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No-nonsense products we're proud of
When it comes to banking, you want an honest deal with no surprises. So we'll always tell you the things you really need to know up front.
There's money
and there's Virgin Money
We're building a better kind of bank by doing what banks should do:
- Treating you as a person, not a number
- Always looking for ways to make you better off
- Creating no-nonsense products we're proud of
- Delivering service that's about smiles, not sales
- Keeping things simple
- Helping make a difference beyond banking
Read on to discover more about each.
Treating you as a person, not a number
As well as our national network of Stores, we're making the whole banking experience feel a lot more comfortable with our exclusive Lounges for customers.
Always aiming to make you better off
As you'd expect, being part of the Virgin family has its fair share of perks. From exclusive access to our customer Lounges, to special offers, discounts and prizes through 'My Virgin Money', it's all part of making banking better.
Service that's about smiles not sales
We may be a bank, but we're not a bunch of bankers. We're people like you. Our staff aren't incentivised on sales – just providing the best service they can. So you can relax and enjoy your banking, without the hard sell.
Making a difference beyond banking
Our not-for-profit fundraising website, Virgin Money Giving, helps people raise more money for charity.
raised through Virgin Money Giving – and we're just getting started.Virgin Money Giving
Make £5 Grow
Our 'Make £5 Grow' schools programme helps teach children about money – encouraging young entrepreneurs across the country. It gives 9 to 11 year olds practical experience of starting a small business using a £5 loan from Virgin Money.
Virgin Money Foundation
The Virgin Money Foundation was launched to help local people and organisations with the vision and drive to transform lives and re-energise communities. So far, we've already awarded £8.1 million in grants.
Partner programmes
Virgin StartUp
Support and mentoring for the next generation of young entrepreneurs.
Make £5 Grow
A fun, free programme that engages pupils in core areas of the National Curriculum.
Our official Charity of the Year for the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon.


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The Best Second Hand Cameras to buy in 2018
With 2018 just starting out there has already been several new camera releases. Having new camera models is good news for people who are looking to get the latest and greatest technology. But this also means that the older cameras with just a smidge less technology will be available at even lower prices, which means … Read moreThe Best Second Hand Cameras to buy in 2018

subset: commoncrawl


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Originally published: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013
FORT SASKATCHEWAN - An innovative pilot plant near Fort Saskatchewan is producing hydrogen — the key to powering fuel cells and upgrading bitumen — with frontier technology brought from a U.S. government laboratory in Idaho.
"I look at this as the holy grail, something everybody has been seeking, a way to produce hydrogen from any carbon. And we are doing it," said Neil Camarta, chief executive of Western Hydrogen, the private firm he owns with partner Guy Turcotte.
The two have invested $15 million to build the pilot plant, which for the next two years will test a variety of feedstocks, including bitumen asphalt, petroleum coke, natural gas and glycerol, the latter being a waste product from canola-based biodiesel production.
The plant, which uses Molten Salt Gasification technology, recently produced its first hydrogen gas from a sample of asphalt that was heated and mixed with water and injected into a reactor vessel.
The market for inexpensive hydrogen is immense, and Western Hydrogen is right in the middle of the Industrial Heartland region which uses large quantities of the gas.
"Our reactor can produce two million cubic feet per day of hydrogen. We would need to make 25 million cubic feet to be a big supplier to an upgrader," said Camarta, a former senior executive with Shell, Petro-Canada and Suncor.
But he thinks the renewable market would be a perfect fit several individual reactors that could be located around a city and provide a local source of hydrogen. For instance, Western Hydrogen's single unit can produce enough hydrogen to supply 50 hydrogen fuel-cell powered electric buses. Germany is a leader at using hydrogen fuel cells in cars, and makes it by using electricity from wind turbines to split the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
"Creating hydrogen using electrolysis costs about $10 per kilogram. We can do it for $3 per kilogram," said Camarta.
Lyman Frost, chief technology officer with Western Hydrogen, was at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory in 2003 when the first work was done on molten salt gasification.
"Neil and Guy Turcotte got involved in 2005 when this technology was still at the laboratory phase. By 2007 we had enough information to start designing a pilot plant. By 2010 we searched for a company to build it, and a Burlington, Ontario firm did the work for us," he said.
The plant is installed on Aux Sable property near the Shell Scotford complex.
"What is impressive to me is that there are a couple of people up here in Canada who are willing to take the risk associated with making this technology from a U.S. lab into a commercial venture," said Frost. "These are people who are interested enough in advancing the state of the art in making a cleaner technology for Canada and the world."
Camarta adds "not too many private individuals are crazy enough to put their own money into something like this."
But young engineers and researchers are intrigued.
"We attract staff like flies because they are so keen to work on this stuff. And it is fun to do, we have a great team here," Camarta said.
The goal of the pilot plant is to obtain the extensive data needed for potential customers to evaluate and then build the reactors.
"The cool thing about this technology is that we can use any carbon as feedstock, and switch between them. Right now the industry uses steam methane reformers to produce hydrogen from natural gas, but that is the only feedstock they can use with that technology," he said.
While the first tests are with bitumen asphalt — the hard residue from bitumen — it will also work with petroleum coke, a pure carbon material that is now buried in mine sites near Fort McMurray and has no economic value. The reactor can also use algae.
"Western Hydrogen doesn't expect to build all the new reactors; we hope this technology can be used by the world," said Camarta.


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REGINA — Regina's iconic Hotel Saskatchewan has been sold for $32.8 million.
The 10-storey hotel, opened in 1927, has been bought by Winnipeg-based Temple Hotels Inc., which has three other properties in Saskatchewan: Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa in Moose Jaw, the Saskatoon Inn & Conference Centre in Saskatoon and the Wingate Inn in Regina.
Temple said it intends to undertake a $6-million capital expenditure program over about three years, consisting of guestroom and lobby refurbishments.
Temple's executive vice-president, Gino Romagnoli, said Wednesday the firm plans no staff cuts and said "there might be some additional staff, particularly if there's growth in business".
"We've been negotiating on this property for some time and there was a lot of due diligence we had to do with various building inspections and environmental reports, etcetera."
"They're a good group, they're all about people," the hotel's general manager, Marla Preston, said of Temple Hotels. "They're happy to embrace everybody — and they're sorta like a local company."
That's because Temple Hotels grew out of a 2006 deal that saw HPVC, a capital pool listed on the TSX, acquire Moose Jaw's Temple Gardens hotel and spa, then rebrand itself as Temple REIT — and eventually as Temple Hotels. With recent changes to the tax rules surrounding REITs, it became a conventional corporation as of Dec. 31, 2012.
Its website notes the firm is the biggest hotel owner in Fort McMurray, with 800 rooms in eight properties.
As to why Temple moved on the Hotel Saskatchewan now, Romagnoli cited low interest rates, but added "we're very bullish on the Saskatchewan economy and the Saskatchewan hotel market, particularly in Regina."
In all, the Winnipeg-based company has 27 hotel properties with more than 3,600 rooms, acquired at a total cost of over $600 million since the firm was formed in 2006. Thorsteinson also told The Free Press that Temple's longer-term goal is to have 50 hotels and $2 billion in assets in its portfolio by 2018.
Incidentally, GM Preston, a familiar face in Regina's business community, said she "probably won't be staying" after the sales goes through.
"It's been a great run and I've enjoyed it very, very much," said Preston, who's spent 15 years running it. "Honestly, you're trying to make a decision — and these kinds of things make it for you."


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some jokes in the pakistani media
- Behind every successful batsman there is Kamran Akmal.
- What do Kamran and Michael Jackson have in common? They both wear gloves for no reason.
- Kamran Akmal's favourite pickup line? "Can I drop you somewhere?"
- Why was Kamran Akmal late for practice, because he forgot to catch the team bus.


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Care Recommendation Accessories
Care Recommendation Accessories
How to take care of your Montblanc accessories
Care Recommendations
Montblanc recommends removing jewellery, especially rings, during household chores and gardening. Please avoid contact with salty water, soap, cosmetic products, fragrances, hairsprays and corrosive or solvent-based cleaning agents. Substances such as chlorine may permanently damage or discolour your Montblanc jewellery, especially at high temperatures. Please avoid wearing your Montblanc jewellery to the beach, swimming pool, hot tub or playing sports in order to protect it from damage. Please be sure to have the stones' settings checked regularly by one of our goldsmiths to ensure they are still securely set.
Precious metals and stones vary in their characteristics and handling needs. The following paragraphs outline the specific care recommendations for your individual product.
Important note
Do not use an ultrasonic bath for jewellery with precious resin or natural components such as pearls, mother-of- pearl, wood, rubber or leather.
Storage of your Montblanc Jewellery Piece
When your Montblanc jewellery is not worn, Montblanc recommends keeping it in the packaging provided (e.g. pouch or box), stored in a dry and dark space. Please note that high temperatures, strong light or high humidity may cause undesired changes in the material. In regions with high humidity, it is recommended that desiccating crystals (e.g. silica gel) are placed with the jewellery pieces.
All Montblanc necklaces should lie flat to avoid any bending. In general, pieces of jewellery should not be placed on top of one another in a box, pouch or drawer.
Materials used
Sterling Silver
Tarnishing of sterling silver jewellery is a natural effect and cannot be fully avoided. Regular cleaning of silver jewellery with a silver polishing cloth is recommended.
To preserve the beauty of your gold or platinum jewellery, dust and dirt should be removed by wiping it off with a damp cloth. Montblanc recommends having your piece of jewellery serviced on a regular basis. Montblanc provides a professional cleaning service in an ultrasonic bath. For more thorough cleaning, Montblanc offers a polishing service performed by one of our goldsmiths to recover the original brilliance and shine of your product. Especially for gold jewellery, having it polished once a year is recommended.
Montblanc recommends cleaning your piece of jewellery adorned with pearls or mother-of-pearl with a damp cloth, carefully wiping the pearls or mother-of-pearl. Afterwards, dry your jewellery using a soft cloth.
Stainless Steel
The stainless steel used in Montblanc jewellery is a very hard and resistant material which does not stain, tarnish, discolour or scratch easily. However, shiny and polished stainless steel is more sensitive and should not be exposed to sharp surfaces. Over time, stainless steel may show signs of wear and tear.
Please clean the jewellery as recommended. For the wooden parts, moisten the wood with a drop of mineral or almond oil on a cotton ball. Let the wood absorb the oil and then wipe off the remains. Please do not apply oil to other parts.
If your piece of jewellery has rubber inlays, please do not use any strong chemical cleaning agents. Please avoid scratches or cuts on the rubber, as this may cause the material to break.
Montblanc jewellery products with magnets should not be used by individuals fitted with pacemakers, defibrillators, implanted insulin pumps, transdermal drug delivery patches or other electro- medical devices, during pregnancy or while nursing an infant. Use of these products should also be avoided in the vicinity of high-voltage machinery or cables. The magnetic field emitted by these products may affect objects sensitive to magnets, such as credit cards or other magnetic cards, sensitive data storage devices or displays, personal digital assistants, video/audio tapes and similar items. The magnetic field emitted by these products may also affect the proper functioning of mechanical and quartz watches, so watches should not be stored in or near the products. These products are not toys and should be kept out of the reach of children. These products are not sold as medical devices and do not replace any professionally prescribed medical treatments.
Precious Resin/Lacquer
Precious resin, lacquer and any other precious material may develop fine cracks if knocked or dropped. Please do not use any strong chemical cleaning agents.
It is recommended that diamonds are handled with care to maintain the lifetime of their brilliance. Avoid contact with chemical products such as fragrances and detergents, as these substances may tarnish precious stones.
Gemstones/Precious Stones
Gemstones are very sensitive and may change colour if not treated properly. Gemstones should not be exposed to sunlight for a prolonged time as this may cause undesired changes in the material.
Leather is a natural material that is sensitive to the effects of light, humidity and water. To keep your Montblanc jewellery product with leather parts in perfect condition and prevent the colour from fading, Montblanc recommends protecting it from prolonged exposure to high temperatures or direct sunlight. In the event of contact with water, it should be dried promptly with a soft, smooth cloth. To maintain its natural softness, Montblanc recommends treating the leather parts with a neutral leather-care product.


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"Delightfully silly…. [von Igelfeld is a literary Mr. Magoo." —The Washington Post
"Filled with comic characters, all academics of a particularly stripe. . . . McCall Smith has the same gift that John Mortimer has in making boring conversations hilarious—the atmosphere in the Institute of Romance Philology's coffee room is very like the one-upmanship and backbiting in Horace Rumpole's chambers. Academia can be a hoot, and this series proves it."
"Professor von Igelfeld is a comic gem. . . . McCall Smith skewers the pomposity of academic pretension with an irresistible, deadpan insouciance."
Acclaim for the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series
"A comedic jewel… [At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances] attains a level of sublime nonsense reminiscent of Woody Allen's Bananas." —The New York Times
"In the halls of academe, a setting fraught with ego-driven battles for power and prestige [McCall Smith] has rendered yet another one-of-a-kind character: the bumbling but brilliant Dr. Mortiz-Maria von Igelfeld . . . . [a] deftly rendered trilogy [with] endearingly eccentric characters." —Chicago Sun-Times


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Philosophy Department
"Philosophy," as William James put it, "is an attempt to think without arbitrariness or dogmatism about the fundamental issues." Colby's philosophy program challenges students to understand what it means to live morally in an often unjust world, to deliberate rationally about knowledge, freedom, and meaning, and to appreciate deeply the natural and aesthetic dimensions of our lives. Our courses provide the historical depth, cosmopolitan breadth, and multiplicity of perspectives necessary for participating in the philosophical conversation that spans human history and reaches around the globe. The Philosophy Department cultivates skills in effective writing, close reading, clear reasoning, and creative thinking, enabling students to join this ongoing conversation. Philosophy prepares students for professional careers and a lifetime of intellectual engagement in a complex and changing world.
Chair, Associate Professor James Behuniak
Professors Daniel Cohen and Jill Gordon; Associate Professors James Behuniak, Lydia Moland, and Keith Peterson
Requirements +
Requirements for the Major in Philosophy
To complete the major in philosophy, a student must take a minimum of 10 courses, including Philosophy 151, 231, and 232. The remaining seven elective courses must include at least one that satisfies the metaphysics and epistemology area requirement (M&E); one that satisfies the values area requirement (V); and one that satisfies the diversity requirement (D). Among the seven electives, only one from the 100 level may be counted, at least three must be at or above the 300 level, only one from 483/484 may be counted, and only one from 491/492 may be counted. In addition, in their senior year students must enroll in two semesters of the philosophy colloquium (401 and 402). No courses taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory may be counted in fulfillment of major requirements, nor may any courses counting for fewer than three credits.
Honors in Philosophy
Students majoring in philosophy may apply during their junior year for admission to the honors program. Permission is required; guidelines are established by the department and posted at colby.edu/philosophy. Successful completion of the work of the honors program and of the major will enable the student to graduate with "Honors in Philosophy."
Requirements for the Minor in Philosophy
To complete the minor in philosophy, a student must take a minimum of six courses. These must include at least one course that satisfies the metaphysics and epistemology area requirement (M&E); one that satisfies the values area requirement (V); and one that covers a historical period in philosophy (H). At least one must be at or above the 300 level, and no more than one may be at the 100 level with this exception: both Philosophy 151 and another 100-level course may be counted. No course taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory may be counted in fulfillment of minor requirements, nor may any course counting for fewer than three credits.


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Fastball: During his first appearance, Petricka worked in the 94-96 MPH range with his fastball. The velocity is there for it to be a plus pitch, but command and movement are lacking. However, he has the ability to create downward plane at times which will help keep the ball in the park. And while he will sometimes elevate the pitch, the great majority of his fastballs which missed the strike zone were down and away to right handed hitters. …
February 13, 2011
Scouting The Sally: Jacob Petricka scouting report
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A lawsuit filed by a 16-year-old girl against her parents alleges she is being coerced to have an abortion against her will. KPRC's Courtney Zavala reports.
A pregnant Texas 16-year-old has gone to court to avoid having an abortion against her will, according to court documents.
Lawyers with the Texas Center for Defense of Life, a pro-life advocacy group, filed a petition on behalf of the teen plaintiff identified only by her initials in Harris County, Texas district court on Feb. 10. A judge granted a temporary restraining order in the case, according to local NBC affiliate Click2Houston.com.
"We were asking the judge to stop them physically forcing her to have an abortion," the plaintiff's attorney Stephen Casey told Click2Houston.com. "They cannot drag her to get an abortion, force an abortion on our client."
Read more, watch video on Click2Houston.com
The eight-page petition alleges that the plaintiff's parents, identified as Jeffrey Koen and Denise Watts Koen, attempted to force their daughter to act against her will "by coercing her to have an abortion with both verbal and physical threats and harassment."
The pregnant young woman has lived with her grandparents for the past seven months, the court document states, and is nine weeks pregnant.
After the plaintiff informed her parents that she was pregnant, her mother pushed for the termination of the pregnancy, according to the petition. The plaintiff's father said that the plaintiff's "only option was for her to have an abortion," the document states.
The plaintiff's mother "invited the paternal grandparents to a bar for further discussion, where she suggested that she might slip R.E.K. an abortion pill through deception," according to the petition.
Lawyers argue that the teen has the right to choose to keep her baby under Roe v. Wade, the Supreme court case that legalized abortion.


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About CaringBridge
"In 1997, good friends of mine had a premature baby, and they asked me to let everyone know what was happening. Instead of making dozens of emotional and time-consuming phone calls, I decided to create a website. The same night their baby Brighid was born, so was the idea that became CaringBridge."
A Powerful Connection Point
That inaugural CaringBridge website allowed people to easily get updates and offer support and encouragement. Word spread, and others began to request their own CaringBridge websites.
In 2002, CaringBridge became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, providing support when it's needed most.
Our reach has grown: Since 1997, more than half a million CaringBridge websites have been created. One in nine people in the U.S. have used CaringBridge to rally support for a loved one during a health journey, and our reach extends to 236 countries and territories around the world.
Start your own CaringBridge website.
See how a CaringBridge website works.
Supported by People Like You
In times of need, the greatest source of hope and healing is the love of family and friends.
Without the compassionate support of donors and the dedication of volunteers, our nonprofit wouldn't exist. The generosity of our donors and volunteers humbles and inspires us every day.
See ways you can get involved.
Sona Mehring with JoAnn Hardegger and Darrin Swanson holding a photo of their daughter Brighid, the baby who inspired CaringBridge. (May 2011)


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The Fedora Finance SIG works across the Fedora Project to make sure that all contributors and groups have the financial resources that they need. We coordinate processes, budgeting, and strive to push financial authority and accountability as far to the edges as possible, while ensuring accurate and transparent accounting.
We are made up of Fedora Board members, Ambassadors, FAmSCo members, Premier Fedora Events planners, and Red Hat employees.
Mailing List
We currently don't have one. Our first meeting will discuss whether or not we need a new one, or if something like the Fedora Logistics list is the proper venue.
We are getting ready to hold our first meeting.
When and where?
- Introduction to the idea of the Fedora Finance SIG.
- Why do we need more budget-related planning and collaboration?
- What groups do we hope to serve?
- What are the goals of this SIG?
- How can we be as lightweight as possible, and not invent new processes or bureaucracy?
- How do we ensure success of folks who are already spending a lot of Fedora's money? FAmSCo, FUDCon organizers, etc.
- What does this group want to do that is new and different?
- What sorts of skillsets will this group need to function well, and where will we get/learn them?


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Mitt Romney has been desperately trying to refute a study by the Tax Policy Center showing that he can't mathematically achieve his goals of reducing income tax rates while shielding the middle class from a tax increase and not adding to the deficit. If Romney is committed to his rate reduction and deficit neutrality, he would have to raise middle class taxes by $2,000, even under the most generous assumptions.
Romney has been pointing to "six studies" that he claims show that his tax plan work. However, those "studies" (which are mostly blog posts and op-eds) show no such thing.
So now the Romney campaign is touting a 2006 study from the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation that he claims vindicates his approach, telling Roll Call the study shows "how a 'Romney-style tax plan' could bolster growth." According to the study, tax reform that eliminates deductions and loopholes and reduces income tax rates will slightly increase economic growth over a decade. But the study assumes that nearly all middle class tax breaks — including those for children, mortgages, and employer contributions for health care — are repealed in their entirety:
Under the proposal, all personal exemptions, itemized deductions, personal credits except for the earned income credit, and all above-the-line adjustments to income except for retirement savings deductions and the deduction for self employment taxes would be repealed. The largest categories of deductions repealed are present-law deductions for home mortgage interest expenses, State and local taxes, and charitable contributions. In addition, the exclusions for certain employee fringe benefits, such as employer contributions for health and life insurance, would be repealed. The standard deduction would remain.The study also found that such a plan would result in the "redistribution" of income tax liability from high-income earners to the middle class. And the promised job growth is only between 1 and 2 percent over ten years (one to two million jobs), while Romney promises that his tax plan will create seven million jobs over four years.
Romney's claims about job creation under his tax plan are almost entirely fabricated. An economic adviser for both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations said this week that Romney's tax plan won't create jobs.


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ResourcesBy Perry Glasser
Case Study: Eli Lilly and Using IT to Accelerate Research
Focus On | Knowledge management
Business Goal | Discover and move costly new products to market faster
Technology Issue | Key data stored in too many places, being handled by too many people, slowing access, turnaround and discovery
Management Challenge | Silo-thinking, alignment gaps between IT and business executives, and cultural hurdles in convincing top brass that speed doesn't sacrifice quality
A few years ago, if a chemist at Eli Lilly and Co. enjoyed an "ah-ha" moment about a new substance that might lead to a great new miracle drugand huge new profitsthe first thing he or she would have to do is check a database to see if anyone else in the global pharmaceutical company had enjoyed a similar insight. Then he or she would have to check a second database. And then he or she would have to check yet a thirdand even then not know for sure. Problem was, the three different Lilly substance databases didn't store information under the same labels or registration numbers, so it wasn't always clear what Lilly knew or didn't: A researcher in Singapore might have registered the substance, but under a different name, slowing the process of discoveries to a walk instead of a run. And that was just one speed bump slowing researchers in the urgent race to get new drugs to market.
But speed bumps are no longer acceptable at Indianapolis-based Lilly. And no wonder. With the new revolution in the life sciences that is following the mapping of the human genomean explosion of innovation that could raise the number of new substances worthy of investigation from the current 500 to 10,000 per year to 10,000 per dayLilly can't afford to waste another second getting mired in information-processing headaches. "Speed to market is everything now," says CIO Roy Dunbar, an MBA with a pharmacy degree who has spent most of his career on the business side at Lilly, in product development. Indeed, Dunbar's whole mission since being named CIO in 1999 has been to find new ways to use information technology to shrink the 10 to 15 years it takes to discover new drugs and bring them to market.
Lilly has plenty of reasons to be impatient. Cost pressures are enormouseven on those drugs already in the pipeline. In today's high-paced world of drug development, each day a new drug is not on store shelves can mean $1 million or more in lost revenues. And recent events have raised those stakes even higher. Last April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Lilly to delay production of Cialis, a new anti-impotence drug that's expected to rival Pfizer Inc.'s Viagra. The reason: FDA inspectors raised questions over quality problems in Lilly's Indianapolis manufacturing plants.
At press time, for the same reason, the FDA was also delaying the production of as many as four other new drugs in Lilly's otherwise vaunted pipelineincluding the potentially lucrative osteoporosis drug Fortéo and the antidepressant Cymbalta.
Lilly is particularly dependent right now on the FDA for new-product approvals to turbocharge its financial results, and the delays have been especially challenging since a 2001 court decision ended Lilly's exclusive rights to Prozac. The antidepressant generated $2.8 billion in revenues for Lilly in 1999 and another $2.6 billion in 2000, and Kenneth Nover, vice president and pharmaceuticals analyst for St. Louis-based A.G. Edwards Inc., estimates Lilly will eventually lose 90 percent of those sales to generic manufacturersand at least $1 billion in the first year alone.
Adding to those woes are disappointing sales of Xigris, a new drug for sepsis Lilly introduced in late 2001. The lackluster introduction precipitated a 20 percent drop in profits for Lilly in the second quarter of 2002, and third quarter revenues were not expected to be much better. Indeed, said Lilly CEO Sidney Taurel in July, "the next 12 to 18 months will be a decisive period for the company." Particularly disturbing, he says, is the very real possibility that Lilly's new-drug pipelineamong the best in the industrycould be little more than a gleam in the company's eye until well into 2003.
Lilly isn't the only big player in the pharmaceutical industry getting nervous. As R&D costs soar and federal regulations set the bar for drug approval ever higher, the pharmaceutical industry is becoming a horse race with no favorites. Blockbuster drugs like Pfizer's Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering medicine, can bring in $3 million or $4 million per day. But when investors see a major source of revenue about to expire by judicial fiat, the effects can be devastating. Last August, after a federal judge doubted the efficacy of a new patent on allergy drug Claritin, Schering-Plough's stock valuation took a five percent hit in hours.
In addition, the challenges of the new bioscience revolution, while a potential boon to new drug discovery, is generating terabytes of new data that is testing new knowledge sharing systems as never beforeand telegraphing their shortcomings. "One of our big challenges as an industry is to make sure we build data storage to handle it all, and not data landfills," says Daniel Klingler, the senior vice president of information and knowledge management systems for Bristol-Myers Squibb's worldwide medicines group. "In the early 1980s, we sifted through hundreds of new compounds a year. Five years ago, we sifted through 10,000 compounds per year. Today, we're having to find ways to sift through 10,000 new compounds a day. IT's challenge now is finding a needle in a haystack, and in hoursnot years."
In many industriessoap, shoes or soft drinks, for examplea company might do well to hedge its bets by seeking safety in numbers with an ever-broader product portfolio. Not so in the highly regulated drug industry. To the uninitiated, the costs and risks of pharmaceutical R&D read like astronomy tables. According to a study by the Tufts University Center for the Study of Drug Development, the average successful drug requires 10 to 15 years of research at an average cost of $802 milliona cost that includes the price tag on the ones that never make it to market. Couple those onerous upfront investments with the fact that patents last only 20 years, and it becomes plain that when a drug might have an earnings window of a mere five or six years, companies are eager to abandon a bad bet early in the race. Another big IT goal in the drug business these days, therefore, is not only to speed winners, but winnow out those costly also-rans as early in the game as possible.
And there's another headache for which aspirin is not enough. Analyst Nover estimates that fewer than one tenth of one percent of substances that are deemed targets for investigation actually pan out as marketable drugs. The challenge to the industry, he says, is to use IT not only to get more information faster, but to get better information. "Money needs to be spent very wisely now," Nover says. "To do that, pharma companies need correct data that is easy to use and at their fingertips. If they have that, they can more quickly make the 'no-go' decision. And the sooner R&D money is saved, the sooner it can be spent elsewhere." The point isn't lost on Dunbar. "The productivity of R&D has not been sufficiently good," he says. "We need to improve it to continue to enjoy our attractive positions in investment portfolios."
Other companies faced with the pressure to move faster in the face of these challenges might be tempted to merge or acquire to pick up speed, but Lilly CEO Taureldespite the FDA's recent crackdownreaffirmed in August that's not an option. Taurel prefers partnerships, many of them to help farm out the risk and the cost of gaining speed. On Sept. 20, Lilly said it would pay up to $325 million to Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company based in San Diego, for the rights to a potentially promising treatment for diabetes.
While a few analysts, including Nover, darkly muse that Lilly just might be exposing itself to a takeover, the antimerger policy, at least for now, is just fine with Dunbar. An M&A strategy, he says, could be another speed bump, and might prove even more confining to his chances of using IT to help bolster the company's bottom line. "At least my legacy systems can talk to each other," he says. "Integrating new systems together would only cause more delays" in the pipeline.
Maybe so, but limiting one's options that way only puts additional pressure on Dunbar and his shop.
Can he deliver? Dunbar doesn't seem fazed by the challenge. Since being sent over to the IT side three years ago, to get information technology aligned more with the business goals of the company, Dunbar has had his work cut out for him. Not only has his mission always been straightforward, but his methods have also been fairly clear.
The Wait for Profits (click image to enlarge)
Net Prophets
Net Prophets
In his first months as CIO, Dunbar brought in IT outsiders, including the chief scientific officer of Sun Microsystems, to preach the value of IT-business alignment to both the business side of the company and the technologists. "The question at the time I took the job was, what value did we get from IT?" Dunbar recalls. "At the time, we seemed not to be able to communicate to our internal business partners how value came about." Bringing in people from outside to "preach the gospel of alignment," Dunbar says, has been helpful: "It's like the story of Jesus, who goes back to his own people and they say, 'Who are you? Get lost.' The prophet from afar is always listened to with much more attention." That's important, he saysIT-business alignment has been and will be critical to shortening time to market and staying in the game in the biotech revolution.
Dunbar has also reached out in other ways, helping to form e.Lilly, a division of Lilly whose mission is to find new business models that can be driven by information technology. To offload research risk, e.Lilly has accessed a worldwide network of independent researchers through InnoCentive, a company partly funded by Lilly that offers bounties for solutions to specific problems in chemistryall posted on InnoCentive's Web site (www.innocentive.com). Independent chemists willing to accept Lilly's rules about intellectual property rights can register and accept the risk of failure while they pursue financial rewards.
If you have a Bunsen burner in your garage, you may want to check out a recent offer of $90,00 to the first person who offers, for example, "an efficient synthetic strategy for the deazaguanine ester." This molecule, Dunbar explains, has been previously reported in chemical literature, "but the existing known synthetic route may be lengthy, expensive and low yielding." Your time, your risk and Lilly's research needs all add up to a pretty good deal, provided you are the winning researcher. Dr. Sangtae Kim, vice president and information officer at Lilly Research Laboratories, says some of the bigger prizes are in the $50,000 to $100,000 range, and the total of all the prizes on the site is in the millions.
Finally, to meet the stringent requirements of the FDA for lengthy clinical trialsand speed up the lengthy trial process, which can take years, Lilly is reaching beyond its own walls in other ways, making use of e-business partners such as San Francisco-based 1747 Inc. and Phase Forward Inc. in Waltham, Mass. Both companies are outsourcers that work with physician groups and hospitals to gather sufficient suitable subjects for experimental drugs, and then take a drug through the stages of those trials, guarding against statistical anomalies or irregularities in the geographically dispersed sites where the trials go forward. For Lilly, such new alliances are also speed-gainers: Sure, they don't spread risk, but they can drastically cut time to marketby months, if not years.
And that's not all. Dunbar is also trying to improve IT's support of the processes used to discover new drugs. One of his first efforts as CIO was to clear up time-eating confusion over multiple databases for compounds under research. He did this by creating what he calls Lilly's Sample Identification Database, a system that registers and stores all Lilly compounds under a single digital name globally. This means chemists can spend less time calculating and more time doing research. "Using this tool and its algorithms, we have been able to demonstrate an eight- to 100-fold improvement in the quality and quantity of research hits," Dunbar saysreferring to a higher success rate in making discoveries that could lead to new blockbuster drugs. Further, he says, "chemists can access our chemical library in seconds," thereby cutting from days to minutes the time it now takes for chemists to act on a good hunch.
Also to boost speed, Dunbar has set up a Molecule Library, a database that lets people access all documentation created for any compound in the pipeline. The timesavings per search is estimated at two to three hours over the previous system. That's huge: It translates to 200 to 420 hours daily, and annual time- and cost-savings in the months and the millions.
Boosting the capacity and ease of storage of all of this new data is also critical, Dunbar says. His Beacon warehousing and data management project takes 20-plus different data storage systems and boils them down to one integrated system, saving hours per search. Dunbar says each two- to three-hour search is reduced to 20 minutes, thanks to simpler and more streamlined data warehousing systems. It's Dunbar's hope that Beacon, now in pilot testing with 2,000 scientists, will also enable Lilly to expand the depth of its research. "Storage is critical to the future of this industry, as the amount of sheer data that will be available to mine is growing exponentially by the day," Dunbar says. "Our ability to store it, mine it and access it all in a heartbeat is at the core of our present and future ability to compete."
Meanwhile, Lilly's GAMEa waggish acronym for Gene Anatomy Made Easyis a piece of proprietary software that enables researchers to perform sequence analysis on their own without help from bioinformatics experts. This way, Lilly saves on personnel, and better yet, says Dunbar, "GAME is able to compute and generate more information in five minutes than most researchers could in four hours."
Power in Numbers
Power in Numbers
Down the road? Think grid computingusing untapped computing power across Lilly's corporate landscape and elsewhere to solve complex research problems faster. Grid computing also might let organizations and companies inside the life sciences business share computing power, data and storage capacity via private networks or over the Web, and Lilly spokeswoman Joan Todd says the company is in discussions with several research institutions about future grid strategies. Grids could help Lilly add thousands of hours of computing power to any effort, thereby increasing the speed at which new compounds could be screenedor scrapped. Says Dunbar: "We are in the midst of two breathtaking revolutionsone in the biological sciences, and a second in the availability of computing power and associated network capabilities," Dunbar says. "Pharmaceutical IT success in the post-genomic era will be a product of integration of systems, data and the information."
Moving forward will also require more applications of the new science of bioinformatics, which Dunbar defines as "research, development or application of computational tools and approaches for expanding the use of biological, medical, behavioral or health data, including those to acquire, store, organize, archive, analyze or visualize such data." Dunbar says he asks other drug companies this: "Does each chemist in your company have immediate access to every single compound in the company's chemical library with a latency of no more than a few seconds?" Then, he adds, "Ask yourself who owns the vision and the work product for an effort. If there is no clear answer, then worry."
What's ahead for Dunbar? A lot more of the same. Dunbar summarizes the continuing challenge for his IT group and Lilly by saying that "the single biggest contributor [to costs and speed bumps] is poor information visibility in R&D, which in turn leads to poor decision-making, which contributes significantly to the upwardly spiraling costs and the disturbing slide in R&D productivity."
Will the revolution in biosciences, the rise of grid computing and the plummeting costs of data storage save the day for Lilly in the long run? It's hard to say, but Dunbar guesses that R&D productivity at Lilly "has probably doubled in recent years" thanks to some of the company's knowledge sharing initiatives already in placeand should continue to improve significantly.
But Dunbar concedes that aligning the three cultures of business, IT and science will continue to be difficult. Lilly, for all of its IT smarts, has only just begun to integrate itself into a speed demon. "We have made a lot of progress in IT," he says, "but the important part yet to be done is the full integration of all the tools. When we fully integrate, I suspect the results will be breathtaking." Dunbar is counting on it; Lilly, of course, can't afford to see it any other way.
Perry Glasser, the director of the writing program at Wichita State University, writes frequently about business and information technology.
's Speed Gains">
Lilly's Speed Gains
When time is money, a dose of IT can be just what the doctor ordered.
BUSINESS/RESEARCH CHALLENGE Potential drug compounds are tested against many organic samples to determine a potential biological response, but promising avenues of research are hard to discover and take a long time to achieve.
solution Structure-Based Drug Design (SBDD) uses computer-based algorithms to identify the compounds most likely to have drug-candidate properties. Only these compounds are researched further.
payoff Lilly now arrives at a "go" or "no-go" decision for further research quicker, hiking productivity eight- to 100-fold, depending on the type of compounds and screens used.
BUSINESS/RESEARCH CHALLENGE Researchers are slowed by complex retrieval systems and unreliable data: No single database is the repository of records for compounds being researched.
solution The Sample Identification Database, a chemical library, houses data about all Lilly compounds, giving each a single unique identifier and common attributes.
payoff Some 1,000 global users make about 400 new registrations per day. Accurate retrieval of information from the database is now possible in just seconds.
BUSINESS/RESEARCH CHALLENGE Not everyone in Lilly's manufacturing and development staff can access research.
solution The Molecule Library enables key people to access all documentation created for any compound in the pipeline.
payoff Total time savings of 200 to 240 search hours per day across the company.
BUSINESS/RESEARCH CHALLENGE Gene sequence analysis is a complex, specialized skill needed to research new gene therapies under development. The permutations and combinations of genes are not infinite, but they may as well be.
solution GAME (Gene Anatomy Made Easy) is an internally developed software program that lets biologists, toxicologists, physicians and patent attorneys perform their own sequence analysis.
payoff Lilly says GAME is able to generate more information in five minutes than a researcher could perform in four hours.
BUSINESS/RESEARCH CHALLENGE Life sciences data ripe for mining is increasing rapidly in complexity and volume, boosting the amount of data that must be sifted through at a rapid pace.
solution Beacon, a new data warehousing and storage system, replaces sluggish systems and centralizes data.
payoff Helps boost time savings by reducing each data search, on average, from two to three hours down to 20 minutes.
Bookse-Business Intelligence: Turning Information into Knowledge into Profit
By Bernard Liautaud with Mark Hammond
McGraw-Hill, 2000
Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy
By Ann Rockley
New Riders, October 2002


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Linda Gassenheimer
Linda Gassenheimer hosts Topical Current's Food News & Views segment every Thursday from 1:30 to 2 PM. Join Linda with your questions and suggestions at 800-743-WLRN (9576) during the program.
She is a TV and radio personality, syndicated journalist, bestselling author, spokesperson and food consultant.
Gassenheimer is the award-winning author of 16 cookbooks. Her latest books are The Portion Plan: How to Eat the Foods You Love and Still Lose Weight, Prevention's Fit and Fast Meals in Minutes and Mix 'n Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes. Visit Linda's website www.DinnerInMinutes.com to learn more about her books and for Dinner in Minutes recipes.
Her Miami Herald column "Dinner In Minutes" is distributed on the McClatchy News Service to over 4 million readers each week. In addition she writes for many national and international publications.


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The Clodhoppers were a group of dancing blue monsters, who danced with Valerie Harper in episode 120 of The Muppet Show. One performer was required for each of the full-figured puppets. The Clodhopper's feet were attached to the performers' feet, while their heads and hands were the performer's hands. The puppeteers were dressed in black to hide themselves against the black background.
The Clodhoppers also appeared as a Dixieland band in episode 324. Three members of the group danced with Paula Abdul as she sung "Opposites Attract" in episode 206 of Muppets Tonight.
The Clodhoppers were designed by Jim Henson in 1972 for a Broadway show which was never developed. They first appeared on the TV special Julie Andrews: My Favorite Things in 1975, where they were identified as the Klunks. Many years later, in 1993, they finally appeared live on stage in London in front of the Royal family for the Royal Variety Performance.


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HSLDA — ready for Hillary?
Yes, you heard right. But it's not what you think.
As the 2016 presidential race kicks into high gear, candidates are working overtime to win over their base with attractive policy ideas and legislative initiatives. Platforms during the primary process can be particularly telling of how the candidate will act to woo a certain voter base when in the White House.
When it comes to educational policy, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has been outspoken. Between work as a U.S. Senator and writer of It Takes a Village, Clinton has given us a crystal clear view of her policy priorities regarding homeschooling and parental rights.
Here are five quotes that tell homeschoolers everything they need to know about where Hillary Clinton stands:
At an April 14th round table, Hillary Clinton said the following about education, "How did we end up at a point where we are so negative about the most important non-family enterprise in the raising of the next generation, which is, how our kids are educated?"
HSLDA believes that for homeschoolers, education and the family are inseparable. Parents are the most powerful influence in a child's life regardless of whether children are educated at home, public, or private school, and they know what is best for their children. By advocating for strong federal legal protections for homeschoolers, such as the preservation Section 9506 of No Child Left Behind in current legislation, we are helping to insure that education can continue to be a family enterprise without federal government interference.
In 2013, Hillary Clinton launched the Too Small to Fail initiative, a program aimed at advocating for educational programs for children from birth to five years old.
It is no secret that Hillary Clinton has been a fan of universal pre-k for a long time. In the 2006 introduction to her book It Takes a Village (originally published in 1996), Hillary Clinton claimed, "The case for quality early education and programs like Head Start is stronger than ever, and we should be expanding them."
Clinton's effort to promote schooling for children from birth to 5 is certain to become a centerpiece of her 2016 campaign, just as her proposal for a $10 billion pre-k program was a major piece of her 2008 campaign.
HSLDA believes that the growth of federal involvement in early education is dangerous to parents who are trying to do what is best for the education of their children. Educational opportunity for children should be encouraged, but not at the cost of parental rights. Increasing federal growth in programs like Head Start will put pressure on states to expand and increase enrollment in their early childhood education programs.
>> HSLDA Director of Federal Relations Will Estrada on Head Start.
If the Common Core State Standards had a godmother, it would be Hillary Clinton. Ever since National Center on Education and the Economy president Marc Tucker began working with the Clinton administration in the 90s to advocate for national standards, he has received an attentive ear in the former first lady.
Even in today's election field, Clinton is willing to defend the intrusive standards, "When I think about the really unfortunate argument that's been going on around Common Core, it's very painful, because the Common Core started off as a bi-partisan effort — it was actually nonpartisan."
HSLDA has strongly opposed the Common Core State Standards from the very beginning. We work on the federal level to support legislation that works to scale back federal use of tax dollars to incentivize states into adopting the standards. At the state level, HSLDA is heavily involved in lobbying for state bills that end the Common Core State Standards. So far in 2015, we have lobbied for federal legislation like the LOCAL Level Act that will explicitly prohibit the federal government from financially supporting the Common Core State Standards, curricula, or assessments.
For more information on the Common Core, visit HSLDA's Common Core microsite and watch Building the Machine, HSLDA's groundbreaking documentary featuring education experts and parents whose children have experienced the Common Core's impact firsthand.
As a first lady, United States Senator, and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has spent her share of time interacting with the United Nations. While most of her work has been in support of treaties like CEDAW and CRC, she has done her share of work in favor of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) during her tenure as secretary of state. As recently as 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out in favor of Article 23.1.b. of the UN CRPD, which states:
"1. States Parties shall take effective and appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities in all matters relating to marriage, family, parenthood and relationships, on an equal basis with others, so as to ensure that:
…The rights of persons with disabilities to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to age-appropriate information, reproductive and family planning education are recognized, and the means necessary to enable them to exercise these rights are provided;"
Secretary Clinton went on record to defend the reproductive planning language in the UN Treaty before the G8 Foreign Ministers meeting in Gatineau, Canada, claiming, "'Reproductive health' includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortion."
While the idea of promoting equal rights and protections for disabled persons sounds like a great idea, the actual content of the UN CRPD threatens homeschool and parental rights and will over ride existing state laws if ratified by the U.S. Senate. Furthermore, many of the protections contained in the UN CRPD are already included in U.S. law as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
>> Read Mike Farris's breakdown of the UN CRPD here.
For the past 32 years, HSLDA has been fighting for the rights of homeschoolers at the state, national, and international level. So far in 2015, HSLDA has reviewed thousands of bills and, you can read about 6 types of those bills here. No matter who wins the 2016 presidential election, HSLDA will continue to watch out for homeschoolers and preserve the power of parents and families to do what they know is best for the education of their children.
So yes, we are ready for Hillary- ready to fight educational policies that endanger parental rights and promote government intrusion into the home. We are grateful for your membership in HSLDA, and together, we will stand against any politician who tries to threaten our God-given fundamental freedoms.
-Andrew Mullins


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Chris Weidman just wants the opportunity he feels he's already earned.
The top middleweight contender is awaiting word on a possible showdown with UFC champion Anderson Silva, who doesn't seem all that interested in the fight.
But after turning down other matchups, including one with Vitor Belfort (21-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC), Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) said it's time for the champ to give him the type of opportunity that Silva (32-4 MMA, 15-0 UFC) also got early in his career.
Weidman is 5-0 since joining the UFC and 9-0 since turning pro in early 2009. Most recently, he made short work of fellow contender Mark Munoz and posted a vicious first-round knockout in the headliner of UFC on FUEL TV 4 this past month.
"Just give me a chance, man," Weidman said on Tuesday's "UFC Tonight" on Fuel TV. "Obviously, I believe I'm going to beat you, so it's a tough one for me to try to tell you to do. But you had one fight when you got the chance, and you were able to make the best of it.
"Just give me the opportunity, and I think it's going to be a great fight."
Although Silva's management has expressed little interest in the title fight, UFC officials were interested in it. Initially, anyway. In fact, that's a big reason Weidman hasn't taken another bout.
"From what I'm being told, it's a fight I think they want to happen, but now it's just confusing," he said. "I really don't know what's going on. … I'm really just clueless right now.
"I didn't take a couple fights right after (the Munoz fight). Guys were challenging me like Belfort, and I didn't take them because the UFC didn't want me to take them too. They wanted me to wait for the Anderson Silva fight. But now it's up in the air. I don't know what's going on."
Silva is 15-0 since joining the UFC and owns a record 10 title defenses. However, he recently said he plans to take off the rest of 2012. (And, in fact, UFC President Dana White recently opened the door for a Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre super fight.)
When the champ comes back, though, Weidman thinks he's a tough challenge for Silva. "The Spider" has shown few weaknesses during his six-year title run, but wrestlers (most notably Chael Sonnen) have had some success. Weidman, a NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Hofstra University, knows it.
"I think I'm definitely the biggest challenge, and I think he knows and his management knows I'm the biggest challenge, and I would expect him – if he's the guy I think he is – to take that challenge and try to beat that challenge," Weidman said.
(Pictured: Chris Weidman)


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Free Policy Gap Analysis Tool
Further information on these services and cyber security policy analysis can be found at Mitigatehub.com and in the breakdown of packages offered through mitigate.
Further information on these services and cyber security policy analysis can be found at Mitigatehub.com and in the breakdown of packages offered through mitigate.
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CASE34047: Horary consultation concerning Goody Newman (PERSON24622)
Question asked by the patient on 5 September 1608 at 15:20
RN Goody nuemā of fardingoe thre mils frō Banberye. 4{illeg}|6| y Sept 5. ☾. h. 3. 20 p m. 1608. amys a longe tyme troubled in her stomacke cānot Digest any meate but Doth cast her meate aftr shee hath eaten it or els fyndeth no ease Doth keepe her bed./ they doe watch her.
[Astrological Chart]
Transcribed excerpt from MS Ashmole 229, f. 199v (upper left part of page)


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by Hugh Gimore
I take long walks every day, trying to understand Escamillo, the torero from Georges Bizet's "Carmen." I'm trying to write a novel about his love affair with Carmen, but I don't have the feel of him yet. I can't see him. I don't know whether I'm outside him, watching and waiting to see what he'll do and say, or inside him, feeling his pain, thinking his thoughts. Sometimes in life all problems are point of view problems.
In the meantime, I walk around, look at the trees and sky, smell the green earth coming back to life, and wait with an open heart for the solution to crawl inside me and lock the door behind it. The "click."
Also, I must do background research. On so many subjects I feel overwhelmed. Spanish culture in 1875, for example. There's a small topic, eh? And Bizet's "Carmen," inside and out. And, of course, bullfighting. I'm not sure if this book will be worth the effort. And time – I have many other books I'd rather write.
Escamillo's a mystery to me. I do know that he has retired from the bullring. And like any man, he must have been formed and scarred by his occupation. His work history must shape his reactions to the world. But how? What does he know that a lawyer or tavern keeper or teacher cannot know? And vice-versa, of course: in what ways is he ignorant. For all the bloodshed he has seen, in what ways has he led a sheltered life? What facts of life does he not know? I want to write a story that concludes with knowledge attained. Is that not the goal of all good literature?
These questions will sort themselves out as I go along. There's another kind of knowledge I need right here and now: What is a bullfight? What are its rules? How is it conducted? How do men cheat at it? That would be good to know, wouldn't it? Men everywhere cheat at everything. How IS this sport kept honest? It is a "sport," isn't it? If it is, or isn't, does it matter? Some say it is theater. Others say ritual. Others, barbarism.
For several months I've been reading books about bullfighting. Despite my limited Spanish, I've been learning its vocabulary, its history, its technicalities, and its rationale. I've rented both documentary and fictional movies about bullfighting. I've watched about a hundred clips from YouTube. For a gringo, marooned here on the Chestnut Hill Peninsula, I've learned a lot. And I conscientiously avoided reading Ernest Hemingway on bullfighting.
When I was young and a fan and determined to read through all of Ernest Hemingway, I simply could not read through "Death in the Afternoon" nor its sequel, "The Dangerous Summer." Those are his two major writings on the subject. But two weeks ago I wondered if I'd be missing something important if I didn't try again, so I found copies, and last week I read them both.
It is with very mixed feelings I tell you that these two books are terrific. From the very first pages of "Death in the Afternoon" I felt I had found the ingredient, the perspective, the eye for detail I had been fruitlessly searching for as I read the more objective and historical explanations of the "corrida." In my youth I lacked the vocabulary and knowledge of the rules needed to understand Hemingway's bullfighting books.
Hemingway wrote for those who already knew the corrida. He wrote as a baseball writer, for example, does. He assumes you know what a curveball is and why a pitcher would throw one and that you can appreciate the nerve it takes to throw one with a 3-2 count and bases loaded and two out in the ninth inning of a tie ball game. Everyone enjoys home runs, but only those with knowledge get to enjoy the inner game.
Hemingway was very well respected in Spain, especially in bullfighting circles. Or so it seems. It's possible he had such intimate access (he traveled with the famed Antonio Ordonez, for example, and often watched the fights from the barrera, (the wooden fence that encircles the ring) because the athletes' vanity was stroked by having a famous writer describe their exploits. The Howard Cosell factor.
Whatever the case, I very much enjoyed both books. If anyone reading this knows of other, detailed, insider books about bullfighting I'd be grateful to know about them.
I did not enjoy Hemingway's mystical side, his constant need to find the "art" in bullfighting. And I did not enjoy the stupidity of his classifying every creature in the ring – whether two-or four-legged – as either "brave" or "cowardly." Taunting death is not brave, and respecting the brief lives of our fellow creatures is not cowardly.
Bullfighting is sometimes exciting, sometimes graceful and artistic, and always cruel, degrading, and indefensible. It should be banned.
I realize my attitude presents quite a barrier to getting a grip on my character. I'm hoping that what I lack in understanding bullfighting I can make up for in understanding love. Equally dangerous undertakings, wouldn't you say?


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Here's an explanation of how accounting turned an investment banking loss of £160m into a profit of £3.65bn. And so made "hundreds, and possibly even thousands, of staff at the state supported Royal Bank of Scotland group (RBS)" eligible "for bonuses totalling about £1.5bn".
The moral of the story: be sceptical, very sceptical of the headline financial numbers. And read the footnotes cynically.


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With May fast approaching, we will be in the thick of outdoor events before we know it! Especially for us lucky ones in the South- we have already had a few fabulous weekends of "fun in the sun" activities typo3 herunterladen! I went to the Dogwood Festival a few weekends back and saw a lot of promotional products in use!
Here are my picks for promotional swag to handout at your next outdoor event microsoft office for students.
A little different from your standard neon frames or aviators herunterladen. Your brand will be seen as fun and hip.
Protect your potential clients from the sun with an SPF 30 sunscreen herunterladen! They will thank you with their business!!
Non-Woven Tote Bag:
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Structure 09 Despite his employer Sun Microsystems fashioning an Amazon-like public cloud, chief technology officer Greg Papadopoulos doubts enterprises will move their existing applications onto this or any other data center in the sky. But Amazon cloud prophet Werner Vogels disagrees.
"I'll pour a little bit of cloud water on this," Papadopoulos said at the cloud-obsessed Structure 09 conference in San Francisco, California, on Thursday. "It's generally really hard and expensive and often unwise to be moving your legacy pieces over into something new in computing like this, unless you can really demonstrate what the advantages are.
"I think you're much better off saying 'Where are the new places I really want to differentiate and make money' and then running two infrastructures."
It was a welcome moment of tech-giant candor. But there's always the chance that Papadopoulos can afford to play down the notion of sky-high computing because he knows the Sun Cloud will soon be killed by Oracle and its chief executive Larry Ellison.
Vogels' infrastructure cloud - Amazon Web Services - is certainly here to stay, and he couldn't help but counter the Sun man's argument. "I see many enterprises taking a two-pronged approach," Amazon's imposing CTO replied. "They will think about all the new businesses they want to move into. Many enterprises are looking towards to the web to build new applications.
"But at the same time, they'll take a more long-term strategic view, looking at all their older pieces and where it makes sense to move them into the cloud." Vogels claims that "many" Fortune 100 companies have already tapped into Amazon Web Services, and naturally, he says they're pleased with themselves. "They're very happy and successful in moving into the cloud," he said.
If the Sun Cloud is doomed, Papadopoulos didn't let on. When asked whether businesses would purchase their cloudy infrastructure from Amazon or Sun, he said "Yes."
But like so many others - perhaps even Microsoft - Papadopoulos believes in the so-called "hybrid cloud," where businesses use a public utility like Sun Cloud in tandem with hardware inside their own data center. "We certainly see great opportunities in mirroring infrastructures that are inside the firewall," he said. "Very interesting will be hybrid models that are run by service providers but appear to owned by the enterprise."
Predictably, Vogels was quick to point out that the so-called private cloud can't match the public incarnation. "You don't get the same kind of agility inside our own data center," he said. "You can call it can internal cloud, but it doesn't give you the high scalability, the high reliability, the super-security that public clouds have."
Yes, he said high-reliability and super-security. And Papadopoulos agrees. "We often hear that public clouds aren't as secure as your own infrastructure. I do believe that," he said. "I do believe that most public clouds are run a more secure way than most enterprises. And that's just because all of us are in the business of running infrastructure for multiple customers. It's got to be your profession. You've got to be in the business of doing it. Not all enterprises run at that level."
Though he did acknowledge that some enterprises may achieve a level of secure beyond the likes of Sun and Amazon.
When it comes public clouds, he said, enterprises are more concerned with vendor lock-in - being tied to one service provider. But he said this is a bigger problem for so-called platform clouds - services like Microsoft Azure and Google App Engine that act as development and hosting platforms rather than raw infrastructure utilities.
"My conversations with enterprises inevitably become conversations about the platform and not about the infrastructure," Papadopoulos said. "People problems are: 'How do I get a big enough vocabulary in the platform model so that I can really express myself but I'm not locking myself into a particular version of that platform?'. And I think we have a long way to go there." If you use Microsoft Azure, for instance, you're tied to Microsoft's dev tools.
Yes, Vogels played down even this, arguing that if platform clouds adopt widely-used architectures, lock-in isn't a problem. He pointed to Stax Networks, a fledgling platform cloud that does Java 2 Enterprise Edition as a service. "If you have a standard J2EE app running in your data center, you can take it and run it in the cloud without modification." As you might expect, Stax runs on Amazon EC2.
But even with pure infrastructure clouds, moving between services is more difficult than it might seem. Many have called for Amazon and others to wrap themselves in open standards, and since Amazon is the dominant player, the voices often insist such standards should be based on the Vogels' APIs.
The trouble here is that Amazon won't say whether it would permit others to use its APIs. And this morning, Vogels evaded the question once again. In fact, he evaded it twice.
The open-source Eucalyptus project - recently commercialized - already uses the Amazon API but without the company's permission. Presumably, Amazon would refrain from suing anyone over use of its interface, but stranger things have happened.
Tony Lucas, chief executive of Amazon competitor FlexiScale, tells the The Reg it's a moot point, that his infrastructure cloud is unlikely to use the Amazon API because Amazon doesn't do persistent instances. With FlexiScale and other Amazon competitors, you can turn off a server instance and turn it back on. With Amazon, you can't turn off an instance without destroying the thing. "If we used Amazon''s API, we would have to change Amazon's API," he said. "And then it's not worth using [as a standard]."
Regardless, Vogels isn't talking. Unless it's to tell you that clouds are wonderful. ®


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Maine Catholics react to Pope's resignation
Pope Benedict XVI to step down Feb. 28
Many Portland Catholics are applauding Pope Benedict XVI's decision to resign.
The 85-year-old pope announced Monday that he lacks the strength to fulfill his duties and will resign Feb. 28, becoming the first pontiff in 600 years to do so.
At midday Mass on Monday at Portland Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, churchgoers reacted to his announcement.
"I woke up this morning and I heard about it and I was very surprised," said Joan Macisso of Portland.
News 8's Paul Merrill found that most Catholics support his decision to step down because of his health.
"I think our Holy Father would know that that would be the best for the church," said Vicki Booth.
Monsignor Charles Murphy of the Portland Diocese has a unique perspective.
Twenty years ago he worked with Pope Benedict -- then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- to develop the latest version of the catechism of the Roman Catholic Church.
Murphy has met with the pope twice since 2005 and sees the pontiff as an attentive scholar.
"He's basically a very shy person, so many wondered how he would do as pope, but he really stepped up to the charge. He did not have the dynamism of John Paul II, but really, in terms of his personality, he did well," said Murphy.
Murphy takes the pope at his word that his decision to resign is for his own health and the good of the church.
"I think he planned well because we are at the maximum number of cardinals now in the College of Cardinals for the election. There are over 120," said Murphy.
Some parishioners told News 8 that it's time for a change.
"I think we need a younger pope. Someone with younger ideas," said Martin Macisso.
The two most recent popes have not been Italian.
Murphy said the church is so diverse now that the next pope may not be from Italy either.
Experts said it's unlikely we'll see an American pope, but many feel it wouldn't be a shock to see a pope from Africa or Asia.


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A week or so ago I attended the RSP summer school at Madingley Hall, University of Cambridge. The Summer School has been running for three or four years now (I helped organise the first one) but until now I'd never found the right time to attend. Originally these three day focussed study events were aimed at first time repository managers, but clearly the support remit of the RSP has broadened considerably. It could be seen from the delegate who ran the breadth of experience from old hands like myself or Graham Stone (Huddersfield, and UKCoRR chair) through to people only just taking their first steps.
To cover an event in any real depth would take far too many lines of text, so what I'll attempt to do here is try and capture a flavour of the event, with any especial highlights.
Day 1
As with all events day one began with the gathering of the 20 or so delegates from across the country, some of whom had been travelling since before 5am in order to get there. Following an introduction to event from Dominic Tate and Jackie Wickham of the RSP we moved to an ice-breaker exercise, creating a poster to encapsulate the discrete elements that make up a repository – and then selling them to the group at large. There were some interesting insights that came out here including the challenges of the REF, working with academics as well as the technological barriers to progress. In many respects this was a good opportunity for some reflection on our advocacy work and the differing messages to different stakeholder groups.
After tea the first talk was from Tanya Abikorr of MIT Open CourseWare. Her focus was more on educational repositories than institutional, and was possibly of more interest to those working on coursepack digitisation. What was very interesting to note was the size of the MIT team working on this (at least 7 full time staff), and some of the comments about what is permissable under US copyright law. As one of the speakers on day 2 pointed out, UK copyright law is actually far more restrictive than this. Finally Graham Stone talked about the Huddersfield repository experience in some depth.
Day 2
The second day was the most hectic and packed, and despite a cancellation of the first speaker the delegates engaged in a long (possibly overlong) session on IPR, copyright and repositories from Laurence Bebbington (Aberdeen University). There was much of value in what Laurence had to say, although at times it seemed to take him at his word on what is and is not permissable would freeze developments in the repository field. He was followed by Bill Hubbard (CRC, Nottingham University) looking at institutional mandates and compliance. While few delegates had an OA mandate, most institutions represented are considering implementing them in one form or another. There was a considerable amount of talk focussed on the carrots we can offer, contrasted with the more stick like mandates, during this session too.
Following a brief update on the RSP's work from Dominic, David Davies (University of Warwick) presented the results of some research looking at what people look for when searching for online learning resources. I must confess that I found David's talk hard to follow, and while the discovery and exposure of the contents of our repositories is often paramount in my mind, I found it problematic to join what he was espousing with our every day practice. The day was capped by the delightful Robin Armstrong-Viner (Aberdeen University) who gave a fascinating talk looking at how a repository and CRIS can work together in practice. While a few technical hitches denied Robin the practical demonstration he'd planned at the end, it was still fascinating insight as to how a CRIS can change the workflows and relationships that repository staff have within an institution for the better.
Day 3
The final day was very practically focussed with a reflective session on advocacy from Dominic echoing at least in part some of the previous two days activities and coverage. One thing that was clear from delegate comments is that there is still much work to be done in this regard within most if not all institutions; and that we should not be downhearted by the repetition that is required. We also touched briefly on the some of the work of May's RSP Advocacy workshop. complementing Dominic's session nicely was Nicky Cashman (Aberystwyth University) who gave a fine overview of using statistics as a tool. While the mathematical components weren't new to me, some of the approaches and uses to which Nicky puts them had me scribbling notes for future consideration.
The final full session from Ian McCormick (ARMA) was a little disappointing. As an overview of ARMA it was fine, however as to the role at which repository managers, UKCoRR and RSP could play in tandem with the organisation this was much less clear. What was clear from the delegates was increasingly we are all working more closely with our research office type colleagues with whom we share much more commonality on many issues than those in the libraries within which many repositories are based.
Overall though it is safe to say that this was an excellent and information packed event. The opportunities for networking (and in my case to also lose at croquet twice) were especially very valuable, and continued throughout the delicious meals and long into the night. I've returned to work with a much greater insight into what is going on across the country, as well as numerous practical ideas to apply within our repository work. As is always the case at these kind of events in one way or another we are all facing similar challenges ranging from academic engagement, compliance, deposition, changing copyright environment, staffing challenges and of course the REF. But what is heartening is the number of different ways in which people have found to meet these; and while not all are applicable to Leicester's environment many are.


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There isn't anything wrong with employing epigraphical methods to ascertain general dates of texts as well as establishing certain lines of development that occurred over time. Secular scholars with no attainments can do this and do it rather well. We should utilize their findings but also remain critically minded of them of course. These things are always subject to change.Aemilius wrote: Honestly, I don't understand how you can have people like Vasubandhu, Nagarjuna, Tsongkhapa etc... , who have attained very high realization and are intimate with the Transcendental reality, who have attained the heavenly eye, the dharma eye , and so on ... and who have attained the 5 or 6 supernormal Powers, who know directly the three times as the palm of their hand, who have relied on the Mahayana sutras, have commented on them, have taught them, praised them and venerated them highly. If You believe they were enlightened , and at the same time you believe these scholars are NOT equipped with transcendental vision and realization, then WHY do you trust their analysis of mere words, when you at the same time have people with true realization, people who know intimately the true reality ??? Perhaps you think that transcendental reality does not exist at all ???
This really amazes me !!!
There is no evidence to suggest the flesh and blood Gautama taught any of the Mahayana sutras while he walked the earth.
However, from a practitioner's point of view this isn't necessarily an issue and an honest Buddhist scholar shouldn't have any problems with it either. There are various ways of looking at.
- The Buddha taught the Mahayana to Bodhisattvas and not the Sravaka. The former were not necessarily flesh and blood people sitting on Massed Vulture's Peak. Buddhist cosmology easily allows for this. In fact this is an argument that early Mahayana thinkers, or at least Vasubandhu, employed when opponents said the Mahayana sutras were not heard and recorded by the disciples.
- The Mahayana sutras arouse over time according to the needs and capacities of people. The Bodhisattva-yana becoming available only when people were generally ready for it.
- If disciples can preach sermons on behalf of the Buddha, why can't later disciples do the same? The vehicle of those teachings for much of Buddhist history has been scripture and literature.


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As many of you know, I recently returned from San Francisco where I attended a food blogging conference. I'm not going to write a whole recap. I'm not going to gush about all the wonderful people I met and got to see again. Connecting with those friends was a wonderful experience, but I'm honestly just not up for that. What I am going to do is get something off my chest that has been bugging me since I returned home.
Blogging has changed a lot since I began doing it 4 years ago. Success has been defined in so many different ways, even though I firmly believe that success, when it comes to something like blogging, is extremely subjective.
The air of the conference and many of the people who seemed to be "experts" made it seem like if you weren't the next big thing, just forget it…why bother? Should I feel that because my goal is not necessarily to write a cookbook that I'm not successful? I don't have a desire to be on The Food Network, so am I not successful? What happened to just blogging and being the best at blogging you can be and that equating to success? Why is it that simply blogging…sharing our gift and life with the world through this platform, seems to not be good enough anymore?
I am incredibly proud of my friends who have taken the next step in their careers by achieving their goals of cookbooks and shows and a zillion Facebook fans and blog followers, but I'm equally as proud of my friends who are finding their voice and refining their sites in an effort to fine tune what they are delivering. Isn't that what it's all about? Becoming the best you that you can be, not the best you someone else thinks you should be?
And I'm being ornery again and throwing in a completely random recipe. Well, maybe not so random… we could all be our own little cookie cutter versions of what someone else thinks is successful, but I certainly think life is a lot more interesting when there is a whole bunch of variety thrown in, don't you?
Kittencal's Slice N' Bake Sugar Cookies from Food.com
- 1 cup butter, room temperature ( no substitutes)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract ( can use 1 teaspoon)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- white sugar (optional)
- In a mixing bowl cream the butter with sugar for about 3 minutes.
- Add in egg yolk and both extracts; beat until no sugar granules remain.
- Beat in vanilla pudding mix until combined.
- In a small bowl combine the flour with baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture and beat until combined (the mixture will be dry and slightly crumbly).
- Remove the dough to a surface and gently knead the dough until it comes together (this will take only a few seconds).
- Roll into one large log or two smaller logs.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard (about 4 or more hours).
- Set oven to 350 degrees F.
- Slice into slightly over 1/4-inch thickness (you may coat the slices in sugar if desired).
- Place onto a greased baking sheet/s.
- Bake for about 8 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Allow to sit and harden slightly in the pan before removing (the cookies will harden upon sitting in the pan).
New bloggers are waiting for someone to come and mentor them! Please make sure to check out the new Adopt-a-Blogger website and participate in mentoring a new blogger!


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Your works are highly interesting and would be loved by many.
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May 10, 2013 Letters About Literature Reading-Writing Program Winners Announced
Contact: Guy Lamolinara (202) 707-9217
Letters About Literature, a national reading and writing program that asks young people in grades 4 through 10 to write to an author (living or deceased) about how his or her book affected their lives, has announced its 2013 winners.
More than 50,000 young readers from across the country participated in this year's Letters About Literature initiative, a reading promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
This year's winners come from all parts of the country and wrote to authors as diverse as Laura Ingalls Wilder ("Little House in the Big Woods"), Amy Tan ("The Joy Luck Club") and J.R.R. Tolkien ("The Hobbit").
The top letters in each competition level for each state were chosen. Then, national, national honor and national runner-up winners were chosen from each of the three competition levels: level 1 (grades 4-6), level 2 (grades 7-8) and level 3 (grades 9-10).
In the states, the program is sponsored by affiliate state centers for the book. National judges include published authors, editors, publishers, librarians and teachers.
Following are this year's winners:
Level 1
National Prize
Alessandra Selassie's letter to Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of "Little House in the Big Woods." Alessandra is from Washington, D.C., and is a fifth-grade student at the Basis D.C. Charter School.
National Honor
Rose Yuanhong Benas's letter to Steven Mosher, author of "A Mother's Ordeal: One Woman's Fight Against China's One-Child Policy." Rose is from Naperville, Ill., and is a sixth-grade student at the Avery Coonley School.
National Runner-Up
Dalton Vassallo's letter to Jerry Spinelli, author of "Stargirl." Dalton is a sixth-grade student at the Derby Academy in Hingham, Mass.
Level 2
National Prize
Matilda Berke's letter to Amy Tan, author of "The Joy Luck Club." Matilda is an eighth-grade student at the Chandler School in Pasadena, Calif.
National Honor
Elizabeth Chambers' letter to J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "The Hobbit." Elizabeth is an eighth-grade student at Jackson Hole Middle School in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
National Runner-Up
Shannon Chinn's letter to Ray Bradbury, author of "Fahrenheit 451." Shannon is a seventh-grade student at St. Pius X/St. Leo School in Omaha, Neb.
Level 3
National Prize
Emily Waller's letter to Laura Ruby, author of "The Wall and the Wing." Emily is a 10th-grade student at Normal Community West High School in Hudson, Ill.
National Honor
Claire Fieldman's letter to Jay Asher, author of "Thirteen Reasons Why." Claire is a 10th-grade student at Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif.
National Runner-Up
Grace Mitchell's letter to Karen Kingsbury, author of "Unlocked." Grace is a 10th-grade student at Pecos High School in Pecos, Texas.
Since its creation by Congress in 1977 to "stimulate public interest in books and reading," the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress (www.Read.gov/cfb/) has become a major national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages, nationally and internationally. The center provides leadership for affiliated state centers for the book (including the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and nonprofit reading-promotion partners and plays a key role in the Library's annual National Book Festival. It also oversees the Library's www.Read.gov website and administers the Library's Young Readers Center and the Poetry and Literature Center.
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library's rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.