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Happy birthday Steve Jobs.
Not only did you live to see another year -- putting tabloid reports of your demise to shame -- but you will certainly make privacy-loving shareholders happy as well.
Steven Paul Jobs, the infamous CEO of Apple, turned 56 Thursday. And to celebrate his birthday, Apple leaked news of a new line of dual and quad-core MacBook Pros.
The colorful front man has been on medical leave from Apple for undisclosed health reasons.
One thing that looks certain is that despite his involvement with the development of the iPad 2, Jobs will not be at next week's Apple event, where the company is expected to pull the veil off the next generation tablet.
But with reports that he has been seen around the Bay Area, having dinner with the president and even running company meetings from his home, Jobs is probably well enough to get out and celebrate if he so chooses.
However you choose to spend the day Mr. Jobs, may you have a happy birthday and if you decide to go out in public, eat a slice of cake for the cameras. Just to throw all those paparazzo off.
Happy Birthday Steve Jobs
Happy birthday Steve Jobs.


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RIM hasn't given up on its 7-inch PlayBook tablet, but it seems Best Buy is done with the tablet that's failed to catch on. Reports are coming in that Best Buys are canceling all PlayBook orders.
Electronista reports that one of its sources says that "all orders [PlayBook] had been canceled." Best Buy forum members are also reporting that their orders for PlayBooks have also been canceled for no reason.
The cancellation of orders comes after RIM temporarily dropped the price of the PlayBook from $500 to $200 for the holiday season to put the heat on the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet.
Is this the end of the PlayBook as we know it? RIM is rumored to still be cranking away at either a PlayBook successor of some kind, perhaps with a 10-inch display.
Since its launch the PlayBook has been criticized for its high price, puny selection of BlackBerry App World apps and delayed suite of native BlackBerry PIM services along with the promised Android support.
While many will find the Amazon Fire's $200 price much more attractive, the PlayBook remains one of my favorite tablets to use on the go. It has a great browser (with Adobe Flash), is a fantastic tablet for watching movies, is great for editing documents on the go with the included office suite, and is a brilliant 1080p HD video recorder.
For most tablet users, Web browsing, videos and music is plenty to justify buying a PlayBook. Like the HP TouchPad, it's not nearly as "perfect" as the iPad, but it comes close. At $200, I'd take one of these over the limited Kindle Fire any day. That is unless you need the Kindle app, then you're outta luck, because the PlayBook doesn't have one. It has a Kobo reader, if that's comforting to know.
Via Electronista

subset: commoncrawl


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Student Guide to Getting Started
Accessing a Course/Program & Submitting Assignments
Loyola University Chicago has recently adopted a new enterprise ePortfolio system called LAT (Learning Achievement Tools) from TaskStream. An ePortfolio (electronic portfolio) is an electronic collection of student work over time through a broad range of evidence of learning. An ePortfolio may include submitted course papers and projects in a variety of formats, independent research projects, reflections on assignments, media in a variety of formats and links to relevant resources. An ePortfolio may function as a venue for collecting and sharing academic work with faculty members, a tool for inviting collaboration and feedback, a professional portfolio to share with prospective employers or a private log of academic progress.


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Grid2Home Releases G2H-SE2 Software Solution for Smart Energy 2.0
Evaluation Kit Available January 2012
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 8, 2011) - Grid2Home, developer of Smart Energy Profile 2.0 (SEP2) communication technologies, today announced the availability of the beta release of its G2H-SE2 Software, which can be fully customized for any platform. An evaluation kit will be available to order in January.
"This release marks an important milestone for SEP2 and shows its readiness for product implementation and participation in interoperability and lab testing," stated Rick Kornfeld, CEO of Grid2Home. "This is demonstrated by the number of platforms with different physical interfaces that are currently supported by Grid2Home."
The G2H-SE2 Software, which supports multiple applications, including electric vehicles, appliances, thermostats and load and energy sources, is interoperable across a wide range of devices, and has been ported to multiple hardware platforms and physical layers including Wi-Fi, ZigBee and various PLC variants.
"We see demand-response solutions playing a crucial part in realizing the long term potential of smart grid projects, and have worked very closely with Grid2Home in SEP2 standardization and interoperability activities using Atmel's best-in-class AT86RF231 transceiver," commented Kourosh Boutorabi, Senior Director at Atmel® Corporation. "This milestone extends our commitment to the smart energy segment and facilitates integration of our wireless connectivity and microcontroller ICs in smart meters, appliances, in-home displays and gateways."
"Grid2Home's Smart Energy 2.0 implementation will bring the smart grid to its next level of practical usability, and this implementation turned out to be very easily portable to the GreenPeak platform," said Cees Links, CEO of GreenPeak Technologies. "The Grid2Home software is a key enabler for GreenPeak to implement devices in the home with ultra long battery life and connected to the smart grid."
The G2H-EVAL evaluation kit is a complete two-node solution and will come bundled with G2H-SE2 Software, two hardware platforms and the PC based G2H-Test Tool. Sample applications for both a client and a server are provided together with a development guide.
About G2H-SE2 Software
The G2H-SE2 Software, which has been publicly demonstrated on multiple platforms and physical layers, supports interoperability over wired and wireless networks. Grid2Home delivers complete smart energy software solutions that offer ease of integration, as well as hardware and physical layer architectural flexibility. The SEP 2 standards-compliant G2H-SE2 Software includes the application support layer, infrastructure services and transport and network layers. G2H-SE2 transport and network protocol layers are designed to allow for maximum flexibility and customization. The G2H-SE2 application support layer provides customers a starting point for developing their end-product applications, reducing the application integration burden and improving time to market. Unlike other solutions, a single G2H-SE2 application will run multiple and different physical layers at the same time. G2H-SE2 services and support facilitate product integration, application development and system test.
About Grid2Home
Grid2Home is a communications software company at the forefront of smart grid connectivity technologies. Used across a range of devices such as smart meters, appliances and electric vehicles, the standards-compliant G2H-SE2 Software is portable across all major semiconductor platforms and physical layers including 802.15.4, 802.11 and Power Line Communications, allowing maximum product development flexibility and easy integration for Smart Grid device manufacturers. Active in driving Smart Energy Profile (SEP2) communications standards for the Home Area Network (HAN), the Grid2Home management team and board of directors bring an unmatched combination of business savvy and communications protocol expertise to the fast-growing smart grid market.


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Human males, like all mammals, are born with a foreskin. Sometimes called the prepuce, the foreskin is thus an integral part of the normal penis.1 Its female counterpart is the clitoral hood, with which it shares many valuable features. The average adult's foreskin is:
- the most sensitive part of the penis, with 3/4 of its sensitivity2
- fifteen square inches in surface area, about the size of a regular postcard
- a specialized double layer for a unique purpose.
The foreskin is intact in most Europeans, and in 80-85% of all other men around the world. At one time, virtually all Americans were intact, too. Circumcision became popular in the Victorian era because doctors (mistakenly) thought it curbed masturbation, which they viewed as an unhealthy practice.3 The circumcision rate increased due to social reasons and peaked in 1980 at 85%. Since then it has been declining steadily, dropping to 56% in 2006, 54.5% in 2009,4 and plummeting to 32% today.5
Our expert panel's consensus, after an extensive review of the literature, is that the only possible justification for circumcision is to treat boys or men with penile diseases or disorders—never as a preventive measure. The foreskin is a vital, functional part of the male genital anatomy. It is not a birth defect. Therefore, if there is not an absolutely urgent reason for removing it, it should remain intact—for ethical, psychological, and sexual reasons. The boy himself, when he is old enough, is the only person who should make any decision affecting the looks and function of his penis.
This information has been reviewed by our panel of experts and other trusted advisors, however, it is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or spiritual advice.
- Cold CJ, Taylor JR. The prepuce. BJU Int. 1999;83Suppl.1:34-44. ↩
- Sorrells ML, Snyder ML, Reiss MD, Eden C, Milos MF, Wilcox N, Van Howe RS. Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis. BJU Int. 2007;99:864-9. ↩
- Wallerstein E. Circumcision: An American health fallacy. New York: Springer Publishing Company; 1980:217. ↩
- CDC. Trends in in-hospital newborn male circumcision—United States, 1999-2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2011;60:1167-1168. ↩
- Rabin RD. Steep Drop Seen in Circumcisions in U.S. New York Times. 2010 Aug 17; Sect. D:6. ↩


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Martin earlier called out his heroes: "Ian, our awesome sysadmin crew, KO for sponsoring Ian and everybody else who worked on the git transition."
Indeed! I happened to be in the sysadmin channel when the entire migration was happening, and there was some blood on the floor. But through it all, our KDE sysadmin team kept their cool, kept our infrastructure and data safe, and got everything working. I appreciate that deeply.
Kudos! and thanks.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
KDE 4.6 - Elegance!
It's here! Beta was great, and I expect even more from the full release! See more at KDE.org. I love all the artwork accompanying 4.6, which shows the beauty and elegance we want from great software.
Posted by Valorie at 4:37 PM 3 comments:
Monday, January 24, 2011
Amarok Insider 16, brought to you by Google Code-in Students!
The latest Amarok Insider, just published at http://amarok.kde.org, features the writing of seven Google Code-In students, writing nine different articles, ranging from an interview with developer Bart Cerneels, to "How To install a new script in Amarok." Besides the mentors, students were able to get assistance and encouragement in their tasks and research from Amarok developers and users in the #amarok IRC channel on Freenode, which is what makes these articles of
such high quality.
Amarok Insider featured articles: What's New in Amarok, Google and Amarok, Roktober Success, Interview with a Developer: Bart Cerneels, Automated Playlist Generator: How to Use it, Queue Manager in Amarok, Installing and using a script in Amarok, Amarok on Windows, Transcode
your media files, Amarok Live CD.
Google Code-In was a huge success for Amarok, and it's great to celebrate the Amarok 2.4 release with this Insider almost completely written by our students!
Posted by Valorie at 3:09 PM No comments:
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Mmmhmmm. Now Roxy finding Alexis Roarke murdered is just hearsay because I haven't really talked to her, but I heard it from Crissy down at the Honey Comb Salon. She'd know because she and Roxy were friends twelve years ago.
It seems so long ago, but it ain't. Roxy hasn't been back to Honey Springs in twelve years, but the two of them, Crissy and Roxy, they picked up like no time had passed. You know, we do that in small towns.
Oh, yeah. The police station. Here, have a honey doughnut with that coffee. Lips smackin' good I'm telling you. You'll be back for more.
Anyways, Roxy's Aunt Maxi and Alexis Roarke really don't get along too well. Didn't get along, that is. In fact, they'd just had a public spat yesterday. Roxy went down to The Crooked Cat Book Store, Alexis's store, to offer what I'd call a peace offering in the form of a cup of coffee and doughnut. This is where is gets good.
Alexis. Dead. Murdered. Not only that, but BANNED was stamped on her forehead. You know, Alexis used that stamp on the banned books in The Crooked Cats' banned book section. Mmmhhhhmmm.
Now that's just hearsay. Though I do know that Roxy is down at the police station trying to get her Aunt Maxi out of some kind of hot water. After all, just a few months ago before Roxy moved back to Honey Springs, she was one of them fancy lawyers.
Mmmhmmmm. Nothin' like this has happened in Honey Springs. . .ever.
Now, you come on back. Remember that around these parts, the gossip is just as hot as the coffee. Toodles!
Readers: Do you like recipes in your cozies? Do you ever make the recipes? Leave a comment for a chance to win one of the IT'S A SOUTHERN MYSTERY, Y'ALL measuring spoon and Kappes mini-tote. Winner will be announced on January 19th.
Be sure to grab your prerelease sale at $2.99 copy of SCENE OF THE GRIND before the price is raised on release day. Buy it now! Don't forget to add it to your Southern Mystery Shelf on Goodreads. I'd greatly appreciate it.
If you were to come by The Bean Hive, you could eat one of these amazing gluten free mini-cheese cakes. Or grab the recipe and many more southern recipes at Tonyakappes.com.
Do you want to be in a book club? Be sure to join Death Becomes Us Cozy Mystery only book club on Facebook. We have so much fun! Be sure to follow the link HERE!
There are so many ways to be involved and connect with Tonya!
Facebook at Tonya Kappes Author:
Cozy Krew Group:
Goodreads Tonya Kappes Author:
Twitter Tonya Kappes Author: https://twitter.com/tonyakappes11
Amazon Tonya Kappes Author Page:
Bookbub Tonya Kappes Author Page:
Pinterest Tonya Kappes Author:
Email: email@example.com


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Here is the fifth video in Engineer Guy Series #4. The element of the week is cesium, as in "cesium fountain atomic clock." Watching it, my jaw was on the floor by 0:20, as Bill opens by showing off the Symmetricom CSAC, which is the world's first fully functional chip-scale atomic clock. It's about the size of a quarter. Bill then segues, thusly, into the general theory of atomic clocks: "I'll start with Jell-O," he says, producing a quivering green mound of it. And it just gets better from there, wrapping up with a clear, concise explanation of the Global Positioning System, and why it couldn't work, at all, without the use of atomic clocks. [Thanks, Bill!]
Update: Woops! Sorry for the dupe, folks! Engineer Guy videos always get us really excited.


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It was only a year ago when I asked Ryan Chester, the genius behind The Rub Co whether he had any new products in the pipeline and he said, maybe a sauce this year. Well we are really excited to announce that we are one of the very few retailers to have The Rub Co. Southern Smoke BBQ Sauce and The Rub Co. Tropical Heat BBQ Sauce in stock and for sale! Both are on special for $6.99 and BBQ Pro Shop is one of the first to be selling these on line.
The Rub Company Southern Smoke BBQ sauce was created for competition pitmasters to use without having to do a lot of customizations and modifications. Southern Smoke BBQ sauce balances, sweet, heat, and tang which is meant to be applied directly to the meat, straight out of the bottle!
The Rub Company Tropical Heat BBQ Sauce was created to be different. Ryan describes it as a
sauce that will take your taste buds on a trip from Asia to the Caribbean. The flavor profile of Tropical Heat takes the BBQ Sauce to a different level, combining a unique blend of sweet chili's from Asia, pineapple from Hawaii, and enhanced spices from Jamaica to Barbados. Tropical Heat packs a flavor explosion that is guaranteed to make your lips smack! Excellent on Chicken and pork.


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Sustainable Shrimp Farming: High Density, Biofloc-Dominated, No-Water-Exchange Systems
Wild-caught seafood supply from the ocean has reached capacity. Aquaculture thus must meet future demand. Like all farming activities, aquaculture impacts the environment. Informed consumers increasingly drive adoption of sustainable practices that reduce discharge of waste, feed ingredients derived from over-harvested fish stocks, antibiotics, excessive use of water, and escape of cultured stock to wild gene pools. This requires a shift from traditional flow-through to Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS).
This paper describes a sustainable alternative: high-density, indoor, biofloc-dominated shrimp production with no water exchange based on in situ microbial floc that removes harmful metabolites and provide supplement nutrition.
The demand for protein from increasing world population - together with decreased fishery landings - has resulted in rapid growth of aquaculture. Rapid expansion of the world shrimp farming industry has stimulated the intensification of production systems, which has resulted in the release of nutrients and organic waste, and sometimes the spread of diseases.
Increasing concerns over negative environmental impacts from shrimp farm effluent and diseases outbreaks have led to the development of culture systems with minimal or zero water exchange (Hopkins et al., 1993). These Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), if properly managed, can reduce or eliminate nutrient and pathogen release into receiving streams. Biofloc systems are a unique type of RAS that maintain a community of suspended microalgae, autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria which develop in limited-exchange systems (Ray et al., 2010). Operating high-density shrimp culture systems with limited or no water exchange results in production of large volumes of suspended flocculated organic particles referred to as biofloc. The biofloc in these systems have been reported to have beneficial effects on shrimp culture to include: (1) improved water quality (WQ) through removal of toxic nitrogen species; (2) improved feed utilization and shrimp performance from natural productivity (Xu et al., 2012); and (3) enhanced shrimp health through possible probiotic effect (Kim et al., 2014).
Biofloc Composition, Structure and Development
"Biofloc" is a general term that describes an assemblage of living (bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, protozoans) and non-living (detritus, uneaten feed, waste products) components that form suspended aggregates also in aquaculture systems. The aggregates (Figure 1) vary in size from the microscopic to > 1 mm with wet-weight density of slightly > 1 g/ml (Sears et al., 2006).
Bacteria typically dominate biofloc aquaculture systems, being abundant (up to 100 million bacteria/mL) and exhibiting high diversity. Floc composition is determined by many factors including temperature, salinity, pH, photoperiod, vertical mixing intensity, and the type of organic carbon available for bacterial metabolism (Emerenciano et al., 2013).
Biofloc develops in newly filled systems soon after organic matter - uneaten feed, shrimp waste, or an added organic compound - has accumulated to a sufficiently high level. The floc development rate can be advanced by 'boosting' or adding an organic carbon source to stimulate floc formation (De Schryver et al., 2008).
The nutritional quality of biofloc is related to the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of culture water, dietary protein level, and light intensity. These and other factors are discussed in detail by Crab et al. (2012), Ekasari et al. (2014), and Martins et al. (2014). The quantity and quality of organic matter stored by bacteria ultimately determine the nutritional value of floc. The stored organic matter depends on the amount and type of organic carbon available for bacterial metabolism. If the proper organic substrates are provided, then biofloc will store high-quality organic compounds that contribute to the nutritional needs of the shrimp.
On a dry-weight basis, the proximate analysis of biofloc is: protein: 12-50%, lipids: 0.5-41%, carbohydrates: 14-59%, and ash: 3-61.4%. The wide variation in these figures is due to differences in composition between young and mature floc aggregates and the culture conditions.
Marine biofloc typically is rich in the amino acids valine, lysine, leucine, phenylalanine, and threonine, but can be deficient in arginine, methionine, and cysteine, and vitamin C (Crab et al., 2012, Taw, 2012, Ekasari et al., 2014).
Biofloc alone, therefore, is insufficient to guarantee the level of growth and survival required by high-density shrimp culture. Thus, formulated feed is required to satisfy the nutritional requirements of the shrimp in these systems.
Biofloc and Water Quality
Beyond its nutritional value, biofloc also can be managed to improve WQ in culture tanks.
There are two main types of microorganisms in these systems: autotrophs and heterotrophs. Autotrophs are organisms that produce organic compounds from inorganic compounds. They obtain carbon from inorganic carbon sources such as carbon dioxide and bicarbonate. They are further classified as photoautotrophs, that derive energy from sunlight, and chemoautotrophs that derive energy from inorganic chemical compounds. In aquatic environments, the former are the algae, and the latter include bacteria such as the nitrifiers that obtain energy from oxidizing ammonia to nitrate. Heterotrophs on the other hand obtain carbon from organic carbon sources.
Both autotrophs and heterotrophs found in biofloc improve WQ by assimilating dissolved inorganic nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) that are harmful to shrimp. To this end, a biofloc-dominated system can be managed to favor autotrophic bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, or some combination of the two.
Biofloc and Immune Response
Shrimp have a non-specific, labile immune system, meaning they have no specific immune mechanism to respond to new pathogens entering production units (Roch, 1999). However, the dense microbial population in biofloc systems may play a role in activating the non-specific shrimp immune system, resulting in a type of defense that may permit a quick response against bacterial diseases (Kim et al., 2014). Biofloc also has a probiotic effect, in which short-chain fatty acids (lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycans, and β -1, 3-glucans) in bacterial and fungal cell walls play a role (Crab et al., 2012). Biofloc microorganisms also suppress pathogen growth by competing for space, substrate, and nutrients, and by excreting inhibiting compounds (Emerenciano et al., 2013).
Autotrophic Versus Heterotrophic Systems
Biofloc consists of a mix of chemoautotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria and photoautotrophic algae. Among the chemoautotrophs, one group of nitrifiers oxidizes ammonium (NH4) to nitrite (NO2) and another oxidizes nitrite to nitrate (NO3). The NO3 end-product is less harmful to shrimp than either NH4 or NO2, so it can accumulate to higher levels before requiring removal. In no exchange systems, continued use of the same culture water leads to accumulation of total nitrogen, usually as nitrate. Nitrate can be removed by water exchange or through a denitrification process in which denitrifying bacteria reduce NO3 to N2 (Van Rijn et al., 2006).
Biofloc systems favor development of heterotrophic bacteria when the C:N ratio is high. These bacteria can rapidly remove ammonia from culture water. The biomass production per unit nitrogen of heterotrophs is about 40 times greater, with greater O2 consumption and CO2 production per unit nitrogen than nitrifiers. Feeding shrimp high-protein feed without supplemental organic carbon results in low C:N ratio which favors development of chemoautotrophic bacteria, including nitrifying bacteria, which oxidize ammonia to nitrate and reduce alkalinity.
Under no water exchange, sufficient organic carbon is available from the feed and shrimp waste for heterotrophic bacteria to metabolize approximately 1/3 of the ammonia. The remaining 2/3 is available for nitrification by chemoautotrophs (Ebeling et al., 2006). Compared to a purely heterotrophic biofloc system, the mixotrophic system demands less oxygen, requires fewer carbohydrate additions, generates less CO2, and produces lower microbial biomass. If supplemental organic carbon is added to the culture the system would shift toward a more heterotrophic regime. Biofloc-dominated systems, such as the one developed at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Mariculture Lab (ARML), rely on floc aggregates that contain heterotrophic bacteria and nitrifying bacteria. This "mixotrophic" system provides an efficient way to improve WQ and supplement shrimp diet.
Evolution of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems
The expansion of the shrimp farming industry has stimulated the intensification of the production systems. Recently, these systems started to incorporate Biofloc Technology (BFT), which can reduce facility footprint, water use, nutrient releases, escape of exotic species, and spread of pathogens to the environment (Samocha et al., 2010 and 2012).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Indoor Biofloc Systems
Some advantages of these systems are: water conservation, stable WQ, reduced fertilizer use, small footprint, year-round production, faster growth, lower disease susceptibility with greater biosecurity, more efficient use of protein in feed, lower feed requirements, higher yields, and sustainability. Some disadvantages of these systems are: high capital investment per unit area, high energy input, power failure is critical, technical operating complexity, potential exposure to toxins, and disease risk.
Key Factors to Consider in the Design and Operation of Biofloc Production System
Biofloc production systems must have tools in place to monitor and maintain WQ within the optimum range as sub-optimal conditions can reduce shrimp performance. The WQ parameters that should be monitored and controlled include dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, nitrogen species (TAN, NO2, and NO3), pH, alkalinity, salinity, solids, ionic composition, and heavy metal concentrations.
Other components that significantly impact the economic viability of biofloc systems include: location, water availability and required pre-treatment, building type, size and type of culture tanks, availability of DO monitoring and control systems, methods used to maintain DO and to keep biofloc suspended, cost and availability of power and adequate power backup, availability and cost of temperature control, availability and type of feed storage, feed quality and feeding practices, theft and predator control, biosecurity protocols, solid control and waste disposal methods, water storage, post-harvest water treatment methods, harvest and product handling procedures, quality control, availability of cold storage, and marketing program.
Careful examination and selection of these components together with a well-trained workforce are critical for building and operating economically viable super-intensive, no exchange, biofloc-dominated shrimp production systems.
The Texas A&M-ARML Super-intensive, Biofloc-dominated, No Water Exchange, Shrimp Production System
The Texas A&M-ARML in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA has been a leading facility in developing super-intensive, biofloc-dominated, no-water exchange, shrimp production systems. Shrimp production trials at this facility were performed in two systems both located in greenhouses with no active water temperature control. Exhaust fans and roof shade cloths served to lower water temperatures during summer. Passive heat retention by the greenhouse enabled extension of the production trials from early spring to late fall in this temperate climate location.
The first experimental system had six raceways (RWs - Figure 2) lined with 1 mm ethylene propylene diene monomer membrane (EPDM, Firestone Specialty Products, Indianapolis, IN, US).
Each RW had a surface area of 103.7 m2 and working water volume of 40 m3 with 0.45 m average water depth and 0.5% slope. Every RW had five boardwalks and anti-jump netting around it. Water circulation, mixing and oxygenation were provided by one 2 hp pump, six 0.9 m long air diffusers, and eighteen 5 cm airlift pumps. A center partition was positioned over a 5 cm PVC pipe with spray nozzles for homogenous distribution of oxygenated water from a 5 cm pump-driven Venturi injector (Figure 4). All six RWs were equipped with an online DO monitoring system (5500D, YSI Inc., Yellow Springs, OH, USA, - Figure 3). Each RW had a settling tank (ST, Figure 5), a foam fractionator (FF, Figure 6), and a multi-cyclone filter (MCF, Figure 7) for solids control. Separation tanks helped dry the cropped-bioflocs to facilitate disposal and conserve water (Figure 8). Six spring-loaded belt feeders were used to deliver feed 24/7 in each RW.
Biofloc systems operated with air blowers alone are generally capable of producing shrimp yields between 2 to 4 kg/m3. The pump-driven Venturi injector in each RW enabled shrimp yield of > 9.5 kg/m3 when supplemented with pure oxygen.
The second system consisted of two 100 m3 RWs (100 m2 surface area) lined with the EPDM membrane used in the other system. Unlike the other system, these RWs were built half buried above the natural ground level and had a deeper average water depth (1 m). In addition, the RWs had a common concrete harvest basin outside the greenhouse which enabled the use of fish pump for harvest.
Similar to the other system, each RW had anti-jump netting, boardwalks, belt feeders, and a center partition (Figure 9). Unlike the other system, aeration and water mixing were generated solely by two 2 hp pumps per RW forcing high-pressure water (45 psi) at a flow rate of 28.4 Lpm through each of the 14 injectors (a3® All-Aqua Aeration, Orlando, FL, USA, Figure 10).
Biofloc concentrations were maintained with help of ST (Figure 11) and FF (Figure 12) using a similar setup as the other system for drying and disposing of biofloc. RWs were equipped with the same online DO monitoring system described earlier. The two 2 hp pumps and 14 a3 injectors in each RW supported marketable size shrimp yields >9 kg/m3 while using only atmospheric air to satisfy DO demand.
Nursery Trials
40 m3 Raceway System
All but one nursery trial were conducted in the 40 m3 RW system. Nursery tank stocking densities varied from a few hundred to several thousand post-larvae (PL) per m3. Trials initiated with virgin water, showed high TAN (>26 mg/L) and NO2-N (35 mg/L) concentrations did not negatively impact shrimp performance. The results of the nursery trials suggested the following operational WQ ranges: TSS (250-350 mg/L), SS (10-14 mL/L), and alkalinity (140-160 mg/L CaCO3). Continual DO monitoring in the nursery RWs using the online DO monitoring system helped optimize feed delivery. Other studies determined the preferable feed and feed particle size for different size PL. Additional trials helped define the role of different commercial feeds and feed management on shrimp performance.
Routine probiotic applications into the culture water suggested potential benefit through suppressing pathogenic Vibrio development in the culture medium. Other studies showed that high TAN and NO2 levels can be avoided by inoculating virgin water with nitrifying bacteria. Finally, the studies showed that the 40 m3 RW system could produce juvenile shrimp of about 2 g with high survival, low FCR, and high yields under no water exchange (Table 1).
100 m3 Raceway System The nursery trial conducted in the two 100 m3 RWs showed that a3 injectors can be used from stocking without damaging young PLs. Table 2 shows the excellent results obtained in a 62-day nursery trial in the two 100 m3 RWs stocked with L. vannamei at 540 PL/m3. FCR was low, with excellent survival, and yield >3.4 kg/m3. Only one of the two pumps per RW was required to maintain DO and mixi
Grow-Out Trials
40 m3 RW System Numerous studies were conducted from 1999 to 2014 in this system re-using water used in previous nursery trials. The nitrifying-rich bacteria in this water kept TAN and NO2-N concentrations low (usually 1-6 mg/L) while maintaining high shrimp yields (>9.5 kg/m3) without organic carbon supplementation. Nitrate levels increased throughout the trials (from about 40 mg/L to about 450 mg/L NO3-N).
Although shrimp can tolerate NO3-N concentrations up to 450 mg/L at 30 ppt salinity, if the culture water is to be reused for subsequent production, this water must be treated to reduce nitrate levels to safe concentrations. Trials showed that NO3-N concentrations can be reduced to below 50 mg/L using a digester operated under anaerobic conditions. This process could be accelerated through organic carbon supplementation.
Nitrification reduces alkalinity and pH so these parameters were regularly adjusted to minimize stress on nitrifying bacteria and shrimp. Alkalinity was increased with sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, or calcium carbonate. Although shrimp can tolerate alkalinity above 400 mg/L as CaCO3, efforts were made to keep alkalinity concentrations between 120 and 160 mg/L. pH in these systems tends to drop from about 8.2 to below 7 during the production cycle, but the alkalinity supplementations, in most cases helped maintain the pH at about 7.4. Nevertheless, when supplementations with the above mentioned carbonate sources could not increase pH, sodium hydroxide was added. Under high stocking densities (250-500 juveniles/m3) and no water exchange, when shrimp are fed dry feed 24/7, Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Settleable Solids (SS) increase. High concentrations of these indicators can reduce shrimp performance. Trials evaluated and selected the most cost-effective tools to maintain optimal concentrations for shrimp (e.g., pressurized sand filters, FFs, STs, MCF's, etc.). These trials showed that although shrimp grew well at relatively high particulate loads (e.g., >500 mg/L and 30 mL/L for TSS and SS, respectively), targeted levels were set between 250 and 350 mg/L and 10 mL/L and 14 mL/L, respectively. These lower concentrations provide system operators enough time to make any adjustments to bring the particulate load to the desired levels. Other trials with feed of different quality and price showed better shrimp performance with specially formulated high-quality feed compared to feed formulated for semi-intensive outdoor production ponds (Table 3).
Information from an online DO monitoring system showed significant DO reductions when feed was delivered a few times a day. This was corrected by switching to 24/7 feed delivery. This practice, together with the use of high quality feed and careful monitoring of feed consumption, enabled production of marketable size shrimp with good growth (1.8-2.0 g/wk), survival (79%-88%), yields (9.4-9.9 kg/m3), and low FCR (1.39-1.45).
Table 4 summarizes results from a 2011 trial in the 40 m3 RW system. Note that pure oxygen was supplied through the Venturi injector to support the high oxygen demand of the system.
The trials showed that excellent results can be achieved when shrimp are exposed to optimal growing conditions. However, this system requires constant monitoring and adjustments to avoid stressing the shrimp. Exposing shrimp to unfavorable conditions for a few days can lead to pathogenic bacteria outbreaks and poor results.
100 m3 RW System
Monitoring and control of key WQ indicators in this system were similar to those used for the 40 m3 system. The grow-out trials in this system were designed to evaluate the effect of different stocking densities, different particulate matter control tools, and feed management on shrimp performance. These trials showed that homemade FFs and STs could control particulate matter concentrations.
As with the 40 m3 system, when nitrifying bacteria rich water was used for the grow-out trials under no water exchange and with adequate alkalinity and pH adjustment, TAN and NO2 concentrations stayed low while NO3 levels increased. Since aeration and mixing in these RWs was generated by the pump-driven a3 injectors, fine-tuning of the water flow was needed to improve shrimp performance (minimize shrimp energy expenditure on constant swimming against the current generated by the injectors). This together with 24/7 feed delivery and the delivery of the feed away from the pumps' intakes helped reduce the FCR from as high as 2.56 to 1.43.
Other trials also showed that shrimp growth rates were greatly improved (increase from 1.38 to 2.31 g/wk) when RWs were stocked with juveniles produced by breeding populations of two genetic strains (Fast-Growth × Taura Resistant) compared with those produced by a Taura resistant strain. A significant finding from these trials was the high yields (> 9 kg/m3) achieved without using pure oxygen (e.g., the system oxygen demand was met by operating the a3 injectors using atmospheric air). Table 5 summarizes the results from a trial conducted in this system in 2012.
Economics of RAS and Biofloc Systems
Table 6 compares production costs in earthen ponds and RAS using data from the USDA-funded US Marine Shrimp Farming Program. Pond data are from an intensive farm in Arroyo City, Texas and RAS trials conducted at the Oceanic Institute, Hawaii over four years (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009).
Production costs per unit shrimp were less in RAS than in earthen ponds. Even at higher stocking densities, survival and growth in the RAS trials were better than in ponds. At harvest, shrimp produced in RAS were just as large and in some cases even larger than shrimp from ponds.
Closed, indoor super-intensive RAS can be operated for less than earthen ponds (Moss and Leung, 2006). Table 6 shows cost comparison between a farm and a closed, indoor super-intensive RAS system. The cumulative distribution of total cost for ponds and RAS indicates that RAS has a lower cost per unit weight than ponds.
Economic projections suggest that biofloc systems in the USA can be profitable when they target niche markets for live or fresh (never frozen) shrimp (Hanson and Posadas, 2004, Hanson et al., 2013). The Texas A&M-ARML has reduced indoor biofloc operating costs from $11.00/kg, the USA average for super-intensive systems, to about $4.53/kg. This work also suggests the feasibility of extending the number of crops from 3.5 to 5.5 per year.
Current Issues with Indoor Biofloc Shrimp Culture
Advances in indoor biofloc systems have been impressive, but current knowledge is not complete. For example, the failure of some indoor biofloc projects can be traced to the complex interrelationships that characterize the diverse and difficult-to-control microbial biofloc community. This assemblage can be unstable in small tanks stocked at high densities and driven by the large input of feed required for good shrimp growth. If the microbial community of the biofloc system is not balanced properly, inimical chemicals can accumulate, particularly TAN, NO2 and NO3. WQ changes are exacerbated when water is reused over multiple crop cycles.
Biofloc systems also are susceptible to outbreaks of noxious organisms, such as Fusarium solani (responsible for closure of a commercial facility in Kentucky) and Vibrio sp. (which caused a commercial operation in Texas to abandon biofloc). The Waddell Mariculture Center research facility has experienced outbreaks of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. and the dinoflagellates Gymnodinium sp. and Pfiesteria piscicida, each with an unpredictable and decidedly negative impact on production. The Texas A&M-ARML indoor biofloc systems also have experienced crop-threatening outbreaks of Vibrio.
The systems and the results described in this paper suggest the need for the refinement of production management of super-intensive, biofloc-dominated operated with no water exchange to make these system more economically viable.


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Tag Archives: HPTE
US-36: For Whom the Road Tolls
If you live in Boulder, you've almost certainly noticed the construction along US-36 — aka the Boulder-Denver Turnpike. The main thing that's being built here is one new lane in each direction. However, it's not your average road-widening project. Usually … Continue reading


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Facilities & Services
- Max LOA: 80m
- Dry Stack facility for boats up to 13m
- Fuel (petrol, diesel) available at nearby Hythe Marina Village (locked basin) and Port Hamble Marina
- 200 ton boat hoist
- Storage ashore
- Heavy-duty pontoons
- Fully serviced pontoons including 3 phase electricity
- Fresh water
- Extensive marine trades and services
- Staffing 365 days a year
- CCTV coverage
- Showers and toilets
- Car parking
- Electric Vehicle Charging available via 3 pin marina connection. Please contact the marina reception
- Service Centre
- MDL WiFi
Saxon Wharf is a marine service centre offering outstanding facilities for superyachts and other large craft. Situated on Southampton's River Itchen, north of Shamrock Quay, it's the ideal location for big boats in need of secure, quick turnaround lift-outs, repair work or full scale refits. Its position near the centre of Southampton gives it easy access to the motorway.
Boatyard facilities
Saxon Wharf has a 200-ton boat hoist and heavy duty, fully serviced pontoons accommodating boats up to 80 metres. The Dry Stack facility offers secure dry berthing and on-demand launching and lifting for boats up to 13 metres. There's ample space for storage ashore and a wide range of marine trade tenants on site offering a variety of professional services.
Out and about
Cruising opportunities from Saxon Wharf are almost endless. Southampton Water itself offers safe, sheltered sailing while the Hamble and Itchen Rivers are perfect for leisurely exploration. Keen racers have the legendary waters of the Solent on the doorstep, and around the Isle of Wight there are numerous bays and harbours. West of Southampton Water lie picturesque Bucklers Hard and the lively port of Lymington. For confident sailors, the Channel Islands make a perfect weekend away.
Freedom Berthing gives you even more freedom to explore any of the 18 marinas in our UK network stretching from Devon to Suffolk, plus over 130 European destinations in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal.


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Item Description
Letter, Brad [A. G. Bradford] to [Governor James H.] Denver
Author: Bradford, A. G.
Date: March 18, 1858
A. G. Bradford, writing from Washington, D.C. to Governor James H. Denver, suggested that the effort to admit Kansas as a state under the Lecompton Constitution likely would fail in the U.S. Congress. Bradford also sought Denver's support for his attempt to receive an appointment as Superintendent of Indian Affairs and commented upon Denver's future political opportunities in California.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: James W. Denver Collection, #328, Box 1, Folder 5
Item Number: 101074 Number of images: 4
Keywords: Admission, Kansas (see also Statehood); Bradford, A. G.; Calhoun, John; California; Denver, James William, 1817-1892; Lecompton Constitution; Patronage, political; Washington, D.C.
pg. 1
pg. 2
pg. 3
pg. 4


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I'm new to Java, experienced with C. I am using Netbeans 7.0 Beta 2 on a windows XP PC as my IDE for JDK7. I have successfully tested several small apps. Now I want to write an app using JDK7 java.nio.file copyTo functionality.
Here is the code I am starting with
package filecopy; import static java.nio.file.StandardCopyOption.*; import java.nio.file.Paths; import java.nio.file.Path; import java.io.IOException; import java.nio.file.StandardWatchEventKind.*; public class FileCopy { public static void main(String[] args) { Path fromFilePath = Paths.get("C:\\aaaaa.jpg"); Path toFilePath = Paths.get("C:\\Documents and Settings\\Owner\\Desktop.aaaaa.jpg"); fromFilePath.copyTo(toFilePath, REPLACE_EXISTING, COPY_ATTRIBUTES); return; } }
The line "fromFilePath.copyTo(toFilePath, REPLACE_EXISTING, COPY_ATTRIBUTES);" is flagged in error with the message:
cannot find symbol
symbol: method copyTo(java.nio.file.Path,java.nio.file.StandardCo pyOption,java.nio.file.StandardCopyOption)
location: interface java.nio.file.Path
I would be very appreciative if anyone would suggest what I should do to make copyTo known to the IDE.


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Candidate For Mexico Pres. Wants To Go Up Against Trump On Social Media
(Via The Hill)
The frontrunner in Mexico's presidential campaign said Thursday he'll personally respond on social media after President Trump called Mexico the "number one most dangerous country in the world" on Twitter.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a populist, left-wing former mayor of Mexico City, said that, as president, he would demand fair treatment from Trump, Mexico's Reforma newspaper reported.
"Without disrespecting [Trump], we're going to put him in his place, we're going to make him come to his senses," said López Obrador. "We're going to respect President Donald Trump, but he's going to have to learn to respect us."
López Obrador also criticized Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto for responding to Trump through official channels.
"Peña doesn't reply, Trump scared him since he called him on the telephone, he raised his voice and shut him up, but with us it's different," said López Obrador.
Should the media and politicians be held responsible for fraudulent hydroxychloroquine reports?
Saying a drug that clearly works, doesn't work is Trump Derangement Syndrome beyond comprehension.
The Lancet Study on Hydroxychloroquine was fraught with errors and incomplete data. It was thrown together to let the world know that hydroxychloroquine doesn't work. Well that study was retracted. A Henry Ford Health System study found the drug helped patients with COVID-19. Just as the president was saying. Trump mentioned HCQ and the collective mainstream media went into overdrive to prove him wrong. And once again Trump accused of lie of the century turns out to be right. He was clearly right in the beginning. The media said the drug could cause harm if not used correctly. That could also be said about aspirin or any drug.
Taking this derangement one step further was governors making it hard to get HCQ and banning it in some places from use. Now we know in hindsight the drug works and these politicians and media companies as CNN are libel for deaths of Coronavirus patients that died when a life saving drug was readily available in stockpile. Also the governors sending the elderly with COVID-19 into nursing homes with the most vulnerable also caused many unnecessary deaths. Weren't we told we had to save our grandparents? If we loved them don't visit them to be safe? So why would governors send COVID-19 patients to nursing homes when they (New York) mainly was provided thousands of empty hospital beds on the navy ship and the convention center?
I have been following these people long enough to know these things are not an accident. Germany and Israel sent the United States millions of tablets of HCQ. They were at the ready and cheap. It's been used for malaria since the 1960's so the side effects have been tested, it is safe. Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister was saved with HCQ. Thousands around the world have been saved with this drug. So we must ask the question when will the media and politicians be dragged into a court of law for their negligent reckless reporting?
By Michael Ameer
Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood & The racists Democrats Part #3
How can a party so entrenched in political correctness and against racism openly support Planned Parenthood founded by a raging racist?
Quotes of Margaret Sanger:
"The most merciful thing that a family does to one of it's infant members is to kill it."
"A free race cannot be born to slave mothers."
"The most successful approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don't want the word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population."
"Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race." Remember when Joe Biden referred to Barack Obama as clean and articulate?
"….such a plan (The Negro Project) would reduce the birth rate among the diseased, the sickly, the poverty stricken and anti-social classes, elements unable to provide for themselves, and a burden of which we are all forced to carry."
Sanger felt the Negro was genetically inferior. Sanger charmed the Black community's most distinguished leaders into accepting her plan, which was designed to their own detriment. "Ironically abortion has done what the Klan could only dream of. Roughly 1/4 of the Black population is now missing." Alveda King, niece to the Rev. Dr. martin Luther King. Almost 80% of all Planned Parenthood clinics are in minority neighborhoods. The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb.
This is the playbook of the Democrats, get the Black population to back something that is design to their detriment. Blacks have been so indoctrinated that they cannot see this. The left plays the emotional game of racism and stoking the flames of a race war to keep the black vote firmly in it's pocket. Margaret Sanger persuaded the black community to feel good about killing it's own future.
"I admire Margaret Sanger enormously….I am really in awe of her." said, Hillary Clinton. Clinton was also a firm supporter and fan of the late Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, former Ku Klux Klan recruiter. How does the left get away with blaming everyone for every form of racism in our history then openly embrace known racists in public and no one bats an eye? Margaret Sanger was an advocate of Eugenics of building a pure race and that made her a favorite of the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. She gave many speeches to these groups on her philosophy and theory of a clean race. Planned Parenthood still bares the name of it's racist founder and lauded by Blacks all over. They are running around in their pink pussy hats giving life to an organization that was made to bring death to their own people.
Please research Margaret Sanger and The Negro project.
By Michael Ameer
The bone chilling fear of a Trump rally.
Why is the left so petrified of Trump rallies?
In poker there is a thing called a tell. This is where your body language gives away your cards. The Democrats biggest tell is relentlessly trying to stop a Trump rally at all costs. One thing I have learned about the left is they will try to stop anything they are fearful of. They do it out in the open. This is their tell. They have vigorously tried to shutdown Trump on Twitter and social media. Trump has 186 million followers on combined social media. He is very powerful. He has almost half the population of America on his social media with whom he can directly communicate without the faulty corrupt filter of the media. They hate not being able to shape that messaging. The media lies, then Trump can refute instantaneously to his massive following. A reporter asked Trump since he is complaining about conservative censorship on social media like twitter, has he ever thought of deleting his account? Trump said yes of course he has. Paraphrasing Trump, if I had an honest news media I wouldn't need social media! BOOM!
The rallies are also direct contact with the people, 25% of which are registered Democrats. This is another sore spot for the left. Democrats are walking away from the party in record numbers. The Dems have adopted identity politics which makes it almost impossible to keep middle American White working class voters. So now the chase is on for illegals to fill that voter loss. They are also hurting in losing the Black vote and voter apathy of those loyal Black supporters sitting at home on election day. A new Rasmussen poll had Trump Black approval at 41%. If he gets anywhere near that in Black voter support in the election the Democrats are done. Many Democrats voted for Trump. This is a fact the media steers clear of. But please, please let me remind you. 200 counties in America that voted twice for Barack Obama hopped on the Trump Train in 2016! This is another self inflicted wound by the Democrats. Whites who've voted twice to support the first Black President resent being called racist on a daily basis by the radical and mainstream left. Their policies aren't working and they are alienating many of their core supporters. The media will cover for them and say everything is peachy keen and Trump is a monster, when in reality the Trump support is higher than Ronald Reagan among Republicans and nothing demonstrates that fact more than a good ole fashioned Trump #MAGA Rally!
Trump even had a massive crowd in the liberal state, my home state of New Jersey. Routinely there are tens of thousands of people outside of a Trump rally. There are more people outside of a Trump rally than inside of a Biden rally. Let that sink in. Trump can pull this massive crowd anywhere he goes in America dispelling the lie that he is widely unpopular. No politician in history has had Trumps consistently huge rally turn out numbers. Not even Barack Obama. This New Jersey rally was sparked by congressman Jeff van Drew who had become so disenchanted with the Democrat party threatening him that he must vote for impeachment of the president on their flimsy charges or he would be attacked and ostracized from his own party. Jeff van Drew defected and is now a proud Republican and Trump astutely rewarded the new GOP member with a massive rally in his home district that was very well received.
In politics visuals and messaging are paramount. The left does not want to juxtapose the Biden event with roughly 20 people in social distancing circles against a mega #MAGA rally from Team Trump! What is Biden's resonating message? He has none or it could be…..C'mon man! Hillary Clinton also had no real cohesive messaging. Sooner or later they will realize you need more than I hate Trump to be your message. America wants to know what you are for not just what you are against. Trump promised to make America Great Again which in his goals made sense to middle America and Americans in general. Securing our borders, bringing manufacturing jobs back, renegotiating trade deals which sent all of our manufacturing jobs overseas, getting rid of sanctuary cities that are protecting illegal alien criminals, law and order and building a sustainably strong economy and energy independence. These are tried and true very simple policies which your average American can get behind. Most importantly he has delivered on 99% of those goals. Which aside from the skewed methodology on polling does not bode well for the stumbling bumbling Biden gaffe machine campaign.
If you have ever been in entertainment you know the best time to sell to supporters is at a live event. Trump knows this also. Many fence sitters have went to a Trump rally and saw first hand it's not the Klan get together the media portrays it to be. I get 15 to 20 emails daily from all various aspects of the Trump campaign. They are very astute with their social media campaign, while Joe Biden has trouble making a video in his basement with written notes and grade school direction. A new Zogby Poll reported 55% of likely American voters think Joe Biden is in cognitive decline. Now with numbers like this how can you really think that Biden is a serious candidate.
Let's look back at former President Richard Nixon. He has been vilified and taken out of the history books for getting impeached, but for historical context let's look at some aspects of his election and presidency. After the great riots of 1968 a Republican garnered 32 states in his election. After left wing chaos and riots the country will turn to GOP law and order. Nixon's re-election he won 49 states and he was in close consultation with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When MLK was arrested in one of his marches he called Nixon. Nixon was hesitant to get involved in the hot racially charged events and did not quickly get back in touch with Dr. King. The Kennedy campaign seized the political opportunity and that gesture of goodwill to Dr. King swung many Blacks to the Democrat party. So many are thinking the chaos and riots will be blamed on Trump while just the opposite will happen.
The Trump Tulsa rally will be the biggest one yet and that is saying something for the campaign which regularly packs arenas nationwide. The Democrats will futilely try to smear and stop it in anyway possible but the juggernaut will powerfully move forward.
By Michael Ameer


text: It turns out that Microsoft's planned March 15th transition from Messenger to Skype is more of a soft target than a hard cutoff. Microsoft will switch off desktop Messenger that day only for a "test group," the company tells ZDNet; if all goes smoothly, the transition will start in earnest with English-speaking countries on April 8th. Every desktop user should be off the boat by April 30th. Messenger will still work on mobile devices, as well as in multi-network clients like Adium or Trillian, but that's not expected to last long -- and it might get quite lonely. Most of us ultimately get a slight reprieve, but the writing is most definitely on the wall.


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KARACHI: Payments for environmental services (PES), especially in tropical regions, should be recognised as an important tool for conservation and sustainable use of forests and other natural resources and better incorporated into national policies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) said.
According to a release issued from Rome, FAO and ITTO discussed the issue at the International Forum on Payments for Environmental Services of tropical forests, taking place 7-10 April in San José, Costa Rica.
Environmental services provided by forests include mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, protection of watersheds, landscapes, and conservation of biodiversity. Payments for environmental services are an innovative financing mechanism, which provides economic incentives to farmers and forest landowners in return for conservation and sustainable management of natural resources.
With a majority of the tropical forests located in developing and low-income countries, these resources are particularly vulnerable to land use changes. Tropical forests are found in 65 tropical countries and cover about 1.66 billion ha. FAO, in its recent assessment of global forest resources, noted continued conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land and other land-uses, for example for mining, infrastructure expansion, and urban development.
PES schemes may help to reverse deforestation in tropical forests by creating appropriate economic incentives for forest landowners to protect forests, plant trees and apply sustainable forest management practices.
For example, in 1989, Costa Rica's forest cover was down to 29 percent of the country's territory. Eighteen years after the establishment of the PES system, forest cover has increased to 51 percent.
Clear and well defined property rights and tenure systems are essential when implementing PES schemes because very often the payments are based on the number of hectares of forest protected or the size of the areas on which the required land use practices are undertaken.
The insecure land and resource tenure of many poor, indigenous, and traditionally forest-dependent people remains a key obstacle which prevents them from receiving benefits from PES schemes. Other major obstacles to implementing PES schemes include a lack of recognition of the ecosystem service values on a political level and subsequently the lack of funding and the high costs of implementing new policies.
"The PES schemes cannot act to their full potential unless they are accompanied by clear land tenure, sustainable land management, updated forest information systems, efficient public infrastructure and consolidated funds to foster reforestation on a large scale", said Eduardo Rojas-Briales, Assistant Director-General for Forestry. "If these factors are in place, benefits such as sustainable forest development, multiple environmental services and improved livelihoods for forest communities will bring about a return on the investments made".
In countries where PES is an important policy tool for implementing sustainable forest management, such as in Brazil and Costa Rica, significant ecological and socio-economic outcomes are noted. In addition to the direct financial benefits, PES schemes were also reported to have widened livelihood opportunities for participating communities, including the diversification of their activities and sources of income.
For example, as a result of environmental benefits generated by PES, such as protected watersheds, water purification, and buffering against natural hazards, farmers could produce two crops instead of one crop per year. Instead of growing dry maize, they could also grow commercial crops such as banana, generating additional employment and income.
Costa Rica's PES programme, which was started in 1996, recognises four environmental services provided by forests: carbon storage, watershed function, biodiversity and scenic beauty. The programme enables farmers who own forests to receive payments for the ecosystem services their forests produce.
Forest landowners may participate in several different activities which include: reforestation through plantations, forest protection, natural forest regeneration, agroforestry systems and forest management. The main funding has been via a fuel tax and fees included on each user's water bill.
During the Forum, FAO, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) honoured René Castro Salazar, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, for having pioneered the PES system in Costa Rica, the first in a tropical country, almost two decades ago.
"The PES efforts enabled the government of Costa Rica to reach 81 percent of the goal of going entirely climate neutral by 2021″, said Minister Castro Salazar. "It is possible to develop a similar strategy in other tropical countries of the world such as Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil and Colombia, whose forests contribute to climate change mitigation, and this is one of the proposals that will be presented at COP 21 in Paris in 2015."
The Forum is jointly organized by FAO, ITTO, and the National Forestry Financing Fund (FONAFIFO) of Costa Rica.


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In its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education opinion, the United States Supreme Court held that segregated public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the federal constitution. That same year, segregated school districts in the South asked themselves how they could satisfy minimum compliance with the Court's decision. In 1955, when the Court returned with Brown II, explaining that to satisfy the constitution, school boards needed to integrate their schools "with all deliberate speed," the litigated debates among the schools boards and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] shifted to one of defining "with all deliberate speed." In the months preceding September 1957, when the federal courts ordered Little Rock, Arkansas's Central High School to integrate, the debate in the community turned to one of "preserving the peace": Segregationist groups, among them the Mother's League and the Citizens' Council, suggested that because school integration would instigate violence inside and outside the schools, the only way to prevent violence in Little Rock was to prevent the integration of its schools. This view won the support of Arkansas' Governor Orval Faubus, who called out troops to prevent black students from entering Little Rock's Central High School on the first day of school in September 1957. The Governor could have prevented violence and preserved the peace by protecting the black students, and by doing so, enforcing the federal court order to integrate Central High School. Instead, he chose to prevent violence by preventing integration. By doing so, he necessarily defied a federal court order. At this point, the federal government became implicated in the Little Rock debate, and in late September, the federal government moved into Little Rock to defend the supremacy of its own laws and court decisions.
Against this backdrop, Hannah Arendt wrote her Reflections on Little Rock in the fall of 1957 and later published in the winter of 1959, criticizing the Supreme Court's decision in Brown and the federal government's use of troops to enforce the integration of Central High in Little Rock. By emphasizing state's rights and by delegitimizing the federal government's role in Little Rock, Arendt legitimized the claims for state sovereignty made by segregationists at the time, from 1957 through 1959. Ultimately, though, segregationists in Little Rock would not need to rely on such lofty arguments on state sovereignty like Arendt's or Faubus' to keep their schools segregated: Schools in Little Rock continued to remain—to a very large extent—segregated with the help of the business community. With the business community's control of the school board in 1959, national media attention on the community subsided, and the Little Rock school board debate on school integration focused once again on the question of minimum compliance.


text: After we posted these exceedingly clever Downton Abbey Valentines last week, designed by Dallas-based comic artist Chad Thomas, we partnered up with Chad for a sporting way to end Season Two: trading cards! Click to view, and check back Monday for a finale recap. (To see all of our recaps of Season 2, from the premiere through Episode 6, go here.)


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My friend Mike Schopp wrote a very thoughtful piece for WGR a few days ago and I highly recommend that you read it right away.
It's difficult to talk about the Sabres right now because we're all so surly. Even the rosiest personalities among us are fed up and exasperated. Unlike the past five years, I've successfully tuned out a lot of the chatter this season. When the Sabres are this bad, I lose the taste for blogs, and newspaper columns, and radio shows discussing their many shortcomings. It's really not in my personality to get rage-y about the Sabres, so, instead of getting rage-y, I get indifferent. Every once in a while, something cuts through the fog of my indifference and I think, "Hm. That's a smart and reasonable position," and it makes me feel better. Mike's post was like that.
Mike went into a lot of particulars about his job and about the current state of the Sabres, but what I liked best about his post is that it caused me to step back and ask myself, "Where exactly do I stand? What are my core Sabres beliefs?" I've been thinking about this for a few days now, and here's what I've come up with:
I watch the Sabres for fun. It's my responsibility to make sure that my Sabres fandom doesn't turn into something toxic. My response to the Sabres is more a reflection of me than it is of the team.
Now obviously, this season BLOWS A MILLION CHUNKS EACH AND EVERY DAY. You'd have to be delusional to be walking around projecting optimism and sunshine about the current state of the Stupidhead Sabres. There is absolutely NO reasonable cause for hope here. BUT, there are steps we can take as fans to ensure that our fandom doesn't veer towards a head-on collision with Crankytown.
If you are reading this blog, I think it's safe to say that you're a Super Fan of the Sabres (let's not even THINK about what it means if you're writing this blog). People who have a healthy/casual relationship with sports do not read blogs about their horrifying hockey team. No, if you're reading this, you've already surrendered some portion of yourself to the Sabres. The Sabres own a little piece of your heart, and that's just how it is. To some extent, you and I are helpless. Since we can't totally ignore the Sabres, the best we can hope to do this season is manage the damage they inflict.
It's my sincere belief that things are going to get worse for the Sabres before they get better. It's sad but true. This season is lost. They're done. I've been saying for weeks (on Twitter, not here. Sorry, blog readers!) that I think Regier is going to get fired the second the Sabres finish missing the playoffs. I still believe this, and I also believe that a lot of the stuff Pegula and Black have been saying about injuries being a legitimate excuse is just something they have to say because they really don't have any good moves at the moment. GMs get fired in the summertime, not in January. Coaches get fired mid-season all the time, but Lindy Ruff exists in some weird alternative coaching universe where nothing can ever really touch him. (The sooner you accept the weird Laws of Lindy, the sooner you'll feel better. Just surrender.) So, the prudent move for ownership is to just wait this out, sell at the deadline, and plan for next season. Ryan Miller is right. There is no trade that can save this team. They need an overhaul. They need at least one trade deadline, one draft, and one July 1st to fix this. They might need even more than that.
So that's where we stand.
The bad news is that as a Super Fan you're going to have to suffer through seasons like this, and you're going to keep watching, and you're going to keep reading redonk blog posts, and you're going to keep wishing YOU HAD NEVER EVEN HEARD OF THE BUFFALO SABRES. But the good news is that… well, wait… there is no good news. This blows.
Just kidding. The good news is that there ARE steps you can take to survive the season. Here are some things that work for me. This list is by no means complete, and not every suggestion is going to work for every fan.
1. Believe in the things that make you feel better.
This is not about being delusional. This is about protecting your ability to be hopeful.
The thing I liked most about Mike's post is this:
Maybe you're right but maybe you're wrong. Since no one knows I'll lean toward the side that makes me feel better.
I've been struggling to articulate something like this for weeks. No one knows (NO ONE) what is really going on with this team and what would solve the problem, and furthermore, fans have absolutely no control over any of it. Wouldn't it just be nicer if we all just followed our hearts a little bit here?
For Mike, the belief that the Cup would be sweeter with Regier and Ruff at the helm has value. For me, it's my faith in Pegula and Ted Black that makes me feel better. As a reasonable fan, you would be wise to consider what makes you feel better, and then take steps to ignore the rest.
2. Ignore the rest.
Stop reading the paper, stop listening to the radio (sorry, Mike), and for the LOVE OF GOD, stop reading this blog. (Heh.)
3. Stand by your man.
A few years ago (during one of the 10th place years), I wrote this about Jason Pominville. (BTW, that post is a good read if you want to be reminded of a.) how right I've always been about Jason Pominville and b.) how there's a lot of ebb and flow with every player over the course of any long contract.) I think about that post a lot because I remember that after I wrote it I felt a LOT better about being a Sabres fan.
One of the things that makes me sad about the current environment is how often I hear people say there are NO likeable Sabres. I certainly can't judge anyone for disliking these guys, but for what it's worth, I've always had a few players that I just like, no matter what. If you have a guy that you just like, don't give up on him now. Hold onto him tight and do it without shame.
My guys are Goose, Crunchy, and Pommerdoodle. I don't care how hard they suck or how hard they rock. I like those guys, it makes me feel good to like those guys, and beyond that I just don't care.
4. Listen to music while watching the games.
This one has absolutely saved me this season. A few weeks ago I found myself unreasonably irritated by the Sabres broadcast team. The details are unimportant (and completely forgettable, apparently), but for some reason that night I was all, "I would totally fight Rob Ray right now. I WOULD FIGHT HIM, AND I WOULD WIN." In a fit of frustration, I put the television on mute and turned on some soothing tunes. Magically, I didn't need to fight Rob Ray anymore. I calmly watched the rest of the game (the Sabres lost miserably), and I escaped relatively unscathed. Now I do this all the time. Don't forget that even when the Sabres are horrible, music is still wonderful.
Never underestimate how much better you might feel without the Sabres broadcast team feeding you a bunch of bullhonky about how the Sabres aren't the worst team ever.
5. If a bunch of people are screeching about something, listen to what they're saying, and then believe the opposite.
This one is hard to explain, so bear with me for a minute.
Here is what the screeching, angry hoard is screeching these days: "NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE AND DARCY REGIER IS A MORON AND PEGULA IS JUST MORE OF THE SAME AND LINDY SHOULD BE FIRED AND I HATE ALL THE SABRES AND BLAH BLAH BLAH POOR ME I'M A SEASON TICKET HOLDER AND I'M NOT RENEWING WAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" On one hand, all of these points are totally legitimate, but on the other hand it's just SO DUMB.
Even if the screeching is factually correct, don't you just want to distance yourself from that? I do. I think there is almost always a completely reasonable way to counter any sports-related screeching. Here's how I would counter the current screechers:
Um, hello? Last year, out of nowhere a billionaire no one had ever heard of bought the team and vowed to win us a dozen Stanley Cups. Then he proceeded to spend like a drunken sailor in free agency. Things DO change. Things HAVE changed. The problem here is not lack of change, it's that the change hasn't worked. What that probably means is that Darcy Regier is going to get his ass fired this summer. Once Darcy is fired and a new GM takes over, Lindy will FINALLY be on the clock. Yes, it is true that the current Sabres suck in nearly every way, but no, it's not true that this will necessarily be true forever.
*Patrick Kaleta hand wash gesture*
I take pride in disagreeing with the Whiner Line dummies. If they say one thing, I say the opposite. It's not actually so much about disagreeing, it's more about finding the intellectual high ground. The best move is to ignore the screechers entirely, but sometimes that's not possible. If you can't beat them, whatever you do, DO NOT JOIN THEM.
I'm not sure that this one would bring solace to everyone, but it does for me.
5. Don't be afraid to change your mind about Sabres-related issues.
I would never judge you for changing your mind. In fact, I'd respect you for it, because it means you're using your brain and responding to the situation at hand, and not to some prior position which was every bit as dumb as whatever position you're currently taking. My point is that when it comes to the Sabres, we're all idiots, all the time. Try to mix it up a little. Variety is the spice of life!
Example: I've flip-flopped a million times on Lindy Ruff. My opinion changes weekly, and yet I'm quite certain I've never been wrong about him. Heh.
6. Watch the game in a bar.
It's hard to pay attention to a game in a bar, and even harder to get all bent out of shape about a game you watch in a bar.
7. While you're in that bar, drink a lot.
Alcohol helps.
8. Figure out which of your friends are Sabres-sane and which are Sabres-crazy, and choose to hang out with the Sabres-sane ones.
Everyone who is reading or writing this blog is Sabres-crazy. If you were even remotely sane about the Sabres you'd be ignoring them completely by now. If you put two Sabres-crazy people together for a game like last night things can go south in a hurry because you're both so invested in the outcome.
I actually have quite a few friends who are Sabres-sane. These people watch the games when they happen to be in front of a television when the Sabres are playing, and while they'd certainly prefer a win to a loss they're not going to go to a dark place no matter what. These friends are worth their weight in gold right now. If you have friends like this, you should be nice to them and buy them lots of beer.
9. Don't judge other fans, and stop caring about the opinions of people who do.
This is going to sound contradictory in light of the fact that I just called a bunch of people "Whiner Line dummies," and encouraged you to disagree with them on principle, but whatevs.
It really bothers me when people who sit at home (or worse, FAR WORSE, the press box) rag on the fans at the game. I work really, really hard to pay for my seats, and there is no conceivable way to care more about the Sabres than I do. The constant message earlier this season that I was "doing it wrong" in the arena was actually very hurtful to me. I stopped giving those opinions my respect a few months ago, and it felt GREAT.
If someone puts the word "fan" into quotation marks on twitter, feel free to disregard their tweet entirely. They're just having a douchey moment and hopefully it will pass. If the douchey moment doesn't pass, unfollow them.
For better or for worse, we're all in this together. There is really no reason to turn on each other. Do your best to refrain from fan-cannibalism and NO MATTER WHAT don't let the worst of it get to you.
10. Basketball!
I know some people in Buffalo love to hate basketball, but I bet you're not one of those people. Basketball is fun and since you don't care about it at all (to the point where you regularly forget which teams you like), it's a totally safe distraction from the Sabres.
I haven't watched much basketball yet this season, but I like knowing it's there.
11. Have your sister and her husband make you a niece.
This one is a little impractical because the best babies (i.e. fattest) take about nine months to prepare, but with proper timing, a new niece can do wonders to put a spring in your step.
At the risk of sounding very cheesy, now is a good time to put the Sabres in the proper perspective. Following hockey is our hobby, but I'm positive that everyone reading this has a lot of other important and beautiful things going on in their lives. Let's dwell on those a bit.
Well, that's all I've got! Feel free to leave other suggestions in the comments. Stay strong, Sabres fans.
Let's go Buff-a-lo!


text: Usually, the only reason we use the keyboards on internet tablets is because we can't get to a more comfortable input device. Still, if you want to turn that on your head, here's a beta application for Nokia Internet Tablets (the N800 and N810 specifically) that let you use them as a keypad and mouse for your main computer. BlueMaemo uses Bluetooth and works with Windows XP, Vista and Linux BlueZ. I guess it could be fun for freaking out anyone who's using your desktop at the time. Can anyone say awesome Halloween prank? [JK on the Run]


text:
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