network monitoring for over a decade now. It has been widely deployed by Cisco customers across all industry verticals.
In an earlier blog, the Medianet team introduced you to a new type of IPSLA probe called the Video Operation (VO) probe. This probe is also referred to as the Built-In Traffic Simulator (BITS). The main functionality of this probe is to generate traffic that mimics real media flows. The intention is to stress the network and do a pre-deployment assessment of the network.
IPSLA VO is a Cisco IOS® functionality. So basically any router or switch running Cisco IOS® can be potentially used to generate IPSLA VO synthetic traffic streams without needing to buy and deploy dedicated hardware probes.
IPSLA VO is currently supported on both router and switch platforms. Router platforms include the ISR 1900 series, 2900 series and 3900 series. The switch platforms include the Catalyst 3K series and the 4K series. For a complete listing of the supported hardware, refer to the Medianet Datasheet.
Some differences exist in how IPSLA VO needs to be configured and the functionalities it offers across these platforms. Such differences are described in detail in the IPSLA Video Operation Across Platforms white paper.The white paper goes in depth into several areas, including the basic requirements (both hardware and software), as well as how to harness the power of IPSLA VO across various router and switch platforms.
Another feature that has to be highlighted for IPSLA VO is the support for traffic profiles. A profile is basically a description of the traffic characteristics of a media flow. IPSLA VO supports both in-built as well as custom generated profiles. Built-in profiles are typeset in Cisco IOS®. Custom profiles can be generated either using Cisco IOS® CLI or using a custom profile generation tool.
To support custom profiles, we have provided a free tool that can be used to generate custom profiles. This tool is also available in the Medianet Knowledge Base (under the "Design" tab). This tool takes a packet capture as the input and outputs a profile file which can then be loaded to the switch to generate synthetic traffic similar to it.
The tool, its features, and steps to use it are described in the white paper.User documentation and instructions to install the tool can be found here.
Questions /queries/comments on the white paper or the tool can be asked here.
Learn more:
- Medianet
- Medianet Knowledge Base
- Questions about medianet? Visit the: medianet support forum
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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A Sandwich a Day: Breakfast Sandwich at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
A new sandwich every day.
In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year—so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around New York. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know. —The Mgmt.
You are looking at half of the Breakfast Sandwich ($7) at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, and trust us, this half is enough to be breakfast on its own. It's a near-perfect breakfast, with crisp-edged and poofy-centered filone housing two meaty slices of Il Buco's salame rosa, nutty Rupert cheese, and a baked egg. It even holds up well for takeout orders. Our one complaint: that baked egg is cooked until the yolk is set; a more runny one would lend the moisture necessary to bring sausage, cheese, and bread together as one.
Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
53 Great Jones Street, New York NY 10012 (map)


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POTTSTOWN - Sections of Route 422 in Chester and Montgomery counties will be closed between March 1 and March 29 for road and bridge improvements.
One lane of eastbound Route 422 between Route 724 and Sanatoga interchanges in Lower Pottsgrove and North Coventry will be closed from 5 p.m. – 5 a.m., a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation release said.
One lane of westbound Route 422 between Sanatoga and Route 724 interchanges in Lower Pottsgrove and North Coventry will be closed from 7 p.m. – 1 p.m., the release said.
The department advises drivers to add extra time when traveling through the area.
This work is a part of PennDOT's $73.3 million project to rebuild and improve 1.6 miles of Route 422 in Lower Pottsgrove and North Coventry, the department said.
The work schedules are dependent on the weather, the release said.


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The finback whale that has traveled the currents of the Boston and the North Shore to rest, post-Superstorm Sandy, on Cape Hedge beach, was taken apart by a team of hearty souls armed with butcher knives and a whetstone this morning. It looked like bloody hard work, hacking away gigantic pieces of flesh and whale muscle from gigantic bones. Like butchering a school bus. Most of the people wielding the knives looked suitably attired with commercial rain gear covering all the parts that mattered, but a few looked like they had drifted over from the North Shore Mall with only sweatpants — sweatpants! — standing between their own flesh and that of the whale. Thousands of pounds of rotting whale flesh. I'm just guessing that those sweatpants, having absorbed dead whale moisture, are going straight into the trash can just off the beach, as it would be better to ride home naked than wearing sweatpants saturated with the smell of long-dead marine life.
The smell was epic when you were downwind, and on the car ride on the way home the air began to fill with an aroma suspiciously similar to that of our dead friend. It turns out that my 3-year-old managed to step in an infinitestimal string of whale flesh residue. His little shoes will probably be a casualty of the day along with the whale team members' sweatpants.
It was an amazing sight and hats off to the team from Mass Wildlife and the New England Aquarium and the guy at the Rockport DPW who handled the backhoe with the delicacy of a surgeon. It was a rare privilege to see, here in New England and in this high-tech age, people on the beach breaking down a whale by hand, just like our ancestors. But in this case the whale died of natural causes and even better, he will live on in perpetuity, recreated piece by piece for display in a museum. Experiences like this remind me that living here on Cape Ann is a rare sort of gift.


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Preventing Pet Obesity
We've all heard it time and again: there's an obesity epidemic in America, but did you know this problem extends to our feline companions as well? According to a 2012 survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 58 percent of cats cats in the United States are overweight. These results come as no surprise to those caring for cats here at PAWS. "We see a lot of overweight kitties," says Lead Companion Animal Veterinarian Dr. Keiko Young, "especially those arriving at the shelter as guardian-surrenders." This insight gives credence to the survey's observation that 15% of the guardians of obese cats don't even consider their animals overweight.
Sheltering overweight cats can present numerous challenges. Many are too large to use a standard-sized litter box or even relax comfortably in a standard-sized cage. While this isn't kitty boot camp, PAWS does offer modest slimming opportunities to our tubby tabbies. Volunteers and staff routinely get cats out of their cages for one-on-one playtime. Tapping into the cat's natural predatory instincts, laser toys are used to encourage them to run and pounce. Work-to-eat toys are employed while the cats are in their kennels, giving them puzzles to solve in order to earn a reward, and keeping their bodies and minds active.
Clicker training is another way the staff and volunteers at PAWS Cat City try to keep the kitties active. This reward based method helps the cats to learn tricks such as "sit." PAWS Assistant Shelter Manager Kerri Tenniswood brings up a good point,"It's hard to help an animal who is housed in a cage and sleeps 15 hours a day, stay fit, let alone lose weight. Our biggest goal is to get them into homes where they can have enough exercise. But, until then, we'll try to keep them trim."
Additional resources for preventing or caring for an overweight pet:
Pet Obesity Prevention
American Association of Feline Practitioners
Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine


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Med-ic® and Cypak Information Link
Information Mediary Corporation is pleased to announce that Med-ic® electronic modules are now available for use with Cypak printed packaging. The Med-ic electronic module is a drop-in replacement offering both NFC and IMC's secure CertiScan RFID data transfer protocols. IMC can assist former Cypak clients to continue on their development paths by supplying electronic modules, printed sensors and complete custom products, including IMC's award winning RFID temperature-sensing technology. Med-ic has been validated and used in 500,000 clinical trial smart packages. For more information on how to make your pharmaceutical packaging smarter than ever, please follow the Med-ic® and eCap™ links.


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Posted on Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Posted in Uncategorised, We RecommendTags: Chester Beatty Library, dublin, Grafton Street, National Museum of Ireland, phoenix park, trinity college
Dublin is a sprawling city of much culture and activities. Most of these cost money but there are things that you can do around Dublin for free.
Posted on Friday, April 4, 2014
Posted in Uncategorised, We RecommendTags: Cafes, dublin, guinness store house, Guinness Storehouse, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Kilmainham Gaol, Museums, National Museum of Ireland, Old Jameson Distillery, pubs, Rain, Tours, Viking Splash Tour
Dublin is no stranger to bad weather so (as a home-grown Dubliner) knowing the best places to avoid those pesky wet days is key to living in this city. I'll let you in on the best ones if you're nice.


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Experts Profile
Mark Spraggins, D.M.A.
Professor, Music Department
(805) 493-3309
Pederson Ranch House
- Profile
Mark Spraggins is active as a composer, musician, and educator in music technology. As a composer, his music has been performed throughout the U.S., and at European venues in Norway, Sweden, France and Italy. His catalog includes works for orchestra, wind ensemble, choir, percussion ensemble, various chamber ensembles, solo piano, and prepared piano.
Notable awards or commissions that Mark has received for his compositions include: first prize the 2000 M.A.C.R.O. competition (international choral competition), New Mexico Youth Symphony, National Federation of Music Clubs, Indianapolis Youth Symphony, Cantoria (choral), Butler Wind Ensemble, USC percussion ensemble, Indianapolis Children's Theater, Butler Ballet, Westbrook Quartet (string quartet). In addition, his music has been performed live on KUSC Los Angeles Public Radio. As a pianist, he has performed his own piano compositions as well as works by living Amercian composers.
Mark is also active as a soundtrack composer and music producer, having created music for programs on the History Channel and the A&E Network. Recent projects include the trailer to "Everdawn", and assignments as an arranger and pianist on commerical music productions.
Mark is currently director of Cal Lutheran's Music Production program, where he built and maintains multiple state of the art audio workstations for music production and recording. His is a member of the Audio Engineering Society, Society of Composers and Lyricists, Association of Technology in Music Instruction, and the College Music Society.
- Education
Doctor of Musical Arts - University of Southern California (2004)
Master of Music - Butler University (1994)
Bachelor of Music, Auburn University (1991)
- Expertise
Music Technology, Music Composition, Orchestration, Music of the 20th Century


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CISCO CATALYST 3750 DC Power SUPPY SPARE, CISCO PWR-ME3750-DC.
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Our department needed two discontinued drive modules for our servers. Code Micro delivered on time. ...
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Dec 27, 2010
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech junior center Brittany Darling has been voted the co-Newcomer of the Week, for her efforts against Southeast Missouri. The honor was announced Monday by the OVC office.
Darling shares the Newcomer of the Week award with junior guard Taylor Hall out of UT Martin.
A transfer student out of Owens (Ohio) Community College, this is the third consecutive week Darling has won the OVC Newcomer of the Week award.
Against Southeast Missouri, Darling finished one rebound shy of her third straight double-double as she posted 13 points and nine rebounds. She shot 50 percent from the field connecting on 6-of-12 shots. Darling also posted two blocks.
Tech (8-2, 3-0 OVC) travels to Orlando as it takes on Central Florida Wednesday at 3 p.m.


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Aby and Lisa Zemack
Call: 508.626.2121
Fax: 508.969.2001
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http://www.cog.brown.edu:80/gardening/wwwlist.html -- Lawrence F. London, Jr. mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGardenTitle: The Virtual Allotment
Guardian, Online section, 28.07.94
This is merely a collection of links I have found interesting or useful. With regard any commercial organisations mentioned above, inclusion on this list does not represent an endorsement of any products or services, nor does exclusion respresent similar disapprobration.
This page may be freely reproduced, amended or distributed by individuals; the author's permission is required by all others.
Last updated: 04 May 95
(c)Lynn Corriganhebe @glaschu.demon.co.uk


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Nano Sunscreens: Not So Bad?
There's been some debate about the safety of nano-sized particles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in sunscreens-- one of the scenarios discussed in the NISE Net's Nanomedicine in Healthcare forum relates to using nano-sized particles of zinc oxide in sunscreen. However, one consumer group recently weighed in that maybe nano sunscreens are okay. As a very pale person with a family history of skin cancer, I like to keep up with sunscreen news, so I was interested to see Andrew Maynard tweeting that "...Industry critics give nanotechnology sunscreens the thumbs up." He had written a blog post (which includes a good discussion in the comments) about an Environmental Working Group report on the safety of micronized and nano-sized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide suncreens. They ended up "recommending some sunscreens that may contain nano-sized ingredients." The big deal about nanosized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide particles in sunscreens is that they appear clear, rather than white, and may not come with some of the risks of chemical sunscreens. Read the full report here. Interested in sunscreen-related activities?
- The NISE Net's Nanoparticle Stained Glass cart activity lets visitors explore how changes in the size of a particle affect the color of the particles, a change in properties similar to that in sunscreens with nanosized particles. Check out the "program specific background" section for more information.
- Dragonfly TV's Stained Glass Activity Guide includes an investigation of nano sunscreens (and thank you, Lisa, for sending me this and other nano sunscreen links!)
- NanoSense, an NSF-funded project creating curriculum units for high school students and teachers on nanoscale science, has developed a unit on Clear Sunscreen: How Light Interacts with Matter.
- And finally, The Franklin Institute developed an activity on sunscreen. Last week I ran into Jayatri Das from the Franklin who said that she was planning to add her activity to the NISE Net catalog this week. Update: Jayatri just added it to the catalog, thank you, Jayatri!
Thanks to Andrew Maynard of the Wilson Center for blogging/tweeting about the EWG report. Image by photographer Ralph Crane from the Life photo archive.


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Wind Symphony
The Wind Symphony is the premiere instrumental ensemble at Concordia University. The Wind Symphony maintains an active performance schedule, having performed in schools, churches, and concert halls in 43 states, Canada, Eastern Europe, and China. The group has a commitment to the finest traditional and contemporary sacred and secular repertoire. The Wind Symphony has recorded thirteen compact discs of sacred music.
Conductor: Richard Fischer


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Collection Items
Map[Map of Loudoun County and part of Clarke County, Va., Jefferson County and part of Berkeley County, W. Va., and parts of Montgomery and Frederick counties, Md.]. LC Land ownership maps, 1289 Shows names of some residents. Relief shown by hachures. "Copied by J. Paul Hoffmann, Top'l Office, A.N.Va." "Approved S. Howell Brown. 1st Lt. Engs. Troops in chg. Top'l. Dep't. A.N.Va. March 23rd 1864." Pen-and-ink on tracing linen mounted on cloth. Title and date from Stephenson's Civil War maps, 1989. LC Civil War maps (2nd ed.), H43 Imperfect: Liquid staining...
- Contributor: Brown, Samuel Howell - Hoffmann, Paul
- Date: 1864


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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Photoshop Tutorial: Create amazing portal effect
In Photoshop, make a new document by going to File > New and set width and height at 1000px.
Select the Gradient Tool and make a linear white-to-black gradient. White should be near the top and black should be near the bottom. There should also be more black than white as seen in the screenshot.
Then, go to Filter > Distort > Wave. Make a square wave with 50 generators using the settings in the screenshot.
After that, go to Filter > Polar Coordinates. Use the Rectangular to Polar option and click OK.
The layer should now look like a starburst.
The distortion leaves the layer slightly pixelated. This can be removed by applying a light Radial Blur filter.
Go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur, and use the following settings:
That finishes the first layer. Now make a new layer and use the gradient tool. This time add more black and less white.
Use the same filters as before. Distort with Wave first, then Polar Coordinates. The result will be a smaller burst with significant white streaks. Leave it as it is for now.
You may add more layers of different bursts but these should be enough. Make a new layer again and select the Brush Tool. Right-click on the canvas and change the settings. Use a circle brush with 300px diameter and 25% hardness. The color should be white. Click near the middle. Because it's unlikely that you'll hit the center, select all with Ctrl+A and select the move tool. Alignment options should appear in the tool options tab.
Select align vertical centers and horizontal centers. That should perfectly center the circle. Now duplicate the circle layer (Ctrl+J) and invert it (Ctrl+I), Now go to Distort > Wave and change the number of generators to 10. It should break apart the circle.
After that, go to Stylize > Find Edges. It should outline the distorted circle with black and make all black, white. Follow that up with another Polar Coordinates filter.
The result should now be a blocky shape below the center. Duplicate the layer and select all. With the duplicated layer selected, go to Transform > Flip Vertical. That will make both halves similar. Merge the two layers.
Now duplicate the two parts and rotate one. Just rotate it slightly so it is not horizontally symmetrical. Take the duplicated layer, make it larger, and rotate it differently. The result should look like the screenshot now:
Make another new layer and go to Filter > Render > Clouds. Adjust the black and white levels by opening the levels window (Ctrl+L). The goal is to create a high-contrast render with notable white and black spots. After that, go to Pixelate > Mosaic, and set the Cell Size to 32. The layer should now look like the screenshot:
Now go to Stylize > Find Edges. This outlines each square. Invert the image and apply another Polar Coordinates filter. There is still one more layer to add. Make a new layer and select the white-to-transparent gradient. Set the style to a reflected gradient and draw it in the center.
Apply Polar Coordinates again. Make another new layer and create another reflected gradient only this time larger than before. Apply Polar Coordinates and size up the layer. The ring should be visible in the 4 corners of the canvas. Finally, duplicate the first, smaller ring and shrink it so it is near the center. It should now look like the screenshot:
After that, the coloring comes in. Click on the topmost layer and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. In the gradient color editor, make the left color black or a dark color and the right color white. The color is up to you but I will use blue as an example.
This is how my gradient map looks like:
The gradient map can always be edited so click OK to apply the changes. Now the layers have to go through each other. Select the black layer with the squares and set the blending mode to Screen. Select the two rotated black square layers and set it to Screen. Finally, select the small burst from the second layer and set it to either Screen or Linear Dodge.
Duplicate the small burst layer and transform it. Enlarge it so it becomes more noticeable. Rotate it as well.
It should look like this now:
This leaves the layer blurry. Just like before, apply a Radial Blur filter to fix it.
The portal is now complete! You can always go back and edit layer or change the color via gradient map.
This is my final product.
20 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Now you're thinking with portals.
- June 28, 2010 at 6:34 PM
- Anonymous said...
Really good tutorial, keep up the good work ^_^
- August 3, 2010 at 2:44 AM
- Dr. Ben Trachtenberg said...
when I try to use the cloud filter the preview is just white, no clouds.
- August 4, 2010 at 1:12 PM
- mega rock.exe said...
Both your colors must be white. Make sure the primary and secondary colors are set to default. Just click on the small black/white icon near the colors to reset it.
- August 4, 2010 at 2:50 PM
- Anonymous said...
Great Tutorial, Loved it :)
- August 6, 2010 at 8:16 PM
- Photoshop Clipping Path said...
Nice tutorial, the result is wonderful.. thanks
- August 20, 2010 at 12:01 AM
- Anonymous said...
tnx.. =)
- August 30, 2010 at 10:03 AM
- Anonymous said...
Looks like MMBN5 DS' jack-in animation.
- September 9, 2010 at 2:39 PM
- mega rock.exe said...
That was my main inspiration.
- September 9, 2010 at 3:30 PM
- Anonymous said...
I cant view any other layers without deleting others, any help?
- October 6, 2010 at 9:34 AM
- mega rock.exe said...
You tried the eye icon already? You'll have to be more specific.
- October 6, 2010 at 10:32 AM
- Anonymous said...
im not exactly sure how to make the white to transparent part get to the corners
- October 18, 2010 at 6:55 AM
- mega rock.exe said...
Make sure the effect is a perfect square and to set the mode to Linear Light.
- October 18, 2010 at 5:50 PM
- Arihyoshi Amaya said...
Just a perfect tutorial to help beginners (like me) to exercise with the tools XD
- November 17, 2010 at 5:08 AM
- Anonymous said...
thank you,,really good tutorial
- January 1, 2012 at 3:32 PM
- Alex Sappington said...
OMG Thanks so much, I am a 14 year old total beginner, this was the first time I have opened Photoshop, and my result was simply amazing! Great tutorial, there were a few spots where I had to look around for an option or button, one of those being the transform options, but I found it and it turned out great.
- August 1, 2012 at 10:45 AM
- Anonymous said...
Where is Polar Coordinates
- September 3, 2012 at 7:26 PM
- Mega Rock.exe said...
It's under Distort.
- September 3, 2012 at 11:06 PM
- Patrick John Sadiri said...
- November 16, 2014 at 3:51 AM
- Mega Rock.exe said...
Zoom Blur it enough to make some spots sharp. The blending mode hides the rest.
- November 16, 2014 at 5:58 PM


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The BlackBerry Charging Pod -- by far one of my favorite and most used accessories. You can use Bedside Mode on your nightstand to view your clock and disable alerts at night, or simply have your device ready for access on your desk during the day. Charge your device without having to fumble around for the microUSB port and leave your BlackBerry ready for quick grab and go access. This accessory is one that can't be beat. Pick up one (or more!) for all your devices at ShopCrackBerry.com and keep reading for your chance to win one!
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To enter to win a BlackBerry charging pod for your device, simply leave a comment to this blog. Contest ends this Sunday night at Midnight PST. Please, just one entry per person.


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All it takes is one look at Matt Damon's piercing blue eyes and his family-guy demeanor to see why the title cannot be denied
Yes, George Clooney and Brad Pitt have shamelessly campaigned for him since 2001, but this year's winner was Bourne to the title. Named America's most bankable star by Forbes, the golden boy with the crooked smile is smart, charming and humble to boot. "You gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of a lifetime," wrote Damon, 37, in a letter to PEOPLE, explaining why he couldn't possibly accept the crown. Unfortunately for him, his gambit backfired, because the letter—which we've reprinted, with his permission, on the next page—perfectly demonstrates many of the reasons we chose him in the first place: irresistible sense of humor, rock-solid family man (he and wife Luciana have two daughters), heart-melting humility. And to bolster our case even more, we called in for backup from former title-holders Clooney and Ben Affleck, who also offer their insights into why—like it or not—Damon is this year's Sexiest Man Alive.


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Find the perfect hotel in Fanwood using our hotel guide provided below. Search for the cheapest discounted hotel and motel rates in or near Fanwood, NJ for your personal leisure or group travel. Explore the most favored Fanwood, New Jersey hotel and motel rooms. Browse the Fanwood area hotels to find the perfect lodging! Please use the provided map of the Fanwood hotels.
The Fanwood center point is about 5 miles northwest of Edison Memorial Tower and 5 miles northwest of Metropark Amtrak Station.
How should we direct your call?


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Pita Bread
By á-174942
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups tepid water (80 to 90 degrees)
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour - (to 3 1/2 cups)
Servings 16
Step 1
For the sponge, in a large bowl, combine the yeast and water, mix well. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 1 cup of the wheat flour at a time. Stir until the mixture is smooth and silky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.
Sprinkle the sponge with the salt. Stir in the olive oil. Stir in 1 cup of the flour at a time and mix until the dough is too stiff to stir with the spoon. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set the dough in a draft-free area and allow to rise until double in size, about 2 to 3 hours.
Line the bottom rack of the oven with baking stones. Leaving a 1-inch border free around the tiles so that the heat can circulate properly. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a couple of times and divide in half. Cover one half of the dough with plastic wrap while working with the other dough. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into 8 balls.
Using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick. Place each circle of dough next to each other on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat the above process with the remaining dough.
Bake the circles of dough in batches, about 4 to 6 rounds at a time. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the breads look like blown-up balloons. Remove from the oven and cover with a kitchen towel until the remaining rounds are baked.
To Store: Pita bread is best is used the day it is made, but it can be wrapped airtight and frozen for 1 month. Thaw and reheat on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees oven before serving.
This recipe yields 16 pitas.


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In 1989, Bonnie Raitt wasn't just an unlikely candidate to drop a platinum-selling, Grammy-winning album -- she wasn't a candidate, period.
By 1989, Bonnie Raitt had fallen off the pop culture radar, if she was ever really on it -- her 1970s output was beloved by music critics but never really embraced by the music-buying public, and by the '80s she'd been dropped by Warner Brothers and was struggling with drug and alcohol problems. In short, she wasn't just an unlikely candidate to drop a platinum-selling, Grammy-winning album -- she wasn't a candidate, period.
That's what made the stunning success of "Nick of Time" such a great story, the rare music-industry happy ending. But it was also a beginning for Raitt, who was able to parlay her 1990 Album of the Year into a whole string of well regarded and financially successful releases. "The success of 'Nick of Time' brought me a level of freedom, and the opportunities to do everything I had wanted to do," she says today.
Capitol Records/UMe has issued a vinyl re-release of "Nick of Time" to commemorate its 25th anniversary, which is as good a reason as any to revisit the album -- and I'm happy to report it holds up beautifully.
Awash in gravelly blues and poignant ballads, it's smooth without being slick, and Raitt's slide guitar work is, frankly, mesmerizing. A seasoned professional, and by that time clean and sober, she sounds relaxed and confident on "Nick of Time" -- Raitt doesn't seem to be trying too hard to win us over, which of course makes her all the more lovable.
Raitt has never been known for her original compositions, but the two that anchor this set are easily among its best. In particular, the opening title track is one of the most thoughtful meditations on aging ever set to music. And for those of us whose 40s were still a few decades off back in 1989, its bittersweet take on a life well-lived packs even more of a wallop today -- it feels like a heavy sigh of relief.
Raitt's other original, "The Road's My Middle Name," closes the album with a rollicking, worn-in vibe that feels well-earned. "Don't you think I know it's hard, honey, to squeeze sugar from the phone," she asks the lover she's left behind to take her music on the road, but it's not enough to make her come back -- luckily for us.
In between those two tracks are an impressive array of blues rock efforts, several of which today feel like standards. The buoyant riff Raitt puts on John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love" only amplifies the song's infectious appeal, and on Bonnie Hayes' winking "Love Letter," Raitt's crisp drawl generates the steam heat of as-yet-unrequited love ("and you haven't even kissed me yet").
Another song that has only picked up power in the quarter-century since the album's release is "I Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again," the striking ballad by David and Julie Lasley. Raitt's vocal evokes a resignation and longing that's heartbreaking and, for most of us, still utterly familiar. But there's not a loser in the bunch, which also includes the likes of the sadly beautiful "Have a Heart" and "Too Soon To Tell" and the guttural blues of "I Will Not Be Denied."
Twenty-five years later, the remastered vinyl edition is the perfect way to relive all these songs -- though it doesn't include any bonus tracks, rarely has an artist been better suited for vinyl's warm tones, and the eventual pops and hisses should only add to their timeless charm. And if you somehow missed it the first time around, there's no (nick of) time like the present to discover Raitt's stunning comeback.
- Read more of Pete's pop culture rants at Popdose.
- Email Pete
- Like Pete's Pop Culture Etc. Blog on Facebook


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Playing it safe with reactors
With new nuclear reactors on the horizon, Mike Yule explains why helping to keep the UK's existing plants running safely is a great job for a physicist
After a period of decline, there is now a real sense of excitement in the UK's nuclear industry. The previous UK government's commitment to allow new reactors to be built on 10 sites has proved invigorating for the entire sector. Even firms that had traditionally focused on keeping the current power stations operational are now making "new build" a growing part of their business.
My own employer, AMEC, is one such firm. As contractors, we do work that other companies cannot do, either because they do not have enough people or because they lack the right skills. Following the company's acquisition of the nuclear consulting firm NNC in 2005, the nuclear part of AMEC's UK business has expanded considerably. There are now offices around the country, including one in London near the headquarters of EDF Energy (one of the main companies planning to build new reactors in the UK), which lends project-management support and other expertise.
I joined AMEC two years ago after completing an MSci in maths and physics at Durham University. I had planned to continue my studies with a PhD, but after doing a final-year project in theoretical physics, I decided that this was enough theory for me. At a careers fair, I came across AMEC, which was looking for physicists to work in its nuclear sector. I applied, was accepted onto its graduate scheme and I now work as an analyst at AMEC's Booths Park site in Cheshire.
AMEC is split into three divisions: Natural Resources, which deals with the oil and gas industries; Power and Process, which works in the nuclear sector; and Earth and Environmental, which provides geoscience services. The Booths Park site is part of the Power and Process division, and has been home to nuclear scientists since the 1950s. Back then, the offices were in a mansion house, and the workers were helping to design the Magnox reactors – the UK's first commercial nuclear plants. Today, the offices are more modern, but the same view of a small local lake, Booths Mere, is available – along with cows making the daily parade for milking! There is also a nice link to the original work, as AMEC has recently been involved in decommissioning the Magnox reactors.
Safety first
In my team of about 30 analysts, project managers and planners, most of our consulting work comes from British Energy, although we also work with Rolls Royce and BAE Systems. British Energy (now part of EDF Energy) owns the majority of the UK's commercial reactors, which are mainly advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs). Some of these reactors were constructed 30 years ago and they are now coming to the end of their lives. But with power stations able to generate £1m worth of electricity a day, keeping them online for even a few extra years is big business. A lot of AMEC's work therefore deals with life extension – determining whether or not the reactors are safe to operate for a little longer.
Deciding when a reactor needs to be decommissioned can be a challenge. Everything gets weaker as it ages – even in coal power stations, parts must be replaced continuously. But once you throw irradiation into the mix, dealing with ageing power plants gets more complicated. For example, in an AGR, the reactor core is constructed from graphite blocks that fit together to form what is known as the diagrid. Over time, the graphite is irradiated, and also gets oxidized by any small quantities of air present, making it weaker and lighter. Eventually, such "core ageing" processes will render the reactor unsafe for continued operation.
Safety is paramount in this industry, so if the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate – the regulatory body that issues licences for running a reactor in the UK – is not happy, then a reactor will simply be shut down. Getting the evidence we need to prove that a reactor is still safe has required some novel approaches to testing. One of these is AMEC's "test rig", which is essentially a steel cage with a quarter of the footprint of a real reactor core, containing quarter-size "graphite" blocks (actually made from aluminium) in various states of wear and tear. Tilting this rig allows cameras to see whether the ageing blocks would cause problems during normal operation, or in more extreme conditions, such as a major earthquake.
Measuring the damage
One of the main projects I have been involved in is proving that it is safe to connect inspection equipment to empty reactor channels, to allow video equipment to be slid into the channels and video footage to be obtained from inside the core. The idea is to see how many cracks are present: even though it will not be possible to fix any that are found, given the extreme environment, it is still useful to know how much the core has degraded.
Within this project, my specific job is to evaluate the consequences of what are known as "dropped fuel faults". In a reactor, the uranium fuel is contained in bullet-like pellets within stainless-steel tubes, called fuel rods or pins. An arrangement of 36 fuel pins in three concentric rings, held inside a graphite "sleeve" using steel braces, is known as a fuel element. These fuel elements are lifted into and out of the reactor and various other components during refuelling or discharging operations. If a element drops at any point, then its potential energy goes into processes such as crumbling the sleeves and buckling the pins.
Thanks to specially conducted drop tests of fuel elements, we have a good idea of how they can be damaged, and how much energy can be absorbed in the various processes. By incorporating energy-absorption mechanisms into spreadsheets, we can calculate how much damage would occur in a particular situation, and can show how damage depends on drop height, channel diameter, ductility and many other factors. Another problem is that because the pins contain fuel, they generate heat even when the reactor is shut down (so-called decay heat). If the pins buckle due to mechanical loading in a dropped fuel fault, the fuel becomes more concentrated and less easy to cool. We need to model this too, so some of the work I do uses software (written in good old Fortran) to predict how faults will affect fuel temperatures, which have to stay within limits to ensure safety.
I have found this work interesting because it has built on knowledge gained over the course of my degree, particularly that of spreadsheets and programming languages. My degree has also helped by giving me a better understanding of physical situations, such as where heat is being transported by flows and radiation. The AMEC graduate scheme is a great introduction to the nuclear industry, and a good way of meeting the other graduates who joined the firm at around the same time. I have greatly benefited from the supervision of specialists, who are always ready to share their expertise. I enjoy the work I do and it has given me confidence in the safety of our reactors. In a growing industry, that is no bad thing.
About the author
Mike Yule (email@example.com) is an analyst in AMEC's Power and Process division
This article originally appeared in the June 2010 issue of Physics World.
last edited: September 11, 2018


text: Dynamat sound deadener is a very thin, easy to cut and mold, sheeting that is manufactured from a superior visco-elastic compound. Once installed, the Dynamat actually absorbs sound and vibration from metal, wood, plastic and fiberglass. This is an excellent solution for eliminating road and engine noise from your muscle car interior.


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Adjustments to Agriculture May Help Mitigate Global Warming
Agriculture and climate change can have serious effects on one another.
Photo courtesy of renatela via Flickr
A recent report from Greenpeace details the direct and indirect effects of agriculture on climate change and suggests how the sector can move from being a major greenhouse gas emitter to being a carbon sink. "As a key contributor to climate change, the environmental impact of industrial farming has reached critical levels," said Jan van Aken, Greenpeace Sustainable Agriculture Campaigner. "Governments must support a farming future that works with nature, not against it."
Agriculture, including land-use changes for farming, is responsible for an estimated 17 to 32 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the report notes. And massive overuse of fertilizers is the biggest contributor to these emissions within the industry. More than half of all fertilizer applied to fields ends up in the atmosphere or local waterways, according to Greenpeace, and each year, the equivalent of 2.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide in the form of nitrous oxide, a GHG some 300 times more potent, is emitted because of fertilizer use.
Methane from livestock is the second largest direct emitter in agriculture, Greenpeace says. And the clearing of forests and other natural cover to create land for grazing and crop production destroys important "carbon sinks" that absorb carbon from the atmosphere.
The report calls for more precise application of fertilizer, in appropriate amounts, to reduce excessive GHG emissions and pollution of water resources. Other recommendations include cutting the global demand for meat to decrease both the amount of methane-producing animals raised and the area of land cleared for them; growing cover crops to help soils be better carbon sinks; and keeping rice paddies dry in the off-season to reduce methane emissions.
Other Worldwatch Articles You Might Enjoy
In a 2005 article "The Irony of Climate," Worldwatch Institute agriculture expert Brian Halweil observes that even as farmers contribute to global warming, they are also struggling with its effects, including subtle changes in temperature and rainfall patterns that can have devastating impacts on agricultural communities. But there are effective, eco-friendly coping strategies that can make communities more self-sufficient, Halweil writes. For example, farms that grow diverse crop varieties tend to be less vulnerable to unpredictable weather changes and less reliant on fertilizer and fossil fuel inputs than monoculture farms. And farms with strategically planted trees can protect crops and create larger carbon sinks.
The Greenpeace report notes that government policies that promote monocultures and discourage local self-sufficiency put farmers' livelihoods at greater risk and contribute to climate change. "Governments must stop subsidizing environmentally destructive practices in agriculture," van Aken said.
This story was produced by Eye on Earth, a joint project of the Worldwatch Institute and the blue moon fund. View the complete archive of Eye on Earth stories, or contact Staff Writer Alana Herro at firstname.lastname@example.com with your questions, comments, and story ideas.


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Monday, October 3, 2011
Hello Kitty bento lunch (for two!)
This box is deeper than most bento boxes, so it was able to accomodate a stacked sandwich (cut in half, halves stacked), but not quite deep enough for the small apple to fit in whole, so it is sliced and contained in a jumbo-sized silicone cup. I like how the silicone cup sorta looks like a heart from being in the corner at the bottom and squished in at the top. :) A few cucumber slices and grapes fill out the remaining gaps with a little grassy baran separating the moist items from the sandwiches. The cute little blue bow bento pick was ordered from allthingsforsale.
The decorative Hello Kitty cheese pieces are made using this Hello Kitty veggie cutter.
First I used the outer cutter piece to cut the shapes, then I used food safe markers to color the impression piece and lightly stamped it over the cheese cut-out to transfer over the Hello Kitty face details. Easy Peasy!
This specific bento box has a tray insert that fits in the top to hold a fork and spoon, but by leaving the tray off it was a perfect fit with the food packed to the top. Otherwise, the contents would have needed to be about a 1/4" from the rim. I *LOVE* this bento box. It is very nice quality and the lid attaches just like a Lock & Lock box - nice and secure, but easy enough for the kiddo to handle herself.
This one compact little bento box was enough food to feed both my four-year-old girl and my two-year-old toddler boy. They each had a sandwich half and shared the produce. I'm not sure my son was as impressed with Hello Kitty as his big sister was though. :)
5 comments:
Any special tricks to keep that beautiful apple looking edible???? :)
- October 3, 2011 at 9:48 AM
- Rachel said... [Reply to comment]
Anonymous... I don't know about Melissa but I dip my apples in Pineapple juice to prevent browning.
Looks like I will be buying allmthe Hello Kitty stuff..my daughter just saw this post and fell in love.
- October 3, 2011 at 9:53 AM
- Melissa said... [Reply to comment]
I dip the apples in whatever juice I have on hand. We really aren't big juice drinkers, but I try to keep something on hand for this purpose. In this case it was a juice box of organic "punch". I just squeezed a little out of the juice box into a saucer and then dipped each of the cut apple sides into it. Stays nice and fresh. :) Any fruit juice will do as long as it has ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in it. :)
- October 3, 2011 at 10:17 AM
My kids love lemony apples. I keep one of those plastic lemon juice lemons on hand. Or, for spiral apples or less tart a small bowl of lemon water to dip in works well.
- October 3, 2011 at 10:24 AM
- Diana - FreeStyleMama said... [Reply to comment]
Very cute! Check out the new bento meme at Bento Blog Network. This week's theme is Anything Goes and you can post your bento links until 8pm CST on Tuesday and then voting will be enabled for people to pick their favorite, which will become the featured bento of the following week. This theme specific meme is posted each Friday. Next week's theme will be Smiles.
- October 3, 2011 at 12:41 PM


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Reid sets stage for Hagel showdown
Senate Republicans see the writing on the wall: Chuck Hagel will get his job at the Pentagon, and John Brennan will soon be headed to Langley.
But that doesn't mean they won't drag out the proceedings to extract every possible concession they can get and weaken the nominees and the White House in the process.
Story Continued Below
Harry Reid knows this and has had enough. In an attempt to get Hagel installed as secretary of defense before next week's recess, the majority leader set up a Friday vote to cut off debate, setting up a crucial 60-vote test. If Reid can find five Republicans to join the 55 members of the Democratic Caucus, the Senate could approve Hagel quickly — possibly Saturday or earlier.
( Also on POLITICO: Senate to vote Friday on Hagel)
But if he can't, the White House could be forced to recalibrate its strategy as the nomination drags out into late February. And that could give the GOP more time to mount opposition to Hagel's nomination, which has been targeted because of the former Nebraska senator's past comments on Iran, Iraq and Israel and his shaky performance at his confirmation hearings.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who previously opposed a filibuster on a defense secretary nominee, is now among those Republicans warning they may block Hagel until the White House coughs up more information over last September's Benghazi attacks.
( PHOTOS: Chuck Hagel's confirmation hearing)
Sen. John Thune, No. 3 in Senate GOP leadership, said his colleagues are prepared to unite to block the nomination if the White House doesn't adequately respond to their demands for information.
"I think we will hold the line if there's a vote this week," Thune said before a caucus lunch. "Because there are enough of our members on the committee and some who aren't that they aren't being responsive and are not getting the information they had asked for."
Asked about the precedent his party is setting, Thune demurred: "I don't think it influences the ultimate outcome. I think in the end, ultimately he'll get his vote."
Democrats are warning Republicans that the precedent they set by forcing a cloture vote on the national security nominees — particularly on Hagel — would come back to haunt them when a GOP president eventually returns to the White House.
"This is the first time in the history of our country that a presidential nominee for secretary of defense has been filibustered," Reid said on the floor. "What a shame, but that's the way it is."
Republicans are trying to make the case that their decision to force a cloture vote is really not all that unusual. They say they are simply delaying a final vote, which they promise will eventually come, just as minority parties typically do to exert their leverage over the White House. And they say it's not uncommon for the two parties to agree that 60 votes are needed to confirm presidential nominations, even if it's not technically called a filibuster.