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Reykjavik Open Ends with a Whimper (or why Greg Shahade is Wrong, Again) |
By GM Ian Rogers | |
February 28, 2013 | |
Let's lay it on the line; short draws ruin tournaments and pre-arranged draws are a form of game-fixing. Exhibit A – the 2013 Reykjavik Open. The Reykjavik Open is one of the strongest and most innovative open tournaments in the world, played in the magnificent Harpa building – think a black Sydney Opera House with plenty of side-events plus, of course, the chance to see amazing Iceland. Not surprisingly a steady stream of US players make a February pilgrimage to Iceland – home to the famous 1972 world title match as well as Bobby Fischer's home for his final years (and his final resting place). The 2013 Reykjavik Open was bigger and stronger than ever, featuring 35 Grandmasters among the 227 players. The theme for the event was youth, with the three best juniors (U/20) in the world competing alongside each other for the first time. After nine eventful rounds, two of the top seeds, Ukrainian Pavel Eljanov and Webster University star Wesley So led the field by half a point and were due to meet in what should have been the game of the tournament. However, their final round game turned into a damp squib when the players agreed to a draw after only three moves and less than five minutes. 6676 However the spectators, both at the Harpa tournament hall and online felt ripped off. Bobby Fischer was probably turning in his grave. It could be argued that Eljanov, playing with the advantage of the white pieces, had the greater obligation to play hard, but in any case the biggest game of the tournament was over before some other players had arrived at their boards. In a recent piece for CLO, Greg Shahade wrote that "the onus on disincentivizing lifeless draws should be on organizers more than on players." He gave the example of players taking short draws to get title norms, deeming it acceptable. He did not touch on the fact that many of these short draws are pre-arranged. He did not draw a line at what level of temptation a player should give in to. Is a short draw OK to get a GM title but not an FM title? Is a short draw OK to guarantee a $5,000 prize but not a $100 prize? Shahade should never have resiled from his attitude expressed in an earlier article, namely "What would be much more impressive to me, and would be deserving of a lot more praise than making a norm, would be if one of these players needed a draw in the last round of a tournament to make a norm, yet refused a draw against a Grandmaster opponent." Perhaps he should have added the words "and lost" since no one is going to criticize a player who goes on to win such a game. In any case Shahade should not be indulging in ifs and buts – he says that short draws are wrong but then lists circumstances where he would understand why players do it. But as a teacher, one of his responsibilities is to teach moral fiber to his students. Or at least personal responsibility for their decisions. If the Polgar sisters can go to the White House to support the "Just Say No!" campaign, he can do the same in chess terms. In recent years a series of anti-draw rules have been introduced; from the complete banning of draw offers to the offers of financial incentives for those players who do not make short draws. Top players such as Boris Gelfand have argued that no-draw rules are unnecessary and demeaning, yet their arguments are constantly being undermined by colleagues such as Eljanov and So. One leading chess journalist was ropable after the Reykjavik finish and declared that neither So nor Eljanov should be invited back to the tournament – or other top tournaments - if they held the organizers and their fans in such contempt. Appeals that Eljanov and So were really nice guys cut no ice – players had to be taught that their actions which damage chess, even though perfectly legal, can have consequences. A boycott is unlikely to achieve much – except perhaps to encourage players to disguise their intentions a bit better. Shahade is right that, since there will always be the temptation for players to take draws to achieve titles or money, the scourge of the short draw is likely to persist and anti-draw measures, while unpopular, are probably necessary – but that is only true if players learn from Shahade that making short draws to achieve personal goals is acceptable. Rant over. Greg Shahade responds-ED. "I do not approve of prearranged draws under any circumstance. However if a draw results in a clear personal achievement that may further your career, I believe it is reasonable to play a normal chess game with that in mind…Even if there was an anti draw measure in place that Eljanov and So will draw the game. That is why I do not even think that a draw should be an acceptable result of a chess game." (see Extreme Chess series, where a draw required a replay with colors reversed.) Eljanov and So's draw did offer the chance for players in the group half a point behind the leaders to reach the tie for first but only lesser-known Egyptian GM Bassem Amin managed to make the leap, having defeated two higher-fancied players, Navara and Gajewski, in the last two rounds to join the leaders on 8/10. Amin was involved in a key fifth round game against Irina Krush which predestined the fortunes for both players. After saving this hopeless position, Amin made every post a winner, whereas Krush fell into the slough of despond and lost her next two games. Reykjavík Open 2013 White: I.Krush Black: B.Amin 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0–0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 f5 8.e3 b6 9.Bd3 Bb7 10.Ne2 Qh4 11.0–0 Rf6 12.d5 Nc5 13.g3 Qh5 14.Nf4 Qe8 15.Be2 a5 16.Bd2 a4 17.Rae1 Nba6 18.Bc3 Rh6 19.f3 Qe7 20.e4 e5 21.Nd3 fxe4 22.Nxe5 d6 23.Ng4 Rg6 24.f4 Nd7 25.f5 Rxg4 26.Bxg4 Nac5 Krush has comprehensively outplayed her opponent and has various slow ways to win, e.g. rounding up the e4 pawn. Instead, in serious time trouble, Krush decides to attack. 27.f6!? Nxf6 28.Be6+ Kh8 28...Nxe6 29.Bxf6 gxf6 30.Qxe4 is easy for White. 29.Rf5 Nd3 30.Ref1 The first slight misstep. 30.Rxe4! Nxe4 31.Rf7! would win the queen with only technical problems remaining. 30...Ne5 31.Rxe5 Consistent, but there was nothing wrong with 31.Bxe5 dxe5 32.Rxe5. 31...dxe5 32.Bxe5 Qc5+ 33.Qf2 e3 34.Qe2 Rf8 35.g4!? Played with only seconds left on the clock. 35.Bc3, threatening 36.Bb4, was strong. 35...Ba6 36.g5 36.Rf4 allows the combination 36...Nxd5! 37.Rxf8+ Qxf8 38.Bxd5 Qc5!, threatening ...Qxd5, when Krush would have to find the unlikely computer move 39.Qe1 to keep any advantage. 36...Ne4 37.Rxf8+ Qxf8 38.Qxe3 Bxc4 39.Qf4 Qxf4 40.Bxf4 c6! Now it is White who must sue for a draw. 41.Bf5 cxd5 42.Bxe4 dxe4 Draw Agreed (While on the subject of Amin, it is tempting to show his horrible second round upset loss; one of those days when you think you are playing like a genius until you find you have to resign.) 6678 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.0–0 d6 6.c3 e5 7.d3 Nge7 8.Be3 0–0 9.Nh4 Be6 10.Nd2 Qd7 11.f4 Rac8 12.Ndf3 h6 13.Qd2 Kh7 14.f5 A move that falls into the category of 'It seemed like a good idea at the time'. 14...gxf5 15.exf5 Nxf5 16.Nxf5 Bxf5 17.Nxe5 The beautiful follow-up, winning back the pawn with light-squared domination, thought Amin. 17...Nxe5 18.Rxf5 Qxf5 Oops! Too late Amin realises that his intended 19.Be4 fails to 19...Qxe4 20.dxe4 Nf3+. So the game ended... 19.Rf1 Qe6 0–1 Another US player struck down by misfortune was Adarsh Jayakumar. After five rounds Jayakumar was sitting on four points , having scored 2.5/3 against 3 GM opponents and looking like a certainty for an IM norm. Then he forgot that the sixth round was to be played at 1pm instead of the usual 4.30pm and this precipitated a 0.5/4 run with sent him down to mid-field. Jayakumar's best effort was his fine technical win against Ivan Sokolov – after the clever finish he could claim to be one of the few players to have won an ending with R+N v R+2Ps. 6679 By the end of the tournament, the top US performer was, Yaacov Norowitz. Norowitz defeated three GMs - including the formidable Yuri Kuzubov in the final round - on his way to a tie for fourth place and an IM norm. Norowitz's performance was particularly noteworthy given the way he started the tournament – like Amin, with a horrible loss in the second round. Reykjavík Open 2013 White: R.Bjerke Black: Y.Norowitz Position after White's 22nd move Black has a fine position and after 22...Nc4 could claim a safe edge. Instead Norowitz tried to build up the pressure with 22...Rc4? and ran into 23.Re5 Qc6 24.Rxa5! Perhaps Norowitz though that the zwichenzug 24...Rc2! rendered White's combination unsound, but when his opponent replied with 25.Rc5!! Norowitz, rated 300 points above his opponent, had no choice but to resign. 1–0 After this shock to the system Norowitz started to play some outstanding chess and with a little more luck could have gone for a GM norm. Some of his wins were impressive, but his near-misses perhaps even more so. Reykjavík Open 2013 White: Y.Norowitz Black: M.Dziuba Position after Black's 68th move After a fine long-term queen sacrifice, Norowitz, playing against a strong Polish Grandmaster, has been left with a winning endgame. Had he now played 69.g6+! Kg7 (69...Kf6 70..Nd7+) 70.Kg5, his opponent would have been forced to resign in short order. Instead Norowitz played the superficially attractive 69.h6? but after 69...Rb1! he found himself unable to win, the game concluding 70.Nd3 Kg6 71.Ne5+ Kh7 72.Kg3 Rb2 73.Kf3 Ra2 74.Nd7 Kg6 75.Ne5+ Kh7 76.Nd3 Kg6 77.Nc5 Kf5 78.g6 Kxg6 79.Nxe6 Rh2 80.Nc7 Rh3+ 81.Kf2 Rh5 82.Ke2 Kxh6 83.Kd3 Rf5 84.Kc3 Kh5 85.Kd3 Kg4 86.Ne6 Rh5 87.Nc7 Kf3 Draw The following day Norowitz again had great chances to beat a strong opponent. Reykjavík Open 2013 White: A.Hambleton Black: Y.Norowitz Position after White's 27th move Norowitz has sacrificed a piece for not much more than a couple of pawns and some long-term pressure and now continues his attack in an unexpected manner. 27...g5! 28.Nxe6 Rxe6 29.hxg5 Ng4+ 30.Kf1 Qg3 31.Re2? Hambleton cracks under the pressure. After 31.Nd1! Black can make an immediate draw via 31...Rxf3+ but he may not have better than this. 31...Rxf3+! 32.gxf3 Qxf3+ 33.Kg1 Nxe3 Despite his rook deficit, Black has a huge attack and Norowitz follows through with aplomb. 34.Qe1 d4! 35.Qf2 Qg4+ 36.Kh2 Qxg5 37.Rg1 37.Qg3 still leaves White in trouble after 37...Qf5! , threatening ...Rg6. 37...Qe5+ 38.Kh3 Rf6 39.Qg3 Qf5+ 40.Kh2 The dreaded 40th move. After 40...Ng4+ 41.Kh1 dxc3 White's position would be a wreck, since 42.Re8+ Kd7 offers no counter-attack. 41.Qxg6! Nf1+ 42.Rxf1 Qxg6 43.Ne4 Now White's pieces work well, Black's pawns are slow, and Norowitz must take care not to fall into trouble. 43...Qe6 44.Rf3 h4 45.Kg1 g5 46.Rf7 Kd8 47.Rxb7 Qg4+ 48.Kf1 h3 49.Nc5 Qf5+ 50.Kg1 Qg4+ 51.Kf1 Qf5+ 52.Kg1 Qg4+ 53.Kf1 Draw Author's disclaimer: During my playing career I made a modest number of short draws (though never prearranged). To the spectators I disappointed, I apologize. *** GM Ian Rogers is a frequent contributor to CLO and Chess Life Magazine. He will cover the May super-tournament in Norway (which features World #1 Carlsen and US #1 Nakamura) for both publications. See his Best of CLO award profile here. |


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Obama Jr. is clearly part East African.
Just look at him.
Obama Sr. was quite likely the only East African in Honolulu in November 1960.
Therefore, Barack Obama Jr. is the son of Barack Obama Sr.
More generally, try to notice the common denominator in the various Obama Origin rumors:
- He's a secret Muslim!
- His father was 7/8ths Arab!
- His real father was a member of the Communist Party USA!
- A white terrorist wrote his autobiography for him!
Notice a pattern?
We've reached a point in 2008 in when political correctness has so suffused the mental atmosphere that even people making up rumors are convinced that Obama's Secret doesn't have anything to do with him being half black. No, it's really about Muslims or Arabs or Communists or Weathermen, but it can't possibly have anything to do with (horrors!) race. We've all evolved so far beyond that trivial details like that!
But with Obama, it really is all about "a story of race and inheritance."
If anybody actually wants to understand who Obama really is read ... my ... book.
Here is an email from a reader who has read it.
Read your book all the way through this evening: can't sleep tonight ...as a result. Congratulations on its completion. I hope it will be purchased and referenced. I donated again. In return, I'll open up and rant a bit.
IMHO, although you address Rev. Wright in some detail, I still think you underestimate his influence on Sen. Obama's politics. I agree that the Senator is likely to be agnostic, wrapping the cloak of religiosity around himself only as needed to insulate himself against criticism of insincerity: he certainly doesn't appear to have the religious gene, either phenotypically or by judging his paternal or maternal DNA. He is too bright to take Islam, especially the Black Muslim stuff, seriously. However, his personal and political philosophy appear to be compatible with the teachings of Christianity: alms for the poor (at least certain groups of them), a rejection of materialism (at least for others; he also appears to be comfortable with the belief that some animals are more equal than others), and a need for a meaning and community based on a shared value system and unspecified higher good. Unfortunately for you and me, and as you point out, the main values in his system are being black and poor.
This is where the black liberation theology comes in. If you strip away the religiosity and view it as simply a political position - it is the appropriate function of the state to impose Christian virtues on the citizens of the state, whether it be alms (forcible redistribution of wealth), pacifism, a call for personal responsibility, health care as a natural right (as a physician I have somewhat different views on this), glorification of the poor and rejection of materialism (in the form of antipathy towards capitalism), all tending toward special privileges for Africans - it comes much closer to defining his political philosophy than Socialism.
He doesn't seem that interested in economics or proletariats: he is all about emotions. He wins converts like any evangelist, by first empathizing with, then amplifying, their frustrations and fears, then promising them salvation if they embrace his message, although this part could be as much from Alinsky as from Wright. The liberation theology part justifies the compulsion, by the force of the state, to serve their interests. From Trinity and Rev Wright then, and again as you and others point out, all he does is substitute more politically conventional and less inflammatory terms for the subjects and objects of the sermon: the structure of the argument, the rhetorical style, the romantic and religious promise of it all remain intact and create his Messianic image. So call it black liberation politics.
My points are that belief, or at least an acceptance of, black liberation theology as taught by Wright 1) explains his political positions quite well, better than a belief in Marxism, 2) explains just why he sat in that pew all of that time, and 3) is antithetical to a belief in the American idea of limited government as expressed in the Bill of Rights (as confirmed by his recently discovered radio comments).
All of the other people and needs in Sen. Obama's life come together in Wright as well: his father's blackness and will to power without the character flaws, his mother's rejection of traditional American ideals, his earlier and concurrent influences, his own need to be approved, his need to express himself, and his need to prove to himself (and Michelle) his blackness. Compare the power and rhythm of his current speeches, heavily influenced by Wright, with the plodding and complex prose style that you slogged through and that he still reverts to verbally when caught off guard. He really did rip off the Rev.: I almost feel sorry for the guy.
What this suggests about a President Barack Obama and his administration does not reassure me in the least. I hope your dispassionate take proves more correct than mine.
Or maybe he is just another crooked Chicago politician with an odd history. That fits the data pretty well, too.
I don't know either. But I do think it shames our Republic that a candidate can spend 20 months running for President without being seriously examined on his "deepest committments" just because they're all tangled up in his race.
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer

subset: commoncrawl


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How to Avoid Food Poisoning
In this article, you will find:
Symptoms of food poisoning and staphylococcus
How to Avoid Food Poisoning
We've all read reports about undercooked chicken and pork, mayonnaise and eggs left out in the sun too long, seafood that's gone from overripe to bad. What changes these foods from delicious delights to dangerous disasters? Bacteria, that's what.
Bacteria can cause food poisoning in three ways:
- Bacteria that you ingest (in undercooked chicken, for example) can infect the stomach lining.
- Bacteria can create toxins in certain foods (such as mayonnaise left outside), and you ingest the toxins.
- Bacteria that you ingest (in eggs, for example) can produce toxins after they reach the stomach.
The end result of all of these is nausea, vomiting, chills, and extreme discomfort.
When food is left out in the sun, when meats are not cooked through, or when fish spoils, they become breeding grounds for organisms from bacteria to parasites. As the table below shows, food gone bad is bacteria's heaven—and our poison hell.
Food Poisons at a Glance | ||
Type of Bacteria | Cause | Delay Time Before Illness |
Staphylococcus | Spoiled foods | A few hours |
Salmonella | Undercooked foods | Eight or more hours |
Botulinum | Badly canned foods | One or two days |
Before You Put the Band-Aid On
There are three less common food poisonings that can pack a deadly wallop. These include:
Escherichia coli: the culprit behind an outbreak of flu-like symptoms and even death that resulted from eating undercooked fast food burgers.
Bacillus cereus: a contamination often associated with fried rice!
Vibrio parahaemocyticus: a poisoning that results from bad seafood, especially shellfish.
All three of these food poisonings require a trip to the emergency room or the family doctor. Side effects include nausea, chills, flu-like symptoms, and even death.
The following sections cover these three common types of bacteria in greater detail.
It might sound like a mouthful—and it is. The most common type of food poisoning is named from the bacteria that contaminates foods such as mayonnaise left out in the sun, cream or custards that are not fresh, soured milk, and unrefrigerated meats. Those foods provide prime growing ground for the staphylococcus bacteria.
Symptoms of this type of bacterial poisoning will occur almost immediately or within only a few hours. They include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and weakness.
The best treatment for staphylococcal poisoning is patience. The symptoms will usually clear up (and out) within a few hours. During that time, make sure the ill person is comfortable and near a bathroom. Do not give him or her any pills or medication, but you can give water if it's requested.


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Kay, SO. This is a really exciting post. Remember Brittany and Paul's super cute, ultra whimsical wedding we posted a while back? The one with the HUGE PAPER FLOWERS? Yes, of course you do.
Well, Brittany sent us over a tutorial! Hooray!!!! Now we can all cover our houses in huge paper flowers and we will be happy all the time.
Here's the scoop from Brittany:
"From the get-go, I wanted large paper flowers to create a Thumblina/Alice in Wonderland-ish effect for our garden reception. My amazing mom came up with the brilliant centerpieces by creating a pattern, which we then duplicated about 30 times for all the centerpieces, walkways, and stairs. The great thing about paper flowers is that we could create them with plenty of time before the wedding without worrying about the wilting. That said, by the wedding day we then had 30 huge paper poppies "growing" in our house and we were plenty ready to get them out! Making the flowers is easy as pie. You'll need a large surface to work on because these babies are quite large.
• 7 sheets of a single color for petals. Each sheet is a single petal. (We used Canson Colorline Art Papers 19″ x 25″ from the local art supply store. Go local!)
• 1 yellow or mustard color for stamen (middle of the flower)
• 1 black for center
• 3 sheets of different greens (We used pastel quality greens because the colors are better)
• Glue gun
• Pencil
• scissors
• 18″ ruler to create the folded petal texture
• (If making multiple flowers, I would suggest making a template of the petals and leaves in chipboard)
1. The base of the flower is 9" wide so you can start by marking the middle of the short end of the paper at the 9" mark and then marking 4½ inches out on either side.
2. Create the shape of the petal. You can either copy this picture and blow it up to the right size or create your own. (I drew it in marker here to so it would be clearer, but use pencil to be more inconspicuous.) It's roughly the shape of a light bulb or shell with lots of undulating waves (you don't want them to be too precise, they're flowers!) From the 9" mark on the short side of the paper draw a 5" line up the middle.
3. Cut the shapes out.
4. Create the texture for the petal. We kept it simple by simply folding the paper over the ruler from the widest rim to the center of the shortest side. Space them out about every 1-1 ½ inches. Remember not to be too precise. Then, turn the petal over and turn every other fold the opposite way like an accordian fold. It might look a little too much like a sea shell at this point, but don't worry, it gets better.
5. Overlap one of the 5" split sections by gluing one piece over the other, about 2-3". This will create a cupping shape with the petal. (I made mine with the glue coming out to make it more obvious.)
6. Repeat for each of the remaining 6 sheets.
7. Assemble the flower. Take three petals and glue one on top of the other so they are evenly spread around to form the center of the flower.
8. Evenly spread the remaining four petals around the center to create the outer petals.
9. Create the stamen by drawing a 16" circle from the yellow sheet of paper and cutting it out.
10. Create the center by drawing a 10" circle from the black sheet of paper and cutting it out. I found a 10" bowl to trace.
11. Cut 3" strips around the perimeter of the black center at every ½" mark or so.
12. Do the same to the yellow stamen, about 5" strips.
13. Slightly and gently use the edge of the closed scissors to curl the cut yellow strips of the yellow stamen and the black center, much like curling ribbon for a gift.
14. Glue the yellow stamen to the center.
15. Glue black center into the yellow stamen.
16. Make the leaves. Using the 25" as the width and the 19" as the height, fold the edge into the center. Do the same to the other side. This will create 2 leaves. Use the fold as the center of each leaf and draw a half a leaf shape.
17. Cut out the shape to reveal the full leaf. Do the same to the other side.
18. Glue two leaves together. Make as many leaves as you would like. I used 5 in a few shades of pastel and deep olive greens.
19. Group the leaves around the flower and glue together at the bottom. Voilá!"
Cute, no? And it seems like the kind of project that we could all tackle. Thanks so much for sharing Brittany! And thanks so much to your mom for coming up with the template.


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Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Course Delivery
Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
Semester Assessment | Report (2,500-3,000 words) | 50% |
Semester Assessment | Report / written presentation (equivalent to 2,500-3,000 words) | 50% |
Supplementary Assessment | Submission of supplementary coursework for failed course elements in line with the learning outcomes of the original assignments |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
* Critically examine the legal, regulatory and audit trends and context in which information governance and assurance currently operates.
* Identify and describe the range of laws, regulation and audit requirements currently affecting business information in the UK, European and international environment.
* Recognise and assess the potential difficulties faced by those responsible for information compliance, transparency and accountability.
- Distinguish the sector specific drivers and formulate methodologies for using the drivers to effect change within an organisation.
* Examine and debate the ethical challenges faced by information professionals in the modern organisation .
* Critically evaluate the role/contribution of control through legislation, regulation and audit to information governance and assurance.
Brief description
The information professional should be able to facilitate compliance, transparency and accountability of the organisation in terms of the information they create, manage and destroy.
This module examines the impact of legal, regulatory and audit frameworks on recordkeeping practices, the mechanisms open to organisations to ensure they comply with the relevant frameworks and the ethical code within which information professionals should operate.
- Trends in the global environment affecting the documentation of business evidence;
- Emphasis on access and privacy, intellectual property and environmental legislation;
- Effects of Sarbannes Oxley, HIPPA and e-discovery in the USA and recent rulings and developments;
- Basil 2 and European legislation;
- Differentiation between UK, European and International requirements and areas of convergence.
- Business legislation and general principles and auditing requirements in the UK;
- Sector specific requirements particularly in more heavily regulated industries and the need for a strong business ethics code;
- Methodologies for achieving compliance;
- Mechanisms for researching legal requirements;
- Use of legal drivers to effect change.
- Information access and use;
- Censorship and secrecy; public right to know; individual right to privacy;
- Research conduct; intellectual property and information technology.
Module Skills
Skills Type | Skills details |
Application of Number | |
Communication | Oral and written communication via tutorials and classroom discussion/online forums in VLE and assessed work |
Improving own Learning and Performance | Self management: students make their own selections relating to sector for specialisation/directed study through exercises in certain units and assessed work. |
Information Technology | Students are expected to utilise the VLE, and other technical systems during practical sessions. Coursework requires the application of IT in its presentation. |
Personal Development and Career planning | Career needs awareness encouraged and assessed through the group project exercise and report |
Problem solving | Exercises which seek to identify the needs of the organisation and how best these might be met under different operational conditions |
Research skills | Analysis of sets of resources and their application to a research problem |
Subject Specific Skills | Professional skills development in embedding legal, regulatory and best practice compliance in recordkeeping design . |
Team work | Group activities are integral to the teaching of this module, and to classroom exercises. |
This module is at CQFW Level 7


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American chestnut trees were once among the most majestic hardwood trees in the eastern deciduous forests, many reaching 80 to 120 feet in height and eight feet or more in diameter.
The "then boundless chestnut woods" Thoreau wrote about in Walden once grew throughout the Appalachian mountains. They provided habitat and a mast crop for wildlife, a nutritious nut crop for humans and a source of valuable timber. Because of their rapid growth rate and rot-resistant wood, they also have significant potential for carbon sequestration, important in these days of climate change.
The species has a sad story to tell. Of the estimated four billion American chestnut trees that once grew from Maine to Georgia, only a remnant survive today.
The species was nearly wiped out by chestnut blight, a devastating disease caused by the exotic fungal pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica. This fungus was accidentally introduced into the United States over a century ago as people began to import Asian species of chestnut. It reduced the American chestnut from the dominant canopy species in the eastern forests to little more than a rareshrub.
After battling the blight for more than a century, researchers are using the modern tools of breeding, bio-control methods that rely on a virus that inhibits the growth of the infecting fungus, and direct genetic modification to return the American chestnut to its keystone position in our forests.
To restore this beloved tree, we will need every tool available. It's taken 26 years of research involving a team of more than 100 university scientists and students here at the not-for-profit American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project, but we've finally developed a nonpatented, blight-resistant American chestnut tree.
One genetic tweak
My research partner, Dr. Chuck Maynard, and I work with a team at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) that includes high school
students, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, colleagues from other institutions and volunteers. Our efforts focus on direct genetic modification, or genetic engineering, as a way to bring back the American chestnut.
We've tested more than 30 genes from different plant species that could potentially enhance blight resistance. To date, a gene from bread wheat has proven most effective at protecting the tree from the fungus-caused blight.
This wheat gene produces an enzyme called oxalate oxidase (OxO), which detoxifies the oxalate that the fungus uses to form deadly cankers on the stems. This common defense enzyme is found in all grain crops as well as in bananas, strawberries, peanuts and other familiar foods consumed daily by billions of humans and animals, and it's unrelated to gluten proteins.
We've added the OxO gene (and a marker gene to help us ensure the resistance-enhancing gene is present) to the chestnut genome, which contains around 40,000 other genes. This is a minuscule alteration compared to the products of many traditional breeding methods. Consider the techniques of species hybridization, in which tens of thousands of genes are added, and mutational breeding, in which unknown mutations are induced. Genetic engineering allows us to produce a blight-resistant American chestnut that's genetically over 99.999 percent identical to wild-type American chestnuts.
Gene transfers happen all the time
For some, this raises a question: isn't moving genes between species unnatural? In short: no. Such movement has been essential to the evolution of all species. Researchers are discovering that horizontal (between-species) gene transfer happens in nature and even in our own bodies. In fact, the same organism (Agrobacterium) that we use to move blight-resistance genes into chestnuts has also permanently modified other plants in the wild. For example, all the sweet potato varieties on the market today were genetically engineered by this bacterium around 8,000 years ago.
There is another logical question: what about unintended consequences? Of course undefined questions are impossible to answer, but logically the method producing the smallest changes to the plant should have the fewest unintended consequences. We have not observed nontarget transgene effects – that is, changes that we didn't intend – on our trees or on other organisms that interact with our trees, for example with beneficial fungi.
And at any rate, unintended consequences aren't constrained to the genetics lab. Chestnut growers have seen unintended consequences resulting from their hybrid breeding of chestnuts. One example is the internal kernel breakdown (IKB) seen in chestnut hybridization, caused by crossing a male sterile European/Japanese hybrid ("Colossal") with Chinese chestnut. By mixing tens of thousands of genes with unknown interactions through traditional breeding, occasionally you get incompatible combinations or induced mutations that can lead to unintended outcomes like IKB or male sterility.
One of the key advantages of genetic engineering is that it's far less disruptive to the original chestnut genome – and thus to its ecologically important characteristics. The trees remain more true to form with less chance of unforeseen and unwanted side effects. Once these genes are inserted, they become a normal part of the tree's genome and are inherited just like any other gene. They have no more chance of moving to other species than do any of the approximately 40,000 genes already in chestnut.
Next steps for the blight-resistant American chestnut
One of the challenges of genetic engineering that is not faced by any other methods of genetic modification also serves as a safeguard. We must shepherd these trees through federal regulatory review by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. Our plan is to submit these applications as we finish collecting the necessary data; we expect the process to take three to five years. Once we receive (anticipated) approval, we will quickly make the trees available to the public.
This project is unique because it is the first to seek approval of a transgenic plant to help save a species and restore a forest's ecology. Our forests face many challenges today from exotic pests and pathogens such as Emerald Ash Borer, Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Sudden Oak Death, Dutch Elm Disease, and many more. The American chestnut can serve as a model system for protecting our forest's health.
Direct genetic modification will likely not be used in isolation. Integration might improve the outcomes of both the conventional hybrid/backcross breeding program of the American Chestnut Foundation and our genetic engineering program. Allowing crosses between the best trees from both programs will allow gene stacking – having multiple and diverse resistance genes in a single tree – with each working in a different way to stop the blight. This would significantly decrease the chances that the blight could ever overcome the resistance. The two programs working together would also allow the addition of resistance genes for other important pests, such as Phytophthora, which causes a serious root rot in the southern part of the chestnut range. And combining methods increases the chances that the resistance will be long-lasting and reliable, which is very important for a tree that in good health can live for centuries.
A unique aspect of the genetically engineered American chestnut trees is their ability to rescue the genetic diversity in the small surviving population of American chestnut trees. When we cross our blight-resistant transgenic trees to these surviving "mother" trees, directly in the wild or from nuts gathered from them and grown in orchards, we're helping preserve the remaining wild genes.
Half the resulting offspring will be fully blight-resistant, while also containing half the genes from the mother tree. By making these crosses, the restoration trees will be ecologically adapted to the diverse environments in which they'll grow. These trees could also be used to boost the genetic diversity of the hybrid/backcross breeding program, or used directly for restoration and left to fend for themselves, allowing natural selection to make the final determination of the effectiveness of our efforts.
The American chestnut was one of the most important hardwood tree species in the eastern forests of North America, and it can be again. This tiny change in the genome will hopefully be a huge step toward putting the American chestnut on a path to recovery.
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I'm an ethnomusicologist. Not everyone knows this word, so if you're introduced to me at a party, or if you strike up a conversation with me on an airplane, I'll probably tell you that I'm a "music professor" or a "music historian."
Videography refers to the process of capturing moving images on electronic media(e.g., videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage) and even streaming media. The term includes methods of video production and post-production. It could be considered the video equivalent of cinematography (moving images recorded on film stock). The advent of digital video recording in the late 20th century blurred the distinction between videography and cinematography, as in both methods the intermittent mechanism became the same. Nowadays, any video work outside commercial motion picture production could be called videography.
Music is essential to many of our lives. We listen to it when waking up, while in transit, at work, and with our friends. For many, music is like a constant companion. It can bring us joy and motivate us, accompany us through difficult times, and alleviate our worries.
Music is much more than mere entertainment. It has been a feature of every known human society—anthropologists and sociologists have yet to find a single culture throughout the course of human history that has not had music. In fact, many evolutionary psychologists today make the argument that music predated language. Primitive tribes and religious practices have used music to reach enlightened states for thousands of years, and Pythagoras used music to heal different psychological and physical ailments. Currently, cutting-edge scientific research has shown the effect that music has on the brain, the individual, and society.
Not only does music reach us on intellectual, social, and emotional levels, but many describe it as spiritual or mystical. The use of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic devices in music can induce a psychological state in both the musicians and the listener that is beyond words to describe.
Even though we are constantly exposed music in our daily lives, we rarely stop to actually think about what it is. After all, what exactly is music?
Fundamentally, music is a combination of sounds, and sound is vibration. One of the most succinct definitions of music comes from the Italian composer Ferruccio Busoni, who said that, "Music is sonorous air." It's extraordinary to think that a simple vibration unseen by the human eye can facilitate a deeply rich emotional experience, alter perception and consciousness, and induce ecstatic states of being. What is the process by which these sonic vibratory frequencies are heard by the listener, creating a profound psychological experience for them? How does something as fleeting as "sonorous air" have such a healing and therapeutic effect on people? And how does it facilitate personal growth?
In this series, titled "The Power of Music," we will explore these questions in detail by reporting on the latest cutting edge research on music, interviewing musicians, scientists, therapists, and spiritual leaders about their work with music, and digging up ancient texts and musical practices.
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22 July 2014
Oso disaster had its roots in earlier landslides
Posted by abranscombe
By Vince Stricherz
The disastrous March 22 landslide that killed 43 people in the rural Washington state community of Oso involved the "remobilization" of a 2006 landslide on the same hillside, a new federally sponsored geological study concludes.
The research indicates the landslide, the deadliest in U.S. history, happened in two major stages. The first stage remobilized the 2006 slide, including part of an adjacent forested slope from an ancient slide, and was made up largely or entirely of deposits from previous landslides. The first stage ultimately moved more than six-tenths of a mile across the north fork of the Stillaguamish River and caused nearly all the destruction in the Steelhead Haven neighborhood.
The second stage started several minutes later and consisted of ancient landslide and glacial deposits. That material moved into the space vacated by the first stage and moved rapidly until it reached the trailing edge of the first stage, the study found.
The report, released Tuesday on the four-month anniversary of the slide, details an investigation by a team from the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association, or GEER. The scientists and engineers determined that intense rainfall in the three weeks before the slide likely was a major issue, but factors such as altered groundwater migration, weakened soil consistency because of previous landslides and changes in hillside stresses played key roles.
Joseph Wartman, a University of Washington, Seattle, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and a team leader for the study said the team plans to present the work described in the report at the 2014 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco in mid December. In June, at AGU's 2014 Science Policy Conference, Wartman presented a poster on preliminary results from the report and discussed those results with reporters.
The GEER extreme events group is funded by the National Science Foundation, and its goal is to collect perishable data immediately in the wake of extreme events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, landslides or floods. Recent events for which reports have been filed include earthquakes in New Zealand and Haiti, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and Hurricane Sandy on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard in 2012.
"Perhaps the most striking finding is that, while the Oso landslide was a rare geologic occurrence, it was not extraordinary," Wartman said.
"We observed several other older but very similar long-runout landslides in the surrounding Stillaguamish River Valley. This tells us these may be prevalent in this setting over long time frames. Even the apparent trigger of the event – several weeks of intense rainfall – was not truly exceptional for the region," Wartman said.
Team co-leader Jeffrey Keaton, a principal engineering geologist with AMEC Americas, an engineering consultant and project management company, said another important finding is that spring of 2014 was not a big time for landslides in Northwest Washington.
"The Oso landslide was the only major one that occurred in Snohomish County or the Seattle area this spring," Keaton said.
Other team members are Scott Anderson of the Federal Highway Administration, Jean Benoit of the University of New Hampshire, John deLaChapelle of Golder Associates Inc., Robert Gilbert of the University of Texas and David Montgomery of the University of Washington.
The team was formed and approved within days of the landslide, but it began work at the site about eight weeks later, after search and recovery activities were largely completed. The researchers documented conditions and collected data that could be lost over time. Their report is based largely on data collected during a four-day study of the entire landslide area in late May. It focuses on data and observations directly from the site, but also considers information such as local geologic and climate conditions and eyewitness accounts.
The researchers reviewed evidence for a number of large landslides in the Stillaguamish Valley around Oso during the previous 6,000 years, many of them strongly resembling the site of the 2014 slide. There is solid evidence, for example, of a slide just west of this year's slide that also ran out across the valley. In addition, they reviewed published maps showing the entire valley bottom in the Oso area is made up of old landslide deposits or areas where such deposits have been reworked by the river and left on the flood plain.
The team estimated that large landslides such as the March event have happened in the same area as often as every 400 years (based on 15 mapped large landslides) to every 1,500 years (based on carbon dating of what appears to be the oldest of four generations of large slides) during the last six millennia.
The researchers found that the size of the landslide area grew slowly starting in the 1930s until 2006, when it increased dramatically. That was followed by this year's catastrophically larger slide.
Studies in previous decades indicated a high landslide risk for the Oso area, the researchers found, but they noted that it does not appear there was any publicly communicated understanding that debris from a landslide could run as far across the valley as it did in March. In addition to the fatalities, that event seriously injured at least 10 people and caused damage estimated at more than $50 million.
"For me, the most important finding is that we must think about landslides in the context of 'risk' rather than 'hazard,'" Wartman said. "While these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a subtle but important difference. Landslide hazard, which was well known in the region, tells us the likelihood that a landslide will occur, whereas landslide risk tells us something far more important – the likelihood that human losses will occur as a result of a landslide.
"From a policy perspective, I think it is very important that we begin to assess and clearly communicate the risks from landslides," he said.
Other study conclusions include:
- That past landslides and associated debris deposited by water should be carefully investigated when mapping areas for zoning purposes.
- That the influence of precipitation on destabilizing a slope should consider both cumulative amounts and short-duration intensities in assessing the likelihood of initial or renewed slope movement.
- That methods to identify and delineate potential landslide runout zones need to be revisited and re-evaluated.
For more information, contact Wartman at 206-685-4806 or [email protected], or Keaton at 323-889-5316 or [email protected].
Note: The report is available at www.geerassociation.org
Guest blogger Vince Stricherz writes about sciences for the Office of News and Information of the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle. He edits the university's UW Today news site, where this post also appears.


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See Inside Jason Aldean's Spectacular Real Estate Holdings [Pictures]
Jason Aldean may be the modern-day king of country music real estate. The country superstar has owned some incredibly lavish properties over the years, including a custom-built house that's one of the largest country stars' homes, coming in at 20,000 square feet or more.
Aldean and his wife, Brittany, built their massive mega-mansion and moved into it in June of 2020. The jaw-dropping estate in a rural area outside of Nashville boasts every conceivable amenity, including complete suites for the couple's son Memphis and daughter Navy, an oversized restaurant-quality kitchen, a mother-in-law suite with its own kitchen and living space, a man cave, a complete bowling alley, a virtual golf driving range and more. The stunning pool area looks like it should be part of a high-end resort, and Brittany also has a two-story closet that's home to an impressive shoe collection, as well as an in-home spa. The total price tag for the massive luxury residence has not been made public.
The couple also purchased a 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 4,452-square-foot beach house in Santa Rosa, Fla. for $4.1 million in 2020, not long after listing their luxurious beach mansion on St. George Island in Florida for sale. They asked $2.95 million for the 7-bedroom, 8 1/2 bathroom, 6,983-square-foot vacation home, which sold for $2.375 million in September of 2020.
Aldean previously owned a 4,000-square-foot rural estate on 1,400 acres southwest of Nashville, which he listed for sale for $4.6 million in 2017, and he and his wife also sold their previous family residence, a one-of-a-kind rural castle, for $7 million in 2019.
Scroll thorugh the pictures below to see inside Aldean's astonishing Nashville-area estate, and keep scrolling to see inside the rest of his extraordinary real estate holdings.
See Pictures of Jason Aldean's Amazing New Mansion:


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Combined Church Service
Join us every Sunday at 10:30 for our combined service where we worship with a mix of hymns and contemporary music then listen to the Word from Rev. Christina Shaver. We also offer a Live Stream service every Sunday as well. You can find it at our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/spumc1955
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Yes, we have channel partners located throughout India, including Durgapur, for your refurbished laptop needs.
If you are located outside of Durgapur and are looking for a second-hand laptop, we can provide on-site service through our network of channel partners.
At LaptopEx, we provide transparent information about our refurbished laptops, and all laptops pass through multiple tests before reaching you.
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We ensure that laptops are delivered within a minimum of three working days, including Durgapur.
We provide free delivery of laptops in Durgapur, and there are no additional charges for the same.
No, we strongly discourage the use of pirated software on laptops. At Laptopex, we provide genuine lifetime Windows software with every laptop purchase, so you can rest assured knowing your system is secure and legal.


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Like last year, students in third through eleventh grades will keep their Chromebooks over summer vacation.
If your child's Chromebook needs to be repaired at any time this summer, please bring it to the South Park High School office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. Chromebooks will be repaired throughout the summer by the South Park School District technology staff. You will receive a call when your child's Chromebook is available to be picked up. Chromebooks dropped off after August 2 are not guaranteed to be repaired by the first day.
Information about Chromebook insurance for the 2018-2019 school year will be shared with families later this summer.


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Use of stereoscopic microscope, the appearance of components for 360 ° all-round observation. The focus of observation status include product packaging; chip type, date, batch; printing and packaging state; pin arrangement, coplanar with the plating of the case and so on. Visual inspection can quickly understand the requirement to meet the external requirements of the original brand manufacturers, anti-static and moisture standards, and whether used or refurbished.
This is not a counterfeit detection method as oxidation occurs naturally; however, it is a significant issue for functionality and is particularly prevalent in hot, humid climates such as Southeast Asia and the southern states in North America. The joint standard J-STD-002 defines the test methods and accept/reject criteria for thru-hole, surface mount, and BGA devices. For non-BGA surface mount devices, the dip-and-look is employed and the "ceramic plate test" for BGA devices has recently been incorporate into our suite of services. Devices that are delivered in inappropriate packaging, acceptable packaging but are over one year old, or display contamination on the pins are recommended for solderability testing.
X-ray inspection, the traversal of the components within the 360 ° all-round observation, to determine the internal structure of components under test and package connection status, you can see a large number of samples under test are the same, or a mixture (Mixed-Up ) the problems arise; in addition they have with the specifications (Datasheet) each other than to understand the correctness of the sample under test. Connection status of the test package, to learn about the chip and package connectivity between pins is normal, to exclude the key and open-wire short-circuited.
Through the official datasheet, design test projects, develop testing boards, build test platforms, write test programs, then test various functions of the IC. Through professional and accurate chip function test, it is possible to identify whether the IC function is up to standard. The types of IC currently testable include: logic devices, analog devices, high-frequency ICs, power ICs, various amplifiers, and power management ICs. The package covers DIP, SOP, SSOP, BGA, SOT, TO-220, QFN, QFP, etc. We use programming equipment which support the detection of 47,000 IC models from 208 manufacturers. Offers include: EPROM, parallel and serial EEPROM, FPGA, configuration serial PROM, flash, BPROM, NOVRAM, SPLD, CPLD, EPLD, microcontroller, MCU and standard logic device detection.


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It's certainly no secret that Facebook is one of the most powerful marketing and social media tools of the modern digital era. Just about every major brand has a presence on Facebook and most do an outstanding job of actively listening and engaging as they build their communities and "likes" so their messages can resonate with an increasing pool of customers.
A lot of brands are obsessed with achieving a high ranking through Facebook's EdgeRank algorithm to govern what is displayed (and how high) on someone's newsfeed and with good reason. Today's consumer factors peer review, image, and transparency into their buying decisions more than ever before so remaining front and center within a person's newsfeed is priority #1. This, most of us have already figured out. Continue reading


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Malindi Beaded Dog Collar
Kenyan Collection
. Pretty Pink, Handsome Blue, Brown and Black Beading set on a beautiful Leather Dog Collar. Customers tell us these are the highest quality and most unique beaded collars they have ever seen! The beading is done by Maasai "mamas" working in their home area. By meeting with their designer weekly to receive materials, the artisans can earn a living while maintaining their rural and more traditional lifestyle. Averaging one collar per day, the mamas create these original, one-of-a-kind designs. Beads are hand sewn in leather, then an overlay of leather is glued and stitched on the back. Buckles are solid, hand-cast brass.
We ask that you measure your pets neck and order based on the exact measurement. We try hard to fit your pet using the middle hole on the collar as the beading shows up best when it is centered. Our lengths reflect the measurement from the end of the leather at the buckle to the center hole.
8" neck-girth x 1/2" width
10" neck-girth x 1/2" width
10" neck-girth x 3/4" width
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12" neck-girth x 2" width* please allow 4-6 weeks
14" neck-girth x 3/4" width
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The Kenyan Collection markets and sells a collection of fine handmade dog collars and dog leashes straight from Kenya, Africa.
Currently Kenyan Collection is working with 1 group and 2 families who produce products such as beaded leather work (leather dog collars, leather dog leashes), hand carved birds and bird mobiles and wooden bowls. Our goal is to demonstrate that products made in Africa can compete in the global marketplace, while at the same time creating employment for the artisans, in the hope that they will have an investment in, and an opportunity to change, their own future and the future of their children. "We have seen clearly where hope and opportunity exists in one part of the world it can impact peace and stability across the globe." The company generates income for over 200 Kenyans who otherwise might earn as little as $1,500 a year. Joan Schultz, the owner, was living in Kenya when a group of Maasai herded 13 of their precious cattle to the US Embassy in Nairobi to express their condolences to the families affected by the events of September 11.
"The gift of the cattle, which are so precious to the Maasai, was a way to say how wrong that event was and how sorry they were for our losses. It made me realize that we all have 'gifts' to share and we do what we can to make a difference to help each other in spite of our own constraints." What we are doing is not charity or a hand-out, but just as the Maasai and many other Kenyans extended their hand in sympathy and concern in their own way, we are reciprocating in our way by providing guidance and presenting their talents to a demanding market.
Why is The Kenyan Collection NOT a non-profit? Because the Kenyans felt that setting up as a non-profit would suggest donations are required or desired to sustain this operation and suggest customers would need to manage expectations in terms of quality of products. These are both assumptions the Kenyans specifically wanted to challenge….and they have. We don't want your donation, we want your business which we will earn by ensuring every customer is satisfied with the product purchased with their hard earned money. While there are many who have tried to duplicate some of the work and designs of our artisans, in terms of creativity, consistency and quality we are sure you will agree there is no comparison.
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The CARES Act Key Components
Recovery Rebates
- Provides all U.S. residents with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less $1,200 for singles and heads of households ($2,400 for married couples filing joints returns).
- The rebate is phased out by $5 for every $100 over $75,000 that an individual receives, and phased-out completely for incomes exceeding $99,000 (single), $146,000 (head of household with one child) or $198,000 (joint with no children).
- Those with children are eligible to receive an additional $500 per child.
- Those with no income, or income that comes from non-taxable benefits such as SSI, are still eligible for the rebate.
- Checks will be sent to the address or bank account used on 2018 or 2019 tax returns. No action will be required for most eligible recipients
Unemployment Compensation
- Expands eligibility to include self-employed individuals and independent contractors.
- Expands eligibility to 39 weeks (through the end of 2020).
- Increases the maximum amount available by $600 per week.
- Allows for individuals who quit their jobs due to coronavirus related concerns to be eligible for unemployment assistance.
Required Minimum Distributions
- RMDs for 2020 are waived completely for IRAs and DC plans. They do not need to be made up next year.
- We are waiting for IRS guidance related to putting distributions already taken back. It was allowed in 2009.
Plan Withdrawals
- Waives the 10% penalty tax on early withdrawals up to $100,000 for coronavirus related hardship distributions.
- Exempts coronavirus related distributions from the 402(f) notice requirements and mandatory 20% withholding applicable to eligible rollover distributions.
- Permits the individual to recontribute the coronavirus related distribution within three years.
- Coronavirus related distributions are distributions made during 2020 to an individual who is diagnosed with COVID-19, who has a spouse or dependent diagnosed with COVID-19 or who experiences financial consequences as a result of COVID-19.
Paycheck Protection Program
- A new, $349 billion lending program administered by the SBA for small businesses, nonprofits, independent contractors, sole proprietors and self-employed individuals
- Loans are fully guaranteed and 250% of an average monthly payroll from Feb. 15 – June 30, 2019. There is a $10 million cap on loans.
- Eligible uses include employee compensation, compensation of an independent contractor or sole proprietor no greater than $100,000 in one year, rent or utility payments or a mortgage interest payment.
Employee Retention Credit
- A refundable payroll tax credit equal to 50% of employee wages paid by certain employers during the coronavirus crisis, up to $10,000 in wages.
- Employers are eligible for the tax credit if their operations were affected by government order limiting commerce, travel or group meetings due to coronavirus or whose quarterly receipts are less than 50% for the same quarter in the prior year.
- Wages paid to employees during which they are furloughed or have reduced hours are eligible.
- Businesses receiving a loan through PPP are not eligible
Delay of Payment of Employment Payroll Taxes
- Employers and self-employed individuals can defer the payment of their portion of social security tax
- The taxes must be paid over the following two years, with half due before December 31, 2021 and the other half by December 31, 2021.
- Businesses receiving a loan through PPP are not eligible for this deferral
Excess Business Losses
- Pass through corporations and sole proprietors are able to deduct more business losses on their taxes, freeing up cash for immediate expenses.
- The cap, first imposed in the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, will be effective after December 31, 2020.
This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax or legal advice. We suggest that you discuss your specific situation with a qualified tax or legal advisor. This material was prepared by LPL Financial. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. To the extent you are receiving investment advice from a separately registered independent investment advisor that is not an LPL Financial affiliate, please note LPL Financial makes no representation with respect to such entity.
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Short-Term Medical Insurance - Temporary Coverage
Outside of the individual market's annual open enrollment period a short-term health insurance policy might be your best option, especially without a qualifying event. Short-term plans generally provide the most comprehensive coverage available outside of open enrollment.
Short-term policies have been around for some time. They are a good option for people who are between jobs or waiting for a new employer's coverage to become effective. Unlike regular individual major medical plans, short-term health insurance policies are not regulated by the Affordable Care Act and their sale is not limited to open enrollment windows.
When does a short-term policy makes a lot of sense?
If you experience a qualifying event that triggers a special enrollment period, you'll need to apply for an ACA-compliant policy (on or off-exchange) during your special open enrollment period, which lasts for 60 days in most cases. If you opt for a short-term policy instead, you won't have the option to switch to an ACA-compliant plan after your open enrollment period ends. But, if you miss open enrollment and haven't experiences a qualifying event, a short-term policy will provide you with up to six months of coverage in most states.
Short-term plans are typically offered with a selection of premiums, deductibles and benefit maximums. The policies are considerably less expensive than ACA-compliant major medical plans, so you may find that you can afford to purchase a plan with a low deductible and a high-benefit maximum. Plus, healthy applicants can secure immediate individual and family coverage, with plans that can start almost immediately.
The policies also cover a range of physician services, surgery, outpatient and inpatient care. In addition, policy holders can often choose their own doctor and hospital without restrictions, though there may be financial incentives for using in-network providers.
What short-term health insurance won't cover
Short-term major medical plans may be a great fit for healthy folks who just need temporary coverage, but the plans weren't designed to cover everything, and they do not provide coverage for all of the ACA's essential benefits.
They typically won't cover your routine office visits, maternity, mental health or preventative care – and they won't cover preexisting conditions. They also still use medical underwriting, which means that applicants with serious pre-existing conditions may not be able to get short-term coverage. Be sure to check the list of exclusions on any policy.
Give me a call to find out if short-term health insurance is option for you.


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The flavours in my beer bread caramelized onion grilled cheese sandwich reminded me a lot of the flavours in Welsh rarebit. Welsh rarebit is a melted cheddar cheese sauce that commonly contains ale, Worcestershire sauce and mustard and it is served warm over toast. After thinking about Welsh rarebit, I just had to make some using the beer bread for even more beer flavour! I have tried a few recipes and so far this modification of Alton Brown's Welsh rarebit recipe is my favourite. It starts out by making a simple roux with butter and flour and then Worcestershire sauce and mustard are added for the flavours. The roux is then turned into a bechamel sauce by mixing in ale and cream instead of milk and finally the cheddar cheese is melted in. The cheese sauce is then poured over the toast and it can be served just like that but I prefer to take one extra step and broil it until the cheese sauce gets all bubbly and golden brown.
Welsh Rarebit
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (a vegetarian one for vegetarian)
- cayenne pepper to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup stout or porter beer (such as Guinness)
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
- 4 slices bread (toasted) – use beer bread for even more beer flavour
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes while continuously stirring.
- Mix in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, salt and pepper.
- Mix in the beer followed by the cream.
- Mix in the cheese and let it melt mixing until the sauce is smooth.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the toast and broil until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.


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Friday, August 10, 2007
It's the Only Way to Breathe
It turned out Darwin decided to pelt me with a wooden train, landing squarely on the center of my nose.
So, yeah, it bled a little and I popped an assload of motrin and stuck an ice pack on my face and ate 20 bazillion popsicles and I figured everything would just be okay.
Well, this morning it was hurting more so I just ate more pain reliever like it was gluten-free candy and just tried to get on with my day. Sure, my nose is shiny and red but, hey! It's summer!
Then this afternoon I realized I was breathing through my mouth. I can't breathe through my nose. My nose and sinuses are really read and swollen. Then I decided to email Michelle and be all woe is me and my nose hurts and she was all duh, doncha think you need to see the doctor? and I was all huh, didn't think of that.
So, of course it's too late in the day to get an appointment (slackass) and the doctor recommended I go to the emergency room. And I'm thinking, uh, no thanks, I'll go to urgent care in the morning and save fifty bucks because, you know, I still have priorities.
Like keeping the children from stealing my ice pack. Priorities.
15 comments:
- Angeleen said...
I never did trust Thomas, or any of those other bulgy-eyed freaks! I knew they were up to no good...plotting and scheming back in the dark recesses of the shed. And Sir Tophan Hat? He's their evil and corrupt Puppet Master... only releasing them from their confines to do his sinister bidding.
I think you'll find *THIS* "Very Useful" you top-hatted, fat bastard!
Sorry your boy bonked your nose with the sharp, wooden projectile.
Your eyebrows are really nice, though, so you've got that going for you. AND, your FACE is cold now, too! You know... cause the heat is kicking your ass...? Cold... Good...
I hope the swelling goes down real soon. - Friday, August 10, 2007
go to Sunflower urgent care (shawnee mission branch) at Nall & JoDrive tonight - they're open until 9 and it's always quiet as a mouse.
super nice and cute doc there too who wears birks and will flirt wicha.
come on, get over there. it's just west of Johnson on Nall. - Friday, August 10, 2007
- Green Butterfly said...
you're funny! I may be sneeking a read every now and then. :)
- Friday, August 10, 2007
- peggy said...
Peas have always been my choice for an ice pack. Even though my kids are grown, I still keep a bag in the freezer. Sorry about your nose.
- Friday, August 10, 2007
Holy crap! He needs to learn to use his powers for good, and not evil. (We can point out to him the people who really need a noseful of train next time.)
- Friday, August 10, 2007
- Heidijayhawk said...
what a little turkey!! parker did somehting like that once and you just look at them wondering what could have possibly possessed them to DO something like that! see you sunday rudolph!
- Friday, August 10, 2007
- LJ said...
nice ice pack!
- Saturday, August 11, 2007
This might be a really dumbass question, but is it BROKEN????
- Saturday, August 11, 2007
- patrice said...
The little darling. - Saturday, August 11, 2007
- Berber said...
You are the Queen of bad luck!!
I hope your nose isn't broken... good luck! - Saturday, August 11, 2007
Oh, honey! Go to the doctor!
- Saturday, August 11, 2007
- lera said...
oh no!!!!!!!
i hope it's not broken. what? are you going for a broken bone every summer? you know aaron is getting ready to go away. you can't be sick or injured. it's not allowed. - Saturday, August 11, 2007
- Ali said...
If he did break your nose you'll be able to hold it over him all his adult life.
Come push my wheelchair, you nose breaking toerag!
And hey, urgent care just might have really good air conditioning. - Saturday, August 11, 2007
- Chickenbells said...
damn. I've never been hit by a train...it is obvious that the boy should not be a conductor in the future!
- Saturday, August 11, 2007
of course it had to be one of those lead paint laden Thomas the Tank engine ones too...once the nose pain dies down, the lead poisoning will set in...lol
- Monday, August 20, 2007


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Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 17, 2014. In the latter half of 2013 and early 2014, the United States Government undertook a broad-ranging and unprecedented review of our signals intelligence programs, led by the White House with relevant Departments and Agencies across the Government. In addition to our own intensive work, the review process drew on input from key stakeholders, including Congress, the tech community, civil society, foreign partners, the Review Group on Intelligence and Communication Technologies, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, and others. The Administration's review examined how, in light of new and changing technologies, we can use our intelligence capabilities in a way that optimally protects our national security while supporting our foreign policy, respecting privacy and civil liberties, maintaining the public trust, and reducing the risk of unauthorized disclosures. On January 17, 2014, the President delivered a speech at the Department of Justice to announce the outcomes of this review process.
In that speech, the President made clear that the men and women of the U.S. intelligence community, including the NSA, consistently follow those protocols designed to protect the privacy of ordinary people and are not abusing authorities. When mistakes have been made, they have corrected those mistakes. But for our intelligence community to be effective over the long haul, we must maintain the trust of the American people, and people around the world. To that end, the Administration has developed a path forward that we believe should give the American people greater confidence that their rights are being protected, while preserving important tools that keep us safe, and that addresses significant questions that have been raised overseas. Today the President announced the Administration's adoption of a series of concrete and substantial reforms that the Administration will adopt administratively or seek to codify with Congress, to include a majority of the recommendations made by the Review Group.
New Presidential Policy Directive
Today, President Obama issued a new presidential policy directive for our signals intelligence activities, at home and abroad. This directive lays out new principles that govern how we conduct signals intelligence collection, and strengthen how we provide executive branch oversight of our signals intelligence activities. It will ensure that we take into account our security requirements, but also our alliances; our trade and investment relationships, including the concerns of our companies; and our commitment to privacy and basic liberties. And we will review decisions about intelligence priorities and sensitive targets on an annual basis, so that our actions are regularly scrutinized by the President's senior national security team.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)
Since the review began, we've declassified over 40 opinions and orders of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which provides judicial review of some of our most sensitive intelligence activities – including the Section 702 program targeting foreign individuals overseas and the Section 215 telephone metadata program. Going forward, the President directed the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Attorney General, to annually review – for the purpose of declassification – any future opinions of the Court with broad privacy implications, and to report to the President and Congress on these efforts. To ensure that the Court hears a broader range of privacy perspectives, the President called on Congress to authorize the establishment of a panel of advocates from outside the government to provide an independent voice in significant cases before the Court.
Section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
Section 702 is a valuable program that allows the government to intercept the communications of foreign targets overseas who have information that's important to our national security. The President believes that we can do more to ensure that the civil liberties of U.S. persons are not compromised in this program. To address incidental collection of communications between Americans and foreign citizens, the President has asked the Attorney General and DNI to initiate reforms that place additional restrictions on the government's ability to retain, search, and use in criminal cases, communications between Americans and foreign citizens incidentally collected under Section 702.
Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act
Under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act the government collects meta-data related to telephone calls in bulk. We believe this is a capability that we must preserve, and would note that the Review Group turned up no indication that the program had been intentionally abused. But, we believe we must do more to give people confidence. For this reason, the President ordered a transition that will end the Section 215 bulk metadata program as it currently exists, and establish a program that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding the data.
This transition has two steps. Effective immediately, we will only pursue phone calls that are two steps removed from a number associated with a terrorist organization instead of three. The President has directed the Attorney General to work with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court so that during this transition period, the database can be queried only after a judicial finding, or in a true emergency. On the broader question, the President has instructed the intelligence community and the Attorney General to use this transition period to develop options for a new program that can match the capabilities and fill the gaps that the Section 215 program was designed to address without the government holding this meta-data, and report back to him with options for alternative approaches before the program comes up for reauthorization on March 28. At the same time, the President will consult with the relevant committees in Congress to seek their views, and then seek congressional authorization for the new program as needed.
National Security Letters
In investigating threats, the FBI relies on the use of National Security Letters (NSLs), which can be used to require companies to provide certain types of information to the government without disclosing the orders to the subject of the investigation. In order to be more transparent in how the government uses this authority, the President directed the Attorney General to amend how we use NSLs to ensure that non-disclosure is not indefinite, and will terminate within a fixed time unless the government demonstrates a need for further secrecy.
We will also enable communications providers to make public more information than ever before about the orders they have received to provide data to the government. These companies have made clear that they want to be more transparent about the FISA, NSL and law enforcement requests that they receive from the government. The Administration agrees that these concerns are important, and is in discussions with the providers about ways in which additional information could be made public.
Increasing Confidence Overseas
U.S. global leadership demands that we balance our security requirements against our need to maintain trust and cooperation among people and leaders around the world. For that reason, the new presidential guidance lays out principles that govern what we do abroad, and clarifies what we don't do. The United States only uses signals intelligence for legitimate national security purposes, and not for the purpose of indiscriminately reviewing the e-mails or phone calls of ordinary people.
What we don't do: The United States does not collect intelligence to suppress criticism or dissent. We do not collect intelligence to disadvantage people based on their ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. And we do not collect intelligence to provide a competitive advantage to U.S. companies, or U.S. commercial sectors.
What we will do: In terms of our bulk collection, we will only use data to meet specific security requirements: counter-intelligence; counter-terrorism; counter-proliferation; cyber-security; force protection for our troops and allies; and combating transnational crime, including sanctions evasion.
The President has also decided that we will take the unprecedented step of extending certain protections that we have for the American people to people overseas. He has directed the Attorney General and DNI to develop these safeguards, which will limit the duration that we can hold personal information, while also restricting the dissemination of this information.
People around the world – regardless of their nationality – should know that the United States is not spying on ordinary people who don't threaten our national security and takes their privacy concerns into account.
This applies to foreign leaders as well. Given the understandable attention that this issue has received, the President has made clear to the intelligence community that – unless there is a compelling national security purpose – we will not monitor the communications of heads of state and government of our close friends and allies. And he has instructed his national security team, as well as the intelligence community, to work with foreign counterparts to deepen our coordination and cooperation in ways that rebuild trust going forward.
While our intelligence agencies will continue to gather information about the intentions of governments – as opposed to ordinary citizens – around the world, in the same way that the intelligence services of every other nation do, we will not apologize because our services may be more effective. But heads of state and government with whom we work closely, on whose cooperation we depend, should feel confident that we are treating them as real partners. The changes the President ordered do just that.
International Engagement
To support our work, the President has directed changes to how our government is organized. The State Department will designate a senior officer to coordinate our diplomacy on issues related to technology and signals intelligence. The Administration will appoint a senior official at the White House to implement the new privacy safeguards that we have announced today. And the President has also asked his Counselor, John Podesta, to lead a review of big data and privacy. This group will consist of government officials who—along with the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—will reach out to privacy experts, technologists and business leaders, and look at how the challenges inherent in big data are being confronted by both the public and private sectors; whether we can forge international norms on how to manage this data; and how we can continue to promote the free flow of information in ways that are consistent with both privacy and security.
The President also announced that we will devote resources to centralize and improve the process we use to handle foreign requests for legal assistance, called the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) process. Under MLAT, foreign partners can request access to information stored in the United States pursuant to U.S. law. As the concentration of U.S.-based cloud storage providers has increased, so has the number of MLAT requests. To address this increase, we will speed up and centralize MLAT processing; we will implement new technology to increase the efficiency and transparency of the process; and we will increase our international outreach and training to help ensure that requests meet U.S. legal standards. We will put the necessary resources in place to reduce our response time by half by the end of 2015, and we will work aggressively to respond to legally sufficient requests in a matter of weeks. This change will ensure that our foreign partners can more effectively use information held in the U.S. to prosecute terrorists and other criminals, while still meeting the strict privacy protections put in place by U.S. law.
In addition to the initiatives that were announced by the President, the Administration's review affirmed our commitment to ongoing initiatives:
Consumer Privacy Codes of Conduct
Two years ago, the President released a Blueprint for Consumer Privacy in the Digital Age as a "dynamic model of how to offer strong privacy protection and enable ongoing innovation in new information technologies." Following the release of the Blueprint, the Administration has convened the private sector, privacy experts, and consumer advocates to develop voluntary codes of conduct to safeguard sensitive consumer data. Last summer a multi-stakeholder group completed the first such code on how mobile apps should access private information. The Department of Commerce is continuing this multi-stakeholder process, aiming to launch the development of new codes of conduct in 2014.
Commitment to an Open Internet
Maintaining an open, accessible Internet, including the ability to transmit data across borders freely is essential for global growth and development. We will redouble our commitment to promote the free-flow of information around the world through an inclusive approach to Internet governance and policymaking. Individuals in the 21st century depend on free and unfettered access to data flows without arbitrary government regulation. Businesses depend increasingly on agreed data-sharing regimes that allow information to move seamlessly across borders in support of global business operations. Developing countries and small businesses around the world in particular have a lot at stake, and much to lose from limitations restricting the Internet as an engine of prosperity and expression. Requirements to store data or locate hardware in a given location hurt competition, stifle innovation, and diminish economic growth. And they undermine the DNA of the Internet, which by design is a globally-distributed network of networks. We will continue to support the multi-stakeholder, inclusive approach to the Internet and work to strengthen and make more inclusive its policy-making, standards-setting, and governance organizations.
Source: whitehouse.gov


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Mumbai, September 19: Intelligent Enterprise Automation Company – Perpetuuiti Technosoft PTE and a leading provider of end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions- SoftwareONE, today announced a partnership to co-launch Perpetuuiti Hybrid Disaster Recovery Service. This new service will be available for their joint Microsoft Azure customers in India. The offering will help both enterprises and Small & Medium Business (SMB) customers to minimize recovery time, data loss, and associated downtime costs. To know more about this offering, customers can click the following link: https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/product/web-apps/perpetuuititechnosoftpvtltd1660644975596.perpetuuiti_continuity-patrol_saas-offer01.
Under the terms of the agreement:
– SoftwareONE India will exclusively distribute Perpetuuiti Hybrid DraaS to enterprises and SMBs with Azure cloud environment
– The Perpetuuiti Hybrid DraaS will be jointly launched by Perpetuuiti and SoftwareONE India
The increased variance of enterprise data storage environments has created a need for a disaster recovery solution that works across multiple computing environments, including on-premises, public cloud, and managed cloud. The Perpetuuiti Hybrid DRaaS solution will leverage SoftwareONE's distribution network to deliver cost savings, automation and self-service user experience to enterprises and SMBs in India. The service will help customers achieve system and application recovery SLAs and meet industry standards for security.
This first-of-its-kind partnership of Perpetuuiti's industry-leading Hybrid DraaS solution with SoftwareONE's world-class enterprise services will create a unique disaster recovery solution that will shield data and software assets when any disruptive events occur," said AbhayBagde, VP-Sales (Cloud Services), Perpetuuiti. "The collaboration will help our customers to protect their workloads irrespective of them running on traditional IT or hosted within Azure cloud environment. This new Hybrid DRaaS solution focuses on business continuity, failover and failback and will monitor the most widely used applications and databases in the market," he further added.
As part of the partnership, Perpetuuiti will provide the Hybrid DRaaS solution, while SoftwareONE will power the exclusive distribution network to enable the service for their joint Azure customers in India. Both organizations will together facilitate end-to-end services depending on the underlying disaster recovery facilities, infrastructure, and operations team. The Perpetuuiti Hybrid DRaaS solution will run on the Azure cloud environment and will support replication, recovery, and automated failover/failback of client IT infrastructure. It is equipped to support both traditional IT on-premises, managed cloud, private cloud as well as public cloud platforms.
"Hybrid DRaaS solution leveraging Azure cloud will provide a simplified experience for the customers and will give both companies a strong go-to-market advantage in this fast-growing market category", said Varun Paliwal, Federation Leader – India & Middle East, SoftwareONE India Pvt. Ltd. "The Hybrid DRaaS solution will support and address industry-specific client standards for disaster recovery, such as PCI in the retail industry or HIPAA in the healthcare industry," he further informed.
Founded in 2011, Perpetuuiti is focused on enabling digital transformation for organizations by creating innovative software products that transform the way businesses operate.
In 2013, PerpetuuitiTechnosoft PTE was the first among Asian technology firms to be funded by Intel Capital Ltd. Perpetuuiti's DR Automation suite – Continuity Patrol has been residing in 400+ datacenters and 3 Lacs+ VMs and Physical Servers. Also, Perpetuuiti conducts 7000+ DR Drills in a year for their clients, and these numbers keep on increasing.
SoftwareONE is a leading global provider of end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions, headquartered in Switzerland. With around 8,700 employees and sales and service delivery capabilities in 90 countries, SoftwareONE provides around 65,000 business customers with software and cloud solutions from over 7,500 publishers. SoftwareONE's shares (SWON) are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
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