text:
Sarah Teather responds to criticism of the SEN green paper in 'The Guardian'
Children's Minister Sarah Teather writes to 'The Guardian' to respond to inaccurate claims about the SEN and disability green paper.
In response to the letter in the Guardian on Saturday 12 March 2011 about the SEN Green Paper:
Dear Sir
I was very disappointed to read the misrepresentation of the government's green paper on special educational needs and disabilities (letters p.41 Saturday 12 March 2011).
The suggestion that government is trying to make children with complex needs 'earn' a place in a mainstream school is both offensive and inaccurate. At the heart of the green paper is the importance of parental choice. Parents know what type of education they want for their child and they should be allowed to decide if that is a mainstream or special school, academy or free school.
At no point do we suggest that one form of schooling is better or preferable for children with additional or complex needs - this is about parental choice, not the ideologically driven idea that the state knows best.
Sarah Teather MP, Children's Minister
Department for Education


text:
Red Chilli Kampala Day Tour
1 day
Red Chilli Kampala
Kampala city, like Rome, was originally built on seven hills, although Kampala has expanded […]
From$65View Details
We are very happy to share our 20 years of experience in tourism in Uganda in order to help you plan your dream trip. Feel free to contact us TODAY, or click the red 'Need help?' button to chat via WhatsApp.
+256 393 202903
Why not chat with us on WhatsApp or give us a call on our reservations hotline. Alternatively send us an email: email@example.com
Call us on +256393202903

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Roots 'N' Wings: A choir for women's voices aged 19 and up.
Roots 'N' Wings sings music that moves you and grooves you! We explore the world's music and experience the wonder and deep delight that comes from a community of voices soaring together.
Roots 'N' Wings is looking for singers who are:
• committed, dedicated, passionate and curious
• looking for a unique and wholehearted choral experience
• have previous singing and choral experience
• have a good sense of rhythm and groove and a strong sense of pitch
• have some music reading abilities
• open to singing all styles of music
Rehearsals: Monday evenings from 7:30-9:30pm
Beginning this September 2017 - More details to come
Singers are expected to attend all rehearsals and performances.Fees: $185 per term* ($370 for a full season) *subject to change
Location: Wilson Heights United Church – 1634 E.41st Avenue, Vancouver
Auditions for the Fall 2017/Spring 2018 will be held June 12th and 19th, 2017
For more information about Roots 'N' Wings Choir and auditions email Dawn at rootsnwingschoir (at) gmail.com


text:
It wasn't until a few years after he'd been ordered to solve the Cindy case that Detective Derek McLaughlin -- "Mac" -- actually sat down with the missing girl's father. Ed Zarzycki, by then, had remarried, a woman named Linda. She would become the family's principal contact with the police because she knew it wasn't in Ed's quiet nature to even talk much anymore about Cindy.
Linda Zarzycki: When a birthday came, or the anniversary of her death came, or Christmas came-- (crying) I could feel his pain. She became my child, as well.
Mac, the father of three daughters and a son, asked the couple to understand his situation.
Derek McLaughlin: I said, "Listen, I'm gonna do everything I can. But i'm kinda limited in what I can do because of my workload that I have now." Linda was great. She even said, I'll do anything. I got secretarial skills. I can help you file. I can type up things, I can do this and do that, just so I could spend more time dealing with her family's case.
Linda Zarzycki, the stepmother, would go to the Eastpointe police station on her lunch hour to pore through the case file. She'd suggest theories to Mac.
Linda Zarzycki: And he said, yep, he thought of that too but he kept running into brick walls, he just couldn't seem to make progress.
But in 2004, the brick wall was about to start crumbling because a new player, a completely unlikely partner for the veteran detective, had talked herself onto the case.
She wasn't even a cop. She was a 23-year-old college intern with a law enforcement consulting firm in Chicago where Mac had taken courses on how to interrogate criminals. Immediately, the young intern was fascinated by Cindy's case file. She'd picked it off her boss's desk when he wasn't looking.
Jen Leibow: I've since admitted it to my boss. I read the file and it really was contagious. I took that file home with me almost every single night and just kept re-reading it.
Jen Leibow was at the time an undergrad studying for a communications degree. She quickly became obsessed with the suburban Detroit teenager who'd disappeared when she herself was only four.
Jen Leibow: And then I brought it up to my bosses and they allowed me to call Mac and see if, you know, I can be an extra set of hands for him. Anything he needed. You know, as a new investigator. I could learn from him, but I could also help him out.
And a phone relationship it remained for the next 2 and a half years. Mac back in Eastpointe doing the shoe leather investigating as he had time for. And Jen Leibow in Chicago going digital--diving into stuff that was mostly a mystery to Mac--advanced computer research, searching missing-person Web sites, sifting MySpace pages, hunting for Cindy's old friends. Along the way, she taught Mac how to use e-mail.
Derek McLaughlin: She's doing a lot of research. Stuff that I don't have time to do. And she's helping me with that.
Jen's fascination with the psychology of the criminal mind brought her back time and again to some letters in the Cindy case file.
Jen Leibow: PArticularly letters from Cindy's sister that they had written to the police department just saying, you know, please don't forget about this case. You know, this is my sister. This is a person and there was a sense of injustice there that, you know, it looked like Art Ream was the one who did this to Cindy and has been sort of keeping the family psychologically hostage for all these years, you know, not knowing what happened to their daughter.
Art Ream, the father of Cindy's long-ago teenage boyfriend, Scott, was behind bars for raping a young girl. In fact, Mac had gone to Jen's consulting firm that taught interview skills to ready himself for a confrontation with Art Ream.
Dennis Murphy: 'Cause that had been your narrow goal when you went to them initially. It's give me some tips on how to approach this guy. How to crack this nut, huh?
Derek McLaughlin: That's correct. Yeah.
It wasn't until 2007 that Detective Mclaughlin and his long-distance partner Jen Leibow made a critical decision in their case. They decided to reset the clock to April 1986 and start the investigation all over. That meant conducting fresh interviews. It changed everything.
Now two women who'd been regarded as no more than bit players in the missing Cindy drama were tracked down by Mac and Jen and became star witnesses following a tedious search.
Jen Leibow: They had moved. Their information wasn't the same. New last names, all that.
Cathy and Theresa, two of Cindy's best friends in 1986, each felt that the police had brushed off what they tried to tell them just hours after Cindy disappeared. Both thought the investigation lackadaisical.
Theresa Olechowski: Seriously flawed and botched from the get-go.
Now, two decades later, Mac asked Theresa to come down to the Eastpointe P.D. and go over her story yet again.
This time the police interview was a very different experience.
Theresa Olechowski: I knew right away, walking in there, that he was listening to what I was saying very intently.
The story that the two friends told had for some reason never made it into the police files. It had to do with a surprise birthday party for Scott and a planned meeting at the Dairy Queen.
Cindy had been over at Cathy's house that Saturday evening. Cindy said she was going to hook up with Scott's father in the morning.
Cathy Bouford: And she had mentioned that she was going to this belated birthday party in Pontiac. She was supposed to meet Art at the Dairy Queen the next day, Sunday.
Dennis Murphy: How'd she talk about this person, Art?
Cathy Bouford: She was just very friendly with him. That was pretty much, pretty much it.
Dennis Murphy: Did she talk to this Art at your house on the phone?
Cathy Bouford: Yes. She called Art to confirm the plans of the next day.
Cathy heard Cindy tell the person on the phone that she'd look for his white van between 10 and 11 the next morning. Cindy told her girlfriend she had a birthday present for Scott. She asked Cathy to please come along with her. Cathy said her mother wouldn't let her.
Cathy Bouford: When she was leaving my house she turned around to me and she said, Will you please just show up? Just say you're gonna be there, like a reassuring, like she needed someone to really truly be there. And I said, "I'll see what I can do." And that was it.
Cindy called her other friend Theresa Sunday morning. Same story. A surprise party for Scott in Pontiac, Mich. She was getting her ride at the Dairy Queen in a few minutes.
Theresa Olechowski: She did ask me to go. And she knew right away when she asked me that I wouldn't be coming because absolutely my mother didn't let me leave and go two feet down the block without someone going with me.... But I think she really wanted to see Scott and she would have done just about anything, maybe.
Derek McLaughlin: It was truly amazing what, what they were telling me.
It had taken more than 20 years but police had finally stitched together a timeline for what was certainly Cindy's final weekend. The bait: a chance to be with the puppy-love boyfriend Scott, the boy's father waiting in his white van at the Dairy Queen.
Theresa Olechowski: I remember him specifically saying to her on the phone--this was one of the conversations she told me about -- that he didn't understand why Ed Zarzycki would ground her for walking home from the mall because it was no big deal. I think he was trying to make her feel comfortable with him.
The story, told by both girls, now adults, absolutely floored Mac. Various cops over the years -- even Mac -- had talked to them but, somehow, didn't hear it, or didn't extract it, or, maybe, it wasn't offered in the same way. Despite his excitement, Mac had one nagging question: Was it true?
Derek McLaughlin: I even asked them, when I interviewed both Cathy and Theresa, I said, "When was the last time you two even talked?", thinking that they might have concocted some story, you know--and they said, "We haven't. I haven't talked to her since Cindy disappeared." And I go, "Really?" I says, and she goes, "Yeah." They told me almost identical story.
Dennis Murphy: And did you believe their stories?
Derek McLaughlin: Oh, absolutely.
Mac and Jen's investigation was finally gaining traction.
Part 5
The Dairy Queen was where the trail went cold. Cindy Zarzycki's long-ago girlfriends said she'd made plans to walk there on a Sunday morning to meet her boyfriend's father, Art. Together they'd ride in his white van to an out-of-town surprise birthday party for Cindy's young flame, Scott.
Linda Bronson: It was obvious that he was very interested in young girls.
When the detective, Mac, talked to Linda Bronson, one of Art Ream's four ex-wives, he learned more about his primary suspect's stomach-churning history, a pedophile who'd been imprisoned in the 70's for taking indecent liberties with a minor. That's tame-sounding legal language for what the victim, a hitchhiker, said he actually did: abducted her, raped her in his car and then tossed her out the door.
Linda had two children with Ream, Scott and another boy. Children, thought the ex, who were useful to Ream's appetites when the boys became young teens.
Linda Bronson: They attracted young girls and Art liked having the young girls around. I think that was why he liked having Scott there because he knew that girls would be attracted to him. And you know he'd have his chance to do whatever he wanted to do. Or whatever he thought he could get away with. He'd entice them with alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes and he would be their friend. And he'd be the cool dad around, you know.
By 2007, with everything Mac was learning about Art Ream, the theory that Cindy was merely a teenage runaway was as outdated as her old mix tapes. This was a murder investigation and the detective's thinking followed two paths: Could he make the boyfriend's father--or others--for the crime and, secondly, did he have any way of finding Cindy's remains?
As a sign of either how desperate Mac was or how wide he was willing to throw his net, he paid a call on a psychic. The mystic had a strip-mall storefront -- sandwiched between a dry cleaner and a chicken joint. A cousin of Cindy said she was weirded out when she heard him give a reading on the missing teenager at a party.
Mac figured he had nothing to lose.
Derek McLaughlin: Well, at this point, well, I'll try anything.
The psychic told the cop he didn't have time for him. He had clients booked months in advance.
Derek McLaughlin: I begged him. I says, "Hey, listen, I says, let me just, two minutes of your time." And so he took us in the back, sat us down, and he had the reading cards flipped over. And he says, Well, she died a brutal death and she is dead. There's the seeker card. And he says you must be the seeker and he says you've been looking for her killer for a long time. And I said, yeah, and he said well, he's incarcerated, in fact you're gonna be seeing this guy in a few weeks. So at this point my hair's rising on the back of my neck.
The psychic had no way of knowing that Mac was indeed going to have his first meeting with Ream just a few weeks hence in the Muskegon prison where he was serving out his second sex-crime conviction. The psychic turned more cards.
Derek McLaughlin: He's telling me a lotta, lotta things. He's saying that's where she's buried by a river, in the banks of a river, by a bridge and by a big field of purple flowers.
So where was this riverside grave? The cards didn't say.
If Art Ream knew, Mac was going to have to get it out of his suspect's head the old-fashioned way, by interrogation and gamesmanship.
Interviewer: All right Art, brought a new partner with me ... Detective McLaughlin.
Mac's first meeting with the man he suspected of abducting and murdering Cindy came in early 2007. A prison interrogation of Ream had been arranged and two senior members of Jen's consulting firm --interviewers skilled in psychological techniques --would be working with Mac.
And coming to town with them was Jen Leibow. The detective and the young researcher who wanted so badly to be in on the case met for the first time after years of telephone calls and e-mails.
Derek McLaughlin: As soon as she walked out of the elevator, I knew that was her.
Jen Leibow: It was a good meeting. It was long overdue.
But the business at hand was at hand. Into the prison for an eight-hour grilling of Art Ream. At this point, he's 58 years old. He's been in prison for the past 10 years.
Derek McLaughlin: You do know where she's at, Art, that's the problem here, that's the whole problem of this whole investigation.
The initial strategy was to deal with him as though it were a given: Everyone in that interview room knew Ream had something to do with Cindy's disappearance and now was the time to explain it all.
Derek McLaughlin: You could put closure to this thing, right now, today, and help a family out. You think about it right now. If you need some paper, I'll get you some paper, you can write it down.
Art Ream: No, I'm not going to write it down.
Derek McLaughlin: Why not?
Art Ream: My memory's not that good. My spelling's not that good.
In that first interview Ream controlled the game, just as the psychological detectives had feared. Mac suggested he could do himself some good by giving up the location of Cindy's body.
Derek McLaughlin: I can't make any promises, but, do the prosecutors, do the judges listen to me? Of course they do.
Then the accusations took a harder edge.
Derek McLaughlin: And you got information that will tell me where this girl is, and you're not saying nothing. And I just think that's b - - - - - - -. He just sits there. Doesn't deny it. Doesn't refute it. Doesn't do anything except sit there and nod his head, saying, well, you got that right.
A suspect, but no body. No witnesses. No forensics. The DA's office was going to need more before moving ahead on Art Ream.
If the DA was demanding better evidence, then Mac wanted to get into this place and have a look around. It used to be a warehouse where Art Ream had his carpet business. In 1997, when he was arrested, he was hustled off to prison so quickly that he never got a chance to return to the warehouse to tidy up. It had been virtually locked up for the last ten years. The DA gave Mac a green light to search the place.
Derek McLaughlin: We're nearing the end of our looking around and this bucket in the corner was this--my partner Kelly, she reached down and pulled out this Longines watch box. She opens it up and she goes, "Oh my god, Mac, look at this." So I look at it and I'm looking at jewelry. I'm looking at some cufflinks and some necklaces and stuff and I go, "what's the tip?" She goes, "No, the piece of paper here."
The torn paper was an old direct mail sales coupon for a construction glass on one side...and on the other, a Have-You-Seen Me notice for Cindy Zarzycki with her picture and a 1-800 call line for leads.
Derek McLaughlin: We're ecstatic. We're sitting here going, Why would this guy have this in his property?
Dennis Murphy: Maybe because his son was involved and there was the girlfriend and maybe the son had put it in there?
Derek McLaughlin: We were thinking the same way. We're going: Man, this is probably Scott's. You know they're gonna say, Well, this is Scott's stuff, you know? And then we looked at the expiration date on the back of the advertisement.
There it was, in the small print: "Expires June 1995."
Dennis Murphy: And why is that important?
Derek McLaughlin: Well, Scott died July 4 of 1994.
Dennis Murphy: Scott was dead by the time this thing was put into this keepsake box?
Derek McLaughlin: That's correct.
Dennis Murphy: Was this the best evidence you had to date?
Derek McLaughlin: Well, that was the only physical evidence we had.
Had Mac and his partner stumbled upon a pedophile killer's trophy? The DA was very interested in what they'd found.
Derek McLaughlin: "Mac," he says, "You got a winner here. I think I can, I can work with this."


text:
A warm mulled pear cider for when you need to cuddle up during winter.
Don't you just love a warm drink during autumn and winter? This drink is super easy and so delicious- perfect to serve to your guests at your next party!
Mulled Pear Cider
1 litre tangy apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise, whole
5 cloves, whole
1 clementine
1 stalk of thyme
1 litre pear cider
Pear and clementine for garnish
- Bring apple juice to a boil with spices, clementine and thyme.
- Let simmer for around 30 minutes.
- Strain the liquid and add the pear cider.
- Serve straight from the pot- or serve in glasses together with slices of clementine and pear.
Use a apple juice that is not too sweet, but more on the tangy side- the pear cider will balance it out perfectly.
If you want a non-alcoholic drink, simply let the pear cider simmer together with the rest of the ingredients.
Check out the traditional Mulled Wine recipe here.


text:
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Best Reason to Have Sex: Your Health - ABC News
Best Reason to Have Sex: Your Health - ABC News
2 comments:
This 97 year old woman told me she is still living because she keeps her pipes clean once a week. LOL. At first I was like pipes but then she started laughing so I was like oh no. She was like oh yeah baby sex keeps you young and living longer. So once a week is good but three times a week is better. LOL
- January 8, 2010 at 4:59 AM
- Unknown said...
I'm going to let my husband see this link. He tells me he's not getting enough and do the thing about 3 or 4 times a week. He's getting plenty and I think I get to much. Is there a such thing as an overdose here?
- January 8, 2010 at 10:42 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Evaluation of Sample Stability and Automated DNA Extraction for Fetal Sex Determination Using Cell-Free Fetal DNA in Maternal Plasma
Objective. The detection of paternally inherited sequences in maternal plasma, such as the SRY gene for fetal sexing or RHD for fetal blood group genotyping, is becoming part of daily routine in diagnostic laboratories. Due to the low percentage of fetal DNA, it is crucial to ensure sample stability and the efficiency of DNA extraction. We evaluated blood stability at 4°C for at least 24 hours and automated DNA extraction, for fetal sex determination in maternal plasma. Methods. A total of 158 blood samples were collected, using EDTA-K tubes, from women in their 1st trimester of pregnancy. Samples were kept at 4°C for at least 24 hours before processing. An automated DNA extraction was evaluated, and its efficiency was compared with a standard manual procedure. The SRY marker was used to quantify cfDNA by real-time PCR. Results. Although lower cfDNA amounts were obtained by automated DNA extraction (mean 107,35 GE/mL versus 259,43 GE/mL), the SRY sequence was successfully detected in all 108 samples from pregnancies with male fetuses. Conclusion. We successfully evaluated the suitability of standard blood tubes for the collection of maternal blood and assessed samples to be suitable for analysis at least 24 hours later. This would allow shipping to a central reference laboratory almost from anywhere in Europe.
1. Introduction
The use of cell-free fetal DNA (cfDNA) in maternal plasma is part of the daily routine in several genetic centers for noninvasive fetal sex determination, RhD genotyping, and more recently aneuploidy screening [1–5]. Although cfDNA represents a very low percentage of the total amount of free DNA circulating in plasma (3–6%), paternally inherited sequences absent in the mother can easily be detected in plasma samples from pregnant women from the first trimester of pregnancy. Non-invasive fetal sex determination has become a very useful tool in the management of pregnancies at risk of X-linked inherited disorders, as it allows reducing the need of invasive procedures [6–9].
However, the low proportion of ffDNA present in maternal plasma still poses some technical difficulties related to sample stability during transport and DNA extraction methods. Different effects of blood processing protocols on the amount of retrievable cfDNA have been reported, and the time between venopuncture and cfDNA recovery has also been shown to favor blood cells haemolysis, thus, reducing the fetal DNA fraction [10–12].
Different strategies have been suggested to try stabilizing blood samples to improve cfDNA extraction, mainly limiting the time before plasma separation or eventually using formaldehyde [13–17]. Also, specific collection tubes stabilizing blood samples are now commercially available, although being not approved yet for diagnostic purposes [18].
We evaluated the suitability of blood collection in standard CE marked EDTA-K tubes and their storage at 4°C for at least 24 hours, to detect fetal SRY sequences in maternal plasma.
This could allow easy and cost-effective sample collection at local clinics, providing enough time for samples shipping to a central reference lab to be processed on the following day.
We also evaluated the suitability of using an automated DNA extraction method for low cost and high throughput analysis by comparing cfDNA yield obtained with a reference manual DNA extraction procedure.
2. Materials and Methods
Blood samples were collected in mL EDTA-K tubes from over 400 pregnant women between 11th and 13th weeks of gestation (mean: 12) just before undergoing an invasive procedure (CVS) for prenatal diagnosis of chromosome abnormalities. Blood samples were kept at 4°C before being sent to the laboratory; same storage conditions were also kept upon reception for at least 24 hours from venopuncture. Plasmas were separated from the cellular fraction by a first centrifugation at low speed (10 minutes at 1200 g) and second high speed centrifugation for 10 minutes at 16000 g and 4°C. Supernatants were stored at −20°C until DNA extraction. All CVS samples were analysed by QF-PCR for rapid prenatal diagnosis of chromosomes X, Y, 21, 18, and 13 aneuploidies with results made available to referring physicians within 24 hours from sampling [19].
Based on QF-PCR results, a total of 108 plasmas were selected from women carrying normal male fetuses so that DNA extraction efficiency could be monitored by real-time PCR quantification of the SRY gene. Fifty more samples from women carrying normal female fetuses were also selected as negative controls.
The first batch of 50 samples from male fetuses was processed in duplicate using manual and automated extractions. DNA extractions were performed from 500 µL of plasma using the QIAamp DSP virus kit (QIAGEN Inc.) slightly modifying the manufacturer protocol, with a final DNA elution of 55 µL. A total of 850 µL of plasma from the same sample was also extracted using the COBAS AmpliPrep-total nucleic acid isolation (TNAI) kit on the COBAS AmpliPrep DNA/RNA extractor (Roche Diagnostics) using a final elution volume of 75 µL.
All remaining samples were processed with the automated method; DNAs were kept at −20°C until PCR analysis.
Extracted DNAs were tested in duplicates, and cfDNA amounts were evaluated by absolute quantification of the SRY gene using real-time PCR as previously described (Zhong et al., 2001) [20]. Positive SRY amplification with a threshold cycle value (Ct) 42 was expected in at least one of the duplicates from male pregnancies, while undetectable amplification was expected in female pregnancies used as negative controls.
Standard quantification curves were generated using human male DNA at 10 ng/µL, 1 ng/µL, 0,1 ng/µL, and 0,01 ng/µL concentrations, and cfDNA yield (Genomic Equivalents/mL of plasma) was calculated for all samples, and results, were compared for manual and automated DNA extraction.
3. Results
DNA extraction following whole blood storage at 4°C for at least 24 hours was successful using both manual and automated procedures, and SRY amplification was detected in all 108 plasma samples from pregnant women with male fetuses. No false negative results were observed; SRY amplification was positive in both duplicates from all manual extractions and in 102/108 cases from automated procedure.
As shown in Table 1, manual DNA extraction resulted in lower Ct values for the SRY amplification (mean 36,59) than automated procedure (mean 37,74). Overall, cfDNA amounts were higher using manual extraction compared with the automated system, with a mean quantity of cfDNA of 259.43 GE/mL of plasma (range: 61,05–725.33) and 107,35 GE/mL (range: 10,28–327,06), respectively (Figure 1).
Only 6 samples failed one of the duplicates, all extracted with the automated procedures, and in 4/6 cases, the cfDNA amount was slightly lower than the observed mean.
As shown in Figure 1, more variability in cfDNA amounts was observed for samples obtained by manual DNA extraction compared with the automated procedure.
SRY detection and quantification were also possible in the remaining 58 samples, and no SRY amplification was observed for the 50 DNAs derived from women carrying female fetuses, all tested only with the automated procedure.
4. Discussion
Cell-free fetal DNA is present in low proportion in maternal plasma; thus, an efficient DNA extraction method and a robust PCR assay are crucial to detect paternally inherited sequences such as the SRY or RhD genes. Apart from different biological factors such as maternal weight or placental pathology [5, 21–24] the fetal fraction can also decrease as a result of maternal blood cells lysis in the time between blood draw and plasma separation prior to DNA extraction [14, 16, 25–27]. This might be a limitation for a central reference diagnostic laboratory offering cfDNA analysis for fetal sexing or RhD genotyping, as samples must reach the laboratory within the shortest possible period of time.
We evaluated the cfDNA stability when using standard EDTA-K tubes to collect maternal blood, by only separating maternal plasma from the cell pellets after enough time to eventually allow samples to be shipped from almost anywhere in Europe to a reference diagnostic laboratory.
The SRY sequence was detected in all plasmas from male pregnancies, despite samples being kept at 4°C for at least 24 hours from sampling.
The QIAamp DSP Virus Kit (QIAGEN, Hilden, German) has been shown as one of the most efficient DNA extraction methods for cfDNA analysis [14, 28, 29]; however, the use of an automated extractor, would ideally help in reducing risks of sample mishandling and cross contamination, while also contributing to a reduction of costs [30–35].
We successfully evaluated a protocol for the COBAS AmpliPrep automated system to be used for cfDNA extraction from maternal plasma samples collected in the 1st trimester of pregnancy. This is a CE/FDA approved system routinely used for the detection and quantification of viral nucleic acids in clinical samples with proven efficiency to allow PCR detection of targets with concentrations as low as 5 copies per mL. Despite the lower cfDNA yield observed in comparison with the QIAGEN DSP Virus Kit, the automated DNA extraction provided lower variability in concentrations range and proved to be robust enough to not affect the rtPCR efficiency allowing detecting SRY for at least one of the replicates in all male cases.
Automated DNA extraction allows high throughput of samples (up to 72 samples/run) in a closed system greatly reducing the risk of cross contamination, and it also requires little manipulation thus reducing overall costs and hands on time.
Specific cfDNA collection tubes have recently been developed in order to stabilise the sample at room temperature by limiting maternal blood cells lysis during transport. This solution is now routinely used for cfDNA screening of fetal aneuploidies in the US [18]. However, these tubes are more expensive than most rtPCR, while this would not be an issue for next generation sequencing based tests, it represents more than doubling overall laboratory costs for fetal sexing and RhD genotyping. Furthermore, cfDNA collection tubes are still labelled for research use only, thus, not suitable to collect diagnostic samples in European countries, unless being previously fully validated by each laboratory and for each different intended use.
5. Conclusion
We successfully evaluated the suitability of using standard CE marked blood tubes for the collection of maternal blood and the stability of samples following storage for at least 24 hours. This was coupled with an automated DNA extraction, to further simplify the procedure with a view to cost reduction and to simplify its introduction in the daily routine of clinical diagnostic laboratories. This approach was shown to be robust enough to obtain cfDNA from samples collected in the 1st trimester of pregnancy allowing fetal sex to be correctly identified in all cases analysed in the course of this study.
M. Hill, K. Finning, P. Martin et al., "Non-invasive prenatal determination of fetal sex: translating research into clinical practice," Clinical Genetics, vol. 80, no. 1, pp. 68–75, 2011.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
G. Daniels, K. Finning, P. Martin, and P. Soothill, "Fetal blood group genotypinq from DNA from maternal plasma: an important advance in the management and prevention of haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn," Vox Sanguinis, vol. 87, no. 4, pp. 225–232, 2004.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
N. D. Avent, "RHD genotyping from maternal plasma: guidelines and technical challenges," Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 444, pp. 185–201, 2008.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
P. G. Scheffer, C. E. van der Schoot, G. C. M. L. Page-Christiaens, and M. de Haas, "Noninvasive fetal blood group genotyping of rhesus D, c, e and of K in alloimmunised pregnant women: evaluation of a 7-year clinical experience," British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol. 118, no. 11, pp. 1340–1348, 2011.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
K. H. Nicolaides, A. Syngelaki, G. Ashoor, C. Birdir, and G. Touzet, "Noninvasive prenatal testing for fetal trisomies in a routinely screened first-trimester population," American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, vol. 207, no. 5, pp. 374.e1–374.e6, 2012.View at: Google Scholar
R. J. P. Rijnders, R. B. van der Luijt, E. D. J. Peters et al., "Earliest gestational age for fetal sexing in cell-free maternal plasma," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 23, no. 13, pp. 1042–1044, 2003.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
R. Akolekar, K. Finning, R. Kuppusamy, G. Daniels, and K. H. Nicolaides, "Fetal RHD genotyping in maternal plasma at 11–13 weeks of gestation," Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 301–306, 2011.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
R. Akolekar, D. H. Farkas, A. L. VanAgtmael, A. T. Bombard, and K. H. Nicolaides, "Fetal sex determination using circulating cell-free fetal DNA (ccffDNA) at 11 to 13 weeks of gestation," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 918–923, 2010.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
J. A. Hyett, G. Gardener, T. Stojilkovic-Mikic et al., "Reduction in diagnostic and therapeutic interventions by non-invasive determination of fetal sex in early pregnancy," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 25, no. 12, pp. 1111–1116, 2005.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
K. M. Finning and L. S. Chitty, "Non-invasive fetal sex determination: impact on clinical practice," Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 69–75, 2008.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
V. Houfflin-Debarge, H. O'Donnell, T. Overton, P. R. Bennett, and N. M. Fisk, "High sensitivity of fetal DNA in plasma compared to serum and nucleated cells using unnested PCR in maternal blood," Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 102–107, 2000.View at: Google Scholar
M. Hidestrand, R. Stokowski, K. Song et al., "Influence of temperature during transportation on cell-free DNA analysis," Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 122–128, 2012.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
G. Norbury and C. J. Norbury, "Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of single gene disorders: how close are we?" Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 76–83, 2008.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
R. W. K. Chiu, L. L. M. Poon, T. K. Lau, T. N. Leung, E. M. C. Wong, and Y. M. D. Lo, "Effects of blood-processing protocols on fetal and total DNA quantification in maternal plasma," Clinical Chemistry, vol. 47, no. 9, pp. 1607–1613, 2001.View at: Google Scholar
T. J. Legler, Z. Liu, A. Mavrou et al., "Workshop report on the extraction of foetal DNA from maternal plasma," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 27, no. 9, pp. 824–829, 2007.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
R. Dhallan, W.-C. Au, S. Mattagajasingh et al., "Methods to increase the percentage of free fetal DNA recovered from the maternal circulation," Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 291, no. 9, pp. 1114–1119, 2004.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
Y. Zhang, Q. Li, N. Hui, M. Fei, Z. Hu, and S. Sun, "Effect of formaldehyde treatment on the recovery of cell-free fetal DNA from maternal plasma at different processing times," Clinica Chimica Acta, vol. 397, no. 1-2, pp. 60–64, 2008.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
M. R. Fernando, K. Chen, S. Norton et al., "A new methodology to preserve the original proportion and integrity of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma during sample processing and storage," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 418–424, 2010.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
V. Cirigliano, G. Voglino, E. Ordoñez et al., "Rapid prenatal diagnosis of common chromosome aneuploidies by QF-PCR, results of 9 years of clinical experience," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 40–49, 2009.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
X. Y. Zhong, W. Holzgreve, and S. Hahn, "Risk free simultaneous prenatal identification of fetal Rhesus D status and sex by multiplex real-time PCR using cell free fetal DNA in maternal plasma," Swiss Medical Weekly, vol. 131, no. 5-6, pp. 70–74, 2001.View at: Google Scholar
X. Y. Zhong, M. R. Bürk, C. Troeger, L. R. Jackson, W. Holzgreve, and S. Hahn, "Fetal DNA in maternal plasma is elevated in pregnancies with aneuploid fetuses," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 795–798, 2000.View at: Google Scholar
E. Wang, A. Batey, C. Struble, T. Musci, K. Song, and A. Oliphant, "Gestational age and maternal weight effects on fetal cell-free DNA in maternal plasma," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 33, no. 7, pp. 662–666, 2013.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
A. Gerovassili, C. Garner, K. H. Nicolaides, S. L. Thein, and D. C. Rees, "Free fetal DNA in maternal circulation: a potential prognostic marker for chromosomal abnormalities?" Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 104–110, 2007.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
M. Bauer, G. Hutterer, M. Eder et al., "A prospective analysis of cell-free fetal DNA concentration in maternal plasma as an indicator for adverse pregnancy outcome," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 26, no. 9, pp. 831–836, 2006.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
C. J. Jorgez, D. D. Dang, J. L. Simpson, D. E. Lewis, and F. Z. Bischoff, "Quantity versus quality: optimal methods for cell-free DNA isolation from plasma of pregnant women," Genetics in Medicine, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 615–619, 2006.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
A. N. Barrett, B. G. Zimmermann, D. Wang, A. Holloway, and L. S. Chitty, "Implementing prenatal diagnosis based on cell-free fetal DNA: accurate identification of factors affecting fetal DNA yield," PLoS ONE, vol. 6, no. 10, Article ID e25202, 2011.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
S. P. Müller, I. Bartels, W. Stein, G. Emons, K. Gutensohn, and T. J. Legler, "Cell-free fetal DNA in specimen from pregnant women is stable up to 5 days," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 31, no. 13, pp. 1300–1304, 2011.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
I. Banzola, I. Kaufmann, O. Lapaire, S. Hahn, W. Holzgreve, and C. Rusterholz, "Isolation of serum nucleic acids for fetal DNA analysis: comparison of manual and automated extraction methods," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 28, no. 13, pp. 1227–1231, 2008.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
F. B. Clausen, G. R. Krog, K. Rieneck, and M. H. Dziegiel, "Improvement in fetal DNA extraction from maternal plasma. Evaluation of the NucliSens Magnetic Extraction system and the QIAamp DSP Virus Kit in comparison with the QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 6–10, 2007.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
T. J. Legler, Z. Liu, K.-H. Heermann et al., "Specific magnetic bead-based capture of free fetal DNA from maternal plasma," Transfusion and Apheresis Science, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 153–157, 2009.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
S. Grill, I. Banzola, Y. Li et al., "High throughput non-invasive determination of foetal Rhesus D status using automated extraction of cell-free foetal DNA in maternal plasma and mass spectrometry," Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, vol. 279, no. 4, pp. 533–537, 2009.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
J.-M. Minon, C. Gerard, J.-M. Senterre, J.-P. Schaaps, and J.-M. Foidart, "Routine fetal RHD genotyping with maternal plasma: a four-year experience in Belgium," Transfusion, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 373–381, 2008.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
H. C. Macher, P. Noguerol, P. Medrano-Campillo et al., "Standardization non-invasive fetal RHD and SRY determination into clinical routine using a new multiplex RT-PCR assay for fetal cell-free DNA in pregnant women plasma: results in clinical benefits and cost saving," Clinica Chimica Acta, vol. 413, no. 3-4, pp. 490–494, 2012.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
M. Grande, E. Ordoñez, V. Cirigliano et al., "Clinical application of midtrimester non-invasive fetal RHD genotyping and identification of RHD variants in a mixed-ethnic population," Prenatal Diagnosis, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 173–178, 2013.View at: Google Scholar
E. Ordoñez, L. Rueda, M. P. Cañadas, C. Fuster, and V. Cirigliano, "Development and validation of multiplex real-time PCR assay for noninvasive prenatal assessment of fetal RhD status and fetal sex in maternal plasma," Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 13–18, 2013.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar


text:
It's no surprise, really, that US tech entrepreneur Craig Elliott has been appointed a director of the Kiwi Landing Pad, the San Francisco-based hub for high-growth NZ tech businesses wanting to establish their businesses in the States.
Elliott was there in the beginning when KLP was just a twinkle in the eye of Sam Morgan, who set it up with Wellington entrepreneur John Holt and the support of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in 2011.
Morgan and Elliott met in Wanaka, where they both have property. They agreed that New Zealand businesses needed help to make it past the first hurdle in the complex and competitive US market.
Elliott is a strong believer in the talent New Zealand has to offer the rest of the world.
"The amount of entrepreneurialism and inventiveness in New Zealand is evident. If we, at KLP, can provide opportunities for Kiwis to have access to markets so they get to compete on the global stage and export their ingenuity in bigger volumes, then we are doing something worthwhile."
The American is based in Los Gatos in Silicon Valley and visits New Zealand regularly with his family.
He has been on the board of Xero for the past 16 months, is a strategic adviser to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and has invested in some New Zealand tech companies.
Elliott's network of contacts in the US is extensive.
With over 25 years of experience in networking and communications, he is now running the Silicon Valley tech start-up Pertino, which he co-founded. His aim is to reinvent networking for the cloud era. He was previously chief executive of Packateer, another IT start-up which he took from a three-person company to 200, going public in 1999 and taking it to a market valuation of over $2 billion.
Elliott's career began at Apple. He caught Steve Jobs' eye in the mid-80s when, as a science student from Iowa with aspirations to be a vet, he started selling Macs part-time. He became a top seller for Apple and Jobs rewarded him with a visit to San Francisco, dinner and a Porsche.
Elliott spent 10 years with the company, launching online services in 80 countries and taking on a number of senior roles, including international general manager of internet and online services.
His relationship with New Zealand started when he was working for Apple where part of his area of responsibility was the Pacific Rim. Apple would experiment with new products in New Zealand.
"We would try some things out - that's how I got to know a number of folks in New Zealand."
Elliott was taking a break here when he was lured back to Silicon Valley for his latest start-up business, Pertino (an abbreviation of Cupertino, the Californian town where the Apple HQ is) by former Packateer colleague Scott Hankins.
Packateer built networking products, but for large companies. Elliott and his team want to help small businesses use cloud technology to stay connected.
"Your typical small businesses need to buy a lot of hardware and deal with lots of complicated configuration to connect employees, provide security and so on.
"We take a lot of that same technology and with no big up-front cost and with a SaaS model, you can use our service to provide that connectivity, with no hardware and no configuration, for a low monthlycost.
"If you are travelling on the road on business, your laptop looks the same as it does in the office, it is a virtual office that is no different when you are in the coffee shop ... these days everyone's always mobile. We do it all in the cloud."
The Xero board director admits it is something Xero could be involved in at some stage.
"I've had a few conversations with Rod Drury," he says.
Despite Pertino stepping up a notch this year, Elliott has remained committed to New Zealand.
As a director at KLP, Elliott says his contribution will include making local introductions and "simple stuff" such as recommending the best lawyer.
"The plan should be to make KLP as efficient as possible in helping Kiwi entrepreneurs to access the US, to help them to understand the structures here," he says.
"We want to make the process simpler for New Zealand entrepreneurs who want to make and sell things."
Elliott is also organising paid Kiwi internships at his business over the New Zealand summer. He has set up a pilot scheme called InterNZ.
With an apartment ready and furnished and social security numbers organised, he has welcomed three computer science majors and computer engineers from the University of Auckland and Victoria University to spend until the end of February at Pertino.
It's a win-win situation - Elliott has some new talent and the students get to go back to New Zealand with a good idea of how an American tech start-up works.
Elliott has other "Silicon Valley friends" watching to see how this goes and keen to take it on too if it is successful.
"We are going to kick it off, we have got all the visas sorted, and there is interest from Cisco and Apple to tell them how to do this."


text:
Many Americans are waiting for their second stimulus check and others want to know when they could possibly get a third payment.
The $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan pushed by President Joe Biden includes a third round of $1,400 stimulus checks to bring the $600 payments Congress authorized in December to $2,000. Yet lawmakers ultimately may not necessarily agree on that sum, and it could take several weeks for Biden's proposal to work its way through Congress.
So the wait continues.
That doesn't mean you stay on the sidelines when it comes to your finances. Try this 5-Day Money Challenge. Here are five simple steps that you can take now to get a better handle on your money, whether another stimulus check is on its way or not:
Day 1: Calculate your net worth
The first step to taking control of your money is to figure out where you stand right now. Once you get info on all of your accounts, it'll take just a few minutes to calculate your net worth.
"Looking at your finances in totality is very important because everything is connected," said Zaneilia Harris, a certified financial planner and president of Harris & Harris Wealth Management Group in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Money Report
Add up how much you have in checking, savings, investment and retirement accounts, plus the estimated value of your house or other properties you own. Then, add up the value of your liabilities, your debts —credit card balances, student loans, mortgage, car loans — other bills that you owe. Where your finances currently stand lies in the answer this equation: assets - liabilities = net worth.
Day 2: Do a 'paycheck checkup'
Do a "paycheck checkup" to double-check the accuracy of your take-home pay so that your spending is based on money that you actually have. Check your withholding, which is the amount of federal income tax withheld from your paycheck.
Use the Withholding Estimator tool on IRS.gov for your checkup. It is especially important to check your withholding if you've lost a job since unemployment compensation generally is taxable.
Also, if you've had significant health-care expenses this year due to Covid-19 or other medical issues, that could impact your itemized deductions and may also impact your withholding. If the amount of tax withheld is too much or too little based on your review, you should send a new Form W-4 form to your employer.
If you're self-employed and don't have an employer withholding your taxes from your pay, you'll have to calculate your taxes on your own and make sure you set aside enough money to cover your tax payments. Use IRS Form 1040-ES to calculate your estimated tax payments.
Some financial experts recommend putting away 20% to 35% of your pay into a separate savings account that you'll use to pay estimated taxes to the federal government every three months, as well as any additional tax you may owe when you file your tax return.
Day 3: Do a budget makeover
If you've never done a budget or haven't looked at it in several months, it probably needs a makeover. Make sure it reflects your immediate financial goals, which may have changed. "Look at how you've handled money in the past and your cash flow in the past and then assess if certain things are even necessary," said Harris, author of "Finance 'n Stilettos – Money Matters for the Well-Heeled Woman."
"Prioritize what things are necessary now. Some things may not be as necessary as you thought," she added.
Focus on what you must spend on basic needs as well as long-term plans. "That budget shouldn't be all about restriction," said Emily Shallal, senior director of customer strategy and innovation at Ally Bank. "It's a tool to help you make financial decisions so you can be more confident and satisfied with your money."
More from Invest in You:
The ultimate side hustle guide for 2021
Credit card fraud will increase due to the Covid pandemic, warn experts
How 2020 college grads have been launching their careers during the pandemic
Try the "60% Solution." Put 60% of your gross income to "committed expenses" — that includes all of your taxes, housing costs, transportation expenses, debt payments, childcare and any expense that you must pay every month. Divide the rest of your "spending" this way and pay yourself. Put 20% of your gross income toward long-term savings (including college and retirement savings), 10% to short-term savings (including your emergency fund) and 10% to "fun money" to use on anything that you'd like.
Day 4: Direct your pay to several accounts
Direct your pay into several bank accounts, not just basic checking and one savings account. First, deposit just enough money to your checking account to cover basic household expenses and monthly bills, no more. Then, send another portion of your pay to a savings account to build your emergency fund. Also, set up savings accounts for other goals and dreams, like a new house or vacation.
"Now is a good time to set up your bank accounts so that you have buckets ready for everything coming up this year," said Berna Anat, financial literacy educator and creator of the financial education website Hey Berna. "From there you can visually prioritize, this bucket needs to be filled by April because there is a wedding or this one I need to bankroll by tax season."
Day 5: Set up alerts on your bank's mobile app
Customize banking alerts on your bank's mobile app to help you manage your money. You generally can request to be contacted by text or email. Alerts for a direct deposit, low balance or large purchase can be particularly useful.
You know when your pay is in your account or your bank account balance is below the amount you need to cover this week's or this month's expenses. And, before each large purchase, you may ask yourself "Do I really need this item? Or "Do I just want this item?" But as another gut check, a "large purchase alert" will contact you when a significant amount of money, say $100 or $200, is spent at one time.
The ultimate goal of taking the 5-Day Money Challenge is to move your financial life forward right now. "Look at ways that you can move forward in a positive way," Harris said. "Those small steps lead to the big steps.
"Breaking it down into smaller steps or habits will help you start to look at your finances more regularly and connect those steps and habits to things that are very important to you in your life."
And, you don't have to wait for that stimulus check to get started.
On the Today Show's "Lighten Your Load Challenge," CNBC's Sharon Epperson shares tips on quick fixes for your finances that you can do over just five days.
SIGN UP: Money 101 is an 8-week learning course to financial freedom, delivered weekly to your inbox.
CHECK OUT: The 5 U.S. states where $500,000 in retirement savings would last you the longest via Grow with Acorns+CNBC.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns.


text:
The Fat YearsBy Chan Koonchung
Chan Koonchung's satirical portrait of a world-dominant China, The Fat Years, tells the story of a writer gradually made to question the foundations of a thriving society too content and repressed to examine them. Almost everyone in Koonchung's China is happy, manically happy, including Chen, the protagonist. But when he runs into two old friends, he gets clued into something strange: a month has gone missing from the collective memory. With its obvious allegory for the state's censorship of events like those of 1989, The Fat Years is banned in China. Yet just as some characters in the novel thrive amidst the booming economy and controlling state, the novel became popular online and Chan himself now lives in Beijing.
The Man Within My HeadBy Pico Iyer
The latest book by Pico Iyer, travel writer, essayist, and novelist, is both a memoir and a tribute to Graham Greene. Stories of Iyer's travels are interspersed with musings about his own father and the English author, whom Iyer sees as a sort of spiritual father. Except for an affinity for solo travel and a spiritual bent, Iyer seemingly has little in common with Greene, yet he says he has long found sentences of the author's popping into his head—hence the title, which is also a reference to Greene's novel, The Man Within. As Iyer investigates Greene's life, he finds more parallels with his own, some superficial and some profound, which Iyer susses out in his usual composed, flowing prose.
A Line in the Sand: The Anglo-French Struggle for the Middle East, 1914-1948By James Barr
Many historians seeking to trace the etiology of the Middle East's current troubles have examined the period immediately after World War I when Britain and France were divvying up of the former Ottoman colonies. In A Line in the Sand, Barr argues that Britain and France didn't just botch the job, they cynically fanned the flames of local unrest as they jockeyed for advantage over their ostensible ally. Britain's backing of a Jewish state in Palestine was cover for the seizure of the eastern side of the Suez Canal; France's arming of Jewish insurgents, Barr argues, was revenge for Britain's backing of independence movements in French-controlled Syria. What distinguishes Barr's account is that it takes place mostly at ground level: among the diplomats, statesmen, and spies conniving against one another in a tangled mess of intrigue.
The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective StoriesEdited by Michael Sims
In The Dead Witness, editor Michael Sims collects some excellent well-known and lesser-known examples of Victorian detective fiction, including some by neglected female writers in the genre. The title story, a Gothic-detective hybrid published in Australia in 1866, is the first known detective story by a woman. The collection contains classics from Edgar Allen Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as forgotten works, such as a story by William E. Burton, republished here for the first time since its original printing in 1837—before Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue," which is generally considered the first true detective story. Each is expertly introduced by Michael Sims, an aficionado of the genre.
The Tender Hour of TwilightBy Richard Seaver. Edited by Jeannette Seaver.
Richard Seaver was at the center of literary life in 1950s Paris, establishing the magazine Merlin, and publishing Eugene Ionesco and Jean Genet. He championed Samuel Beckett in an essay that got the attention of Barney Rosset, the editor of Grove Press, which helped bring Beckett to American audiences. It also got Seaver a job at Grove, where he went on to publish Lady Chatterly's Lover, Tropic of Cancer, Naked Lunch, and other iconic works, often over the objections of censors. Seaver died in 2009 and The Tender Hour of Twilight is his memoir, condensed by his wife from 900 pages of notes he wrote over the course of his life.


text:
Turning the Gulf of Mexico into a long-term source for fresh drinking water is the focus of a study Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) recently agreed to begin.
The $2 million effort will investigate the feasibility of building a natural gas-fired power plant next to a seawater desalination facility along the Texas Gulf Coast to produce both electricity and fresh water for Texans.
"Texas needs water, and Texas needs electricity," Patterson said. "This idea has exciting potential to bring both a sustainable source of water and power to Texans who need it most."
Creating an additional source of water on the Texas Gulf Coast is vital to maintaining the region's current industries, as well as encouraging new ones to relocate to the region, Patterson said. The Texas Legislature concurs, as evidenced by House Concurrent Resolution 59, which calls for an interim committee to study seawater desalination on the Texas coast. Patterson hopes his initiative with GBRA will help jump start this process and lead to greater understanding of the role seawater desalination will play in Texas' future.
Developing an entirely new source of fresh water is more important than ever in light of recent legal decisions related to the endangered whooping crane that will make it harder than ever to acquire surface water rights in the region.
GBRA proposes the building of a 500MW natural gas-fired power plant next to a desalination facility that would process from 25 to 50 million gallons of seawater per day into fresh drinking water—enough to supply the typical water usage for more than 125,000 homes.
"Texas must address both its water and energy challenges to maximize the opportunities coming our way," said GBRA General Manager W.E. West, Jr. "We believe this project has the potential to jump-start or accommodate a growing population, economic development, agriculture and environmental needs."
The General Land Office and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority are now working to evaluate proposals from engineering and consulting firms from across the world to conduct the research. The study is anticipated to take as long as two years and will be conducted in four general phases that include financial, technical, integration and distribution evaluations of the proposed project.
As Texas enters its third year of drought, finding new sources of water is vital, Patterson said.
Seawater desalination is an energy-intensive process and the co-location of a power plant will allow for a reliable and inexpensive power supply, making the overall project far more cost competitive. Natural gas from Permanent School Fund lands could power the electrical generator, earning money for the schoolchildren of Texas in the process.
"All the river basin rights are essentially fully allocated and it takes decades to create a new surface reservoir—but every day the demand grows," Patterson said. "The Gulf might just be an affordable, sustainable water resource we can add to the mix to help alleviate the pressure upstream."
Source: Texas General Land Office


text:
(Image above: Horai Island in Kasumiga-ike (pond))
"Deemed one of Japan's three most beautiful landscape gardens Kenrokuen is a strolling style landscape garden with the characteristics of a typical landscape garden of the Edo period. The name Kenrokuen literally means "Garden of the Six Sublimities", referring to spaciousness, seclusion, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water and broad views, which according to Chinese landscape theory are the six essential attributes that make up a perfect garden. A stroll around Kenrokuen will help with understanding this landscape theory as the grounds are teeming with water features, bridges, teahouses, trees, flowers, stones, viewpoints and hidden nooks to discover." Thus was the information I had and eager not to miss this intriguing beauty I went for a visit despite the clouds that decided to have a visit on the same day. And since it was a day such as this I did indeed have the leisure to stroll around layers of plants and stones and layers of history.
Kenroku-en was developed to perfection over generations by the Kaga clan lords. The core concept or rather theme of this gardening, however, was "eternal life" again and again. For example, by creating a large pond to resemble the ocean and arranging an island for a legendary wizard with the secret of perpetual youth and longevity to live there, the lords cast their wishes for longevity and eternal prosperity into the design of the garden. The 5th lord, Tsunanori Maeda, the founder of the garden, established three divine islands, Horai, Hojo and Eisyu, in the Hisago-ike pond, and the 13th load Nariyasu Maeda also built Horai island in Kasumiga-ike pond.
So Horai Island is located near the center of Kasumiga-ike Pond. The pond represents the sea, and Horai Island a sacred island. This comes from an old Chinese idea according to which there are three utopian islands far out to sea, which are inhabited by mountain hermits. The three islands represent immortality and prosperity, and were often incorporated into famous gardens. These islands were often the shape of a turtle or a crane, and Horai Island is no exception. The large black rock on the northeast side of the island represents the head of a turtle, the island itself represents the body, and the pagoda on the opposite side represents the turtle's tail. The island is also known as "Turtle Island".
The garden is designed to incorporate particular subjects from other scenery, literature and Noh chant lyrics. In addition to this, unique Kotoji stone lantern with imbalanced legs and the elaborately designed stone pavement with a diamond pattern.
Water is diverted from a distant river by a sophisticated water system constructed in 1632 to feed Kenrokuen's various streams and ponds including the two main ponds in the garden, Kasumigaike and Hisagoike. The over two-meter tall Kotojitoro Lantern, uniquely built with two legs instead of one, stands at the northern bank of Kasumigaike Pond and is an iconic symbol of Kenrokuen. In addition, a fountain below Kasumigaike Pond is one of Japan's oldest, and is powered by the drop in elevation from the pond which causes water to shoot out 3.5 meters high. Meanwhile, nearby Hisagoike Pond features a small waterfall.
While there is far less foliage in winter, freshly fallen snow gives the garden a different, attractive seasonal look. Many of the garden's large pine trees feature traditional winter protections to prevent damage by snow. Of special note is the Karasaki Pine, one of the garden's most prominent trees. Planted from seed, it now stands tall next to Kasumigaike Pond with some of its branches extending far over the pond's surface.


text:
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said Saturday that Democrats should "stop wasting time" on impeachment, and "tackle" real issues such as the opioid crisis.
House Minority Leader McCarthy slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other Democrats that have distracted Congress from addressing "real" issues such as the opioid crisis. McCarthy said that, despite a reduction in opioid abuse and overdose deaths, it is not enough to sufficiently address the issue.
"Democrats should stop wasting time and resources on impeachment and instead work with Republicans to tackle the real issues," McCarthy said.
Good news for ALL Americans ⤦
⬫ Opioid abuse and overdose deaths are down.
⬫ Treatment for opioids is up.
But it's not enough.
Democrats should stop wasting time and resources on impeachment and instead work with Republicans to tackle the real issues. https://t.co/Q9Oma5gg4o
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) October 12, 2019
McCarthy's office said Wednesday that Republicans have been fighting for legislation to address the opioid crisis for years.
House Republicans helped the bipartisan Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act pass through Congress, which President Trump signed last Congress. The SUPPORT Act helps advance treatment and recovery initiatives, improve prevention, and bolster efforts to fight deadly illicit drugs such as fentanyl.
The House GOP majority also helped pass the 21st Century Act, which was signed into law in 2016.
However, despite the Congress that Republicans made last congressional term with their majority, efforts to address the opioid crisis have stymied while Pelosi has moved to impeach President Donald Trump.
"Unfortunately, the Democrat majority in the House has siloed all of their attention and resources into impeaching President Trump — a goal they've had since the day he was inaugurated. Meaningful, bipartisan legislation has been thrown to the wayside," Rep. McCarthy's office said.
They said, "In their attempt to remove from office the duly elected President of the United States on purely political grounds, Speaker Pelosi and her Democrat caucus have blatantly ignored or purposely politicized most other issues that matter to the American people, like combating the opioid crisis."
"Americans deserve more from those they lend their voices to in Congress. Instead of wasting their majority on their impeachment fixation, House Democrats should join Republicans to end the opioid crisis in a bipartisan fashion," McCarthy's office added.


text:
PhantomTails said: but it's not that terribly interesting...
It's too bad you put this at the end of your post, I would have buzzed you otherwise. ;)
Should any park? IMO no, not really. The ride has no real value - historic or otherwise. On top of that, it was never all that great of a ride to begin with. Given it'd be nice if some small park gets it like what was done with Meteor, but I definitely won't shed any tears if it doesn't happen.
Personally, I think if anyone wants to keep anything from the ride around for sentimental value or maybe even historical significance, take the trains and put'em in the museum... But that mostlikely won't ever be built.
Hopefully The Beast is next on the demo list. We're finally making progress on all the terrible rides!
AV Matt
Long live the Big Bad Wolf
AV Matt
Long live the Big Bad Wolf
rOLLocOASt said:
Should any park? IMO no, not really. The ride has no real value - historic or otherwise. On top of that, it was never all that great of a ride to begin with. Given it'd be nice if some small park gets it like what was done with Meteor, but I definitely won't shed any tears if it doesn't happen.
No historic value? What exactly gives a ride historic value? If nothing else Big Dipper was fun, one of the best coasters and Geauga Lake and best wooden coasters in Ohio.
Acoustic Viscosity said:
I'd rather see it go to a non-CF park where it may continue to operate as the un-tamed gem it is. Dipper is an airtime machine. It amazed me that CF allowed it to continue operating that way let alone without seatdividers or headrests.
I agree. Kennywood and Holiday World are the first two parks that come to mind. I actually trust those to parks to operate and maintain great wooden coasters. Plus Cedar Fair could use some cash, they might as well try to auction it off.
They just moved Meteor, and all their rides at this small park are used and refurbished and all run great.
They might be interested in BD if CF allows it to be sold.
My favorite MJ tune: "Billie Jean" which I have been listening to alot now. RIP MJ.
884 Coasters, 34 States, 7 Countries
http://www.rollercoasterfreak.com My YouTube
I'm glad I visited it before they decided to kill it.
Have Fun
Negative-G Amusement Parks and Rollercoasters: www.Negative-G.com
Jason Hammond said:
In a statement release by Cedar Fair, they said any rides they don't want to relocate, will be sold if there is a market for them.
In that case, Big Dipper won't be sold. There is absolutely no market in the U.S. for a wooden roller coaster that was already operating before most people's grandparents were born.
It would be much more cost effective and sensible to build a new modern wooden roller coaster than to go through the painstaking process of carefully dismantling a near century old dump, relocate it, and reassemble it.
In case you haven't noticed, I though Big Dipper was terrible ride (as is my opinion of the other Geauga Lake woodies). Don't give me that "oh, but it's a classic and is historical" bit. Most people could care less if the ride has history if it's a piece of sh*t.
I'd be willing to bet certain posters would throw themselves off the highest point in the park...much less mourn any 'historical value' of lost rides in this forum.
That having been said--why don't we treat others like it was happening to our own home park? A little sensitivity, perhaps? Wouldn't kill ya...
NOTE: Severe fecal impaction may render the above words highly debatable.
Just tear it down like The Thriller, Racing Coaster, and Flying Turns of Euclid Beach. Let it go to coaster-heaven. RIP Big D!
Great Lakes Brewery Patron...
You must be logged in to post


text:
Precut Glass approx. 12″ x 12″ – 2 Tile Sheets
Best selection of stained glass supplies and equipment
Beautiful precut Mosaic Glass Tiles are perfect for any wall, counter top or flat surfaces that you want to jazz up. The precut glass pieces are attached to a mesh for easy install application. They can be also be connected to continue the design. You can also remove the glass pieces and arrange them to fit your creative project. .Limited stock.
5 in stockShipping and Refund Policy
Precut Glass approx. 12″ x 12″ – 2 Tile Sheets
|3 lbs
|14 × 14 × 4 in
There are no reviews yet.


text:
The NFT (non-fungible token) market is a booming and lucrative arena whose value runs into billions of dollars. From abstract digital art to music, sports memorabilia, film snippets and even real estate, the sky is literally the horizon for what can be turned into an NFT. And, the value of some of the most expensive NFTs sold in 2022, can help you gauge the extent of the NFT space.
NFT sales have catapulted over the years. 2021 saw a huge upswing in the interest in digital assets and the sale of NFT projects. The year saw some of the most valuable NFTs grab headlines with jaw-dropping sales and its inertia continued in early 2022. Cryptopunk NFT collections garnered a lot of attention and landed some hugely successful NFT projects this year.
From providing opportunities to mint and enlist your artwork, to helping build a dynamic NFT ecosystem where buyers and creators can interact seamlessly, NFT marketplaces such as OpenSea, Nifty Gateway and Foundation along with iconic auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's have been pivotal in discovering artists and NFT collectors.
In December 2021, Pak caused a storm in the NFT-verse by amassing a staggering USD 91.8 million through his NFT titled Merge on the Nifty Gateway marketplace. Its value was followed by two of Beeple's creations — The First 5000 Days which sold for USD 69.3 million in March and Human One which sold as part of Christie's 21st Century Evening Sale in November.
However, according to media reports, while the wave seemed to have reached its peak in 2021 and in January 2022, there has been a significant dip in NFT sales in 2022. The 'crypto winter' seems to get even chillier from Q2 to Q3. Reuters refers to DappRadar and says, "The third quarter of 2022 saw USD3.4 billion in NFT sales, down from USD8.4 billion the previous quarter and USD12.5 billion at the market's peak in the first quarter of the year." After an explosive 2021, the lull seems to continue even in the fourth quarter of 2022.
With another year behind us, we have rounded up some of the most expensive NFTs sold till date in 2022, along with their features, artist's details and what makes them worthy of such sky-high amounts. And, going beyond 2022, the two sales from 2021 also deserve special mention for garnering the highest value ever.
Here are some of the costliest NFTs sold in 2022
Clock: USD 52.7 million
Made in collaboration with Pak and WikiLeak's founder Julian Assange, the Clock NFT was dropped in February 2022 and became the third most expensive NFT to date. Although the NFT does not resemble a clock or has anything to do with a clock, it does have a deep impact in terms of timekeeping. The NFT initiative is a digital count of the number of days Assange was held up in Belmarsh Prison on charges of espionage in 2019. All the proceeds from its sales were used for his legal battle.
Launched as part of Pak and Assange's Censored series featuring 29,000 NFT messages, Clock is sold to AssangeDAO, a decentralised organisation (DAO) with over 10,000 supporters of Assange who crowdfunded its sales. The Clock NFT was sold for USD 52.7 million and the amount was handed over to Wau Holland Foundation which fought for Assange's defence. Pak shared a short note after the end of the auction and said, "Censored was a drop with no creator, developer, platform, middlemen share. All from people, for the people."
Reminder: Censored was a drop with no creator, developer, platform, middlemen share.
All from people, for the people.
A special thanks to friends at @manifoldxyz for helping with the project as well as donating their portion just like everyone else.
<3 #codeispoetry https://t.co/cAQvu7V0h0
— Pak (@muratpak) February 9, 2022
Pak's Clock NFT is not the first of its kind which is sold for a cause. In 2021, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden garnered USD 5.4 million by selling an NFT of his own face created from pages of a US appeals court decision.
Cryptopunk #5822: USD 23.7 million
This piece is Cryptopunks' most expensive NFT sold till date. The rare punk, featuring a blue bandana, was sold for a whopping USD 23.7 million in February 2022. It is a part of the alien punks series and was lapped up by the CEO of Chain, Deepak Thapliyal.
This expensive cryptopunk NFT justifies its staggering value as it is one among nine rare alien punk series and one from a group of 333 other cryptopunk NFTs with a bandana.
The Cryptopunks collection has amassed unparalleled popularity among NFT enthusiasts. The collection of 10,000 such avatars in the Ethereum blockchain was launched by Larva Labs and is heavily influenced by London's punk scene, the cyberpunk movement as well as electronic music artists such as Daft Punk. Yuga Labs later took over the collection's intellectual property in March 2022. This paved the way for the new generation of NFT profile pictures which the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs are famous for.
Cryptopunk #5577: USD 7.7 million
Another digital artwork from the highest-grossing cryptopunk NFT collection, this piece was sold in February 2022 for USD 7.7 million. This cowboy hat-clad NFT was purchased by Compound Finance founder Robert Leshner.
What makes Cryptopunk #5577 stand out from the rest in the collection is that it is one of the few 24 ape-looking punks. It has a darker complexion and is one among 142 NFTs that sport a cowboy hat. However, with a surge in popularity and market domination by the Bored Ape Yacht Club, it won't be too easy to see a punk ape featuring as an NFT profile picture.
UkraineDAO PartyBid: USD 6.7 million
Thank you to all who supported our project 🙏
Next steps: POAP for all those who donated to partybid, work with Come Back Alive on safely transferring funds
You may still donate ETH directly to ukrainedao.eth pic.twitter.com/GsQBLzHIVK
— UkraineDAO.ETH (@Ukraine_DAO) March 2, 2022
This NFT sale deserves a special mention in the list because of the situation under which it was sold and managed to garner a staggering USD 6.75 million.
On 2 March 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its seventh day and caused harrowing conditions for the people there. In a bid to provide ration and essential supplies to the war-stricken people, Russian art collector Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot, NFT studio Trippy Labs and members from the influential PleasrDAO joined hands to form UkraineDAO. It is a decentralised automated organisation aimed at helping Ukraine in this dire situation.
They organised a fundraiser by auctioning an NFT of the Ukrainian flag. The NFT was sold to the winning bid from a group of 3,271 contributors who came together via PartyBid. The proceeds were then handed over to an organisation called Come Back Alive which is dedicated to provide supplies to the citizens there.
This NFT project set an unprecedented example of how the crypto world can come together and help those during a period of crisis.
All Time High In The City: USD 6.2 million
Riding the wave of the NFT craze of early 2022, XCOPY's All The Time High In The City sold for USD 6.2 million in January. It was purchased by an NFT collector under the moniker rarecollector3000 for 1630 ETH on the NFT marketplace SuperRare.
It is one of the most expensive NFTs of the year and is composed of a red and black animated graphic design depicting a boatman carrying a man across, what appears to be, River Styx.
This dark NFT art was originally minted in 2018, but gained prominence much later. In September 2021, it was valued at USD 3 million and in four months, it found a place among the most expensive NFTs when its value doubled.
XCOPY's style is quite distinguishable in the NFT ecosystem as it is underlined with a theme of foreboding death and shows a dystopic world. In fact, this is the same person behind another successful and expensive NFT Right-click and Save As guy which was sold for around USD 7 million in 2021.
Most expensive NFTs sold till now
Merge: USD 91.8 million
Pak is one of the most prolific and hugely successful names in the NFT space with some of the most expensive NFTs ever sold to his credit. However, although it was sold at the very end of last year, his Merge NFT deserves special applause.
Minted in December 2021, this continues to hold the apex position in 2022 as the most expensive NFT sold to date. Sold at a whopping USD 91.8 million on Nifty Gateway, Pak has surpassed all his contemporaries by a large margin and set new standards in NFT sales.
Instead of a static piece of art, it was released as a collection of 3,12,686 'masses' which were distributed among 28,983 buyers who then could buy and sell these masses in secondary marketplaces to make a bigger mass. The blockchain mechanism involved enabled a new mass acquired to attach itself to the existing mass and make a bigger value and one single token. After a whirlwind of a sale that lasted 48 hours, Pak set new records to have sold the most expensive NFT art by breaking the previous art record held by Jeff Koons's 1986 painting Rabbit which sold for USD 91 million in 2019.
Everydays: The First 5000 Days: USD 69.3 million
Mike Winkelmann, better known as Beeple, is another NFT art creator who holds a significant place in this arena with a number of expensive NFTs in his portfolio. Everydays: The First 5000 Days, the second most expensive NFT till now, was sold by Christie's as the auction house's first full digital artwork sale.
A graphic designer-turned-digital artist, Beeple worked on this piece — a collage of 5000 tiny images — for a period of over 13 years, hence justifying the high price tag. In fact, this piece helped shed the spotlight on the whole non-fungible segment and made the term known to every household. According to Coinscreed, the piece was purchased by an anonymous buyer who later revealed his identity to be Vignesh 'Metakovan' Sundaresan.
Justin Sun, the founder of Tron, was the second-highest bidder for Beeple's NFT.
(Main and featured image credit: Andrey Metelev/ @metelevan/ Unsplash)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Malaysia


text:
Coburg Lark
Coburg Lark pigeon is a medium to large sized breed with completely light grey head. Body of these birds hold a special silky effect. Their head is fully light grey in color, and the neck is dark gray and sometimes with a shade of green.
Coburg Lark Reviewed by Tanmay Roy on January 15, 2017 Rating:


text:
Air Layering
Edited by aianne b., Rose B, Graeme, Alma and 3 others
There different ways in which to propagate plants that do not bear fruit; meaning there are no seeds to be planted. One of the methods used by gardeners to propagate their plant is called air layering. This technique is has a high success rate when it comes to plant propagation. Here are some tips to ensure successful air layering.
- 1You will need string/electrical tape, scissors, plastic wrap, a bottle of water, a piece of hard plastic, spagnum moss or a coconut husk will do.First gather the materials needed.
- 2After gathering all the materials, choose a plant to be propagated.Pick the plant.
- 3Before making the cut, first inspect the stem of the plant to see if it is woody or less woody. Cuts may vary according to how woody the stem is. If it is woody you need to remove the bark around the stem for about 1-2 inches in length leaving the wood part of the stem exposed. For less woody stems you can make a cut upward into the stem about 1-2 inches in length. Once the cut has been made, stick the piece of hard plastic in between so that the cut parts will not be in contact.Making the cut.
- 4Soak the spagnum moss or coconut husk in water and squeeze to remove the excess water.
- 5Using the spagnum moss or coconut husk, wrap it around the cut area of the stem, then wrap it with plastic and use string or electrical tape to secure the it in place.
- 6Make sure that you remove the plastic when you transfer the layered stem into a new pot.After a week or two when you can see roots sprouting from the stem you can now cut the stem below the layered stem and plant it in a new pot.
Best plants to use for air layering
The best plants to use for air layering are the plants that do not readily root when cut and planted and plants that lack low growing shoots. These plants can be ornamental to woody plants like:
- Roses
- Ornamental figs
- Magnolia
- Camellia
- Jasmine
- Holly
- Azalea
- Croton
- Hazel
- Daphnes
- Rhododendron
- Lilac
- Forsythia
- continues
- Viburnums
- Cornusspecies
- Philodendron
You can also make use of air layering to propagate nut and fruit-bearing trees like:
- Apples
- Pecans
- Citrus
- Pears
Tips Tricks & Warnings
- Make sure that no outside moisture will enter the plastic cover.
- Secure the plastic from end to end.
Questions and Answers
I am looking for air layering scissors. Is there such a thing?
I'm looking to air layering scissors.. I have tried: Surfed the web. I think it was caused by: Don't know if they are available
A pair of scissors that you need is a pair of scissors for cutting plastic foil and string, which can be bought in the nearest gardening shop or general store, or a girdling pair of scissors (for example, like these). You can also use a pruning pair of shears (for example, one of these).
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
Article Info
Categories : Gardening
Recent edits by: Eng, asherick, Alma


text:
With Odonien the artist Odo Rumpf has created a unique combination of open-air studio, workshop, venue and cultural center. Located in the middle of Ehrenfeld, between the railway line and Europe's largest Eroscenter, the area captivates with its idiosyncratic charm.
Event halls, the artist's workshop, a giant find storage, an outdoor stage and a richly planted beer garden with bizarre metal sculptures provide an ambiance of industrial culture and improvisational art, as it is unique in Cologne.
Originally a place where artists could live and flourish, Odo Rumpf was keen to create a place of creative creation, without social boundaries and dependencies: a free state.
Today, the Free State of Odonien is a place of cultural exchange. Creative artists, artists, and socially engaged people have the opportunity here to work out their ideas and to interact with other creative thinkers. As a result, there are regularly interesting, cross-cultural and social projects that are included in the program of events in Odonien.
Odonien is accessible to everyone. In addition to artistic and social projects, the Free State is also established in the party and concert area.
The wide range of events of any kind makes Odonien a special venue. Whether art or culture, festival or flea market, rock or rave: In Odonien, commerce, art and social projects complement each other to create a balanced whole. The summery open-air cinema or festivals such as Robodonien (robot art) take place on the extensive outdoor area and now have a tradition in the Free State.


text:
At different stages of product design, various levels of modeling are used. In order to make design decisions, as a rule, simulation techniques at the microlevel (FEM, CFD) are used. In order to make conceptual decisions simulation at the macrolevel or system simulation or 0D/1D simulation are used.
System simulation allows to see the behavior of objects on the system level. It can be combined into a system of subsystems of different physical nature. It allows to simulate complex technical products, which consist of many different subsystems both in structure and in physics:
Any vehicle is a complex system, in which there are interaction of multidisciplinary subsystems: body, chassis, engine, powertrain, tires, electricity, brake system, steering system. Moreover, with the introduction in recent years of electronic systems such as ABS, ESP and so, interaction between subsystems and their influence on the vehicle as a whole much more complicated. Therefore, fast and qualitative research collaboration of these subsystems can only be made by mathematical simulation.


text:
Red-throated Caracara
Here is another caracara you can spot in Kabalebo: The Red-throated Caracara.
Just like the Black Caracara, the Red-throated Caracara (Ibycter Americanus) can be easily identified by its bare facial skin. But the only difference is that theirs are red colored.
Red-throated Caracara's are familiar with all kinds of habitat. Meaning that they feel at home practically everywhere. Whether near the river, forest borders or inside the forest, it doesn't matter for this scavenger looking bird, everywhere feels like home for them.
Red-throated Caracara's are loud and quite noisy birds. They are seen as a couple or in a noisy group. From a distance their vocalization even resembles the Large Macaws calls.
In the pictures above, you can see an adult Red-throated Caracara next to an immature one. You can clearly see that the young one lacks some deep red in its face, but as it is still maturing it will eventually gets the nice color too.
Just like the Black Caracara, the Red-throated Caracara also has a variety to chose from their menu: wasps, beehives, larvae's, insects, seeds, berries, rice, small frogs, lizards, eggs or hatchlings.
Red-throated Caracara's are locally known as Gowtuman or Busikaka. The latter deprived from the call they make.
You may also like the following post:
Comments are closed.
June 2023


text:
This is intended as an immersive participatory audio environment. Engaging in broadcast transmission means that each listener has their own unique auditory experience as a result of the sum of the environmental parts. For example, the sound reproduction technology (radio), the acoustic of the room it is situated within, the sounding activity and location of the "listener" as they interact with their physical space, the drifting in and out of focus as attention shifts from the listeners presence in the physical and the information from the transmission sounding device that aurally "colonizes" the physical space with its content. Bearing this in mind it is recommended that this piece be diffused at a reduced amplitude (low volume) so that divisions between the three environmental inputs: transmission media, ambient environment and participants sounding actions become blurred and result in a participatory immersive auditory event. This implies that the hermetically complete "work" no longer exists: The environment and the work can't be distinguished.
Radia Stations
- *Duuu (Paris, FR)
- ∏node (Mulhouse, Paris, FR)
- Diffusion107 (Sydney, AU)
- JET FM (Nantes, FR)
- Kanal 103 (Skopje, MK)
- Orange 94.0 (Vienna, AT)
- Radio ARA (Luxembourg, LU)
- Radio Campus (Brussels, BE)
- Radio Grenouille (Marseille, FR)
- Radio Helsinki (Graz, AT)
- Radio One 91 FM (Dunedin, NZ)
- Radio Panik (Brussels, BE)
- Radio Papesse (Firenze, IT)
- Radio Student (Ljubljana, SI)
- radio x (Frankfurt/Main, DE)
- Rádio Zero (Lisboa, PT)
- RadioWORM (Rotterdam, NL)
- Reboot.fm (Berlin, DE)
- Resonance FM (London, UK)
- Soundart Radio (Dartington, UK)
- TEA FM (Zaragoza, ES)
- Usmaradio (San Marino, SM)
- Wave Farm WGXC 90.7-FM (New York, USA)
- Kunstradio (Vienna, AT)
- Mobile Radio (Ürzig, DE)
- Radioart106 (Haifa, PS48)
Syndicated by
- Campus Paris (Paris, FR)
- CFRU (Guelph, CA)
- CKUT (Montréal, CA)
- KZradio (Tel Aviv, IL)
- Radio Corax (Halle, DE)
- Resonance Extra (Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, London, Norwich, UK)
- Campus Paris
- Curious Broadcast
- DiffusionFM
- duuu radio
- Eastside FM
- euphonia
- free103point9
- Jet FM
- Kanal 103
- Kunstradio
- Lemurie TAZ
- Mark Kanak
- Orange 94.0
- Radia
- Radio ARA
- radio art
- radioart106
- radioart106fm KolHaCampus
- Radio Campus
- Radio Campus Bruxelles
- Radio Corax
- Radio Cult
- Radio Grenouille
- Radio Helsinki
- Radio Nova
- Radio One 91 FM
- Radio Panik
- Radio Papesse
- Radio Student
- RadioWORM
- radio Worm/Klangendum
- radio x
- Reboot.fm
- Resonance104.4fm
- Rádio Zero
- Soundart Radio
- Tilos Radio
- usmaradio
- Wave Farm/WGXC-90.7FM
- XL Air
- π-node


text:
Process and Rules
Eyes on the Horizon: Multi-Year Budgeting and its Role in the Federal Budget Process
Tied to the Mast: Fiscal Rules and Their Uses
Budgeting for Emergencies
Performance Budgeting
Options for the Federal Budget Process: Overview
Paths to Debt Stabilization: A Comparison of Debt Triggers
As Policymakers Search for the Right Fiscal Tool, Peterson-Pew Commission's New Fiscal Toolbox Can Help
Peterson-Pew Fiscal Targets: Ten Issues in Designing a New Debt Failsafe
Getting Back in the Black
In Getting Back in the Black, the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform calls on policymakers to reform the federal budget process in order to help stabilize the nation's debt-GDP ratio, a proposal advanced in the Commission first report Red Ink Rising. The Commission concludes that policymakers must improve the budget process through implementing fiscal targets, budgetary triggers, and increased transparency as part of a package of fiscal reforms.
Peterson-Pew Commission Recommends Major Revisions to Federal Budget Process
The Peterson-Pew Commission has released a series of recommendations for reforming the federal budget process as a way to help stabilize the nation's debt as a share of the economy. The report, Getting Back in the Black, concentrates on three primary areas of improvement: fiscal targets, budgetary triggers, and improved transparency.


text: On Fri, 24 Dec 2010, Eugene Kirpichov wrote: > I don't think I'd like to allocate memory in these functions - I > expect them to have very predictable and very high performance. I'm afraid on ix86 it is not possible to move a Double that is stored in (two 32 bit) general purpose registers over to the FPU or to an XMM register. That is, what happens if you read a bit pattern from memory while reversing the order and then converting to double is actually on machine level that it is written back to memory and then loaded into FPU or SSE unit. I'm not entirely sure, you better check the assembly code that your Haskell code generates. > I'm using unsafeCoerce because it allows me to treat all these types > in the same fashion (which is good for correctness and readability), > and unsafeCoerce's semantics is identical to what is expected of this > code - interpret a memory area as a value of a different type. That's also the purpose of castPtr. It is certainly also unsafe, but not as unsafe, since you only convert between "dead bit patterns" and not between "life Haskell values". :-)


text:
Azaalongu Primary School in the Sherigu community in the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region has finally had the support its been pursuing the government for.
For a long time, pupils and teachers of the school have been without furniture in most of the classrooms, as well as other amenities to aid them have quality teaching and learning sessions.
Azaalongu Primary has for some time been counted among schools with poor enrolments and high rate of absenteeism in the Bolgatanga Municipality. The school is in a deprived area, but has never benefited from the School Feeding Programme.
A few weeks after A1 Radio had reported on the state of the school, the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly responded by handing over a total of 180 dual desks and a new classroom block to the school and also added the school to the list of schools to benefit from the School Feeding Program in 2019.
It is expected that the school will start seeing an improvement in its enrolment following the handing over of the new six classroom block, dual desks and benefiting from the School Feeding Programme.
In an exclusive interview with the Headmistress of Azaalongu Primary School, Madam Ayishetu Shirazu said, management was more than happy for the assemblys support.
"I never thought the Assembly will consider Azaalongu Primary as part of their supporting list now. After receiving this wonderful support from government, I hold it at heart to do my best to impact the needed knowledge to the pupil of Azaalongu. Again, I must admit that after enrolling this school onto the School Feeding Program, pupils attendance to school has improved."
Hon. Ayamga Johnson Asooh who is the Assemblyman of the Area, expressed similar gratitude to government, and appealed that government should help the community to be connected to the national grid, saying this is a major problem the community is facing.
Meanwhile, A1 Radios checks have revealed that Azaalongu Primary School is not the only school that the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly has supported this year; other basic schools are Kalbeo, Sokabisi and Tindonsobligo Primary Schools in the Municipality.
Source: a1radioonline.com | Moses Apiah | Ghana


text:
Hippity. Hoppity. Easter is on the way.
Are you looking for a sweet do-it-yourself treat for your family? You need the Bunny Candy Necklace kit from the NeatoShop. Each box includes 6 individually wrapped kits and each kit has everything you need to make a candy necklace.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Mints & Candies.


text:
Truly, a cut above. Feel the softness & support of both a tailored (thanks to adjustable straps) and figure flattering fit that can be worn alone or under all your favorite tops.
- Designed and assembled in the USA
- Front cutout design
- Adjustable straps
- Self lining with removable bra pads
- Medium support
- Uniquely created to flatter every shape
- Every style we produce is wear-tested on our in-house team to ensure the best fit in every size


text:
It was only a few weeks ago that GLIF announced investments into Finexkap, LiftForward and The Credit Junction. GLIF's current warchest of platforms is highly diversified and covers most corners of the alternative finance space. The SME finance giant holds investments in peer-to-business lenders (Raiseworks), peer-to-peer property lenders (Proplend), equity crowdfunders (CrowdShed), invoice financiers (Platform Black), white labellers (LiftForward) and trade finance providers (TradeRiver Finance) – as well as many more platforms that are less straightforward to categorize.
And now GLIF has acquired an interest in one of the most recently developed sub-sectors of the online lending space – peer-to-peer bonds. The small business finance specialist has invested £1m into UK Bond Network – in return for a 16.6% equity stake in the business. UKBN allows SMEs to raise money through debt-based structures – either bonds or loans – of amounts ranging from £500k to £4m. Up to now, the retail bond market hasn't really been a viable option for businesses looking to raise less than £20m. UKBN is changing that.
Geoff Miller, Chief Executive of GLIF, commented on the investment:
"UK Bond Network has achieved impressive growth and is an excellent strategic fit within our portfolio of platforms that provide finance to growing businesses. I am sure that, given UK Bond Network's talented management team and the demand for the flexible finance that it provides businesses, it will be a great partner for GLI Finance."
Chris Maule, Founder and Chief Executive of UK Bond Network, also weighed in:
"We are delighted to be welcoming GLI Finance as a significant investor and partner in our business as we reach a stage in our development when we are looking to accelerate our growth. This represents an important strategic step for UK Bond Network and we believe that the experience and expertise of the GLI Finance management team will provide significant value to our business. Our offering is complimentary to GLI Finance's existing portfolio of companies, and as such we expect there to be excellent synergies between the platforms."
As touched on above, GLIF has interests in a wide variety of niches within the SME funding space. The alternative finance industry is evolving with startling speed. It's a tall order for any institution to keep up in terms of its strategic investments, but GLIF is pulling it off. If there's one missing piece to the GLIF puzzle – it's revenue-based finance. Companies like Liberis and Fleximize are making a real impact in the SME funding sector and they may well be on the GLIF radar before long.