text:
Game Shooting in the UK or Shame Shooting. Every year around 35 million non native, factory farmed pheasants and partridges are imported into the UK. They are sold to the 300 game shooting estates, an industry that is reported to be worth £1.6 billion to the economy. "One for the pot" is a myth. Many more birds are released each year than the demand for "game" from consumers with around half of the birds never getting within sight of a gun. Far from the claim that they will live a natural wildlife, whilst breeding to support the native population next year; the truth is they die from predation, exposure, starvation and traffic collision. Many of the birds that are shot are simply "tossed" into mass graves after the shoot.
'Game' birds are anything but free range and organic as the Countryside Alliance's claim; Birds are kept in cages so small it would be illegal to raise chickens in them. They are artificially bred and reared for release prior to the shooting season, at the expense of other wildlife, including protected species such as Birds of prey, otters and badgers.
Investigation exposed the shocking conditions the birds are bred in. Breeding units cause stress. Most birds are artificially incubated although broody hens may still be used to hatch the young in smaller rearing units. Incubator-hatched chicks are transferred to a brooder system, where they're densely stocked and kept warm for the first few days under artificial heat, essential warmth that is provided in nature by the mother's sheltering wings. Many rearing units can hold up to one thousand birds. Chicks are so stressed they resort to feather pecking and cannibalism. To control this, they are fitted with bits. These mutilate the birds and prevent their beaks from closing.
The majority of birds are imported into the UK as one day old chicks. In September Brittany Ferries announced that they would no longer carry the chicks into the UK and this was supported in early October when P&O Ferries also banned the practice following some targeted campaigning by the League. In August, when the birds are some eight to ten weeks of age, they are sold to shoots. Gamekeepers will call to "feed" before releasing them into the countryside.
In the UK, the game bird shooting season begins on 1st October and continues until the 1st February 2016. Grouse are also considered as game birds.
The most common type of game bird shoot is "driven shooting" where beaters drive the birds towards a line of stationary guns. The BASC state; "This form of shooting is much more formal than simply walking with your dog. On the shoot day, a team of shooters, or 'Guns', line out at numbered pegs. Meanwhile, under the gamekeeper's instructions, a group of beaters and their dogs move through areas of woodland or covert, flushing the game ahead of them. The aim is to get the birds to break cover and fly high over the line of 'Guns' to provide sporting shots. The shot game is retrieved quickly by a picker-up who sends his/her trained gun dog to where the shot game falls.
The claims of the BASC and Countryside Alliance of the quick collection of shot birds are shown to be false in the video, where the 'gun' obviously ignores the injured birds, including some that have fallen into the nearby river and are drowning. No attempt is made to retrieve them at all. This "Gun" is as inaccurate as he is irresponsible. It is a "shooting frenzy", not the controlled event as the BASC claim.
Most "Guns", use a shotgun with a 12 or 20 bore. Some can pay up to £1,000 a day to take part in an organised hunt. With no mandatory firearm training requirement in the UK, many birds die lingering deaths, as seen in the video, after being shot by inaccurate and/or inexperienced shooters.
In addition, hundreds of tonnes of highly toxic lead shot are discharged into the countryside environment each year. This not only contaminates rivers, lakes and soil but enters the food chain when ingested by predators that feed on shot birds carcasses.
The Save Me Trust believe that game bird shooting, along with other blood sports should be stopped and made illegal.


text:
This item is temporarily out of stock. However, we can notify you as soon as this product becomes available.
Thank you
We have received your request and you will be notified as soon as this product becomes available.
In order to keep our prices as low as possible, all CreateForLess order subtotals must be at least $10. This helps us save on labor costs when packing your order so we can extend the savings to you!
Description: My First ColorBox Dye Ink Pads are washable, kid-friendly inkpads perfect for hours of stamping fun. They come in unique stackable cases that snap securely together. The base of the case is the ink color for easy sorting. This spill-safe recessed inkpad has ink that can be easily cleaned up with soap and water. Use on washable surfaces only. Non-toxic. Washable. Size is approximately 3 1/4 x 2 1/4 x 3/4 inch. Blue.
1Orders placed must have a minimum subtotal of $10. More Info.
Review this product and Enter
to Win a $100 shopping spree!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Washington — Struggling to escape the heat of the midday sun, survivors of Typhoon Bopha scavenged whatever debris they could to build makeshift shelters across storm-ravaged provinces of the southern Philippines.
From the coastal communities of Boston and Cateel in Davao Oriental province to the inland town of New Bataan in Compostela Valley province, little remained standing from the 120-mph winds and flash flooding of Dec. 4 that left more than 700 dead and almost 900 missing across the island of Mindanao.
Jennifer Hardy, regional information officer for Asia for Catholic Relief Services, told Catholic News Service on Tuesday that emergency workers and aid agencies were having a difficult time reaching isolated communities along the coast a week after the storm because the destruction was so severe.
"People have a lot of unmet needs," Hardy said from the city of Tagam after touring the coastal region Monday. "The biggest need is emergency shelter. People are trying to piece together ramshackle shelter from the debris.
"The people are out in the sun all day. There's a lack of shade. I saw people lined up next to a power pole, a whole family of six people in a row, to stand in the shade of that pole because it is so hot in the sun," she said.
In interviews with survivors, Hardy said people described harrowing experiences in which emergency shelters were destroyed and, despite the howling wind, people could hear the sound of the trees in coconut groves snapping.
"The scenery on the hillsides looks very similar to a forest fire in the United States west. The only things left standing is the trunk of a tree. If they are not broken off, then all the branches are gone," she said.
In New Bataan, a city surrounded by banana plantations in the fertile Compostela Valley, a massive mudslide took out thousands of homes, schools and government buildings. Even evacuation shelters were damaged or destroyed, said Hardy, who visited the city Saturday and Sunday.
"There's mud everywhere," she said.
In one neighborhood, Hardy described a scene of utter destruction as homes were buried under mud and boulders swept down from the surrounding mountains by floodwater,
"The homes that were not hit by the mudslide, they're pretty severely damaged. Some people are camping out in their homes. Others are staying in evacuation centers. For the homes hit by the mudslide, you can't even tell the home was even there."
Hardy also recalled a conversation with 6-year-old Maria Leon, who was in an evacuation center with her father, Olimpio. The storm claimed the lives of the girl's grandparents and several cousins.
"She's pretty shy. But she did talk about wondering when she will be able to go back to school because her school was knocked down by the mudslide," Hardy said.
Olimpio Leon was concerned about getting sleeping mats so that he and his daughter would not have to sleep on mud-caked concrete floors, made worse by the constant in-and-out of evacuees.
"They honestly have nothing left. They escaped with the clothes on their back," she said.
Catholic Relief Services planned to begin distributing sleeping mats, cooking utensils, food and water Dec. 13. Hardy said CRS workers were coordinating aid delivery with other agencies.
Hardy said the situation in the rural communities was far different from last December's Typhoon Washi, which left 1,200 dead in flash flooding in parts of Cagayan de Oro, a city of 602,000 in northern Mindanao.
"Here it's so spread out," she said. "There are very rural areas. I just don't know how that's going to shake out in trying to get aid to tiny, spread-out towns."
Meanwhile, the United Nations said Dec. 10 it needed to raise an additional $65 million for storm survivors, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News.
Luisa Carvalho, U.N. resident coordinator in Manila, said an initial $35.5 million had been requested to support relief and rehabilitation but that the extra funding was needed to help those worst affected -- nearly half a million people -- in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental provinces.
The government has allocated $195.3 million for the early recovery effort.
"Health problems are growing in addition to the fact that we need to address their food needs," said Gov. Arturo Uy of Compostela Valley.
About 70 percent of the people in Compostela Valley have been affected by the disaster, he said.
More than 1,900 people were injured because of the typhoon, which caused an estimated $171 million in damage, said the Philippine government.


text:
TheLogan wrote:I had just completed a level and when returning to town i was sent to the login screen with the text "This account was logged in on another computer"
I havnt changed computers and i havnt shared my password with anyone, so i suppose its a bug, i had just completed the frozen wasteland (i think thats what its called anyway) with a monk
I have experienced the same problem two times. I have the 10 dollar beta version of the game.
Please fix this.


text:
Los Angeles Elects its First Jewish Mayor
by JNS.org
Eric Garcetti will be the first elected Jewish mayor in the history of Los Angeles after winning 54 percent of the vote in a race decided early Wednesday morning.
Garcetti, a 42-year-old Democratic city councilman whose mother is of Russian Jewish descent and whose father is Mexican American, defeated city controller Wendy Greuel.
National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) Chair Marc R. Stanley said in a statement that NJDC is "extraordinarily proud that Garcetti is the first Jewish American elected to serve as the mayor of America's second largest city."
"Garcetti has a distinguished record of public service along with strong ties to the city. We wish him and his family a hearty mazal tov," Stanley said.
The eclectic Garcetti has acted on television shows including All My Children and The Closer, in addition to being a Rhodes Scholar and serving for eight years in military intelligence for U.S. Navy Reserves.


text:
Happy Trails Stuffed Animal
Happy Trails Stuffed Animal
Product Description
- Recommended Ages: 2 Years And Up
- Measurements: 29.5 Length/Inches, 13 Width/Inches
- Care: Spot Clean
- Country of Origin: Imported
Shipping & Returns
Convenient Shipping Options
Not available at your store? We can ship to you directly or to your favorite JCP location.
Easy Returns
Shop with confidence. Read our full, common sense


text:
2020's hottest home-based business opportunities - Register now!
Celebrate Earth Day with this Kid-Friendly Project!
By Liz Fulcher, RA, CMT
April 22, 2012 is Earth Day and the perfect time to introduce children as young as three years of age to the concept of keeping our planet healthy. Letting them make something as simple, fun and safe as an organic cleaning scrub can be a fun way to disguise a lesson in green living, aromatherapy and botany — all in one!
If you have kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, or you're in charge of other people's kids at a daycare or school, this aromatic project will easily fill an hour of time.
The ingredients are inexpensive, natural and kid-friendly. Cleanup is easy and afterward the kitchen or classroom will really smell great.
One morning last year when my grandson Bean was three, we did this project and he just loved it. His Mom was thrilled, too, when he presented her with the aromatic soft scrub he had made all by himself (well, almost)!
Here is the recipe I used with my grandson along with some suggestions to make the activity fun and educational:
- 1 C Baking Soda (Arm & Hammer or Bob's Red Mill…both are aluminum-free)
- 4 Tablespoons of Organic Liquid Castile Soap (like Dr. Bronners)
- 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
- 15 drops of organic Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)
- 15 drops of organic Scotch Pine essential oil (Pinus sylvestris)
- 15 drops of organic Spike Lavender essential oil (Lavendula latifolia)
- Labels and fine point markers
- If possible, an orange, a bit of a pine tree branch and some lavender flowers.
- Camera
- Big bowl, spatula, wide-mouth 16 ounce container
1. Measure out the baking soda and let your child pour it into the big bowl. Children tend to lean down into everything so remind them to keep their heads back to avoid the fine powder puffing up into their faces.
2. Get your camera. Now let them slowly pour the vinegar over the baking soda and catch the great faces they make as they experience the dramatic fizz that occurs when these two substances meet!
3. Add the liquid castile soap.
4. Open the bottle of orange essential oil. Invite them to sniff it from the bottle or on a tissue. Pick up your orange (fruit) and talk about how essential oil is formed inside the skin and how clever Mother Nature is to give us something that smells so good and also keeps us healthy. Let them drop the essential oil in while counting out loud…one…two…three, etc. When working with small children, please supervise closely because getting any of these essential oils in the eyes or nostrils will burn. If that happens, use olive oil to remove the essential oil, rather than water.
5. Now open the bottle of lavender essential oil for them to smell. Pick up the lavender flowers and talk about how the oil is formed inside the flowers, and tell them about how this oil can not only kill germs but it also helps us feel calm when we are scared or having a bad day. Have them add drops of this oil to the batch.
6. Do the same thing with your Scotch Pine, using words like "fresh" or "woodsy" to help give them language around aromas. You might want to say something about how great a Christmas pine tree smells or a walk in the forest and that this oil will not only kill harmful germs but helps us breath better, too. They can drop that into the batch as well.
7. Finally, let the child stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and creamy. If it's too dry you can add a shot of castile soap or vinegar. The soft scrub should have the consistency of icing.
8. Spoon the soft scrub into your 16 ounce container and add a label with the child's name and date. Let them make up a clever Earth Day name!
Finally, I suggest you let the child actually use their new creation. Put a blob of the scrub on a sponge and let them rub it around the inside of the sink so they can experience the aroma and texture and see how well it cleans the sink.
Be sure to have fun with this; play some nice background music and let them know how using natural things can help every person and animal on the planet for a long, long time.
Oh, and please let me know if you figure out a way to keep them having that kind of enthusiasm for cleaning well into their teenage years!
Liz Fulcher, CA, RA, is a Clinical Aromatherapist and Aromatherapy Educator who offers classes in essential oils throughout the year at her school, Aromatic Wisdom Institute which includes a NAHA-approved 235-Hour Aromatherapy Certification Program.
To learn more about Liz, click here to visit her web-site: Aromatic Wisdom Institute
Click here to purchase Liz's NAHA Teleconference Presentation: Learn How to Make and Use Essential Oil SoulCollage Cards.
Would you like to contribute an article for a future NAHA E-newsletter? Click here to download the Writer's Guidelines.


text:
BALI, Indonesia — For the past eight years, Internet "stakeholders" from governments, nonprofit and activist organizations and the technology industry have gathered at the United Nations-sponsored Internet Governance Forum to talk about Internet policy issues such as child protection, free speech, privacy and freedom of online speech. And last week, about 2,000 people gathered in Bali to continue the conversation.
This is the fourth IGF I've attended. In previous years, the United States had the moral high ground when it came to issues of openness, freedom of expression and protection against unwarranted privacy intrusions, especially from governments. But Edward Snowden's revelations about the National Security Agency's surveillance tactics has become a major subtext at this year's conference.
In her remarks at the opening session, Lynn St. Amour, the CEO of the Internet Society, condemned the government's surveillance as "a cloud over all our efforts" that undermines the trust people have in the Internet.
And in an interview, Thomas Gass, the U.N. assistant secretary-general for economic and social affairs, talked about the need to rebuild trust in the Internet. In addition to his concern about NSA surveillance on U.S. citizens and foreign governments, he worries that other countries will try to set up "similar surveillance systems or protection systems against the surveillance." Like others who expressed concern, Gass acknowledged that "we know the U.S. is not the only country that has been doing this."
In a session on big data, Alexandrine Pirlot of Privacy International criticized the NSA for collecting data without a specific purpose or the knowledge and consent of the people who's data is being collected.
Marie Georges, an adviser to the Council of Europe, warned that if that kind of government surveillance continues, "people will be very afraid to use any kind of information technology."
Of course, there were plenty of other issues also discussed at IGF, including domain name policies, cybersecurity threats, network infrastructure technical issues and human rights, copyright and intellectual property concerns. However, by design, nothing was resolved. Attendees at the three-day conference don't make any binding decisions. The IGF is not a governing body, but simply a place for all stakeholders to discuss issues
I was there to speak on a couple of panels on digital citizenship for youth and one titled "Child Protection vs. the Rights of the Child" that explored whether efforts to protect children online might also restrict their rights of free speech.
I organized the workshop because — as a longtime Internet safety advocate — I've noticed the adult response to helping keep kids safe often involves some type of monitoring or filtering that can impact children's privacy or limit their ability to express themselves or access information.
Many schools, for example, block access to social media sites. And while parents and schools may have valid reasons to keep kids from looking at porn, the filters that block porn sometimes also block other types of content as well. And then there is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, a federal law that protects kids from revealing personal information to marketers, and keeps kids under 13 from accessing Facebook and other social media sites because the sites allow users to share information.
I'm all for finding ways to keep online children safe, but I thought it worth exploring the extent to which it's necessary to restrict their freedom in the name of privacy and safety. I'm not arguing that adults shouldn't supervise or restrict children's online activities. But when it comes to speech issues, I think it's worth pointing out that the First Amendment doesn't have an age test.
Contact Larry Magid at firstname.lastname@example.com. Listen for his technology chats on KCBS-AM (740) weekdays at 3:50 p.m.


text:
Latest News: EP6 could be one of the final updates we're doing for Minigore. It fixes some serious performance issues on iPad 2 & iPhone 4S and adds Bike Baron as a playable character. Content wise it's not a big update because our resources have been focused on getting Bike Baron & Minigore Zombies done.
Minigore Zombies is a completely new game which takes a few steps out of the dual-stick shooter genre by introducing melee combat. Technically it's much more advanced than Minigore and allows us to do thing which aren't possible on 1st gen devices. It's our most ambitious project to date with many moving parts.
It's our most ambitious project to date with many moving parts and it's also gonna be our next big release now that Bike Baron is out. Hopefully we can reach a similar reception with it!
PS. My last estimate was way off for the MZ release and that's exactly why I don't want to do any release estimates until the game is AT LEAST submitted ;)
Please no "when it's coming out?" questions :)


text:
Touted as the first graduation party of its kind, Willow Garage in Menlo Park gave a big sendoff Wednesday evening to 11 robots worth more than $4 million.
Marcus Chan/The Chronicle
With the song "Mr. Roboto" blaring in the background, the PR2s (Personal Robot 2) shook their bots in front of hundreds of attendees, who later got to touch — and, in some instances, dance — with the robots, which have a mobile base and arms that can react to being pushed or pulled. (I actually tugged on the arm a tad strong and it lunged at me.)
The PR2s will be shipped off to mostly academic institutions around the world, including the University of Tokyo and the University of Freiburg in Germany. Locally, Stanford University and UC Berkeley are recipients of the robots.
The program is part of Willow Garage's effort to "get robots out of factories and into the real world," said Steve Cousins, president and CEO of Willow Garage. By "real world," Cousins means homes or other environments where personal robotics can assist in everyday life, such as folding laundry or helping seniors lift heavy objects.
Each PR2 comes pre-installed with Willow Garage's free and open-source software platform, ROS.
By providing the PR2s to these institutions for free for two years, Willow Garage hopes to accelerate robotics research and development. As a condition of the program, participants will share their research so the robotics community may build on it.
Cousins said the startup may sell some robots later this year (Willow Garage also has the Texai telepresence robot), but generating revenues isn't the immediate focus. Rather, the emphasis is on seeding the robotics industry now with the hope of "catching some of the long-term exponential growth," Cousins said.
As for when we might see any explosive growth in this industry, Eric Berger, co-director of the personal robotics program, said it's often been said that it's 10 years off. He said he's sticking with that.
In the meantime, here's a quick video of the robot graduation.


text:
Hello everyone!
I am from Dianbai District of Maoming City, located on west Guangdong Province of China.
My mother tongue is a kind of Min dialect called "loi ue"(黎話).
Glad to discuss with you all on the languages.
Hello I am from Dianbai
Discussions on the Hokkien (Minnan) language.
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
Re: Hello I am from Dianbai
I am very interested in your language 黎話. Are you able to understand 海話 as well? Are the two languages very close?
2 posts • Page 1 of 1


text:
Wendy Davis announces run for governor of Texas
Sen. Wendy Davis announced Thursday that she will run for Texas governor, disclosing her plans via email before taking the stage at the Wiley G. Thomas Jr. Coliseum, where she picked up her high school diploma more than three decades ago.
"We love Texas not only for how good it is, but for how great we know it can be," said Davis, D-Fort Worth. "With the right kind of leadership, the great state of Texas will keep its sacred promise that where you start has nothing to do with how far you can go." she added.
Davis, 50, rocketed to national fame this summer with her filibuster against tighter abortion restrictions, stoking the hopes of Democrats who haven't won statewide office in Texas since 1994.
She has raised more than $1 million from inside and outside Texas. She will need $30million or, more likely, $40 million to compete against the expected GOP nominee, Attorney General Greg Abbott. Abbott at last report had more than $20 million for his campaign.
Abbott told the Associated Press Thursday that Davis wants to impose a "liberal extreme" agenda if elected governor and predicted she won't win over female Texas voters that the state senator is counting on in her underdog bid to become governor in 2014.
Opposition to her campaign, even before she formally announced, was visible outside the venue Thursday. A group of protesters outside the auditorium held signs including, "No to Wendy, No to Murder."
U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has expressed confidence that raising such money wouldn't be a problem for Davis. While Davis rode her abortion filibuster to fame, it's clear her message in her race for governor will be broader, including education and economic development.
Abortion is part of her overall focus on women's health care. Republicans are uniform in their focus on the abortion issue, confident they have Texans on their side.
Twitter: @pfikac


text:
Success Stories
†Results vary depending on starting point, goals, and effort.
P90X will shatter your concept of home fitness. Using the advanced science of Muscle Confusion, P90X is a well-organized training system that shows you how and when to change your routine for maximum results. So your body keeps changing throughout the 90 days and beyond.90-Day Money Back Guarantee (less s&h)
P90X Muscle Confusion Never plateau
Here's the true secret of how P90X works: Muscle Confusion. P90X uses targeted training phases so your body keeps adapting and growing. You'll never "plateau"—which means your body will never get used to the routines, making improvements slow down or even stop.
- Short training cycles constantly challenge your muscles with variety and intensity.
- P90X maximizes fat burning and muscle sculpting in different ways every day.
- No plateau effect means each phase of P90X is as effective as the first.
About Tony Horton, Creator of P90X
Elite trainer Tony Horton has spent over 20 years developing his expertise in all areas of fitness. His skills and knowledge led him to create P90X, now the #1 best-selling home fitness program in America.
- The "Master of Motivation," Tony uses encouragement, humor, and discipline to transform anyone's body.
- Tony's clientele includes movie stars, professional athletes, and ordinary people who want extraordinary bodies.
- Working out with P90X is like having Tony as your own personal trainer.
Consult your physician and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program.
All trademarks, products, and service names are the property of their respective owners.


text:
Feature Articles
- ‹ Prev
- Next ›
What's an MXM SLI?
What's an MXM SLI?
As we already know, the MXM graphics module is NVIDIA's answer to discrete graphics integration in notebooks. The MXM is essentially a scaled down PCI Express interface which attempts to be a standard interconnect for discrete graphics solution used in notebooks. MXM is an initiative by NVIDIA, so it's natural that you'll find only MXM modules based on NVIDIA's GeForce Go GPUs.
MXM has many benefits and its flexibility will obviously help notebook manufacturers offer systems with various kinds of graphics. Besides that, MXM will also allow graphics upgradeability in a notebook as it has done away with proprietary graphics interfaces. The MXM electromechanical specification also detailed the size of the MXM module along with its retention mechanism and cooling requirements. All these standards have made it possible for notebook manufacturers to adopt MXM as the standard graphics interface for their notebooks and obviously reducing the manufacturer's development time. In fact, according to NVIDIA, MXM is an open standard and ATI is free to use its specifications as well.
Now, what is MXM SLI then? Well, as its name implies, it's SLI using two MXM modules - it's that simple. It seems that MSI has found a way to put two MXM modules together in an SLI configuration without the need for any complicated hardware modifications on the MXM modules. As we found out, MXM SLI is just as simple as putting two MXM modules together.
Here's a quick preview of MSI's prototype MXM SLI card which will be showcased at CES 2006 :-
- ‹ Prev
- Next ›


text: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica (ex Kauffmann and Edwards) Le Minor and Popoff serovar Typhimurium (ATCC® 700720™) Click here to learn about our Enhanced Authentication Initiative Strain Designations: LT2 / Type Strain: no / Biosafety Level: 2 General Information Characteristics Culture Method History Documentation Print Email Share Share this product Facebook Twitter Google+ Permits and Restrictions View Permits Deposited As Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis (Smith) Weldin serotype Typhimurium Verified By Whole-genome Sequencing Strain Designations LT2 Application Emerging infectious disease research Isolation Unknown -- wild type strain isolated from a natural source, 1948 Biosafety Level 2 Biosafety classification is based on U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines, it is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that their facilities comply with biosafety regulations for their own country. Antigenic Properties I 4,5,12:i:1,2 Product Format freeze-dried Storage Conditions Frozen: -80°C or colderFreeze-Dried: 2°C to 8°CLive Culture: See Propagation Section Preceptrol® no Genome Sequenced Strain Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2, complete genome. Type Strain no Antigenic Properties I 4,5,12:i:1,2 Comments Genome sequenced strain Medium ATCC® Medium 3: Nutrient agar or nutrient broth Growth Conditions Temperature: 37°CAtmosphere: Aerobic Name of Depositor KE Sanderson Isolation Unknown -- wild type strain isolated from a natural source, 1948 References Lilleengen K. Typing Salmonella typhimurium by means of bacteriophage. Acta Pathol. Microbiol. Scand. Suppl. 77: 1-125, 1948. Zinder ND, Lederberg J. Genetic exchange in Salmonella . J. Bacteriol. 64: 679-699, 1952. PubMed: 12999698 Judicial Commission of the Internat. The type species of the genus Salmonella Lignieres 1900 is Salmonella enterica (ex Kauffmann and Edwards 1952) Le Minor and Popoff 1987, with the type strain LT2T, and conservation of the epithet enterica in Salmonella enterica over all earlier epithets that may be applied to this species. Opinion 80. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 55: 519-520, 2005. PubMed: 15653929 Tindall BJ, et al. Nomenclature and taxonomy of the genus Salmonella. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 55: 521-524, 2005. PubMed: 15653930 Kenneth E Sanderson, personal communication Cross References Nucleotide (GenBank) : AE006468 Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2, complete genome. Permits These permits may be required for shipping this product: Customers located in the state of Hawaii will need to contact the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to determine if an Import Permit is required. A copy of the permit or documentation that a permit is not required must be sent to ATCC in advance of shipment. Basic Documentation Product Sheet Certificate of Analysis SDS FAQs Accessing genome sequencing dataDate Updated: 9/30/2019 Criteria for reference quality genomesDate Updated: 9/30/2019


text:
08 January 2013 | News | By BioSpectrum Bureau
QIAsymphony RGQ automated platform to soon get diagnostic kits, which are co-developed by IntelligentMDx and Qiagen
Singapore: US-based IntelligentMDx collaborated with Qiagen to design, develop and manufacture several undisclosed CE-marked and FDA-cleared diagnostic tests for use on Qiagen's flagship QIAsymphony RGQ automated platform. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed yet. Qiagen has retained the rights to assume manufacturing of the assays, pursuant to volume considerations.
IntelligentMDx's innovative assay development process uses proprietary bioinformatics platform, which allows for efficient design of robust and accurate diagnostics that can be formatted for a variety of real-time PCR platforms.
QIAsymphony is a novel and flexible laboratory workflow automation system for molecular testing that incorporates all workflow steps from biological sampling-to-result generation. This new and complete workflow solution is comprised of modules that can be used either as stand-alone systems or combined into the fully integrated QIAsymphony RGQ system. Through this system, Qiagen provides laboratories with a platform that maximizes their efficiency in the emerging field of molecular diagnostics.
Qiagen is developing a broad range of tests for use on this system. The menu includes infectious disease assays, genetics assays and in particular, companion diagnostics (CDx) that are used to guide the use of medicines in treating patients. QIAGEN markets a menu of more than 20 assays for use on the QIAsymphony system in Europe.
"A key element to improving patient care is ensuring clinical labs have access to the widest range of reliable diagnostic test options for their instrumentation of choice," says Dr Alice Jacobs Nesselrodt, chairman and CEO, IntelligentMDx. "We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to combine the strengths of IntelligentMDx and Qiagen in order to make new tests available globally to labs utilizing the QIAsymphony RGQ."


text:
How to Register
How to Register
Training classes for attorneys and their staff will be held at the Court's divisional offices in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Durham. Please complete the registration form below:
If you are a registered ECF user in another District, you DO NOT have to attend Training. Please fill out the Registration Form and mail it to the court. Please indicate on the form the districts in which you are registered. The attorney must sign the Registration Form. Upon receipt of your form, we will e-mail you a training database login and password and a short assignment. Upon completion of the assignment, we will check your entries and assign you a login and password to our live database.
Attorneys attending a training class should fill out the Registration Form and mail it to the court before the date of the class. Also before attending the class, please review the Technology Requirements for using CM/ECF and our Administrative Guide for ECF.
Each attendee MUST be registered individually.
PLEASE make certain of the date you wish to attend. Changing classes after Registration involves calling Amanda Waite or Matt Brittain at the court and re-registering for a new class, which will be subject to availability.
Limited Use Participants
Currently the Court is not issuing logins for "Limited Use Participants" such as creditors.
NOTE: Use of the CM/ECF system is limited to authorized users. As indicated in the Attorney/Participant Registration Form signed by all registered users, the combination of an authorized password and user identification constitutes the participant's "signature" of any documents that are submitted electronically through the CM/ECF system. Passwords should not be shared with unauthorized users, as only the authorized attorney/participant will be deemed to have signed the pleading for purposes of Fed. R. Bankr. Pro. 9011. If there is any reason to suspect that your password has been compromised in any way, it is your responsibility to immediately notify the Court so that the password can be changed.


text:
Ubisoft Shanghai's upcoming adventure/survival game I Am Alive sure does look cool. Back when I saw the game a few months ago, I was impressed, with its gritty realism, and how it recalled Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Just the other day, Stephen checked it out and was equally impressed.
The video above walks you through the basics of survival in the game, where climbing is vital, yet it is important to keep an eye on your stamina at all times.
I Am Alive will be available digitally on March 7th.


text:
Charlize Theron is done playing naive young women on screen.
The Oscar-winner revealed she is still approached to take on those types of roles, despite her age (she's 34), but she has no interest in them.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Angelina! Cameron! Jen! Leading Ladies Of The Big Screen
"This package does not describe the center of my creamy goodness," she joked in Vogue's September 2009 issue.
And while young, fresh-faced muse roles aren't expected on the "Hancock" star's resume again, Charlize will continue to do something many young actresses are asked to do, but turn down – nudity.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood's Hottest Couples!
In the opening scene from her upcoming movie "The Burning Plane," which opens in September, Charlize doesn't have a speck of clothing on.
"That isn't about me," Charlize told the mag of disrobing on film. "I don't look at the movie and go, 'Jesus, my a** is really saggy.'"
And just as she's comfortable showing her naked body on screen, Charlize is at ease with sharing herself in interviews.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Charlize Theron
"I feel like I always reveal too much," she said. "There's something sexy about the mystery. I don't know how to play that card, though."
One of the things she revealed to Vogue is that she regularly feels pangs of guilt over things she's said.
"People tell me that cocaine makes you feel superhuman and you'll say anything. Then when you come down like all of a sudden you have guilt," she said. "But I have that feeling innately, even without the cocaine."
Her openness will no doubt help her in her future, which she said will likely include a host of children.
"I just know I'm going to have five boys," she said.
And it appears those kids will be fathered by her longtime beau, Stuart Townsend, 36, who she said she's sticking with.
"We've been together for almost nine years," she said of their relationship. "So by now we've kind of realized that we're going to take this journey together."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Charlize Theron Hits The 2009 World Football Challenge
PLAY IT NOW: Access Archives: Charlize Theron
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Charlize Theron - Movies - Celebrities - Couples


text:
Protesters urge hasty cleanup at abandoned chemical plant
This post is also available in: Inglés
Residents from a modest southeast Houston neighborhood pointed Sunday toward a lagoon of algae-covered water with a pungent chemical smell that filled the parking lot of an abandoned cleaning facility for chemical trucks. Only some weeds and a cyclone fence separate the facility from homes and a charter school.
CES Environmental Services Inc. at 4904 Griggs Road, a shuttered company that once generated as much as $8 million a year in revenue, filed for bankruptcy and shut its doors in 2010 after paying millions to resolve residential complaints and safety violations that caused explosions and allegedly killed a worker there, records show.
Today, a rusty "for sale" sign is staked in front of the dilapidated 8-acre facility, but what worries nearby residents is that a heavy downpour two weeks ago washed some of that stagnant pool down their streets and into their yards. A dirty pool still remained Sunday, despite days of scorching heat since the rain.
"The wastewater left a brown stain on my street. Some city employees came and took samples of the residue. We're supposed to get the results Monday," said Roselyn Johnson, who helped organize Sunday's protest. "That wastewater smelled horrible."
Johnson, who's disabled and suffers from a breathing disorder, chronic obstruction pulmonary disease, was joined by about 25 neighborhood protestors, many donning surgical masks and loudly chanting "Clean it up!"
Mary Moreno, spokeswoman for Texas Organizing Project that lent support to the low-income neighborhood, said, "Something like this would not happen in affluent areas like River Oaks. This is a classic case of environmental racism."
The truck-cleaning facility was built right up against homes in the South Union subdivision, within about a block of Houston's Hartsfield Elementary and a stone's throw from the Beatrice Mayes Institute charter school.
Residents said the site is now under the control of a bankruptcy trustee and that vacuum trucks were sent after the deluge to suck up some of the wastewater. Bulldozers were also used to form a makeshift dirt dike in an effort to contain any potential contaminants, but Moreno said residents want "more than just a Band-Aid."
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokesman Terry Clawson said his agency has been working with the bankruptcy trustee and Environmental Protection Agency to try to stabilise the site.
The bankruptcy trustee will address whether any contaminants still linger there, he said.
The former CEO of the facility, Matthew Bowman, could not be reached for comment.
Bowman has been embroiled in legal troubles with a number of facilities that he operated, including Port Arthur Environmental Services. He pleaded guilty in 2013 for occupational safety violations that killed an employee there. He was accused of mislabeling and illegally transporting chemicals there and was ordered to pay a fine and serve a year in prison.
During the 10 years the CES facility was in operation, Houston officials received more than 200 complaints about sickening odors wafting into the surrounding neighborhood. CES cleaned tanker trucks for refineries and chemical plants along the Houston Ship Channel, recycling oil and packaging waste for disposal.
Neighborhood residents now worry about leftover residue and how the state will secure the old discarded barrels and storage containers.
"I don't feel we should have to inhale this stuff," said Bobby Wyatt, another resident living near the site.
Jack Cunningham, a fast-food worker who rents a home across from the site, corralled his 2-year-old, saying he's afraid to let children play in his grassy front yard.
"Last week, when it rained, the smell made me nauseous," he added.
A 75-year-old retired housekeeper, Ray Whitmire, whose home shares a fence line with the facility, said he joined a class-action lawsuit against the facility. He said he received $5,000 about 2 1/2 years ago.
"They also promised that they were going to clean it up. But I still smell it all the time," Whitmire said, adding that many of his former neighbors have died of cancer and he wonders if there's a connection to the facility.


text:
Estee Lauder just reported a great quarter. Revenue grew 10 percent to $9.71 billion. And thanks to expanding profit margins, earnings per share jumped 23 percent to $2.27.
Areas of strength included skin care and makeup which jumped 14 percent and 10 percent respectively.
That's great for Estee Lauder whose shares are surging.
But this may reflect deterioratoin in the U.S. economy.
Years ago, Leonard Lauder argued that during difficult economic times, women will increase purchases of lipstick and makeup and decrease purchases of higher priced goods like shoes and handbags. This phenomenon became known as the "lipstick indicator."
Earlier this year, a team of psychologists tied the lipstick indicator phenomenon to mating psychology. Basically, during recessions the number of quality mates who offer financial security decrease. And the results of four separate experiments showed that women were likely to increase purchases of lipstick, perfume, and other products that might enhance their sex appeal.
If you buy into this indicator, then you might be concerned with the economy.
SEE ALSO: The 36 Sexiest, Tastiest, Creepiest And Craziest Economic Indicators In The World >


text:
DEVON, England – When foodies think of Devon, the boskily beautiful county in the southwest of England, the first thought that comes to mind is cream.
With its seaside coast, Devon has access to some fabulous fish and seafood, but if there is one food tradition for which it is most famous, it would be the Devonshire cream tea. Believed to date as far back as the 13th century, the custom is to enjoy tea — with milk — alongside warm scones split and spread with a thick layer of clotted cream, followed by a dollop of jam, preferably strawberry or raspberry. Because of the cream, butter is never a player at a proper cream tea.
If you haven't tasted clotted cream before, the best description I can share would be a lighter and creamier version of whipped butter. In fact, the fat percentages of each are pretty close; clotted cream averages 64 per cent, while Canadian butter comes in at 80.
Mad debates take place over whether Devon clotted cream or the clotted cream produced in the neighbouring Duchy of Cornwall is the original or, more importantly perhaps, the better tasting. Yet the production of each remains the same (the Cornwall cream does have a deeper yellow colour, though, due to the high carotene levels in the grass). Clotted cream was originally made by gently heating fresh cow's milk that had been left to separate (with the cream rising to the surface) to evaporate some of the liquid, then letting it cool very slowly (about 12 hours) for the reduced cream to rise once again. The clots that formed on the surface of the mix were then ladled off, resulting in thick and creamy, clotted cream. Eventually cream separators were used to remove the cream from the fresh milk initially, which meant that in the heating process more cream could be poured on top of the milk before it was heated. It is also made by simply heating heavy cream at a lower temperature for a longer time.
Because of its short shelf life (three to four days refrigerated), clotted cream is tough to export, though you will find small jars of it (sometimes labelled as Devonshire cream) in the refrigerator section of cheese and gourmet stores in Montreal.
Clotted cream is such an iconic British foodstuff and so much a part of the culture of southwest England that tourists flock to Devon and Cornwall just to indulge in this unique ingredient. In search of the region's best, I headed to the Otterton Mill near the seaside town of Budleigh Salterton, acclaimed by many for serving the best cream tea in Devon.
Otterton is indeed a working mill, and its towering scones are made with the house-milled flour. I chose the classic cream tea, which included two of their mega scones, three varieties of homemade jam and a bowl piled high with the most luscious looking, pale-yellow clotted cream.
Though the scones were breadier than I would have liked, the jams were delectable and the cream … well, the cream was a dream. Thick and sweet, yet not in the least bit cloying, it was the most perfect cross between whipped cream and butter. After I finished off the scones, I ate some right off my teaspoon. Heaven!
Happily, you do not have to travel to Devon to experience a fine cream tea. With the weather now soon to turn colder, why not bake a few scones, crack out the jam and slather it all with some thick, clotted cream? Here is my favourite recipe for scones, as well as a recipe (for the diehards, perhaps) for making English Devon cream in your own home kitchen.
Making clotted cream: I have read that mascarpone or crème fraîche, lightly sweetened and mixed with a bit of vanilla, makes a good substitute for clotted cream.
Yet I find neither really fits the bill. Fortunately, you can make it yourself in your home oven following these easy steps I found on the excellent website www.sustainabletable.org:
It is essential to use heavy whipping cream that is not ultra-pasteurized, with a fat percentage level of at least 35 per cent (if you can find higher, all the better).
Be prepared for a long cooking time, this will take about eight hours (or up to 12 at a very low temperature). Consider making the cream overnight.
Heat your oven to 180F (this is just about the lowest most ovens will go).
Pour at least two cups of heavy cream into a thick-bottomed, oven-safe pot (the size of the pot depends on how much cream you use; the cream should come about one to three inches up the sides). Cover and place in the oven.
Check the cream after about eight hours. The cream will be done when a thick, yellow-tinged layer has formed above the cream. That "skin" is the clotted cream. (If it hasn't formed yet, cover and place in the oven again for up to four more hours).
Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for another eight hours.
Carefully skim the clotted cream from the top, and place in a very clean jar. Keep refrigerated for up to four days. Any leftover cream can be used for baking.
Mary Berry's Devonshire Scones
Makes 10-12
Of this recipe, British cookbook author and baking diva Mary Berry says: "The secret to good scones is not to handle them too much before baking, and to make the mixture on the wet, sticky side." Take note: this recipe can easily be doubled.
3 1/2 cups self-raising flour
2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons (75g) butter
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
To serve:
red fruit jam
clotted cream
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Put the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar.
Beat the eggs together with the milk, measure out 300 ml (1¼ cups) of the mix, then put the remaining liquid (about 2 tablespoons) aside in a cup for later.
Gradually add the egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring it in until you have a soft dough. It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and flatten it to a thickness of ½ inch. Use a 5 cm (2 inch) fluted cutter to stamp out the scones by pushing it straight down into the dough (as opposed to twisting it), then lifting it straight out. This ensures they will rise evenly. Gently push the remaining dough together, knead lightly, re-roll and cut out more.
Arrange the scones on the prepared baking sheets, and brush the tops with the reserved beaten egg/milk mixture to glaze. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until well-risen and golden, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool, covered with a clean tea towel to keep them moist.
Serve as fresh as possible, cut in half and spread generously with clotted cream, then a good spoonful of strawberry jam.
Twitter: @LesleyChestrman
For more food and wine talk, tune in to Dinner Rush with Lesley Chesterman on Saturdays from 4 to 5 p.m. on News Talk Radio CJAD 800.


text:
SoxNet.net is hearing good things from one of its sources this morning in regards to the Johnny Damon situation. This information is consistent with what Cowley reported two days ago and reiterated yesterday in regards to the front office being confident that Damon will choose the White Sox. Our source indicated that one of the new reasons for optimism appears to be related to the fact that the Tigers offer might not be as large and/or long as originally suspected.
BTW, Detroit's GM confirmed that Detroit has made an offer to Damon but said nogthing is imminent. His "remarks hinted that an end to the Damon saga is in sight."


text:
With so much going on, New Year's Eve in the Hamptons can be tough to navigate. Celebrate another successful year at one of these choice events. There's something for everyone, including some daytime yoga for those who stay home at night.
New Year's Eve Gala
6 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Seasons of Southampton
15 Prospect Street, Southampton
Enjoy the huge dance floor and festive lighting, appetizers, mini desserts and the famous Polar Ice Lounge with DJ, dancing, beautiful décor, fun props and a champagne toast at midnight. Choose from three ways to ring in the New Year from $50-$125 depending on level of open bar access.
Exquisite fine dining experience with five sensational courses and complimentary wine list, live jazz entertainment by Jack Morelli Music and the famous Polar Ice Lounge with ice bars and luges, a wide array of passed and tabletop appetizers, mini desserts, dancing and party with DJ starting at 10 p.m. HDTV throughout showing Times Square Ball Drop.
631-283-3354, www.seasonsofsouthampton.com
Champagne and Chandeliers
9 p.m.–2 a.m.
The Hotel Indigo
1830 West Main Street, Route 25, Riverhead
Join Hotel Indigo welcoming in 2013 with a night to remember on Long Island at their New Year's Eve party, where New York City style meets the East End.
For $150 per person (tax and gratuity will also apply) the hotel's Champagne & Chandeliers party will include a five-hour premium open bar from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., tapas style food service, DJ and dancing in the Indigo Ballroom and the Bistro 72 lounge.
631-369-2200, www.indigoeastend.com.
Gurney's Inn 50th Annual New Year's Eve Party "From Montauk with Love"
7 p.m.–2 a.m.
Gurney's Inn Resort Spa & Conference Center
290 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk
Gurney's Inn presents its 50th annual New Year's Eve party "From Montauk with Love." Come dressed as James Bond or your favorite villain and get arrested by a Bond girl. Live Orchestra and DJ all night long. Enjoy the hour and a half long cocktail party with seafood bar, pasta station and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres. Five-course gourmet sitdown dinner with famous Viennese dessert table. Top-shelf open bar all night and door prizes.
Tickets $145 per person plus tax and service charge. Discounts available for groups of 10 or more. Hotel package available.
631-668-2345, www.gurneysinn.com
New Year's Eve at Ananda Yoga & Wellness Center
5:30–6:30 p.m.
20 Hampton Road, Southampton
Reflective yoga class. And on New Year's Day, 10:30–11:30 a.m., begin your new year with the power of intention. $19 for class on 12/31 and $25/$30 drop-in for class on 1/1.
Call to reserve, 631-204-1219, www.anandayogawellness.com
Fishes & Wishes Family New Year's Eve Event
6:30–11 p.m.
Long Island Aquarium, 431 East Main Street, Riverhead
Kids are invited to their very own winter wonderland, unlimited submarine stimulator rides, animal encounters, ray bay feeding and much more! The evening also includes champagne and sparkling cider greeting. Don't forget to ask about the Rockin' & Ringin' in Riverhead hotel package at the adjacent Hyatt Place East End & Resort Marina!
Reservations required, 631-208-9200, www.longislandaquarium.com
New Year's Eve Party at 75Main
8 p.m. – ?
75 Main Street, Southampton
Jim Turner's Band from 8-11 p.m., DJs take over from 11 p.m.–4 a.m. Five-course dinner $55, dinner plus open bar from 8:30 p.m.–1 a.m., $110. Champagne toast.
Please call for more info or reservation, 631-283-7575, www.75main.com
New Year's Eve Party with Nancy Atlas at Stephen Talkhouse
9 p.m. – ?
Stephen Talkhouse, 161 Main Street, Amagansett
Rock all night at the Amagansett mainstay's New Year's Eve party with the Nancy Atlas Project! General admission tickets are $25.
631-267-3117, www.stephentalkhouse.com
New Year's Eve at 230 Elm
9 p.m.–1 a.m.
230 Elm Street, Southampton
Live performances by Leah Laurenti and New Life Crisis, open bar, buffet dinner, champagne toast & more. Choose from four packages, $75–$200.
Reserve early for great seats, 631-377-3900, www.230elm.com
New Year's Eve at Southampton Social Club
9 p.m.–?
256 Elm Street, Southampton
Open bar, DJ, dancing, dinner, champagne toast and more. Choose from three packages, $85–$200. To purchase tickets, call Ian Duke at 917-806-5616.
For more, visit www.southamptonsocialclub.com.


text:
Over the holidays, Steam gave gamers quite the present: an ongoing series of sales with big-name games running as low as $2.50. It was hard to resist many of the deals, and many of us snapped up a large variety of games across a series of platforms. Bioshock for $5? Killing Floor for $5? Burnout Paradise for under $10? Who could say no?
With all those games flooding into all those computers though, the flaws of Steam have never been more apparent; Valve may be the leader in digital distribution for PC games, but things are far from perfect. We have some thoughts on how to make a good thing great, and we hope someone, somewhere is listening.
Get rid of the third-party DRM
Steam is its own DRM. Gamers need to be logged in to play their games, and Offline mode requires games be fully updated to play without an Internet connection. Steam is a good thing for gamers and publishers because it represents a powerful anti-piracy tool that gamers are more than willing to put up with in order to enjoy the convenience of the service.
The problem is that many games on the service still use third-party DRM solutions like SecuROM. For many gamers, the use of these technologies is enough to sour a purchase; and there is no reason to add another layer of protection—especially using such a contentious program—when piracy of Steam games is such a nonissue.
The best thing we can say about this practice is that the use of SecuROM is disclosed, but that's cold comfort to gamers trying to keep the program off their system.
Use Steam for multiplayer
Borderlands used GameSpy, Red Faction: Guerilla requires a Games for Windows account, and Burnout Paradise forces you to sign up for an account with EA before you can play online. These are just three examples I ran into over the weekend, but it's common to buy a game on Steam and find yourself filling out online forms to access parts of the game.
Steam's online play and social networking options work just fine, thank you. Anything else is an annoyance. Buying a game on a service that already works well and meets your needs, and then finding out you have to use something inferior within the game, isn't an optimal experience.
Increase the amount of available bandwidth
Valve knew that these sales were going to cause massive spikes in traffic, but downloads were still achingly slow at times last week. Worse, many people found servers that simply weren't available. You could help this problem by changing your location in your Steam options and downloading from different sites, but that's a workaround, not a solution.
Steam is only convenient when it doesn't take all night to download and install your game. Putting gamers in a position to wait for hours for their games to download or getting server errors due to overload kills one of the major draws of the service.
Worse, this happens nearly every time there is a big release. Being a victim of your own popularity may be a nice problem to have, but it's still a problem.
Allow us to sell our games
This isn't a problem unique to Steam, but since Valve offers a closed service with a variety of publishers on board, it can attempt to be part of the solution. Once you a buy a game on Steam you can't resell it and you can't return it. It's yours, tied to your account and locked down until the end of time.
During our premier chat with Brad Wardell of Stardock, he laid out a plan to make reselling PC games profitable for the publishers as well as gamers. "If a user knows that when they're done playing their $50 game that they'll be able to resell it to someone else, they're more likely to buy the game in the first place," he told Ars. "So instead of going to Gamestop with that $50 game, selling it to them for $10 and having them resell it for $20, you'd sell it through some sort of virtual market place where you could sell it for $20 —cutting out the retailer—and the original publisher makes money and the license transfer service takes a nominal fee."
Will this happen? Of course not. Publishers love digital distribution because it doesn't allow a secondary market for games. This sort of idea may fly with console games where publishers would happily run towards a solution that gives them some payment instead of the current system where they're locked out of earnings, but there is almost no reason to move from a perfectly closed system to a more open one from a business perspective. Still, we can dream.
That's not all!
We asked our readers how they'd improve Steam, and the responses were many: Mac support and a more attractive and leaner front-end were popular suggestions, but the issues we've raised in this post were the big ones. Locking content down by region was another popular gripe.
The problem is that most of these problems have little to do with Steam and much to do with what publishers will allow. It's a hard sell to get the companies behind these games to remove existing DRM or to forgo their own in-house solutions for social networking or online play. Still, the more games we buy through Steam, the more annoying these things become... and we can dream, can't we?


text:
Steven Strogatz has a nice article about the golden mean in the New York Times. It's worth a read. I learned a few more factoids about the golden mean.My favorite representation of the golden mean is in term of its continuous fraction representation.
One can use this representation to show that is the most irrational number. I'll leave that proof for some other day.


text:
Bill Belichick wastes so little time looking back you wonder if he ever uses the rear-view mirror when he drives. Belichick is always looking ahead, focused, fixated on the next task, the next assignment, the next season.
Sunday's disappointing 26-16 season-ending loss to the Broncos in the AFC Championship game had barely been given an All-22 tape autopsy before the practical Patriots coach pronounced he was on to the 2014 season.
But sometimes looking back is necessary to make sure something is not catching up with you, like New England's lack of high-end offensive talent or defensive line depth did in Denver on Sunday.
Here is a piece of advice for Belichick in his endless, joyless pursuit of excellence. Since you are entrusted with plenipotentiary duties in Fort Foxborough, serving as both general manager and head coach, cut yourself a break, Bill. Build a team that doesn't force you to use every ounce of your considerable coaching acumen to make it a title contender.
If there is a simple truth from the last three Patriots' playoff exits it's that the more talented team won each time. That was the case with the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. It was the case when the Patriots lost the 2012 AFC Championship game to a deeper, more balanced Ravens team. It was self-evident last Sunday, when they went down in Denver.
This year's Final Four in the NFL featured the four best teams in the league, and if you were ranking the rosters on raw talent you would have ranked the Patriots' fourth.
Belichick is the best coach in the NFL. He is the greatest coach of his generation. He is arguably the greatest coach ever. His game plans could be displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But that alone is not a substitute for talent, not in the most important games of the season.
Everyone knows Belichick can wring every drop of ability out of a team like it's a wet dish towel. Some would argue 2013 was his best job, overcoming a plague of injuries and a lack of offensive firepower to return to a third straight AFC Championship game.
Any discussion of Belichick's best coaching jobs has to include the 2001 Super Bowl season, winning 11 games without Tom Brady in 2008, and going to the Super Bowl in 2011 with the assorted Sterling Moores, Antwaun Moldens running around the secondary of his 31st-ranked defense.
The Vatican should recognize any of these miracles.
The narrative in New England is that a head coach and The System can triumph over all, that an erudite coach is more valuable than any player, including Brady. The other 31 NFL locales don't have the luxury of believing this fairy tale.
With all due respect to Tom Coughlin, John Harbaugh, and John Fox, the last three coaches to end Belichick's season, does anyone think they're better coaches than His Hoodiness? Of course not. That's not heresy, it's lunacy.
If Belichick had been handed the Broncos on Sunday, Fox could have lit every candle and, ahem, source of creative inspiration, in Colorado and he wouldn't have had a prayer of winning.
It's great that Belichick can be praised every season for being an X's and O's alchemist, turning coal into gold, but maybe that's part of the problem.
We can crow about Belichick being a Coach of the Year candidate every year because he deserves it, but at what point are we giving him extra credit for overcoming adversity of his own doing?
Fate and the inveterately violent nature of football robbed him of key players Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Jerod Mayo, and, most importantly, Rob Gronkowski this season.
No one plans for a dynamic tight end like Aaron Hernandez to end up behind bars, instead of getting behind defenses for big plays.
I get that.
However, forcing Brady to play with three rookie wide receivers was Belichick's idea.
Swapping out Wes Welker, the leading pass-catcher infranchise history, for Danny Amendola, who couldn't have been found on Sunday with a search party, was part of the Belichick blueprint for 2013.
Not signing a proven pass rusher to supplement Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich was also his decision.
Belichick needs to build a team for 2014 that doesn't force us to shine the spotlight on how great a coach he is, a team that doesn't make him look like a football survivalist, fashioning Super Bowl salvation out of spare parts and a hodgepodge of abandoned household items.
The Patriots deserve credit for their scrap-heap discoveries like defensive tackle Chris Jones and their late-round draft finds like Julian Edelman.
But you don't get bonus points for degree of difficulty in assembling a winning team. It doesn't mean less if you go out this offseason and trade for a true No. 1 wide receiver such as Vincent Jackson or sign a promising free agent such as Golden Tate.
Belichick said on Monday that the two best teams — Denver and the Seattle Seahawks — ended up in Super Bowl XLVIII.
That's not a coincidence.
Belichick looking ahead is good because what he does this offseason will dictate how far the Patriots go in 2014.
". . . Every time you miss an opportunity to improve your team, then somewhere along the line that's going to show up," said Belichick on Monday. "It might be in November, it might be in December. It won't show up in March, necessarily, or April, but it might show up somewhere else along the line; it probably will. We'll try not to let that happen to the best of our ability."
It did show up on Sunday against the Broncos.
It's well-documented that Belichick can do more with less better than anyone in the NFL. But he shouldn't have to.
It's time for him to do more with more.
Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @cgasper.


text:
January 6, 2011
by Coach Lang Reynolds
One of the biggest cycling innovations of 2010 was the expansion of GPS-based cycling computers by industry giant Garmin. After releasing the game-changing Edge 705 in 2007, Garmin upped the ante in 2010 with the release of the Edge 500 and 800 computers, which built on the strengths of the 705 to offer GPS-enabled computers in more compact packages. With the ability to receive ANT+ standard power meter data transmission, Garmin now clearly leads the pack in cycling computer technology.
After six months of using the Edge 500, I can say with confidence that it is hands-down the best cycling computer I've ever used. As a power meter head unit, it stands head and shoulders above the other offerings thanks to its (relative) affordability, compact size, functionality, customizability, and ease of use. At $250 MSRP, it comes in much cheaper than other ANT+ head units such as the PowerTap Joule and SRM PowerControl.
While the tradeoff for the Edge 500's compact size is that it does not display a map of your location or allow you to follow a pre-programmed route like the 705 and 800 (it simply records the GPS data of your route), it does display pretty much all other data you could imagine. With three fully-customizable data screens and up to eight data fields per screen, the user can configure the Edge 500 to show any and all pertinent data, and nothing the user doesn't want to see. From power metrics to altitude data to the traditional speed, distance, and cadence, the 500 can display anything you want. With climbing data such as current altitude, total climbing altitude, and vertical ascent speed, the 500 is a must-have for any climbing aficionado.
Most importantly, the Edge 500 is incredibly easy to use. It's intuitive interface is completely plug and play and I have yet to use the instruction manual. It synchronyzes with your power meter immediately and without a lengthy search or calibration process, and can switch between two different power meters (a PowerTap or an SRM, for example) in a matter of seconds, which makes it especially useful for cyclists with multiple wireless power meters. All of the power meter's functionality is maintained and the 500 picks up the data with identical accuracy as the stock company's head unit.
As with any GPS computer, the on-bike functionality barely scratches the surface of the 500's total functionality. Downloading the files to a computer opens up a whole new universe of possibility in data analysis and training archiving. Garmin offers a free web-based training resource, Garmin Connect, where you can upload and view all your files and keep a full training history. Like everything Garmin does, Garmin Connect is easy to use and incredibly useful. If you want more in-depth analysis you can also view the files in third-party software. Some of these third-party applications, such as web-based Strava, allow riders to upload and compare rides and performances on local climbs, adding a whole new dimension of virtual competition to every training ride.
In short, the Edge 500 is good. Real good. It's so good, it inspired me to switch back to my PowerTap wheel from the wired SRM I was using earlier this summer, because, being already fully addicted to power data, after getting a taste of the GPS AND power data combined, I just couldn't go back to plain old power data. Your results may vary.


text:
Airborne 1 - - Airborne
Airborne 1
The United States Parachutist Badge (also commonly referred to as \"Jump Wings\") is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces which is awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. The badge is awarded to U.S. Army personnel upon completion of Airborne School regardless of branch or MOS. The U.S. Coast Guard is the only service which does not issue a Parachutist Badge, however Coast Guard members are entitled to receive the Parachutist Badge of another service, if the proper training was received.
To be eligible for award of the basic Parachutist Badge, an individual must have satisfactorily completed the prescribed proficiency tests while assigned or attached to an airborne unit or the Airborne Department of the Infantry School, or have participated in at least one combat parachute jump as follows:
A member of an organized force carrying out an assigned tactical mission for which the unit was credited with an airborne assault landing by the theater commander.
While engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force.
While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
Airborne soldiers have a long and distinguished tradition of being an elite body of fighting men and women-people who have always set the example for determination and courage.


text:
Based on the the everyday news and daily lives, the Philippines is known for it's boxing (Manny Pacquiao, Brian Villoria and Nonito Donaire to the the famous foods like Adobo, Lechon even the famous exotic food "Balut". However I found a nice article called 54 Fantastic Everyday Scenes From The Philippines which showcases the Philippines' fantastic sceneries that travellers might want to check out when they visit.
I am proud to know that Davao City has several mentions on this list which includes Kadayawan Festival and the Talikud Island.


text:
The Bible (ca. 110 CE)
I read mainly the 1999 Swedish translation, named Bibel 2000, which represents a substantial effort by a state commission started in 1972. The commission was partly secular, perhaps more so than the English-language NIV commission. It took the approach of literal translation to modern language, with stylistic emulation and textual criticism over dogma.
Though the commission project included the Apocrypha, the printed copy I read cover to cover did not, thus falling in line with Swedish Lutheran tradition. Where I do include books from the Apocrypha in this set of reviews, they are based on other sources.
The uneasy progression of a tribe-cum-nation's belief system from syncretistic polytheism, via monolatry and henotheism, toward Greek-influenced individualism and a nominal theolatry or monotheism undermined by servants, intercessors, opponents and incarnations that are all divine. The latter books describe a cosmopolitan offshoot of the faith where one particular god promises to end the world in the first century CE, extending to disappointment that the apocalypse does not occur.
Some of the material was probably composed in a literal mode on the basis of sincerely held beliefs (i.e. as non-fiction), but indifference to the truth, charlatan intentions and forgeries are evidently more common.
The text was created piece by piece between the 8th century BCE and the 2nd century CE. Mainly, people wrote down what had been oral tradition and then gradually edited earlier passages or attributed their own additions to dead authors to give the work a more desirable message for each new generation. Numerous proposed additions, including dozens of gospels, were banned or excised for the same arbitrary historical reasons.
As a result, there has been a huge number of different bibles over time. Through a series of synods, a rough mainstream had developed around 200 CE: "the" Christian bible as reviewed here. It differs from lost older Hebrew bibles, the "heretical" Marcionite canon, the younger Masoretic Hebrew Bible (7th–10th century CE), the Peshitta, the Oriental Orthodox Christian (e.g. Ethiopian, Tewahedo) bibles, the Eastern Orthodox Christian Bible and so on. Synods have continued to modify the various canons.
The line between translation and authorship is not always clear. The influential Septuagint translation of an older Hebrew Bible makes its own theological points and expands on the original text, which is no longer extant. In the 16th century, the Catholic church began to officially promulgate the Vulgate (called so since the 13th century), which is a 4th-century translation with some errors. It gave Moses horns on his head, which you can still see in some medieval church murals. Other bibles have taken greater liberties, such as the 1820 Thomas Jefferson Bible, the unfinished 19th-century Joseph Smith Bible and the 1982 abridged Bible from Reader's Digest.
The overall date of 110 CE on this review refers to mainstream scholarly estimates for "2 Peter", apparently the youngest text in the canonical New Testament. As of this writing in 2019, extant physical fragments of New Testament writings cannot be definitively dated as older than about 200 CE, though largely credible estimates range down to about 125 CE. Chapter numbers were added much later, verse numbers (as used in these reviews) not until about 1551; there were multiple attempts to add them.
When you read this collection, it helps to know some of the ancient history of the Middle East. Scholarly analyses can put each component work in context, and this is useful. However, the main thing you need is an everyday bullshit detector. If you've read a bunch of bad fantasy literature, you know what people like to imagine when they don't need to stick to the truth. If you've hung around habitual liars, or even spent time exploring the imagination of ordinary children, you are equipped to read The Bible.
The book speaks poorly for itself. No unprejudiced reader has ever come away from it with a clean, abstract deism, like the faith of David Hume or James T. Kirk. Such ideas come from outside the text. I surmise that actually reading the text—especially with an open mind—has produced mainly atheists. Religion spreads by other means: Parent to child, the peer group, the larger community, song, dance, ritual, political expediency, superstitious fear, the ignorance of facts and alternatives, and above all, wishful thinking.
Internal contradictions litter the text. There are far too many for me to list. Even the most basic stuff, like the powers and intentions of the gods, are inconsistent. Generations of rewriters probably fixed some of these errors but left new ones in the canon. Supposedly, this became a concern only at a late date, when philosophy and science presented a more elegant system of explanations even with respect to major questions like the origin of life and humankind. Fundamentalism, it is said, arose under pressure from contrary evidence.
Generally speaking, it's worth reading some parts of the collection for their influence on politics and other literature, but be prepared to meet some of the least sympathetic authors in literary history.
References here: Som en ateist läser bibeln, A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), The Gnostic Gospels (1979), The Handmaid's Tale (1985), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997), Metodboken — Bibel 2000 (1999), "Hell Is the Absence of God" (2001), "Neighbours" (1952), Man in the Wilderness (1971), Angel's Egg (1985), The Sacrifice (1986), On the Silver Globe (1988), Cast a Deadly Spell (1991), Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995), Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo (2019), Harriet (2019).
Old Testament (ca. 164 BCE)
New Testament (ca. 110 CE)
"The Holy Bible: Abridged Beyond the Point of Usefulness" (2015)


text:
Sudbury author heading to Hamilton reading
Sudbury author Jo Storm will be part of the lineup of presenters at the national Telling Tales Festival in Hamilton this fall.
The event, which is in its 11th year, is a book festival focused on content for children and families.
Storm's young adult novel, Snowhook, which was published in January by Dundurn Press, is on the festival's reading list, and Storm will be presenting live at the festival.
Snowhook tells the story of Hannah, a 14-year-old girl who sets out with her four family dogs and an ancient dog sled to find help for her gravely ill mother. What starts out as a half-day adventure turns into a perilous trek across the frozen landscape of Northern Ontario with unexpected weather and an even more unexpected passenger.
Storm, who grew up in Muskoka, has made Sudbury her home for the last 10 years. The novel, and Storm's presentation at the Telling Tales Festival, are based on her experience as a five-dog owner, a dog trainer and a hobbyist sledder.
"I'm excited to be part of a festival dedicated to content for children and young adults," Storm said in a release. "As someone who grew up wanting more books with protagonists like me, I'm excited for the opportunity to meet everyone who's participating and attending the event this year – and hopefully to share something of my journey with them, too."
The Telling Tales Festival will be held in Hamilton on Sept. 15. The list of presenters is available here https://www.tellingtales.org/presenters/.
Snowhook is available from Chapters, Amazon, Dundurn Press, and at local bookstores. For more information on Snowhook, visit https://www.dundurn.com/books/Snowhook.


text:
Regular visitors will have noticed ever increasing amounts of spam on the Trading Gurus Community Forum. On November 24th 2012 we implemented some changes:
1. New users will be moderated
2. Registered users who have a post count of zero will not be able to view attachments or download code.
3. Registered users who have a post count of zero will not be able to create a new thread
As an additional countermeasure we anticipate introducing a modest paywall in the near future.
If this is your first visit here our apologies for the inconvenience.
Existing users may wish to contribute their ideas to this thread.
Journals of assorted trading systems in a variety of manual trading competitions
Trading systems used in Dukascopy's Trader Contest - No "robots" allowed!
Dukascopy December 2010...


text:
The Bruce Murray Space Image Library
Read ISRO's image terms of image reuse here.
Original image data dated on or about August 29, 2015
Explore related images: BMSIL, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), pretty pictures, Mars
Become a member of The Planetary Society and together we will create the future of space exploration.
Support the Bruce Murray Space Image Library and help us share the wonders of other worlds.


text:
Dr. Gregory J. Privitera, associate professor of psychology at St. Bonaventure University, was presented the Professional Excellence in Teaching award at Sunday's 154th Commencement Exercises.
It is the second consecutive year that Privitera has been honored with a Professional Excellence award, having last year received the Junior Faculty Award for Professional Excellence.
In his five years at St. Bonaventure, Privitera has established himself as a "pillar of his department," said Dr. Wolfgang Natter, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.
It's fitting praise, said Dr. Darryl Mayeaux, associate professor of psychology and department chair. In recommending his colleague for the award, Mayeaux cited Privitera's ability to bring scholarship and research into the classroom, his engaging teaching style, his devotion to students as a mentor and adviser, and his publication of two new textbooks, one of which was named most promising new textbook for 2014 by a national academic authors association.
Privitera involves students in class-appropriate research, and does so "with a grace and style that engages students," said Mayeaux, adding that Privitera's classes are among the first to fill up at registration. Many students from those classes (more than 40 in five years) continue to work with Privitera on independent study throughout their undergraduate careers.
"These students go on to graduate programs at prestigious universities," said Mayeaux. "This speaks to the integrity of Greg's teaching: It prepares students to be competitive in a larger academic arena."
One of his former students, 2012 graduate Hannah Lapp, said the opportunity to conduct research and independent study with Privitera both inspired her to attend graduate school and equipped her with the skills to succeed.
"Dr. Privitera's enthusiasm for teaching, for his research, and for his students is contagious and inspiring. He provides a model of the kind of professor I hope to be one day," said Lapp, who is enrolled in the doctoral Development Behavioral Neuroscience program at the University of Massachusetts.
As an adviser and mentor, Privitera's guidance and his willingness to work with students are so valued that "even students who are not his advisees seek additional career input from him," said Mayeaux. Privitera was named St. Bonaventure's faculty adviser of the year in 2013.
Danielle Antonelli, a 2013 St. Bonaventure graduate who is now seeking a master's degree in mental health counseling at St. John Fischer College, said she was both supported and challenged by Privitera, her academic adviser during her four years at St. Bonaventure.
"Beyond my regular course work in the psychology program, Dr. Privitera provided me the opportunity to plan, create, and execute research projects that directly reflected my interests in the field," said Antonelli. "I am the published author of three different research studies under the advisement of Dr. Privitera. That's a unique opportunity for an undergraduate student."
In addition to his role as teacher and adviser, Privitera "has taken the huge step, twice, of creating teaching materials for students and teachers," said Mayeaux. Privitera's first textbook, "Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences," is so successful that the publisher is printing a second edition. A second text, "Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences," won the 2014 Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association.
"Professor Privitera is helping to lead the way in establishing St. Bonaventure's growing reputation as an institution that takes seriously the reality of faculty mentored student research," said Arts and Sciences Dean Natter.
A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Privitera attended the State University of New York at Buffalo, earning his Ph.D. in psychology, behavioral neuroscience, in 2006, and completed a postdoctoral position at Arizona State University prior to his arrival at St. Bonaventure in 2009. He and his wife, Alisha, live in Olean with their son, Aiden, and daughter, Grace.
About the University: The nation's first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. We are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition. Our students are becoming extraordinary.
Application forms, procedures and additional information
There are many ways to experience
St. Bonaventure for yourself
Learn more about the programs that interest you