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Tata Nano
A laptop for $10!
When the Government of India's Ministry of Education announced that it was planning to unveil an ultra low cost laptop for 500 INR (10 USD/8 EUR), the announcement was met with widespread skepticism. This ultra low cost laptop, developed in association with some university departments, was meant to be used by students and was supposed to be a rugged, energy efficient laptop that performed basic computing functions.
The worthless Indian media has been projecting it as India's answer to the OLPC XO, the student laptop that was expected to cost $100, but ended up costing double that amount. The cheapest laptop at the moment is Jointech's J-PRO JL7100 Mini Laptop that costs $99. So how could a device be developed for one-tenth of that price?
The "laptop" was unveiled today at Venkateswara University in Tirupathi, in the presence of ministers and government officials. Did it live up to the promise of being the world's cheapest laptop? Here is a picture of the "laptop":
The $10 "laptop", Sakshat…
As it turns out, it is neither a laptop nor does it cost 10 USD! The device is rumoured to cost around 1000 INR (20 USD/16 EUR) at the moment, but a lot of "finetuning" and mass production should see the price drop to $10.
Details are sketchy, but the device is supposed to measure 10″ x 5″ and reportedly has 2 GB of memory, Ethernet and WiFi connectivity, USB port and consume very little power. It can be connected to another computer or a printer. As can be seen in the picture, the device seems to have a tiny display.
What's clear though, is that the $10 laptop is not a "laptop" by any stretch of the imagination! It seems to be a storage device with a tiny integrated display and some connectivity features. The government wants to distribute it to schools to enable students to download e-books and journals from its education portal. It has reportedly made deals with some textbook publishers for the content, some of it for free.
For the Indian media which has been projecting the device as India's answer to low cost laptops and claiming that the device would usher in a revolution by bridging the "digital divide", the unveiling of the "laptop" must have come as a rude shock! Well, that's how useless the mainstream media in India really is. They don't have a clue of what's going on and keep dishing out sheer nonsense. For those who believed that this could be another ultra low cost product from India that has the potential to be a resounding success after the Tata Nano, the "laptop" turned out to be a damp squib! The officials had no answer when they were asked why the device was being touted as a laptop when it was not one. 😡
For now, the technology joke of the year can be awarded jointly to two of India's worst institutions, the government bureaucracy and the mainstream media!!! 😀Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 3 so far )


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Did you know that it's Mug Rug Madness week over on Erin's blog? She's pulled together a wonderful collection of posts about mug rugs (what the heck are they? how big should they be?) as well as giveaways and fun tutorials in case you're itching to jump on the bandwagon.
Which you should, because it's a fun bandwagon to be on. Case in point: check out the two mug rugs I made for our last Triangle Modern Quilt Guild meeting. We had a mug rug swap and here's what I contributed:
First, a scrappy Parisville version using scraps from my ribbon quilt. I adapted Elizabeth's technique from her Map of the States block to draw up some templates for this one. The wonk is probably too subtle to get the full effect, though.
Here's the back:
For my next one, I used fabrics from Patty Young's Flora & Fauna collection. I love the colors and basic design of this one. Again, I made a scrappy binding which I think turned out great.
Here's the back, featuring Patty's beautiful hummingbird design.
And here are all of the mug rugs that were swapped. I took home the amazingly crafted bunny one as well as the bright cross-design one right next to it.
Have you made any mug rugs lately? I'd love to see them!

subset: commoncrawl


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We have all heard about how it feels like to work at Google and how Google is the trend setter of creating the perfect environment for creativity and employee retention. But Facebook is different. Rarely have we ever heard about how it feels like to work with Mike Zuckerberg, a company that employs more than a 1,000 able people must have a story or two to share.
The fact that rarely anything about working at Facebook, or with Zuckerberg, is featured in the media made me curious to learn more about.
The Beginning
Mark Zuckerberg was somewhat of a local celebrity at Harvard in the fall of 2003. His first site Facemash was a hit at campus; a hot-or-not site for Harvard. Due to that popularity, he was recommended to code another project.
During that time Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra were on the lookout for a programmer to code their idea for them. They wanted to create a social media network for students at Harvard and then potentially expand it to other universities. Based on the recommendation they received, they contacted Mark, and both parties agreed to start working on the project. While at first Mark was enthusiastic about the project, shortly his tone and enthusiasm waded. He went from saying "I read over all the stuff you sent and it seems like it shouldn't take too long to implement, so we can talk about that after I get all the basic functionality up tomorrow night" to "The week has been pretty busy thus far, so I haven't gotten a chance to do much work on the site or even think about it really".


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What makes a good ice breaker?
While a fat polar bear is a solid punch line, the ability to break the ice with anyone is something that every job seeker should have in their job search arsenal.
After all, more jobs are made in conversation than job boards and unsolicited resumes can ever dream of having. People-to-people is a more natural way to get hired, the right way, the first time.
That's where icebreakers come in. You're not going to get anywhere in a conversation if you don't break the ice first. And, I don't mean those cheesy games your homeroom teacher made you play on the first day of school.
Ice breakers can be used online and in-person, however, they're different for everyone. If you want to kick off a stellar conversation with a potential networking contact, mentor, or even your next boss, consider trying one (or more) of the following ice breakers:
Drop a name (or two)
Have you ever heard the expression, "it's all about who you know"? It definitely works. Having at least one mutual contact can be thing you need to get into any conversation.
Don't think that dropping a name is going to land you in the nepotism dog house, but don't drop names that are not a solid reference either. Simply mentioning "My friend, Joe told me that you know a lot about XYZ, Inc." can pique the interest of the person you're trying to engage, especially if they know Joe and believe him to be a credible reference.
Ask a question
If you're walking down the street and a man asks you what time it is, you're more likely to respond to him, right? The same goes for starting a conversation. Instead of launching into the meat of the conversation, hook your target in with an open-ended question. Try something like, "I'm really interested in XYZ, Inc., what do you think is going to happen in the next few months?"
Flattery will get you nowhere, but a genuine compliment…
Everyone likes a solid (and genuine) compliment from time to time. Get your target's attention by bringing up an article they wrote, or something you admire about their work or their career. After all, we all want to help the people that appreciate us.
Share news
This is a time-tested strategy for PR folks when they want to get the right kind of attention: use the news.
If you're in HR and the unemployment rate just came out, why not use that as leverage to hook your target? Picking something current in general can also speak volumes about you as a potential job candidate.
Go straight
If you've "read" your target and have decided that the previous four ice breakers simply won't do it, try being straight about what you want. If you are interested in interviewing (informational or job), networking, or asking for advice, simply do it!
People are busy and don't want to wade through a ton of pointless information to get to what you want. No matter which icebreaker you choose, make sure it's short and sweet.
What do you think? What other icebreakers would you recommend for the job seeker trying to kick off a conversation? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Tony Morrison is the Vice President of Business Development at Cachinko, a unique professional community where social networking and job opportunities come together. His roles include sales, marketing, and business development. He is passionate about building B2B and B2C client relationships and brings this passion to Cachinko where he focuses on helping job seekers to find their ideal job and employers to find, attract, and engage their next rock star candidates. Find him on Twitter and Talent Connection. And, connect with Cachinko on Facebook or Twitter.
Read more posts on Come Recommended »


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Ripple-down rules provide a fast and efficient representation of knowledge in context for use, e.g., by expert systems. We present here a complete implementation of one type of RDR system in Haskell. But what analogy is sufficient to describe what an RDR system is? The literature, albeit comprehensive, seems to concentrate more on the details of making such a system work, but none have presented the essence: the computer guessing-game Animal does a good job of this illustration, and we use it here to build an example knowledge base for this RDR system.
As a knowledge engineer I have worked with Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs) to build various rule-based expert systems. A common pitfall of such systems, its ὕβρις, is that they attempt to abstract decision making from any context. And, as such, fail to notice the nuances or have the situational awareness needed to render useful judgments. In a knowledge-engineered rule-based/bayesian-like hybrid system I developed, the bayesian decisions lead to over 99% of the positive findings in the transactions analyzed.
This would be the end of the story if there were no hard limits, but there are always such hard limits. Bayesian-like systems tend to scorn the advice and guidance of SMEs: the data set itself is the experts, not the SMEs. Despite the success of using the data, bayesian-like systems also tend to overreact — only 1 transaction out of 1000 transactions it flagged actually lead to a decision — these systems need serious throttling to be successful. Resources, then, are a real-world constraints that rule-based systems better model than bayesian systems in practice. In fact, hard constraints in general are modeled much better by rule-based systems.
But the rule-based systems, popularized by, e.g., iLog JRules™ and used in many expert systems, do not speak the language of the SMEs. Having worked with SMEs across the U.S.A. over a period of years, rules invariably tend to be defined by exception. Whenever we, as the knowledge-engineers, attempt to nail down a definition with the SMEs, the conversations always proceed as follows:
SME: Yeah, a CC transaction of over $57.38 is always suspect.Several hours later we're still ironing out the rule, and then, as lunch break approaches, the chair either tables the rule or passes a simplified, useless, version of it.
Me: So, we'll flag those, then [thinking: Ha! that was an easy rule; finally!]
SME: No, no, no! Only from young males or senior citizens in the following three income brackets.
Me: Oh, okay, I'll add that to the constraint.
SME: No, but it needs to be in the following zip-codes ...
Note how the rule set was defined above, the SMEs agreed to a general case, and then continue to refine that definition by adding (often conflicting) constraints. In a context-free rule-based system, modelling such a rule set is by no means impossible, but the task quickly becomes a chore in the nightmare of complexity.
RDRs (Ripple-down Rules), on the other hand, embrace the context. The syntax of an RDR system is as follows:
The semantics is as follows. If the condition is met, then that conclusion is saved as a viable result (replacing any prior conclusion) and the<rule> ::= IF condition THEN conclusion
<knowledge base> ::= ⊥
| <rule>
EXCEPT <knowledge base>
ELSE <knowledge base>
EXCEPT branch is followed recursively until
⊥, at which time the most recently saved conclusion is the result. On the other hand, if condition fails, the
ELSE branch is selected and followed recursively. Of course, the knowledge base must be applied to something. In this system, we have a very simple environment where the condition tests for the presence of a String in that environment.
The initial knowledge base for every RDR system starts as:
As the SMEs interact with the RDR system, they add to knowledge to refine the conclusions guided by refinements in the conditions. The system is very permissive, redundancy is permitted, even encouraged, because a condition in depth of one path of
IF (const True) THEN none EXCEPT ⊥ ELSE ⊥
EXCEPTs and
ELSEs has a very different meaning, in context, than along another path.
Our RDR system with be the Animal guessing game with the following knowledge base:
IF (const True) THEN "not an animal"
EXCEPT IF (present "four legs") THEN "pony"
EXCEPT IF (present "barks") THEN "dog"
ELSE IF (present "meows") THEN "cat"
ELSE IF (present "swims") THEN "fish"
ELSE IF (present "spins web") THEN "spider"
I must apologize for not introducing the next three modules properly. These modules are part of my canon and will be introduced in depth elsewhere. For now, I must settle for the following descriptions:> module RDRTypes where
> import Control.Monad.State
> import Data.Map (Map)
> import qualified Data.Map as Map
defines a generic protocol of walking a data structure one step at a time, either "forward" (with
> import Data.Transitive
advance) or backward (with
The "simple Ariadne zipper" illustrated in the Haskell Wikibooks.
> import Data.Zipper
The only novel structure here is that the tree is shaped to conform to the structure of RDRs: the data is in the branch, not the leaves.
> import Data.BinaryTree
From Predicate Logic-based Incremental KA, Barry Drake and Ghassan Beydoun (Nov 2000), file named PRDR.pdfThe RDR
2.1. Ripple Down Rules (RDR)
An RDR knowledge base is a collection of simple rules organised in a binary tree structure. Each rule has the form, "If condition then conclusion". Every rule can have two branches to other rules: a false-branch (also called the "or" branch) and a true-branch (also called the "exception" branch). An example RDR tree is shown in figure 2.1. When a rule is satisfied, the true branch is taken, otherwise a false branch is taken. The root node of an RDR tree contains the default rule whose condition is always satisfied, that is, it is of the form, "If true then default conclusion". This default rule has only a true-branch.
IF-THEN rule contains a condition and conclusion that interact with the Environment (defined later) to inform the decision of the system.
Given the above, an> data Condition a env = Cond a (env → Bool)
> instance Show a ⇒ Show (Condition a env) where
> show (Cond c _) = "IF " ++ show c
> data Conclusion a b env = Concl a (env → b)
> instance Show a ⇒ Show (Conclusion a b env) where
> show (Concl c _) = "THEN " ++ show c
IF-THEN Rule is simply the conjunction of the the Condition and Conclusion:
The Environment is composed of a dictionary (keys to values) and the current most valid conclusion under consideration. In our example (Animal), we merely test for the existence of a key, but more complex system usually treat the keys as attributed values and perform more than simple existence-check tests.> data Rule a b c kb
> = Rule (Condition a kb) (Conclusion b c kb)
> instance (Show a, Show b) ⇒ Show (Rule a b c kb) where
> show (Rule a b) = show a ++ " " ++ show b
The above elements are what comprise the simple types for the RDR system, so what is left is those elements that form the structure. This system is in the shape of a binary tree, so, of course, we use that data structure. As we append new rule branches to leaves of the tree, we use the Zipper data type to allow us to add these nodes in place.> type Knowledge k v = Map k v
> data Environment k v a b
> = Env (Knowledge k v) (Conclusion a b (Knowledge k v))
> instance (Show k, Show v, Show a)
> ⇒ Show (Environment k v a b) where
> show (Env kv conc) = "{" ++ show kv ++ ": "
> ++ show conc ++ "}"
The RDR system is built around the concept of context, and the State Monad captures that concept well. The final type is used to shuttle around the knowledge base as well as the currently viable conclusion based on the rule finding.> type RuleBranch a b c k v
> = BinaryTree (Rule a b c (Knowledge k v))
> type RuleTree a b c k v
> = Zipper BinDir (RuleBranch a b c k v)
> data RuleTreeEnv a b c k v = RuleEnv (RuleTree a b c k v)
> (Environment k v b c)
> instance (Show a, Show b, Show k, Show v)
> => Show (RuleTreeEnv a b c k v) where
> show (RuleEnv tree env) = "| " ++ show tree ++ " : "
> ++ show env ++ " |"
The above types describe the RDR system. In the next entry, we will show the implementation of the system when it comes to building and adding rules as well as traversing the rule tree to reach a conclusion.> type RuleFinding a b c k v
> = State (RuleTreeEnv a b c k v)
> (Conclusion b c (Knowledge k v))


text: You know you can still mock good movies, right? That's why Honest Trailers chose Gravity — a film they clearly genuinely like — for its newest installment. It's still just as funny as when they take on crap like Batman & Robin. And besides, now we know Gravity would be even better with pinball sound effects.


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City of CoronaHome Menu
City Calendar
This calendar of events is organized chronologically and provides basic information on events taking place within the City, or sponsored by Corona-based organizations.
Are you viewing this on a Mobile device? Click here to view City Calendar in List Format
Math Tutor
- Date: 02/13/2020 3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
- Location: Corona Public Library
650 South Main Street
Corona, California 92882
- Introduction:
Meets in the High Desert Room
Return to full list >>
Free math help for high school and college students.


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Printable Order Form
Manual Ordering
View Shopping Cart
Maple Street, Wendy,
Royston, Herts, SG8 0AB
Click here for directions.
Tel: 01223 207025
01223 208937
Fax: 01223 207021
Opening Hours
Mon - Sat: 10am - 3pm
These high quality Dolls House Miniatures are also great value! (the photographs do not always do them justice!)
We sell anything from the Streets Ahead Catalogue - just quote the model number and price!


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Web Content Display Web Content Display
"UEA has a strong reputation, it's relatively young and it's going places"
Phillip Gilmartin
Dean of Science
UEA's four faculties comprise some of the most innovative and highly regarded centres for teaching and research in the UK
"UEA is a very varied environment and is an exciting place to work"
Thompson Zulu
Head of Applications and Support and Analysis
The Centre for Staff Education and Development offers a variety of courses, the vast majority of which are free and open to all UEA staff
The UEA Campus has everything for working, relaxing and socialising, from modern teaching facilities to lively cafes - all in a natural setting
"UEA's given me the chance to take on new roles, develop my skills and achieve promotion"
Fiona Lettice
Professor of Innovation Management
Welcome to the Human Resources Division
The Human Resources Department provides professional and accessible services across the full range of employment and strategic matters.
The Centre for Staff and Educational Development delivers a broad programme of courses and events to support staff personal and professional development.
The Equality and Diversity Team promotes equality of opportunity, delivers equality and diversity training, and provides guidance on legislation and good practice.


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The Central Connecticut women's soccer team moved to 3-10 on the season with its loss to Boston College on Wednesday night at the CCSU Soccer Field. The Blue Devils fell by a score of 7-0. Senior Nikola Deiter posted nine saves in the match followed in goal by freshman Nikki Turley who added four.
The teams displayed strong efforts on both sides of the ball for the first 13 minutes of the contest until the Eagles found their way behind the CCSU defense to post the first goal of the night, a header, in the 13th minute.
Shortly after the teams reset the field, BC's Stephanie McCaffrey found the back of the net again, just less than a minute after the Eagle's first to put Central down by two.
Boston College would score one more before the half's end to send the teams into the locker rooms with Central down by three.
Upon returning to the pitch for the second period, the Eagles posted four more goals to clinch the win.
The Blue Devils registered six shots in the match, two of which were off the foot of junior Tori Sousa and merely inched by the post.
In the second period, the Blue Devils made a goalie change, placing Turley between the posts for the second time this season. She tallied four saves and allowed two goals.
Central remains at home for its next contest as the Blue Devils take on the Red Flash of Saint Francis U. on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 1 p.m. at the CCSU Soccer Field. Fans can watch all the action live at www.NECFrontRow.com.


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NEW YORK - High fevers and other potentially serious symptoms in infants should not be written off as normal signs of teething, according to a new study.
The study, which followed 47 infants over eight months, found that teething typically caused fairly mild problems -- including irritability, drooling, a day or so of diarrhea and poor sleep.
But it was not linked to any serious symptoms, like high fevers or prolonged bouts of diarrhea.
The findings, reported in the journal Pediatrics, are in line with other studies that have failed to connect teething to severe signs and symptoms.
So when teething infants do have such symptoms, parents and doctors should not assume the baby teeth are to blame, researchers say.
"We should look for other causes for the signs and symptoms, before attributing them to the eruption of primary teeth," lead researcher Joana Ramos-Jorge told Reuters Health in an email.
On days when babies had a tooth erupt, they typically had a slight increase in temperature, explained Ramos-Jorge, a pediatric dentist at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil.
But they did not have outright fevers.
"Therefore, fever in the period of tooth eruption should not be underestimated, as there may be other causes," Ramos-Jorge said.
The findings are based on 47 Brazilian infants between the ages of 5 and 15 months. Over eight months, researchers visited their homes daily to take the babies' temperature, check for tooth eruptions and interview mothers about any symptoms.
Overall, the study found, the babies were more likely to be fussy or have diarrhea, sleep problems or a poor appetite on the day a tooth emerged, or the day after. But the symptoms were not severe or long-lasting.
Historically, many doctors and parents alike have thought that teething commonly causes fevers, vomiting and other potentially serious symptoms.
But several studies have now failed to confirm that impression.
Ramos-Jorge has seen two cases where a doctor wrongly attributed serious symptoms to a baby's teething: one infant turned out to have a gastrointestinal infection, the other meningitis.
The bottom line for both doctors and parents, Ramos-Jorge said, is to first consider other causes before assuming teething is the culprit.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, online August 8, 2011.


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In the far north of Indonesia's Sumatra island lies a vast stretch of forest brimming with orangutans and rare Sumatran tigers and elephants. In a quirk of fate, a decades-long insurgency in Aceh province prevented illegal loggers from stripping the place bare.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - In the far north of Indonesia's Sumatra island lies a vast stretch of forest brimming with orangutans and rare Sumatran tigers and elephants.
In a quirk of fate, a decades-long insurgency in Aceh province prevented illegal loggers from stripping the place bare.
Apart from its wildlife and timber, though, the forest is rich in another resource; the carbon locked up in the soil and very trees coveted by loggers -- legal and illegal.
Keen to earn money from the forest, called the Ulu Masen ecosystem, the government of Aceh province joined a leading conservation group and the financial market to save it.
In return, the province is set to earn millions of dollars through the sale of carbon credits to investors, with a portion of the cash flowing to local communities to encourage them to halt illegal logging and pay for alternative livelihoods.
Money from the initial sale of credits for this project is expected to flow in the coming months.
"I strongly believe there should be a market for carbon credits and forests. It's about the only mechanism that could provide local incentives," said Frank Momberg, project director for international NGO Fauna and Flora International, the group at the heart of the Ulu Masen forest conservation project.
The model is being studied and repeated across Indonesia and other tropical developing nations as the world turns to saving the remaining rainforests in the battle against climate change.
The U.N.-based scheme, called reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation, or REDD, could be worth tens of billions of dollars a year for developing nations, with rich nations buying forest credits to meet mandated emissions curbs.
With so much money potentially at stake, banks and carbon trading firms are ramping up their interest.
But much has to be sorted out, such as how to ensure the forests aren't cut down, how to accurately measure the amount of carbon saved over time, the best method to trade REDD credits and how to ensure local communities get a fair share of the money.
Satellite monitoring as well as developing national carbon accounting systems will be key, and so too will be avoiding "leakage" in which preventing deforestation in one area causes logging to occur in another.
Some conservation groups also fear rich nations will merely buy up vast amounts of REDD credits to meet their emissions targets while doing little to clean up their own industries. Europe also fears a flood of cheap REDD credits could overwhelm its existing emissions trading scheme, depressing offset prices.
"For us the main point, from a trading stand-point, where REDD projects are difficult is on their permanence," said Trevor Sikorski, director of commodities research for Barclays Capital in London.
"If it's about deforestation but then that deforestation goes ahead in three years then that carbon would still be released into the air. So it's all about the reversibility of forests as carbon sinks and that's the real core issue that has to be addressed," he said.
Forests soak up vast amounts of carbon dioxide, acting like a set of lungs for the planet. But clearing and burning them is contributing to about 20 percent of all mankind's carbon emissions that are warming the planet.
The United Nations aims to incorporate REDD into the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol from 2013.
The idea is to complement an existing Kyoto scheme, called the Clean Development Mechanism, that allows wealthy states to invest in clean energy projects in the developing world in return for CO2 offsets called CERs. These are presently trading around 16 Euros per tonne.
"The dimensions are massive. If you compare with a CDM project of 60,000 tonnes a year, these projects are sometimes 200 times bigger, so if this comes through, it's going to be a huge market," said Renat Heuberger, managing partner of global carbon project developer and advisory firm South Pole Carbon.
Indonesia has rapidly become the center of REDD trial schemes in Asia because it still has large areas of forest, despite rapid deforestation.
FFI has teamed up with Australia's Macquarie Group to develop three REDD projects in West Kalimantan and Papua. Investment group New Forests, headquartered in Sydney, has signed a deal with the government of Papua to protect 200,000 ha of forest that could save up to 40 million tonnes of CO2 being emitted over the project's lifetime.
The Australian government has pledged A$30 million as part of a scheme to protect 50,000 ha of forest in Kalimantan and rehabilitate at least 50,000 ha of drained peat swamp.
The Ulu Masen scheme aims to save 3.4 million tonnes of CO2 being emitted each year, or 100 million tonnes over the project's lifetime.
To market the credits, the government of Aceh last year teamed up with U.S. bank Merrill Lynch and Australian firm Carbon Conservation to sell the offsets, called VERs, into the voluntary carbon credit market.
Carbon Conservation is acting as a broker and joined FFI to develop the project.
The project hinges on regular monitoring of the forest from the air and on the ground and FFI is running a program to recruit and train 1,000 forest rangers, some of them ex-rebels from Aceh's former GAM separatist group.
Community development was also key, said Momberg.
This meant plowing part of the proceeds directly back to the estimated 130,000 people who live around the forest to develop sustainable biofuel production, biomass power generation, mini-hydro power projects as well as promote growth of alternative cash crops.
Failure to do so would mean villagers returning to illegal logging. An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 villagers were involved in the lucrative trade around Ulu Masen, according to a 2006 report by World Bank-backed Aceh Forest and Environment Project.
"If you don't involve the local communities in either an alternative business or something that is good for them to actually preserve that forest, there's no long-term suitability of that project," said Pep Canadell, executive officer of the Global Carbon Project.
"It's critical and I haven't really seen a package of interesting possibilities," said Canadell, a member of an Australian government advisory panel on REDD.
Some conservation groups, such as Friends of the Earth, fear placing a greater value on forests risks a jump in land rights abuses by governments and corporations in the rush for carbon credits, threatening the livelihoods of indigenous communities.
More than a billion people worldwide depend of forests for their livelihoods, so REDD is a huge threat to them if not managed properly, the group says.
FFI's Momberg said the key was to limit the direct involvement of national governments in funding schemes for local communities. REDD schemes should also meet stringent verification standards to ensure permanence, community involvement and protection of forests' biodiversity.
"If everything is vested in the national government, that's where you will find it very difficult to have that fair level of participation at the community level," said Jeff Hayward, of U.S.-based conservation group Rainforest Alliance.
"Fundamental to verification criteria is who owns the carbon, what rights do they have, how have they decided upon the use of those rights, how fairly are they being compensated, are they informed," said Hayward, manager of the alliance's climate initiative.
Momberg said interest in REDD investments has jumped since the United Nations formally backed the scheme last December.
"I'm getting phone calls every month from investors into REDD. The appetite for REDD and voluntary carbon credits was non-existent two years ago."


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We're happy to share that Juan, our dashing luchador from Guacamelee!, is going to grace the cover of Gamercamp's new magazine. You might think a modest Mexicano agave farmer would shy away from the spotlight. As it turns out, once Juan puts on his luchador mask, he's capable of doing things he never thought he would do before, like beating up re-animated skeletons, entering different dimensions at will, posing for magazine covers, and turning into a rooster (to get to those hard-to-reach places). All in the name of saving El Presidente's daughter, of course.
For those not in the know, Gamercamp is a celebration of Toronto's exciting game development scene. It's two days that are crammed with talks, workshops, and opportunities to play some of Toronto's best indie games. Our very own Chris Harvey will be one of the speakers this year. He's one of the founders of Drinkbox Studios and our resident technical guru/benevolent overlord.
Chris will touch on the creative process here at Drinkbox Studios as it relates to our past, present, and future endeavours. But Chris is only one of the talented industry vets that will be in attendance speaking on topics such as programming, design, production, and so much more! You can't take a few steps without seeing someone who is doing/has done/will do something amazing. That includes yourself if you happen to pass by a mirror. I encourage you all to attend this year!
Also be sure to check out some of the events leading up to Gamercamp. There's a games night at Bento Miso on October 1st, a game writing workshop October 27th, and a Gamercamp social where Peter Chapman (@PeterChapmanEsq) will be among the performers. Peter is a fantastic musician who has contributed a lot of music toward our games, About a Blob, Mutant Blobs Attack, and will be heard in Guacamelee. Es un mundo pequeño después de todo! Get yer butt to these events!
To wrap things up, muchos gracias to Gamercamp for picking Juan to be on the cover of their magazine. And be sure to pick up a pass to this year's Gamercamp whether you're a developer, student, or just love games!


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Malnutrition occurs when there is a lack of necessary nutrients. It is often associated with starvation, but it is now evident that malnutrition applies to overeating as well as undereating. It is possible for a person to become overweight while also failing to get important nutrients.
Macronutrients, micronutrients, and empty calories
The macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) provide the body with calories for energy. Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals necessary for health, but they do not provide calories. Empty calories is a term often used for foods which contain excess calories with little nutritional value (soda and junk foods). When these empty calorie foods make up a large part of the diet, you can gain weight without getting all of the nutrients you need.
Quantity versus quality
When we are hungry, we seek out food. But what and how much we eat is influenced by many factors, including time, convenience, environment, culture, and knowledge. The desire to satisfy our hunger often trumps a desire to make healthy food choices. When you choose quantity and convenience over food quality, you risk consuming empty calories.
Nutrients of concern
Many diets poor in nutrition do not provide adequate calcium. Those who consume sweetened soda often drink them in place of calcium-rich milk. Dark, leafy greens and broccoli are sources for dietary calcium, but vegetables are another major food group that are often missing in poor diets.
The chemicals in plant foods (phytonutrients) are not essential to life, but they have numerous health benefits, including protection against disease. A diet of highly processed foods with few fresh fruits, vegetables, or whole grains can be in short supply of these beneficial plant nutrients.
Malnutrition can affect anyone
Foods composed of empty calories tend to be cheap and quick. This makes low-income populations and those with busy lifestyles especially vulnerable to this "overweight and malnourished" phenomenon. The trick is to plan your meals in advance, which will help you keep your food costs down and help you avoid needing to grab something quick when on the go.


text:
Our final post on Foodex Japan 2010 highlights ways that the traditional drinks industry in Japan is aiming to catch the attention of a younger audience.
Okinawan Awamori managed to break out of its stuffy image with a popular caramel coffee liqueur imaginatively called Awamori Coffee. The product was launched a year ago and judging by the scrum around their booth, sales will continue to climb.
The demographic for sake (nihonshu) drinkers tends to be older, so manufacturers are trying to break with tradition. Sake brand Hakutsuru set up a bar serving cocktails made with sake. Their representative explained that sake-based cocktails have been proving popular abroad, so they were trying to encourage the trend in Japan. The booth proved popular, so we might see bars begin to take up the idea in the future.


text:
An additional $100,000 will be awarded to The Actors Fund.
"Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS historically has moved quickly and responsibly, on behalf of the theatre community, in responding to assist those affected by extraordinary events and natural disasters," Broadway Cares executive director Tom Viola said in a statement. "We want to immediately do the same by reaching out to those both in the theatre family and local communities most affected by Hurricane Sandy."
The hurricane relief grants will be awarded to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, AmeriCares and the American Red Cross.
Dozens of Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies currently are participating in a fundraising effort, which will culminate in two performances Dec. 3 and 4 at the 24th Annual Gypsy of the Year Competition. The shows raise money by asking audience members for donations as they leave the theatre, often offering incentives such as autographed Playbills and posters, backstage tours or other unique items and experiences.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS supports more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations across the country, including 127 in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. The BC/EFA Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the entire board, approved the emergency grants Nov. 1. In addition to The Actors Fund, the hurricane relief agencies selected deliver on-the-ground resources for those most directly affected by the storm.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $225 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. For more information visit broadwaycares.org.


text:
She is my mother. She is my aunt. She is my next door neighbor. I recognize her familiar gait; the quick-paced step. Most importantly, I recognize the invisible burden she carries. I know a Haitian woman before I know a Haitian woman. I recognize the unfair share of hardships and sorrows. Her face may be unlined, you may not be able to tell if she is 40 or 60, but her eyes will tell the story.
I saw this woman, her head down, fierce determination written on her face, so as to not miss the bus. She is everybody yet nobody. I instinctively knew she was Haitian. The thought came to me, "Chay la lou," meaning the burden is heavy. I thought of the things she carried on her person. The intangible: the humiliations, hopes and dreams, and the tangible: the flowing skirt, the shopping bag and the Bible tucked into the corner of her black leather purse.
It's the intangible things Haitians carry that make them strong. Many spoke of the "phenomenon" of Haitians dancing in the streets after the earthquake and watching that woman who was everybody and nobody, I suddenly understood something new about the dancing. She, like they, though heavy laden with cares and anxiety, did not carry the heaviest burden of all: fear. In spite of life's inner failures and outer fightings, many chose to cast fear aside.
Why worry about tomorrow? Why worry about the what ifs of life? I call to remembrance the Creole song:
Chay la lou,
Chay la pa pou mwoin
Chay la lou
Chay la pa pou mwoin
The burden is heavy
The burden is not for me
My people, separated from me by land and sea, sang that day and danced in the streets because they knew the burden was not theirs; it belonged to someone higher and infinitely more powerful. If we could just learn to trust as they trust, just maybe, maybe we would be as rich in love and poor in fear as they are on the island. Then, we too would have a reason to sing and dance.
Martha St. Jean is a first generation Haitian-American journalist and media analyst based in New York City. She is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism and earned her undergraduate degree in communications studies at New York University. Follow her on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/MarthaStJean
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Carbon Boom Breakage.
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Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:10 am
Post subject:
Thanks for the info. Who might that other guy with a good success rate be?
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Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 9682
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:55 am
Post subject:
If I were to guess, it would be Mike Zajicek. But he is a very busy guy, so I seriously doubt that he would take on such work. Far too many windsurf and kite boards to make.
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Joined: 16 Nov 2016
Posts: 98
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 12:08 pm
Post subject:
swchandler is correct. It is Mike Z and he is too busy to do it unless there has been some big change in the last few months.
BTW, Mike Z has also had success fixing masts. Some failed, but many/ most have held and he was able to replicate bend. But Mike is a magician.
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Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:20 pm
Post subject:
Thanks for the lead. I will try him.
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Joined: 16 Nov 2016
Posts: 98
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 4:02 pm
Post subject:
If you want to outsource it, I would try Roberts Composites or anyone that does carbon frame repair on bikes. They would only need to slightly adapt their process and would likely be stoked to not have to worry about cosmetics (because the repairs are almost always hidden under boom grip). Then just regrip the area yourself.
Calfee claims to have fixed over 8000 carbon frames or parts. Yet I bet if you polled cyclists, a majority would tell you that once a carbon frame is cracked it needs to be replaced because it will never be safe again (i.e. repair is not an option). You have to just throw a $2,000 frame in the garbage! Total nonsense! A primary feature of carbon/ composite construction is how easy it is to repair.
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Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598
Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 5:50 pm
Post subject:
Of course A bike not the same as, say, a mast. You don't usually risk drowning, and the margins are less with a mast. I have had race masts break while carrying them rigged because they got a tiny scratch going sideways. A bike frame or boat spar won't collapse while carrying it from a tiny mark.
That is why mast repairs that only work sometimes are exactly the same as those that always fail.
Repared masts can get you killed.
Thanks for the links.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 607
Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:46 pm
Post subject:
the best way to avoid carbon failures is not to impact it. any kind of impact of carbon against a hard surface can cause internal cracks that aren't visible on the outside. A surface scratch can come from such an impact and can be a sign that there is something wrong inside the carbon structure.
and, yes, failure of a carbon tube on a bike can cause death. suppose one is doing 30+ mph down a hill on pavement and the top tube fails. I think there would be a good chance of a catastrophic result in that case.
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Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 2433
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 3:42 am
Post subject:
Still in two minds about carbon. Have gone back to a couple of new alloy booms. Carbon may be wonderful if properly built, but it doesn't give any warning of imminent failure. Bang, and it's gone!
As carbon man (sorry, Whitevan man
) says about bikes, the ground is hard, even at 30 m.p.h. downhill. Methinks I'll stick with alloy there too.
There was a video doing trhe rounds a while ago of a mountain bike hard man attempting to 'crack' 100 m.p.h. down a long steep mountain side. Just as he hit the magic ton (radar gun) his front tele forks snapped. (He survived, but was badly injured.)
Also, while in the mad vein, three playboat whitewater kayakers shot a long steep twisty dam spillway, and were 'clocked' at 56 m.p.h. They survived - but were arrested!
As for F 1, boring (sorry sir
) except when Kimi gets upset, and tells his excitable pit crew to shut their cake holes! (Got to like that!)
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Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 3:05 pm
Post subject:
Of those links kindly provided, only Roberts agreed to consider a repair.
One outfit said it would cost more than wholesale on a new boom, which runs from about $480 to 550.
I guess that is a right price range for a repair on a $2000 bike frame.
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Joined: 16 Nov 2016
Posts: 98
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 7:30 pm
Post subject:
keycocker wrote:
Of course A bike not the same as, say, a mast. You don't usually risk drowning, and the margins are less with a mast. I have had race masts break while carrying them rigged because they got a tiny scratch going sideways. A bike frame or boat spar won't collapse while carrying it from a tiny mark.
While a bike frame is unlikely to fail from carrying it, a bike failing underway is much more dangerous than what we deal with. Most windsurfers' anecdotal experiences on bikes, daily happenings in emergency rooms, and national/ international statistics would back this up.
Having raced windsurfing for >10 years, I would go so far as to say that a broken mast or boom is not dangerous in the vast majority of situations. The danger is associated with what breakdowns can cause: lack of mobility in a dangerous sailing area (i.e. exposure, drifting out to sea, drifting into a sketchy area).
I fully appreciate the real danger or perception of danger which may lead to overexertion and/ or cause a string of bad decisions that may result from any breakdown. This is a primary reason why I will not post directions for fixing a boom. Where most people sail is safe when they can move with impunity at 20-30+ mph or even slog at at 4 mph. Take away either of these options and the outlook can change in a hurry.
This may be the same danger that 'can get you killed' that you are eluding to. I hope we are not talking about people getting impaled or rolled up into some kind of scary splintery sea burrito.
Also, I don't want to be argumentative and didactic, but a mast will not break from a scratch or tiny mark. In the absence of taking an ultrasound, the scratch may just be an indication of broken fibers in this location.
Masts primarily break from being overloaded (including point and compression loading), impact damage, or from heat deflection related failures. For race masts a large percentage of breaks are related to heat deflection. In these cases the mast gets hot as the rig is sitting on the beach (grass, leaning up against a tree, etc.), the epoxy matrix starts to soften, and the wall loses adequate structural integrity so it buckles. A thin walled, high carbon content mast is more susceptible because of the ratio of surface area to wall thickness.
The heat deflection danger goes away when the rig hits the water or you start sailing because of the water/ air cooling coupled with the change in angle of incidence for the sun.
Carrying gear is one of the more common times for a heat deflection failure because you quickly introduce an extra force onto the rig in the form of gravity (which is dispersed when sitting on the ground). The worst scenario can be when a mast is nice and hot, to flip the rig over so the hot side is now the compression side, connect the board, and then start your carry with some bounce in your step.
I'm sure I sound like a total didactic dick for telling you what likely happened with your masts. But this is infinitely more likely than only a scratch causing a break. Every race mast that goes into a cambered sail has scratches from the cambers and yet breakages at the cambers are not all that common. No manufacturer to my knowledge has ever tried to alleviate surface scratching, which could be done by simply adding aluminum powder to the gel coat, but many have and continue to use white, gold, or silver finishes that reflect light/ heat.
Heat defection occurs well below 150 degree Fahrenheit on most of composites we use.
Back to my last post: The point of the links was to show there are people that repair carbon tubes;
thousands of tubes where the stakes are high
. Having fixed both carbon booms and bikes, I can tell you bikes are much more difficult to work on.
I am not an engineer, but these repairs involve basic engineering concepts that are fairly easy to work through and composite techniques many already know. From what I have seen there are a lot more engineers in the bike industry than in the windsurf industry. This is why a guy/ woman from the bike industry may be easily able to step over and fix booms but an expert board builder may not (reference to your earlier post). This is an engineering problem and an engineering degree is generally more portable in solving different problems than empirically derived expertise in one area.
Below is a picture of an aluminum frame I cut up and spliced in carbon tubes. The top tube, seat tube, and seat stays now have carbon bridges. The idea is to force the vibrations through the carbon for less rider fatigue. The bike has about 5,000 miles on it and is one of my favorite road bikes.
The bike is currently a few feet away from both my Pryde X9 Formula booms. Both were repaired after breaking: one ~6 years ago the other ~8 years ago. Each boom has a minimum of 5,000 miles (one should be
closer to 12,000 miles). The booms work great, have had zero problems since, and are both substantially lighter than an equivalent Maui Sails boom. I could post a picture of the booms, but they just look like ordinary booms.
BTW while using these items I have weighed between 210 and 240 pounds. I am 220 now for those keeping tabs. About 70% of my sailing is done on an 11.0 in conditions from 15-25mph. So the booms have been loaded once or twice; )
As before, I do not advocate fixing masts.
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- 1 Installation
- 2 Post Install
- 3 Hardware Video Decode Acceleration (EXPERIMENTAL)
- 4 Updating Catalyst/fglrx
- 5 Removing Catalyst/fglrx
The open-source ati/radeon driver should already be installed and used as the default. This guide focuses on installing the proprietary ATI driver (fglrx/Catalyst).
Before Starting
If you have previously attempted installing Catalyst, remove any leftover files by following the Removing the Driver section.
Which cards are no longer supported by ATI Catalyst? The ATI Radeon 9500-9800, Xpress200-1250, 690G, 740G, X300-X2500 (including Mobility RadeonHD 2300, since it is really a DirectX 9 part). See the complete list here. If your card is on that list, you are limited to open-source drivers on Debian Squeeze/6.0 (and later). If you really need the proprietary Catalyst/fglrx driver, you will have to use Debian Lenny/5.0.x and install Catalyst 9-3.
NOTE: If you enter your card information on AMD/ATI's driver page, it will offer you the Catalyst 9-3 driver to download. However, the Catalyst 9-3 driver doesn't support X servers past 1.5, and it will not work with Debian versions later than Lenny/5.0.x! !!!SO BE CAREFUL!!! If you tried to install Catalyst on a system with one of these cards, see the 'Removing the Driver' section to restore the default/pre-installed drivers.
Installing from Debian Repository
Debian considers fglrx non-free software, so it is located in the non-free repository. If you do not have non-free enabled, you can do so like this: http://serverfault.com/questions/240920/how-do-i-enable-non-free-packages-on-debian
$ sudo apt-get remove --purge xserver-xorg-video-radeon $ sudo apt-get install fglrx-driver fglrx-control fglrx-glx fglrx-atieventsd fglrx-modules-dkms
If you are using 64-bit Debian, install the 32-bit fglrx libraries for use with 32-bit programs.
$ sudo apt-get install fglrx-glx-ia32
Installing Manually
This method uses the latest Catalyst driver downloaded from AMD/ATI's site.
Prerequisite Packages
Install the prerequisite packages (names are based on Debian sid, older Debians may be different):
$ sudo apt-get install build-essential cdbs fakeroot dh-make debhelper debconf libstdc++6 dkms libqtgui4 wget execstack libelfg0
If you are using the x86_64 architecture (64 bit), be sure to install "ia32-libs" before proceeding!
$ sudo apt-get install ia32-libs
Download the latest Catalyst package.
This package contains both the 32-bit and 64-bit driver.
$ cd ~/; mkdir catalyst15.12; cd catalyst15.12/ $ wget http://www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/ati-driver-installer-15-12-x86.x86_64.run $ chmod +x ati-driver-installer-15-12-x86.x86_64.run
Create .deb packages.
<package> will be one of the following: Debian/sid Debian/unstable Debian/etch Debian/stable Debian/lenny Debian/testing Debian/experimental
$ sudo sh ./ati-driver-installer-15-12-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg <package>
Install .debs.
$ sudo dpkg -i fglrx*.deb
Post Install
Generate a new /etc/X11/xorg.conf file
Unfortunately, there is no sure way to generate the ATI version of the Xorg.conf file. It is entirely dependent on your configuration. The following subsections will attempt to address possible (and tested) variations for their respective configurations.
Generic Config
This will work for most people:
$ sudo aticonfig --initial -f
Minimal Config
A very basic /etc/X11/xorg.conf file might be what you need if you have a new card that's not fully supported by aticonfig. Here follows the entirety of a minimal xorg.conf file for the Radeon 6870:
Section "Device" Identifier "ATI radeon 6870" Driver "fglrx" EndSection
X2/Dual GPU Cards
If you have an X2 card (e.g. 4870X2 or 5970), use... !!Do not use for two separate cards in crossfire!!
$ sudo aticonfig --initial -f --adapter=all
Dual/Multi Monitors
If you have a dual monitor display (also known as "Big Desktop"), use:
$ sudo aticonfig --initial -f $ sudo aticonfig --set-pcs-str="DDX,EnableRandR12,FALSE"
This was confirmed in http://phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18553.
Force use of the new xorg.conf (if necessary)
Some people find that changes to xorg.conf don't get used by the driver. To force the ATI driver to adopt changes made to xorg.conf, use the following command:
$ sudo aticonfig --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf --tls=1
Test your installation
NOTE: if you don't reboot first, fglrxinfo gives an error message. Reboot the computer and type
$ fglrxinfo
into the terminal. If the vendor string contains ATI, you have installed the driver successfully. Using fglrxinfo on a system with Catalyst 11-4 and a RadeonHD 4250 returns:
display: :0.0 screen: 0 OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc. OpenGL renderer string: ATI Radeon HD 4200 Series (This line may be different depending on what graphics card you are using.) OpenGL version string: 3.3.10665 Compatibility Profile Context (This line may be different depending on what graphics card and Catalyst version you are using.)
Now, try:
$ fgl_glxgears
If you experience issues or a hang, you may need to disable fast TLS.
$ sudo aticonfig --tls=0
Hardware Video Decode Acceleration (EXPERIMENTAL)
This is confirmed to work for newer RadeonHD GPU's (those with UVD2). If you have a RadeonHD 4000 series or newer, you have UVD2. To see the complete list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Video_Decoder#UVD_enabled_GPUs
Debian wheezy/7.0 and Later
$ sudo apt-get install xvba-va-driver
Updating Catalyst/fglrx
DO NOT try to install a new version over an old one. Follow the Removing the Driver section below to remove your existing driver.
Removing Catalyst/fglrx
The uninstall script in the first command will only exist if you downloaded the drivers and installed them directly (rather than building packages as this guide does). Skip the first command if it does not exist.
$ sudo sh /usr/share/ati/fglrx-uninstall.sh $ sudo apt-get remove --purge fglrx fglrx_* fglrx-amdcccle* fglrx-dev* xorg-driver-fglrx
If you plan on using open-source drivers, you will need to reinstall some packages because Catalyst overwrites or diverts some key 3D libraries with proprietary versions. For more information on this issue, see this Ubuntu wiki page
$ sudo apt-get remove --purge xserver-xorg-video-ati xserver-xorg-video-radeon $ sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-video-ati $ sudo apt-get install --reinstall libgl1-mesa-glx libgl1-mesa-dri xserver-xorg-core $ sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup


text:
Everyone can be tough on the sports field, but for Welsh rugby star and recently signed Bristol Rugby Club player Ryan Jones, chilling in a spa having some quality time is just as important.
Ryan is hoping his recent visit to The Well Spa Retreat here at Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire for a range of treatments will be a bit of a hint to his wife and children for a Father's Day treat next month.
Ryan, who has signed with Bristol Rugby from the Ospreys, admits to enjoying the occasional spa treatment and says more men and dads should experience it instead of being shy about admitting to it.
And he's not alone. The UK's male grooming and spa market is burgeoning as more men admit to being "metrosexual", taking care of themselves and taking time out for spa treatments.
Ryan took time out at The Well Spa Retreat at Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire in readiness for Father's Day on Sunday, 15th June.
"We all have that hard exterior and rarely admit to needing time out to chill, particularly when we're out playing rugby with the lads," said Ryan who is a regular guest at Bluestone.
"But there's time when you need to just escape and a way to chill outside the arena of sport or work, and that goes for all men. It's an experience worth trying and having experienced it at Bluestone's Well Spa Retreat I can vouch for how it's great physically and mentally when it comes to chilling."
He added: "I'm looking forward to Father's Day in June. I've dropped a few hints about a little spa experience, maybe a weekend away with the family, so maybe they might take the hint."
Ryan experienced a head and foot massage at The Well Spa Retreat, although he admitted he was intrigued by the Welsh Chocolate Wrap experience. "Perhaps that could be a Father's Day surprise?" he said.
The Well Spa Retreat at has an exclusive partnership with spa and skincare specialist ESPA, as part of its spa weekend and midweek breaks.
The spa has exclusive sauna and steam rooms as well as an array of treatments and Caffi Mor, its very own place to relax and unwind with food and drink.
Categories:The Well Spa, Family


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BIG NEWS! SERIOUS NEWS! MAJOR NEWS! Massive Memorial Day Weekend sale that will continue until we run out of 2013 inventory! Starting right now save BIG on brand new 2013 Triumph models only at Fun Bike Center Motorsports! We mean REAL SAVINGS up to $3000 OFF!!! If you are active military or a veteran, save up to an additional $1000 on brand new 2013 Triumph models through May 31st!!!! $4000 OFF? Seriously? Yes. Here are photos of some of the models that we currently have in our inventory that this sale applies to. Some of these models also qualify for up to $1500 in free Triumph genuine accessories through Triumph's Value Added Accessories Program through May 31st. Let me know if any of you want to schedule a demo ride. I ran out of allowed file size space on TSB forum so am only posting pictures of the sport bikes, but this sale also applies to our brand new 2013 Triumph Modern Classic, Adventure, and Cruiser lineups such as the Bonneville, Bonneville T100, Thruxton, Scrambler, Tiger 800 ABS, Tiger Explorer 1200 ABS, America, Speedmaster, and Thunderbird! OH, and who wants the Jason Disalvo signed replica numbered limited edition #16 of 40 Daytona 675? I gotta tell you, it's a sweet sweet bike and not excluded from our sale!
Attachment 31557
2013 Triumph Daytona 675 ABS Limited Edition Signed Disalvo Replica (#16 of 40)
Attachment 31558
2013 Triumph Daytona 675 R ABS
Attachment 31559
2013 Triumph Speed Triple 1050 ABS
Attachment 31560
2013 Triumph Speed Triple 1050 ABS
Attachment 31561
2013 Triumph Street Triple R ABS


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I recently landed a few POTF Mini-rigs off Ebay. I knew about the Security Scout, but I didn't even realize there was a one man skiff.
I love the one man skiff. Favorite mini rig i have.
Can you believe I only paid $50 for those 12 Stormtroopers? They were sold to me as "beaters", but I was amazed by their great condition, some of their limbs are still quite stiff. Sure, there's a little discolouring, but it's pretty mild.
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|Exterior Wood Care
|Semi-transparent and Translucent Coatings
Exterior wood surfaces are exposed to a variety of harsh elements. Ultraviolet rays, rain, sleet and snow all contribute to damaging those surfaces. You have several choices when evaluating exterior wood coatings. Many choices will offer trade-offs with respect to translucency, frequency of maintenance, ease or difficulty of application, preparation required, and so forth. Some species will have specific coating requirements, especially dense hardwoods, and not all coatings are appropriate for all situations. The coatings listed below have all performed extremely well for us and our clients over the years, and each has it's own distinct features. This guide can help you choose the best product for your specific project.
We can help you protect your investment with expert advice and wholesale pricing on quality products from the following wood coatings manufacturers:
|One TIME
|Natural Finish for Log Homes, Decks, Wood Siding, Docks, Exotic Hardwood, Timbers, Fencing, Shakes, and Garden Furniture. Long Lasting and Low maintenance.
|Structures Wood Care
|Satin Finish for Log Homes, Wood Siding, Timbers, Fencing and Garden Furniture,
Entry Doors and Garage Doors.
|Oil-Based Satin Finish for Log Homes, Wood Siding, Timbers, Garden Furniture, Entry Doors, Garage Doors
|Hardwood Flooring & Decking, Exotic Hardwood, Entry Doors and Garage Doors, Garden Furniture. Use when a clear finish is desired.
An important principle we want to impart is that wood loves water. Unsealed wood will absorb moisture any chance it gets. Unsealed saw cuts, and uncoated concealed wood leads to a legacy of costly maintenance that can be easily avoided if we follow 3 principles during construction:
1. All end grain (saw cuts) must be sealed with a water-proofer, wood sealer, or glue if we want to avoid unneeded moisture intrusion and deterioration. The cost of backside and end-grain sealing during construction is offset fivefold or more over the expected life of the structure.
2. We must use a coating that is flexible and breathable to insure that trapped moisture does not cause coating failure (See Spar Varnish).
3. Seek to choose a coating appropriate for the UV sunlight exposure given the particular species of wood, while considering client expectations and maintenance capabilities.
We also offer a wide variety of wood care products, cleaners, strippers, wood brighteners and all the tools necessary to make your deck and all the wood surfaces on your home look vibrant.
Deck Care


text:
Conservation and Environment in Costa Rica: Monthly Updates
Conservation in Costa Rica - Monthly - Update January - February 2016
The year 2016 started with the ATBI project. This project has created more than 100 records of 17 species including nocturnal mammals, arachnids, fungi, dragonflies and reptiles organized in a detailed database which could be included in the future in a global database of organizations or countries who use the same methodology.
The project consists in carrying out intensive searches on the trails which include the groups mentioned above. A daytime and an evening session takes place during the month, volunteers participate actively showing staff members where are the individuals, writing data and taking pictures of the species that are necessary for a good identification.
Bat Project
The research project of cave bats that began in 2015 will continue throughout 2016. For this year we decided to expand the number of caves in research passing from four caverns to the total number of caves occupied by bats (which until now still uncertain).
We have bought a new harp trap. This trap makes the job easier as it has been develop to catch bats in places where there are big concentrations, mostly for Taponeada and Pozo Hediondo caves where populations are as big as twelve thousand bats, we require to apply this type of methods because it reduces the possibilities to hurt any specimen.
The harp trap consists in two metallic posts which support a double line of fishing strings. Strings are in most cases difficult two detect for bats, even when using echolocation (the sonar system). When bats try to fly throughout the lines they fell down in to a special bag which contains and keep save the invidious until we go to pick them out.
This project has been very successful until now, isn´t just because the opportunity to have a look form close of this amazing group of animals. Is a new world of discovering is a pile of information that we can use for education and most important, it means a new tool for conservation and management of the species.
Bird Survey
Bird survey still standing since 2014. The idea is to identify the birds that live in different ecosystems of Barra Honda National Park, determining their population status, defining when the arrival and departure of migratory birds is.
This year we added the study of nocturnal birds, of which we have little knowledge for the protected area. We have already made a series of sessions in which we found 6 species of nocturnal birds. We expect that the number of species will grow significantly as the year progresses.
Cave exploration
During the month of January, a survey was done to find the entrance of the cave known as "Chorotega". The volunteer Monja Bähler accompanied us during exploration. The reference that we had was that the cave is located in the highlands of Cerro Barra Honda, approximately 400 m southeast of the cave "La Cuevita" (used touristically for children).
After three hours of searching, we found the beautiful cave entrance, with an opening of 25 m long by 3 meters high bet on a wall of limestone that rises about 30 m above the plateau. The search resulted in the confirmation of the occupation of a population of bats that have not yet identified. Now we have the opportunity to start open studies with bats in this cave in cooperation with volunteers.
Camera traps
Camera traps came back seriously to create a better understanding of the terrestrial mammals in Barra Honda National Park. After four years of camera trapping studies to create records of the mammal fauna, mostly the endangered species, we did a little break to write this new project. What's about?
Camera traps are monitoring the mammal activities during day time and night time 24/7. The idea is to compare the weather data and some specific aspects of the habitat with their ecological behavior. The more we now about mammals, the more we can do for their conservation, is why we want to keep studying their ecology for a few years.
Most people like this project because you are able to see the results very quick and because is always very exciting to observe what we caught in the pictures. But the most important thing is to know that we are doing this to create knowledge and help the Barra Honda fauna.
Clearing El Pozo Trail
El Pozo trail is an important way which goes directly to a primary forest spot. This trail works as a firebreak (a line in the forest without vegetation to stop the spread of fire) but also is so necessary for investigation, it has spring water and obviously many animals visit this place in search of this resource.
The Volunteers help last two weeks to clear the trail from leafs, branches, and small vegetation, now the trail looks in very good conditions.
Population status of the Butterflies from Barra Honda National Park
Butterflies are one of the must studied groups in Barra Honda National Park. At this moment we are comparing the weather data whit the butterfly's activity in the Protected Area. The effect of climate change on butterfly populations is poorly known, in this way we are creating information for long terms species preservation, but it could be very use full for education.
Scarlet Macaw Project
In the return of the scarlet macaw project, we are focusing our efforts on defining the population size and the flaying patrons of the invidious. The first account of the year has been conducted during February 24. We divided the group in three sub groups, trying to cover the National Park in 360° to watch where the macaws are coming from, where they are going and how many they are.
In April we are going to start searching for macaw nest to study and count them in a better way. For the moment we have seen three macaws of a population estimated as 14 individuals, they are difficult to see but when they appear everyone becomes very happy, their amazing colors and their general aspect sum to the point that they are critically endangered, makes them very attractive for the people.
Maintenance is a very significant element in our job. We can't keep doing conservation if our buildings are falling down. The first week of February was particularly windy, windy enough to stop working on field jobs because it was dangerous to receive a hit of a branch in our heads or worse. We use most of the job time of that week to work on buildings maintenance; as for example, laundry, office and kitchen clean up, put in order the work shop, watering the nursery garden, recycling and some other camp duties.
The rest of the weeks of January and February we did the camp duties at least once a week. The volunteers know how necessary is maintenance and they are agree to help in this issue, of course if ever we can go to do research after words.
Monkey Project
This is a project which is just starting, after a long period of planning and developing the best way to do it we feel very proud to show the first results of this project during the year. Until now we have count a total of 85 monkeys of 6 howler monkey troops.
This project pretend to study the howler monkeys in long terms (about 10 years), with the idea of detect any fluctuation in the howler monkey population in the National Park. But also we want to study some aspects poorly known about their behavior, their home range and make projections for the future in 100 years too.
Volunteers feel very enthusiastic, mostly because monkeys are very friendly animals and very interesting at the same time. They seems to be many in Barra Honda, but we can't tell how many yet, so the idea of create this information makes everyone be excited.
Eduardo Artavia –Biologist
Oscar Rosales - Camp Officer


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Kasper works with designing and developing digital-physical installations, including urban installations, exhibitions and sound design.
He sees digital technology as an important tool for designing the urban space, as interactive design can improve the opportunities for physical development, social interaction and meetings between people.
Kasper has an MA in Industrial Design from Aarhus School of Architecture and, besides his job at the Alexandra Institute, he has been a practising musician and sound designer for many years.


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By Eliot Spitzer on 23 November 2009 in Slate Magazine - (http://www.slate.com/id/2236460)
The issue has been festering for months: Why were AIG's counterparties—including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and UBS—paid 100 cents on the dollar when the feds rescued the insurance giant, helping raise the cost of the bailout to nearly $200 billion? A new report issued by Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky now reveals that government officials, notably then-New York Fed President and current Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, grievously damaged the nation and capitulated to the very banks they should have been supervising.
Barofsky's report reads like a case study in failed negotiation. The New York Fed didn't have the backbone to stand up to Wall Street, didn't understand its capacity to protect taxpayers, and didn't appreciate that its responsibility was to taxpayers.
Geithner and the Fed have proffered a series of spurious reasons for their willingness to pay AIG's counterparties—the leading Wall Street banks—in full while demanding concessions from every other entity with whom the Treasury or the Fed dealt. Geithner suggested he could not use the threat of AIG's default in the absence of a federal bailout to get concessions from AIG's creditors. Why not?
That is exactly what the government did with the auto industry, and rightly so. The entity providing financing to a near-bankrupt institution must always seek contributions from everyone else at risk. The fact that the Fed had a strong predisposition against letting AIG go into bankruptcy didn't mean the Fed shouldn't have used every opportunity to wrangle concessions from the other parties. For Geithner to say it would have been "unethical" to negotiate for concessions is sheer silliness. It is akin to saying that having decided that you are willing to pay up to $250,000 for a house, it is unethical to negotiate to buy it for $225,000.
Geithner also claims that using the possibility of AIG's default as a negotiating opportunity would have cast doubt on the government's commitment to financial stability. What? Seeking to get other parties to share the burden demonstrates a lack of commitment to restoring financial stability and market-based realities? Pressuring Goldman and the other counterparties to offer concessions would have forced them to absorb the consequences of making suspect deals with an insurance company that was essentially a Ponzi scheme. Forcing them to give concessions would have been one small step toward ending the moral hazard the Fed had allowed to flourish for years.
Geithner also claims that refusal to pay 100 cents on the dollar might have been misinterpreted by the rating agencies and so cast a shadow on AIG's credit rating. Huh? AIG was flat-lining. The only way to restore its credit rating was for the government to bail it out—and to negotiate the best possible deal while doing so.
Perhaps most remarkable is that Geithner claims the "sanctity of contract" prevented renegotiating with the counterparties. But the government wasn't a party to these contracts! The government was stepping in with taxpayer money to save a broken company on terms to be set by the government. The counterparties had the contractual right to refuse the terms, throw AIG into bankruptcy, and suffer the consequences. In a workout context, the entity with cash—here, the government—can set the terms, and the other parties can either accept those terms or walk over to bankruptcy court. The government had absolutely no contractual obligation to do anything.
Also amazing is Geithner's assertion that he and the Fed were acting on behalf of AIG. Perhaps nothing is more fundamental than knowing whom you represent. Geithner and the Fed were supposed to be acting on behalf of taxpayers and citizens, not AIG. Their effort was supposed to get the best result for taxpayers: preserving the structure of the economy and stopping a free fall. That—not preserving AIG's market value—was the rationale for intervention. Once tax dollars were at stake, Geithner should have been asking how to achieve the best economic result while minimizing taxpayers' exposure.
Geithner has tried to deflect some of this criticism by suggesting that it is "untainted by experience." I would suggest that it is Geithner who displays lack of experience in his dealing with the financial community. He doesn't know how to negotiate, doesn't understand what cards he holds, and doesn't understand the need for fundamental reform.
See also: Ea O Ka Aina: Financial Follies 2.0 10/8/09


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8 die as Hong Kong boat sinks (video)
HONG KONG -- A boat packed with revelers during a holiday weekend collided with a ferry and sank Monday night off Hong Kong, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more, authorities said.
The boat was carrying about 120 people when the accident happened near Lamma Island, off the southwestern coast of Hong Kong Island, a government statement said.
The vessel was carrying staff members of a utility company and their family members to Hong Kong's famed Victoria Harbour to watch a fireworks display on a long holiday weekend to celebrate China's National Day and mid-autumn festival.
The government said 101 people were rescued and the Hospital Authority said 53 people, including the eight dead, were taken to four hospitals.
"There was a boat that came in close and crashed," said Yuen Sui-see, director of operations at Power Assets Holdings Ltd., which was using the vessel to take staff on the outing. "After the crash, the other boat continued away, it didn't stop."
He denied the vessel was overloaded, saying it was carrying 121 passengers and three crew but had capacity for more than 200 passengers.
Television channels showed the boat half submerged with the bow pointing straight up. Helicopters circled overhead with searchlights as government vessels surrounded the boat and divers prepared to enter the water. Broadcaster RTHK said 23 people were still missing.
Local news reports said the chartered boat was hit by another boat operated by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry company on a regularly scheduled service. RTHK said the captain of the other ship, which was slightly damaged but able to return to port, was afraid to stop in case it sank.
"All of Hong Kong's emergency forces are focused here," said Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. "Wide-ranging rescue work is being carried out on in the sea, land and in the air." Leung said he didn't know what caused the collision but promised a thorough investigation.
Survivors said the boat started sinking rapidly after the collision. One woman told local television that she swallowed a lot of water as she swam back to shore. Another man said he didn't know where his children were. Neither gave their names.
Lamma is the third-biggest island in Hong Kong and near one of the coastal Chinese city's busiest shipping lanes. The island is home to about 6,000 people, including many of the former British colony's expatriate workers.


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Now this was a fun fight, and a true challenge. So much of this boss requires precision and coordination, and all players in the raid must be ever-aware of things that might just kill them. Overall, Mimiron has 4 phases, where he tests each of the three components of his machine on you, and then combines them all for a last phase. You will probably need 3 healers for this (when learning it, at the least), given players going out of range and mana concerns; have shaman/pallies run fire resist auras/totems to help mitigate damage.
Phase 1: The Feet
One tank, and ranged need to spread out a bit from each other, but remain in range of the healers. Healers should stay relatively near the MT
- Plasma: there is one tank in this phase, and the most deadly thing to happen to them is Plasma. Keep up full LB and Rejuv, and when Plasma is casting, pre-load regrowth/nourishes to start landing the moment Plasma hits. As tree druids, the only thing we can do to mitigate plasma is to just heal through it, so be ready to spam Nourish, Swiftmend, and even let your LB stack drop for a chunk of healing, and be ever-ready to use NS+HT. It won't last terribly long, but this is what kills most raids in phase 1.
- Napalm Shell: a targeted attack on a random ranged player that will put a dot on the target and drop a patch of fire on the ground. It is for this reason that you want to have your ranged players spread out from each other, so that multiples are not hit by the same shell.
- Land Mines: these are spread in a circle around Mimiron's Tank, and remain there until someone runs over them or Mimi decides to detonate them all himself. Avoid running into the area at all costs, or you will trip over one. Beware, they can be hidden under the skeletons of previous attempts!
- Shock Blast: an aoe he casts that requires all in melee range to run away. You should be safe from this unless for some obscure reason you happen to be within 15 yards of the boss. Melee will need to be ever-aware of their escape routes from this through the mines, and as a healer, you need to be ever-aware of your tank's location so that they do not run out of your range to avoid this attack.
Phase 2: the Torso
One tank and much fleeing. Ranged should spread out in an arch around the boss to limit how many people are taking damage at any given time from the smaller Rapid-Burst attacks he shoots around the room (easily healed through, but stay on your toes and use your rejuvs to prep for emergency swiftmends), with healers interspersed to blanket the raid.
- Spinning Up for Laser Barrage: Laser Barrage will usually kill anyone caught in it, melee and ranged alike. This is similar to C'Thun's eye beams, and will move clockwise around the room from its starting point. The spin-up is your warning of where it is going to start: if he spins up and faces you, RUN. The whole raid needs to move to avoid being hit by this. It will not be a complete 360-degree barrage around the whole room when he starts shooting... closer to 180 degrees, I think, but don't quote me on that as exact! You CAN dps through the spin-up to prevent him from using laser barrage, but I don't know the exact specifics of what stops him from starting the barrage.
- Rocket Strike: he sends up a rocket that will each be targeted at a certain person, but unlike the napalm shells, these can and SHOULD be avoided. A red-orange firey cricle effect will appear on the ground where they are going to land, and move away from it so that it splashes down harmlessly. It will target melee and ranged players alike. It will one-shot whoever is caught in the blast zone when the rockets land.
- Heat Wave: a constant source of raid damage, which should be mitigated some by pally/shaman resistance auras.
Phase 3: the Head
Adds, bomb-bots, and a helicopter-boss that's probably going to be focused on one of your ranged dps. You will probably want to designate a single, strong ranged DPS player to act as tank in this phase, while your melee tanks handle the adds and wrangle the bomb-bots.
- Plasma Ball: standard attack on the person with highest threat (your ranged tank). It is not an AoE, so it is safe to hang out with the ranged tank.
- Bomb-bots: these are dropped out of the flying boss helicopter-head, so everyone needs to stay out from under him. They will pick a random target to chase, but can be taunted off, slowed, or even killed before reaching their target. They will explode on death (or if they catch someone). We decided to have our feral druid go bearform to "tank" these, pulling them to him and eating the explosion, nothing a swiftmend and a small hot couldn't fix.
- Adds: these spawn along the "spokes" of the wheel on the floor, in each of the three circles along the spoke. A colored light--green or red--will signify which will next spawn adds, and your tank will be quite busy rounding them up. If you get an add on you, run it to them (avoiding bomb-bots) or call it out for them to taunt it off (target the add to assist their taunt). You can take a few hits from the junkbots, but they're pesky.
Phase 4: by your powers combined...
Now it gets REALLY fun: you get to fight all 3 at once, and they have to die within 15 seconds of each other. The pieces start this phase low health to begin with (50%), but your dps must be well-trained in switching targets and monitoring the health bars. You now must watch both your melee tank and your ranged tank for healing, as well as the standard raid damage.
The attacks have the same effect as before.
- Laser Barrage (with the warning Spinning Up)
- Rocket Strike (but with two rockets instead of just one, now)
- Land Mines
- Shock Blast
- Plasma Ball (just at ranged tank)
- Hand Pulse: a cone of fire damage cast at a random target. Your raid needs to be spread out to lessen the impact of this, and your good old pally/shaman fire resist auras.
Have fun with this fight. It is exciting and challenging, and I look forward to killing him again next week.!


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Village of Hoffman EstatesHome Menu
Calendar of Events
Coffee with the Board
- Date: 10/19/2019 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
- Location: Village Hall Council Chambers
1900 Hassell Road
Hoffman Estates, Illinois 60169
- Introduction: The informal meet-and-greet provides a relaxed forum where community members can speak with Mayor William McLeod and village trustees about issues and concerns. Residents are invited to express opinions, ask questions and provide input on items of interest in their community.
Return to full list >>


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University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry's Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program site is located in Union City. The Union City clinic is a stand-alone facility located approximately 35 miles southeast of San Francisco. The facility description is below.
The AEGD program will be participating and taking applications for the resident class of 2020 - 2021. The program consists of a one-year, accredited postgraduate residency in general dentistry with an optional second year. The core of the program involves providing advanced clinical treatment to patients requiring comprehensive general dental care with an emphasis on Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA). The residents provide comprehensive dental care along with supplemented seminars and rotations.
There is an opportunity to gain more in-depth training in an optional accredited second-year residency training program. The second year allows greater flexibility to pursue individual interests, advanced clinical cases, teaching, or research projects.
The start date for the program is July 1, 2019. Residents have time off during the school's winter break and school holidays, as well as an additional 10 days of leave that can be scheduled with the approval of the site director.
There are no tuition requirements to participate in either site. AEGD residents receive an educational stipend during the year which is paid bi-monthly over a 12-month period.
Residents will be given the option of participating in the dental school's medical coverage program, but will be required to participate in the disability coverage program. Malpractice insurance coverage is provided by the School of Dentistry.
For a detailed list of expected areas of resident competency after completion of the program, please see our Competency Statements.
The AEGD residency site is located at the University of the Pacific's Union City Dental Care Clinic. The clinic has a private practice setting and 13-chair facility which is located 35 miles southeast of San Francisco. In addition to being close to San Francisco, Union City offers easy freeway access to a variety of attractions in California. The clinic has served the community for close to 30 years.
There is specialty supervision available in endodontics, esthetics, implants, orthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontics, and fixed and removable prosthodontics. There is also supervised dental care for special patients with developmental disabilities or severe medical problems and geriatric individuals.
In addition to the specialties listed above, there is emphasis placed on patient management with specific instruction in working with fearful dental patients; using nitrous oxide and other sedatives; providing dental care in the hospital operating room with general anesthesia; and managing patients with oral lesions and facial pain.
Residents work with dental staff members in the management of their practices and the delivery of dental services. Instruction is provided in four-handed dentistry techniques and practice management concepts.
Rotations at the Union City site are based on local needs. Our current rotations are in the areas of advanced implant restorations, emergency dentistry, hospital dentistry/special needs care, pediatric dentistry/perinatal care, geriatric dentistry and predoctoral teaching.
There is a series of seminars on each aspect of dentistry taught in the program in the areas of Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA), endodontics, aesthetics, fixed and removable prosthodontics, hospital dentistry, special care dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral pathology-facial pain, orthodontics, pediatrics, periodontics, geriatric and treatment planning. Seminar topics also include quality assurance, practice management, literature review, dental emergencies and medical risk assessment.
Residents participate in some seminars via videoconferencing technology.
After office hours and on weekends, one resident is assigned to see patients who have dental emergencies. At times when the resident is not in the dental clinics, the resident can answer calls at home or use a communicating device which will be supplied to the resident. The resident may also spend time in the hospital emergency room. During that time, the resident will have an opportunity not only to treat dental emergencies but also to observe the management of patients with medical emergencies.


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SWANSEA (MCT) — Montrail White said he forced his 8-year-old, third-grade daughter to stand outside High Mount School Tuesday wearing a sign that said, "I like to steal from others and lie about it!!" to make her stop stealing.
But Mike Brink, superintendent of High Mount School District 116, said White set a bad example himself by using an expletive about 15 times in front of young students and using an expletive in telling his daughter to be quiet.
The incident, which was witnessed by parents dropping their children off for school about 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, has prompted the district to send a letter to parents.
"It is not safe to have a young child standing by a very busy school entrance ... In addition, I will absolutely not tolerate the verbal abuse and profanities that were used this morning in the presence of parents, students and school personnel," Brink wrote in the letter.
Brink said the child was screaming and crying.
However, White and his wife, Melissa, said school officials and police overreacted and improperly interrupted a father trying to discipline his daughter.
The child was made to wear a homemade "sandwich" type of sign with the message on the front and back of her because she regularly stole items at home and once stole "Halloween rings" from a teacher's desk.
"Is it more embarrassing to her to let a few people see her now or have her name in the newspaper when she gets older and is caught stealing and sent to jail?" Montrail White said.
He said he had his daughter standing where other children and parents could see the sign, but said at no time was she in any danger. White, of Swansea, said he stayed in the family vehicle while watching her.
After Brink and the school principal came outside to question White, he became verbally abusive, Brink said. White denied using any profanity.
A Swansea police officer showed up and was soon followed by four other officers in separate cars at the school at 1721 Boul Ave.
White said he was threatened with arrest and was told by Brink to take the sign off his daughter and let her go to class.
At one point, White said an officer pointed to the sign on the little girl and said, "You call that being a good father?"
"Here I am trying to teach my daughter right from wrong and there isn't anything I can really do because a police officer yelled at her daddy and threatened to lock him up."
White eventually removed the sign and his daughter entered the school. There were no arrests.
Swansea Police Chief Mike Arnold said that if White returns with his daughter wearing the sign but stays on public property and does not create a disturbance, he will not be arrested.
"He has a right to protest in public," Arnold said.
"If she steals again she'll be right back there tomorrow wearing that sign," said White, who added that he will stay on private property.


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Satoshi Murai and Eran Nevo have just proved the 1971 generalized lower bound conjecture of McMullen and Walkup, in their paper On the generalized lower bound conjecture for polytopes and spheres . Let me tell you a little about it. For more background see the post: How the g-conjecture came about.
Face numbers and h-numbers
Let P be a (d-1)-dimensional simplicial polytope and let be the number of -dimensional faces of P. The –vector (face vector) of P is the vector .
Face numbers of simplicial d-polytopes are nicely expressed via certain linear combinations called the h-numbers. Those are defined by the relation:
What's called "Stanley's trick" is a convenient way to practically compute one from the other, as illustrated in the difference table below, taken from Ziegler's book `Lectures on Polytopes', p.251:
1 6
1 5 12
1 4 7 8
h= (1 3 3 1)
Here, we start with the -vector of the Octahedron (1,6,12,8) (bold face entries) and take differences as shown in this picture to end with the -vector (1,3,3,1).
The Euler-Poincare relation asserts that . More is true. The Dehn-Sommerville relations state that is symmetric, i.e. for every .
The generalized lower bound conjecture
In 1971, McMullen and Walkup posed the following conjecture, which is called the generalized lower bound conjecture (GLBC):
Let P be a simplicial d-polytope. Then
(A) the h-vector of P, satisfies .
(B) If for some then can be triangulated without introducing simplices of dimension .
The first part of the conjecture was solved by Stanley in 1980 using the Hard Lefschetz theorem for toric varieties. This was part of the g-theorem that we discussed extensively in a series of posts (I, I', II, III, B). In their paper, Murai and Nevo give a proof of part (B). This is remarkable!
Earlier posts on the g-conjecture:
I: (Eran Nevo) The g-conjecture I
I' How the g-conjecture came about
II (Eran Nevo) The g-conjecture II: The commutative-algebra connection
III (Eran Nevo) The g-conjecture III: Algebraic shifting
B: Billerafest