text:
I could spend this whole blog post apologizing for the fact that I haven't posted anything in almost a year. I could fixate on the fact that my last two posts were basically me apologizing for my absence as my posting was pretty staggered to begin with. I could apologize, and I will, because I am sorry. But I also want to touch on a huge part of being chronically ill; the fact that we can rarely, if ever, make promises.
Category: chronic illness
Just Normal Enough
When I was a teenager I wanted nothing more than to be normal; with my super short, curly, mousy coloured chemo hair I stuck out like a sore thumb. Luckily in high school everyone was so wrapped up in their own lives and drama that people barely gave me so much as a passing glance on their way to English class. And I grew comfortable in my invisibility.
I was never the best at anything. I barely scratched the surface of good most of the time. But I was good enough at a lot of things and that has served me well for most of my life.
Spoonie Poem
Symptom 1 and Symptom 2,
This one's old, that one's new.
I thought my body was mine to rule
But it looks like I'm again the fool.
One thing goes wrong after another,
And I'm left attached, feeling smothered.
Brought to my knees again tonight,
Crying, aching, giving up the fight.
If I could sleep it might improve,
But late at night I cannot snooze.
Spoonie life is hard to take,
I may bend but I'll never break.
ps- whoever's photo I am using as the feature photo please let me know if you see this so I can give credit!
I know I have been gone for a while. About two months, actually. That's a long time to be away from this website, you guys, and really myself. This website and my writing is an escape from this life I no longer feel control over and without putting in the work to keep my sanity, I instead get bogged down and the depression that I fight daily takes over.
I can't let that happen again. I can't.
So here I am, friends. Back and ready to work on this website and therefore myself. As you can probably tell I'm not very website savvy. I use this as a medium for my thoughts and writing only and just cannot for the life of me get interested in actually creating a fully functioning website. Thankfully I have some family members who are up on this website building stuff and so I'm hoping to rope them in to helping this website become more professional and pretty looking. If you have any suggestions please feel free to write to me in the comments or personally at email@example.com
I do also want to take a moment to share something that has been helpful for me lately. Something that I never thought I would actually enjoy and something that has helped me find some inner peace amongst the stress of spoonie life…. YOGA.
Now here's the catch- I don't do it really in a class or any type of instruction. I do exactly what feels right for me. I enjoy the meditation aspect of it and really value the positivity and endorphins that I get from stretching and listening to my body.
I recently received an email from my friend Sebastian who runs http://www.somuchyoga.com and they have published an article on the benefits of yoga for people struggling with arthritis (or other chronic pain illnesses). If you want to check it out (I recommend it) you can find it at Yoga for Arthritis.
It is important to check with your physician, physiotherapist or whoever is assisting with your pain management to ensure you're practicing yoga safely. I did check with my physiotherapist and worked with her to make sure I was not doing more harm than good, and she seemed thrilled I was finding some relief from it.
It has really helped with my mood and I find my body is more relaxed almost immediately after my brief yoga time. It is definitely not a cure-all as I'm still struggling pretty hard core and cannot manage yoga daily, but I do find my little 10 minute yoga periods to be helpful! Definitely check out the website, article, and with your doctors to find out if yoga is right for you!
Aside from my yoga fun, I have gotten orthotics made for my shoes but I cannot bear to wear them often. But I know they will be helpful so I really need to put more effort in there.
I have found out that my knees and shoulders are hypermobile and my fingers are still deviating pretty badly but my splints have been so helpful! Definitely check out ring splints if you're having issues with your fingers! They're a life saver and super cute!
Okay I'm done hiding now.
Here I am 🙂
Courtney x
Don't You Get Bored?
This is a question I have been asked so many times I have lost count.
Usually it is by able bodied, well meaning, friends and family members who live their typical lives full of work, chores, house buying, child bearing, and other excitement inducing activities. They don't have a chance to be bored and can never truly understand what it is like to be stuck in bed day after day, week after week, month after month.
This question stabs me like a knife every time I hear it and awkwardly try to answer it. From the outside looking in I can understand why they would ask. They can't really imagine what it is like to spend life childless, in bed with, in their minds, nothing to do.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about how I should answer this particular question and I think I am ready to share it, in case you're ever asked this or have asked it yourself.
No, I'm not bored. I don't have a chance to be bored. I spend my days trying to survive. I have The Hunger Games going on inside my body 24/7, and it's a close game.
What may seem lazy to you is a marathon for me. I'm not laying around in this bed for fun. Trust me, it's not. And my bed isn't even really comfortable anymore because my side is all sunk in because this is where I live.
I can't focus enough to even watch a new TV show on Netflix. I am watching the same 4 shows over and over again. I can recite full episodes of Grey's Anatomy. I am pretty sure I'm a resident surgeon by now.
No, I'm not bored. I use all of my energy phoning doctors throughout the week. I get exhausted from playing Tetris on my phone or petting my cat too much.
No, I'm not bored. If I was I would get out of bed and do something. Boredom subsides when you're physically unable to do anything.
Or maybe I was bored for the first while and it's just part of who I am now? Either way, my day is pretty much mapped out by TV shows, medicine taking, and bathroom breaks.
I know it sounds like hell for you. Guess what? It is for me, too.
No, I'm not bored. Being sick is a full time job.
If you want to come over and take a look at my fun filled days you're more than welcome to. When you get the chance to watch me curled up in pain you might be able to answer your own question, then.
No, I'm not bored. I don't know the alternative anymore.
When I Close My Eyes
When I close my eyes I see myself dancing around my room getting dressed for the morning.
When I close my eyes, I'm back in my dream job, working my daily 9-5.
When I open my eyes I'm still stuck in this bed with a nightstand full of pill bottles.
When I open my eyes I watch the same shows on Netflix that I've seen a million times.
But when my eyes are closed I'm backpacking through Europe with my husband.
When my eyes are closed I'm doing cartwheels and handstands through grassy fields.
But when my eyes are open I am going to the same doctors appointments.
When my eyes are open I get my weekly injections and pray for no side effects.
When I fall asleep at night I dream of the life I could have had, would have had, should have had.
But the truth is, when I fall asleep at night I thrash and groan and cry.
When I fall asleep at night I dream I'm healthy. But I don't have to wake up to know I'm not.
It Was All a Dream
If I woke up to a healthy body, would I know how to live that way?
My pain-free life seems so long ago, like it was a different person entirely.
If there was a switch to turn off these illnesses, would I flip it?
Obviously. But I will never forget the lessons the pain taught me.
If even one of my conditions was one day cured, how would that change my life?
Drastically. Each illness has its own unique set of tortuous symptoms.
What would happen if this all went away?
I have gained such a great perspective and I don't want to lose it.
If this was all a dream, it would have been a nightmare.
A nightmare that I would wake up from if given the chance.
But I don't know how.
Thank You
I know I'm in pain, but you might have it worse.
I can writhe and close my eyes, but you have to watch it.
You glance over helpless or turn your head away, because this is something you can't fix.
I'm not the girl you fell in love with, I may be a wreck now but you married me healthy.
If you want to leave, you're not letting it show.
Instead you gather my meds and bring me to the doctors.
Trying to help the only ways you know how, and it's everything to me.
I toss and turn all night, thrashing around in pain.
I may be keeping you awake as pain steals sleep from us both.
You may have it worse. Helpless, hopeless.
Pain demeans us both, in different ways.
I don't know how you deal with this.
Watching your loved one suffer and fade away.
I'm half the girl I used to be, and you're twice the man I could have ever hoped for.
Thank You.
The Ugly Flare Thoughts
We all have them. It's okay to admit that.
For me it feels like every other week is a flare. I'm not even sure how that is possible, but it is and it's not fun.
I've begun jotting down some of the thoughts that go through my head when I am stuck in bed riddled with pain. Maybe you can relate?
This is it. I'm going to die. This pain has to mean I'm dying.
How is this amount of pain even possible?
This is it. This is my life now.
How many heating pads can I have on how many body parts at once?
Am I maxed out of meds now? Or can I take more?
My bed and my body pillow have taken me as their own. We are now in a polygamous relationship and I'm okay with it.
I feel like my teddy bear is the only one who gets me.
I can no longer cry. My eyes are swollen and I have no more tears left.
When was the last time I showered?
I'm not going to shower today.
I don't remember what outside looks like.
There is an outside, right?
Life is pain.
Breathing hurts.
Either I sleep all day or can't sleep at all. There is no middle.
There is no comfortable position. There is only toss and turn and thrash and cry until you eventually pass out.
Why is my skin so uncomfortable?
When was my last good day? I had one at some point, right?
How long have I been in bed? 10 minutes or 10 days?
Come on, Netflix, I'm f***ing here! I don't need this shit right now!
There will be another good day. There will.
How to Work Effectively with Doctors/Specialists
This is such a necessary part of spoonie life, but it definitely can be one of the worst parts. I am still learning the fine art of doctor-patient relationships but I will share with you what I know so far.
How to Work Effectively with Doctors as a Patient
- Understand that doctors are people, too.
Doctors are not miracle workers, usually. They are human, so remind them about your case if they forget and remember that they are (probably) doing their best.
- Don't expect too much.
All doctors want their patients to have positive outcomes. It looks good for them if they're helping their patients so they have a real motivation to give you the best care that they can. That being said, there is very rarely a magic potion to cure your ailments. They feel frustrated and disappointed when your treatment doesn't work also. If you go in with lowish expectations you will have a better chance of being happily surprised, as harsh as that may sound.
- Don't quote things you read on the internet, unless it is a proper peer-reviewed article.
This is a definite doctor pet peeve. It is good to research your symptoms and illnesses, but be wary of your sources. Scientific journals can be hard to understand but it is important that you find valid information before bringing it up to your doctor.
- Be honest about everything.
The good, the bad, the ugly. Some of our symptoms and side effects are pretty gross. Whether they be bowel issues or other unflattering situations, it is imperative that you share these and other concerns with your physician. They can't help problems that they don't know exist. Even things that you don't think are important, tell them anyway. The more information the doctor has, the better the potential outcome.
- Keep records of symptoms.
Doctors enjoy this. They need to know when the symptoms started, how severe they were, how long they lasted and what seemed to help them. These records help the doctor identify if they are side effects to medications or if they are a brand new symptom or a new condition altogether. Keep track of these things!
- Be a patient patient.
This is something I'm still working on, as patience is a virtue I may have not inherited. I feel like I'm constantly waiting and always phoning and leaving messages for doctors. It becomes infuriating to say the least. That being said, try to not take your frustration out on the receptionist, nurse, or physician. It may not be their fault, and they will all appreciate your patience.
- Kill them with kindness.
Going along with the patience, even when it may kill you, kill them with kindness. They will likely be much easier to deal with if you are pleasant with them. Remember that you have the power to change not only your day, but theirs as well. Change it for the good. You'll never lose by being nice.
- Thank them in writing.
Writing a thank you card is always a good idea. If they helped you in a substantial way, it's always nice to let them know you appreciated their treatment. It's a classy move that may pay off in the future!
That's what I have for today! Any other hints you think I should add?
Have a great day! 🙂


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It's become obvious that mainstream media has been censoring the truth and real news far too long and is nothing more then a propaganda arm of Big Corporations and the Federal Government. The Wake Up Project offers forum of free speech on many topics mainstream media refuse's to cover or discuss.
Monday, May 17, 2010
BP is incompetent. The facts are even worse than you imagine. BOP valve was leaking, defective, installed wrong, and too weak to function in the first
Stupak stunner: Oil well's blowout preventer had leaks, dead battery, design flaws, "How can a device that has 260 failure modes be considered fail-safe?"
Coast Guard Captain slams industry "self-certification" of BOP: "Manufactured by industry, installed by industry, with no government witnessing oversight of the installation or the construction." And the rig flew the Marshall Island flag to further escape U.S. oversight
A senior House Democrat said that the blowout preventer that failed to stop an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico had a dead battery in its control pod, leaks in its hydraulic system, a "useless" test version of one of the devices that was supposed to close the flow of oil and a cutting tool that wasn't strong enough to shear through joints that made up 10 percent of the drill pipe.
That's the lede of the WashPost coverage on the devastating opening statement by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) in a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
It simply becomes more and more astounding that BP ever called this blowout disaster 'inconceivable,' 'unprecedented,' and unforeseeable. It was quite literally an accident waiting to happen. A 30-second video of the undersea volcano finally released by BP is above.
You can read comments by the Coast Guard on how the rig minimizes regulatory oversight in the WP piece and also at Nola.com, which reports:
The Coast Guard inspections follow up on the monitoring done by the classification society for the flag state. Gifford said the Deepwater Horizon used the Marshall Islands' flag as a "flag of convenience" so it could comply with that country's standards, and not the U.S. regulations.
The Nola.com story relates more shocking testimony from the Coast Guard and MMS:
Summarizing testimony by Mike Saucier, a regional supervisor for field operations for the federal Minerals Management Service, which oversees offshore drilling, Capt. Hung Nguyen said:
"So, MMS approves the design of the well, but they don't check what type of pipe is used. And we have a study some time ago about whether a shear ram would cut a certain pipe (to shut off a well in an emergency), but we don't know what was installed here. I don't understand that."
The testimony from Saucier established that the government agency he works for doesn't do any certification of blowout preventers, the massive devices that are supposed to be the final cut off of an out-of-control well. Saucier said most of the action MMS has taken to control blowout preventers has been through "notices to lessees," letters that go to drill operators but are not enforceable.
"We have self-certification of critical equipment and safety notices that are not enforceable…" Nguyen said, digesting the testimony before tailing off, pursing his lips and moving on to his next question.
The panel of three Coast Guard officials and three MMS representatives also appeared disappointed to learn from Saucier that tighter rules for monitoring deepwater drilling safety systems were proposed nine years ago, but got lost in the shuffle and never were adopted.
Saucier said new rules were written in 2001 to require secondary control systems for blowout preventers, the stacks of valves and pistons on the seafloor that are supposed to shut a well in an emergency, but MMS higher-ups in Washington never approved the regulations.
"As far as I know, they're still up in headquarters," he said.
If the rules had been adopted, they may not have prevented the catastrophe at Deepwater Horizon.
Hmm. I wonder what former Halliburton CEO was in charge of U.S. oil policy in 2001.
Also worth noting, "Coast Guard regulations governing drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf have not been updated since 1996."
Stupak points out that this is the third hearing he has held as chairman of Oversight and Investigations involving British Petroleum. Here are extended excerpts of his sobering opening statement:
Three years ago – almost to the day – this subcommittee held a hearing into British Petroleum's disasters at Texas City and on the North Slope of Alaska. The 2005 Texas City refinery explosion resulted in the deaths of 15 workers and injured more than 170 people. As a result of that accident and BP's failure to correct potential hazards faced by employees at Texas City, OSHA has twice slapped BP with record setting fines totaling more than $100 million. Several reports criticized management at the Texas City facility including BP's own 2007 Report of the Management Accountability Project which stated "a culture that evolved over the years seemed to ignore risk, tolerated non-compliance and accepted incompetence."
In March of 2006 BP discovered their pipeline on Alaska's North Slope had spilled more than 200,000 gallons of oil on the tundra, making it the largest spill in North Slope history. Our hearings discovered that significant cost cutting measures resulted in decreased maintenance and inspections of the pipeline and BP's management culture deterred individuals from raising safety concerns.
Since our last hearing BP has experienced continued problems on the North Slope
* September 29, 2008 an 8 inch high pressure gas line at the Y-Pad location "separated" sending 3 pieces of pipe to the tundra. One segment of the pipe landed 900 feet from the pipeline. Roughly 30 minutes later a second and unrelated incident occurred on the S Pad where there was a gas release.
* January 15, 2009 a isc cleaning pig became lodged and lost in a 34 inch Oil Transit Line during de-oiling allowing gas to pass around the pig and travel through Skid 50, to Pump Station 1 causing a significant venting of gas to the atmosphere and the complete shutdown of the Trans Alaska Pipeline for a period of time.
* October 10, 2009 at the Central Compressor Plant low pressure flare staging valves were stuck closed causing gas to travel to the backup low pressure flare valves, which activated causing the gas to vent to the atmosphere which could have caused an explosion.
* November 29, 2009 an 18 inch three-phase common line near the Lisburne Production Center carrying a mixture of crude oil, produced water and natural gas ruptured spraying its contents over an estimated 8,400 square feet area.
… The world is wondering what went wrong to allow explosive gas to shoot out of the drill pipe on the Deepwater Horizon causing the explosion. We heard Chairman Waxman discuss theories of what may have gone wrong in the well (down hole as they call it) and what went wrong on the rig. I would like to take a few minutes to discuss issues related to the blowout preventer (BOP) which was the "fail safe system" to cut off the flow of oil and gas to the rig.
In his testimony today, Lamar McKay, the President of BP America, says that blowout preventers are "intended to … be fail-safe." But that didn't happen. The blowout preventer used by the Deepwater Horizon rig failed to stop the flow of gas and oil, the rig exploded, and an enormous oil spill is now threatening the Gulf Coast.
We know that the blowout preventer, the BOP, did not properly engage. The BOP has multiple rams that are supposed to slam shut to pinch off any flow around the drill pipe and stop the flow of oil from the well. There are also shear rams in the BOP that are supposed to cut and seal the pipe to prevent oil and gas from flowing. The question we will ask is why did these rams fail?
Our investigation is at its early stages, but already we have uncovered at least four significant problems with the blowout preventer used on the Deepwater Horizon drill rig.
First, the blowout preventer apparently had a significant leak in a key hydraulic system. This leak was found in the hydraulic system that provides emergency power to the shear rams, which are the devices that are supposed to cut the drill pipe and seal the well.
I would like to put on the screen a document that the Committee received from BP. This document states: "leaks have been discovered in the BOP hydraulics system."
The blowout preventer was manufactured by Cameron. We asked a senior official at Cameron what he knew about these leaks. He told us when the remote operating vehicles (ROVs) tried to operate the shear rams, they noticed a loss of pressure. They investigated this by injecting dye into the hydraulic fluid, which showed a large leak coming from a loose fitting, which was backed off several turns.
The Cameron official told us that he did not believe the leak was caused by the blowout because every other fitting in the system was tight.
We also asked about the significance of the leak. The Cameron official said it was one of several possible failure modes. If the leak deprived the shear rams of sufficient power, they might not succeed in cutting through the drill pipe and sealing the well.
Second, we learned that the blowout preventer had been modified in unexpected ways. One of these modifications was potentially significant. The blowout preventer has an underwater control panel. BP spent a day trying to use this control panel to activate a variable bore ram on the blowout preventer that is designed to seal tight around any pipe in the well. When they investigated why their attempts failed to activate the bore ram, they learned that the device had been modified. A useless test ram – not the variable bore ram – had been connected to the socket that was supposed to activate the variable bore ram. An entire day's worth of precious time had been spent engaging rams that closed the wrong way.
BP told us the modifications on the BOP were extensive. After the accident, they asked Transocean for drawings of the blowout preventer. Because of the modifications, the drawings they received didn't match the structure on the ocean floor. BP said they wasted many hours figuring this out.
Third, we learned that the blowout preventer is not powerful enough to cut through joints in the drill pipe. We found a Transocean document that I would like to put on the screen. It says: most blind shear rams are "designed to shear effectively only on the body of the drillpipe. Procedures for the use of BSR's must therefore ensure that there is no tool joint opposite the ram prior to shearing."
This seemed astounding to us because the threaded joints between the sections of drillpipe make up about 10% of the length of the pipe. If the shear rams cannot cut through the joints, that would mean that this so-called failsafe device would succeed in cutting the drillpipe only 90% of the time.
We asked the Cameron official about the cutting capacity of the blowout preventer on the Deepwater Horizon. He confirmed that it is not powerful enough to cut through the joints in the drillpipe. And he told us this was another possible explanation for the failure of the blowout preventer to seal the well.
And fourth, we learned that the emergency controls on the blowout preventer may have failed. The blowout preventer has two emergency controls. One is called the emergency disconnect system or EDS. BP officials told us that that the EDS was activated on the drill rig before the rig was evacuated. But the Cameron official said they doubted the signals ever reached the blowout preventer on the seabed. Cameron officials believed the explosion on the rig destroyed the communications link to the blowout preventer before the emergency sequence could be completed.
In other words, the emergency controls may have failed because the explosion that caused the emergency also disabled communications to the blowout preventer.
Still, the blowout preventer also has a "deadman switch" which is supposed to activate the blowout preventer when all else fails. But according to Cameron, there were multiple scenarios that could have caused the deadman switch not to activate. One is human oversight: the deadman switch may not have been enabled on the control panel prior to the BOP being installed on the ocean floor. One is lack of maintenance: the deadman switch won't work if the batteries are dead. The deadman switch is connected to two separate control pods on the blowout preventer. Both rely on battery power to operate. When one of the control pods was removed and inspected after the spill began, the battery was found to be dead. The battery in the other pod has not been inspected yet.
And one appears to be a design problem. The deadman switch activates only when three separate lines that connect the rig to the blowout preventer are all severed: the communication, power, and hydraulic lines. Cameron believes the power and communication lines were severed in the explosion, but it is possible the hydraulic lines remained intact, which would have stopped the deadman switch from activating.
If this last scenario is true, the acoustic shut-off switch BP failed to install to save $500,000 would probably have worked to stop the blowout (see "Shocking allegations against BP"):
These are not the only failure scenarios that could impair the function of the blowout preventer. The Cameron official we met with described many other potential problems that could have prevented the blowout preventer from functioning properly. Steel casing or casing hanger could have been ejected from the well and blocked the operation of the rams. The drill pipe could have been severed successfully, but then dropped from the rig, breaking the seal. Or operators on the rig could have tried to activate the shear rams by pushing the shear ram control button. This would have initiated an attempt to close the rams, but it would not have been successful. The shear rams do not have enough power to cut drill pipe unless they are activated through the emergency switch or the deadman switch.
In fact, we uncovered an astonishing document that Transocean prepared in 2001, when it bought the blowout preventer from Cameron. I would like to display the executive summary from this document. It says there are 260 separate "failure modes" that "could require pulling of the BOP." According to this report, "the predominant failures" included "ram locking mechanisms."
How can a device that has 260 failure modes be considered failsafe?
The problems with the blowout preventer extend to the procedures for testing the device. The CEO of Transocean, Steven Newman, says in his testimony: "we have no reason to believe that they were not operational – they were jointly tested by BP and Transocean personnel as specified on April 10 and 17 and found to be functional."
But this assertion appears to be contradicted by a document prepared by BP on April 27, one week after the explosion. According to this document, "BOP stack emergency systems are not typically tested once the BOP stack is on the seabed." What this means that while some functions on the BOP may have been tested in the weeks before the explosion, the emergency systems, including the deadman system and the leaking emergency hydraulic system, were unlikely to have been tested.
After the Alaska pipeline and Texas refinery disasters, BP promised to make safety its number one priority. This hearing will raise serious questions about whether BP and its partners fulfilled this commitment. The safety of its entire operations rested on the performance of a leaking and apparently defective blowout preventer.
And so again we see the tragic combination of Recklessness, Arrogance, and Hubris.
1 comment:
- AnonymousJune 7, 2010 at 10:24 AM
"How can a device that has 260 failure modes be considered failsafe?"ReplyDelete
Indeed, the system shutdown design of this so-called "Blowout Preventer" device is simply incredible. Were the designers of this subassembly impaired? A high school auto-shop class could have done a better job here.
Sick as it sounds, upcoming investigation efforts will likely result in no corrective action with respect to this glaring issue; and will simply focus on finger-pointing with respect to the installation, maintenance, and operation of the device as it was designed.
So take heart, Cameron company; you'll be safe from having to "do the right thing" and change your design. BP and Transocean et al, don't worry; they'll never require you to correctively retrofit these electromechanical abominations which you have scattered about the seafloors of the world.
And everyone else, be at ease; the media and your governments will tell you "everything is under control."
20 minutes into the future...

subset: commoncrawl


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INDIANAPOLIS – Vitamin D supplementation should be examined as a strategy to maintain muscle strength in adults, according to research published in the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. This study, in the January edition of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, shows that research participants with higher levels of vitamin D also had more muscle strength even after adjusting for multiple other factors.
"The results of this study indicate that vitamin D may be a viable treatment for muscle strength loss in adults. This is a key area of aging research since people lose strength as they age, but maintaining muscle strength helps prevent falls and fractures, and preserves the ability to live independently," said the primary investigator, Paul D. Thompson, M.D., FACSM, chief of cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.
The researchers tested arm and leg strength in more than 400 adults participating in a study of how the statin cholesterol drugs affect exercise performance. The researchers examined the relationship of vitamin D to muscle strength after controlling for age, gender, resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), physical activity counts, and season of vitamin D measurement. Vitamin D levels had a stronger association with arm strength than leg strength.
Findings indicate that vitamin D may be an effective treatment to preserve muscle strength in older adults. Further research is needed to determine conclusively if vitamin D maintains or increases muscle strength with aging as well as the appropriate amounts of vitamin D when consumed as a part of diet, supplementation, or through sun exposure.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise® is the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is available from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins at 1-800-638-6423. For a complete copy of the research paper (Vol. 45, No. 1, pp: 155-160) or to speak with a leading sports medicine expert on the topic, contact the Department of Communications and Public Information at 317-637-9200 ext. 133. Visit ACSM online at www.acsm.org.
The conclusions outlined in this news release are those of the researchers only, and should not be construed as an official statement of the American College of Sports Medicine.
The American College of Sports Medicine supports the 10 Criteria for Responsible Health Reporting as articulated by HealthNewsReview.org.


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text:
With practice under way for this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans it's time yet again to feature the awesome 2011 Le Mans Spotter Guide complete with every car, team, driver, and livery. How else will you be able to tell the light blue Evoras apart?
Toggle through the galleries to see the guides and right-click the expand button and choose "Save link as" if you'd like to download the 1600px-wide version.
Credit: SpotterGuides.com
[LMP Class] Credit: SpotterGuides.com
[GT Class] Credit: SpotterGuides.com


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Google App Engine
Build highly scalable applications on a fully managed serverless platformTry It Free
Fully managed serverless application platform
Build and deploy applications on a fully managed platform. Scale your applications seamlessly from zero to planet scale without having to worry about managing the underlying infrastructure. With zero server management and zero configuration deployments, developers can focus only on building great applications without the management overhead. App Engine enables developers to stay more productive and agile by supporting popular development languages and a wide range of developer tools.
Open & familiar languages and tools
Quickly build and deploy applications using many of the popular languages like Java, PHP, Node.js, Python, C#, .Net, Ruby and Go or bring your own language runtimes and frameworks if you choose. Get started quickly with zero configuration deployments in App Engine. Manage resources from the command line, debug source code in production and run API backends easily using industry leading tools such as Cloud SDK, Cloud Source Repositories, IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio and PowerShell.
Just add code
Focus just on writing code, without the worry of managing the underlying infrastructure. With capabilities such as automatic scaling-up and scaling-down of your application between zero and planet scale, fully managed patching and management of your servers, you can offload all your infrastructure concerns to Google. Protect your applications from security threats using App Engine firewall capabilities, Identity and Access Management (IAM) rules, and managed SSL/ TLS certificates.
Pay only for what you use
Choose to run your applications in a serverless environment without the worry of over or under provisioning. App Engine automatically scales depending on your application traffic and consumes resources only when your code is running. You will only need to pay for the resources you consume.
App Engine Features
A powerful platform to build apps and scale automatically
- Popular Languages
- Build your application in Node.js, Java, Ruby, C#, Go, Python, or PHP—or bring your own language runtime
- Open & Flexible
- Custom runtimes allow you to bring any library and framework to App Engine by supplying a Docker container
- Fully Managed
- A fully managed environment lets you focus on code while App Engine manages infrastructure concerns
- Monitoring, Logging & Diagnostics
- Google Stackdriver gives you powerful application diagnostics to debug and monitor the health and performance of your app
- Application Versioning
- Easily host different versions of your app, easily create development, test, staging, and production environments
- Traffic Splitting
- Route incoming requests to different app versions, A/B test and do incremental feature rollouts
- Application Security
- Help safeguard your application by defining access rules with App Engine firewall and leverage managed SSL/TLS certificates* by default on your custom domain at no additional cost
- Services Ecosystem
- Tap a growing ecosystem of GCP services from your app including an excellent suite of cloud developer tools
Solutions and Use Cases
Modern web applications
Quickly reach customers and end users by deploying web apps on App Engine. With zero-config deployments and zero server management, App Engine allows you to focus on writing code. Plus, App Engine automatically scales to support sudden traffic spikes without provisioning, patching, or monitoring.
Below is a sample reference architecture for building a simple web app using App Engine and Google Cloud Platform.
Deploying a Java web app on App Engine standard environment
Get started with a simple bookshelf Java app on App Engine
Take a guided tour of the standard environment on the Cloud console
Scalable mobile backends
Whether you're building your first mobile app or looking to reach existing users via a mobile experience, App Engine automatically scales the hosting environment for you. Plus, seamless integration with Firebase provides an easy-to-use front end mobile platform along with the scalable and reliable backend.
Below is a sample reference architecture for a typical mobile app built using both Firebase and App Engine along with other services in Google Cloud Platform.
Firebase and Google App Engine standard environment
Firebase and Google App Engine flexible environment
Leverage Cloud Endpoints to connect to your client devices
Our Customers
-Jeffrey Dixon, Corporate Vice President and Chief Software Engineering Officer, IDEXX Laboratories
" Google App Engine scales automatically to accommodate these spikes, so we don't need to worry about application performance or crashing due to platform capacity. "
-Ben Kamens, lead developer, Khan Academy
" With Google App Engine, we don't need a system administrator or anyone dedicated to deploying our app, so 99 percent of our time is spent working on our application. "
-Jacob Taylor, Co-founder and CTO, Kahuna
" Our goal has been to be insanely reliable, easy and quick to implement, and very robust. Google App Engine is how we have been able to achieve that "
-Genevieve Ampaduh, head of digital marketing, Sony Music
" It's hard to imagine that this app would have been possible, so quickly, working with anything except Google App Engine. "
-Stefan Hauk, lead server developer for web games, Rovio
" Google App Engine allows us to launch games very quickly with teams of one or two developers per game. Because Google manages all the servers, there is little required of us in terms of maintenance. "


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How well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn't identify? Here's your chance to moonlight as an electrical inspector and second-guess someone else's work from the safety of your living room or office. Joe Tedesco, who has a knack for finding shoddy electrical work, did the dirty work and found this mess. Now it's your turn to identify the violation.
Reese Stuve, a plant electrician with Hutchinson Technology in Eau Claire, Wis., found air sniffer tubes for HF gas and 24V warning strobes in the same junction box and wireway. He also noticed that the tubes are actually spliced in the junction box.
This installation violates the requirements of 300.8 of the 2005 NEC, which provides guidelines on the installation of conductors with other systems. The rule reads as follows: "Raceways or cable trays containing electric conductors shall not contain any pipe, tube, or equal for steam, water, air, gas, drainage, or any service other than electrical.


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Make Room on the Shelf — One More Tax Reform Report
The release of a tax reform report from the White House leaves us with yet one more report analyzing ideas, but no closer to a better tax system.
September 23, 2010
In March 2009, Peter Orszag, then director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB), chaired by Paul A. Volcker, would form a Task Force on Tax Reform with a report due December 4, 2009. The Task Force was to focus on three areas:
The Task Force solicited public comment and received input from more than 300 individuals and organizations (PERAB Public Comment website). The group also held public-meetings webcast that were archived on the White House website.
The report was not issued until August 2010 because the Task Force wanted more time to get public comments (PERAB blog post, November 27, 2009). The final report (PDF) — The Tax Reform Options: Simplification, Compliance, and Corporate Taxation, explains and critiques over 40 options within the three categories noted in the title of this 118-page report.
This article provides additional background on the PERAB Task Force and summarizes some of the options that affect businesses. A critique of the report is offered along with the prospects for when tax reform might occur.
Task Force Caveats
Two observations about the Task Force regarding its place in the Administration and a limitation on the types and extent of reform proposals it was to pursue, help explain the Final Report.
PERAB versus President Obama: Early in its work and in its final report, the Task Force emphasized that PERAB is an "outside advisory panel and is not part of the Obama Administration" (Final Report (PDF), page v). This may seem puzzling since President Obama established PERAB within the Treasury Department to provide funding and support, and PERAB reports directly to the President. Members are not paid (other than travel expenses). Members were selected by the President to present diverse, independent, nonpartisan advice (PERAB website). The relevance of all of this is that we should not be surprised if there is any disconnect between the Task Force report and official White House revenue proposals, such as those in the FY 2011 "Greenbook" (PDF) or calls for additional stimulus provisions that tend to challenge simplification ideals.
Scope restrictions: The Task Force was not charged with recommending a "specific direction in tax policy" (PERAB blog post, September 30, 2009); nor was it to propose major reform (Final Report (PDF), page v). Instead, it was to present a variety of options and their pros and cons.
In addition, the Task Force was instructed to focus only on options that did not result in tax increases for married taxpayers with annual income below $250,000 or below $200,000 if not married. The Task Force interpreted this as meaning that groupings of options had to meet this parameter rather than each separate option (Final Report, page v).
Business-Related Options
The Final Report presents options within three categories. Options that are most relevant to businesses are listed and briefly explained below.
Corporate Tax Reform
The options in the Final Report are not new but have been suggested by others in the past including by President Bush's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform that issued a report in 2005. Some of the options have been introduced in Congress in the past, such as for a standard deduction for home office expenses (H.R. 3056 (111th Congress)). Numerous simplification proposals have been offered by the Joint Committee on Taxation and tax practitioner groups. For further information on past tax reform proposals, projects and studies, see the links in the box below.
Tax Reform Resources
Extensive list of tax reform reports compiled by Bruce Bartlett.
Author's tax reform website.
The Final Report is useful in bringing renewed attention to some possible improvements to simplify the law, improve collections and address tax challenges corporations face in the global economy. More will be needed though to bring about reform. Missing items include the following:
Moving Towards Reform
The PERAB Task Force emphasized that it is not part of the Obama Administration. Thus, it remains to be seen if President Obama embraces any of the options or if members of Congress do. Otherwise, the Final Report will likely just take a spot on the large shelf of past tax reform reports by government and private groups.
President Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is to issue its final report in December 2010. Perhaps after its issuance, the Administration will be ready to move forward with constructive action items for tax reform.With Congress and the Administration currently focused on what to do with the 2001/2003 tax cuts, provisions that expired at the end of 2009 and possible additional stimulus measures, we are unlikely to see any attention paid to true tax reform until at least 2011.
Rate this article 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor). Send your responses here.
Annette Nellen, CPA, Esq., is a tax professor and director of the MST Program at San José State University. Nellen is an active member of the tax sections of the ABA and AICPA. She serves on the AICPA's Individual Income Taxation Technical Resource Panel. She has several reports on tax reform and a blog.


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Most Popular Dog Breed
The Results Are In: Most Popular Dog Breed
Every January, the American Kennel Club releases a list of the top 10 most popular breeds in the country based on the number of registered dogs in a puppy-full press conference. Instead of waiting for their "official" results, I asked you to share which breed you think will come out on top. You decided that this year's list toppers would be Labrador Retrievers once again!
Considering that this breed's come out on top for the last 19 years and counting, I'm thinking your vote for labs will be right again this year when the results come in. But only time will tell!
Source: Flickr User redeye


text: I was lucky enough this week to add these Lemania chronos to my growing SAAF (South African Air Force) collection. These came from the former instrument technician to the SAAF as did most of the rest of my collection. My next task is to find a case and hands for the spare parts - which I know is going to be very difficult.


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Since ancient times, Chinese painting has been called "Dan Qing" which refers to the minerals that can be made into pigments. "Dan" refers to cinnabar and "Qing" refers to blue copper ore and lapis lazuli then, "Dang Qing" becomes synonymous with painting or painting pigment in general.
Using the color of minerals as a main artistic medium contributes to a brilliant history in Chinese art, including primitive, ancient painted pottery and the splendid Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes murals. Today, a limited number of artisans are using this traditional mineral color technique.


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You know how it is when you're out at a club, slamming around in the mosh pit and you miss your boyfriend's phone call? Well, those days are over, clubby girl! Just slip on this cute new party dress and you'll never miss another call. You see, the dress is adorned with translucent white scales that cascade down one side and blink and light up when someone is ringing you!
The dress was designed by London College of Fashion student Georgie Davies (an excellent brand name, no?) as part of a design competition sponsored by Sony Ericsson. Said the 20-year-old techno-seamstress, "When you're in a pub or a bar, you can never, ever hear your phone." So true, Georgie. So true.
Of course, wireless technology is never as simple as it seems, and the frock does need to be hooked up automagically to your Bluetooth wireless, ear-phone thingie, but whatevs. It's totally cute, right?
Anyway, tennis superbrand Maria Sharapova was on hand to present the dress to a throng of photographers at London luxury department store Liberty on Wednesday. And what, you may ask, is the connection between the lanky Russian and the blink-y dress? Well, Sony Ericsson is also a sponsor of the ladies tennis tour, so, you know... synergy!
But corporate schilling aside, you know Maria is already planning to get one of these babies out on the courts. Imagine! She wouldn't miss any calls and it would drive her opponents absolutely nuts. Two birds -- one stone.


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Pellet burner with heating power from 80 to 260 kW
Burner main features – X 260
Burners adapted to burn:
- 6-8 mm diameter wood pellet
- pits: dry cherry and olive pits
- oats
- High pressure combustion system and firewall with counterweight – no risk of backfire
- Safety temperature limiter STB cuts off power supply of the external feeder (stops fuel supply) when the boiler overheating occurs
- Polyurethane pipe connecting the burner and feeder is melted when backfire occurs and fuel is not fed to the burner – fuel is thrown outside the hazardous area
- Combustion chamber fuel mixing system – increased ash removal and improved combustion process
- Automatic start after voltage failure – memory of recent settings
- Removable hearth made of the highest quality heat resistant steel
- Made from the best materials using the most advanced technologies
- Ceramic insert increases the burner life
- Automatic operation: firing up, cleaning and flame control
- Stepless (electronic) power adjustment
- Possibility of combustion process monitoring with the Lambda Control (option)
- Low CO and CO₂ emission
- Low power consumption
- Low thermal inertia
- High combustion efficiency – up to 99%
- Flame sensor for precise detection of the flame intensity
- Fully compatible with automatic controls of the oil and gas boiler and bakery oven
The set includes:
- X 260 burner
- R.Control controller (other controllers are also offered)
- 3m long galvanised feeder
- Lambda sensor
Manufacturer: Pellas X
Type: X 260
Output: 80 – 260 kW
Power supply: 230 V AC / 50Hz
Average power consumption: 120 W
Weight: 64 kg
Feeder length: 3 m
Combustion efficiency: do 99 %
Output adjustment: YES
Lambda Control: YES (option)
Central heating pump operation: YES
Domestic hot water pump operation: YES
Room Control: YES (option)
Weather automatic control: YES (option)
Net Control: YES (option)
- Graphic display
- Two types of menu
- Info key
- The modular design of the controller
- Controlling all available circuits
- Stepless control of burner fan operation
- Remote controller handling
- Fumes temperature control
- Constant reading of flame brightness
- Possibility of connecting broadband lambda sond
- Information about amount of fuel in a silo
- Sound signaling
- Alarms and errors history
- Clock with an integrated calendar
- Statistics
- Restoration of factory presets
- Compatible with oil and gas boilers automatics
- Possibility of connecting an exhaust fan
Click here for a detailed description: Controller R.Control
Feeder is an integral part of the pellet burner set.
- High efficiency
- Made of galvanized steel – higly resistant to corrosion
- Energy efficient – just 25W of consumed power
- Intended for transport of pellet type 6-8mm in diameter, and oats and seeds
- Working angle from 0° to 60°
- Standard length 2 or 3 meters, depending on burner, can be extended on order, up to 10 meters to allow for adaptation to dimensions of boiler-room or fuel hopper.
Click here for a detailed description: Fuel feeder


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Your morning roundup for March 12, a day of nuclear-plant explosions, talk of Supermoons vs. the Pacific Plate, recovery efforts and aftershocks.
• A Los Angeles television station slugged a story about some eatery fisticuffs as "Transvestites Taco Fight." As a description, it's simple and sufficient. The video's NSFW with volume. [KTLA]
• BYU's Jimmer Fredette dropped 33 on New Mexico in Vegas last night. That was in the first half. He scored 52 total and became BYU's all-time leading scorer. He topped his single-game record as well. Honor. [Deseret News]
• The Big East Final tonight pits UConn against Louisville. Both won their semifinal games in OT. [ESPN]
• Though ACC Player of the Year Nolan Smith "limped off the court with a toe injury of undetermined severity," Duke still beat Maryland 87-71. Determining that severity may or may not make a difference in the conference semifinals against Virginia Tech, who may or may not have actually beaten Florida State by a split-tenth-of-a-second at the buzzer. But the refs said Florida State's apparent game winner didn't leave Nole fingertip until the clock read 0:00, so it shall be. [Charlotte Observer]
• In whooping some Purdue ass in the Big 10 quarterfinals, Michigan State probably sealed a tourney bid. [Free Press]
• The Spartans will face a Penn State squad that scored 36 points in its win over Wisconsin last night. [Centre Daily Times]
• Twins first-baseman Justin Morneau was back on the field for a Spring Training game eight months after his 2010 season ended via concussion. He said, "When I got hurt, I didn't think I was going be out that long, going to be hurt that bad. It was a while, but hopefully this is the first big step towards Opening Day or towards being in the lineup in the regular season."[MLB.com] Here's video.
• Well, whatdaya know: The NBA rescinded a technical foul issued to Amar'e Stoudemire in Thursday night's loss to Dallas. Now, he doesn't face a one-game suspension. [New York Daily News]
• For whatever reason, tipster Nick H. was watching halftime of the Iowa class 2A championship game, when they honored the All-Academic Team. He provided the photo which shows that graphics guy (or gal) is not that strong a speller. [IHSSN, via IowaBCA]
• NFL owners went ahead and imposed a lockout after the NFLPA decertified itself in an effort to prevent one. [New York Post]
• Brian Dawkins — the hard-hitting former Philadelphia Eagle and current Denver Bronco — got to talking about concussions in the wake of Dave Duerson's suicide.
Here's what he said:
"Sometimes things are not just hitting home but smashing you in the face. Like when tragedy happens, it makes you think about things on a different plateau, you begin to think about things on a different level. It's a concern, and it should be a concern to everybody." [Philadelphia Sports Daily]
• An ESPN radio guy whose DUI arrest resulted in one boss mugshot had some weed residue on his shirt at the time of his encounter with Skokie, Ill. lawmen.
When asked about the odor by police, [WMVP's Harry] Teinowitz said the car was recently parked by a valet and those who parked it must have smoked inside, police said. [Sun Times]
• In today's sixth-round FA Cup matches, Birmingham City faces Bolton (it started around 7:45 a.m. eastern) and Manchester United is up against Arsenal, which promises to be either an excellent match or a total meltdown once it starts around 12:15 p.m. [FA Cup Fixtures]
Recently On Deadspin
A few stories you might've missed.
Are You Ready For Some Decertification? DeMaurice Smith is still the executive director of something. Himself.
But What Did The Tsunami Mean For Sports Lists? For one shining moment, the Japanese earthquake stood as Bleacher Report's segue into a list of sporting disasters. Alas, the shining moment wasn't long enough to check whether marathoning defecation made the cut. O an they apologetic.
Asshole Reassertion: USC coach Kevin O'Neill, his blushing bride and a 60-something Arizona booster were involved in something between a barroom shoutfest and Antietam. Whatever it was, it lacked l'amour. By way of update, O'Neill has been suspended.
Hermit Is Britspeak For Hobo: How the "terrace tramp" managed to live at Aston Villa's stadium undetected for a spell is anyone's guess.


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Power rankings. You hate them. They're so arbitrary and pointless, especially when they include all 32 NFL teams. All you want to know after a good week of NFL action is who the bestest team in the NFL right now, and which one is the absolute barrel-scraping worst. The one so terrible, it could have slipped out of Nancy Grace's top last night. That's why we have TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE NFL, where we go to great lengths to tell you who's the top dog in football right now, this very minute. LET'S GO!
THE TOP: Buffalo Bills
Oh, what a sweet weekend for the likes of Buffalo and Detroit. Not only did both teams vanquish longtime tormentors, but both teams also rallied from a deficit of at least 20 points, which is downright insane. Not only that, but the big wins by Oakland and Tampa on Sunday helped bolster the respective earlier victories that the Bills and Lions had over those clubs. What I found impressive about Buffalo, apart from the fact that they're doing this with Chan Gailey as their coach and assorted players gleaned from the local pawnbroker, was the secondary. Tom Brady strafed them, as he does to everyone. But I've rarely seen a secondary turn Brady into a turnover machine quite like that. And that was without Terrence McGee, their best cover man, and without Aaron Williams for the fourth quarter. Four different DBs picked off Brady in that game. The Bills have suddenly become a team that can take unheralded players and make them productive. Not unlike the team they just seized the AFC East lead from. Impressive.
THE BOTTOM: St. Louis Rams
I could put the Vikings here because of their astonishing trio of collapses to open the season. But hey, at least they play well in first halves. What do we make of this Rams squad? This was supposed to be the Rams' year. They were the only team in this division last season that showed any promise, and they had a gifted young passer coming back for his second season. An NFC West crown seemed preordained, and now everything has gone completely haywire. Only the Chiefs have a worse point differential than the Rams right now. And QB Sam Bradford's toe is ailing him. What on Earth went wrong here? Well now, I have a theory: JOSH MCDANIELS. Oh, yes. Think about it. He's the only major difference this year, IS HE NOT? I think Boy Genius now turns everything he touches to GARBAGE! I have no evidence to back this up, except for my strong dislike of Josh McDaniels. I feel that's proof enough


text:
CO-OP's single platform for In-House Credit, PIN and Signature Debit, and ATM processing offers you an integrated channel for managing all of your card programs.
Other content in this Stream
Wallet Enablement Slipsheet
Navigate: Your Guide to the Payments Ecosystem
Check Imaging Suite Slipsheet
CO-OP ATM Visual Control
CO-OP Debit Slipsheet
CO-OP Debit is a best-in-class card program that includes the most comprehensive array of member loyalty, security and efficiency benefits available to credit unions.
CO-OP In-House Credit
CO-OP Full Service Credit Slipsheet
CO-OP Full Service Credit makes it simple to add the competitive, benefit-rich credit products members expect.
30,000 ATMs Nationwide with CO-OP ATM
CO-OP Check Imaging
CO-OP ATM Signage Program
5 Must-Reads: The Future of Cards Is Cardless
It's happening: Next week, all of Wells Fargo's ATMs will be ready to accept cardless transactions. Are you ready for this shift? Increasingly the future of cards isn't about cards.… The original...
CO-OP Wallet Enablement
Apple Pay Slipsheet
Employing fraud-resistant tokenized transactions, the Apple Pay mobile payments solution offers your members a safer, easier and faster way to complete transactions
Apple Pay Tokenization FAQ
Apple Pay™ allows you to pay for your purchases with your iPhone® 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and Apple Watch by holding your device near a contactless reader
Apple Pay Startup Guide
Apple Pay™ makes shopping safer and easier by enabling fraud-resistant, tokenized transactions with your members' existing credit and debit card accounts.
Apple Pay Apple Watch FAQ
The Apple Watch is another device that allows you to pay for purchases using Apple Pay.
Apple Pay FAQ Member
Apple Pay™ allows you to pay for your purchases with your iPhone® 6 or iPhone 6 Plus by holding your phone near a contactless reader at participating merchants.
Samsung Pay FAQ
Samsung Pay is a safe and simple way to make mobile payments with select Samsung Galaxy phones, and it works at virtually any retailer where your member can swipe or tap the card.
Google Pay FAQ


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SpeedTouch ADSL Modem
This article will hopefully enable you to connect to the internet using your SpeedTouch modem. If you did not already know, the process is not exactly easy, and this guide is here to help you.
Obviously, this has been built using my own experience (with a SpeedTouch 330) and knowledge from elsewhere. If you feel anything should be contributed, feel free to add or edit any information you see fit.
If you are like me, you will probably want to connect when you first finish installing Arch Linux. This means you will require another internet-connected computer, or a Windows installation to proceed with downloading the necessary files.
The Files...
The kernel driver that is used by the SpeedTouch modem will not work without some firmware. To find out which firmware you need, run the following command:
awk '/4061/ { print $5 }' /proc/bus/usb/devices
Which should give you the revision number of your modem. If your modem is revision 0 or 2 you will need the KQD6_3.012 file. If your modem is revision 4, then you will require the ZZZL_3.012 file. Both of these files can be located in this tarball here.
You will, later, need the firmware-extractor too, which can be found here.
Finally you should check this page to find out the VPI/VCI numbers for your country or ISP.
Now you have everything, save a copy of this guide too (in text helps), and copy everything to a USB flash drive, floppy disk (if it fits), or a USB external hard drive, so you can use them while offline.
NOTE: Unzip isn't supported in a basic Arch Linux installation, you should unzip any .zip files using another computer or operating system first.
Installing everything...
Boot into your Arch Linux installation. You should now copy everything to your home directory. Mount the drive, cp, etc, you'll know what to do.
I assume a speedtouch folder has been created in your home directory containing these files, and that you are currently in that folder.
You should also change to root user for the time of installing and configuring your modem:
su [password]
Now in that folder, you should have firmware-extractor, and your choice of firmware depending on your modem (KQD6_3.012 or ZZZL_3.012). You will need to split the firmware with the following command:
For revision 0 or 2:
chmod +x firmware-extractor && firmware-extractor KQD6_3.012
For revision 4:
chmod +x firmware-extractor && firmware-extractor ZZZL_3.012
If all went well, you should now have two new files in your directory: speedtch-1.bin and speedtch-2.bin.
Now (as root remember), copy the firmware to the right place:
cp speedtch* /lib/firmware
Now your firmware is installed! Continue to 'Initial Configuration' for more information.
Initial Configuration
We need to create a secrets file, containing the username and password you usually dial with. This could either be pap-secrets or chap-secrets. Not knowing, we will create both, as it does no harm.
Create a file (I used nano) with the following text, making sure you amend it with your information:
"username@isp" "*" "password"
(This line needs to be in exactly the same layout as above, just change what is in the first and last set of quotation marks.)
Save it as secrets in your speedtouch folder. Now you will need to place it in the correct places:
install -m 600 secrets /etc/ppp/chap-secrets && install -m 600 secrets /etc/ppp/pap-secrets
Next, we need a ppp configuration file. For PPP over ATM, use this template. Remember to change your username, and your VPI/VCI numbers!
noipdefault defaultroute user 'username@isp' noauth updetach usepeerdns plugin pppoatm.so 0.00 # Change these! ### If the firmware loads but pppd won't ### connect, uncomment this option to make ### pppd be more verbose in the system log # debug ### For more details (and more options) ### Read man pppd
Save and call the file speedtch. Now install it to the correct place:
install -m 600 speedtch /etc/ppp/peers
Create a final symlink:
cp /etc/resolv.conf /etc/ppp ln -sf /etc/ppp/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf
And your connection setup is done!
You can now connect using:
pppd call speedtch
Refer to 'Further Configuration' for more Arch-specific information.
Further Configuration
We will need to set up the connection to start on boot. This involves creating some scripts.
This is the method I used. It works for me, and should work for you. Some alternative methods could probably be used. But I do not know them!
Anyway, create a file called start_internet with the following content:
#!/bin/sh # Speedtouch connection script count=0 while [[ $((count++)) -lt 40 ]] do sync=$(dmesg | grep 'ADSL line is up') if [ ! -z "$sync" ] then pppd call speedtch exit 0 fi sleep 1 done echo "The SpeedTouch firmware did not load" exit 1
Now install this to the /usr/bin directory:
chmod +x start_internet && cp start_internet /usr/bin/
Now we will create another script. Save this as speedtouch:
#!/bin/bash . /etc/rc.conf . /etc/rc.d/functions case "$1" in start) stat_busy "Starting SpeedTouch Connection" start_internet &>/dev/null if [ $? -gt 0 ]; then stat_fail else add_daemon speedtch stat_done fi ;; stop) stat_busy "Stopping SpeedTouch Connection" poff speedtch &>/dev/null if [ $? -gt 0 ]; then stat_fail else rm_daemon speedtch stat_done fi ;; restart) $0 stop sleep 1 $0 start ;; *) echo "usage: $0 {start|stop|restart}" esac exit 0
Install this in the directory /etc/rc.d:
chmod +x speedtouch && cp speedtouch /etc/rc.d/
Now edit your rc.conf:
nano /etc/rc.conf
In the daemons line, add speedtouch after network. Eg:
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng network speedtch firestarter netfs crond alsa hal fam)
Right. All configuration files are there. Delete anything you do not need from your home directory (scripts etc.), double check everything is in place, and reboot.
As it starts up, your modem should automatically sync, and you should automatically be connected.
Now, any connection management can be used with /etc/rc.d/speedtouch:
/etc/rc.d/speedtouch start /etc/rc.d/speedtouch stop /etc/rc.d/speedtouch restart
Further Information
A lot of this guide used information from http://www.linux-usb.org. Visit there for more information.
This guide doesn't use PPPoE. I will add this when I have more time.
Any comments or questions, try the discussion page.
Hope you found this helpful and feel free to improve it!


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MONTGOMERY, Ala.—Led by senior Kevin Kegarise with 17 points, the Birmingham-Southern men's basketball team won its fourth straight game Wednesday night, defeating Huntingdon on the road, 73-59.
The Panthers, playing without senior Zac Richards, move to 10-3, while the Hawks fall to 5-10.
After playing to six straight ties in the first eight minutes of the game, BSC used a 17-2 run over the next four minutes to go up 29-14 by the 8:35 mark. The Panthers hung onto their comfortable lead and led 43-24 at halftime.
BSC kept a double-digit lead for the duration of the game, only allowing the Hawks to come as close as a 12-point margin, 69-57, with 2:38 left to play before winning by 14, 73-59.
Kegarise led the Panthers with 17 points on 6-9 shooting, including 5-8 from three-point range. Junior Griffin Schamp scored 14 points off the bench after missing most of the first part of the season with a hand injury, and junior Schylar Freeman earned his first start and scored 12 points on 5-6 shooting. Freeman led BSC with seven points, and senior Blaise White led with six steals.
Huntingdon's Ryan Petty led all players with 23 points, while Jeremiah Thomas had 15 points and a game-high nine boards.
The Panthers shot 23-56 (.411) from the field, 6-20 (.300) from three-point range, and 21-30 (.700) at the free throw line. The Hawks shot 24-58 (.414) overall, 3-16 (.188) from beyond the arc, and 8-16 (.500) from the line.
Huntingdon had 39 rebounds to BSC's 37 while committing 16 turnovers, seven more than the Panthers' nine, tying their season low.
BSC returns home this Saturday to face Southern Athletic Association foe Millsaps at 5 p.m. in Bill Battle Coliseum.


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RBC Wealth Management Canada > RBC Dominion Securities > Investor Tools & Resources > Investor Education Centre > The Personal Financial Planning Process
It's never too early or too late to start planning your financial future. But when it comes to financial planning, we all have different goals and objectives. Sound financial advice and the right investment strategy can determine how well you live today—and in the future. By following these six steps, you can begin building the foundation for a solid financial future:
Choosing a professional financial advisor is an important step in the financial planning process. A trusted financial advisor can offer you expert advice and help you create a personalized financial plan. When establishing a new relationship, it is important for you to understand the level of financial planning services that will be available to you.
Additionally, you and your advisor should discuss and agree upon:
Although it's important to set realistic financial goals, it's also important to dream a little. Consider ranking your goals and objectives by level of importance and setting reasonable timeframes for completion. Before determining if your goals and objectives are attainable, you will need to spend some time gathering your personal and financial data and assessing your current financial situation. Some common examples of personal financial goals and objectives include:
After you have identified your financial goals, the next step is to determine how to achieve them. Your financial advisor can help you analyze your finances, make specific recommendations and develop strategies to meet your short- and long-term financial goals. Any recommendations made by your advisor will factor in your timeframe, risk tolerance and investment goals.
This is where you plan for a face-to-face meeting with your financial advisor to discuss the analysis and recommendations made in Step 3. You should feel comfortable with the recommendations presented and confident in your ability to achieve your financial goals.
Achieving your financial goals requires putting into action the recommendations and strategies made in Step 4. Implementation is key to reaching your goals.
Financial planning is an on-going process. To ensure your financial plan continues to meet your needs, your financial advisor will conduct periodic reviews, assess your financial progress and recommend any necessary adjustments.
For information on our financial planning services, please contact an advisor . Or, ask an advisor to contact you.


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Russia (Yes, The Country) Looking To Enter The Tablet Market
from the new-state-sponsored-tablet-or-cross-dresser's-quarters deptThe world of tablet computing is highly competitive and everyone's looking to get in on the action. The latest entrant has something going for it that its closest competitors can't touch: the weight of one the most powerful governments in the world.
Russia, yes that Russia, is looking to produce its own tablet, unfortunately titled the "RuPad." It should do well, considering it should be able to corner every market (but the black one) and become the "must have" tablet for both Russian government employees and the general public alike. There's nothing like the implicit threat of general statist unpleasantness to move a few thousand units.
Unlike Android tablets elsewhere in the world, the RuPad will provide users with unprecedented privacy, protecting their info from rogue capitalists like Google:
"The operating system has all the functional capabilities of the Android OS, but does not contain the covert functions of sending private user data to Google headquarters," Andrey Starikovsky, the general director of the university-based company behind the tablet, told Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.So, rather than being subjected to targeted personal ads and
On the bright side, Russians won't have to waste much time comparison shopping or camping out overnight for the latest iThing. I'm sure the RuPad will come highly recommended by salespeople wishing to keep their jobs and family members intact.
The expected retail price isn't exactly consumer-friendly (15,000 rubles/$460), but when you've got a powerful built-in market for your product, competitive prices aren't really a concern.
Developers at the ministry's Central Scientific Research Institute said their main client is—and will probably always be—the state and its top brass. "The military version will be shock- and water-proof," Russian media quoted production unit director Andrei Starikovsky as telling Rogozin at the presentation.Like the GLONASS satelitte system before it, the RuPad appears to be another state project that results in something usable by the general public. But for it to be Mother Russia-approved, the Android system has to be purged of its innate data harvesting properties. This homegrown Android version may have a chance for some stress testing as soon as it goes live, as Project Manager Dmitry Maikhailov has boldy invited hackers to punch holes in the system.
"They are not afraid of Google or the US government stealing things per se. They are afraid of leaks in general," the operating system's project manager Dmitry Mikhailov told AFP. "There is nothing like this operating system on the market. It is hack-proof," Mikhailov claimed. "There are people who are clamouring for this."Despite insistence that this is a "military-first" project, pre-orders have already begun piling up, at least according to the manufacturer. And maybe there is a crowd of wealthier Russians looking to get their hands on some retail-ready military hardware. It worked for the Humvee. Why not a "shockproof, waterproof, hackerproof" tablet that runs a proprietary version of Android? (Currently sporting the name "RoMOS," which looks to be another possible name for the tablet itself.)
One would imagine the government/military version would come with all needed software pre-loaded, but the average consumer might need to do a bit of rooting in order to install anything that isn't Russia-approved. Google has been kicked to the curb app-wise, as well:
"Some of the components will be imported, and the assembly will be carried out by a Russian-based leading defense institute. We excluded Google Market from it for safety reasons," said Starikovsky.There's no firm release date ("before the end of 2012") on the RuPad/RoMOS/ANTiGoogle, but considering the operating system has been in development for "over five years," it would seem like "any day now" would be a good bet. Of course, it's headed to the military and top government officials first, so it could be several more months before the specs make it out into the wild. Until the illustrious debut of the People's Tablet, feast your eyes on the Glorious Past of Russian Komputing!


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Our Interbike coverage began earlier today with David moblogging from the Dirt Demo. The rest of us arrive in Vegas over the next few days. You can follow our coverage on the Interbike Hub and
Here on the main blog we'll post daily digests and Huggacasts. Our focus is urban, velocouture, fixed/free, the offbeat, and Cross, like this Felt Single Speed.
Events and Parties
We've got full calendar this year with the iBikeTweetup, Cross Vegas, various parties, and our Mobile Social.
We're just hearing about Alleycats too.…
My daily shooter is Sony a9 with a vertical grip and various Sigma lenses attached like the 14mm 1.4 Art. Find more recommendations on our store page.


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A youthful Indian hockey team will have its first big Test post the London disaster when they play in the Champions Trophy next month. Coach Michael Nobbs wants his wards to see Olympic Champions Germany as their model and hopes they respond well to the changes in the style of play.
Ahead of the the Dec 1-9 Champions Trophy in Australia, they get to compete in nine-a-side Lanco International Super Series event, beginning in Perth Thursday. While the coach is saying the experienced Sandeep Singh, Ignace Tirkey, Tushar Khandkar and Shivendra Singh have been rested for the tour, the selectors are clear that they are looking at players keeping the 2016 Rio Olympics in mind.
A clear indication is that captain and star midfielder Sardar Singh at 26 is the oldest of the 18-member squad that has four players who were part of India's U-21 squad that lost the Sultan of Johor Cup final to Germany in Malaysia last week.
"It (Australia tour) is a great chance for the youngsters to perform against the top teams. The selectors have made it clear that they are looking at Rio and I will try my best to give them the team they are looking for," Nobbs told IANS before leaving with the team for his native Australia.
Indian hockey hit rock-bottom with team finishing last at the Olympics. Nobbs is keen that the trend should change and he has made certain changes to reverse the slide. He shared the changes he has made after joining the camp midway through at Patiala last month.
"I did not miss much even though I joined the team midway through the camp. We want to imbibe the qualities of German style in our play. They are now the benchmark for world hockey. They are very good at trapping the ball, so we spent a lot of time working how to trap the ball practising on grass," Nobbs told IANS.
"We worked really hard for the Olympics but the results did not show it. I hope we find some success in Australia," added Nobbs, who made a delayed return to India as the authorities took time to renew his contract. The skipper is also looking forward to the two tournaments and playing alongside a bunch of youngsters.
"All teams are giving chances to the new crop. It is the biggest tournament after Olympics and a great opportunity for our youngsters to show up," Sardar told IANS.
Talking more about the preparations, Sardar said: "We have specifically worked on not conceding early goals in a match. Trapping has been our weak point and practising that on grass has certainly helped," he said, adding that fitness regimen has more or less been the same ever since Jason Conrath replaced David John as the trainer.
The Sirsa-born player is aware of the challenges of competing in a tournament India last featured in 2005. "The Perth tournament is not something we are focussing on. It will be good in the sense we will have good warm-up before the Champions Trophy.
"All teams in the fray are strong and we are looking at taking things match by match," he said.


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Dear Tim, Detlev, On 19.8.2011 19:50, Boland Jr, Frederick E. wrote: > Thanks for your insightful comments. I think they are worthy of serious consideration. > My thoughts as you suggest were just as an input or starting point to further discussion > on this topic. Perhaps as part of the work of the EVAL TF we can come up with principles > or characteristics of how an evaluation should be performed.. Yes, I agree that this is a useful discussion to have in Eval TF, and bring back consolidated suggestions to WCAG WG. > Thanks and best wishes > Tim Boland NIST > > PS - is it OK to post this discussion to the EVAL TF mailing list (it might be useful > information for the members of the TF)? Yes it is. I have CC'ed Eval TF. Best, Shadi > -----Original Message----- > From: firstname.lastname@example.com [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com] On Behalf Of Detlev Fischer > Sent: Friday, August 19, 2011 12:14 PM > To: firstname.lastname@example.com > Subject: Re: some comments/questions on techniques instructions document for submitters > > Hi Tim Borland, > > EVAL TF has just started so I went back to the level of atomic tests to > see what their role might be in a practical accessibility evaluation > approach. > > Atomic tests limited to a specific technique are certainly useful as a > heuristic for implementers of such a technique to check whether they > have implemented it correctly, and the points in the techniques > instructions as well as your points on writing a 'good test' are > therefore certainly valid on this level. > > However, any evaluation procedure checking conformance of content to > particular SC criteria needs to consider quite a number of techniques in > conjunction. The 'complication' you mention can be avoided on the level > of technique, not any longer on the level of SC. > > Stating conformance to a particular SC might involve a large number of > techniques and failures, some applied alternatively, others in > conjunction. For example, checking for compliance of all page content to > SC 1.1.1 (Non-Text Content), any of the following 15 techniques and > failures might be relevant: G95, G94, G100, G92, G74, G73, G196, H37, > H67, H45, F67, F3, F20, F39, F65. And this does not even include the > techniques which provide accessible text replacements for background images. > > My belief is that in *practical terms*, concatenating a large number of > partly interrelated atomic tests to arrive at a SC conformance judgement > is just not a practical approach for human evaluation. If we want a > *usable*, i.e., manageable procdure for a human tester to check whether > the images on a page have proper alternative text, what *actually* > happens is more something like a pattern matching of known (recogniszed) > failures: > > * Display all images together with alt text (and, where available, href) > * Scan for instances of known failures - this also needs > checking the image context for cases like G74 and G196 > * Render page with custom colours (images now disappear) and check > whether text replacements for background images are displayed > > Moreover, if the *severity* of failure needs to be reflected in the > conformance claim or associated tolerance metrics, then the failure to > provide alt text for a main navigation item or graphical submit button > must not be treated the same way as the failure to provide alt on some > supporter's logo in the footer of the page. > > My point is that while I am all for precision, the requirements for a > rather complex integrated human assessment of a multitude of techniques > and failures practically rule out an atomic approach where each > applicable test of each applicable technique is carried out sequentially > along the steps provided and then processed according to the logical > concatenation of techniques given in the "How to meet" document. It > simpy would be far too cumbersome. > > I realise that you have not maintained that evaluation should be done > that way - I just took your thoughts as a starting point. We have only > just started with the EVAL task force work - I am curious what solutions > we will arrive at to ensure rigor and mappability while still coming up > with a manageable, doable approach. > > Regards, > Detlev > > Am 05.08.2011 16:28, schrieb Boland Jr, Frederick E.: >> For >> >> http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/wiki/Technique_Instructions >> >> General Comments: >> >> Under "Tests" should there be guidance on limiting the number of steps >> in a testing procedure (not making tests too involved)? >> >> (this gets to "what makes a good test"? >> >> In .. http://www.w3.org/QA/WG/2005/01/test-faq#good >> >> "A good test is: >> >> * Mappable to the specification (you must know what portion of the >> specification it tests) >> * Atomic (tests a single feature rather than multiple features) >> * Self-documenting (explains what it is testing and what output it >> expects) >> * Focused on the technology under test rather than on ancillary >> technologies >> * Correct " >> >> Does the information under "Tests" clearly convey information in these >> items to potential submitters? >> >> Furthermore, do we want to have some language somewhere in the >> instructions that submitted techniques should not be too "complicated" >> (should just demonstrate simple features or atomic actions if possible)? >> >> Editorial Comments: >> >> under "Techniques Writeup Checklist "UW2" should be expanded to >> "Understanding WCAG2" >> >> 3^rd bullet under "applicability" has lots of typos.. >> >> Thanks and best wishes >> >> Tim Boland NIST >> > > -- Shadi Abou-Zahra - http://www.w3.org/People/shadi/ Activity Lead, W3C/WAI International Program Office Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT WG) Research and Development Working Group (RDWG)Received on Saturday, 20 August 2011 09:02:07 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 16 January 2018 15:34:08 UTC


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We've updated our Terms of Business. Click here to view our terms & conditions.
At CarmichaelUK we have been working in partnership with the construction industry to supply temporary and permanent construction personnel to clients for over twenty years. We have unparalleled market knowledge and expertise in this sector and are recognised by our clients as the industry experts in construction recruitment.We operate with integrity and accountability and our relationships are built on trust and understanding.
As a company, we are passionate about the construction industry and proud to be a part of it.
Liverpool 2 is an extension to the Seaforth Dock container terminal built by Peel Ports that became operational in 2016. The terminal extension will be able to accommodate two post-Panamax vessels simultaneously."More
The M25 is the largest ring road in the country and second largest across the planet at 117 miles in length. It is not technically an orbital motorway as there is a small portion of non-motorway where the road crosses the River Thames at Dartford.More
Heathrow Airport is the third busiest airport in the world, with more than seventy million passengers passing through every year (six million more than the UK population). It has two east-west runways and five operating terminals.More
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South Alameda County Area
Sherry Cormier, PhD is a psychologist, consultant and public speaker. Formerly on the faculty at the University of Tennessee and West Virginia University, she is the author of Counseling Strategies and Interventions for Professional Helpers and coauthor of Interviewing and Change Strategies for Helpers. She has co-written and co-produced more than 50 training videos for Cengage Learning. Her new book is Sweet Sorrow: Finding Enduring Wholeness After Loss and Grief.


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Ernest Henry Shackleton
Shackleton, Sir Ernest Henry
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, 1874–1922, British antarctic explorer, b. Ireland. The first of his voyages to Antarctica was made as a member of the expedition (1901–4) of Robert F. Scott. Shackleton was invalided home in 1903, but the experience gained on the Scott expedition aided him greatly as commander of a south polar expedition (1907–9). In the course of this expedition Mt. Erebus was ascended, the south magnetic pole was located, and the polar plateau was crossed to a point less than 100 mi (160 km) from the South Pole. The scientific results of the expedition were of vast importance. Knighted in 1909, Shackleton published that year an account of his expedition, The Heart of the Antarctic.
As commander of a transantarctic expedition, he set out in 1914, planning to enter the Weddell Sea and cross on foot over the south polar region to the Ross Sea, a distance of c.2,000 mi (3,200 km). When his ship Endurance was crushed in the ice in Oct., 1915, he led his party some 180 mi (290 km) to safety at Elephant Island; from there Shackleton with five companions in a lifeboat made a voyage of c.800 mi (1,290 km) through wild seas, then crossed rugged, glaciated South Georgia Island to reach (May, 1916) a whaling station on its north coast. Shackleton rescued his Elephant Island party and later returned to the Weddell Sea to pick up others left there earlier in the expedition. His South (1919) is an account of the whole expedition. In 1921 Shackleton sailed on the Quest to study Enderby Land but died on ship and was buried on South Georgia Island.
See biography by R. Huntford (1985); C. Alexander, The Endurance (1998); E. J. Larson, An Empire of Ice (2011).


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The Airport is located quite far from the city, about 30 kilometres away. It is too far away from city lines and has to depend on groundwater. It needs 9 million litres per day eventually though for now 5 million litres per day will do. To boot it is located in what was called a 'dark zone' by the Central Ground Water Board, meaning groundwater was being exploited beyond recharge potential. An Airport needs water and plenty of it. So what did it do?
For one it requested and sourced fresh water from the city paying Rs 66 a kilo-litre, a high price which gave the water utility supplying it some monies. This fresh water is limited to about 1.5 million litres daily. It then did a smarter thing, it bought tertiary treated waste-water and a full 2 million litres of it daily and it paid Rs 25 a kilo-litre for this treated waste-water. This was separately stored and used for the vast beautiful landscape springing around, a huge bio-diversity of plants and even a small wetland.
For the internal waste-water generated it set up its own sewage treatment plant using extended aeration system. This treated water is then reused for flushing the toilets in the airport premises as well as for the air cooling systems. The sludge generated from the sewage treatment plant is composted and reused as manure for the landscaped area.
An internal waste-water treatment plants treats all waste-water as well as waste from aeroplanes
Runways and the area surrounding it generate large quantities of storm water when it rains. It is therefore very important that this run-off be collected and quickly disposed off and flooding avoided. With more than 310 recharge wells located in the storm water drain or immediately adjacent to it a large volume of the rain is recharged into the aquifer. Well designed storm-water drains then take away the rest of the rainwater to an adjacent lake which is capable of receiving this large flow of rain.
Two things have happened due to these good efforts. Four large open wells which were old existing constructions have been rehabilitated, cleaned up and repaired. Pumps and a filter have been attached and the water quality tested. It is found that this is very high quality, sweet potable water. Thanks to the recharge efforts the wells stay full even during summer. Up-to 800,000 litres of water can be drawn from these open wells daily and in an emergency they can replace the mains water from the city. A landscape which was once a dark zone, given a holiday for high extraction from bore-wells and with enough recharging can be revived to such an extent that open wells can have water.
Recharge of rainwater has helped aquifers rejuvenate with fresh clean water
From the airport buildings rainwater is stored in large underground sump tanks of about 1.5 million litres capacity and reused after treating. Excess water from the sump tanks is then allowed to flow into storm drains and recharge the aquifer as well as flow into the adjacent lake.
The revival of the adjacent lake also means that villages and towns adjacent to the airport, such as the town of Devanahalli, can now think of sourcing groundwater from adjacent to the lake to fulfill the towns water requirements.
Sludge drying beds
Economic activity and service activity like airports are essential for economic growth and to spur the progress of a city. Instead of seeing it as placing demand on water services through innovative design they can absorb waste-water from cities and be able to use it to meet its requirements. Through waste-water treatment and reuse and through rainwater harvesting groundwater aquifers can be revived and lakes kept full. These can then be of great help to surrounding communities. The Kempegowda International Airport at Bangalore showcases just that. This is water wisdom.


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Bill Murray is living proof that some guys only get cuter as they get older, and this veteran actor and comedy legend isn't going to stop making us swoon anytime soon.
Bill Murray has been making us laugh since the '70s when he was an original cast member on 'SNL,' and continued to keep a smile on our faces all through the '80s and '90s with roles in movies like 'Ghostbusters,' 'Stripes,' and 'Caddyshack.'
In the late '90s, Murray took a turn for the more dramatic, and all through the '00s we got to watch him give incredible performances in films like 'Lost in Translation' and pretty much every movie Wes Anderson ever made ('Moonrise Kingdom' being the most recent).
Something else happened in the late '90s/early '00s: Bill Murray got sexy. It was like as soon as he took on these more fascinating film roles, he became more attractive.
Maybe it's because you can tell there's a lot of Bill Murray in the roles he chooses, and his roles are often guys who are older, more suave, and a little childlike in their playfulness. I don't know what it is, but Bill Murray got older and suddenly became very sexy.
Check out some photographic evidence below, and this cute, hilarious video of Murray giving a tour of the 'Moonrise Kingdom' set:


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Swarovski presents a contemporary bangle that is set with crystal accents across the disc in the centre for a fashionable and yet everyday piece.
Exquisite crystal jewellery from luxury brand Swarovski.
- Brand
- Swarovski
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- Rhodium plated
- Model number
- 5389044
- Stone type
- Swarovski crystal
- Length
- 5.9 cm
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