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"Strain sensing fabric for hand posture and gesture monitoring", IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in BioMedicine, vol. 9, pp. 372-381, 2005. [PDF] (723.83 KB)
, "Wearable, Redundant Fabric-Based Sensor Arrays for Reconstruction of Body Segment Posture", IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 4, pp. 807-818, 2004. [PDF] (895.15 KB)
, "Modeling and Characterization of Extensible Wearable Textile-Based electrogoniometers", IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 217 - 228, 2013.
, "Wearable Sensing Garment For Posture Detection, Rehabilitation And Tele-Medicine", in 4th International IEEE EMBS Special Topic Conference on Information Technology Applications in Biomedicine, Birmingham,UK, 2003, pp. 287-290.
, "Optimal exploratory paths for a mobile rover", in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, 2001, pp. 2078-2083. [PDF] (205.29 KB)
, "Enhancing the performance of upper limb gesture reconstruction through sensory fusion", in Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS, USA, 2011, pp. 3496–3499 [Online]. Available: http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6090944
, "Evaluation of wearable KPF goniometers in knee flexion-extension measurement for daily-life applications", in Proceedings of Wireless EAI 4th International Conference on Mobile Communication and Healthcare (Mobihealth), 2015, pp. 1-4 [Online]. Available: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2897477
, "Strain and angular sensing fabrics for human motion analysis in daily life", in Smart textiles : fundamentals, design, and interaction, Dordrecht: Springer International Publishing, 2017, pp. 49–70.
, "Wearable Textile Platform for Assessing Stroke Patient Treatment in Daily Life Conditions", FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, vol. 4, pp. 1–28, 2016.
, "A bi-articular model for scapular-humeral rhythm reconstruction through data from wearable sensors", JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION, vol. 13, pp. 1–13, 2016 [Online]. Available: https://jneuroengrehab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12984-016-0149-2


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14.8 Command-Line Parsing
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The name-expr, if provided, should produce a path or string to be used as the program name for reporting errors when the command-line is ill-formed. It defaults to (find-system-path 'run-file). When a path is provided, only the last element of the path is used to report an error.
The argv-expr, if provided, must evaluate to a list or a vector of strings. It defaults to (current-command-line-arguments).
The command-line is disassembled into flags, each possibly with flag-specific arguments, followed by (non-flag) arguments. Command-line strings starting with - or + are parsed as flags, but arguments to flags are never parsed as flags, and integers and decimal numbers that start with - or + are not treated as flags. Non-flag arguments in the command-line must appear after all flags and the flags' arguments. No command-line string past the first non-flag argument is parsed as a flag. The built-in -- flag signals the end of command-line flags; any command-line string past the -- flag is parsed as a non-flag argument.
A #:multi, #:once-each, #:once-any, or #:final clause introduces a set of command-line flag specifications. The clause tag indicates how many times the flag can appear on the command line:
#:multi —
Each flag specified in the set can be represented any number of times on the command line; i.e., the flags in the set are independent and each flag can be used multiple times. #:once-each —
Each flag specified in the set can be represented once on the command line; i.e., the flags in the set are independent, but each flag should be specified at most once. If a flag specification is represented in the command line more than once, the exn:fail exception is raised. #:once-any —
Only one flag specified in the set can be represented on the command line; i.e., the flags in the set are mutually exclusive. If the set is represented in the command line more than once, the exn:fail exception is raised. #:final —
Like #:multi, except that no argument after the flag is treated as a flag. Note that multiple #:final flags can be specified if they have short names; for example, if -a is a #:final flag, then -aa combines two instances of -a in a single command-line argument.
A normal flag specification has four parts:
flags —
a flag string, or a set of flag strings. If a set of flags is provided, all of the flags are equivalent. Each flag string must be of the form "-x" or "+x" for some character x, or "–x" or "++x" for some sequence of characters x. An x cannot contain only digits or digits plus a single decimal point, since simple (signed) numbers are not treated as flags. In addition, the flags "--", "-h", and "--help" are predefined and cannot be changed. ids —
identifier that are bound to the flag's arguments. The number of identifiers determines how many arguments can be provided on the command line with the flag, and the names of these identifiers will appear in the help message describing the flag. The ids are bound to string values in the bodys for handling the flag. help-spec —
a string or sequence of strings that describes the flag. This string is used in the help message generated by the handler for the built-in -h (or --help) flag. A single literal string can be provided, or any number of expressions that produce strings; in the latter case, strings after the first one are displayed on subsequent lines. bodys —
expressions that are evaluated when one of the flags appears on the command line. The flags are parsed left-to-right, and each sequence of bodys is evaluated as the corresponding flag is encountered. When the bodys are evaluated, the preceding ids are bound to the arguments provided for the flag on the command line.
A flag specification using => escapes to a more general method of specifying the handler and help strings. In this case, the handler procedure and help string list returned by handler-expr and help-expr are used as in the table argument of parse-command-line.
A #:help-labels clause inserts text lines into the help table of command-line flags. Each string in the clause provides a separate line of text.
After the flag clauses, a final clause handles command-line arguments that are not parsed as flags:
Supplying no finish clause is the same as suppling #:args () (void).
For an #:args finish clause, identifiers in arg-formals are bound to the leftover command-line strings in the same way that identifiers are bound for a lambda expression. Thus, specifying a single id (without parentheses) collects all of the leftover arguments into a list. The effective arity of the arg-formals specification determines the number of extra command-line arguments that the user can provide, and the names of the identifiers in arg-formals are used in the help string. When the command-line is parsed, if the number of provided arguments cannot be matched to identifiers in arg-formals, the exn:fail exception is raised. Otherwise, args clause's bodys are evaluated to handle the leftover arguments, and the result of the last body is the result of the command-line expression.
A #:handlers finish clause escapes to a more general method of handling the leftover arguments. In this case, the values of the expressions are used like the last two to four arguments parse-command-line.
(define verbose-mode (make-parameter #f)) (define profiling-on (make-parameter #f)) (define optimize-level (make-parameter 0)) (define link-flags (make-parameter null)) (define file-to-compile (command-line #:program "compiler" #:once-each [("-v" "--verbose") "Compile with verbose messages" (verbose-mode #t)] [("-p" "--profile") "Compile with profiling" (profiling-on #t)] #:once-any [("-o" "--optimize-1") "Compile with optimization level 1" (optimize-level 1)] ["--optimize-2" (; show help on separate lines "Compile with optimization level 2," "which includes all of level 1") (optimize-level 2)] #:multi [("-l" "--link-flags") lf ; flag takes one argument "Add a flag <lf> for the linker" (link-flags (cons lf (link-flags)))] #:args (filename) ; expect one command-line argument: <filename> ; return the argument as a filename to compile filename))
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name : (or/c string? path?) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
argv : (or/c (listof string?) (vectorof string?)) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
table : (listof (cons/c symbol? list?)) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
finish-proc : ((list?) () #:rest list? . ->* . any) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
arg-help-strs : (listof string?) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
help-proc : (string? . -> . any) = (lambda (str) ....) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
unknown-proc : (string? . -> . any) = (lambda (str) ...) |
The table argument to this procedural form encodes the information in command-line's clauses, except for the args clause. Instead, arguments are handled by the finish-proc procedure, and help information about non-flag arguments is provided in arg-help-strs. In addition, the finish-proc procedure receives information accumulated while parsing flags. The help-proc and unknown-proc arguments allow customization that is not possible with command-line.
When there are no more flags, finish-proc is called with a list of information accumulated for command-line flags (see below) and the remaining non-flag arguments from the command-line. The arity of finish-proc determines the number of non-flag arguments accepted and required from the command-line. For example, if finish-proc accepts either two or three arguments, then either one or two non-flag arguments must be provided on the command-line. The finish-proc procedure can have any arity (see procedure-arity) except 0 or a list of 0s (i.e., the procedure must at least accept one or more arguments).
The arg-help-strs argument is a list of strings identifying the expected (non-flag) command-line arguments, one for each argument. If an arbitrary number of arguments are allowed, the last string in arg-help-strs represents all of them.
The help-proc procedure is called with a help string if the -h or --help flag is included on the command line. If an unknown flag is encountered, the unknown-proc procedure is called just like a flag-handling procedure (as described below); it must at least accept one argument (the unknown flag), but it may also accept more arguments. The default help-proc displays the string and exits and the default unknown-proc raises the exn:fail exception.
A table is a list of flag specification sets. Each set is represented as a pair of two items: a mode symbol and a list of either help strings or flag specifications. A mode symbol is one of 'once-each, 'once-any, 'multi, 'final, or 'help-labels, with the same meanings as the corresponding clause tags in command-line. For the 'help-labels mode, a list of help string is provided. For the other modes, a list of flag specifications is provided, where each specification maps a number of flags to a single handler procedure. A specification is a list of three items:
A list of strings for the flags defined by the spec. See command-line for information about the format of flag strings.
A procedure to handle the flag and its arguments when one of the flags is found on the command line. The arity of this handler procedure determines the number of arguments consumed by the flag: the handler procedure is called with a flag string plus the next few arguments from the command line to match the arity of the handler procedure. The handler procedure must accept at least one argument to receive the flag. If the handler accepts arbitrarily many arguments, all of the remaining arguments are passed to the handler. A handler procedure's arity must either be a number or an arity-at-least value.
The return value from the handler is added to a list that is eventually passed to finish-proc. If the handler returns #<void>, no value is added onto this list. For all non-#<void> values returned by handlers, the order of the values in the list is the same as the order of the arguments on the command-line.
A non-empty list for constructing help information for the spec. The first element of the list describes the flag; it can be a string or a non-empty list of strings, and in the latter case, each string is shown on its own line. Additional elements of the main list must be strings to name the expected arguments for the flag. The number of extra help strings provided for a spec must match the number of arguments accepted by the spec's handler procedure.
The following example is the same as the core example for command-line, translated to the procedural form:
(parse-command-line "compile" (current-command-line-arguments) `((once-each [("-v" "--verbose") ,(lambda (flag) (verbose-mode #t)) ("Compile with verbose messages")] [("-p" "--profile") ,(lambda (flag) (profiling-on #t)) ("Compile with profiling")]) (once-any [("-o" "--optimize-1") ,(lambda (flag) (optimize-level 1)) ("Compile with optimization level 1")] [("--optimize-2") ,(lambda (flag) (optimize-level 2)) (("Compile with optimization level 2," "which implies all optimizations of level 1"))]) (multi [("-l" "--link-flags") ,(lambda (flag lf) (link-flags (cons lf (link-flags)))) ("Add a flag <lf> for the linker" "lf")])) (lambda (flag-accum file) file) '("filename"))

subset: commoncrawl


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In 2012, Sharpstown, a community of 66,000 located just southwest of Houston, declined to renew its contract with the constable's office, essentially dismissing its cops.
Instead, the Sharpstown Civic Association hired SEAL Security Solutions, a private firm, to patrol their streets.
"Since we've been in there, an independent crime study that they've had done [indicates] we've reduced the crime by 61% in just 20 months," James Alexander, Director of Operations for SEAL, told guns.com
The private security firm places its officers on continuous patrol in their assigned neighborhoods, as opposed to the strategy of intermittent presence that the constable embraced.
"On a constable patrol contract, it's either a 70/30 or an 80/20," Alexander said. "Meaning they say they patrol your community 70 percent of the time, [while] 30 percent of the time they use for running calls out of your area or writing reports."
SEAL also relies heavily on crime statistics when it designs its patrol efforts.
"The second thing that drastically reduces the crime is that we do directed patrols, meaning we don't just put an officer out there and say 'here, go patrol,'" he said. "We look at recent crime stats, and we work off of those crime stats. So if we have hotspots in those areas say for that month, we focus and concentrate our efforts around those hotspots."
When asked to compare traditional law enforcement to the SEAL model, Alexander explained:
"Law enforcement officers are trained to be reactive. They're out there to run calls, they're running one call to another, so they're reacting to something that's already happened. Private security, the way that we train our guys, is more proactive, meaning that we're in the community proactively patrolling to prevent those crimes."
Not only has SEAL been more successful at preventing crime in Sharpstown than traditional law enforcement, they are cheaper. Sharpstown is saving $200,000 per year over their previous contract with the constable, and they get more patrol officers for less money, guns.com reported.
So far, more than 70 communities in Harris County, where Sharpstown is located, have contracted with SEAL, according to guns.com.


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On a low carb diet? Planning on sharing some of those low calorie dessert treats with your canine friends? STOP! That sugar-free snack you think is good for you and your dog could actually send you to the veterinarian
The sugar substitute, Xylitol, has been a great development in the fight against tooth decay and in helping diabetics gain better control over their disease. However, this popular sweetener may be devastating to the family pet. New research now being released shows that ingestion of Xylitol by dogs can cause liver failure and even death. Reports from the ASPCA Poison Control Center show the number of Xylitol related pet exposures is on the rise and that rise has many veterinarians and pet owners concerned.
For years, veterinarians have suspected that Xylitol could make dogs sick, but an article in the October issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) has documented the outcomes of several cases of Xylitol ingestions in dogs from 2003 to 2005. Five of eight dogs died or had to be euthanized due to complications stemming from Xylitol ingestion.
Often found in human mints, sugar-free gums, toothpastes, and sweets, Xylitol, has been a popular sugar substitute since the 1960s. However, researchers found that even small amounts of Xylitol can cause liver damage and even death in dogs.
Dogs that ingest large amounts of Xylitol have sudden and profound drops in blood sugar levels, leading to weakness and uncoordinated movements. Occasionally, seizures may be seen as well. However, even small amounts of Xylitol are not safe. As little as 1 gram of Xylitol can set off a chain of events leading to liver damage. A dog could receive this amount in just a few candies or sticks of gum containing this sugar substitute. Xylitol can also be found in children's chewable multi-vitamins, certain cough medications and even mouthwashes.
Although most pet owners routinely give some sort of "people food" to their dogs, the JAVMA report should be a wake up call, showing that many foods that are safe for humans can be harmful to pets.
Any pet owner concerned about anything their dog has ingested should seek veterinary medical attention immediately.


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This website was not produced by the Victorian Government. Therefore the website does not necessarily represent the views of the Victorian Government, its officers,employees or agents.
The Ballarat Symphony Orchestra (BSO) provides the following privacy statement in accordance with the Guidelines for World Wide Websites issued by the Australian Privacy Commissioner.
The BSO website utilises technology called cookies when you visit our site. Cookies are small pieces of information which can be stored on your hard drive (persistent cookies) or in memory (session cookies). They can record information about your visit to the site, allowing it to remember you next time you visit and provide a more meaningful experience.
The website uses cookies to offer you increased security. Despite common myths, the cookies we send to your PC cannot read your hard drive, obtain any information from your browser or command your computer to perform any action. They are designed so that they cannot be sent to another site or be retrieved by any site other than the BSO website.
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- Persistent cookies – identify pages accessed and provide personalised features, for example recognising if you have already voted on the site poll 'Have your Say'. They are used to help us develop the design and layout of the web site, improve applications, and measure their effectiveness.
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Neighborhood of Richnor Springs, Baltimore
What's new?
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Neighborhoods near Richnor Springs
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Authentic Turkish Peshtemal in Wicker Pattern
- Stock: In Stock
- Model: PS010
- Weight: 480.00g
- Dimensions: 180.00cm x 100.00cm x 0.00cm
Authentic cotton Turkish bath towel in wicker pattern on off white. Wicker pattern gives a eye catching look. This peshtemal is easy to carry, as well as exceptionally good dries. Woven by traditional methods.
Turkish cotton towel has got a high absorption ability and quick drying feature thanks to containing no chemicals and being completely natural cotton. In this way, Turkish towel eliminates the musty odors. This thin and light towel provide ease of use at home and outside with the space saving.
Peshtemal is a sauna towel or sauna wrap also. You can use it as a sauna bench towel too.
Turkish peshtemal which is bringing together hundreds years of tradition with contemporary design makes the bath more enjoyable with a different style than any other towel. Peshtemal which is a multipurpose towel can be used as beach towel, spa towel, pool towel, throw or for other decorative solutions.
Peshtemal is an Turkish towel that you also can easily use for your children with soft tissue and eye catching colors.
Toalla Turca, håndklæde, πετσέτα, handduk, toalha, מגבת טורקית, トルコタオル, منشفة تركية, türkisches Handtuch, serviette turque


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A terrible dust storm raged through Iraq in the first week of July 2009. According to news reports, many Iraqis considered the storm to be the worst in living memory. Hundreds of people reported to the hospital for respiratory distress, and the blowing dust interfered with air and land travel for nearly a week.
This natural-color (photo-like) image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite shows the area at the height of the storm, on July 5. In places the dust is only a veil, and the landscape below is recognizable. Parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are visible. In other places, however, the dust is a thick blanket, completely blocking the ground from view. The city of Baghdad is hidden. An animation of images from July 1–6 shows the spread of the dust.
July and August are the hottest months of the year in Iraq. Temperatures can reach more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. From mid-June through September, a northwest wind—the shamal—blows almost constantly. Periodically, the winds intensify to the 15 knots (about 17 mph) generally required to whisk dust off the ground. A drought has dried out wetlands and other pockets of moisture in the arid country, which increases the number of places where the shamal can pick up dust. The resulting dust storms can last for days.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.


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Here's the ZombiU box art and the first piece of box art I've seen for any Wii U game. Yes, it looks scary. Yes, it shows off that it is set in London. If the foot guard in the Bearskin cap didn't give it away, you can see Big Ben in the background. The zombie on left, above the foot guard's shoulder, looks like an undead Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell: Conviction.
The only other curious thing is the nice swoosh on the top. It makes me wonder if all the Wii U boxes will be that shade of blue. It kind of reminds me of the old GameCube covers. What do you guys think?


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Building Egypt's Largest Pyramids
Predynastic Period (c. 5000-3100 B.C.)
Few written records or artifacts have been found from the Predynastic Period, which encompassed at least 2,000 years of gradual development of the Egyptian civilization.
Neolithic (late Stone Age) communities in northeastern Africa exchanged hunting for agriculture and made early advances that paved the way for the later development of Egyptian arts and crafts, technology, politics and religion (including a great reverence for the dead and possibly a belief in life after death).
Around 3400 B.C., two separate kingdoms were established near the Fertile Crescent, an area home to some of the world's oldest civilizations: the Red Land to the north, based in the Nile River Delta and extending along the Nile perhaps to Atfih; and the White Land in the south, stretching from Atfih to Gebel es-Silsila. A southern king, Scorpion, made the first attempts to conquer the northern kingdom around 3200 B.C. A century later, King Menes would subdue the north and unify the country, becoming the first king of the first dynasty.
Archaic (Early Dynastic) Period (c. 3100-2686 B.C.)
King Menes founded the capital of ancient Egypt at White Walls (later known as Memphis), in the north, near the apex of the Nile River delta. The capital would grow into a great metropolis that dominated Egyptian society during the Old Kingdom period. The Archaic Period saw the development of the foundations of Egyptian society, including the all-important ideology of kingship. To the ancient Egyptians, the king was a godlike being, closely identified with the all-powerful god Horus. The earliest known hieroglyphic writing also dates to this period.
In the Archaic Period, as in all other periods, most ancient Egyptians were farmers living in small villages, and agriculture (largely wheat and barley) formed the economic base of the Egyptian state. The annual flooding of the great Nile River provided the necessary irrigation and fertilization each year; farmers sowed the wheat after the flooding receded and harvested it before the season of high temperatures and drought returned.
Old Kingdom: Age of the Pyramid Builders (c. 2686-2181 B.C.)
The Old Kingdom began with the third dynasty of pharaohs. Around 2630 B.C., the third dynasty's King Djoser asked Imhotep, an architect, priest and healer, to design a funerary monument for him; the result was the world's first major stone building, the Step-Pyramid at Saqqara, near Memphis. Egyptian pyramid-building reached its zenith with the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Built for Khufu (or Cheops, in Greek), who ruled from 2589 to 2566 B.C., the pyramid was later named by classical historians as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus estimated that it took 100,000 men 20 years to build it. Two other pyramids were built at Giza for Khufu's successors Khafra (2558-2532 B.C) and Menkaura (2532-2503 B.C.).
During the third and fourth dynasties, Egypt enjoyed a golden age of peace and prosperity. The pharaohs held absolute power and provided a stable central government; the kingdom faced no serious threats from abroad; and successful military campaigns in foreign countries like Nubia and Libya added to its considerable economic prosperity. Over the course of the fifth and sixth dynasties, the king's wealth was steadily depleted, partially due to the huge expense of pyramid-building, and his absolute power faltered in the face of the growing influence of the nobility and the priesthood that grew up around the sun god Ra (Re). After the death of the sixth dynasty's King Pepy II, who ruled for some 94 years, the Old Kingdom period ended in chaos.
On the heels of the Old Kingdom's collapse, the seventh and eighth dynasties consisted of a rapid succession of Memphis-based rulers until about 2160 B.C., when the central authority completely dissolved, leading to civil war between provincial governors. This chaotic situation was intensified by Bedouin invasions and accompanied by famine and disease.
From this era of conflict emerged two different kingdoms: A line of 17 rulers (dynasties nine and 10) based in Heracleopolis ruled Middle Egypt between Memphis and Thebes, while another family of rulers arose in Thebes to challenge Heracleopolitan power. Around 2055 B.C., the Theban prince Mentuhotep managed to topple Heracleopolis and reunited Egypt, beginning the 11th dynasty and ending the First Intermediate Period.
Middle Kingdom: 12th Dynasty (c. 2055-1786 B.C.)
After the last ruler of the 11th dynasty, Mentuhotep IV, was assassinated, the throne passed to his vizier, or chief minister, who became King Amenemhet I, founder of dynasty 12. A new capital was established at It-towy, south of Memphis, while Thebes remained a great religious center. During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt once again flourished, as it had during the Old Kingdom. The 12th dynasty kings ensured the smooth succession of their line by making each successor co-regent, a custom that began with Amenemhet I.
Middle-Kingdom Egypt pursued an aggressive foreign policy, colonizing Nubia (with its rich supply of gold, ebony, ivory and other resources) and repelling the Bedouins who had infiltrated Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. The kingdom also built diplomatic and trade relations with Syria, Palestine and other countries; undertook building projects including military fortresses and mining quarries; and returned to pyramid-building in the tradition of the Old Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom reached its peak under Amenemhet III (1842-1797 B.C.); its decline began under Amenenhet IV (1798-1790 B.C.) and continued under his sister and regent, Queen Sobekneferu (1789-1786 B.C.), who was the first confirmed female ruler of Egypt and the last ruler of the 12th dynasty.
The 13th dynasty marked the beginning of another unsettled period in Egyptian history, during which a rapid succession of kings failed to consolidate power. As a consequence, during the Second Intermediate Period Egypt was divided into several spheres of influence. The official royal court and seat of government was relocated to Thebes, while a rival dynasty (the 14th), centered on the city of Xois in the Nile delta, seems to have existed at the same time as the 13th.
Around 1650 B.C., a line of foreign rulers known as the Hyksos took advantage of Egypt's instability to take control. The Hyksos rulers of the 15th dynasty adopted and continued many of the existing Egyptian traditions in government as well as culture. They ruled concurrently with the line of native Theban rulers of the 17th dynasty, who retained control over most of southern Egypt despite having to pay taxes to the Hyksos. (The 16th dynasty is variously believed to be Theban or Hyksos rulers.) Conflict eventually flared between the two groups, and the Thebans launched a war against the Hyksos around 1570 B.C., driving them out of Egypt.
New Kingdom (c. 1567-1085 B.C.)
Under Ahmose I, the first king of the 18th dynasty, Egypt was once again reunited. During the 18th dynasty, Egypt restored its control over Nubia and began military campaigns inPalestine, clashing with other powers in the area such as the Mitannians and the Hittites. The country went on to establish the world's first great empire, stretching from Nubia to the Euphrates River in Asia. In addition to powerful kings such as Amenhotep I (1546-1526 B.C.), Thutmose I (1525-1512 B.C.) and Amenhotep III (1417-1379 B.C.), the New Kingdom was notable for the role of royal women such as Queen Hatshepsut (1503-1482 B.C.), who began ruling as a regent for her young stepson (he later became Thutmose III, Egypt's greatest military hero), but rose to wield all the powers of a pharaoh.
The controversial Amenhotep IV (c. 1379-1362), of the late 18th dynasty, undertook a religious revolution, disbanding the priesthoods dedicated to Amon-Re (a combination of the local Theban god Amon and the sun god Re) and forcing the exclusive worship of another sun-god, Aton. Renaming himself Akhenaton ("servant of the Aton"), he built a new capital in Middle Egypt called Akhetaton, known later as Amarna. Upon Akhenaton's death, the capital returned to Thebes and Egyptians returned to worshiping a multitude of gods. The 19th and 20th dynasties, known as the Ramesside period (for the line of kings named Ramses) saw the restoration of the weakened Egyptian empire and an impressive amount of building, including great temples and cities. According to biblical chronology, the exodus of Moses and the Israelites from Egypt possibly occurred during the reign of Ramses II (1304-1237 B.C.).
All of the New Kingdom rulers (with the exception of Akhenaton) were laid to rest in deep, rock-cut tombs (not pyramids) in the Valley of the Kings, a burial site on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes. Most of them were raided and destroyed, with the exception of the tomb and treasure of Tutankhamen (c.1361-1352 B.C.), discovered largely intact in A.D. 1922. The splendid mortuary temple of the last great king of the 20th dynasty, Ramses III (c. 1187-1156 B.C.), was also relatively well preserved, and indicated the prosperity Egypt still enjoyed during his reign. The kings who followed Ramses III were less successful: Egypt lost its provinces in Palestine and Syria for good and suffered from foreign invasions (notably by the Libyans), while its wealth was being steadily but inevitably depleted.
The next 400 years–known as the Third Intermediate Period–saw important changes in Egyptian politics, society and culture. Centralized government under the 21st dynasty pharaohs gave way to the resurgence of local officials, while foreigners from Libya and Nubia grabbed power for themselves and left a lasting imprint on Egypt's population. The 22nd dynasty began around 945 B.C. with King Sheshonq, a descendant of Libyans who had invaded Egypt during the late 20th dynasty and settled there. Many local rulers were virtually autonomous during this period and dynasties 23-24 are poorly documented.
In the eighth century B.C., Nubian pharaohs beginning with Shabako, ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Kush, established their own dynasty–the 25th–at Thebes. Under Kush*te rule, Egypt clashed with the growing Assyrian empire. In 671 B.C., the Assyrian ruler Esarhaddon drove the Kush*te king Taharka out of Memphis and destroyed the city; he then appointed his own rulers out of local governors and officials loyal to the Assyrians. One of them, Necho of Sais, ruled briefly as the first king of the 26th dynasty before being killed by the Kush*te leader Tanuatamun, in a final, unsuccessful grab for power.
From the Late Period to Alexander's Conquest (c.664-332 B.C.)
Beginning with Necho's son, Psammetichus, the Saite dynasty ruled a reunified Egypt for less than two centuries. In 525 B.C., Cambyses, king of Persia, defeated Psammetichus III, the last Saite king, at the Battle of Pelusium, and Egypt became part of the Persian Empire. Persian rulers such as Darius (522-485 B.C.) ruled the country largely under the same terms as native Egyptian kings: Darius supported Egypt's religious cults and undertook the building and restoration of its temples. The tyrannical rule of Xerxes (486-465 B.C.) sparked increased uprisings under him and his successors. One of these rebellions triumphed in 404 B.C., beginning one last period of Egyptian independence under native rulers (dynasties 28-30).
In the mid-fourth century B.C., the Persians again attacked Egypt, reviving their empire under Ataxerxes III in 343 B.C. Barely a decade later, in 332 B.C., Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated the armies of the Persian Empire and conquered Egypt. After Alexander's death, Egypt was ruled by a line of Macedonian kings, beginning with Alexander's general Ptolemy and continuing with his descendants. The last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt–the legendary Cleopatra VII–surrendered Egypt to the armies of Octavian (later Augustus) in 31 B.C. Six centuries of Roman rule followed, during which Christianity became the official religion of Rome and the Roman Empire's provinces (including Egypt). The conquest of Egypt by the Arabs in the seventh century A.D. and the introduction of Islam would do away with the last outward aspects of ancient Egyptian culture and propel the country towards its modern incarnation.
Photo Galleries
1 / 10: Ratnakorn Piyasirisorost/Getty Images
1 / 4: Foxie aka Ashes/Getty Images
1 / 7: J. Paul Getty Trust
From Egypt to Greece, explore fascinating documentaries about the ancient world.


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Free forum: This is a Text based roleplaying site based around Naruto, a manga created and written by Masashi Kishimoto.
free, forum, naruto, roleplay, ninja, shinobi, reality, rping, custom, konoha, suna, kumo, kiri, konohgakure, kumogakure, kirigakure, #sunagakure, iwagakure, tools, weapons, equipm
Free forum : Naruto Ruby is RPG based on anime/manga called Naruto.
free, naruto, ruby, based, anime/manga, called, jutsu, genin, chunin, jounin, kage, takigakure, konohagakure, iwagakure, #sunagakure, kirigakure, kumogakure, otogakure, amegakure


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Choosing Paint Colors in Calgary
When you enter a house in Calgary with colorful walls, how do you feel? Do you feel comfortable or uneasy? Regardless of what you feel, color plays an important role in that feeling. It's the reason we're attracted to one product over another in a store. Color in fact, accounts for a large percentage of our response to a place. This is called color psychology. The effects of color are very subtle and many professional painting companies use this knowledge when designing your interior. The importance of color is underestimated but extremely important when designing your space. Wherever we go, our responses to color shape our feelings about a place. At Pristine Painting & Decorating, we can help you choose the right color for your home!
If you're not sure where to begin, our experts can help! We've helped many homeowners with their interior design projects. Let's go on your color adventure together!
Pristine Painting & Decorating's Color Suggestions
To get started, think of your favorite color in the room you'd like to paint. It can be any object—a piece of furniture, an artwork, your rug, your curtains, anything! This color will serve as the main color or accent. When selecting a color, consider the mood of the room; for example, a bedroom is a great place for soft colors that evoke a quiet and restful mood. Keep in mind that soft colors like beige, eggshell, or light blue will give off comforting vibes while dramatic colors like red, yellow, or black will give off exciting energy. Be careful to not choose overly bright colors for a child's bedroom though! According to color psychology, intensely bright rooms can lead to irritability.
Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing Paint Colors
Natural daylight will show you the best color while various kinds of lighting will bring out different tones. Be sure to test the colors under different lighting to get the best feel. A bright hue might not be great for a room with big windows but might look great in a basement. It also helps to understand basic color terminology such as:
- Hue value (how light or dark a color is),
- Saturation (how dominant the color is),
- And intensity (the shine of the color).
For an active space, it would be better to use a more intense color. Even if you want a chilled-out space, an intense hue contrasted with a light color can create the feeling of harmony within a room. Pristine Painting & Decorating can transform dull and flat walls with a simple pop of color or visual texture; for example, a faux gold finish would look great with dark brown wood furniture. Consider how the colors interact with each other. Also, when designing your space, keep in mind how the wall colors will flow with the rest of your home.
Contact Us for a Free Paint Color Consultation
You'll be surprized by the difference a color choice can make in your residence. Contact Pristine Painting & Decorating today for a free estimate on our interior paint colors. Don't settle for boring wall paint colors and add flair to your home with just a few easy steps!


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Martin Luther King
January 15, 1929
Born Michael King, his father changed his name in honor of German reformer Martin Luther. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. With the SCLC, King led an unsuccessful struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, in 1962, and organized nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama, that attracted national attention following television news coverage of the brutal police response. King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. He also established his reputation as a radical, and became an object of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's COINTELPRO for the rest of his life. FBI agents investigated him for possible communist ties, recorded his extramarital liaisons and reported on them to government officials, and on one occasion, mailed King a threatening anonymous letter that he interpreted as an attempt to make him commit suicide.
On October 14, 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. In 1965, he and the SCLC helped to organize the Selma to Montgomery marches and the following year, he took the movement north to Chicago. In the final years of his life, King expanded his focus to include poverty and the Vietnam War, alienating many of his liberal allies with a 1967 speech titled "Beyond Vietnam". In 1968 King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4, in Memphis, Tennessee. His death was followed by riots in many U.S. cities. Allegations that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of killing King, had been framed or acted in concert with government agents persisted for decades after the shooting, and the jury of a 1999 civil trial found Loyd Jowers to be complicit in a conspiracy against King.
King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. Hundreds of streets in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor. A memorial statue on the National Mall was opened to the public in 2011.


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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Costa Rica's scenic beaches, delicious food and vibrant culture have made it a tourist destination for decades. Its capital city, San Jose, sits surrounded by mountainous landscapes covered in lush green forests.
But we didn't visit for any of that.
We went to Costa Rica to learn about the blossoming medical tourism industry and find out why a growing number of United States residents are traveling all the way to Central America to undergo medical procedures that are done every day in the U.S.
According to a study by the American Medical Journal, more than 1.4 million Americans went abroad for medical treatment in 2017. Those numbers were expected to grow by 25 percent each year after. That means almost 3 million Americans will leave the U.S. to see a doctor this year
Tony Martin is among them. He and his wife, Belinda, traveled from North Carolina to San Jose so Tony could get a total knee replacement.
"I jumped up, when I came back down, my knee went backwards instead of frontwards," he said.
Tony tore his main knee ligament while playing basketball about 35 years ago. He says for the last few years, he's been in a lot of pain.
"It's been hard because he has to do a lot of walking at work and by the time he gets home, you know, he don't feel like walking or doing much," said Belinda.
Tony is a factory supervisor. He's on his feet all day, which doesn't help his knee too much.
"Some days I can't hardly walk on it at all," said Martin.
Tony said he wouldn't be able to afford a knee replacement in the U.S. According to a study by Blue Cross Blue Shield, the average cost of a total knee replacement is almost $50,000 in the U.S. The same procedure might cost just over $20,000 in Costa Rica. If Tony had to do it at home, he'd be in debt.
"But this takes care of everything. Everything," said Tony.
That's because Tony's bosses are footing the bill.
The company he works for, HSM, saves so much money sending employees out of the country for knee replacements and other procedures that his trip, his surgery, his airfare, hotel and food, it's all free for Tony.
"When you talk about it, people are like what? No way, because everything is free. They pay you, buy you plane tickets, pay for your hotel room, they feed you, they pay for a companion to come with you," he said.
When we arrived at CIMA hospital in San Jose for Tony's pre-op appointments, we were met by Kim Ampie who was sort of like Tony's personal guide through the surgery.
"Throughout the whole hospital experience, me as a patient coordinator is going to be at all times with you, patient and companion, guiding them, checking them into every point. They don't have this feeling of, oh my god, I'm in a different country, I don't know what to do. They are guided and accompanied through the whole experience," Ampie explained.
Before the surgery, the doctor's needed to make sure Tony was ready.
"So, the first thing that we're going to be doing is blood work and x-rays. We just want to make sure that all of your levels are in perfect condition for tomorrow," Ampie told Martin.
After the tests, Tony met with a physician to go over the results.
Finally, it was time to meet with the surgeon, Dr. Oscar Oeding Bermudez.
"In his particular case a very decreased medial, medial line compartment. You see some bone spurs right here, for example, here," Oeding showed on the x-ray.
"We're going to take all these bones parts out. We're going to take it for metallic parts and in the middle, we're going to place a very hard plastic device that it's going to act like the meniscus, the old meniscus."
Oeding has been working with medical tourism patients for more than 10 years. He says 30 percent of his patients are not from Costa Rica.
"Every month or every year, they're going up," he explained.
People are coming because they're saving money. But the savings are coming from a surprising place.
"The big piece of cake is not for the medical part at all, same implant, you can find it here for $3,000, you pay for that $20,000 in the states," Oeding said.
Lower costs may raise some questions about health and safety, but Oeding says patients don't have to worry.
"The implants that we use here are the same implants that are used in the states. Whatever we use here is FDA approved, not only the implants but the medication, the protocols we use," said Oeding.
If you've ever dealt with chronic pain or know someone who has, you know it can have a debilitating effect on their quality of life. For Tony, it keeps him from spending time with his grandson the way he'd like to.
"My grandson, he likes to ride bikes down at the beach and I can't do that much."
It's a sentiment Belinda echoed.
"You know my grandson, he's only 10, he'll be 10 this month. He's still young. We're older but he wants to do things you know ride the bike, go outside, get on the go kart."
For Oeding, it's hard to watch.
"I have had patients, where I ask them, hey, how do you go to work eight hours a day. And what they answer is, I have to pay my mortgage, it's very sad. I mean we are talking about the number one country in the world and not having a fair health system, for me it's very sad," Oeding said.
The next morning at 4:30, Tony was little quieter in the car.
"I don't know, maybe a little edgy," he whispered.
When we got to the hospital, Kim was there to meet us and helped get Tony checked in. And then, we headed up to Tony's hospital room.
Tony changed into scrubs and just had time to say goodbye to Belinda before he was wheeled out to the pre-op room.
Tony was putting on a tough front for us, but you could tell he was much more subdued. And then without prompting, he mentioned his grandson.
"We got a place in Holden Beach, so we go down to Holden Beach, probably put our bicycles in the car and take them to the island and just ride down the island, we haven't done that, so, I look forward to doing that with him," said Tony.
The beach and bicycles are special to Tony and Belinda. As his pain has increased over the last year, it's taken a toll on both of them.
"We used to walk all the way to the point and look for shells and he'll walk a little bit but then we have to sit down some because his knee hurts so bad," she said.
"I mean, I can ride a bicycle just a short distance because my knees really burn. They burn when I ride a bicycle," Tony said while waiting.
If it wasn't for the program his company offers, he wouldn't have gotten it taken care.
"I'll be 60 in May, so it would be like five years till I'm on Medicare," said Tony.
As the doctors and nurses prepped Tony for surgery, any differences between U.S. medical care and what was happening around him in South America began to melt away.
One of the things we talked about with Tony and Belinda the entire trip was how impressive the hospital and its staff are.
"Everything is in order, it's like they've got it all planned out. From the time we get off the plane, to the motel, picking us up, taking us to the hospital, taking us back, therapy, they'll come to the hospital and do therapy," Belinda recollected.
That's not necessarily what many Americans envision when they think of healthcare outside of the U.S. It's a stigma Ampie says the hospital and the country of Costa Rica have to fight every day.
"Central America, the people had this idea that it's just like a really bad third world country or not having the technology or the resources you know for high quality healthcare. I think that's just a myth especially in Costa Rica has an excellent healthcare system," said Ampie.
Josef Woodman is the founder of Patients Without Borders, an organization dedicated to helping medical tourist get accurate and safe information.
"The biggest fear that people have if they've never done it before is that they're gonna come back dead or it's going to be really botched and that's a very legitimate concern," said Woodman.
Woodman says younger Americans are much more open to the idea of leaving home to get healthy.
"They're more comfortable with the idea that oh, they could go to a hospital and get some decent care rather than older folks who just see it as care in some mud hut with a rusty knife," said Woodman.
There are some things you can look for if you're considering medical tourism. For example, CIMA hospital, where Tony had his surgery, is JCI accredited
"The Joint Commission International is an organization that makes sure that the hospitals that are offering their services to travelers around the world for medical tourism have the same standard services. The rooms have to be a certain way, you know the ORs have to be very clean. They do several inspections a year just to make sure that they are complying with the requirements."
You should also read hospital reviews and reach out to people who may have traveled for medical treatment already.
"Once the patient has had their experience, they go back home, and they start to share what happened and people will start to open their eyes to what really goes on here. They see it's not what they think," Ampie said.
Meanwhile, back in the OR, Tony's surgeons started scrubbing in and prepping for surgery.
"This image here shows like the old ACL tunnels that he had, and we're going to replace everything," Oeding said.
It was organized chaos as the team got ready. Frenetic movement, but everyone had a place. It built and built until they were ready to get started. And then, everything fell into place.
Whether it's Costa Rica, the U.S. or anywhere else in the world, open surgery isn't for the faint of heart. The sounds of the crunching, cracking or drilling alone are enough to make you cringe.
But all the while, the surgeons carried on with their task, helping to ease Tony's pain.
"He had very advanced arthritis. We had a few problems dealing with the tibia bone, because there was too much scar tissue inside, but so far everything is really good. Lack of cartilage, lots of lack of cartilage. Lot of bone exposed. Yeah, he needed it," said Oeding.
Oeidng and his team removed parts of Tony's leg bones and replaced them with a new implant that should help him start to feel like his old self.
Delicately, their nimble fingers pulled the final threads to sew the operation up, all while Tony slept and Belinda waited.
Almost 4,000 miles away from Tony's hospital bed was the job where he's worked for three decades, the factory owned by HSM Solutions. Some of his co-workers were just getting back from lunch.
Machines were clanking. Wire was spinning. Tony's a supervisor there, but it's no desk job. Everyone was on their feet, using their hands, doing something.
HSM makes parts for beds, furniture, cars, all sorts of things.
And for the more than 3,000 employees, their healthcare is one man's responsibility – Tim Isenhower.
"I've worked with the health plan from starting self-insurance to where we are today," he said.
Typically, in the U.S., employers contract with a health insurance company. The employer pays a large portion of the premium and the employee pays the rest.
In HSM's case, they do not use a primary health insurance provider. They pay all the employee's healthcare costs up to $350,000.
HSM uses a secondary insurance provider for two things: First they handle the administrative side of things, like teaching employees about the program and filing claims. They also cover the any cost beyond the $350,000.
And, if you don't think the costs can get that expensive, then you haven't had any serious medical issues in recent years. That brings us back to why HSM sends employees outside the country for some procedures.
"You do a knee replacement, it may cost, total all in the surgery, the stay, the physical therapy, about $23,000. Here, you go to the hospital, $40,000 to $60,000. That's just the high cost of health care here in the U.S.," Isenhower explained.
In Tony's case, HSM saved $17,000 for his knee replacement. Spread that type of savings over more than 3,000 employees, that's a lot of money.
"I've lost track of savings now, because we've been doing this for so long in the first few years, we saved close to $11 million we figured," Isenhower said.
"The U.S. has great healthcare. They have great healthcare. Beautiful hospitals, big systems with a lot of research and technology, but not everybody has access to those hospitals," Isenhower said.
HSM isn't the only company in the U.S. that does this. They contract with Indus Health for their secondary insurance. Indus works with dozens of self-insured companies across the U.S. and sent about a quarter of a million people overseas for medical treatment.
Oh—one more thing about HSM's all-inclusive health care travel plan – and this one's a biggie to the employees.
"And we do give the patient 20 percent of what they save the company, up to $10,000," said Isenhower.
Let's recap: employees who go out of the U.S. get a bonus and go on a free trip for health care they don't pay for.
"We did that to get people interested in the beginning and we just kept it because it's been a good thing. We're sharing the savings," said Isenhower.
We did some rough math with Isenhower and estimated Tony will be getting a $3,400 bonus.
"Well I can't wash my cars, I can't push my lawn mower, I can't cut, I can't do none of the things, trim my trees and everything," said Bobby Bender, another HSM employee.
In December, Bobby had back surgery after years of pain.
"It didn't cost me a near penny, not near dime. One doctor told me it would cost me $40,000 and then $5,000 out of pocket. Who got $5,000 laying around outta they pocket? I don't have that. Not unless I sign on the dotted line and get a loan," Bender said.
Bender was at a physical therapy appointment.
"People really can't afford therapy anymore. They may have a $50 copay so every time they come in, they got to fork out $50. And so, they're not getting complete care in my opinion," said Bobby's physical therapist, Michael Morrow.
But in Bobby's case, he's not paying for the PT. HSM is footing the bill again.
That's where Tony will be two to three times a week when he gets back to Hickory. With a $50 copay per visit, his bill could be well over $1,000 if he had to pay himself.
"A lot of these people are blue collar people, you know, and they're having trouble putting food on the table, so you know that's a lot of money," said Morrow.
While the savings is important, it's about more than that for Isenhower.
"People don't have to hurt and go to the emergency room. They don't have to get addicted to opioids because they can't afford a surgery. By giving them access to this healthcare, I think we've got healthier, happier employees and any company that got involved would see the same thing."
Back in Costa Rica, Tony was just waking up. When we got to the hospital, Tony was in the middle of one of his physical therapy sessions. He was already up and walking the day after a 40-minute full-blown knee replacement surgery. Actually, it was Tony's third walk. He was back on his feet just a few hours after surgery.
"Nice to see him walk yesterday, he done real good today. He walked a long way today. The doctor was surprised to see him walk as far as he did," Belinda said.
"Now it's sore. It's huge too, it's pretty swollen pretty good," Tony said.
Tony's recovery was just starting. He had 10 more days of PT in Costa Rica before heading home for more therapy there. He's not scheduled to return to work for more than a month, but he has his own ideas.
"Well they put my time down for March the 10th, but I'm thinking I'll go back before that," said Tony.
As Tony sat back, we started to reflect on how the trip would impact his life back home.
"Not worrying about which way you step or where you step, it's really, really weak," said Tony. "My knee is really weak. If I step on a crack or something and you just about fall down."
Tony's message to people back in the U.S. is simple.
"If you get a chance, get it fixed, especially with the opportunity I had to come down and you know, it didn't cost me nothing to come down to get it fixed," said Tony.
We didn't visit every hospital in Costa Rica, but what we did see was clean, state of the art facilities, skilled surgeons, and professional health care workers making sure Tony got the best care possible. It was all done for a lower cost to his employer compared to what the company could find in the U.S. and at no cost to him.
"I hear it over and over, the people that do get involved in it, it's hard to get rid of once you have it. It's just a program people really like," Isenhower said.
"The surgical outcomes for the most part have been on par with what happens here," said Morrow.
Tony is well on his road to recovery and will be back to spending time at the beach, riding bikes and fishing with his grandson.
"I mean we'll fish and we'll play in the water, hunt shells, play in the sand and every time I go, I got to dig a hole, I got to confess, I dig a huge hole for the kids to get in. Every time," said Tony.
With the help of his new knee, Tony will be digging holes for many years to come.


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Carrie Reichert, the model who claimed she had a 'drunken fumble' with Prince Harry in Vegas has blamed the British secret service after she was detained in a tough US prison for almost a month.
Ms Reichert, who says she is 32 but according to police records is 40, said in August that she had spent 20 minutes alone with Prince Harry after being hand-picked to attend the hotel party.
Within hours of going public, she was arrested for allegedly bouncing £13,000 worth of cheques and spent almost a month in one of the toughest prisons in the US.
Yesterday, Miss Reichert said she had not been treated fairly and blamed her incarceration on the intervention of British security services. She said: "I believe the British secret service or whoever protects the royals have something to do with my situation."Miss Reichert, a beautician, claimed she was one of 10 girls who were hand-picked to attend the party and described Prince Harry as a "gentleman". She said that they shared a kiss that was "fun" and "not romantic". She said the pair then had a conversation about her childhood in Britain before enjoying a "drunken fumble".
She told the People newspaper: "I'm not going to pass an opportunity to party with Prince Harry. Harry was already undressed [when I arrived]. It was just crazy, he looked actually delirious."There was a pool table and he was playing air guitar with pool sticks. We kissed for 15 to 20 minutes. I am sure someone stumbled in as there were people going in and out of rooms all the time. We kissed again and he said 'that was great'."Her claims are strongly denied by royal aides, who said they were "completely untrue" and that she was not even present on the night of the party.She was arrested at San Diego airport shortly after the interview was published on Aug 24 for allegedly writing four "rubber" cheques worth a total of £13,000.She denies the charges, which date back to 2003. She spent almost a month in Harrison County jail in Mississippi, which is known as one of the toughest prisons in the country.Donald Rafferty, her lawyer, said her treatment appeared excessive. He said: "She became very high-profile very quickly because of an interview she gave that had an impact."I am not convinced that Mississippi authorities were the ones necessarily stirring [things], but something was. She is disappointed and very upset over the way this is going down. She has several legitimate defences."


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1. Lilies of the Field. Sidney Poitier won a Best Actor Oscar for playing Homer Smith, a drifter who stops to get water for his car at a southwestern farm run by German nuns. What Homer doesn't know is that the nuns believe he is the answer to their prayers--that he will build a chapel for them even though they have no money nor materials for the building. Often described as a feel-good movie, Lilies of the Field far exceeds that simple label with its inspirational message about faith and finding meaning in one's life. Poitier is at his most charming as Homer, a stubborn man who resists building the chapel initially. When he finally relents, he doesn't want anyone to help him. His scenes with the equally firm Mother Maria (beautifully played by Lilia Skala) are not to be missed.
2. The Defiant Ones. This 1958 classic helped define the term "high concept film" with a terrific premise about two escaped convicts--still shackled together--trying to escape a posse in the South. Not only do these men hate each other, but one is white (Tony Curtis), the other is black (Poitier), and racism is rampant around them. Poitier gives a dynamic performance as the persevering Noah Cullen and his hard work seems to inspire Curtis, who turns in one of the finest acting jobs of his career, too.
3. In the Heat of the Night. This racially-charged mystery, 1968's Oscar winner for Best Picture, has aged gracefully over the years. The secret to its success can be attributed to its many layers. Peel back the mystery plot and you have a potent examination of racial tension in the South in the 1960s. Peel that back and you have a rich character study of two lonely police detectives, from completely different backgrounds, who gradually earn each other's respect. Sidney Poitier has his most famous best role as the intelligent, proud, (and perhaps somewhat prejudiced) police detective Virgil Tibbs. He skillfully underplays the part, so that when Tibbs strikes a rich white man (a controversial scene at the time) or flashes his anger toward Rod Steiger's redneck sheriff, those scenes catch fire. Amazingly, Poitier was not Oscar nominated, perhaps because his votes were split among three memorable 1967 performances: In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and To Sir, With Love. He reprised the Tibbs role twice in the lesser efforts They Call Me MISTER Tibbs and The Organization.
4. To Sir, With Love. In a role seemingly tailored for him, Sidney Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, a young engineer looking for a job. Unable to find one in his chosen profession, he accepts temporary employment as a teacher in an inner-city London school. It's a bleak situation—the students are out of control, most of the teachers are burned out, and the school reflects the poverty of the surrounding neighborhood. Cynics criticize To Sir, With Love as simple-minded and obvious. Perhaps it is, but Poitier helps put the story across with such conviction and professionalism that it's impossible to ignore its many charms. In particular, a subplot involving an attractive student (Judy Geeson) who develops a crush on Thackeray is handled impeccably.
5. A Patch of Blue. A constant thread throughout these five films is that a focal point of each is the relationship between two characters of starkly different backgrounds. In A Patch of Blue, Poitier plays an educated working man who befriends a blind young woman (Elizabeth Hartman) who lives with her abusive prostitute mother (Shelley Winters). A Patch of Blue could have easily veered into a "message picture" showing that love is literally blind. However, Poitier and Hartman bring a genuine quality to their performances, making their growing friendship believable and pulling us into their world. Just watch Poitier's face when Hartman's character confesses her love for him. That is the kind of scene that made Sidney Poitier a star.
Honorable Mention: Edge of the City; A Raisin in the Sun; Blackboard Jungle; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; and Brother John.


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As application and network attacks evolve to become more complex and harder to defend against, ensuring data security has become one of the most pressing issues for organizations of all sizes. High-profile leaks and breaches can damage an organization's reputation and have a dramatic impact on its business.
Since the inception of the F5 BIG-IP platform, security has been a primary factor in all design and architecture decisions. Each subsequent release or new product has included more secure default settings, incorporated more security related features, and undergone more rigorous security testing, assurance, and certification efforts. As security threats increase, best practices are continually applied to new and acquired products to ensure that networks, applications, and data remain secure. Today, F5 products function as strategic points of control to manage an organization's critical information flow, while also improving the delivery of web-based applications through both performance and security enhancements.
When evaluating its overall security posture, an organization must consider two structural factors: a secure software development lifecycle and the inherent security features within its Application Delivery Network. By delivering on both fronts, F5 provides leadership and products to meet today's new security challenges, helping organizations protect identities, applications, and sensitive data—all while minimizing application downtime and maximizing end-user productivity.
While there are many factors in a truly secure system, the foundation lies upon the two pillars of design and coding. The F5 Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) helps ensure that all products are built to the highest security standards and rigorously tested before release.
Sound security starts early in the product development process. Before writing a single line of code, the F5 Product Development team goes through a comprehensive threat modeling assessment. Architects evaluate each new feature to determine what vulnerabilities it might create or introduce to the system.
A vulnerability that takes one hour to fix at the design phase can take ten hours to fix in the coding phase and one thousand hours to fix after the product is shipped—so it's critical to catch vulnerabilities early in the process. Typical discussions during a threat model assessment include defining and reviewing the security boundaries, limiting the threat surface, and best practices for design and implementation of security-related functions.
After designs are completed, coding begins. All F5 development staff have been thoroughly trained in the process of writing secure code. But when it comes to software and network exploits, even the smallest mistake can have huge ramifications. F5 developers conduct regular code reviews with the security team, and also use static code-analysis tools to identify common problems. Code standards and best practices help developers avoid common security pitfalls.
Time- and labor-intensive security testing is a huge undertaking for any organization. At F5, security and development teams collaborate to help ensure a high level of security for each piece of software released into the marketplace.
Internal security teams conduct penetration testing by acting as attackers trying to compromise the BIG-IP platform. In addition, F5 performs fuzz testing on all programs. Fuzz testing evaluates how programs handle malformed inputs, such as a longer or shorter network packet or an input with incorrect data. Most will be handled well, but others might cause an exception, and still others could expose a serious vulnerability. Penetration testing and fuzz testing make F5 devices as secure as possible against denial of service (DoS) attacks, as well as code-based attacks.
In addition, through relationships with academic intuitions, F5 continually increases its knowledge base to cover multiple types of errors, such as:
F5 employs a sophisticated third-party scanning application, which analyzes nightly source code for a number of critical flaws. At compile time, the code scanning application looks for security bugs and defects, "build breaker" bugs, crashing bugs such as memory leaks and corruption, and unpredictable application behavior introduced by new code. Source code scanning can also find non-fatal flaws such as data integrity issues and performance bottlenecks.
For years, F5 has also partnered with third-party firms for additional testing of multiple types:
Security testing tools evolve over time and new products are introduced. F5 works closely with multiple vendor partners to include new protocols, expand test coverage, and update tools based on evolving threat models and newly discovered exploits. Once BIG-IP software passes multiple tests, F5 then uses it in its own product environment to ensure it's truly ready for release.
Despite threat models, secure coding, training, and testing of many types, vulnerabilities do occur. When a vulnerability is recognized in production, timely response is critical.
The F5 vulnerability response policy is updated regularly to reflect customer requirements and industry practices. By focusing on responding to security incidents—whether they are discovered internally, by third-party testing, or reported by a customer—F5 tracks and reports on vulnerabilities at least weekly to ensure correct prioritization and timely response.
Working closely with security researchers and other professionals such as National Vulnerability Database, MITRE CVE, CERT Coordination Center, Redhat, OpenSSL, and ISC allows F5 to responsibly disclose vulnerabilities and provide mitigations, patches, and protection from exploits. In the last year, F5 has provided over 350 Security Advisories—ranging from articles that educate on surfacing threats (e.g., script injections, Trojans) to protecting against malware and DDoS attacks—to the public to ensure that the latest security information is available.
Purpose-built to provide heightened and hardened security, the BIG-IP platform offers several key features that enable organizations to strengthen their security postures:
The BIG-IP platform and F5 TMOS are designed so that hardware and software work together to protect enterprise applications and data, while optimizing application delivery throughout the network.
Originally designed for businesses in industries with sensitive data, such as healthcare and financial services, Appliance Mode is today used by enterprises in all fields. By turning on Appliance Mode, organizations can realize greater control over their networks and applications by enforcing the following restrictions:
One thing to note is that once Appliance Mode has been enabled, it cannot be disabled; rather, organizations must obtain a new license and perform a clean installation of the software. Administrators can verify that a device is running in Appliance Mode from the License screen in the Configuration utility of the BIG-IP GUI.
SSL private keys are among the highest-value assets within a network, and many organizations have strict requirements that the keys be secure above and beyond simple file system protection. The Secure Vault feature—available on all F5 hardware appliances—protects SSL private keys with a master key stored in a hardware lock, so that even if the SSL private key file were recovered from a compromised backup server or malware infection, it could not be used by the attacker.
Each BIG-IP device comes with a unique unit key and a shared master key, which are both AES 256 symmetric keys. The unique unit key is stored in a custom-built hardware EEPROM on each physical appliance. This unit key encrypts the master key, which in turn encrypts SSL private keys, decrypts SSL key files, and synchronizes certificates between BIG-IP devices. Master keys follow the configuration in a high-availability (HA) configuration, so all units would share the same master key but still have their own unit key. The master key gets synchronized using the secure channel established by the Certificate Manager. The master-key-encrypted passphrases cannot be used on systems other than the units for which the master key was generated.
Secure Vault support can also be used by vCMP (Virtual Clustered Multiprocessing) guests. vCMP enables multiple instances of BIG-IP software to run on one device with each guest having their own unit key and master key. The guest unit key is generated and stored at the host, thus enforcing the hardware support, and it is protected by the host master key, which is in turn protected by the host unit key in hardware.
Used both in F5 development processes and customer production environments, Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) streamlines the volume of software charged with security policy enforcement and allows separate enforcement of security decisions from the security policy itself. For example, a SELinux profile can instruct the TMOS kernel to disallow a specific process from ever executing the bash shell, thus securing the system from vulnerabilities such as Shellshock, which can allow an attacker to gain control over a web server or router.
SELinux also heightens security by providing mandatory access control (MAC) to complement the Linux discretionary access control (DAC) system. MAC consists of user, role, and domain labels on subjects, resource labels for objects, and relations between subjects and objects defined by policy. SELinux controls confine access by user programs and system servers to files and network resources. Limiting privilege to the minimum required to work reduces or eliminates the ability of these programs and daemons to cause harm from unknown vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows or misconfigurations. Because it operates independently of the Linux (discretionary) control mechanisms, MAC has no concept of a root super-user, and thus does not share the well-known shortcomings of the traditional Linux DAC system.
Federal and financial sector industry (FSI) organizations are subject to additional regulations that require security certifications such as Common Criteria and FIPS 140-2. These, and other U.S. and worldwide security certifications assure that the certified product meets standards in areas that include authentication, auditing, cryptography, management, and secure communications. Certifications standards and requirements change and evolve as the security world does; for that reason, most certifications are specific to a given product release.
Keeping current with security changes, best practices, and evolving standards, F5 participates in the International Cryptographic Modules Conference (ICMC) and the International Common Criteria conferences (ICCC) to provide organizations with robust security as well as streamlined compliance. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) drives the F5 roadmap for cryptography.
Many F5 products have been certified by Common Criteria, a worldwide assurance certification used by government agencies and companies across the globe. Twenty-six countries are signatories to a Mutual Recognition Agreement, which effectively ensures that once a product is certified, it can be marketed as certified in any or all of the signatory countries.
Developed by the NIST, Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) are used by United States government agencies and government contractors in non-military computer systems. FIPS 140 series are U.S. government computer security standards that define requirements for cryptography modules, including both hardware and software components, for use by departments and agencies of the United States federal government.
FIPS 140-2-compliant F5 products use FIPS 140-2-certified hardware security modules (HSMs) to meet the compliance requirement. An HSM is a secure physical device designed to generate, store, and protect digital, high-value cryptographic keys. It is a secure crypto-processor that often comes in the form of a plug-in card (or other hardware) with tamper protection built in. The BIG-IP system includes a FIPS cryptographic/SSL accelerator—an HSM option specifically designed for processing SSL traffic in environments that require FIPS 140-1 Level 2–compliant solutions.
F5 BIG-IP devices are FIPS 140-2 Level 2–compliant. This security rating indicates that once sensitive data is imported into the HSM, the platform incorporates cryptographic techniques to ensure the data is not extractable in a plain-text format. BIG-IP devices also provide tamper-evident coatings or seals to deter physical tampering. The BIG-IP platform's unique key management framework enables a highly scalable secure infrastructure that can handle higher traffic levels and to which organizations can easily add new services.
Additionally the FIPS cryptographic/SSL accelerator uses smart cards to authenticate administrators, grant access rights, and share administrative responsibilities to provide a flexible and secure means for enforcing key management security.
A DoS attack is an attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users, so as to temporarily or indefinitely interrupt or suspend services of a host connected to the Internet. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) comes from an attack source with more than one—often thousands of—unique IP addresses.
F5 architects have developed multiple strategies to prevent and mitigate DoS attacks. Development teams have released features and submitted patents for techniques to protect enterprise data and provide security for the fundamental elements of an application (network, DNS, SSL, and HTTP). Software features deliver a wide range of protection, such as rate limiting various types of requests, determining if there are too many packets or who initiated the request, providing heuristics, and preventing spoofing.
Leveraging the intrinsic security capabilities of intelligent traffic management and application delivery, the BIG-IP platform protects and ensures availability of an organization's network and application infrastructure under even the most demanding conditions.
While attacks on networks, applications, and data continue to increase, organizations relying upon the BIG-IP platform can be confident in the security of their systems to protect their most valuable assets.
F5 ensures the security of the BIG-IP platform through its rigorous Secure Software Development Lifecycle process, which has been designed to discover and fix vulnerabilities before product release. In addition, the BIG-IP platform has several key security features—such as Appliance Mode, Secure Vault, SELinux, security certifications, and DoS protection—that help ensure the integrity of critical applications and enterprise data.
The volume and complexity of security threats will certainly continue to evolve. At the same time, F5 will continue to design purpose-built security solutions to help organizations prevent, mitigate, and respond to attacks—while defending their reputations and protecting their business.


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Recently, I was informed that a car I share ('02 Nissan Sentra) was close to overheating. I was told it gets close to the upper limit very quickly upon running the car. When I inspected the vehicle, I realized that the coolant overflow was empty and the radiator's coolant level was rather low (not sure exactly how low but it seems at most 75% remains).
The car must be taken to a mechanic. However, the mechanic I trust and usually use is about 30 miles away. I assume there is a leak in a hose, connector, or perhaps the water pump. The radiator is new so I do not suspect it is the source of this issue.
Because I am assuming there will be a leak, I think that when I drive it, it will most likely loose coolant. Also because of this assumption, I am weary of putting coolant in if it is just going to leak out.
I am assuming I will have to make a few stops to fill the overflow (not touching the radiator). Can I put pure water in the radiator and overflow tank and limp the car 30 miles (mostly on the freeway - yikes)?
Great answers here, I just wanted to post what I actually ended up doing in the hopes of it helping someone at some point, or maybe to satisfy curiosity.
I decided not to go with pure water because I have read that a 50/50 ratio of coolant to water is desirable and figured even if it were leaking, should it be slow, I should follow best practice.
I was unsure what type of coolant my car used, so I just went to the dealer and got a container of what was standard.
The reservoir was completely empty, and the radiator had a low level of water. I added some water (maybe 1.5L) to the radiator to top it off and I filled the reservoir to the "MAX" line.
I read from a post that a simple test you can do is to start the car, run it a little, turn it off, and then listen for a leak. I tried that, but perhaps the car did not get hot enough, or there wasn't a leak evident to that method.
I then looked on the ground for any evidence of a leak and saw none. I started the car and let it run while looking to see if any fluid was leaking and could not see any after a minute or so.
After this I drove the car trying to maintain under 3000 rpm and made it to the mechanic's shop like that.
Overall, I would say this situation was mild in comparison to what could happen. I am definitely not recommending to drive a car with a major leak, or even with a medium one. My car exhibited no signs of leaking and based off of that I drove it.


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Cleankeys® Glas Keyboards
Cleankeys® is the brand name for highly functional designer keyboards that have a touch surface made of glass. Well-engineered high-end features, a premium design and powerful functions are the key features of the keyboards, which are a 'must have' for any up-market environment. Cleankeys® products enjoy an excellent reputation in exclusive laboratories, specialist medical practices, clinics, cosmetic centres, design offices and private households.
Cleankeys® keyboards were first introduced on to the international market in 2009. The developer and manufacturer was Cleankeys Inc. based in Canada; the launch immediatly struck a chord with customers. The simple concept involved bringing together design and specific benefits for users in a persuasive manner.CLEANKEYS® - TECHNICAL FEATURES AND DESIGN
The result were beautiful keyboards, which are also very easy to clean and disinfect. The CleanSweep software accompanying the keyboards enables users to individually set or check the necessary cleaning cycles. CleanSweep monitors the degree of dirt on the keyboard and is therefore the ideal complementary tool. This means that all the Cleankeys® keyboards are the first choice for any environment requiring both high aesthetic and hygienic standards.
The release of the third generation of products took place in 2013; these keyboards now combine the advantages of all the previous models. At the same time, GETT took over the production of these units and all the global sales rights. The Cleankeys® brand has obtained additional momentum in terms of quality assurance and optimisation at GETT. The market penetration of the keyboards has increased as a result of GETT's closely knit sales network and the units are continually becoming the premium standard in all sectors with demanding environments.
The keyboard with glass surface meets protection level IP65, thanks to the completely closed surface.
During the cleaning process, the key functions of the glass keyboard can be deactivated by means of a keylock button.
Can also be operated with protective gloves made of silicone or latex.
Various modifications possible


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Indigo Lace Cotton Gauze Maxi Dress
Dyed with Indigo
This widely known and cherished plant dye is absolutely one of our favorites to work with. Indigo is a vat dye, and must be reduced to a water soluble format in order to be applied and chemically bound to fibers. When taken care of and nourished, indigo vats can be used repeatedly for decades. The dye process is time intensive, an always evolving learning process, and a true gift of blue to the plant dye community.
-Fitted soft 100% cotton gauze maxi dress
-Shirring at shoulders
-fitted sleeves
-zipper closure on back
-lace piece running down center front
-trim at neckline and along lace
-sewn in tie for cinching at waist
-shirred tier at hem
Condition: Excellent Vintage condition
Best Fit: Small
Chest: 16 1/2"
Length: 52"
Care Instructions: Due to the nature of plant dyes, color may fade over time. In many cases, the fades and color shifts adds to the beauty and history of these garments. Please wash on cold with similar colors. For garments dyed with indigo, wash separately the first two wash cycles as indigo may bleed more than other plant dyes. Lay garments flat to dry, and do not lay in direct sun. PH neutral detergent is best, we recommend 7th generation as both a detergent and fabric softener.
All Rooted Botanics pieces are hand dyed, vintage, & pre-loved. As such, there may be some variation in color throughout, making each piece unique and beautiful in it's own way. Any major spotting or garment defects will be noted or photographed.
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