text:
The MENARINI Group, headquartered in Florence, is the leading Italian pharmaceutical company. It operates in more than 130 countries worldwide. With its more than 125 years of history, the Group guarantees internationally recognised quality.
The altogether more than 17,000 employees of the MENARINI Group strive daily to offer innovative health solutions and to improve the lives of people. The Group's annual worldwide turnover is 3.6 billion Euros.
The financial results are testament to an effective strategy on the basis of research, innovation and internationalisation, as well as to the ability to recognise and meet the demands of both physicians and patients equally.
One of the core strengths of the MENARINI philosophy is its collaboration with international partners: The aim is to develop synergies that lead to innovative solutions, pharmaceutical products and services in the health sector.
At MENARINI, a high level of quality forms the basis of a common corporate strategy. All corporate structures are involved in various levels of the drug manufacturing process: an efficient system which has created a unique working reference to ensure quality in every phase, from research to production, from sales to the provision of scientific information. We do all this with one goal in mind: excellence.
Worldwide, the group operates seven research centres and 16 production sites, which produce more than 585 million drug units every year.
The growth of the Group has remained constant in terms of its turnover and workforce and is the result of a corporate strategy based on research & development and internationalisation. This way of thinking also benefits BERLIN-CHEMIE, which consistently and successfully carries this strategy forward in its area of responsibility.
Further topics
The MENARINI
Group >>
Responsibility >>
International >>


text:
Over 30 years of anarchist writing from Ireland listed under hundreds of topics
This documentary has interviews with 30 anarchist participants in the Spanish revolution alongside footage captured at that time. [Video]
"Living Utopia is a unique documentary that blends the historical account of the origins and development of the Spanish anarchist movement, focussing on the 1936 war. A reflection on the philosophical underpinnings of such a movement and their practical application. As both an informative and inspiring piece of research it is considered a jewel amongst historians and rebel hearts.
This documentary-film by Juan Gamero consists of 30 interviews with survivors of the 1936-1939 Spanish Revolution, and is one of the best documentaries dealing with the theme. The testimony of the anarchist militants are very moving indeed, and are showing the constructive work of the social revolution in Spain. This "Anarchy in Action" meant: on the land around 7 million peasants form collectives, in the city 3000 workplaces collectivised, 150 000 join the anarchist militias to fight fascism, as well as cultural activities and the movement of the Mujeres Libres to free the women from patriarchy.
Spanish with English subtitles"

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have described for the first time how the brain's memory center repairs itself following severe trauma – a process that may explain why it is harder to bounce back after multiple head injuries.
The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, reports significant learning and memory problems in mice who were unable to create new nerve cells in the brain's memory area, the hippocampus, following brain trauma. The study's senior author, Dr. Steven G. Kernie, associate professor of pediatrics and developmental biology at UT Southwestern, said the hippocampus contains a well of neural stem cells that become neurons in response to injury; those stem cells must grow into functioning nerve cells to mend the damage.
"Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has received a lot of attention recently because of the recognition that both military personnel and football players suffer from debilitating brain injuries," Dr. Kernie said, adding that memory and learning problems are common after repeated severe head injuries.
"We have discovered that neural stem cells in the brain's memory area become activated by injury and remodel the area with newly generated nerve cells," Dr. Kernie said. "We also found that the activation of these stem cells is required for recovery."
The scientists developed unique transgenic mice that were unable to create hippocampal neurons when exposed to a usually harmless chemical called ganciclovir soon after brain injury. Four groups of these transgenic mice received either sham surgery or a controlled cortical injury (CCI) to mimic the diffuse damage of a moderate to severe head injury, and two of the groups were exposed to ganciclovir, Dr. Kernie said.
After a month – the time earlier experiments indicated it takes for neural stem cells to mature and integrate as neurons into the hippocampus – the researchers gave the mice a learning task called the Morris water maze in which the mice had to find a white platform hidden in a white pool of water. On the first day of learning the task, there were no group-noteworthy differences in swim speed, indicating no motor impairment in the test mice. During the next 10 days, however, the test group spent more time swimming along the edges of the tank, and they traveled longer distances to reach the platform.
"This suggests that injured mice who lack new nerve cells fail to progress to a more efficient spatial strategy to find the hidden platform. We interpret this result as a mild but statistically significant learning deficit," he said.
The UT Southwestern scientists then let the mice rest a day, removed the platform and retested them to see how well they remembered where the platform's location.
Compared to controls, CCI mice showed no preference for the platform's previous location or even for the target quadrant of the pool where the platform had been, Dr. Kernie said.
In comparison, CCI mice with intact nerve cell generation had an intermediate response to the water maze and non-CCI mice with intact nerve cell generation had the best response. Dr. Kernie said those findings suggest that neurogenesis is necessary for learning after TBI, and they raise the question of whether the neural stem cell pool is limited.
"The ability to self-repair may be limited," he said.
Since there are already Food and Drug Administration-approved medications available to increase neurogenesis, the next steps are to determine if these can be used to improve outcomes after traumatic brain injuries. In addition, Dr. Kernie and colleagues are determining what molecules direct this process and how the stem cell pool might be preserved in order to enhance the ability to recover from recurrent injury.
Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the study were lead author Dr. Cory Blaiss, a former postdoctoral researcher who now is an assistant research scientist at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco; Dr. Tzong-Shiue Yu, former graduate student who now is a postdoctoral researcher at Toronto Hospital for Sick Children; Gui Zhang, research assistant in pediatrics; Georgi Dimchev, former graduate student presently enrolled at Manchester Metropolitan University in England; Dr. Luis Parada, chairman of developmental biology; and Dr. Craig Powell, assistant professor of neurology and neurotherapeutics and psychiatry.
Notes about this brain research article
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Seay Endowed Fund for Research on Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries in Children, the National Institutes of Mental Health, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Hartwell Foundation.
Media Contact: Rachel Skei Donihoo – UT Southwestern
Source: UT Southwestern press release


text:
If you own a home, your net worth has probably gone up a lot over the past year. Home prices have been rising, which means you're building equity much faster than you might think.
Equity is the current value of your home minus what you owe on the loan.
Over the past year, there have still been more people wanting to buy than there are homes available for sale, and that's pushed prices up. That rise in prices has translated directly into increasing equity for homeowners.
How Much Equity Have You Earned over the Past 12 Months?
According to the latest Homeowner Equity Insights from CoreLogic, the national average of homeowner's equity has grown by $28,000 in the last year alone.
That's the national average, so if you want to see what's happening in Massachusetts, check out the map below. It uses data from CoreLogic to show how much equity has grown in each state over the past year. You'll notice every single state with sufficient data saw annual equity gains:
What If You Bought Your House Before the Pandemic?
If you bought your house before the pandemic, the equity news is even better. According to data from Realtor.com, home prices shot up by 37.5% from May 2019 to May 2024, meaning your home's value has likely increased significantly. Ralph McLaughlin, Senior Economist at Realtor.com, says:
"Homeowners have seen extraordinary gains in home equity over the past five years."
To give context to how much equity can stack up over time, Selma Hepp, Chief Economist at CoreLogic, explains the total equity the typical homeowner has today:
"With home prices continuing to reach new highs, owners are also seeing their equity approach the historic peaks of 2023, close to a total of $305,000 per owner."
How Your Rising Home Equity Can Help You
With how prices skyrocketed a few years ago, and the ongoing price growth today, homeowners clearly have substantial equity built up – and that has some serious benefits.
You could use it to start a business, fund an education, or even to help you afford your next home. When you sell, the equity you've built up comes back to you, and may be enough to cover a big part – or even all – of your next home's down payment. If you're planning to move, the equity you've gained can really help. Curious about how much you have and how you can use it to help pay for your next home? Let's connect.


text:
If you are looking for fun, cute and lovely digi stamps for your paper-crafting or web design projects, The Paper Shelter is your one-stop boutique! This growing catalog of high-quality digi stamps with many different kind of options offers a multitude of themes such as everyday items, holidays, special occasions, children, adorable characters and creatures. Stamps are available in standard black and white line art, as well as in pre-colored format.Images are wonderful for coloring and make perfect additions to greeting cards and scrapbook albums.
To enter, we need to see your Halloween cards and the winner gets a $20 gift certificate.
The design team have been working hard to provide the following inspiration:
I'm sure you'll agree that we have a great design team and will be fully inspired and ready to join in. Here are the rules:
1. Your card must be for a man or a boy.
2. Your card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.
3. Your post must mention Cards for Men and contain a link back to this challenge.
4. You may combine our challenge with others up to a maximum of 10.
The challenge will run from now until midnight GMT (Grenwich Mean Time) on 27 October 2013. Leave a link to your card (not just your blog) in the link list below. If it's not there for some reason, leave a comment and I'll enter you in before the draw. Good luck


text:
Did Climate Change Shape Human Evolution?
"The use of stone to make stone that can cut flesh is important," Richard Leakey said. "We're not empirical things, we're thinkers. … What was it that triggered that response?"
(Editor's note: This post was updated on April 27, 2012.)
As human ancestors rose on two feet in Africa and began their migrations across the world, the climate around them got warmer, and colder, wetter and drier. The plants and animals they competed with and relied upon for food changed. Did the shifting climate play a direct role in human evolution?
The evidence so far is thin, said Richard Leakey, the renowned paleoanthropologist and conservationist who joined a score of scientists delivering their findings at a conference on climate change and human evolution this week, held at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
(Watch videos of the conference talks here.)
"Is there evidence for a direct connection between changing climate and human evolution?" Leakey asked during a keynote address Thursday. "The answer so far is no. I don't see it yet."
Still, a number of scientists are on the hunt. Speakers talked about changes in plants and animals, and how fluctuations in temperature and rainfall would have altered the landscapes. They're studying what carbon isotopes in soil can tell us about changing plant life and temperature; what hominid teeth suggest about changes in diet; and what sediment cores from the bottom of the ocean have to say about variations in monsoon rainfall.
What did all this mean for our ancestors? If the climate affected human evolution, "there should be a substantial adaptive response," Leakey said. But with a limited fossil record, "We are stuck with this very, very narrow vision" of human evolution, Leakey said.
Leakey has been in the middle of the search for human ancestors for decades, following in the footsteps of his famous parents, the archeologists Louis and Mary Leakey, whose work at Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania was key to the understanding of human evolution. He lives in Kenya, where he has been active in politics and conservation; he also is a professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University.
Leakey suggested the focus of research should be on trying to answer four key questions:
First, what would have prompted hominids to go bipedal – standing upright with the big toe pointing straight ahead? "Standing upright on two legs is not only an odd way to be," he said, "but a huge adaptation to what was going on."
Second, what prompted our ancestors to begin using one tool to make another, and when: "The use of stone to make stone that can cut flesh is important. We're not empirical things, we're thinkers. … What was it that triggered that response?"
The third point has to do with the first migration of hominids out of Africa, when homo erectus spread into Asia and Europe. "At some point about 1.8 million years ago, a hominid shows up in Europe. That implies experience with different environments, and that implies technology," Leakey said. But, he asked, why didn't that hominid continue to thrive?
Lastly, what drove the second migration of hominids — this time homo sapiens — out of Africa?
For more on the conference, visit the web site. A series of videos of the presentations is available on the Earth Institute website. Professor Peter deMenocal, a paleoclimatologist at Lamont-Doherty and chairman of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, organized the conference, which brought in scientists from around the world to talk about their latest research.


text:
This article is in regards to the function an individual could take as a mannequin. Tim Ryan additionally does an excellent job and is all the time fun to observe. While petite models do not generally do runway work, they're usually booked for swimsuit, lingerie, and parts modeling. Having a recognisable identify helps get your foot within the door, but to go the distance the merchandise have to actually work," says Elizabeth Hurley , who launched Elizabeth Hurley Seaside in 2005.
Bear in mind, you are pretty just as you are, so let those agencies see you for you! Plus-dimension fashions are models who generally have bigger measurements than editorial fashion fashions. Probably specialising in promoting a selected type of style item: clothes, jewellery, sneakers, make-up, hairstyles. Also know whether you are auditioning for a market that advertises petite sizes, plus sizes, sure clothing developments, or for a targeted market like natural residing, metropolis tendencies, cosmetic firms, etc.
If you happen to stay in one of many main markets you could possibly attend an open call or go-see at the company. Set of vogue and sweetness emblem and emblem assortment 6,309 152 2 weeks in the past. However, the glamour market became saturated by the mid-2000s, and numerous men's magazines together with Enviornment , Stuff and FHM in the United States went underneath.
Runway models work in several places, always travelling between those cities the place style is well-known— London , Milan , New York Metropolis , and Paris Second-tier worldwide fashion middle cities embrace: Rome , Florence , Venice , Brescia , Barcelona , Los Angeles , Tokyo , and Moscow Cities where catalog work contains the bulk of fashion packaging, merchandising and advertising work are: Miami , San Francisco , Sydney , Chicago , Toronto , Mexico City , Tokyo , Hamburg , London , and Beijing quotation needed.
Designers rent fashions to fit the garments they have made for his or her collections, they do not make the clothes to suit the model – properly, not unless you're a supermodel like Naomi Campbell or Coco Rocha. Petite fashions often find work as half models attributable to their smaller shoe sizes and physique components. This will range from £15 – £65 an hour up to a few hundred kilos for a day, relying on the type of modelling and which firm or model it's for.


text:
North Shore
Turtle talk! Green Hawaiian Sea Turtles
The Anahulu river is the home of the green Hawaiian sea turtles. They are not called green for their outer looks, but for their green insides from all the delicious seaweed they consume. The females can weigh up to 300 pounds and the males can reach 500 pounds and can live up to 80 years! They lay about 100 eggs in a clutch on the French Frigate Shoals. When they hatch, they scamper to the shoreline in a race to escape hungry seagulls and crabs. If they make it to the sea, they float on a bed of seaweed for ten to twelve years. This very exciting time in their life provides them with food and shelter. Only one in ten make it to adulthood and they then swim to the Hawaiian islands where they will live out their days. When the female turns 20-25 years old, they return back to the same place they were born to lay eggs of their own.
What should I wear Stand-up Paddle boarding?
Wear what makes you feel most comfortable in the ocean. Swimsuits or board shorts are great! We recommend wearing a rash guard or water shirt. This will add a layer of protection against the sun during the day or add an additional layer of warmth if the water is chilly during our glow paddles. When the Hawaiian sun is beating down, bring along a hat, lather on some reef safe sunscreen, and wear sunglasses. It is best to leave you favorite pair of shades at home due to the risk of it being lost in the water and the turtles performing a fashion show. Or, bring along a strap for your shades(we have some you're welcome to borrow!). We recommend leaving your water shoes or sandals out of the water. Bare feet on top of the board makes balancing much easier. If you aren't completely comfortable in the water yet, never fear! Our instructors are fully trained lifeguards and will provide you with the most fashionable life jackets in the river! Comfort is key, so paddle hard and let us do the rest! Aloha!
Need ideas for a spontaneous adventure?
We've got a great day planned for you! Find us in Haleiwa on Oahu's North Shore, parked right on the beach. We'll take you stand up paddleboarding up the river, under bridges and across the bay. We might spot some "wild"life, like sea turtles, beautiful fish and birds. This picture perfect scenery is waiting for you!
Call us now to get started!
1 (800)470-4964
What is better than a day at the beach?!
A day at the beach and on the water loving life on a paddle board in Hawaii. Come out to Haleiwa in the North Shore and you won't be able to disagree!!!!
Current weather – Mostly Sunny, 79º and perfect for stand up paddling.
New Year, New Adventures!
There are many hidden gems on the North Shore of Oahu, come paddle with us and we'll be sure to give you the inside scoops!
Want more ADVENTURES? Take a Hike!
Ever wondered what to do after having the Most Fun on Oahu with your instructors on Rainbow Watersports Stand Up Paddleboars? Well since we got your blood pumping and endorphins have been released…why not continue on this natural high by going on a easy, breezy hike!
Papailoa Beach Walk
Enjoy a beach walk starting from the Rainbow van. Walk toward Pua'ena point, which is just to the right of the van. As you walk along the shoreline toward the point, take a peek inside the tidepools to see what you can find. Around the corner is Papailoa beach, or locally known as "Police Beach" because it used to be a private beach for the Honolulu police. This is also the location where the popular show "Lost" was filmed. This secluded beach is absolutely stunning, and will whisk you away to a tropical dreamland. Turquoise water, crashing waves, and cliff-like reefs entreat you along the trail. Enjoy traversing between the beach and the semi-marked trail that parallels the beach within the trees and grass. You can walk along this trail all the way to Lanikea beach park, nicknamed Turtle beach for all the turtles that tend to beach there. Also makes for a great morning beach run. Be sure to bring your camera!
Hamama falls
Nestled in Kahaluu is an easy and popular walk to a beautiful waterfall called Hamama Falls, or Waihee falls. This walk is easy enough for young kids and, as the trail is wide and "paved" in gravel, is also doable with a durable stroller (umbrella strollers are a no-go). Expect about an hour walk up to the falls and a half-hour walk down. Be sure to go right under the falls and let the water fall down on your face – there's nothing better! To get there, drive about 1.5 hours down the coast from the Rainbow van. Drive around through laie and Kaaawa and pass Chinamans hat and Kuuloa Ranch. Eventually you'll take a right on Waihee road. The road ends at a metal gate which is where the trail starts. Just park anywhere on the street by the gate. Like anywhere, it's wise to not leave valuables in the car.
Have a blast guys and enjoy the 'aina!!
Christmas in Hawaii
Happy Holidays!! It is the time to be thankful, to remember our loved ones, to sing carols, and to most importantly… GIVE! And sometimes we are so caught up in baking or singing or last minute shopping for decorations we forget a thoughtful present. Lucky for you, and the gift-receiver, Rainbow Watersports has a GIFT CARD! This Gift Card is the best present for 3 simple reasons.
1) Easy, flexible, and affordable for you- can be any amount you put on the card or any activity
2) Can be last minute and still be very meaningful and specific
3) Whoever receives this Gift Card gets an unforgettable memory on the water on the North Shore- BECAUSE OF YOU!!
Now I know this is a picture of a Santa Surfing (courtesy of HDW website) , but nonetheless 'tis the season to get on a Stand Up Paddle Board and enjoy the water with loved ones or give them the opportunity to experience the fun! You can order them online on our homepage or very easily call us and we can set one up to your specific needs!
Mele Kalikimaka
Surf Competition right in our Backyard
As we were paddling along the Haleiwa Bay, we heard shouts and yells coming from behind the boat harbor wall! It intensified as we came closer and just as we got far enough on the ocean to peer past the wall..to our surprise and delight a HUGE CRY exploded from the 2014 Reef Hawaiian Pro of the Vans Triple Crown Surfing!! How could we forget it was the time of year again to see the surfers from all over the world come join together for competitions held in Rainbow Watersports backyard. After the lesson, we raced over to join the commotion and cheer on all the contestants. We had famous, strong surfers ranging from John John Florence to Fredrick Patcchia and they all looked like they were having a blast on the water. In the end we congratulated Maui's Sebastian Zietz for taking the gold!
Oh and I'll tell you why sometimes it is easy to forget.. because the Anahulu River is just so calm! It is crazy the difference between the North Shore waves to the protected Haleiwa Bay that leads in to the River under the Rainbow Bridge. What an adventure! Come join us on the water!
What do paddleboarders do when there is BIG SURF!?
North Shore is know around the world as the place to be during Winter Season, or otherwise declared "Big Wave" Season by locals and surfers alike. Surfers from all over the world flock here to try their board and courage on these waves, yearning for the perfect barrel at Pipeline or the biggest Waimea wave they can conquer. These famous surf peaks are all the hype as the sun is shining from Haleiwa to Velzyland.. and unfortunately most everywhere else in the world it is snowing or pouring down rain! No wonder we are the busiest during this time, who wouldn't enjoy a week or a couple months on the beach in a swimsuit instead of braving the cold in 4 winter jackets. BUT the question is…
What do paddleboarders do when there is BIG SURF?? Luckily, Rainbow Water Sports Adventure has the answer and the best one for sure! Simple, we just go paddleboard instruct on the Haleiwa Bay and in the Ananhulu River! Because the Haleiwa Bay is very protected, from the big waves and ocean current alike, we are still able to hold calm, relaxing lessons to first-timers on a board or experienced ocean-mongers. These pictures were taken today November 13th and you can see the difference between how calm the bay and river are compared to the Ocean! How amazing we are still able to live and love this sport and share it with others ALL YEAR LONG!
See you all on the River!!
Paddleboarding while the Sun is Setting
Here in Hawaii we sometimes take the breathtaking Sunsets for granted! The sky turns into an array of colors including the brightest purples and a soft burnt orange. The former light blue dome that had surrounded us during the midday now is a spacious rainbow from the Mountain Tops to the end of the ocean. The whole horizon is now an ever-changing vibrant sea of dancing colors. Ending with a spectacular drop of the sun below sight and the radiant colors slowly begin to dissolve into a rich, dark blue.
Now imagine this fascinating sunset while enjoying the ocean on top of a paddleboard, confidently stroking towards the Hale'iwa Bay. Bright and large turtles gracefully flying under your board. And a distant, but distinct peacock crows over yonder in the Anahulu River. This could easily be you and your family… or a special date night with someone you love! And if you have had the opportunity to enjoy our Sunset Session before please feel free to write your own testimonial!
Like all Private Lessons: PICTURES ARE INCLUDED!!


text:
Make Your Choice…
Occupy Everywhere
Stop Hydrofracking!
Tag Archives: black rock city
Worshiping the Cargo Cult: The (de?)Commodification of Burning Man Marches On
Black Rock City – Watched thousands of pagans, actual & momentary, roiling wildly counterclockwise around the collapsed symbol. Alone amidst thousands beneath the smoggy sky the decision was made to be there again before any real time for consideration.
Posted in Burnination, Electrocution, I was there, Wanderings
Tagged 'merica, bike thieves, black rock city, broken trust, burnination, burning man, champagne, circle of regional effigies, CORE, electronica, fire, impermanence, live, lub, ludum et refugium, musick, osiris, pdx, portland, radical, self reliance, survival, treehouse, womps
4 Comments
Ludum et Refugium: Treehousing Portland's CORE Amidst a Cargo Cult
Portlanding – Play & refuge, two of the main things keeping humanity interested in the rest of it. Visible everywhere one looks, much of our real expression and true creation lies in these. As one transitional being journeyed west through snow, … Continue reading
Posted in Burnination, I was there, Wanderings
Tagged 'merica, black rock city, burnination, burning man, community, CORE, impermanence, live, ludum et refugium, moopie's house, pdx, portland, regional effigy, rose city, self reliance
7 Comments
Fertility 2.0 Burning In The Dust )°(
Black Rock City – Holes. Nothing but holes. For day after day. Adirondack cow pastures before company asset reassignment brought a Comfortless Inn on the Delaware and the misery that is New Jersey. Shimmering 2,500 miles past the sunset, a … Continue reading
Posted in Burnination, Electrocution, I was there, Wanderings
Tagged black rock city, black rock syndicate, burning man, dj brett rubin, dust, fertility 2.0, musick, osiris, ride share, self reliance, strangers, survival, wasteland, whoaman, womps
3 Comments
Hitching to Burn )°(
Ideas begin their existence the same way anything else does, as a seed. Most are discarded, crowded out before they can grow by deeply rooted ideals around them. Others take hold, beginning their metamorphosis into a thought. The idea for … Continue reading


text:
Order in the chaos of a cell membrane
Crystalline areas form in model membranes based on a previously unknown mechanism
An explanation has been proposed for the way in which ordered structures arise in cell membranes. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam have discovered how complex compounds of sugar and lipids – known as glycolipids – order themselves in cell membranes into rafts, namely small, highly organised domains. The arrangement of glycolipids on the surface of plant and animal cell membranes regulates numerous cellular processes. If errors occur in this process, diseases like PNH and BSE can arise.
Lipids, i.e. fats and fat-like substances, arise all over the human body. They are the body's most important energy storage system and are crucial structural components of cell membranes. Compounds formed from complex sugar components and fats are known as glycolipids. Those are vital communicators found in the membranes of every human cell, and constantly exchange information about the type and state of the cell. Numerous metabolic processes depend on glycolipids and their recognition. Even the immune system identifies and combats many pathogens using certain sugar structures located on the surface of the pathogen cells.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) belong to the group of natural glycolipids. They are found on the surface of plant and animal cell membranes, where they appear either as free molecules or as membrane anchors for various proteins. The arrangement in clusters and their preference for denser and, in part, highly-organised micro-domains in the membrane are seen as essential for the effective functioning of a cell. These minuscule clusters are extremely important for the regulation of many cellular processes, and their malfunction can have very serious consequences. For example, it has been proven that the accumulation, missing or alteration of GPI-anchored molecules can trigger the development of serious diseases like BSE and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Golm near Potsdam have gained new insight into how GPIs structure themselves in membranes.
Crystalline lipid areas never previously observed in membranes
It was assumed up to now that the arrangement of the GPIs in clusters and rafts was determined by the water-repelling section of the glycolipids embedded in the cell membrane. The chemical structure of the hydrophobic ends is actually responsible for strong interactions with similarly rigid neighbouring molecules. If the number of the molecules that interact with each other is big enough, rigid and partly organised domains may arise like icebergs on the surface of the ocean.
Cristina Stefaniu and her colleagues have now discovered that, in addition to the hydrophobic ends, the large GPI head groups, which contain sugar, mainly contribute to the formation of the rafts. This means that the hydrophylic part of the molecule is able to build strong interactions with the neighbouring GPI molecules. This part of the molecule is located precisely on the boundary between the membrane surface and the liquid medium. "The interactions between neighbouring GPI molecules result in the formation of crystalline orders that have not previously been observed for other membrane lipids", says Cristina Stefaniu.
Hydrogen bonds connect the hydrophylic head groups
The scientists reached this new conclusion about the order in membranes by studying a model molecule. This is a GPI fragment that was synthesised by the groups headed by Peter Seeberger and Daniel Varón Silva and that imitates the behaviour of entire GPIs. It forms a very thin film, just one molecule thick, on the surface of the water. This so-called monolayer is the simplified model of a half cell membrane which the researchers analysed using synchrotron x-ray scattering. "Surprisingly, the highly ordered structure in the GPI monolayer is predominantly determined by the bulky hydrophilic head groups that connect through hydrogen bonds", says Stefaniu. A hydrogen bond is a relatively weak chemical bond and usually links two molecules through the bonding of a hydrogen atom from one molecule with an oxygen or nitrogen atom from the other molecule. Thus the monolayers of the GPI fragment are characterised by both the order of the hydrophilic lipid chains and the crystalline arrangement of the GPI head groups.
"The molecular lattices observed here have not yet been described for lipid monolayers," says Cristina Stefaniu. "A similar order forms in lipid bilayers if they are stored at temperatures close to zero degrees Celsius." The strong interactions between the head groups can only be disrupted and the molecular lattice destroyed through the addition of a highly concentrated urea solution, which breaks the hydrogen bonds, eliminates the strong interactions of the head groups and destroys the molecular lattice. In addition, the scientists proved that ordered clusters can arise in mixtures of the GPI fragment with typical membrane lipids, which only form unordered films. Thus, the GPIs are able to generate order in the chaos of a membrane. This special skill could be very important for the GPI interactions in real cell membranes.


text:
10 Hilariously Over-Engineered Solutions to Simple Problems
10 Ironic News Stories Straight out of an Alanis Morissette Song
10 Lesser-Known Far-Right Groups of the 21st Century
Ten Revealing Facts about Daily Domestic Life in the Old West
10 Everyday Products Surprisingly Made by Inmates
10 Actors Dragged out of Retirement for One Key Role
10 Lesser-Known Shapeshifter Legends from Around the World
10 Amazing Animal Tales from the Ancient World
10 Game Characters Everyone Hated Playing
10 Terrifying Serial Killers from Centuries Ago
10 Hilariously Over-Engineered Solutions to Simple Problems
10 Ironic News Stories Straight out of an Alanis Morissette Song
Who's Behind Listverse?
Jamie Frater
Head Editor
Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author.
More About Us10 Lesser-Known Far-Right Groups of the 21st Century
Ten Revealing Facts about Daily Domestic Life in the Old West
10 Everyday Products Surprisingly Made by Inmates
10 Actors Dragged out of Retirement for One Key Role
10 Lesser-Known Shapeshifter Legends from Around the World
10 Amazing Animal Tales from the Ancient World
10 Game Characters Everyone Hated Playing
Top 10 Gruesome Medieval Torture Devices
Torture: it is an ancient practice that still goes on today. In the middle ages torture was used for punishment, interrogation, and deterrence. It is easy to consider ourselves more humane these days, but while some of the devices listed here would lead to death, we have, in modern times, mastered the ability of inflicting extreme pain for indefinite periods of time – something which is, perhaps, worse.
SEE ALSO: 10 Torture Murders That Will Curdle Your Blood
With the head placed under the upper cap and the chin placed above the bottom bar, the top screw of this awful device was slowly turned, compressing the skull tightly. First the teeth are destroyed, shattering and splintering into the jaw. Then the eyes are squeezed from the sockets – some versions had special receptacles to catch them. Lastly, the skull fractures and the contents of the head are forced out. In earlier stages, the torturer could keep the head firmly clamped and strike the metal skull cap periodically; each blow echoing pain throughout the victim's body.
The Cat's Paw (or Spanish Tickler) was oftentimes attached to a handle; in size and appearance it was an extension of the torturer's hand. In this way it was used to rip and tear flesh away from the bone, from any part of the body.
A popular torture device during the Inquisition, the knee splitter does what it says: split victims' knees and render them useless. Built from two spiked wood blocks, the knee splitter is placed on top of and behind the knee of its victims. Two large screws connecting the blocks are then turned, causing the two blocks to close towards each other and effectively destroy a victim's knee. This device could also be used to inflict damage on other parts of the body such as the arms.
The Scavenger's Daughter was invented as an instrument of torture in the reign of Henry VIII by Sir William Skevington (also known as William Skeffington), Lieutenant of the Tower of London. It was an A-frame shaped metal rack to which the head was strapped to the top point of the A, the hands at the mid-point and the legs at the lower spread ends; swinging the head down and forcing the knees up in a sitting position so compressed the body as to force the blood from the nose and ears. The Scavenger's Daughter was conceived as the perfect complement to the Duke of Exeter's Daughter (the rack) because it worked the opposite principle to the rack by compressing the body rather than stretching it.
This procedure has remained essentially unchanged from the Middle Ages until today. The victim is hoisted up and lowered onto the point of the pyramid in such a way that his weight rests on the point positioned in the anus, in the vagina, under the scrotum or under the coccyx (the last two or three vertebrae). The executioner, according to the pleasure of the interrogators, can vary the pressure from zero to that of total body weight. The victim can be rocked, or made to fall repeatedly onto the point. The Judas cradle was thus called also in Italian (culla di Giuda) and German (Judaswiege), but in French it was known as la veille, "the wake" or "nightwatch". Nowadays this method enjoys the favour of not a few governments in Latin America and elsewhere, with and without improvements like electrified waist rings and pyramid points. Similar to the Judas Chair – but probably worse, is the Spanish Donkey:
The Spanish Donkey was a device which consisted of a main board cut with a wedge at the top fastened to two cross-beams. The naked victim was placed astride the main board as if riding a donkey, and various numbers of weights were attached to his or her feet. The agony could be 'fine-tuned' by using lighter or heavier weights. Sources relate that on occasion, the wedge would slice entirely through the victim as a result of the immense weight attached to his or her feet.
These instruments were used in oral and rectal formats, and in the larger vaginal one. They are forced into the mouth, rectum or vagina of the victim and there expanded by force of the screw to the maximum aperture of the segments. The inside of the cavity in question is irremediably mutilated, nearly always fatally so. The pointed prongs at the end of the segments serve better to rip into the throat, the intestines or the cervix. The oral pear was often inflicted on heretical preachers, but also on lay persons guilty of unorthodox tendencies; the rectal pear awaited passive male homosexuals, and the vaginal one women guilty of sexual union with Satan or his familiars. Pictured above is a version of the choke pear called the "Pear of Anguish".
The lead sprinkler was essentially a ladle on the end of a handle. The top half of the sphere could be removed and the lower half was filled with molten metal, boiling oil, boiling water, pitch or tar. The perforated top half was then re-attached. Shaking or flicking the sprinkler towards the victim showered him or her with the boiling contents of the ladle. The victim had, of course, been pinioned in advance.
This item was used both as a punitive and an interrogational device. Punitively, it was used red-hot to mark the breast of unmarried mothers. In an inquisitory nature it was used on condemned women – convicted of heresy, blasphemy, adultery, self-induced abortion, erotic white magic and any other crime that the inquisitors selected. The claws were used, either cold or heated, on a female's exposed breasts – rendering them into bloody pulps. A variation was called the Spider. This consisted of clawed bars which protruded from the wall. A woman was pulled alongside the bars until her breasts were torn away.
The crocodile shears was an instrument of torture used in late medieval Europe and typically reserved for regicides – those who attempted (and, perhaps, succeeded) to assassinate the king. The shears were made of iron and were based upon the concept of pincers, but—instead of standard jaws or blades, crocodile shears ended in a pair of hemicylindrical blades that, when closed together, formed a long, narrow tube. The insides of the blades were generously lined with teeth or spikes. After being heated red-hot, the crocodile shears were applied to the erect penis, which—once exposed to sufficient tension—was torn from the prisoner's body; or at the very least leading to severe arterial bleeding.


text:
Gonzalez finds his niche with Indians
By Drew Sharp Detroit Free Press WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- You can't swing a corked bat through the Cleveland Indians' clubhouse without hitting an All-Star, and that suits the team's newest star just fine. It's not like the players have never seen a potential Hall of Famer, so Juan Gonzalez's words and actions aren't as heavily scrutinized. "This is nice," said the former Tiger, smiling. Juan's new world spins more to his liking, satisfying his perplexing personality. He's getting the star treatment he demands without the star responsibility others expect. There won't be billboards plastered around Cleveland trumpeting his arrival as was the case in Detroit last spring. He's fitting in, rather than standing out. "Last year was history," Gonzalez said Monday. "It's a new season. Detroit was good to me. The organization treated me well. But I feel more comfortable with everything here. This is a team that's won championships. The ballpark here is better for a power hitter than what they had there." Gonzalez appears neither bitter nor vindictive about his brief pit stop in Detroit, where he seemingly was blamed for everything that went awry last season. There are no regrets about rejecting an offer close to $150 million last February, although he suffered through his worst statistical season and settled for a one-year, $12-million contract with the Indians. Two million dollars of the contract is deferred. "Juan became the focus there in Detroit because the team hadn't won anything there in quite some time," said Indians first baseman Jim Thome, who has considered Gonzalez a friend for several years. "All the attention stayed on him. But we've achieved some success here over the years, and that's what everyone concentrates on here. It's not about what the individual can do but what the team does." But this is a player the Indians signed to reclaim the 120 or so RBIs they lost when Gonzalez's rightfield predecessor, Manny Ramirez, bolted for Boston's big bucks. Criticize him for his sensitivities if you choose, but Gonzalez is who he is. It's no act. And if first appearances are any indication, he hasn't changed simply because he has changed uniforms. Gonzalez is giving the Cleveland media what they want to hear, saying that the Indians have a great organization with great players who want to win. That's similar to the things he said to the Detroit media when he arrived in Lakeland last year. But when Gonzalez interacts with his new teammates, it seems more sincere this time, and maybe that's because this time he could choose where he played. He went to Detroit in a trade from Texas but arrived in Cleveland as a free agent. Everyone knew last season that if Gonzalez didn't stay in Detroit, he probably was headed for the Indians. Obviously, he loves the more power-friendly dimensions of Jacobs Field. He's a lifetime .344 hitter with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 30 games at The Jake. He also has been close friends with Puerto Rican teammates Robbie Alomar and Wil Cordero for years. And Cleveland bullpen coach Luis Isaac has known Gonzalez since Gonzalez was 12 years old. Those are connections he lacked with the Tigers, and Alomar assured him he could get 150 RBIs with the Indians. "Oh, man, with the top three guys in our lineup," Gonzalez said, "I should have no problem getting the chance to drive in runs." The Indians are getting the enthusiasm, but they're also getting the idiosyncracies that are uniquely Juan. Gonzalez was leaning against the batting cage just two hours after he took the field for the first time in an Indians uniform last Thursday when a foul tip ricocheted off his right elbow. Others would easily shake off the freakish accident, but Gonzalez immediately went to the training room and spent the next two days with an ice bag draped around the elbow. And he will have his usual entourage following him this season. Just as last year, when Gonzalez rented four adjoining apartments in the Riverfront Towers near Joe Louis Arena, he has asked the Indians to find him similar accommodations in Cleveland for himself, his personal trainer, his spiritual adviser and his primary confidant, Luis Mayoral, whom the Tigers hired last year as a liaison for their Latin operations. It's uncertain if Mayoral will assume a role with the Indians. But Mayoral's most important job is to hold together the tenuous emotions that comprise Juan Gonzalez. It will be much easier with the talent surrounding him in Cleveland. |


text:
Drywall LED Channel LT-2013-UP
- Architectural Lighting Profile
- Best Aluminum: AL6063-T5
- Length: Max-3m
- Color: silver/black/white optional
- Diffuser: milky/black optional
- Lighting source: flexible led strip light, rigid bar
Advantages of KayTai LED Aluminum Profiles:
Good heat dissipation and high thermal conductivity of aluminum alloy lead to fast heat dissipation.
Easy installation, Quick Assembly, Plug and Play system design, no need for maintenance.
You can choose anodized, powder coating, or wood grain finish for the aluminum housing.
Aluminum profiles can be made into various shapes, suitable for various fields and requirements.
LED aluminum profiles are an excellent solution for those who want to add LED light to their homes, offices, or stores.
Diffuser For LED Aluminum Profile Channel:
KayTai offers a variety of diffusers for aluminum channel profiles.
- Milk white color- This is our normal diffuser. We have stocks and this can send out every day.
- Black color - Some of the channels have a black color cover. When you are ordering, contact us first.
- Clear color -We don't have it in stock. This need MOQ 2000 meter.
Strip Light Aluminum Profile Specification:
Material | 6063 Aluminum Alloy |
Finished | Anodized/White/Black |
Standard Length | 1m,2m,3m |
PCB Width | 5mm/8mm/10mm/15mm/40mm |
Cover | Clear, Black, Milky |
Installation | Surface mounted |
Application | Sliding door , window and door, shutter roller, industrial curtain wall, partition, kitchen cabinet etc. |
Strip Light Aluminum Profile Applications:
There are no reviews yet.


text:
7 Keys to a Successful Job Search
Here's what 100 career pros want you to know about how to land work
I'm always trying to keep on top of the latest career trends and recently read through the mother lode: The 2012 white paper published by the Career Thought Leaders Consortium. It's full of useful tips, strategies and ideas for job seekers and I want to share my favorites with you.
The report summarizes the key findings of the consortium's annual Global Career Brainstorming Day, an international, multicity event that brings together nearly 100 career professionals — including coaches, resumé writers and college career services professionals — from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. "What's consistent every year is the very fast pace of change," says Louise Kursmark, co-director of consortium and one of the co-editors of the report.
(MORE: 4 Ways to Make Your Career Last Longer)
Here's what the experts said are seven keys to a successful job search in today's competitive environment:
1. Keep your resumé short and succinct. Despite reports of its impending demise, the experts said a resumé is still very much an essential tool of the job search. But hiring managers (and the computers they use to sort through resumés) are in a rush. So you need to format your resumé to be read quickly and in small bites. These days, a typical resumé is scanned for just six to 10 seconds, often on a mobile device.
Eliminate filler words, use numbers to quantify your impressive results (such as "boosted sales 83 percent") and include relevant keywords that appeared in the job posting.
Limit your contact information to just one email address (old-fashioned AOL, no; contemporary Gmail, yes), one phone number and your LinkedIn profile URL.
Residential addresses aren't needed, although it can be helpful to list your region (for example, New York Tri-State), so the employer knows you're located near the open position.
2. Create a portfolio of job-search documents. Want a way to distinguish yourself from the crowd of applicants? According to the Career Brainstorming Day pros, many job seekers are supplementing their resumés with collateral leadership briefs, blogs that establish their robust online professional identity and, among senior-level managers, one-page executive summaries.
3. Consider hiring a coach to perfect your video interview skills. More employers are relying on Skype for long-distance and initial screening interviews. As a result, more job seekers are using coaches to help them excel in video presentations.
4. Dive deep into LinkedIn. Over the past few years, using LinkedIn to find work has gone from a good idea to essential. "Having a sharp LinkedIn profile may be even more important than having a great resumé," Kursmark says.
Nonetheless, the experts said, all too many job candidates fail to fully embrace this tool, especially older job seekers. To maximize the use of LinkedIn, engage more frequently with your LinkedIn networks. One of the best ways to do this is to actively participate in LinkedIn's industry and interest groups.
(MORE: How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Your Personal Brand)
Find relevant groups by going to your LinkedIn home page, clicking on the Groups tab and search the "groups you may like" or "groups directory" tabs. Then join a few groups and post links to interesting articles, participate in discussions and share helpful resources. You will become known as a go-to resource and improve the likelihood that you will get noticed by recruiters, referral sources and hiring managers.
5. Use Twitter and other forms of social media to attract the attention of employers who are hiring. According to the white paper, "employers will move from using external recruiters to an internal hiring process that will depend heavily on identifying prospective employees through their online presence and through referrals of existing employees. Personal websites, social media presence, development of subject matter expertise and a well-defined personal brand will be the requirements for gaining the attention of prospective employers."
6. Limit the amount of time you spend on job boards. As Next Avenue has noted, job boards are one of the least effective ways to get hired. The Career Brainstorming Day experts said it's generally only worth applying for a position through a job board if your resumé matches 80 to 85 percent of what an employer asks for in a posting.
Job seekers continue to be frustrated by computerized Applicant Tracking Systems that scan applicants' resumés for keywords. "This finding underscores the importance of direct, targeted search with networking as its core component as the most important method for finding a job," Kursmark says.
To maximize your chances for success using job boards, focus on smaller, regional and industry-specific job boards, as well as aggregator sites, like Indeed.com and Simplyhired.com.
(MORE: Reinvent Your Career With a Personal 360 Interview)
7. Start your search sooner rather than later. The hiring process has been growing longer, with more steps and delays between the time people apply for jobs and receive offers.
It helps to approach a search as though you are in sales: keep building your network pipeline, don't let your momentum flag and expect to hear "no."
All is not doom and gloom, though. The report says career professionals are finding "growing demand for workers" and that businesses are worrying about losing managers and other key talent. I hope they're correct.


text:
Gyurme Pema Namgyal
Shechen Gyaltsab Gyurme Pema Namgyal (Tib. ཞེ་ཆེན་རྒྱལ་ཚབ་འགྱུར་མེད་པདྨ་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་, Wyl. zhe chen rgyal tshab 'gyur med padma rnam rgyal) (1871-1926) — the fourth Shechen Gyaltsab, he was the root teacher of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and one of the main teachers of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.
Biography by Thubten Nyima
The supreme master Shechen Gyaltsab Gyurme Pema Namgyal was born in a place called Dzokyi Tsolung, which belongs to the regions of Lhatok and Derge, in the Iron Sheep year of the fifteenth calendrical cycle (1871). His father, Sherab, belonged to the Adro clan and his mother, Namkha Drolma, was the daughter of a family of Drongpa officials.
He was recognized by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo as the reincarnation of Orgyen Rangjung Dorje, given the name Gyurme Pema Tenzin Khedrup Gyatsö'i De, and ceremoniously installed on a great Dharma throne as the fourth Gyaltsab, or 'regent,' of Shechen Tennyi Dargye Ling monastery. From his own uncle, Pema Wangchen—or Kyi Yang as he was widely known—he learned how to read and received teachings on the common sciences, including The Mirror of Poetics, the three systems of Sanskrit grammar (known as Kalapa, Chandrapa and Sarasvata), The Treasure Mine of Composition, the major texts of the 'white' and 'black' astrological traditions and so on.
He received the vows of a novice monk from Dzogchen Khenpo Pema Damchö Özer and was given the name Pema Namgyal. He went on to receive full ordination from Gemang Khenpo Yönten Gyatso, and maintained the outer pratimoksha discipline without the slightest transgression in terms of what should be adopted or abandoned. He studied the discipline of the bodhisattva vows with masters such as the great Khenpo Karma Tashi Özer, the fifth Rabjam Rinpoche and so on, and followed all the points of the inner training of the bodhisattvas concerning what to do and what not to do, so that his mind became completely filled with bodhichitta, and he sought only to benefit others.
From Jamgön Khyentse Wangpo, he received empowerments and instructions on the practices of the Nyingma kama and terma, such as Kagyé, Lama Gongdü and Vajrakilaya. He also studied many traditions of the Sarma schools of secret mantra, including Jé Tsongkhapa's Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path (Lamrim Chenmo) and Karmapa Rangjung Dorje's Pointing Out the Dharmakaya. He received the ripening empowerments, liberating instructions and supporting transmissions for the Treasury of Precious Termas (Rinchen Terdzö) from Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé and the Tenth Surmang Trungpa Rinpoche, Karma Chökyi Nyinché. The sublime Kongtrul Rinpoche also bestowed on him an explanatory reading transmission for all three volumes of his Treasury of Knowledge (Sheja Dzö), from the opening verses of homage through to the colophon at the end. Kongtrul Rinpoche placed the texts on his head and granted him formal permission to transmit these teachings in future.
He also received the Treasury of Kagyü Mantras (Kagyü Ngak Dzö) and the Collection of Nyingma Tantras (Nyingma Gyübum). He received the Treasury of Precious Instructions (Damngak Dzö) and the Treasury of Extensive Teachings (Gyachen Kayi Dzö) in their entirety, together with the empowerments, reading transmissions and instructions, from the great Khenpo Karma Tashi Özer.
From Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche, he received the Great Secret Commentary on the practice of Yangdak, the cycle of Jampal Dzogpachenpo, An Explanation of the Kagyé, Entrance to the Way of Knowledge (Khenjuk) and he was able to clarify the difficult points in the major texts of sutra and mantra. He also received clarifications on his own practice.
In addition, he relied on such great masters as the fifth Shechen Rabjam, Khenpo Kunpal, Kathok Situ, Palpung Gyatrul Kunzang Tenpé Nyima, Dzogchen Khenpo Pema Vajra and Patrul Jikmé Chökyi Wangpo as his teachers. His studies were vast and included a great number of commentaries and collected writings of the great masters of the past. Most notably, he received the reading transmission of the precious Translated Words of the Buddha (Kangyur) on two occasions, from Barchung Choktrul Thubten Gelek and from the great Troshul Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso.
For more than twenty years, he focused his practice on the key points of the generation and completion phases, with the result that his qualities of experience and realization reached the very highest level. He gained all the advanced realizations of the paths and bhumis, and through taking to heart the essential points of the practice of Clear Light Dzogpachenpo, he purified the fixations of the conceptual mind. As he gained naturally arising realization, the great treasure of his wisdom mind overflowed.
The brilliant light of his enlightened activity in explanation, debate and composition shone in all directions, and many great masters and holders of the teachings became his students, including Dzongsar Khyentse Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö, the sixth Shechen Rabjam Kunzang Tenpé Nyima, Jamyang Loter Wangpo, Dilgo Khyentse Rabsal Dawa, the incarnation of Kongtrul, Palden Chökyi Wangchuk, Pema Drimé Lekpé Lodrö, Dzogchen Lingla Tulku, Khenpo Sochö, Abu Lhagang, Kathok Khenpo Nüden and many others, just like a garland of stars in a constellation.
In this way, this great master undertook the three practices of listening, reflecting and meditating for his own benefit, and the three activities of teaching, debating and writing for the benefit of others.
Finally, at the age of fifty-five, in the Fire Tiger year of the fifteenth calendrical cycle, on the eighteenth day of the fifth month, he demonstrated merging his wisdom mind into the dharmadhatu, the inseparable union of basic space and wisdom.
His Writings
- A commentary on Mipham Rinpoche's The Oral Transmission that Gladdens the Hearts of the Dharma Kings: Prayer for the Spread of the Nyingma Teachings.
- Annotations to Zurchungpa's Testament. See Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Zurchungpa's Testament: A Commentary On Zurchung Sherab Trakpa's Eighty Chapters Of Personal Advice (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2007).
- Essential Advice on the Crucial Points of the Practice
- A Necklace of Jewels. Published in Zurchungpa's Testament: A Commentary On Zurchung Sherab Trakpa's Eighty Chapters Of Personal Advice (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2007).
- A commentary on the Tukdrup Barché Künsel: Divine Flower: A Guide to the First Level of Practice of "Accomplishing the Guru's Mind: Dispeller of All Obstacles" (Wyl. thugs sgrub bar chad kun sel gyi rim pa dang po'i khrid kyi zin bris lha rdzas me tog). Published in English in A Practice of Padmasambhava: Essential Instructions on the Path to Awakening by Shechen Gyaltsap IV and Rinchen Dargye, (Ithaca, Snow Lion Publications, 2011).
- Words of the Vidyādharas, A Commentary on the Vajrakīlaya: Utterly Secret Razor (rdo rje phur pa yang gsang spu gri'i rnam bshad rig pa 'dzin pa'i zhal lung) (72 pages)
- English translation: The Concise Quintessential Commentary On The Sādhana The Utterly Secret Razor Knife Vajrakīlaya, translator unknown.
- Pleasure Grove of the Wish-Fulfilling Two Accomplishments: A Commentary on the Profound Essence of the Hearing Lineage, the Combined Practice of Yangdak and Vajrakīlaya (snyan brgyud yang phur sgrag ma zab tig gi rnam bshad grub gnyis 'dod 'jo'i dga' tshal) (138 pages)
- A Chariot to Freedom: Guidance from the Great Masters on the Vajrayana Preliminary Practices, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group (Boulder: Shambhala, 2022)
- The Illuminating Jewel Mirror, a general guidebook for kyerim practitioners of any particular yidam deity. Published in: Kunkyen Tenpe Nyima and Shechen Gyaltsap IV, Vajra Wisdom—Deity Practice in Tibetan Buddhism (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2012)
Further Reading
- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, མཁས་ཤིང་དངོས་གྲུབ་བརྙེས་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེའི་རིག་པ་འཛིན་དབང་འགྱུར་མེད་པདྨ་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་དཔལ་བཟང་པོ་སློབ་བརྒྱུད་དང་བཅས་པའི་རྣམ་ཐར་ཉུང་ངུར་བརྗོད་པ་ངོ་མཚར་ཟླ་བ་བདུད་རྩིའི་འཛུམ་ཕྲེང་, mkhas shing dngos grub brnyes pa'i rdo rje'i rig pa 'dzin dbang 'gyur med pad+ma rnam rgyal dpal bzang po slob brgyud dang bcas pa'i rnam thar nyung ngur brjod pa ngo mtshar zla ba bdud rtsi'i 'dzum phreng
- མཁས་ཤིང་དངོས་གྲུབ་བརྙེས་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེའི་རིག་པ་འཛིན་དབང་འགྱུར་མེད་པདྨ་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་དཔལ་བཟང་པོ་སློབ་བརྒྱུད་དང་བཅས་པའི་རྣམ་ཐར་ཉུང་ངུར་བརྗོད་པ་ངོ་མཚར་ཟླ་བ་བདུད་རྩིའི་འཛུམ་ཕྲེང་
- Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage (Junction City: Padma Publications, 2005), pages 426-428.
- Shechen Gyaltsap IV and Rinchen Dargye, A Practice of Padmasambhava: Essential Instructions on the Path to Awakening (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2011).
- Life of Shechen Gyaltsab Rinpoche by Alak Zenkar Rinpoche


text: Visit Wacom at The Societies of Photographers 2019 Convention - a gathering of who's who in the photographic industry, showing the latest in technology and design. Listen to Wacom Ambassador Tigz Rice share her tips on retouching and getting the best out of your Wacom device. Get FREE trade show registration when you use the code Wacom19. Novotel London West, Hammersmith 17th - 19th January 2019.


text:
HL7 Terminology (THO)
6.0.0 - Continuous Process Integration (ci build)
HL7 Terminology (THO), published by HL7 International - Vocabulary Work Group. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 6.0.0 built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/HL7/UTG/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions
Active as of 2021-03-10 |


text:
I love this pumpkin soup.
The soup is so creamy and very easy to whip up. The pumpkin mixed with heavy whipping cream, ginger and cinnamon is a perfect flavor combination.
My favorite way to serve this gem is with lots of fresh ground pepper on top.
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Author: Mom on the Make
Recipe type: Soup
- 2 cups chopped onion
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
- 2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin puree
- 2 t sea salt
- ½ t ground cinnamon
- ½ t ground ginger
- ¼ t ground pepper
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- Saute onion in butter in a medium saucepan until tender.
- Add cans of chicken broth and , pumpkin, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground pepper, stir well.
- Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heate, and simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Stir in whipping cream and heat through.
- Do not boil.
- Ladle into individual soup bowls.
Enjoy. This is a keeper, for sure.


text:
In the lore of Diablo-3 you can see that the heroes have a specific background, with own lore and reason to enter this journey to kill evil, get revenge, etc.
those are.
- The female Demon Hunter.
The female Demon Hunter in Diablo III fled from her village as a child during a demonic invasion. She was the only survivor. After days, she was found by a Demon Hunter and was taken in as a member. Since every Demon Hunter has a story like this, it is possible that the background for the male character will be similar.
- The female Wizard.
This 19 year old female wizard was sent to the Zann Esu mage clan, but later handed over to the powerful Vizjerei since she was a "rude and uncooperative student," that the smaller mage clan could not control. They hoped the harsh discipline at Vizjerei "would break her anarchic spirit." Yet even the Vizjerei instructors were unable to rein her in. She was continually being caught seeking out dangerous and forbidden magics without care for herself or anyone around her.
- The male Monk.
The monk serves the Elder Monks of the monastery, who seek to destroy evil in all forms. He thinks of himself as the weapon of the gods against all that is evil. He is a peaceful, patient and good man who aids those who suffer, with no hatred against anyone, in contrast to the Barbarian. He is adept in Martial Arts, being able to defeat multiple foes without the aid of weapons.
- The male Barbarian.
This is actually the same individual from Diablo 2. He's aged twenty years, and he's got a personality in this game. Look at his gear; his [[armor]] has points on which he could impale himself. It's extra protection for the harsh environment, but it's also dangerous to him. The day to day life characters lead in this world is very hard.
- The male Witch Doctor.
The fearsome Witch Doctor of the umbaru is believed to be a legend by many, but Abd al-Hazir has seen them with his own eyes, documented in the thirteenth entry of his writings.
The second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe. Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, of which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has traveled west to Tristram.
But in no place (neither game or web) I found the real names of those amazing heroes. Did I miss some lore in-game where they talk about it? or you must be nameless to fight against the evil?


text:
LESLIE: Well, sizzling summer days make the shady areas of your yard especially inviting. But those are also really hard areas to landscape.
TOM: Well, the solution might be to create a shade garden, an area for growing plants and shrubs that are shade-tolerant and do well in little sunlight. Here to tell us more about shade gardens is a guy who always has the sunshine on him: it's Roger Cook, from TV's This Old House.
Hey, Roger.
ROGER: Hey, Tom. I heard you were a little shady.
TOM: Sometimes. Well, certainly when it comes to my landscape skills and that's why we like to have you here.
Landscaping for those shady places is difficult because we tend to want to choose one plant and put it everywhere, regardless of sun, but that's a big mistake.
ROGER: There's really no one plant that can exist in all the different conditions because you have sun; you have light shade; you have deep shade; moist, deep shade; you have light, dry shade. So, you know, you've got to pick the right plant for the right spot.
LESLIE: And that's really tough because how do you define shadiness? Is it by the amount of sunlight it gets? Is there a certain duration of sunlight that we say, "OK, this qualifies as this type of plant."
ROGER: Right. You have to look at it whether it's early-in-the-morning sunshine or late-in-the-day sunshine. Obviously, late in the day, it's not as strong as the morning, so there's a little bit of shade there. Light shade could be caused by a tree. Deep shade is usually caused by a building or some side of a building.
LESLIE: An immovable object.
ROGER: There you go. That you're not going to change. I mean you can cut down the tree and change light shade into full sun but certain areas you can't change.
TOM: Roger, it seems that people will tend to tolerate their natural shade gardens, where they get some growth but it's never quite right. You don't really have to put up with that, though, do you?
ROGER: No. A plant that's in the wrong environment – a plant that likes some sun and put in a shade – it will grow, it'll exist but it won't thrive. That's the biggest thing. It doesn't get beautiful, it doesn't get better. But if you take it out and put it in the sun, it'll become what it's supposed to be. Shade gardens really need plants that like shade.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. And I think that's important. We had a similar situation in our shady area of the garden that had a rhododendron, which sometimes do OK in a not-so-sunny area. But this one just had a clump of giant leaves on the end and a very bare branch. I knew it was wrong. I just felt terribly guilty about getting rid of it or moving it or …
ROGER: Well, we've had – come into the same problem a lot. But what I do, good Yankee that I am and not to feel guilty, is I usually transplant it to a sunny part of the property. And you'll come back two or three years later and all of a sudden look and go, "Oh, my God, that was that little skinny, scrawny thing that was out front. Look at it now. It's beautiful."
TOM: Right.
ROGER: It's amazing what they'll do in the right spot.
TOM: That's right. Get the right plant in the right place and Mother Nature does the rest.
ROGER: That's all it is. Mother Nature at her best.
LESLIE: And I think when it comes to a shade garden, to me green is the most beautiful color in a yard. And when you have a shade garden, you're dealing with such a variety of greens and depths of greens and tones that it really is one of my most favorite areas to landscape, if it's done successfully.
ROGER: Right. And a lot of times, shady areas are grown more for the texture and the color of the plants than they are for the flower they have. But you can use ferns, you can use hostas.
LESLIE: Which are so beautiful.
ROGER: You can get hostas from miniatures that are 6 inches tall or they're some that are 4 or 5 feet across with beautiful, big, blue leaves.
LESLIE: And they flower.
ROGER: And they flower. So if you get it right, prep the soil and give them the right amount of water. You can have a beautiful shade garden and it's easy to maintain.
LESLIE: And I think the financial benefit, let's say, of a shade garden is that most of those are perennials.
ROGER: Yes.
LESLIE: So you're getting those back year after year.
ROGER: I would say that 99 percent of the plants you use in a shade garden will be perennials.
LESLIE: Now, I did see an interesting spread in a magazine about moss as a ground cover.
ROGER: Yep.
LESLIE: And I think that's such a great solution because you try – and mostly unsuccessfully – at trying to have a lawn in these areas, correct?
ROGER: Right. And that's one of the indicators of a lawn in shade is when it starts getting mossy. Mother Nature is telling you what to use there; we just don't pick up on the tip.
TOM: So in an area like that, moss actually might make the most sense.
ROGER: It would be easy to do. But there are actually nurseries that will sell moss. You can order pieces of moss. And it's nothing like mixed in – again, like you talked about, Leslie – different textures and colors together and watching it spread and adding some rocks, which the moss will climb on and look absolutely naturally beautiful.
TOM: Now, is planting a shade garden any different than planting another landscape? Anything special about it that you need to keep in mind?
ROGER: The type of soil for what you're going to have. Most shade areas are moist areas so that the material – you want to hold water; you want to have a lot of water there for these plants.
TOM: So does it actually end up using less water, though, in terms on a rewatering basis?
ROGER: Once they're established, they don't need any more. They take their key from nature.
TOM: Another big benefit.
Roger Cook, the landscape contractor on TV's This Old House, thanks for stopping by The Money Pit and teaching us how to build a beautiful shade garden.
ROGER: Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
LESLIE: Alright. Catch the current season of This Old House and Ask This Old House on PBS. For local listings and step-by-step videos of many common home improvement projects, visit ThisOldHouse.com.
ROGER: And This Old House and Ask This Old House are brought to you by GMC. GMC, we are professional grade.


text:
Tailored bike frame protection for Husqvarna – Sublimistick Integral
10% discount on the Sublimistick Integral Frame + Fork pack!
For your new Husqvarna bike, we have developed a tailored frame proctection will ensure longevity and brightness to your bike. Our Integral frame protectors are available for Husqvarna mountain bikes.
Our pre-cut kits are completely custom made to fit the shape and size of your bike. All patches cover up to 95% of the frame surface. Patches are made to protect all sensitive areas of the frame. Our kits are designed with a spacing of 3 to 5 mm between each patch. The advantages of the Sublimistick Integral kit :
- protects from scratches related to the practice (projections, shuttles, bike rack, chairlift etc…).
- protects from small stone impacts.
- keeps the frame looking good all year round.
- a bike without scratches sells better.
The Sublimistick Integral kit is composed of all the useful accessories for a perfect installation:
- instructions and tips for installation.
- a Microfiber.
- a flexible squeegee to remove water.
- 0.5ml of Slicy Shampoo solution to facilitate the application.
Characteristics of our Sublimistick protective film :
- High quality polyurethane film.
- thickness: 160 microns.
- Anti-uv treatment.
- does not yellow.
- self-healing properties.
- non-adherent (mud sticks less easily).
ATTENTION : some frames with a paint containing asperities or of the granular type (anodized) will not be able to be protected with an optimal rendering, without traces! The result will be ideal on frames with smooth, glossy or matte paint.
Additional information
Weight | 0,37 kg |
Model | MOUNTAIN CROSS CARBON, MOUNTAIN CROSS ALLOY, HARD CROSS ALLOY |
Year | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2018 – 2021, 2020 – 2021, 2019 – 2020, 2019 – 2021, 2023 |
Size | S, S/M, M, M/L, L, XL, XXL, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, L/XL, R3, 16", 18" |
Finish | Glossy, Matte |
The installation of a Sublimistick Integral protection kit requires calm and thoroughness. If you are not sure of your skills, we invite you to contact your nearest Slicy dealer for a perfect set-up. Find our dealers HERE
Preparation :
– Make sure you are in a clean and warm, indoor space (17°C to 27°C).
– Clean and degrease your bike paying close attention to every little detail.
– Remove inconvenient components or old decals to facilitate the installation.
– Ensure the bike has been allowed to dry for some hours.
– Fill the spray bottle with our install shampoo. Add 0.5ml for 0.5L of warm water.
– Thoroughly wash your hands.
Installation :
– Identify Sublimistick sections using the bike diagram.
– Select pieces in number order (starting with No.1)
– Spray water to your fingers.
– Peel the section of Sublimistick off and spray water immediately on the sticky side.
– Spray water on the frame's location.
– Apply the wet Sublimistick section to the frame. Center and line up the piece according to the diagram.
– Repositionining is possible if the Sublimistick section is still wet.
To move, peel back, add further water to the frame and Sublimistick section then re-apply in correct location.
– Use the Slicy squeegee to remove water and air. Start at the centre of the Sublimistick section and pull the water and air to the outside.
– Use the microfiber to collect any excess water.
– Wait few minutes and use your fingers to check if all edges are firmly pressed down.
– For a perfect finish, use the hair dryer to dry the Sublimistick sections. Do not overheat.
– Repeat these steps for each section of Sublimistick.
– Kits are designed with a 3mm gap between Sublimistick sections.
– Let your bike dry in a warm workspace for 24h.
– Do not ride or wash your bike for 24h.
Removal :
– Use a hair dryer to heat the adhesive.
– Peel back a corner and remove remove the section very slowly.
Disclaimers :
– Slicy is not responisble for any damage caused to your bike during installation or removal of the Sublimistick Integral Kit.
– If you have any problems or issues with your Sublimistick Integral Kit, please contact a member of our team at: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Request a Tailored Protection Kit
Haven't found the right kit for your bike? Don't panic, we'll take care of you!
Every week our team works hard to add new bikes to our kit catalogue. If we have not yet had the opportunity to create the right kit for your bike, we invite you to make your request by filling out the form below.
As you can imagine, we will not be able to develop all kits for all bikes. We will select those that will be useful for the maximum number of riders. New collections will be favoured as well as sizes M and L.
To develop a kit, our team needs to have the bike in their hands. Thank to our local Slicy dealers that allow us to have access to these bikes in order to develop the templates. It's also possible to receive you in our workshop, accompanied by your bike, if you live near Annecy, France.
Delivery time
Custom kit orders are processed every morning.
Each kit is sent to production within one day of the order.
Shipping is organized the next day or the day after.
Delivery time is 2 to 5 days for available references.
Some references noted in "pre-order" are delivered within 15 days.


text:
John Pilger
A recent poll asked people in Britain how many Iraqis had been killed as a result of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The answers they gave were shocking.
A majority said that fewer than 10,000 had been killed. Scientific studies report that up to a million Iraqi men, women and children died in an inferno lit by the British government and its ally in Washington. That's the equivalent of the genocide in Rwanda. And the carnage goes on. Relentlessly.
What this reveals is how we in Britain have been misled by those whose job is to keep the record straight. The American writer and academic Edward Herman calls this 'normalising the unthinkable'. He describes two types of victims in the world of news: 'worthy victims' and 'unworthy victims'. 'Worthy victims' are those who suffer at the hands of our enemies: the likes of Assad, Qadaffi, Saddam Hussein. 'Worthy victims' qualify for what we call 'humanitarian intervention'.
'Unworthy victims' are those who get in the way of our punitive might and that of the 'good dictators' we employ. Saddam Hussein was once a 'good dictator' but he got uppity and disobedient and was relegated to 'bad dictator'.
In Indonesia, General Suharto was a 'good dictator', regardless of his slaughter of perhaps a million people, aided by the governments of Britain and America. He also wiped out a third of the population of East Timor with the help of British fighter aircraft and British machine guns. Suharto was even welcomed to London by the Queen and when he died peacefully in his bed, he was lauded as enlightened, a moderniser, one of us. Unlike Saddam Hussein, he never got uppity.
When I travelled in Iraq in the 1990s, the two principal Moslem groups, the Shia and Sunni, had their differences but they lived side by side, even intermarried and regarded themselves with pride as Iraqis. There was no Al Qaida, there were no jihadists. We blew all that to bits in 2003 with 'shock and awe'. And today Sunni and Shia are fighting each other right across the Middle East.
This mass murder is being funded by the regime in Saudi Arabia which beheads people and discriminates against women. Most of the 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia. In 2010, Wikileaks released a cable sent to US embassies by the Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. She wrote this: "Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support for Al Qaeda, the Taliban, al Nusra and other terrorist groups… worldwide". And yet the Saudis are our valued allies. They're good dictators. The British royals visit them often. We sell them all the weapons they want.
I use the first person 'we' and 'our' in line with newsreaders and commentators who often say 'we', preferring not to distinguish between the criminal power of our governments and us, the public. We are all assumed to be part of a consensus: Tory and Labour, Obama's White House too. When Nelson Mandela died, the BBC went straight to David Cameron, then to Obama. Cameron who went to South Africa during Mandela's 25th year of imprisonment on a trip that was tantamount to support for the apartheid regime, and Obama who recently shed a tear in Mandela's cell on Robben Island – he who presides over the cages of Guantanamo.
What were they really mourning about Mandela? Clearly not his extraordinary will to resist an oppressive system whose depravity the US and British governments backed year after year. Rather they were grateful for the crucial role Mandela had played in quelling an uprising in black South Africa against the injustice of white political and economic power. This was surely the only reason he was released. Today the same ruthless economic power is apartheid in another form, making South Africa the most unequal society on earth. Some call this "reconciliation".
We all live in an information age – or so we tell each other as we caress our smart phones like rosary beads, heads down, checking, monitoring, tweeting. We're wired; we're on message; and the dominant theme of the message is ourselves. Identity is the zeitgeist. A lifetime ago in 'Brave New World', Aldous Huxley predicted this as the ultimate means of social control because it was voluntary, addictive and shrouded in illusions of personal freedom. Perhaps the truth is that we live not in an information age but a media age. Like the memory of Mandela, the media's wondrous technology has been hijacked. From the BBC to CNN, the echo chamber is vast.
In his acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, Harold Pinter spoke about a "manipulation of power worldwide, while masquerading as a force for universal good, a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis." But, said Pinter, "it never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn't happening. It didn't matter. It was of no interest."
Pinter was referring to the systematic crimes of the United States and to an undeclared censorship by omission – that is, leaving out crucial information that might help us make sense of the world.
Today liberal democracy is being replaced by a system in which people are accountable to a corporate state – not the other way round as it should be. In Britain, the parliamentary parties are devoted to the same doctrine of care for the rich and struggle for the poor. This denial of real democracy is an historic shift. It's why the courage of Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange is such a threat to the powerful and unaccountable. And it's an object lesson for those of us who are meant to keep the record straight. The great reporter Claud Cockburn put it well: "Never believe anything until it's officially denied".
Imagine if the lies of governments had been properly challenged and exposed as they secretly prepared to invade Iraq – perhaps a million people would be alive today.
This is a transcript of John Pilger's contribution to a special edition of BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme, on 2 January 2014, guest-edited by the artist and musician Polly Harvey. You can listen to the above transcript here
Source: johnpilger.com
If you agree, we'd like to use some tracking cookies to help us understand how the site is being used and work to improve user experience
See our privacy policy for more information.


text:
The new year brings new loyalty program devaluations, with the latest being IHG, followed by… IHG. I think Hiltonization is an apt description, as it seems the goal is to create a reward currency with a more or less consistent value regardless of where it's redeemed. Obviously, that's bad news for value maximizers like us, though it's probably good news for the accounting and finance teams at IHG.
I was curious about just how many devaluations there have been over the years, so I did a little digging:
- 2017: Similar proportions to this year, with another 500 hotels seeing an increase.
- 2016: Surprisingly, this one was split 50/50… but they added the 55K and 60K tiers.
- 2015: Apparently this was a sneaky devaluation: 300 went up, 150 went down.
- 2014: 100 went down and none (!) went up! Although that may be because…
- 2013: IHG (formerly known as Priority Club) introduced its nine new categories (10K to 50K points per night). Previously the award cost depended on the brand. Which brings us to…
- 2012: Each brand added new (higher) pricing tiers, and Intercontinental added a 50K tier, which seemed like a lot at the time.
- 2011: Apparently there was a stealth devaluation.
That's all I could find. But here's something interesting: Pointbreaks have been around at least since 2008, and they have been a consistent 5,000 points per night during that time. That's almost 10 years! They may even go back farther than that for all I know. Everybody knows that Pointbreaks aren't as good as they used to be, and that's been the case for years now. But it's interesting that Pointsbreaks remained steady for a decade despite yearly devaluations. In fact, given that IHG hadn't changed the price of Pointbreaks, they had to devalue the quality of the available hotels. And that, boys and girls, is why Pointbreaks aren't as good as they used to be.
(Note: I started this post in early January, but then went on vacation shortly thereafter and forgot about it. These are my actual words from before the changes: "Fiddling with Pointbreaks seems like an overdue idea for IHG. In fact, I'm going to make that a prediction for 2018: IHG will make one or more substantial changes to Pointbreaks. They'll raise the cost from 5K to 10K or they'll add new tiers or something like that. They'll market it as a way to increase the quality and variety of hotels, and in fact it actually would do that, but it will ultimately make the awesome 5K deals far and few between." That prediction would have been ridiculously timely had I actually finished my post. Lesson learned: don't procrastinate.)
Something else has remained steady for a long time: the fact that IHG cardholders get a "free" night with their credit card good for any hotel. Now, they don't necessarily make a lot of inventory available for this "free" night, but in theory it's good anywhere and in practice it is indeed not too difficult to get good value for your $49/night annual fee… and that makes me think that this free night benefit is going to be devalued sooner rather than later. Either they'll put a category cap on it, as with Marriott and Hyatt, or they'll raise the annual fee. Or heck, maybe both.
The IHG credit card sometimes offers an 80,000-point bonus (and has even had a targeted 100,000-point bonus), and this card does not appear on Chase's feared 5/24 list. Which means that, in theory, it's churnable. The free night doesn't kick in until your second year, but since Chase limits you to one bonus every two years you could get the bonus, use the free night in year 2, cancel the card, and repeat. The question is, would you want to?
On the one hand you'll get 80,000 points, which are good for one luxury night with a few points left over, but then you also have a minimum spend, an extra credit pull and new account, and the possibility of Chase adding the card to the 5/24 list during a time when you don't have it. Obviously the 80,000 points can get you more than one night if you set your sights lower but while some gems remain even some of the mid- to lower-tier IHG hotels are getting expensive, points-wise. So I personally don't think churning it is worth the trouble, but that's just me. As always, YMMV, especially if they start messing with the annual fee and/or free night benefit.


text:
Before and After Galleries - Frank DePaola DDS
General & Cosmetic Dentist serving Hoboken, Jersey City & Hudson County areas of New Jersey
Copyright ©
Frank R. DePaola DDS & Associates, LLC. | Dental Website Designed, Developed, and Optimized by MyAdvice
Disclaimer: Dr. Frank DePaola practices in cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry in and around Hoboken and Newark, New Jersey. Services include Invisalign, TMJ, implants, and more. This website is meant for informational purposes only. Please contact our office if you have any questions or comments regarding these services.This website is not intended for viewing or usage by European Union citizens.