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Washington DC CDL Practice Test: HazMat - Test 3 2020(From the 2020 Washington DC CDL Handbook)
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Directions: To obtain this endorsement for hauIing hazardous materials, applicants must pass a 20-question test. Before taking the test, applicants must pass a Transportation Security Administration background check. And to pass the test, applicants must score at least 80%. Test questions are from the Washington DC Commercial Driver Handbook. The Hazardous Materials endorsement can be used with the Class A, B, or C CDL. If you need additional information, please contact your local DMV office. You can find your nearest DMV office at Washington DC DMV locations.
1. If while driving a bus you see a drawbridge, stop ____ ft. before it. This is the recommended safe distance.
2. If the outside right side flat mirror is adjusted properly, you be able to see ________ behind the bus.
3. Passive crossings typically have?
4. While driving in high winds, you need to ________.
5. During an emergency, remember that you can possibly evacuate through _______.
6. If your bus is equipped with ABS, during an emergency situation, you should _______.


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Low-cut ballerina Lining in ecru colored canvas. Insole in white sheepskin. Leather heel, height 10 mm. Butt leather sole. Made in France. Coming from our 'dance' know how, the 'stitch and return' is a unique process of fabrication developed by Rose Repetto. In 1947, she created her first ballet shoes according to this technique, used today to make our shoes. The sole is stitched inside out and returned, offering incomparable softness and comfort.


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Pop star Katy Perry was honored for her charity work at a gala in her hometown on Friday night (16Nov12).
The I Kissed a Girl hitmaker was among the honourees at the Celebration of Dreams Gala in Santa Barbara, California, hosted by the Dream Foundation at the Bacara Resort and Spa.
Perry, who grew up in Santa Barbara, was presented with an award for her work raising awareness of the charity, which helps grant wishes for families C297facing life-threatening illness.
American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe was also honored at the event and other famous guests included Glee star Jane Lynch and actress Marcia Gay Harden.


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Journal of the South African Veterinary Association
On-line version ISSN 2224-9435
Print version ISSN 1019-9128
J. S. Afr. Vet. Assoc. vol.81 n.2 Pretoria Jan. 2010
The prevalence of ovine herpesvirus-2 in 4 sheep breeds from different regions in South Africa
C W Bremer
Biotechnology Division, ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Private Bag X05, Onderstepoort, 0110 South Africa. E-mail: email@example.com
About 90 % of bovine malignant catarrhal fever (BMCF) PCR-positive cases in South Africa are caused by alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (AlHV-1) and the other 10 % by ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2). The prevalence of OvHV-2 in different sheep breeds in South Africa was determined in order to investigate whether the lower incidence of BMCF caused by OvHV-2 in comparison with AlHV-1 can be ascribed to a low incidence of the virus in sheep. A single-tube hemi-nested PCR was developed, evaluated and applied to detect OvHV-2 DNA. The prevalence of the virus in 4 sheep breeds from various regions in South Africa was shown to be 77 %. No statistically significant difference was found amongst the sheep breeds tested.
Keywords: bovine malignant catarrhal fever, ovine herpesvirus-2, PCR, prevalence, sheep.
Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a lymphoproliferative disease of cattle, pigs and certain species of captive and wild ruminants and has worldwide distribution. The causative agents are ruminant rhadinoviruses of the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily, genus Rhadinovirus5. Alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (AlHV-1) is carried asymptomatically by wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus and C. gnou)15,17 and ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2) by sheep4. Both AlHV-1 and OvHV-2 cause disease in cattle. OvHV-2 also causes disease in various other ruminant species as well as in pigs12.
In the USA the prevalence of OvHV-2 DNA in adult sheep was 99 % as determined by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR)10. In South Africa, approximately 90 % of MCF PCR-positive cases are associated with AlHV-1 and only 10 % with OvHV-2 (M. Romito, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (ARC-OVI) pers. comm. 2009). As a result, most of the studies on MCF in cattle in South Africa have been done on AlHV-1. One study indicated the presence of AlHV-1 in 100 % of wildebeest calves by using a nucleic acid probe13 while in another study AlHV-1 was isolated from 65 % of wildebeest calves1.
A better understanding of the epidemiology of OvHV-2 in South Africa is required. Although the prevalence of OvHV-2 DNA in sheep in the USA was shown to be 99 %, this may not be true for sheep in South Africa. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether OvHV-2 DNA could be detected in 4 different sheep breeds in South Africa, and if positive, to determine the prevalence of OvHV-2 DNA.
Blood and DNA samples
Sheep. Heparinized blood samples (n = 85) were collected from female adult sheep from various regions in South Africa.
Cattle. DNA extracted from positive bovine blood (n = 12) samples used for validation of the hemi-nested PCR was obtained from Dr Marco Romito of the ARC-OVI. The blood samples were sent to the Institute to confirm the presence of OvHV-2 DNA by PCR using a method described previously7.
Cell cultures
Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) and bovine herpesvirus-2 (BHV-2) were cultivated in VERO cells and bovine herpesvirus-4 was cultivated in foetal bovine testes cells. Cells were cultivated in Eagles Minimum Essential Medium supplemented with 2 mM L-glutamine, 0.1 mM non-essential amino acids, ~100 U/mℓ penicillium, ~100 µg/mℓ streptomycin and 5-7 % foetal calf serum (Gibco).
Virus strains
BHV-1, -2 and -4 were field isolates from cattle that were cultivated in cell culture and identified by PCR. With the exception of the primers, the PCR reaction mixes contained the same reagents as the OvHV-2 hemi-nested PCR. The PCR primers used have been described previously6,8,18. Reaction conditions for PCRs were BHV-1: 94 ºC 2 min (1×) followed by 94 ºC/30 s, 54 ºC/45 s, 72 ºC/45 s (45×), BHV-2: 94 ºC 2 min (1×) followed by 94 ºC/30 s, 50 ºC/30 s, 72 ºC/30 s (45×), BHV-4: 94 ºC 2 min (1×) followed by 94 ºC/30 s, 54 ºC/30 s, 72 ºC/30 s (45×).
DNA extraction from sheep and bovine samples
Buffy coats of sheep blood samples in heparin were prepared by centrifugation of 1mℓ blood at 540× g for 20 min. The top layer of each blood sample (approximately 0.2 mℓ ) was removed and placed in an Eppendorf tube. DNA was extracted from this using the NucleonTM BACC genomic DNA extraction kit (Amersham Biosciences) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Bovine blood samples used as control samples were either whole blood (collected in EDTA or heparin tubes) or blood clots (collected in tubes without additive). DNA was extracted using the NucleonTM BACC genomic DNA extraction kit (Amersham Biosciences) or the MagNa Pure LC total nucleic acid isolation kit (MagNa Pure LC instrument, Roche).
Single-tube hemi-nested PCR procedure
For the detection of OvHV-2 DNA a single-tube hemi-nested PCR format was used which was based on the single-tube duplex nested PCR described previously3, in which the primers targeted the ORF 75 gene. In the OvHV-2 specific single-tube hemi-nested PCR only primers MF, MR and OVR were used. In both steps of the single-tube hemi-nested PCR, samples were subjected to additional amplification steps with the aim of further increasing the sensitivity of the procedure.
PCR reactions were performed in a volume of 12.5 µℓ consisting of 1 x ExTaq DNA polymerase buffer, 0.5 U ExTaq DNA polymerase, 200 µM of each dATP, dCTP, dGTP and dTTP (buffer, enzyme and dNTPs were from TaKaRa Bio Inc, Japan), 0.08 µM primer MR and 0.8 µM of primers MF and OVR respectively and approximately 50-150 ng total DNA. The reaction conditions were 25 cycles of 94 ºC/30 s, 68 ºC/30 s, 72 º C/30 s followed by 45 cycles at 94 ºC/30 s, 54 ºC/30 s, 72 ºC/30 s. PCR products were analysed by electrophoresis in 1.5 % agarose gels in 40 mM Trisacetate, 1 mM EDTA buffer.
Restriction enzyme digestion
Approximately 1/3rd of the amplified DNA product of each sample was digested for 3-24 h at 37 ºC with approximately 0.3 U Alu I enzyme in the appropriate digestion buffer in a total volume of 20 µℓ .
Samples were analysed by electrophoresis in a 12 % polyacrylamide gel9, which was rinsed in water for 5-10 min and stained in approximately 10 ng/µℓ ethidium bromide in water or in Laemmli buffer without SDS.
Construction of a recombinant pGEM-T vector containing OvHV-2 DNA
With the purpose of determining the sensitivity of the hemi-nested PCR, a recombinant pGEM-T vector was prepared. PCR was performed on DNA extracted from a positive OvHV-2 field sample using outer primers MF and MR only. The PCR product was subjected to agarose gel electrophoresis, excised from the gel and purified using the QIAEX gel purification kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). The product was then inserted directly into the pGEM-T vector since TaKaRa Ex Taq enzyme used for the PCR adds a single dATP onto the 3' end. After transformation, the recombinant vector was cloned and purified and dilutions were made for the determination of sensitivity.
In this study, the presence of viral DNA in different sheep breeds was tested and classified as positive or negative. To determine whether the distribution of positive to negative is the same for each breed and vice versa, i.e. to determine whether the 2 types of attributes are independent, the Chi-square test was performed.
Evaluation of the hemi-nested PCR
The specificity of the PCR was determined by performing PCR on DNA extracted from monolayer mammalian cells infected with BHV -1, -2 and -4, from a blood sample of a bovine infected with AlHV-1, as well as from an uninfected animal that tested negative using PCR. No bands of the expected sizes were observed during analysis of the PCR products of the related BHV samples (results not shown). A band of 307 bp was occasionally seen with AlHV-1 samples as a result of the conserved regions in the genes of the 2 viruses on which primers MF and MR were based3. The absence of the band in some samples was probably as a result of a low concentration of AlHV-1 DNA in the samples.
For further confirmation of the specificity of the PCR, amplicons of each positive sample were subjected to restriction enzyme digestion making use of an Alu I restriction site present at position 102 in the sequence of the 207 bp nested PCR amplicon, yielding a 102 bp and a 105 bp fragment which could not be distinguished using SDS-PAGE based on the method of Laemmli 19709. In Fig. 1 undigested (lanes 1 and 3) and digested (lanes 2 and 4) PCR amplicons of the expected sizes can be observed. In the sample that also contained the 307 bp PCR product (lane 3), 2 bands were observed after digestion: the 1st consisting of the 102 and 105 bp fragments, and the 2nd of a 205 bp fragment (lane 4).
The sensitivity of the single-tube heminested PCR was determined by performing the assay on 10-fold dilutions of DNA isolated from a recombinant pGEM-T clone. Dilutions were made of the purified recombinant pGEM-T plasmid containing the OvHV-2 DNA specific sequence and a 10 µℓ aliquot of each dilution was added to 90 µℓ of blood. A total DNA extraction was done on the spiked blood. The detection limit of the recombinant plasmid pGEM-T in bovine blood was 0.5 fg (result not shown).
To validate the assay, single-tube heminested PCRs were performed on 12 DNA samples isolated from the blood of OvHV-2 PCR-positive bovine field samples using the method of Dungu et al.7. These were all shown to be positive after analysis of PCR amplicons by agarose gel electrophoresis (results not shown).
Detection of OvHV-2 DNA in sheep
The single-tube hemi-nested PCR was performed on DNA isolated from blood samples (n = 85) of 4 different sheep breeds as described above. Results of samples from Döhne Merino are shown in Fig. 2. A band of the expected size (207 bp) produced by hemi-nested PCR was observed in observed in 7 of the 8 sheep samples shown (lanes 18) as well as in the positive control sample (lane 9). Two extra bands, 1 of 307 bp, the expected size of the 1st PCR, as well as an approximately 600 bp band, were also observed in the positive control sample (lane 9). The band of approximately 600 bp is probably non-specific, because of the high number of amplification cycles. Samples producinging only the 207 bp band probably contained a low concentration of target DNA as PCR products obtained from the lowest concentrations of DNA in the sensitivity determination contained a single 207 bp band only but samples with a higher concentration of DNA contained extra bands (results not shown).
All samples produced were subjected to Alu I restriction enzyme digestion (Fig. 1) and the expected products were obtained.
Table 2 shows results obtained when single-tube hemi-nested PCR was performed on DNA extracted from the blood of different sheep breeds.
Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis of the data in Table 1 using the Chi-square test indicated that differences were not significant (χ2= 2.038; P = 0.568; d.f. = 3). The Dorper sheep, however, showed the largest positive response (85.7 %) and Karakul sheep the smallest positive response (63.6 %).
As a result of the problem of contamination associated with a 2-step nested PCR, a single-tube hemi-nested PCR was developed for the detection of OvHV-2 DNA. The method was validated and shown to be suitable for the detection of OvHV-2 in field samples.
The sensitivity of the test was in the range obtained by other laboratories and as little as 0.5 fg of the recombinant plasmid pGEM-T could be detected in bovine blood. A nested PCR used by Li et al.10 could detect 10 fg of pUC18 containing the 238 bp fragment after analysis of the product by agarose gel electrophoresis and after Southern blot hybridization 0.4 fg could be detected.
One study found that 99 % of adult sheep from the USA were positive for OvHV-210 when using the 2-step heminested PCR described previously2.In India, OvHV-2 DNA was detected in 84.8 % of adult sheep, using hemi-nested PCR19. In South Africa, where the detection rate in sheep was 77 %, cattle and sheep are not often stabled together and the chances of transmission of the virus are probably smaller than in the USA where cold conditions may require that cattle and sheep be stabled in the same area. Furthermore, the South African OvHV-2 strains and their infectivity for South African sheep breeds may differ from those of USA strains for USA sheep breeds. Despite the high average infection rate in the different sheep breeds, OvHV2 DNA is detected in only about 10 % of PCR positive field cases of clinical MCF in cattle in South Africa (M. Romito, ARC-OVI, pers. comm. 2009). In one study individual adult sheep were shown to have relatively elevated levels of OvHV-2 DNA in nasal secretions and blood and this suggested that adult sheep might be intermittent high shedders of the virus11. The sporadic nature and low incidence of the disease in cattle caused by OvHV-2 are thought to be related to the varying levels of viral DNA in nasal secretions in adult sheep . Climatic factors that affect the survival of the virus in the environment, presence of vectors, variation in stocking density and levels of stress due to weather or management practices, have also been suggested as factors that may influence the incidence rate.
Cattle seem to be more resistant to the development of clinical signs after infection with OvHV-2 than with AlHV-1. The association between OvHV-2 infection and the development of clinical MCF has been studied in cattle housed at a dairy where bovine MCF had been previously diagnosed and where they were kept in close proximity to sheep16. None of the cattle showed clinical signs, but 70 % of the cattle had evidence of infection as determined by competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or PCR during a 20-month surveillance period. In a similar experiment, 3 cattle that were housed with a viraemic wildebeest died of MCF14. However, when 2 other cattle were housed with the same wildebeest after shedding of the virus had stopped, they did not develop clinical MCF.
This is the 1st study in which the prevalence of OvHV-2 in different sheep breeds in South Africa has been determined. OvHV-2 was detected in all 4 sheep breeds tested and no significant difference in the infection rate of different breeds was indicated.
The author thanks Drs M. Romito and G.H. Gerdes for providing the samples and reviewing the manuscript, Dr A.C. Potgieter for the preparation of the pGEMT clone, Ms M. Smith for statistical analyses and Prof. G.J. Viljoen for valuable discussions. This work was funded by the Red Meat Research and Development Trust (RMRDT).
1. Barnard B J H, Van de Pypekamp H E, Griessel M D 1989 Epizootiology of wildebeest-derived malignant catarrhal fever in an outbreak in the north-western Transvaal: indications of an intermediate host. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research 56: 135-139 [ Links ]
2. Baxter S I F, Pow I, Bridgen A, Reid H W 1993 PCR detection of the sheep-associated agent of malignant catarrhal fever. Archives of Virology 132: 145-159 [ Links ]
3. Bremer C W, Swart H, Doboro F A, Dungu B, Romito M, Viljoen G J 2005 Discrimination between sheep-associated and wildebeest-associated malignant catarrhal fever virus by means of a single-tube duplex nested PCR. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research 72: 285-291 [ Links ]
4. Bridgen A, Reid H W 1991 Derivation of a cDNA clone corresponding to the viral agent of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever. Research in Veterinary Science 50: 38-44 [ Links ]
5. Crawford T B, Li H, Rosenburg SR, Norhausen R W, Garner M M 2002 Mural folliculitis and alopecia caused by infection with goat-associated malignant catarrhal fever virus in two sika deer. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 221: 843-847 [ Links ]
6. D'Offay J M, Floyd J G Jr, Eberle R, Saliki J T, Brock K V, D'Andrea G H, McMillan K L 2003 Use of a polymerase chain reaction assay to detect bovine herpesvirus type 2 DNA in skin lesions from cattle suspected to have pseudo-lumpy skin disease. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 222: 1404-1407 [ Links ]
7. Dungu B, Bosman A-M, Kachelhoffer C, Viljoen G J 2002 Single-tube nested PCR for detection of the sheep-associated agent of MCF. Veterinary Record 151: 703-706 [ Links ]
8. Egyed L, Ballagi-Pordany A, Bartha A, Belák S 1996 Studies of in vivo distribution of bovine herpesvirus type 4 in the natural host. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 34: 1091-1095 [ Links ]
9. Laemmli U K 1970 Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227: 680-685 [ Links ]
10. Li H, Shen D T, O'Toole D, Knowles D P, Gorham J R, Crawford T B 1995 Investigation of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever virus infection in ruminants by PCR and competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 33: 2048-2053 [ Links ]
11. Li H, Hua Y, Snowder G, Crawford T B 2001 Levels of ovine herpesvirus 2 DNA in nasal secretions and blood of sheep: implications for transmission. Veterinary Microbiology 79: 301-310 [ Links ]
12. Loken T, Alexandersen M, Reid H, Pow I 1998 Malignant catarrhal fever caused by ovine herpesvirus-2 in pigs in Norway. Veterinary Record, 143: 464-467 [ Links ]
13. Michel A L 1993 Generation of a nucleic acid probe specific for the alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 and its use for the detection of malignant catarrhal fever virus DNA in blue wildebeest calves (Connochaetes taurinus). Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research 60: 87-93 [ Links ]
14. Plowright W 1965 Malignant catarrhal fever in East Africa. II. Observations on wildebeest calves at the laboratory and contact transmission of the infection to cattle. Research in Veterinary Science 6: 69-83 [ Links ]
15. Plowright W, Ferris R D, Scott G R, 1960 Blue wildebeest and the aetiological agent of bovine malignant catarrhal fever. Nature 188: 1167-1169 [ Links ]
16. Powers J G, Van Metre D C, Collins J K, Dinsmore R P, Carman J, Patterson G, Brahmbhatt D, Callan R J 2005 Evaluation of ovine herpesvirus type 2 infections, as detected by competitive inhibition ELISA and polymerase chain reaction assay, in dairy cattle without clinical signs of malignant catarrhal fever. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 15: 606-611 [ Links ]
17. Pretorius J A, Oosthuizen M C, Van Vuuren M 2008. Gammaherpesvirus carrier status of black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou)in South Africa. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 79: 136-141 [ Links ]
18. Vilcek S 1993 Detection of the bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) genome by PCR. Journal of Virological Methods 41: 245-247 [ Links ]
19. Wani S A, Samanta I, Pandit F, Buchoo B A, Peer F, Bhat M A 2006 Molecular epidemiology of ovine herpesvirus type 2 infection in Kashmir, India. The Veterinary Record 159: 587-590 [ Links ]
Received: January 2010.
Accepted: May 2010.


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Food & Drink
Giant inflatable duck artist's next big thing: Hippos
By Tamara Hinson, CNN • Published 2nd September 2014
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10 Pictures
When it comes to the creatures most likely to be spotted swimming down London's River Thames, hippos will be far down the list.
Until now.
Thanks to Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, eagle-eyed visitors to London might just spot the three humps of an enormous hippo appearing from the Thames' murky depths.
Hofman is known for his super-sized, colorful works of art, most recently the enormous inflatable rubber duck that floated around the waters of cities like Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Auckland and Osaka.
Earlier this year, Hofman was asked to create a piece of artwork by the organizers of Totally Thames, an annual festival that celebrates London's famous river.
He says he started by researching the history of the river, and eventually came across studies on hippo evolution that revealed its waters were awash with the large creatures hundreds of thousands of years ago.
The result was an artwork he's christened with a pun almost as heavy as one of the beasts he's been studying: "HippopoThames."
"I wanted to use the hippo to get people out of their homes, away from the Internet and the TV, and to explore London with a new perspective."
Not that creating a giant replica of an ungainly water mammal in one of the UK's busiest waterways is an easy business.
MORE: Giant duck conquers Tiawan
Cocktail of ingredients
"I was thinking about the history, but I also had to think about practicalities," Hofman says.
"We needed to make sure it could fit under various bridges as it had to be towed into place, so it's a cocktail of ingredients: the history of London, cost and the size of the space available."
Like several of Hofman's other pieces, "HippopoThames" was inspired by everyday objects -- in this case a children's book that the artist's parents gave him for their grandchild.
"One page had an illustration of a hippo and I saw it and thought that it could work really well. So the installation is something which is partly inspired by a found object," he says.
It's a process Hofman has used in the past, chiefly the enormous cuddly toys that formed his 2009 exhibition at The Hague and the ornament-like sparrow statues he created for Belgium's Rock Werchter music festival.
"'These pieces were inspired by children's toys or items picked up from flea markets I've visited -- mass-produced toys and animal ceramics," he says.
Hofman and Jackie Chan prove that you're never too old for rubber ducks.
ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
"It's not just about the animal -- it's about the outer skin. I'm all about beauty and the design of an object and I like to use and change these found objects by giving them different skins.
"I love the fact that so many of them are made in China and Taiwan.
"They're sent to the U.S. and Europe and they're in the hands of children for just a few minutes. I have a love for these objects and the way they get circulated around the world."
Settting is also key.
"I have a love of beautiful places -- both urban and rural, and I like to show them in their natural state," the artist explains.
MORE: London as a local -- tips for survival
Giant yellow bunny
Hofman claims an enormous yellow bunny he installed in the town of Orebro, Sweden, helped highlight a largely forgotten statue it was sited next to.
"The bunny was removed after three months but afterward, more people started to visit the spot. That's the B-side of my installations: they give the public space back to the people who then see it with a new perspective."
Hofman's work has taken him all over the world and certain destinations have left their mark.
"I love Sao Paulo," he says. "I love the people.
"Every morning you wake up and you meet people who become your friends.
"It's a concrete jungle where, as a human, you're downsized, but I like the strength and the love of the people and the way they live together."
The West African country of Senegal also makes his list of favorites, as does the Swiss town of Bern, largely because of the way residents interact with its river in the summer.
"It's the biggest artwork you can make - it's a social, natural thing and it changes people's perspective of the city."
Different nationalities react to his work in different ways, he says.
"In Europe, the first question will be about the cost. In Asia and South America people will ask, 'what is it and why is it there?'"
MORE: Best of London: Insider guide
No more ducks
Forget the typhoon. Must. See. Duck!
Ashley Pon/getty images
"In Asia, people work six or seven days a week, perhaps two jobs a day. They'll have Sundays off and they make the most of their spare time.
"In those rare moments they enjoy life to the max and are more open to certain things.
"If people have less spare time they feel they should make full use of it.
"In Europe, people work hard but they have more spare time and there's a different pace. People tend to be more spoiled."
Florentjin's own spare time on the sidelines of the London festival is likely to spent in one of the city's pubs, he says.
"I love the pub life in London, as well as the parks. If you step into any pub, people will talk to you.
"It's quite open, and they have a wonderful sense of humor -- you can have a great evening socializing."
Hofman says "HippopoThames" will be his final water-based project.
It appears that the popularity of his most recent project was a double-edged sword.
"After the rubber duck it was hard to come up with another water-related installation," he says.
"People just want another duck!"
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
Go to the best beaches


text:
All Items : Books and Publications : Pre 1980 item #768233
Geri and Dan Tucker
This is the Bible of Depression Era Glassware and elusive glass information. If you have glassware that you haven't been able to identify, this book will probably be able to help you. It has been out of print for at least 10 years and this is from the 2nd printing in 1977. It was actually sold at a glass show we put on here in Toledo in 1981. It is autographed by Hazel Marie Weatherman and dated Sept 27, 1981. Excellent condition! Over 400 pages of quality information!
All Items : Books and Publications : Contemporary item #732242
Geri and Dan Tucker
Unused condition. Post 1986 Homer Laughlin China Co. Fiesta ID and value guide. Covers all Fiesta after 1986, including new patterns and decals and special orders up to 2003. 199 pages in full color.
All Items : Books and Publications : Pre 1990 item #732231
Geri and Dan Tucker
On Hold
On Hold
Unused 1985 Cambridge Stemware and pattern ID book. Soft cover, excellent condition, 224 pages. Covers Cambridge Glass from the beginning to factory closing.
All Items : Books and Publications : Contemporary item #732197
Geri and Dan Tucker
2003 soft cover book in good condition with a bend or two, here or there. 205 pages includes prices and information and original sales ads. Lots of ID photos & drawings. Org cost $19.95
All Items : Books and Publications : Antiques : Contemporary item #732180
Geri and Dan Tucker
New condition "Opalescent Glass" ID and Values Guide 4th edition by Bill Edwards and Mike Carwile. 256 pages in full color with price guide. All books will be shipped @ book rate unless otherwise desired. Unused.


text:
You're probably used to it by now: Google ads that are weirdly specific to you, either on Gmail or around the web in general. How does Google know you recently were in the market for a new TV? And will they cut it out?
Well, now Google has released some new tools that add some transparency to its targeted ad system. Now, you can click the "Why This Ad?" button under a targeted ad, and it'll tell you what you did to be marked for it. Don't want to see that sort of ad again? You can block ads of that type under the Ads Preferences Manager.
It's a pretty solid move from Google, as when it comes to targeted ads, transparency and control are pretty damned important.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Via Google Blog
For the latest tech stories, follow us on Twitter at @dvice
Copyright DVICE - DVICE


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Industrial output rose more than expected in November, posting its sharpest increase in nearly two years, as production bounced back from the disruptions of superstorm Sandy.
Industrial production expanded 1.1 percent last month after a revised 0.7 percent fall in October, the Federal Reserve said on Friday.
That was the steepest increase since December 2010. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected output to gain by 0.3 percent last month, after October's previously reported 0.4 percent drop.
The Fed said production was driven by recovery in industries hurt by the storm, which tore through the East Coast at the end of October, as well as a rise in vehicle output.
Manufacturing output expanded 1.1 percent after dropping 1 percent the previous month, though production still hovered below levels reached earlier this year.
Industrial production encompasses output from manufacturing, utilities and mining operations, including oil and natural gas production.
Production at utilities gained 1 percent in November, while mining output increased 0.8 percent.
Capacity utilization, a measure of how fully firms are using their resources, rose to 78.4 percent in November from 77.7 percent in October. Economists had expected capacity use to reach only 78.0 percent.
Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; Editing by Tim Ahmann and James Dalgleish


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When Brenda of Journey To The Past wrote her piece today called, What Will the Six Months Bring in the World of Blogging? I read with interest and responded to her immediately. Brenda and I have communicated via email since last spring. Seems she and I have the same problem, and while I can't help her, I can help myself. Just last night I moaned over the fact that I have over 1,500 emails in my Gmail account that I either need to delete or reread or move to an appropriate inbox, have many queries to respond to, a nice research project with Claire, who is related, and who took over 160 cemetery photos in various cemeteries in New York (and I still haven't gotten a handle on this project), and another huge project to be printed and given to several libraries. There are more projects, as well as a lot of entering from papers copied two years ago.
My response to Brenda was, "Thank you Brenda. Now I know it isn't just me...I can't do it all, blogging, research, reading fb and replying in a timely manner to emails. The list goes on. However, the thing that all the other things is based on, the research just isn't getting done. Now, I have made up my mind...I am going to quit blogging for a month and see what happens."
What better time of the year? Many people think of Labor Day almost like New Year's Day, the beginning of a fresh new start. I have a lot of Surname Saturdays, Tombstone Tuesday and a few Follow Fridays already done, so there won't be a huge change there for a while. I will continue to read blogs, but cut way back on responding. It is probably a temporary thing, at least I hope so, because I really love all aspects of blogging.
Another love of mine is flowers. My husband and I have spent at least one day a week this summer going to many gardens around New England. I began a blog Flowers From My Area which shows just that, gardens and flowers. I hope to do a blurb with this blog once the foliage season is over. I invite you to view it. They have links to the gardens, and the dates I posted are the dates I went there.


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Padma, a mother in India, has a son sponsored through CFCA. Thanks to the help of a CFCA social worker, Padma encourages her son to get a formal education instead of helping full time with the family business.
My name is Padma. I have three daughters and two sons; my youngest son, Durga Prasad, is sponsored.
Padma, mother of Durga, a CFCA sponsored child.
My first daughter is married, and our other children help us by making and selling clay figures.
We also make piggy banks on a regular basis. Once filled with coins, the banks have to be broken to get the collection. Then a new one is purchased.
Our whole family, including Durga Prasad, is involved in making these.
Immediately after my first daughterís marriage, we had financial problems and also were in need of another helping hand to make clay figures.
Durga used to go to a government school, but showed disinterest in continuing school and started helping us.
Every time the CFCA social worker, Shahanaz, came to our area, she would talk to us regarding the importance of education and made us realize this.
She helped Durga Prasad get admission in school, and she said that if he attends regularly, she would try for the sponsorship.
Last year, Durga Prasad was admitted into the CFCA sponsorship program so he can continue his education without adding an extra burden for us.
Durga Prasad, right, helps his mother make clay figures.
As Durga Prasad is getting good marks in school, now we are planning to enroll him in an English school next year.
Now, Durga Prasad helps us only on school holidays, and on other days he does his homework after he comes back from school.
My husband and I have been working since our childhood and earning money, yet our lives did not improve. It just has been living from hand to mouth.
We do not own a house, do not have steady income, and are unable to give proper education to our kids.
Because of CFCA, now my son has the opportunity to get a formal education. He is our only hope for our better future.
Related story: Sponsorship helps families avoid child labor


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Terrible news for former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham and his family -- Cunningham's two-year-old son Christian drowned Tuesday afternoon in a hot tub in the back yard of Cunningham's Nevada home. Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Dennis Flynn has been quoted as saying that it was an accident. According to initial reports, Cunningham was not at home Tuesday afternoon when the child was found, and that an unnamed woman tried to resuscitate the child after finding him at about 4:30 p.m. She called 911 at 4:45, and the child was taken to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus, where he passed away.
Cunningham, 47, is an ordained minister in Las Vegas. According to a family friend who talked with ABC News, about 100 people came to the Cunningham home when the news broke to sing, pray, and grieve with the family. Cunningham is the pastor of a church he founded called Remnant Ministries. He has performed baptisms in that same hot tub, according to reports.
"We were there for support," said [a] church member, who asked not to be identified by name. "It's about being a church family and supporting the family ... "I just can't imagine going through a tragedy like this without having a church family there for you,"
The family friend also described Christian Cunningham to an ABC News reporter.
"He was always active and running around, smiling and giving everybody hugs and jumping on their laps. He was so full of life. He was not only the Cunningham child, he was also the church's child. He trusted everybody."
Police spokespeople have told news sources that there is an open investigation into the child's death, though no foul play or neglect is assumed. It appears to be a horrible, random accident.
More friends and family will gather at Cunningham's church today to show support.
Cunningham, who passed for 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns in his 16-year NFL career from 1985 to 2001, made four Pro Bowls and is considered the prototype of the modern mobile quarterback. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Ravens. He took his son onto the field last year (pictured above) when he was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame at a halftime ceremony.
Cunningham and his wife, Felicity, have three other children: Randall II, Vashti and Grace.


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Did you know?
Friday October 16, 2009 is National Mammography Day
(i'm sorry I'm late, but it does include the entire month)
Location: Nationwide
The third Friday in October of each year is National Mammography Day, first proclaimed by President Clinton in 1993. On this day, or throughout the month, radiologists provide free or discounted screening mammograms, and women are encouraged to make a mammography appointment.
Make your appointment please.
Clicking on anyone of these buttons is the simplest way there is to fund free mammograms. You can sign up for a daily email that'll take you to the Breast Cancer Site and even before you've had your first sip of coffee or tea, you will have done a good thing. Helped another.
My store is named after my sister Lindy, my inspiration. Lindy and my Mom, Sylvia, are Breast Cancer Survivors. This is one small way I can help raise money for Breast Cancer Research. TheBreastCancerSite.com together with the Mayo Clinic has created
Daughter's, Auntie's, Friends, ourselves...


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Much like the related class of experts, Journalists come in two types: Real journalists, who concern themselves with the truth and speak from the gut, and So-called journalists, who want to talk about "facts" and think with their heads. The latter type are typically factonistas or Wordinistas, intent on manufacturing stories to fit the truth into 500 words or less.
Stephen Colbert embodies the qualities of a real journalist. In truth, he is the exact opposite of his counterparts in the liberal media establishment. Unlike so-called journalists, Stephen Colbert is always kempt, gruntled, plussed, ingenuous, and sightful. He is also Grippy, Megamerican, Lincolnish, Superstantial, and absolutely oozing with Gravitas. No one would say the same of Dan Rather.
How To Be A Good JournalistEdit
- Quality reporting consists of taking press releases and putting them into your own words. If you've learned this lesson, congratulations, you're now a graduate of Stephen Colbert's School of Journalism.
- Listen to what the other media is dishing out and go the opposite way with the story. Facts = Word Bullets. Keep these word bullets out of the hands of the Terrorists (NY Times, CNN, basically any other news station except for Fox and The most Honest and Truthiest God of Journalists, Our very own Stephen "Gods word Mouth" Colbert
See AlsoEdit
External TubesEdit
- Ethical Codes?
- The truf about jornalizts
- Real Journalist To Fake Journalist (John Stewart): Get a Real Job!


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Division Technology
Head of the division Technology
|Dr. Thomas Fieseler
Phone: +49 2461 61-1602
Fax: +49 2461 61-6656
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
In the Technology division, novel computer architectures and technologies for high-performance computing are developed and investigated. The technical infrastructure for the operation of high-performance systems is projected and provided. The main activities of the division comprise
Developments in the field of novel architectures in the scope of
- Exascale Innovation Center (EIC), a collaboration with IBM
- ExaCluster Laboratory (ECL), a collaboration with Intel and ParTec
- NVIDIA Application Lab, a collaboration with NVIDIA
- Examination and testing of novel network systems as interconnect for accelerator based computer systems
- Examination and testing of parallel file systems
- Cooperation with companies concerning further development of cluster operation systems
- Further development and operation of data management systems for scientific experimental infrastructures and as a database for simulation challenges
- Planning and development for the astrophysical instruments LOFAR and SKA
- Design, development, and implementation of installation tasks for high-performance computing at Jülich
- Operation of servers and workstations to support the scientific infrastructure of the JSC
Last updated: 16 May 2014


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Author: James Mitchell, Strategist, BBH & BBH Labs
Every once in a while at Labs, we like, no, need to get our hands dirty. Oily, even. We like to make stuff that we can learn from – learn from the making of and learn from the interactions with. Robotify.me is one such experiment. And unlike most of our output, we're going to share its whole gestation with you. Partly because we're too excited not to, partly because we want you to shape the product.
Product? Yes. With robotify.me, we want to put a personal digital robot into the hands of every person who wants one.
Of all the companions you could make, why a robot? Why not a plant, an animal, even a pet rock? Because of the line robots walk (or fly), between the artificial and the human. They are not alive, but in the way the act we try to give them life. And this has bearing on the other half of the project.
Since our first aol email addresses, our first Second Life avatars, our geocities and myspace profiles, our first (and second) anonymous twitter accounts and our weavrs, we've been talking about the difference between a person, and an online persona. Is there one? We hope robotify will tell us, because the other trick is this: the characteristics and features of your robot will be determined entirely and exclusively by your social network data. So if you post lots of pictures on instagram, your robot might grow a telephoto lens in its belly. If you click lots of odd links, you might develop tank tracks – negotiating rough digital terrain, you see.
That's the simplest version. Gradually we want to progress to a version with a robot that changes and grows as you do – a living marker of your data journey. We're even hoping that, over time, robots will be able to interact. Robosociety, if you will. But that's the nature of the agile process we're using – aside from the vision, there are lots of assumptions layered on top of each other, and we'd like a willing army of beta pioneers to help slice through these assumptions and get to the robotify.me that you want.
At the same time, we'd like to experiment with a slightly altered way of communicating – so for the 50s radio-style version of the Robotify story, just slip on some headphones and click play.
Hang on. You said something about beta users?
Yes, labs reader. That's you. We're making the beta right now – signup at http://signup.robotify.me. If there's anything you want to see, anything you've always wanted to know about your social data, or anything else you think we should look at, let us know below…


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The hit drama series Bones returns for Season 8 on Fox on September 17th. Having been accused of murder, at the end of last season, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is on the run from the FBI, with help from her father Max (guest star Ryan O'Neal). Meanwhile, Booth (David Boreanaz) and the Jeffersonian team are convinced that evil tech genius Christopher Pelant (guest star Andrew Leeds) has manipulated key evidence in the case to pinpoint Brennan as the prime suspect, and they set out to do everything they can to prove it and bring her back.
During this recent interview to promote the new season, executive producers Hart Hanson (also the show's creator) and Stephen Nathan talked about the reunion of Booth and Bones, how her friends and co-workers feel about Brennan's decision to leave, how much Christopher Pelant will play a part in the storyline this season, why they decided to update the opening credits and theme music, that the interns will continue to revolve, that viewers might see some new family members introduced along with the return of some previously seen, the challenges of keeping a show realistic for so many seasons without stagnating, what they have planned for the 150th episode, and how the contract negotiations are going with the actors for Season 9. Check out what they had to say after the jump, and be aware that there might be some slight spoilers.
Question: Christopher Pelant (Andrew Leeds) is like a bad rash that just won't go away. Is he going to continue to be at the forefront, as a criminal this season, or have you guys got somebody else lined up?
STEPHEN NATHAN: He's going to be around all season. He'll come and go. Hart and I both hate serial killers, as a rule, but we loved this guy. He's just the most interesting multiple murderer that we've ever had on the show. He's going to color Season 8 a bit. No one is going to be able to rest easy in Season 8.
How long had you been planning for that twist at the end of the Season 8 premiere?
HART HANSON: Well, it's our job to know what happens, and that was the natural end of that episode for us. The first episode extends the Pelant story and raises another question. It's like, "Does he have help?" We don't know what the motive is, to do what he did. It's a gulch hanger, not a cliff hanger, just to keep that story alive in people's minds.
NATHAN: It's just to raise questions. There are many different answers to questions.
The reunion scene between Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is quite physical. Did David and Emily have some fun filming that, and did Emily have to do any training?
HANSON: They did have fun! In fact, we had written one reunion, and they came and said, "Can we go a little farther with this?," so we upped the energy of them seeing each other again. One of those things that discussed at great length was, "How mad is Booth at Brennan? How anxious are they to see each other? And how does all of that manifest, in one split second?" So, we ended up talking to them about it and to the director, Ian Toynton, who's our directing producer, and that is what we got. We were pretty pleased with it. There's nothing better than having actors come to you and say they want to do more and not less, especially going into the beginning of Season 8. We were tickled with it. They just wanted to wreck a little more furniture.
Were there any injuries?
NATHAN: No, there were no injuries. They just had a great time doing it.
HANSON: David is really strong, and Emily is extremely limber and strong herself.
NATHAN: We were happy they broke furniture.
How are Booth's feelings about Bones leaving going to continue to come into play?
NATHAN: You know, initially, you're very happy to see somebody, but all of the three months of essentially being abandoned doesn't go away. So, that's still bubbling inside and, in the second episode, we'll see some evidence of that. There are things that they have to get past. Even though they understand what happened to each other, that doesn't mean that it's easy to move on and to go back to what they had before. Everything will have changed a bit.
HANSON: We loved the idea that just because a decision is right and good and the most sensible, rational decision, that it's still painful for people and they have to get by that. Maybe it's even tougher when no one was in the wrong.
How does everyone else feel about Brennan's decision to leave?
HANSON: Angela and Sweets (John Francis Daley) are not scientists and tend to recognize that people are more complex than simply rational. So, they stand a little to the left of the others, who simply go, "That was the smartest thing to do. I would have done the same thing." But, it splashes all over everybody. For us, it's fun that her being away caused trouble between Booth and Angela. They actually end up being angry at each other, when the more rational people are going, "Yes, that's what had to happen."
NATHAN: I think the other people who aren't so intimately involved understand and are just happy to have her back. As we deal with those issues in the first episode, you see how everyone is affected, at the end.
HANSON: I think that Hodgins, for example, thinks he's okay with it, but if you've seen the first episode, he does something that is very un-Hodgins-like and very, very aggressive, and we think it stems out of what happened to his friends.
Will the Pelant storyline go on the back burner while they solve some cases?
HANSON: Oh, yes!
NATHAN: We're probably focusing more on trying to do great murders this season than we have in the past. We just want to get the show back to the basics. However, all of their personal lives have been altered by what happened with Brennan being gone, and with the honeymoon period of our series being over. Now they have to deal with the realities of their relationships and their lives, as well as Pelant and this dark cloud that hangs over them. It won't be dealt with in every episode, but Pelant is not going away.
Why did you decide to do a subtle update to the opening credits and theme music for Season 8?
HANSON: You know, I just woke in the middle of the night and thought the Crystal Method basically invented the concept of re-mixing. Here we were, going into an eighth season, and Stephen [Nathan] and I had discussed just a slight almost unseeable and unhearable change to the sense of tone. I thought, "Let's see if the Crystal Method guys – Ken [Jordan] and Scott [Kirkland] – would be up to doing a little remix for us," and they were.
NATHAN: They really did a phenomenal job because we didn't want to lose what the original theme was, but they just managed to update it and make it fresh. We usually update the visuals every year, and this was just gravy. They just did a phenomenal job. I love the new song.
Are viewers going to keep seeing interns-of-the-week, or will there be more of Clark (Eugene Byrd) now?
HANSON: We're going to keep our revolving gang of interns. It just really works for us. We always check on their availabilities because these are very, very talented people and they're going to be sucked away into their own TV shows. But, as long as we can have them, we're going to hang onto them.
NATHAN: Also, we will be meeting new interns, at some point this season, and revisiting interns that we haven't seen as much as we want to. We just love having that revolving door in the lab. It works very well for us.
Are there going to be any returning family members, coming up?
NATHAN: Oh, yes, definitely! Brennan's dad (Ryan O'Neal) will be back, and we hope to have Booth's grandfather. Maybe you'll even meet a couple of other family members.
HANSON: I hope Billy Gibbons will be back to play Angela's (Michaela Conlin) dad because that's just total fun for us. Also, we have a story for Hodgins' (T.J. Thyne) brother that we may visit. And, in the back nine somewhere, we're very interested in meeting Booth's mom and having Booth's mom meet Brennan. We haven't figured out that story yet, but it's in our bin. It's about time to see Booth's family a little bit. Everybody always asks if we're going to bring back Brennan's cousin, Margaret, who is played by Zooey Deschanel, but she seems very, very busy on her own show.
What can you say about Cam's (Tamara Taylor) love interest?
HANSON: It is not someone you won't recognize. That's about all we're saying about it. It's not a brand new person. It's someone that the fans will recognize and, if we're good, they won't see it coming. If we're not, they'll see it coming.
What has been the biggest challenge in maintaining all of these realistic characters and having the relationships develop over so many seasons without it either stagnating or crossing into some kind of jump-the-shark territory?
HANSON: Stephen and I spend every morning, having a cup of coffee. At first, we argue about politics and our families, movies and books, and anything else, because we don't agree on everything. Then, we segue from that life stuff into what we're going to do on our show. I like to think that, out of that half-hour every to 45-minute conversation every morning, that we have that stuff we send to the writers' room.
NATHAN: We have an extraordinary group of writers, led by John Collier, who just see the world in such a unique way. They're giving us murders and body finds that we've never seen before. And I think that, if the characters stay fresh, the show stays fresh because they lead the way, and these writers understand that. We try to follow the characters' leads. I think that's the only way for it to stay fresh.
HANSON: We listen to the actors, too, by the way. These people have been playing the face of these characters for seven seasons. Every hiatus, we meet with each one of them, one-on-one, and say, "Who do you like being in scenes with?" We get a lot of ideas from that. We want them all connected to and invested in what they're doing. We're very lucky to have that group of people on our show.
NATHAN: Hart and I are both old married men. We've been married for so many years to our wives. Bones is another wife, and it's a very, very, very good marriage. It's not boring. It's still alive. We still have sex.
Can you speculate at all on whether or not there might be a wedding in Bones and Booth's future?
HANSON: There might be.
NATHAN: You know, it's only Season 8. We're just beginning.
How will the twist with Pelant affect Brennan's work, or will it affect her at all?
HANSON: Well, Brennan has an ability to put her head down and concentrate on what's in front of her. Some would call it her retreat. When the world gets too complicated, she simply stares at what's in front of her and works that, so she is not someone to brood and worry. That's Booth's area. He is the one who's always looking around. The most common visual on Bones is when they're standing over the human remains. Brennan is usually on the ground, with her nose about an inch from something disgusting, looking at details. Booth's eyes are flicking around to see what threats are out there and what answers are out there. So, the Pelant thing is more haunting for Booth than it is for Brennan until it's something that she has to face because it's put in front of her nose.
When you were coming up with this episode, what were the writing or plot challenges that you came across?
HANSON: We had to figure out a bunch of things. One was how long Brennan was going to be on the run. It took about 10 minutes for us to discuss alternatives, but the gold in our show, as far as we're concerned, is Booth and Brennan being together. So, it's not a good plan to start out a season with them apart, for any length of time. Also, I think an audience goes, "Come on, we know they're going to get back together, what are you taking so long for?" Then, we discussed, at great length, the question that has come up a couple of times, which is, "What happens when they see each other, and what's the hangover from their three months separation?"
NATHAN: It was difficult to find a way to do what is essentially a standard episode of Bones, where we discover a body, find out who the murderer is, and yet have that be the reintroduction of Brennan. So, the only way we could think to do that was to have Brennan actually find the remains, and bring our squints and Booth into that story. That was done with the help of the writers' room. It seemed to be the only way to get Booth and Brennan together immediately.
HANSON: She got some advice from her dad to look for the first killing. A serial killer makes his mistakes in the first killing. So, that set us off on the trail of Pelant.
NATHAN: Since she was involved, we could bring our people into it and, of course, within an act and a half, Booth was going to find Brennan. Then, we have our couple together again, still on the lam, but together.
This season, you guys reached the amazing 150th episode milestone. Do you have anything special planned for that episode?
NATHAN: A massage. That's a lot of episodes, and I ache.
HANSON: Our 150th episode is a weird episode. It's going to be an episode where we see everything told from the point of view of the victim. It's been very tricky. It was very tricky to shoot because it could be claustrophobic. We needed a very, very heart tugging story, so that the person whose death we are solving is an actual character, and it's a boy. We don't usually use kids because we can't laugh, and it's not a funny episode. It's an outsider's view. In a way, it shows what the camera doesn't usually show. It shows how each of our characters interacts with a victim when no one else is looking, but the victim. So, it's a little bit elegiac and melancholy. Cyndi Lauper is in it, as our resident psychic who knows that the victim is watching us and is trying to help find out what the victim needs, so that they can move on. By the way, it's not to solve the murder. The victim needs something else before he can move on.
NATHAN: It's a very unique episode, in how it's shot and the tone of it, and it's been a real challenge to put together, but a challenge like that always gives you the most satisfaction. Everybody has come together for this one. Not only was it a great script, it was beautifully directed. The actors were terrific, and now our visual effects team is working on it, as well as the sound mixers. It's really a very rich episode, and should be unique for the 150th. Now, of course, we're planning the 300th episode.
HANSON: That's going to be a wild romp!
NATHAN: Yes, it'll be from Hart and my perspective.
What is the status of David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel's contracts, and are they going to be around for Season 9?
HANSON: I think so. They are currently negotiating through Season 9. Well, I shouldn't say that because I don't know how many years beyond that the studio is negotiating with them. Generally, it comes in chunks. It might be three. It might be seven. I don't know. But, they are currently in negotiations with the studio through at least Season 9. I'm pretty confident that they'll come to an agreement.
NATHAN: As far as the details of the negotiations and everything, we don't really know anything about that. That's between the studio and the actors.
Do you worry about how negotiating in public affects the show?
HANSON: I don't worry at all.
NATHAN: I don't worry at all, either.
HANSON: David is a mischievous guy. He loves lobbing hand grenades out. I think he really gets a kick out of all the stuff I would try to avoid, which is people hollering on Twitter. It's all part of the game to him, but I don't think there's any serious angst or bile behind it.
NATHAN: I think the undercurrent of all of David's Tweets, or anything he does online or in the press, is that he loves doing the show. He's better than ever on the show, and I think he wants to come back, as much as we want him back and as much as we want it to work out. There doesn't seem to be a real issue.
Bones returns for Season 8 on Fox on September 17th.


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Originally settled in the early 1700's and later incorporated in 1891, Hopewell Borough today remains one of New Jersey's most quaint and historic treasures. Travelers passing through the Borough in 2015 can easily imagine days of yesteryear, when horses and trolleys carried passengers through town or to Trenton and nearby destinations. One glance down Broad Street with its many acclaimed restaurants, unique and antique shops, specialty service establishments and centuries-old residences, and it is understandable why New Jersey Monthly magazine consistently ranks Hopewell Borough as one of the "10 best small towns in NJ" and one of the "25 best places to call home in the Garden State." In 2012, Hopewell Borough's main thoroughfare, Broad Street (CR518) was named a "Great Place in NJ" by the American Planning Association-New Jersey Chapter (APA-NJ).
Located at the foot of the Sourland Mountains, Hopewell Borough is a quiet, friendly residential community of approximately 2,000 residents that through careful planning initiatives at its borders, is nearly surrounded by a green belt of open space. The future of Hopewell Borough will likely be much like its past – a bustling downtown village rich in history and accented by desirable, well-maintained Colonial and Victorian homes and buildings. Designated in 1993 as the State's first Village Center, Hopewell Borough is positioned to retain its historic and residential landscape. In 2004, the Borough officially became a member community of Tree City USA, as sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation, due to its commitment to the maintenance and preservation of its mature, tree-lined streetscape, one trademark of this desirable Mercer County town.
Most of Hopewell Borough today is a designated historic district, with the rest labeled a historic buffer zone, a measure designed to preserve the rich and historical heritage through land use regulations that respect the historic heritage of the community. Business owners, visitors and residents are attracted to the vibrant downtown and growing cultural environment. Public school students attend the highly desirable Hopewell Valley Regional School system, with elementary education offered at Hopewell Elementary School on Princeton Avenue. The district's high school in Hopewell Township is consistently ranked in the top half of the best high schools in NJ.
Hopewell Park, at the intersection of S. Greenwood and Columbia Avenues is a popular destination. The park's centerpiece is its spectacular "Volunteer's Bandstand," which is often used for wedding photos, parties, live music and a wide variety of events. The preserved open space tract also includes picnic areas, walking trails, and a community-built playground. A mini-park at the Hopewell Railroad Station also boasts a tot-lot playground, and the restored, historic facility serves as a community meeting facility. The Hopewell Railroad Station is listed on the NJ Register of Historic Places, and is the pride and joy of the Hopewell Borough community.
Please visit our site regularly for updates and community happenings! Better yet, visit our town and discover why we think it's the best small town in NJ! We think you will agree!


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Including 4oD
Xbox Live is set to get a major televisual revamp before Christmas with all the major programming players in the UK due to launch Xbox based entertainment services.
Everything from 4oD and the BBC to Lovefilm and even Blinkbox and Channel 5 will be arriving on Xbox Live. This brings a total of more than 40 entertainment providers now involved globally with Xbox.
Sky already have a significant and highly successful presence on Xbox but expect the new 4oD and BBC offerings to offer some potential competition.
Channel 4 will launch a 4oD app for Xbox Live that will operate largely like its desktop client, allowing you to catchup on tv shows as well as watch older content.
The LoveFilm app should behave largely like that of the PlayStation 3 s, allowing members to stream on demand video to their console.
Microsoft went a bit entertainment partner mad, so much so that there are just too many to list here. If you fancy seeing a full list of Xbox Live entertainment providers then head over to the Xbox website.


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Read any consumer facing Chairman or CEO annual report and you'll see the phrases: 'listening to customers' 'responding to and serving customers needs'..... or similar.
I once asked Andy Higginson, CFO of Tesco over a drink what the real driver of Tesco's success was. 'We genuinely and obsessively listen to customers and give them what they want'.
The Tesco listening takes lots of forms. Market research - sure. Polling in-store and out-of-store. Focus Groups. ...and of course the biggest voice of all, the ClubCard.
IMI - Instant Market Intelligence - was conceived of by Rob Keve back in 2004. TAG was an early investor and close friend of the business. My son-in-law, Jonathan Morris joined the business in 2005 and it has narrowed and concentrated its focus on a superb product (branded Fizzback) which enables real-time, actionable customer feedback via digital channels.
SMS via mobile phone is particularly effective for the growing list of clients who are using the Fizzback service. This enables consumers to feedback - in real time and 'at the point of experience' whilst the issues are still top of mind while using the service of the provider. The data is analysed and interpreted by Fizzback and presented to the management of the company in a variety of forms via a web interface.
We are announcing, this week an investment of Euro 4m by Advent in the business. This has enabled the technology to be developed further, to grow the team and will enable Fizzback to go to market confidently.
Clients already using or trialling the service include: National Express, First Capital Connect, Bourne Leisure Group, one of the National Health Trusts and and many other major players in health, financial services and retail are in the process of signing up.
Fizzback offers a significantly improved way of brands obtaining unsolicited and valuable customer feedback. Its likely to make a big impact on those companies striving for greater customer loyalty and improved customer experience.
Working with entrepreneurs and world-class venture capital firms to create and build fast growing Internet services, eCommerce and Digital Media businesses.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Giving customers a real voice
Posted by Unknown at 11:33 am No comments:
This biz moves me ..and could move you too!
About September last year, Frederic Court of Advent asked me to meet an interesting company. The business, called 'The Moving Service' was much more than initally met the eye. Mark Cunningham and Keith McNeilly who know the consumer data market inside out have been developing the idea for a while.
Moving home is one of the most traumatic events in people's lives.
The proposition is simple: moveme.com makes it easy - and saves money in the process.
These days one needs to write about 27 different letters informing service providers (banks, credit cards, utlities, local councils etc) of change of address. Moveme does all of that. You need to get a new residents parking permit, find and organise the removal company. Moveme does that too. Get your mail re-directed .... yes, that too. etc etc.
The databases sitting behind the planner which moveme provides are extensive and have taken many months and an intimate knowledge of the moving process to construct.
What a simple and brilliant idea - all free to the customer.
Its also refreshing to see a new web business whose business model and revenue sources are so clearly defined and so large. U-Switch is proof of just one of the streams.
There are 3.4m house moves made in the UK alone - each year.
Accelerator and Advent have been joined by Brent Hoberman in seeding moveme and a series A will be underway soon.
If you are planning to move house anytime soon, sign up at www.moveme.com and see what I'm excited about. Of course, the site is in beta and comments for improvements will be consumed with relish!
Posted by Unknown at 10:40 am 1 comment:
Building a Business for the long term
I have been meaning to do a post on Jonathan Klein and Getty Images for some time. Its unusual to have a a kid brother as a hero but what Jonathan has done with Getty is a great example to anyone setting out to build a sustainable, valuable and widely respected business.
He and Mark Getty started out 13 years ago with an idea to build a global, sustainable business for the long term. A rare ambition these days. Most seek an 'exit' within 5.
Jonathan was the youngest ever director of Hambros Bank and Mark was part of his team.
They had no idea what kind of business it would be but had some clear criteria. Global potential, large margins, owning core assets (preferably intellectual property).
They saw that the digital age would herald a fundamental change in the way that imagery would be stored and distributed and set about acquiring stock-photo libraries. Starting in London with Tony Stone Images in 1995, they made dozens of acquisitions, integrating and consolidating and digitising the images as they went.
Getty Images is what has resulted.
Jonathan moved the company to Seattle some 6 years ago following the acquisition of Photodisc in Seattle and the company's listing on Nasdaq. Today it is listed on the NYSE and is valued at over $3bn. The stock has been volatile but not the company's earnings which have increased steadily every year.
Today, gettyimages.com serves an average of 3.2 billion thumbnails, 7.3 million visits and 4 million unique users in addition to an average of 175 million page views each month. Nearly 100 percent of the company's visual content is delivered digitally.
Financial Facts
NYSE ticker symbol:
Revenues (FY 2006):
$807.3 million
Earnings per share (FY 2006):
$2.10 (fully diluted)
Net income (FY 2006):
$129.5 million
So much for the dry facts, but this is a personal post. One about Jonathan and the kind of business he has built. His vision is clear. His communication of that vision internally and externally is equally so. With a string of awards and a company which is universally admired, he has done a remarkable job.
The recent acquisition activity marks a restatement of intent following a difficult period where the street had marked Getty down as 'ex growth' and the share price had taken a whack.
I expect to see more from Jonathan and Getty!
Posted by Unknown at 9:43 am 4 comments:
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Saul joins Index
It was announced today that Saul Klein has joined Index as a venture partner. Saul and Danny Rimer go back a long way since his Firefly days (back in 1996). They share the enthusiasm for European technology start-ups and the belief that very strong ideas are coming out of this part of the world. There is a vibrant , active and professional set of VCs and experienced angels available to support European entrepreneurs.
In some respects, the outward looking, international and multi-lingual European entrepreneurs have advantages over their US counterparts and I'd expect more 'Skypes' to come out of Europe in the coming years.
Now the hard bit ....of course, I declare my bias up front, but must add that Saul has extra-ordinary vision and his partnership with Index should be a powerful combination.
Read his thoughts on linking up with Index on his blog.
In some respects, the outward looking, international and multi-lingual European entrepreneurs have advantages over their US counterparts and I'd expect more 'Skypes' to come out of Europe in the coming years.
Now the hard bit ....of course, I declare my bias up front, but must add that Saul has extra-ordinary vision and his partnership with Index should be a powerful combination.
Read his thoughts on linking up with Index on his blog.
Posted by Unknown at 9:47 pm No comments:
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depending on the fontface you use, this is how people perceive you:
i am a lover of Verdana, particularly the way it looks when it's small. in fact, i wish it scaled up instead of just morphing into a totally different font somewhere around 10pt.
but i digress. Verdana didn't fare so well in this study. people seem to perceive its unseen users as dull. but, like me, before you despair that people don't perceive you as the person you think you are, note that these same 561 people picked Times New Roman as the best font for all things webtext. so, YMMV.


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Kardashian and West sue over leaked proposal vid
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are suing a co-founder of YouTube over a video of their marriage proposal that was posted online.
The lawsuit filed Thursday claims Chad Hurley violated a confidentiality agreement when he posted the fuzzy footage of the lavish proposal on his new web venture, MixBit.
The 2 1/2 minute video captured West's Oct. 21 proposal to Kardashian at San Francisco's AT&T Park and the ensuring celebration.
The lawsuit states West contracted with a producer to film the event for possible broadcast on E! Entertainment Television, home to his fiancee's hit show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."
Kardashian and West are seeking unspecified damages from Hurley and his company, Avos Systems Inc.
A message sent through MixBit seeking comment from Hurley was not immediately returned.


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Well, just when I'd been griping about the gaping holes in Revolutionary War historiography, some great news comes along. Savas-Beatie is bringing out a detailed work on Saratoga. Like SB's Yorktown volume, this latest offering is the product of years of research in both archives and on the ground by a former National Park Service scholar.
This is a publisher that knows how to find and nurture good, solid manuscripts. They recently published the late Edward Cunningham's acclaimed Shiloh dissertation, which I highly recommend. The forthcoming Saratoga book looks to be another must-read.


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Now I'm sure for anyone reading this, this is probably a very easy task to accomplish. For someone as inexperienced with Java as myself, it has proven quite difficult:
use the Remainder operator (%) to tell Joe what exact change he has, example: for $12.35 you would have a ten, a toonie, a quarter, and a dime. This may require a loop within a loop and a little bit of problem solving to figure out!**
The actual change value is $11.18. I know that this is obviously one ten dollar bill, a loonie, a dime, a nickel, and three pennies. My problem is that I have no idea what formulas and whatnot to put into the computer so that it outputs "Joe's Change: and then the different change types indivually. Please keep your answers as simple as possible, as I am REALLY new, and it will look pretty weird in my code if there's a fifty line super high level block of code I obviously didn't write
Thanks in advance!


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Professional Opportunities
Teacher of Social Studies
History is an approved major for students wishing to become Elementary School teachers or Middle or High School Social Studies teachers. Students interested in becoming teachers should meet with the History Department Chair to plan their program as soon as possible in their academic career. They should also consult with the office of the Dean of Education (Carman B-33, 718-960-4972) for the latest information on state requirements for teacher certification.
Other Career Opportunities
History majors frequently enter careers in areas such as education, law, politics, business, library work, and government. History students who wish to discuss career opportunities or advanced studies in graduate school should consult with the Department Chair.
Useful Links
- Careers in Public History (American Historical Society guide to careers in museums, historical societies, archives, and the government)
- Teaching History (A "National History Teaching Clearinghouse")
- History as a Profession (AHA guide to job prospects for History Ph.D.s)
- CUNY Ph.D. Program in History


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Here is a review of this book: "Allelluia Haitian Chants of Hope and Faith: Praise to Thee, O Lord, King of Eternal Glory... is a listing of the most requested songs or hymns on ChandesperansOnline.com. It is the web site users' and authors' selections of their favorite hymns from the famous Chants d'esperance Francais et Creoles Haitiens. The authors of this release grew up singing these songs in the church and parochial schools they attended. They are songs such as "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" -"Quel Ami Fidele et Tendre Nous Avons en Jesus-Christ," "Quel Repos, Quel Repos" - "It is Well, It is Well...," etc. This book is a personal affair for the authors as they share their love of singing in French and Haitian creole..."
Sing along with Haitian Children! Canten con los chicos Haitianos. This compilation is for those who want to sing along with Haitian Children at christian venues, outreach mission trips, schools, churches and elsewhere. Some of the songs are short choruses...
Start playing some of these choruses on your guitar or piano and the Haitian children will follow you. They will sing with you. All throughout the country, these songs are are sung in most churches or revival centers.
These are songs I used to sing with the children of my Sunday school class. L'ecole du Dimanche or Sunday school can be a lot of fun with the right selection of songs.
Just in case you are interested in having more songs, here is a new book of choruses, short Haitian hymns, Lullaby and Play songs published on this link:
Ala Ou Gran! Ala Ou Gran! How great thou art! How great thou art! Popular Haitian Children's Choruses, Lullaby, Haitian Creole and French Church Hymns, and Other Play Songs
You can purchase this book from Barnes and Noble's PubIt now
You can buy this book at Amazon Kindle Store now
Canten con los Chicos Haitianos! Sing along with Haitian Children by getting a copy of this new 10-song CD for your youth group, sunday school and church activities.
Haitian Children's Choruses, Church Songs and Bonus Pack CD
Product ID: 3064
Product Name: Haitian Chants of Hope
Buy Now From CCNow
Product ID: 3068
Product Name: Most Popular Haitian Children's Choruses, Church and Play Songs
Buy Now From CCNow
Canten con los Chicos Haitianos! Sing along with Haitian Children by getting a copy of this new 10-song CD for your youth group, sunday school and church activities.