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Windows OS
Pentium 166MHz
Macintosh OS
OS X 10.3 or greater
Linux OS
A flavour of Linux that supports J2RE, such as: Read Hat 7.3/8.0 SuSE 8.0, TurboLinux 7.0 or SLEC 8 Pentium 166MHz
Solaris OS: 7, 8 or 9.
HD: Up to 70MB
Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.4.1 or greater must be installed. To check if you have Java installed on your system type "Java -version" in a Command prompt (Windows) or Terminal console (Mac, Unix).
For example:
If you receive an unknown command error message or your Java build number is less than 1.4.1 then you need to install the latest (free) edition of JRE, which can be found at http://www.Java.sun.com
For help installing the JRE please see: http://www.Java.com/en/download/help/index.jsp
For FAQ on the JRE please see: http://www.Java.com/en/download/faq/index.jsp
Lucid Phoenix, a member of the Lucid family of products, is used to create, deploy, maintain and play interactive pathway keys (also often called dichotomous keys). Pathway keys are one of two main types of identification keys. The other type, matrix keys (also often called interactive or random-access keys) are built and played using other Lucid products (see www.lucidcentral.org for more information on the Lucid family of products).
A pathway key is a traditional form of identification guide that takes the form of a series of questions or statements, each question or statement leading to either another question or statement, or to a result (an identified taxon or entity). Pathway keys are so named because the questions or statements are arranged in the form of a branching pathway, each branch ultimately leading to an identification. At each branching point a question with two or more answers, or two or more statements, are presented. The answer or statement that best describes the entity (taxon or other thing) being identified is chosen at each step.
There are several traditional ways of writing pathway keys, but all have the same basic structure.
Statements are written in groups (couplets), each with a go-to. Choose which statement of the couplet is correct for the specimen to be identified, then go to the couplet number indicated.
1. Flowers blue.................................2
1a. Flowers red..................................3
2. Fruits fleshy...................Species 1
2a. Fruits woody.................Species 2
3. Trees..............................Species 3
3a. Shrubs..........................................4
4. Leaves hairy.................Species 4
4a. Leaves not hairy...........Species 5
Statements in a group (couplets) have the same indent level. Choose which statement of the couplet is correct for the specimen to be identified, then go to the couplet immediately below
Flowers blue
Fruits fleshy.......................Species 1
Fruits woody......................Species 2
Flowers red
Trees..................................Species 3
Leaves hairy....................Species 4
Leaves not hairy..............Species 5
Begin at the top of the key with the first question, choose which answer is correct for the specimen to be identified, then follow the arrow to the next question.
Lucid Phoenix comprises three main programs:
The Lucid Phoenix Builder and Player can handle keys in either the traditional statement form or the question-answer form. The Lucid Phoenix Importer can import digital copies of keys in either coupleted or indented form (although with some limitations - see The Phoenix Importer section for more information.
Phoenix keys look very different from traditional, printed pathway keys, but they work on the same principle. The Phoenix Player is divided into four windows:
Please note that all Phoenix programs will look slightly different on different computer platforms and under different operating systems. The example screen shots are indicative only.
The Questions panel at top left contains the pair or group of statements (or answers) to address. If the key is a question-answer key, the question is shown above the questions panel and the answers are shown within it. If the key is a statement key, the statements are shown in the panel.
Choose one statement or answer by clicking on it. Entities Remaining lists all entities that match the chosen path so far, while Entities Discarded lists entities that have been discarded from consideration. The History panel maintains a history of choices so far.
As you proceed through the key progressively addressing each couplet in turn, so the list of entities will be reduced until, hopefully, only one remains. The identification is complete.
Click here for more information on the Lucid Phoenix Player.
Default Phoenix Builder Interface
under Windows XP.
The Phoenix Builder is used to create and maintain keys for the Phoenix Player. It comprises three main panels:
The Couplet Tree is the core of a Phoenix key. It comprises couplets arranged in a tree, each couplet with two or more leads. Couplets and leads can be added, moved, removed or renamed at any time.
To begin creating a new key from scratch, first click the Add New Child button on the toolbar. A new couplet lead will be created:
Note: in a key using the question-answer form for couplets, use the couplet questions for the question text and the couplet leads for the answer text; in a key using the coupleted statement form, ignore the couplet question and use the couplet leads for the statements. You may hide the couplet questions using the toggle button on the toolbar.
Continue building the key's tree by adding more leads and couplet questions. Leads may be added as siblings, children or parents of any currently selected lead. Leads and couplet questions that have children may be opened or closed using their and buttons.
Leads in the couplet tree may be dragged and dropped to new positions, with the following restrictions:
1. A couplet lead cannot be dragged and dropped onto one of its children.
2. A couplet lead cannot be dragged and dropped onto a child of one of its sibling leads
Care should be taken moving leads, as it can destroy the logical structure of the key. Moving leads is most useful when a partially built key needs to be substantially rearranged. It is safest in this case to create a new lead at the root of the couplet tree, and move leads from the old to the new lead, rearranging the tree in the process.
Ctrl + Drag will change a sibling to a child drag, this function is only applicable to a couplet lead, not a couplet question.
In a completed Phoenix key, every lead will either lead to another lead, or to an entity. No lead will lead nowhere, and no lead will lead to two or more entities.
Entities are added to the key and associated with leads using the four list panels in the Entities Panel.
To add an entity to any list of the entities panel (except the Other Entities list), click on the list and click the button on the toolbar (or use Ctrl-Shift-E keyboard shortcut). A dialog box will pop up for entering the name of the entity.
Two main strategies can be employed to associate entities with leads:
1. At any time during building of the couplet tree, select the topmost (root) couplet question, click on the Unassigned Entities list, then click the button and enter the name of an entity. The entity will be added to the Unassigned Entities list. Continue adding entities until all entities required for the key have been added.
To associate entities, click on a lead that you wish to assign with an entity, and drag the entity from Unassigned Entities to the topmost Entities list. Repeat for other leads and entities until all entities have been assigned. (Note: two or more entities may be selected (by holding down the Shift key while selecting a contiguous group of entities, or by holding down the Control- key while selecting a non-contiguous set) and dragged together to the appropriate list.)
2. At any time during building of the key, click on a lead that will be assigned an entity (that is, the lead will be a terminal lead in the key), click on the button (or use the Ctrl-Shift-E keyboard shortcut) and enter the name of the entity. The entity will be assigned to that lead.
Entities can be renamed at any time by right-clicking on an entity name and choosing Rename from the popup menu.
Entities can be deleted at any time by right-clicking on an entity name and choosing Remove or Delete. If the entity is in one of the two topmost entity lists, removing it will cause it to be moved to the Unassigned Entities list. If the entity is in the Unassigned Entities list, removing it will delete the entity permanently from the key. A warning message will appear confirming if you really want to do this.
As entities are progressively assigned to terminal leads, the entities lists may be used to check that entities are assigned correctly. Clicking on a lead will fill the topmost entities list with all entities that belong to the selected lead or to any child (descendent) lead of the selected lead. If the selected lead has one sibling, the second entities list will be filled with all entities that belong to the sibling lead or to any child (descendent) lead of the sibling lead. (Note: if the selected lead is one of three or more siblings, the second list will include all siblings of the selected lead).
When a lead is selected in the couplet tree its sibling leads are highlighted. The highlight colour can be defined in the Builder preferences.
Any lead in the key may have a thumbnail image associated with it, which displays when the lead is displayed in the Phoenix Player. Any entity in the key may have a thumbnail that accompanies it in the Phoenix Player. It may also have an associated web pages, accessed via a hyperlink.
Thumbnail images and web pages are associated with leads and entities using the Properties Panel. Click on a lead or entity, then click on the Add Media button . A dialog box will appear to browse for the appropriate file.
When adding multimedia for leads, only the Images object will be available on the Properties Panel. When adding multimedia for entities, both the Images and HTML objects will be available. Click on one of these before clicking on the Add Media button, to add the appropriate file. Local HTML files must be located within the keys multimedia html folder. The HTML file selection dialog will only allow browsing within this folder or subfolder there in. Internet based URLs can be attached by using the Internet button located in the top right hand side of the browse dialog.
HTML file selection dialog
For a step by step example of building a key see the Phoenix Builder Tutorial.
Displays the text label of a selected item. Selected items can either be from the Couplet Tree window, such as couplet item or an entity from any Entities list.
Moves to the next valid item within either the selected couplet tree window or entity list.
Moves to the previous valid item within either the selected couplet tree window or entity list.
Phoenix keys can have images and html attached to couplet items and entities. The Phoenix player does not preform any dynamic image resizing therefore when attaching images within a Phoenix key you should ensure that the image is optimised for size and loading speed, especially if the key is destined for the Internet or Intranet.
Which ever node is selected will determine the type of media that is to be added.
Depending on which media node is selected will determine the add media function for either an image or HTML fact sheet. Both couplet items and entities may have one image but only entities may have an html fact sheet directly attached. Tip: To show more that one image for an entity or couplet item, create a collage image or add images into a fact sheet.
This will delete the selected media item from the currently selected item that is displayed in the property text.
This function will become available when a html media item has been selected. When clicked it will launch the operating systems default web browser to preview the html item.
Filters are a unique feature of Lucid Phoenix and are not possible in paper based keys. In the Phoenix Player, Filters are used to restrict the allowable entities in the key, according to their values in a score matrix associated with the key. For instance, a key to fly families of the World may include a filter that scores each family according to its distribution on the major continents. A user of the key may choose Africa from the filter set. Phoenix then removes all families that do not occur in Africa from the key and reformats the key's couplet tree to match the change, effectively producing a new key to the families of flies of Africa.
Filters are created by entering a list of filter items then scoring all entities in the key against the filter items.
Filters dialog.
Add Button - Adds a new filter item to the filter list.
Remove Button - Removes a filter item from the filter list.
Rename Button - Allows renaming of the selected filter item.
To score filters, select a filter item and check the box next to the entities associated with that filter.
The Phoenix Builder allows partially completed keys to be viewed within the Phoenix Player. If for example, a lead ends with no entity then the Builder will create an artificial entity called "UNKNOWN - KEY INCOMPLETE " within the Player file. This allows the key to be played for testing and shows that there is no entity on that path. If an end lead has more than one entity left then the Builder will create an artificial couplet that states: "This pathway has finished. The following entities remain:" Each of the entities left are then listed as leads.
These artificial items are not stored within the keys Builder files and are only created when the key is played within the Builder or deployed.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + N
Resets the Builder ready for the creation of a new key. If a key is already open and unsaved the Builder will ask to save the current key before resetting.
Opens an existing key in the Phoenix Builder format. Lucid Phoenix keys have the file extension "lp3".
Shortcut key: Ctrl + S
Allows the key to be saved to file. If the key has not been saved previously then a dialog to name and select the destination folder of the key will appear.
Note: When the key is saved a folder of the same name as the key is created by the Phoenix Builder. Contained within this folder are several other folders that the Builder requires. The "BuilderOnly" folder is used exclusively by the Phoenix Builder. This folder and its contents should not opened or modified in any way as this may cause your key to become corrupted. The "Media" folder contains two other folders called "html" and "images" these will be described in further detail in the "Adding Multimedia to a Key" section.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + A
Provides the option to save a key under another name and if desired in another location.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + D
Deletes items from within the key such as entities, couplet questions and couplet items. If an item can not be deleted then the delete icon will be ghosted. Note: there is currently no Undo Delete action available.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + R
Mouse event: Right click, within couplet tree or Entity lists, select option from pop-up menu.
Allows the renaming of text labels of items within the key such as entities, couplet questions and couplet items. Text within these labels can be modified via the text tool bar, for things such as bold, italics and font colour and size.
Shows or hides Couplet Question nodes in the couplet tree. Couplet Question nodes are used in a question-answer key. They can be hidden when creating a coupleted statement key.
Hides sub-branches within the couplet tree.
Reveals all sub-branches within the couplet tree
Shortcut key: Ctrl + Shift + P
Inserts a new couplet item above the currently selected couplet item or question. Default question text node is automatically created.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + Shift + C
Inserts a new couplet item below the currently selected couplet item or questions.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + Shift + S
Inserts a new couplet item within the selected couplet.
Causes the Add New sibling function to insert a new sibling couplet item above the currently selected couplet item.
Causes the Add New sibling function to insert a new sibling couplet item below the currently selected couplet item.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + Shift + E
Mouse event: Right click within an Entity box other than "Other Entities" or via the Edit Menu.
New Entities can be added through any Entity list other than Other Entities (See Entity list for more information).
When assigning entities to leads by dragging them from Unassigned Entities, Auto-Scoring will, if turned on, automatically assign all remaining unassigned entities to the alternate lead. Turning off Auto-Scoring will require that all entities be assigned manually to both leads.
Note: Auto-Scoring is only available when a couplet has only two leads.
Opens the Filters dialog, for scoring and maintaining a Filters set for the key. See Phoenix Filters for more information.
Launches the current key in the Phoenix Player.
Delete Key
Location: File Menu
Use caution when using this function!
Deletes a selected key. This will remove the lp3 file and the associated key folder and subfolders.
Opens the key import dialog for importing existing text-based pathway keys or Phoenix lpxk files. The Import function is only available within an empty key. See Importing Existing Keys for further information.
Deploy key settings dialog.
This function deploys the Phoenix key you have built into the Lucid Phoenix Player format and wraps the key and Phoenix Player applet into a web page.
Key Title: This field sets the title of the encapsulating web page that holds the key and Phoenix applet player. This title is displayed within the web browsers application bar.
Phoenix window width: The Phoenix applet can be set to fill the entire available space within html page or defined to set proportion of it, either by a percentage or fixed width and height in pixels.
Destination: Used to select a folder where the Phoenix Player files and the key's media are exported to. The Phoenix builder will give a warning notice if a key already exists within the selected destination folder, with an option not to overwrite. It is possible for more than one key to be exported to a single destination as each key will be contained within its own key folder. The Player applet within the destination folder would then be common to all of the keys.
<Destination folder>\phoenix_player
\phoenix.jar <--- Phoenix applet.
\help <--- Phoenix Player help files
\<Key 1 Name>.html
\<Key 2 Name>.html
\<Key 1 Name Folder>\
\<Key 1 Name>.lpxk
\<Key 2 Name Folder>\
\<Key 2 Name>.lpxk
The following folders and files need to copied to the destination web server for the key to run correctly.
phoenix_player folder and sub folders
Key folder and sub folders
Key HTML file
phoenix_player folder and sub folders
Key folder and sub folders
Key HTML file
The key html file is where the Phoenix Applet player is opened. An applet is a program written in the JavaTM programming language that can be included in an HTML page, much in the same way an image is included. When you use a Java technology-enabled browser to view a page that contains an applet, the applet's code is transferred to your system and executed by the browser's Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
The keys HTML page is standard HTML that contains a special applet tag that is used to open the Phoenix Player. This applet tag does not preclude the page from having normal HTML content with the Phoenix applet forming a element of the page such as with an image.
Closes the Phoenix Builder application. If a key is open and in an un-saved state then the option to save the key will be presented prior to closing.
Builder Preferences Dialog
Shortcut key: Ctrl + B
Allows the defaults setting for colour and fonts within the Phoenix Builder to be changed for both the main interface window and the filters window.
The colour selection dialog allows the selection of colour through a number of means. Each selection method gives a preview of the colour chosen.
Available colour selection dialogs.
Font selection dialog.
Available fonts that are present within the system are listed on the left hand side of the dialog. Click on a listed font to select it. The font size can be adjusted via the slider bar located in the middle of the dialog. A preview of the font is displayed within the bottom right hand pane. Select Set to accept the font.
Depending on which is selected the search option will find either entities or items within the couple tree.
The Phoenix Builder contains a powerful import facility that can convert existing paper based keys into the Phoenix format. The import function can handle the two most common types of printed dichotomous keys, bracketed and indented. If your dichotomous key is only available in a printed format, scan the key using an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program and save the key as a text file. You can then open this file through the Open dialog after selecting Import in the Phoenix Builder. Or once the Importer module is open by using open key. You can also use this dialog to open an existing LPXK file (for more information on LPXK file please see Appendix 1)
Import Key file selection dialog.
Import module dialog
Once a key has been loaded into the Import module it is analysed. If problems are found within the key, a 'To Do' list is generated. Each error or warning found within the key is marked with a wavy underline, red for an error and blue for a warning, at the point within the line where the error occurs. See example below.
Each couplet item must be on one line.
Each couplet item must have an identifier, question text and a destination. The second item within a couplet does not need an identifier as this can be assumed from the couplet item immediately above it.
Breakdown of a bracketed key example
The importer will change the colour of the text that represents each part of the couplet item that has been identified, as defined in the importer preferences. Between each component of the couplet item - identifier, question text and destination - there must be some form of separation. The separation can be in the form of spaces, tabs or three or more repeating characters. These separators are excluded when the text key is exported to the Phoenix Builder.
As errors or 'To Do' items are corrected within the key document window the key is re-analysed to find other errors that were hidden by previous errors. Each item within the 'To Do' list has a line number where the fault can be found within the document window. 'To Do' items can be clicked, this action takes the cursor to the line and position where the error is occurring within the key document window.
Simple example of an incomplete key showing "warning" 'To Do' items.
Once all 'To Do' items have been resolved the key can then be exported back to the Phoenix Builder.
Resets the Import module ready for the creation of a new text based key. If the text based key is already open and unsaved the Importer will ask to save the current key prior to resetting.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + O
Opens existing text based keys in the Phoenix importer module. The Importer module will open text files and LPXK files (for more information on LPXK file please see Appendix 1).
Before a key can be exported back to the Phoenix builder any logical errors found within the paper based key must be corrected. These corrections or any changes that are made to the text file can be saved.
If changes have been made to the original text based key this option allows the changes to be saved in a new file.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + X
Cuts a selected piece of text into the memory clipboard.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + C
Copies a piece of text into the the memory clipboard.
Shortcut key: Ctrl + V
Description: Copies the memory clipboard where the current cursor is located.
Rolls back the previous editing history within the text based key.
Rolls forward the editing history within the text based key.
Searches for a word or phrase within the text based key document.
Start at Top: Starts the search process at the beginning of the document.
Wrap Around: Starts the search from the current cursor position and ends back at the cursor position.
Import module find dialog.
Looks for the next occurrence of the search text or phrase.
Exports the recognised text based key document that contains no 'To Do' items (See the 'To Do' items for more information) back into the Phoenix Builder. The import module closes automatically after the key has been successfully exported to the builder.
Shortcut key: F1
Displays help files associated with the import process.
File Menu
Import Module preferences dialog
Allows for setting the colour preference for the different parts of the text based key that are recognised by the Phoenix Import Module. Selection of colours is the same as the Phoenix Builder colour preferences.
Closes the Import Module without exporting text based key data back to the Builder.
Edit Menu
Shortcut key: Ctrl + A
Selects all text within the text area of the Import Module.
The LPXK file is the XML data file that is used by the Phoenix Player. It contains all of the information need to display and run your key.
LPXK files have the following format:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<PhoenixKey title="<Key Title>" CreatedIn="<Software that created the key>">
<Identity id="<i0..i1.i.n>" name="<Identity Name>" icon="<path/graphic file>" url="<path/HTML file>" />
<FilterItem name="<Filter Name>" id="<f01..f02..fn>">
<FilteredItems><Identity Id><space><IdentityId></FilteredItems>
<Steps firstStepID = "<Step Id>">
<Step id="<s0..s1..sn>" text="<Step Description>">
<Lead stepid="<Step Id>" leadid = "<Step Id><Lead Id l0..l1..ln>" goto = "<Step Id or Identity Id>">
<Text><Lead Text></Text>
Purchase Lucid Phoenix


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Consistently ranked as one of Australia's most liveable cities, Adelaide's pristine beaches and laid-back attitude won't disappoint.
'Booming Brisbane', as it's often called, is one of Australia's hippest destinations, thanks to its thriving cafe culture, arts and nightlife scenes.
Anything goes in Melbourne, a city that effortlessly blends a cosmopolitan feel with a little bit of the Aussie outback.
The range of things to do in Perth is long, from enjoying one of the city's 19 beaches to sipping a delectable coffee.
There's no shortage of beauty in Sydney – from the Harbour Bridge and iconic Opera House to the verdant Royal Botanic Gardens.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sorry for the slow updates, been really caught up at work. I have not sold as much as I had suggested in my last May post due to onerous restrictions at work.
The acquisition rationale felt like the planning was messed up.
Ultimately shorting - you need 7 stars aligned. You cant brute it, need to pick the right fight.
I wont comment on CMZ, but feel free to exchange views with me by dropping a note :)
Just read a local business news publication and saw an article which got me a tad disappointed with the quality of reporting here. Nothing irks me more than generalization and mis-aggregation of information. It talks about China needing to improve quality of disclosures and regulations and goes on to suggest that Indofood taking over China Minzhong (CMZ) is a divine retribution to foreign speculators. In the reporter's exact words, "They should have been aware that Indofood taking up a majority stake would mean they have done their homework".
To explain shortly the story, basically Glaucus (Canadian based research firm) accused CMZ of fraudulent financial reporting with a report and a short position. Stock fell 48% to S$0.53/sh. Subsequently Indofood, a Singapore listed food products and palm oil company affiliated with Salim Group who already owns a 33.49% of CMZ, announced taking over CMZ at S$1.12/sh, valuing the firm at S$734m.
A public announcement to rationalise the offer and to correct the article was rather akward. LINK here and LINK here. My thoughts:
- Does Indofood taking over CMZ mean they are necessarily right and Glaucus is wrong?
- Does taking majority take (30+%) mean Indofood has absolutely done their work and are right?
- If you bought Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Co like how Caterpillar Co done their work, congratulations, you have just managed to make -84% returns within a few months. Many other examples like China Agritech and China Biotics and the list goes on, and on and on.
I cant fathom how anyone can make such a statement. Fallacious much?


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Photo Challenge: Matrimony
June is one of the most popular months for couples to tie the knot, and this week's photo challenge is all about the big day!
A professional photographer is as important to the wedding as the officiant, and shooting a wedding is no easy task. Formal portraits of the family, candid shots of guests, and uncle Joe's dance moves may each require different equipment, lighting, and camera work to capture the mood of the moment.
Whether you are a pro working the wedding circuit or just one of those wedding crashers, we want to see your best photographs from the aisle and beyond. Show us any scene from a wedding day, from the bride dressing to the band playing it's last song. Photographs and stories from all cultural traditions are welcomed. Show us your best!
RSS for photos in Photo Challenge: Matrimony


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc wants to go to trial to defend itself against U.S. government allegations that it conspired with publishers to raise prices of electronic books, a lawyer for the Silicon Valley giant said in court on Wednesday.
Two publishers took a similar stance in the first hearing in Manhattan federal court since the anti-trust division of the Department of Justice last week accused Apple and five publishers of colluding to break up Amazon.com's low-cost dominance of the digital book market.
The publishers are Macmillan, a unit of Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH, and Pearson Plc's Penguin Group.
"Our basic view is that we would like the case to be decided on the merits," Apple lawyer, Daniel Floyd, told U.S. District Judge Denise Cote. "We believe that this is not an appropriate case against us and we would like to validate that."
The judge scheduled the next hearing for June 22.
The court also heard that 15 U.S. states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico were in settlement talks with the three publishers. If all 50 states were ultimately to settle, it would have an impact on a separate class action brought by consumers, a HarperCollins lawyer, Shepard Goldfein, told the judge.
"There could be something left of the class, or nothing left of the class," Goldfein said.
The government said the price-fixing took place in early 2010 as Apple was introducing its iPad.
E-book prices went up an average of $2 to $3 in a three-day period in early 2010, according to the complaint.
The settlement with three publishers will allow Amazon to resume discounting books, and will terminate the "most favored nation" contracts with Apple.
News Corp owns HarperCollins Publishers Inc, CBS Corp owns Simon & Schuster Inc and Hachette Book Group is a subsidiary of Lagardere SCA.
Hachette and HarperCollins also settled with a group of U.S. states, agreeing to pay $51 million in restitution to consumers who bought e-books. Simon & Schuster is in negotiations with the states to join that settlement, a lawyer for the company said in court on Wednesday.
The European Commission is also probing Apple and publishers in a similar antitrust probe. It said on Wednesday that it had received settlement proposals from Apple and four publishers - Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Hachette Livre and Macmillan's parent.
The case is USA v Apple Inc et al in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 12-2826 and No. 11-md-02293.
Additional reporting By Diane Bartz; Editing by David Gregorio


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The miasma of misogyny that floats around him and his supporters is one thing that puts me off him even more. Today, unbelievably, George Galloway claimed that "even if the allegations made by these two women were 100 per cent true. . . they don't constitute rape." A bit like the "not rape-rape" claims by Polanski's supporters. It follows Terry Jones on Twitter claiming that "Not wearing a condom is not a crime in this country",. As Naomi McAuliffe writes, "If you find yourself needing to do intellectual somersaults to justify a rape or semantic back-flips to refine rape, then you might want to consider whether all your principles are so flexible."
But Assange himself and his supporters regularly come out with this sexism, that if it came from conservatives would have liberals denouncing them soundly. His associate Israel Shamir: "It is no coincidence that the enemies of Empire are all masculine males, be they Gaddafi, Castro, Chávez, Lukashenko, Putin – or Julian Assange. It appears the men have been targeted for elimination; the working ants need no sex." Assange himself: "Western culture seems to forge women that are valueless and inane." And: "The reporters on the Guardian disappointed me. They failed my masculinity test." Loads more examples here. Mind-boggling.
It was good that he drew attention to one of the world's less well known acts of repression of free expression, near the end of his speech, when he said "On Thursday, my friend, Nabeel Rajab, was sentenced to three years for a tweet." Rajab was found guilty by a court in Bahrain of instigating and participating in several illegal gatherings and sentenced to three years in jail. Rajab, who is president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, is already serving a three-month sentence for posting anti-government comments on Twitter. Rajab is a real hero, and it is good that in an uncharacteristic act of sharing the limelight, Assange has put some of the public's attention on him.
Or is it rather that Assange suspects that sympathy for him is flagging outside of his zombie cult, and seeks to bolster his glamour by association with genuine heroes of free expression?
After mentioning Rajab, he continued: "On Friday, a Russian band was sentenced to two years in jail for a political performance. There is unity in the oppression. There must be absolute unity and determination in the response." The band in question, which he was oddly too prim to name, was of course Pussy Riot.
Pussy Riot's "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin earned them two years in a prison colony for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred". Again, they are genuine heroes of free expression, imprisoned for purely political reasons by an authoritarian regime.
But why should there be "absolute unity" between their cause and that of Assange. Assange's personal cause, when it comes down to it, is not about WikiLeaks but about whether or not he should answer serious sexual assault charges. By comparing himself to Pussy Riot, he demeans their cause.
And by offering solidarity to them, he is guilty of gross hypocrisy. As the Guardian reported, Evgeny Morozov, the author of the Net Delusion, tweeted: "Great that Assange supports Pussy Riot. Perhaps, he can have them on his TV show. Oh wait...." Morozov later tweeted: "Another idea for a great Assange show on RT: interview the Belarusian whistleblower Alexander Barankov about to be extradited from Ecuador."
Assange's TV show was on Russia Today, the state-funded media outlet that is the main global mouthpiece of the Putin regime which locked up Pussy Riot. Russia Today (or RT) has been described by the Columbia Journalism Review as a "soft-power tool to improve Russia's image abroad, to counter the anti-Russian bias the Kremlin saw in the Western media. Since its founding in 2005, however, the broadcast outlet has become better known as an extension of former President Vladimir Putin's confrontational foreign policy." During Russia's Ossetian war in 2008, "Reporters who tried to broadcast anything outside the boundaries that Moscow had carefully delineated were punished." Shaun Walker, Independent's Moscow correspondent, claims that.
"It is untrue that the channel's journalists are able to report on what they want to without editorial influence; while as time has gone on there have been more features on "negative" aspects of Russia, there is still a total absence of any voices criticising Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or President Dmitry Medvedev," he says. "The channel's coverage of Russia's war with Georgia was particularly obscene. With Western TV networks hooked on a "New Cold War" headline and often not too well versed in the nuances of the region, there was a gap in the market for a balanced view of the conflict that explained Russia's position. Instead, RT blasted "GENOCIDE" across its screens for most of the war's duration, produced a number of extraordinarily biased packages, and instructed reporters not to report from Georgian villages within South Ossetia that had been ethnically cleansed."Another criticism often levelled at RT is that
in striving to bring the West an alternate point of view, it is forced to talk to marginal, offensive, and often irrelevant figures who can take positions bordering on the absurd. In March, for instance, RT dedicated a twelve-minute interview to Hank Albarelli, a self-described American "historian" who claims that the CIA is testing dangerous drugs on unwitting civilians. After an earthquake ravaged Haiti earlier this year, RT turned for commentary to Carl Dix, a representative of the American Revolutionary Communist Party, who appeared on air wearing a Mao cap. On a recent episode of Peter Lavelle's CrossTalk, the guests themselves berated Lavelle for saying that the 9/11 terrorists were not fundamentalists.They also promote rapid 9/11 truth culter Alex Jones and "reported with boosterish zeal on conspiracy theories popular in the resurgent "Patriot" movement."
Meanwhile, despite tough talk to Ecuador, how have Cameroon and Hague stood up to Putin? As Denis MacShane notes, this week, in the wake of the Pussy Riot verdict, "British Conservatives will be at the Russian Embassy in London to launch a "Conservative Friends of Russia" group and William Hague has made clear that under his foreign policy trade trumps human rights."
genuine hero, whose fate contrasts sharply with Assange's. He got asylum in Ecuador three years ago, after whistle-blowing against corruption in the dictatorial regime of Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus. However, responding to pressure from Lukashenko during a trade visit to Quito last month, Barankov has been detained and looks likely to be deported to Belarus, to face trumped up treason charges.
The WikiLeaks outfit, while claiming to speak truth to power, is oddly economical with the truth when it comes to Lukashenko's power in Belarus. Belarus has one of the worst records for press freedom in the world, is widely regarded as "Europe's last dictatorship". Yet WikiLeaks have co-operated closely with its regime.
WikiLeaks links with Belarus are mainly through their associate and apparently "accredited" journalist Israel Shamir, a Holocaust denier, inveterate self-reinventor and antisemite. It was Shamir, in the odious CounterPunch, who publicised the identities of Assange's alleged rape victims, in deeply misogynistic articles making ridiculous claims that they were CIA operatives. Shamir has also published pro-Lukashenko propoganda in CounterPunch, claiming "the people were happy, fully employed, and satisfied with their government".
In early 2011, it was reported that Shamir met with Uladzimri Makei, the Head of the Presidential administration in Belarus. Subsequently, it was reported in the Belarus Telegraf that a state newspaper would be publishing documents about the Belarusian opposition. What has Assange's response been to allegations about Shamir? In Kapil Komoreddi's words:
he upbraided Ian Hislop for publishing an article in the Private Eye that exposed Shamir as a Holocaust denier and white supremacist. There was, he claimed, a "conspiracy" against him by "Jewish" journalists at the Guardian. Addicted to obedience from others and submerged in a swamp of conspiracy theories, Assange's reflexive reaction to the first hint of disagreement by his erstwhile friends was to hold malign Jews responsible.(Read more from WW4Report on that story.)
So, all in all, I concur with Jim's assessment of Assange: bleating fantasist, groveller, hypocrite and charlatan.
There's also the predictable panpipe gag, which will bring a smile to those of the Fast Show generation. But actually Ecuadorian music, especially out of the mountains, is pretty good. On the coast most people listen to salsa. Their national music is the pasillo not the panpipes, and I've embedded a good example below.


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Digital marketer, content manager, social media'r, founder, president'r
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Over the course of two days, police arrested 15 men of different ages, races and communities, alleging they solicited a prostitute through a Craigslist-like website, Houma Police detectives said.
Over the course of two days, police arrested 15 men of different ages, races and communities, alleging they solicited a prostitute through a Craigslist-like website, Houma Police detectives said.
South Terrebonne High School band director Billy James, 37, 157 Presque Isle, Houma, was one of those arrested.
To Police Chief Todd Duplantis' knowledge, it was the first time his department had conducted an online prostitution sting rather than arresting men for soliciting prostitutes on the street, he said.
"With this operation being online, it appears to be a bigger problem. ... It's shocking to us that there's 15 total here. It definitely seems to be something we may need to address," Duplantis said.
However, Duplantis said the rash of online prostitution is not specific to Houma because one of the prostitutes, to whom police issued a summons, is from Fresno, Texas, and was planning on propositioning people in Houma for a few days before moving on to Lafayette. She told police she does it to support her child.
The other prostitute, who was not arrested and who agreed to be a part of the sting, "posted her information on that page early last week. It wasn't up for many days. ... They got a lot of hits on it."
Police said the sting targeted men who contacted the women through www.backpage.com, which has a section labeled "adult" with categories including escorts, strippers and "adult jobs."
They arrested nine men Friday and six men Saturday after each man gave a woman money for sexual favors at a hotel, police said.
After this weekend's operation, police said they learned of other websites that connect people with prostitutes. They're planning similar stings in the future, and those who are caught will be arrested.
Superintendent Philip Martin declined to discuss how the school district would handle James' arrest, citing personnel privacy issues.
In general, Martin said whether a teacher is fired for a conviction depends on the crime, and whether a teacher is fired after an arrest but before a conviction depends on the "evidence and merit of the case." He declined to say what the district's policy is when someone is charged with soliciting a prostitute, which all the men arrested were.
The School Board's policies and procedures manual only notes that employees must report final convictions or guilty pleas, excluding traffic offenses, to the board within 48 hours. Employees must report certain sexual crimes within 24 hours after their arrests, but soliciting a prostitute is not one of the crimes included in that stipulation.
Others arrested Friday as part of the sting:
Taneshia Brown, 25, of Fresno, Texas, is the woman accused of soliciting some of the men, police said. She was issued a summons because, unlike the alleged prostitute police contacted to conduct the sting, detectives found out about Brown's activities while they were planning the sting, Duplantis said.
A federal grant paid for the operation, so Houma Police will report all the information gleaned to federal authorities, Duplantis said. The grant, which is worth about $43,000, pays for homicide, prostitution and drug investigations.
In February 2012, State Police, Houma Police and the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Office arrested eight people as part of a prostitution sting. They stationed themselves near downtown Houma and surrounding areas to catch prostitutes and those looking for prostitutes, Houma Police said. Undercover officers posed both as prostitutes and those looking for them, authorities said.
- Toby Torres, 36, 259 Leonard St., Raceland.
- Chris Theriot, 18, 1611 Chantilly Drive, Houma.
- Porferio Reyes Mendoz, 58 Kingsridge Loop, Houma.
- Manny Schexnayder, 32, 103 Lovell Court, Theriot.
- Kevin Echeverria, 24, 9207 Houma Highlands Court, Houma.
- Jesus Galdamez, 23, 219 E. Lerille St., Lockport.
- Cullen Landry, 20, 108 Marcel Lane, Houma.
- Ramon Johnson, 35, 108 First St., Napoleonville.
Arrested Saturday:
- Jacob Thomas Krenn, 26, 1404 Bond St., Houma.
- Easton LeCompte Jr., 63, 811 Douglas Drive, Houma.
- Joseph W. Washington, 24, 207 Gloria St., Thibodaux.
- Jerry Jack Hebert, 192 W. 77th St., Galliano.
- Milton J. Griffin, 55, 112 Country Village, Raceland.
- Steven Alcorn, 35, 2511 W. Camellia Drive, Thibodaux.
Correspondent Bill Ellzey contributed to this report. Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Thomas the Train is a popular cartoon character that many, many young kids love and enjoy watching. There is a huge collection of movies and other novelties that are available for purchase, and then again there are also some Thomas the Train replicas out there too that are just as popular. With Thomas in mind, here is a lesson that will show you "how to draw a cartoon train", step by step. Drawing trains can definitely be a challenge. When tackling such a complex object you might want to try learning from a much more easier version of Thomas before drawing the real thing. Drawing a cartoon train is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. You will draw a train from the side, making it more approachable then some other tuts out there. So have fun, and hopefully this lesson will aid you to drawing trains all together. Peace people!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco, wrote down the value of its global operations by $3.5 billion and announced plans to exit the United States, as it tries to rebuild after a year when profit fell for the first time in two decades.
The group - the world's third biggest retailer after Wal-Mart and Carrefour and one of Britain's most consistent performers until a profit warning in January 2012 - said on Wednesday that abandoning its loss-making U.S. venture Fresh & Easy would mean restructuring and other one-off costs of 1 billion pounds ($1.5 billion).
Tesco also wrote down the value of its UK property by 804 million pounds, reflecting a decision not to develop over 100 sites as more shoppers move to the Internet, and took a 495 million pound goodwill charge on its businesses in Poland, the Czech Republic and Turkey to account for a slowdown in demand.
Chief Executive Philip Clarke declined to put the blame for the writedowns on his predecessor Terry Leahy, who took Tesco with great much fanfare into the U.S. market in 2007 and also bought a huge amount of British development land.
"All the writedowns relate to strategic decisions that I've taken since being CEO and are logical extensions of those - calling an end of the (UK) space race, deciding to exit the U.S.," he told reporters. "My job's not to look back, my job is only to look forward."
Tom Edson, head of food stores at property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle, said Tesco had taken a lot of pain in one go with the property writedown. Its size reflected the "double whammy" of lower prices since the financial crisis and the fact that sites are automatically worth less if they will no longer become food stores, he said.
Although Clarke hailed Tesco's fourth quarter performance in its home market as its best quarterly outcome in three years, it still represented a slowdown in growth since Christmas, despite a year of massive investment.
"I've been working for Tesco for nearly 40 years and I can tell you this: it already looks, feels and acts like a different and a better business," he said.
Shares in Tesco, which have risen 24 percent over the last three months, were down 2.9 percent at 1321 GMT, valuing the business at 30 billion pounds.
"Management cannot claim concrete evidence of a UK recovery with these numbers," said Panmure Gordon analyst Philip Dorgan.
"It will take time - retail is detail - but we believe that Tesco is on track and we expect recovery in the UK to slowly emerge in FY2014," he said, adding that Tesco could commence share buybacks in 2015.
Tesco reported an underlying pretax profit of 3.55 billion pounds for the 2012-13 year, broadly in line with analysts' expectations but down 14.5 percent on 2011-12.
That reflected the 1 billion pound cost of a UK turnaround plan, restrictions on store opening times in South Korea, Fresh & Easy losses and fallout from the euro zone debt crisis on eastern European markets - which Clarke said created "the worst set of economic circumstances for consumers since the end of communism".
After taking account of the writedowns and a provision of 115 million pounds to cover possible miss-selling of insurance products at Tesco Bank, the group's statutory pretax profit slumped 51.5 percent to 1.96 billion pounds.
Fourth quarter sales at its British stores which have been open for more than a year grew 0.5 percent, excluding fuel duty and value-added tax. Although at the top end of analysts' forecasts, this was less than growth of 1.8 percent recorded in the six weeks to January 5.
Analysts believe trading may have been hurt by the discovery across Europe of horsemeat in products labeled as beef. Tesco was one of many companies forced to withdraw some goods and apologies to customers.
Tesco's fight back plan for Britain, where it makes over 60 percent of revenue and profit, has focused on more staff, refurbished stores, revamped food ranges and price initiatives - all aimed at reversing years of underinvestment and halting a loss of share to rivals such as J Sainsbury and Asda.
Having bought UK restaurant chain Giraffe and stakes in Harris + Hoole coffee shops and Euphorium bakeries, a focus for 2013-14 will be making Tesco's larger stores compelling destinations for families, said Clarke.
Following the U.S. retrenchment and reassessment of its UK property plans, including a scaling back of sale-and-leasebacks, Tesco now expects trading profit growth in the mid single figures, a return on capital employed of 12 to 15 percent and dividend growth broadly in line with underlying earnings.
Fresh & Easy, which trades from 199 stores and employs around 5,000 people, has absorbed over 1 billion pounds of capital, but failed to turn a profit in a market where it competes with the likes of Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart.
"When I became CEO I really did give it all that we had but in the end I'm responsible to investors and I know I can deliver more to them by leaving that I can by staying," said Clarke.
He had put the venture, which contributes just 1 percent of group turnover, under review in December, saying an exit was likely.
Chief Financial Officer Laurie McIlwee said Tesco had received "a lot of interest" in Fresh & Easy, both for the whole business and parcels of stores. "What we're most interested in is those buyers that are interested in buying the complete business," he said, noting that a clean sale would remove redundancy and lease issues.
Tesco would not conclude the process for at least another three months, he added. The group is paying a maintained dividend of 14.76 pence. (Additional reporting by Tom Bill; editing by Giles Elgood and David Stamp)


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Browse by Medical Category
Nephrology Division
Friday, February 1, 2013
The total annual cost of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke in the U.S. is estimated to be more than $312 billion, according to the 2013 Statistical Update published in American Heart Association's Circulation journal. This number is of great concern to physicians, researchers and hospital administrators across the country, because as more Americans are newly diagnosed with CVD, the long-term financial forecast for treatment is expected to worsen.
In recognition of February as American Heart Month, Michael R. Jaff, DO, chair of the MGH Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care, addresses rising costs in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for Americans.
Q. What are common types of cardiovascular diseases?
A. Heart attacks, strokes, peripheral artery disease, and aortic aneurysm/dissection are all examples of cardiovascular diseases. The major root cause of CVD is atherosclerosis, which is thickening and hardening of the arteries, caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery. This buildup – comprised of fatty substances, cholesterol, calcium and fibrin – can decrease blood flow and lower the amount of oxygen supplied to vital body organs and extremities.
MGH hosts heart health events
Heart disease – the No. 1 killer of American women – and stroke account for 28.6 percent of all female deaths in Massachusetts, which makes prevention, early detection and prompt treatment key. In collaboration with the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign, the MGH will host a series of heart health events this month. Read more.
Q. What are the types of costs associated with CVD?
A. Treating CVD is expensive and involves both direct and indirect costs. The medical community tends to be heavily focused on direct costs related to evaluations, medications and procedures used to treat patients with CVD. However, it is important not to underestimate indirect costs that some patients experience, including financial hardship if they have to take an extended leave from work. Beyond lost wages, dealing with health conditions such as heart attacks or strokes results in major emotional tolls on families, especially in cases when the affected loved one has a difficult recovery or passes away. Sadly, about one in every four deaths in the U.S. each year is due to heart disease.
Q. How expensive is treating CVD going to get?
A. The annual cost to treat heart disease in the U.S. is expected to triple by 2030, meaning costs will exceed $800 billion. It is projected that more than 40 percent of the U.S. population will have some form of cardiovascular disease. Nationally, one major concern physicians have is the rise of children who have sedentary lifestyles. More children are developing conditions like obesity and diabetes which put them at a much greater risk for having cardiovascular disease.
Q. What are some of the best ways for the medical community to address rising costs?
A. Prevention, prevention, prevention. That is the key. We need to continue to educate people and provide them with tools and resources to prevent them from needing expensive procedures to treat complex artery blockages. Although costs are increasing, I remain optimistic about the future, given that aggressively attempting to prevent CVD is the right thing to do for patients. Widespread attempts at diet modification, exercise, statin use and antiplatelet use must be made.
Q. How is the MGH tackling the cost issue?
A. In an effort to become more efficient and effective in preventing CVD, the MGH recently established the Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care, the first truly integrated cardiovascular and cerebrovascular institute in the region. We are merging specialists who manage all aspects of CVD into teams within our care programs. We have teams specifically designed to prevent CVD, such as the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Center, and other groups dealing with heart disease, vascular disease and stroke.
Read more articles from the 02/01/13 Hotline issue.
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This weekend is a busy one for local self-guided garden tours. Six of them are scheduled. The real biggie – Garden Walk Buffalo with more than 380 gardens – takes place July 27 and 28; see www.gardenwalkbuffalo.com. But there are plenty of gardens in local communities to enjoy this Saturday and Sunday. And the Ninth Annual Black Rock & Riverside Tour of Gardens and Starry Night Garden Tour are still to come Aug. 3. See www.brrtourofgardens.com.
Local garden tours are just part of what the ongoing National Garden Festival has to offer through Aug. 4. Visit www.nationalgardenfestival.com for information on Open Gardens, Beyond Flowers Tour and other happenings.
This weekend's garden tours:
• Now in its 11th year, the Ken-Ton Garden Tour of 54 gardens will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with an evening tour of 22 illuminated gardens from 8:30 to 10:30 Saturday. The tour includes gardens from the Town of Tonawanda and Village of Kenmore. Visit www.kentongardentour.com for a map with garden locations and descriptions, a history of the tour, photos and video. Map guides to the free tour also are available at the Town of Tonawanda Aquatic and Fitness Center.
• The 10th annual Village of Williamsville Garden Walk of 23 residential gardens will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. In addition, a docent will greet visitors to Glen Park's Pathway Garden and the new Garden of 1812. "Garden Passport" and map will be found at the welcome tent in front of Village Hall, 5565 Main St., Williamsville. This is a walkable/bikeable event with a farmers' market until 12:30 p.m., garden-themed menus at restaurants, Garden of 1812 procession at noon, free garden talk and more. Poster with details can be found at www.village.williamsville.ny.us.
• The fourth annual Amherst Garden Walk of 49 gardens will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Free maps are available at Menne Nursery and Garden Artistry, 3100 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst. Or pick one up Saturday in front of Village Hall, 5565 Main St., Williamsville. Downloadable maps, descriptions and information about soil testing and a garden cooking demonstration also can be found online at map.amherst.ny.us/gardenwalk.
• Now in its 10th year, the Lancaster Garden Walk of 55 gardens throughout the town and village will run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Many gardens will host local artists. Free maps are available at Two Chicks and a Rooster, 732 Aurora St., and Petals to Please, 63 Central Ave.
• West Seneca's Tour of Home Gardens will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Maps of the 36 gardens can be picked up at the Burchfield Nature & Art Center, 2001 Union Road, West Seneca or found online at www.burchfieldnac.org.
• The 13th annual South Buffalo Alive's Tour of Gardens will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Maps can be picked from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at tour headquarters – Tim Russert Children's Garden next to the Dudley Library, 2002 South Park Ave. About 70 private and public gardens are included. Suggested donation is $2. South Buffalo Alive is on Facebook.
Other upcoming events in the gardening community:
Hamburg House and Garden Club will hold its annual picnic at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the home of club president Carolyn Sheehy on Sisson Highway, Langford. Members will participate in a Mini Flower Show and place-setting display using the theme "Christmas in July." For club information, call Sheehy at 337-3742.
Western New York State Nursery & Landscape Association will hold its annual summer picnic and membership meeting Tuesday at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave. At 5:30 p.m., Ed Dore, senior lifetime CNLP, will lead "An Insider's Tour of the Botanical Gardens." From 6 to 7:30 p.m., president Mike Frank will present a genuine wood-smoked barbecue. Membership meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Newcomers welcome. For more information call Joyce Janson, 741-8047. Email: email@example.com. Website: www.wnysnla.org.
Ken Parker, CNLP, will present "Edible Wild Plants for Landscape Use" from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Allegany Community Center, 3677 Administration Drive, Salamanca, and from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Cattaraugus Community Center, 12767 Route 438, Irving. The event is sponsored by Food Is Our Medicine Project, Seneca Nation of Indians and Seneca Diabetes Foundation.
If you have a submission for Garden Notes, please send it to Susan Martin, Garden Notes, Features Department, The Buffalo News, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240. Fax: 849-3445. email: email@example.com. All items must be received in writing two weeks prior to publication.


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Danny Glover to Play Blair Underwood's Father on Ironside
Sep 13, 2013 6:42 PM EDT
Five-time Emmy nominee Danny Glover will appear on NBC's new crime drama Ironside, the network announced Friday. Glover, 67, will play Frank, the father of the show's main protagonist, Ironside (Blair Underwood). He will appear during a flashback seq… Read more


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I found a vulnerability in a site that can allow the download of any file of the server. I tested it by succesfully downloading
boot.ini and
I have no access to source code or file system structures. All I know is it runs Win 2003 Server Ent. in drive
C:, Oracle 10.1.2 AS_1 in drive
I would like to know what files can be downloaded in order to compromise it? (I dont have the intention of doing aything wrong in this server, just want to know how vulnerable it is.)
I suspect that I can use this vulnerability to escalate to shell access, or at least write access of some kind. Are there files containing credentials that may be used for a remote login, for example? What files should I try downloading next?
(Conversely, these are the files that the administrator must take care to protect. If you were the system administrator, which files' permissions would you double check before declaring the server ready to go live?)


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If you love basketball, no doubt that filling out your brackets and watching the tourney is going to be your favorite way to shoot the (spring) breeze this month. But if you're wondering, "What's all the hoopla about shooting hoops," it's time to create a diversion. This month, basketball is king. Here are five ways to survive the madness.
1) Plan a party. Unlike the Super Bowl, March Madness doesn't last for just an evening. You have all kinds of party opportunities, from the Sweet Sixteen to the Final Four. Host a party (or a few) and set up one room for the serious basketball fans and another room for socializing. You can have a ball preparing party food for the crowd—no sports knowledge needed.
2) Hit the stores. Check out the Spring "Madness" sales, brighten up your wardrobe with colorful accessories, try a new scent for the season and celebrate Spring with a small splurge.
3) Carve out some you time. Your significant other is going to be glued to the TV, right? Use this opportunity for "me" time – catch up on your hobbies, meet up with friends or just ponder the mysteries of the universe in a beautiful park.
4) Organize your coupons. When's the last time you did that? Make sure you've printed all the current ones for March.
5) Learn about the tourney. The NCAA College Basketball Tournament, that is. You're going to hear about it, no matter what—so if you can't beat 'em, maybe join 'em? Fill out your own brackets with random choices and brush up on some common terms:
- The Ticker: Common name for the little scoreboard that comes up periodically on the bottom of the screen. It shows you the scores of the other games being played, a must-see for fans with brackets.
- Cinderella: A low-seeded team that wins in upsets.
- Upset: Occurs when a lower-seeded team beats a higher-seeded team.


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Product Description
Triangle shaped semi precious gemstone K2 designer stone cabochon 38 mm long by 16 mm at its widest and 5 mm thick.
Brand new and exciting semi precious gemstone cabochon material known as K2 or K2 Azurite Granite. Some people are calling it K2 Jasper, however it is not a Jasper, it is a Granite stone with lovely splotches of royal blue Azurite.
It is highly unusual to find a copper mineral (Azurite) in a granite rock. It is believed the granite formed first and then the Azurite crystalized within the granite grains.
This gorgeous gemstone cabochon material is coming from northern Pakistan. K2 Azurite Granite rough rock was mined at the base of the second highest mountain in the world, K2, which is second in height only to Mt. Everest.
Cabochons are stones cut for jewelry and are measured in mm. One inch is equal to about 25 mm.
Shipping terms: Cabochons are shipped First Class within the U.S. for FREE. You can upgrade to Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box for $5.00.
We offer First Class International shipping for $5.00. First Class usually takes from 2 weeks up to 8 weeks internationally and it is NOT tracked. You can choose to upgrade to Priority Mail for $20.00 to Canada or $22.00 anywhere else.


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Info And Baby Tech At Your Fingertips
Right now is such an awesome time to be pregnant. Not only are our doctors and midwives employing all sorts of techie gear to monitor and keep track of our pregnancies, more and more amazing ideas are there for modern moms to take advantage of in their own homes. Even getting pregnant is more techie than it used to be, with ovulation prediction tests and devices available to anyone. Now you can listen to your little one and keep track of your pregnancy with devices and ideas that our moms only dreamed about when they were pregnant with us.
Does your baby seem to enjoy when you play music through headphones on your tummy? Take it a step further and check out Bellybuds (Amazon.com, $50). They are specially designed just for your growing tummy and can be used either with or without adhesive (so you can wear them as you go about your day instead of holding them on your belly). And even cooler? Not only can you play music, but you can record your own voice (or those of your family members) to play through your Bellybuds so your baby can become accustomed to hearing those who love them, even if they're far away.
The Bellabeat Prenatal Tracking System (Bellabeat, $129) is a handheld Doppler device that allows you to not only listen to your baby's heartbeat, but also record his or her heartbeat for far-flung friends and family to hear. How special would it be to send your baby's heartbeat recording to your mother to play for your grandmother to hear? You can also download a free app to track your pregnancy progress and connect with other parents-to-be.
Belly Armor Belly Band
Modern times means that there may be more hazards we're exposed to. For moms-to-be who are concerned about radiation and its effects on her little one, the Belly Band from Belly Armor (Belly Armor, $59) is just what the doctor ordered. The super flexible and soft material actually consists of a high-tech special lining that shields the baby-to-be from 99.9 percent of background radiation.
Kickme Baby Kick Counter App
If you want to keep track of your baby's kicks easily, download the Kickme Baby Kick Counter App (Google Play, free). Whether you've been advised to keep track of your little one's movements due to concerns, or if you feel better having an easy way to count kicks and have the data clearly spelled out for you or your care provider.
Being pregnant is not only an amazing time in your life, it can also be full of questions or even worry. Modern devices can really help keep your mind clear, and they can also be a lot of fun. Enjoy your pregnancy a little more with these techie pregnancy gadgets.
More on pregnancy
When to head to the hospital during pregnancy
The secret to natural childbirth
The scoop on pregnancy discharge


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In early summer our Learning Technologies Department, Brian Ledwell, proposed a pilot project that includes the purchase of (total) 15 iPads that are available for check-out by faculty. We chose the iPad based on flexibility and price. The idea is to offer training for D2L, Podcasting or as requested (you get the idea!) with the opportunity for faculty to learn and practice at a time and place that works with their schedules. Additional applications have been assessed and offered on the iPads that are intended to encourage experimentation, fun, creativity and curiosity.
The second purpose for the pilot is to give faculty an opportunity to discover teaching and learning uses simply by having access to the device and the applications. We purposely did not set rules for iPad check-out other than common courtesy of no longer than one month (due to limited supply) and encourage the use for at least one to two weeks. Based on our own experimenting, we think that this time is needed to adapt to the device and then hopefully, to realize new uses.
The hope is that through personal, self-directed use, faculty will "wow" us in the creative adventures they discover that enhance teaching and learning, and surprise their students with unexpected options in classes. Brian also secured a prepaid card so faculty could request funds for purchasing iPad apps, and in return the faculty would write a review of the app and how it was used.
Feedback is requested from any faculty participating in the project so that we can modify applications and track whether the future purchase of additional iPads would be beneficial. There are multiple articles in recent academic journals about the experiments and uses of mobile devices in academia, which suggest that in the future, mobility and education will be firmly linked.
We do not have any anticipated outcomes, as we do not want to limit the scope of the project. Simply by going through the process and engaging in open conversation, the potential becomes more exciting as we look forward to the educational applications that have not yet been discovered.
For further discussion, the contact person is Brian Ledwell firstname.lastname@example.com


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SEO & Natural Language Discrimination By Semantic Analysis
As smart as Google is, their search engine uses an algorithm based on natural language and the relationships or connectivity of semantic occurrences (otherwise known as shingles, i.e. groups of words or phrases) to ascertain context. Semantic Connectivity These semblances, e.g. relationships are the fabric of relevance and intent and represent the convergence of allowing Read More


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Here's How Your Car Model and Make Affect Your Car Insurance
Car insurance premiums can be difficult to understand when you only have a cursory knowledge of car makes and models. While the kind of car you drive isn't the only factor, it can have a huge impact on the insurance payments you will need to make. We're going to walk you through the factors that can drastically change how much you pay for car insurance before your history as a claimant even enters the equation.
Car Value
It seems pretty obvious that the market value of your car will alter the insurance you need to pay. The main consideration when factoring the value of your car into your insurance premium is simply how much it will cost to repair or replace your car in the event of an accident. Generally speaking, the more expensive your car is, the more you can expect to pay for insurance.
So before you go splurging on that amazing, but incredibly expensive dream car you should consider whether you can also afford the long term costs associated with such cars. Another factor in determining repair and replacement costs is how your car is powered. An electric car will cost more to replace than a standard gasoline engine.
Insurance companies collect a lot of data about payouts, including what models of car are likely to get in a lot of accidents. A car that is viewed as a family car might statistically be less likely to be involved in an accident, whereas cars that are more likely to be owned by risk takers would be considered to be a liability. Essentially, the insurance company will be making an educated guess as to which model of car is more likely to get in an accident based on previous experience with that model.
The exact formula that is used by each insurance company to calculate risk and expense in each individual case are typically proprietary and not available for perusal by public consumers. Luckily, you can test different models with this insurance tool to get a better idea of what kind of payments you could be facing.
Car Age
Older cars can attract a higher premium. This might seem counterintuitive, but it's important to remember that the insurance company is playing an odds game and it might be more expensive to get an older car fixed, or it may be more likely to incur severe damage in an accident. It does not, however, follow that a newer car means a lower insurance premium. The number of variables being taken into consideration when weighing up the risk of insuring an old car is manifold and the emphasis placed on this will vary between insurance companies.
Car insurance and the way that it is calculated can seem like a bit of an enigma, and the process is definitely not transparent, but with a little research and investigation, you can manage your expectations. You can avoid bill shock by using estimators and getting quotes before you purchase a car, allowing you to weigh up whether you will be able to afford the insurance costs long term, not just the initial cost or purchasing and servicing the vehicle.


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Southern Illinois authorities on Wednesday charged two women with cooking methamphetamine in a church.
Judith Hemken, 52, of Litchfield, and Tiffany Burton, 26, of Hillsboro, were charged with participating in manufacturing meth. They could each face nine to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Undersheriff Rick Robbins said authorities responded to a call Tuesday from a Waveland Church member about an apparent meth lab. He said deputies stopped a vehicle the caller had described and arrested the women.
"We don't know if they were members," Robbins told The State Journal-Register. "There was no conversation on why they chose the church."
Bail was set at $200,000 for Hemken. Burton's bail was set at $100,000. It wasn't immediately clear if they had legal representation.
A small fire broke out from the lithium and moisture from a sink drain as authorities were taking apart the lab, but it was quickly contained and there were no injuries, Robbins said in an email to NBC Chicago.
Hillsboro is about 65 northeast of St. Louis.