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The journey embraces you with lovely colours, atmosphere, people and bits and pieces of history. And, there is no hassle anywhere in the way.
As harvest approaches, the traveller, especially in the irrigated tracts, rides through endless expanses of waving crops of different shades of colour, out of which the villages seem to rise like islets in an ocean of green. After the harvest all is changed: the dull brown of the fields is relieved by the trees, solitary or in groves and avenues, and by the hamlets and village ponds.
by S A J Shirazi
While travelling, off the National Highway, not only you travel in soot free and serene environment but you see more too. Riding my trusted old motorbike on Band Patri (not a thoroughfare) of Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC) from Sahiwal to Balloki Headworks, many new and interesting things come in the way, which normally remain hidden from commuters on the National Highway or travellers in the area.
The journey embraces you with lovely colours, atmosphere, people and bits and pieces of history. And, there is no hassle anywhere in the way.
Rich, ripe wheat harvest
As harvest approaches, the traveller, especially in the irrigated tracts, rides through endless expanses of waving crops of different shades of colour, out of which the villages seem to rise like islets in an ocean of green. After the harvest all is changed: the dull brown of the fields is relieved by the trees, solitary or in groves and avenues, and by the hamlets and village ponds.
I took the side route and got onto the LBDC from Sahiwal — the city famous for greenery and best breed of mammals. The first thing along the LBDC that attracted my attention was Mandi Maweshian (animal market) near Okara — one of the largest in the country.
It is a complete bazaar where a large number of fine quality animals changes hand every month. You can find makeshift hotels (with arrangements for night stay), veterinary doctors, milk and fodder shops and even provision stores. "It is a complete market that keeps moving from one place to another as per its permanent schedule," told me an astute manager, who establishes a hotel wherever the market goes.
Ripe sugarcane field en route my journey along the LBDC.
"We have beoparis (businessmen) from Karachi to Peshawar, local farmers as well as people working in the market as our customers," he added. Another shopkeeper informed, "Farmers sell their live stock here and buy provisions for their homes." The market has its own unique culture.
Near Renala, you see one of the first Hydroelectric Power Stations constructed in the Subcontinent. Sir Ganga Ram, an Engineer and famous Philanthropist had built this Power Station in 1925 in order to irrigate about 70,000 acres of agricultural land that is higher than the normal level in the area and could not be irrigated through the LBDC.
Ganga Ram forked the canal, built the Power Station and installed five motors to generate electricity. The then Governor Punjab, Sir William Malcolm Hailey laid down its foundation stone of the station on March 22, 1925.
Engineer in charge of the station Mr. Iqbal explained the working of the station and briefed about its excellent performance despite the old vintage. The Power Station is not linked with National Electric Grid and only provides electricity for the five pumping stations for lifting the water from the LBDC. The Power Station remained with Power and Works Department till 1958 when it was taken over by WAPDA. Why not more similar hydroelectric stations in the country? The question keeps coming back to my mind.
First sight of the Power Station reminded me of Venice City. The power house building seems to be floating on water. The canal is covered with trees up and down stream. There is a small white mosque inside the canal in front of the station building. Green areas adjoining the station are very restful.
Just about three Kilometres from Renala, you see a huge colonial era mansion standing tall in the fields. This used to be headquarters of the Renala Estate — the land leased by Major D. H. Venrenen in 1913 on the condition of horse breeding (ghori paal). The company had been producing very fine breed of horses in the past. Villa — a symbol of the past era — is still owned by the family of landlady T. F. L. Taylor.
That is the place from where my real 'hardship by choice' started. I was travelling on a rural route, seeing the path but not knowing what was coming next. Not knowing what one is going to see ahead is sometime inspiring. But, about 11 Kilometres from Power Station, rear tyre of my bike went flat.
There was no place in sight from where I could get it fixed. Advised by Chiragh Din, a local, I waited for the 'help' to come and we talked.
Chiragh Din, relaxed and amiable old man who was fishing asked about my destination, purpose of journey and why I was travelling on a bike. He did not seem convinced with my answers once I told him that I am travelling just to see the area. He was surprised instead. I enjoyed talking to him though. He was so candid and frank about every thing he said.
It pays to get out into the countryside and talk to ordinary people. They are eager to help — on their own expense — when you ask any body. I found volunteer 'guides' who were forth coming with wealth of information from history to myths prevalent in the area. But 'chaudhry map' is as vague in Punjab about the distances as is anywhere else in Pakistan. I learnt not to rely on chaudhry map during my days in the army but still cannot resist asking.
Where is village Thatta Ghulam? Ask any body when you are riding a motorbike with haversack and water bottle on your sides. The replies will always be same: nearby. Apart from seeing pure rural built heritage, I was surprised to find a Solar Energy Station working in village Thatta Ghulam that is without electric connection.
The ionic counter point is the lack of attention in maintaining the bits and pieces of unique heritage – the resource base of tourism industry. The neglect may be attributed to lack of awareness, education, coordination between authorities, economic constrains and or simply the natural hazards. The magnificent vistas of a land of plans, fields and orchards have to be opened to the rest of the world.
There is a need for information in the form of travel guide writing, pure travel journalism, travel book writing and geographical description in form of maps. No ordinary coldness of phrasing can express the surprise and delight, with which one makes acquaintance with the rural sites. Their perspective gives you a wonderful sense of being there. In fact, that is my recommendation: be there.
Mechanical and animal transport, plying on Pakistani highways and roads has almost equal right of the way. But, I was greatly pleased once a Tonga appeared on a track coming out of sugarcane and blooming mustard fields. A bit of usual haggling about the charges, and I loaded my bike on the back and rode a sturdy Tonga to reach Akhtarabad — the nearest place on National Highway with vulcanization facilities. It took me three hours to get on to my way to Balloki headworks.
Near Balloki Headworks on River Ravi, one passes through a wide water reservoir that looks like a lake. In winters, this lake is full of native waterfowls. Flocks of Wild Ducks, Cranes, Strokes and black winged Stilts are the commonest sights in the area. The fish kababs at Balloki Headworks are a speciality and culinary delight.
I had a dinner break at Balloki, treated myself with fish kababs — fresh from the river — and proceeded to National Highway for onwards journey to Lahore via more familiar route.
S A J Shirazi is a Lahore based writer, blogger and speaker. Shirazi has authored two books (Izhar, Ret Pe Tehreer) and translated Din Mein Charagh by Abbas Khan into Light Within.
More from S. A. J. Shirazi on Wonders of Pakistan
1. Who Owns Harand Fort? – Pakistan 2. King's Treatment 3. Hiran Minar 4. Around Abbotabad 5. The Wonders of Deosai Plains
You might also like:
1. Rural Pakistan: More Colors, More Scenes [in four parts] 2. Colors of Punjab, Rural Pakistan [in four parts] 3. Life in a Pakistani Village
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Boy, this has been the longest "month" ever. My month of trying new rums and rum cocktails began August 18, with a look at the excellent Royal Bermuda Yacht Club cocktail. I explored the Lytton Fizz and the Corn and Oil, and I tested a couple of El Presidente recipes. Along the way, I grew to love the following rums, some of which were new to me:
- Mount Gay Extra Old
- Mount Gay Eclipse
- Cruzan Black Strap (and if you want to try something delicious, get yourself some homemade orgeat syrup, and blend that into an old-fashioned with Cruzan Black Strap and a dash or two of Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters)
- Myers Platinum
- Myers Dark
- Both Tommy Bahama varieties (sent as samples and not used for any of these recipes)
I've even gone a bit mad and made my own damn orgeat syrup, using a variation of the method Rick Stutz wrote up here. I bloody-well love the stuff now. I want to mix it into everything; I want to eat it on my cereal or top a steak with it. I want to wash my mustache with it so I can smell it all day. I want to–oh, nevermind.
To go out on a high note, I decided to mix up the possibly most famous tiki drink in the world, the Mai Tai. Better writers than me have already detailed the history of this drink, and you can see an excerpt from one such writer's work here.
I can't even improve on Curtis's recipe: one ounce of Jamaican rum, an ounce of Barbados, orange curacao, lime juice, and orgeat (although I decreased the amount of curacao), so what I will say is which rums I used. The first time around, a couple of weeks ago, I used Myers Dark and Appleton Estate, which of course are both Jamaican rums. Not sure why I went that way, but I did. Last night, however, I used Mount Gay Eclipse and Appleton Estate. It's hard to say which I prefer: both are delicious.
And behold, the Mai Tai:
photograph by Jennifer Hess

subset: commoncrawl


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- The speed of trust � an undeniable advantage (11/24/18)
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- How to build brand with Instagram (8/18/18)
- Geofencing is for everyone (7/28/18)
- Alexa, sell my brand � (6/23/18)
- Self-accountability key to sales success (6/2/18)
- Repeatable sales = scalable growth (5/5/18)
Online Marketing Ideas for the Holidays
December is crunch time for retailers and B2B companies reliant upon crucial holiday sales to hit annual sales targets. In fact, Google reports that 70 percent of consumers wait to make holiday purchases until after Thanksgiving, with the majority conducting at least some of that shopping online.
While over-discounting can carry great risk, discounts and special bonus items used sparingly to generate new customer trial, can pay off. When offering special online discounts, use this opportunity to gather contact information before the discount code can be accessed, as the natural barrier to providing that information will be lower assuming the incentive is strong.
Embrace the upcoming holidays as the time to boost social media engagement. Take a look at the reporting available through Facebook, for example, to determine the type of content you have posted in the past that resonates most strongly with those who have "liked" your page.
Create a December content strategy that focuses on those most engaging themes and promote those posts, which will exponentially increase the number of people with the opportunity to see your content. Paid posting is also now available through Twitter. If you have an ecommerce site through which you sell products online, then be sure to heavy up your paid posts on Cyber Monday and Tuesday.
If you opt to avoid the standard discounting route, consider offering a financial incentive to current customers to refer other prospective customers. You might offer a private sale to only your best customers with products not yet available to the public. Have them log in to a private sale webpage to access these products. When they do so, encourage them to invite friends to join. When their friends make a purchase, drive even more sales volume by giving both the current and new customers credit on a future purchase.
You could provide your customers with a free rush shipping special in mid-December, available only for a couple of days, for those procrastinators looking for a way out of their inevitable holiday panic.
Consider making festive changes to your homepage each week of the holidays to keep your site fresh and customers interested in returning, similarly to how Google alters its homepage for holidays.
You may choose to offer a pre-Black Friday guarantee for online purchases: If customers find a better deal on Black Friday, you'll refund the difference. This strategy encourages early sales and allows you to compete with big-box retailers.
No matter what strategy you leverage, be sure to utilize a unique tracking code each time so that you can assess what's working in real time and repeat those strategies before the year closes out.
Lori Turner-Wilson is an award-winning columnist and CEO/Founder of RedRover, a sales training and marketing firm based in Memphis, Tennessee, www.redrovercompany.com. You can follow RedRover on Twitter (@redrovercompany and @loriturner) and Facebook (facebook.com/redrovercompany).
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Questions and Answers
Step 2 – Draft Organizing Documents
Your organization's certificate of incorporation or other organizing documents will include a statement of the organization's purposes and certain nonprofit provisions. The resources available to help you draft a certificate of incorporation or other organizing documents include library materials, private attorneys, and organizations that assist other organizations, such as the Center for Nonprofit Corporations in North Brunswick, New Jersey. For information on drafting a certificate of incorporation, see Incorporation, below.
Step 3 – Apply for Federal Employer Identification Number
The Internal Revenue Service advises all organizations to obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), including organizations that do not have employees. If the organization has employees or applies for an IRS determination letter of exemption, the IRS will require the organization to have an FEIN. If the organization opens a bank account in the organization's name, the bank will require the organization to have an FEIN. To request an FEIN, file Federal Form SS-4, or contact the IRS by phone (see resource list below). You may also be able to obtain Form SS-4 from certain libraries and post offices.
Step 4 – Apply for Federal Exempt Status, if Required or Desired
Consult IRS Publication 557, IRS representatives, or private professional advisors to determine whether your organization is required to or should obtain an exemption determination from the Internal Revenue Service. For further information, see Federal Tax Exempt Status below or call the IRS at 1-877-829-5500.
Step 5 – Comply With Charities Registration Requirements
Many organizations, including all 501(c)(3) organizations (except certain religious or educational institutions), are required to register with the New Jersey Charities Registration Section. For more detailed information concerning whether your organization is required to register and how to register, contact the Charities Registration Section at 973-504-6215 (see resource list below for complete name, address, and Web site.)
Step 6 – Consider Applying for Sales and Use Tax Exemption
If your organization is an IRC Section 501(c)(3) organization (or a parent-teacher, fire co., emergency, or veterans' organization), the organization may apply for exemption from New Jersey sales and use tax. Your organization will not be exempt from paying or collecting sales tax until the organization applies to the Division of Taxation by completing Form REG-1E. For details, see NJ Sales and Use Tax Exemption below.
Exemption From New Jersey Sales Tax – Vendors need a copy of the Form ST-5 Exempt Organization Certificate issued to your organization. The ST-5 certificate also qualifies your organization for exemption from collecting sales tax on qualifying thrift store or occasional fundraising sales. For details, see NJ Sales and Use Tax Exemption below.
NOTE: Federal and New Jersey government agencies are not issued an ST-5 certificate.
Federal Exemption Number – If an office requests your organization's Federal exemption number, the office probably wants the Federal Employer Identification Number and, possibly, an IRS determination letter of exemption. You may need to ask for clarification concerning what is being requested.
Fundraising or Charities Registration – Your organization obtains this number from the New Jersey Charities Registration Section (see resource list below).
Incorporation – If your organization is incorporated in New Jersey (or if it is incorporated elsewhere and made a public records filing in New Jersey), the organization will receive a ten-digit identification number.
NOTE: There is no single, all-purpose number.
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A. No. While there are advantages to being incorporated, there also may be certain disadvantages, such as filing fees and annual filing requirements. Your organization needs to do research or talk to professional advisors concerning whether incorporation is advisable for your particular organization.
One method for incorporating in New Jersey is to file (with the $75 fee) the Public Records Filing for New Business Entity form, which is in the New Jersey Complete Business Registration Package available from the Division of Revenue (see resource list below). If you use the form and plan on applying for IRC Section 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, the following guidelines should help you satisfy IRS requirements:
NOTE: For information on Section 501(c)(3), (c)(4), etc. requirements, contact the Internal Revenue Service.
If your organization wants to incorporate in New Jersey by using the Sample Articles of Incorporation in IRS Publication 557, you must satisfy New Jersey requirements by adding certain provisions from the New Jersey Public Records Filing for New Business Entity Form. More specifically, include the registered agent, three trustees, incorporators, membership and other information, and signatures required by all the items from "Contact Information" through "Additional…Information" on the Public Records Filing for New Business Entity Form.
A. Yes. The New Jersey fee for filing to become incorporated as a nonprofit corporation is $75 (or $5 for religious organizations following Title 16 procedures).
A. If your organization is properly incorporated as and operated as a nonprofit corporation, your organization is exempt from the New Jersey corporation business tax without any exemption letter. (See Federal Tax-Exempt Status below for a discussion of exemption from Federal income tax.) However, the corporation may voluntarily obtain a letter of exemption. For details, contact the Regulatory Services Branch of the Division of Taxation (see resource list below).
A. Yes, except for religious organizations that follow special Title 16 incorporation procedures. The New Jersey Division of Revenue, Corporate Filing Unit will automatically send the annual filing form to the organization's registered agent. The annual filing form must be completed and returned with the annual filing fee. If your organization does not receive the annual filing form, it must obtain the proper form from the Corporate Filing Unit (see resource list below). Failure to file the annual forms and pay the annual fee for two consecutive years generally results in revocation of the corporate charter. Current Requirements
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A qualifying organization may find it wants the IRS determination letter of Section 501(c)(3) status, even when it is not required by the IRS. The 1998 IRS instructions for applying for Section 501(c)(3) status state:
"Section 501(c)(3) status provides certain incidental benefits such as:
Also, your organization may want the IRS Section 501(c)(3) exemption letter to use to apply for exemption from State sales and use tax. (See NJ Sales and Use Tax Exemption below.)
11. Q. Is my organization legally required to obtain a State of New Jersey determination of tax-exempt status?
A. Generally, no, except if your organization wants exemption from the New Jersey sales and use tax or petroleum products gross receipts tax. Also, your organization may be required to register with the New Jersey Charities Registration Section and, for raffles, 50/50s, etc., with the New Jersey Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission (see resource list below). Furthermore, if your organization needs a letter of exemption from the New Jersey corporation business tax, such as for a real property transaction, contact the Regulatory Services Branch (see resource list below.)
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NOTE: New Jersey and Federal government agencies should not complete Form
REG-1E. They are not issued an ST-5 certificate.
The organization is exempt on purchases of goods, equipment, and services used for the organization's exempt purposes. Also, the organization is not required to collect sales tax on occasional fundraising sales or qualifying thrift store sales. For more information on Exempt Organization Certificates, download the Division of Taxation's brochure M-5014, Exempt Organization Certificate, or Technical Bulletin TB-46, Exemptions for Organizations Having ST-5 Exempt Organization Certificate. (See resource list below).
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NOTE: This is not a complete list of all annual filing requirements, which may include annual filings for employee withholdings, etc.
The ST-5 Exempt Organization Certificate does not need to be renewed. If, however, your organization has a name or address change or a merger, call or write to the New Jersey Division of Taxation or Division of Revenue to update your records and obtain a new ST-5 certificate (see resource list below.)
A. If your organization has the ST-5 Exempt Organization Certificate, a written purchase contract extending one (1) year or longer, and sales invoices meeting certain standards, your organization can use a Form PPT-5 for proof of exemption from the petroleum products gross receipts tax. To obtain information and Form PPT-5 (which does not apply to the New Jersey excise tax on motor fuels) contact: State of New Jersey, Division of Taxation, Excise Tax Branch, PO Box 189, Trenton, NJ 08695; or call
609-633-9057. Form PPT-5 is available on the Division's Web site Division's Web site, or by calling 1-800-323-4400.
Federal Employer Identification Number and Federal Exemption
Internal Revenue Service
Phone: 1-800-829-3676 to request forms and publications
1-800-829-4933 to apply for a Federal Employer Identification Number
1-877-829-5500 (IRS Exempt Organization Unit) to talk to an IRS Representative
Web site: IRS Web Site
Fundraising/Charities Registration Information
Charities Registration Section
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
Address: 124 Halsey Street
Newark, NJ 07101
Phone: 973-504-6215
Web site: Charities Registration Section
E-mail: E-mail
Incorporation Information
Corporate Filings Unit
New Jersey Division of Revenue
Mailing PO Box 308
Address: Trenton, NJ 08646-0308
Physical 33 West State Street, 5th Floor
Address: Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: 609-292-9292
Fax: 609-984-6851
Web site: New Jersey Division of Revenue
NJ Sales and Use Tax Exemption
Regulatory Services Branch
New Jersey Division of Taxation
Address: PO Box 269
Trenton, NJ 08695-0269
Phone: 609-984-5739
Fax: 609-989-0113
Web site: NJ Division of Taxation
Raffles, 50/50s, etc. Information
Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission
Division of Consumer Affairs
Address: 124 Halsey Street
PO Box 46000
Newark, NJ 07101-8002
Phone: 973-273-8000
Web site: Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission
Registration for Employee Tax Withholding (New Jersey) or Other State Tax Payments
Client Registration Bureau
New Jersey Division of Revenue
Mailing PO Box 252
Address: Trenton, NJ 08646-0252
Physical 33 West State Street, 5th Floor
Address: Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: 1-800-323-4400 or 609-826-4400 for forms
609-292-9292 to talk to a representative
Fax: 609-292-4291
Web site: New Jersey Division of Revenue


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dirkgentry2000 wrote:content preview!
Here are a few pages from the book showing off the armored wonder: Stockage
I spotted 2 stat mistakes on him. Flight 11 would be 4000 mph and his Toughness is listed as 6 instead of 14. Nice power suit design, rarely see one with Enhanced Agility or Enhanced Fortitude.


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What did the world look like as it was transforming into the horrifying apocalypse depicted in "The Walking Dead"? This spin-off set in Los Angeles, following new characters as they face the beginning of the end of the world, will answer that question.
|Fear the Walking Dead
|First Air Date
|Last Air Date
|Drama, Horror
|Production Companies
|Valhalla Motion Pictures, AMC Studios, Fox Productions, Circle of Confusion
|Number of Seasons
|4 Seasons
|Number of Episodes
|53 Episodes
|Plot Keywords
|zombie, zombie apocalypse
Kim DickensMadison Clark
Frank DillaneNick Clark
Alycia Debnam-CareyAlicia Clark
Colman DomingoVictor Strand
Rubén BladesDaniel Salazar
Danay GarcíaLuciana Galvez
Cliff CurtisTravis Manawa
Lorenzo James HenrieChris Manawa
Daniel SharmanTroy Otto
Mercedes MasonOfelia Salazar
Garret DillahuntJohn Dorie
Lennie JamesMorgan Jones
Maggie GraceAlthea
Jenna ElfmanNaomi


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Earlier this week on Valentine's Day, Brigham Young University student Brittany Molina was minding her own business on campus when a young man pressed a note into her hand. Note passing on Valentine's Day! So romantic, right? Unfortunately not as the note Brittany received was actually a request. A request for her to stop dressing like such an offensive slut.
"I thought he was giving me a love note," she said. "Turns out..."
The note read:
You may want to consider that what you're wearing has a negative effect on men (and women) around you. Many people come to this university because they feel safe, morally as well as physically, here. They expect others to abide by the Honor Code that we all agreed on. Please consider your commitment to the Honor Code (which you agreed to) when dressing each day. Thank you.
Aw, the poor boy felt threatened by Molina's whorish outfit. And what was the brazen slattern wearing? A cardigan, a modest mini dress and opaque tights. There's an accompanying photo as evidence of her ensemble (click to enlarge), but don't look too long— just staring will probably give you syphillis.
BYU student scolded for her attire in Valentine's note [The Salt Lake Tribune]


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Something, I can't quite pinpoint what, prompted me to take a second look at my recent Thanksgiving post, and notice that it fails to mention a person who was instrumental in the day's success. That person, friends, is my sister Liz. Liz, who has successfully hosted Thanksgiving, lo these many years. Liz! Who is ever forthcoming and patient with her younger sister when she calls with her many holiday-related questions. Liz! Who told me exactly how to schedule the creation of each dish so that I wouldn't keep everyone waiting for turkey until 11 p.m., which I surely would have done without her help. Liz! Liz! Liz!
If only everyone had a Liz in their lives—their turkeys would be moist, their Thanksgivings fret-free. I'll say it again: Liz!
And now, a Christmas question. Henry and I recently picked out a gift for a local charity's toy drive, and he was asking me all kinds of probing questions about why this gesture was necessary on Christmas—when, after all, Santa Claus provides the gifts. How do you tell your little believer that there are some children in this world who don't get presents on Christmas? Does Santa not give presents to the poor? Any clever answers here would be appreciated.


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Gifting Gab
Donate your old cell phones to overseas troops
In the past, I've had a few friends who made fighting with their boyfriends an art form. I'm talking about the kind of fighting where they would scream and yell, throw themselves out of slowly-moving cars, destroy their boyfriends' cell phones and go storming off into the darkness. I'm sure you know the type. If you're not one of these soap opera stars of life, chances are you have at least one cell phone sitting in a drawer somewhere that you've retired for the newer, sleeker model. You know you'll never use it again (or break it). There are many people overseas serving our country that could take that tiny machine and put it to good use. Please do a stranger a favor. You can donate your phones to any AFD fire station or APD substation. Delete all of the content on your cell phone prior to donating by going to this site. For the full 411, check out Cellphonesforsoldiers.com. If you're the type of person that hangs on to stuff just in case, keep in mind you can still go for lamps and dishes if you really need to destroy something to get your point across.


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Considering the slightness of her discography, it's astonishing to realise that we first heard from Annie nearly 15 years ago. Released in 1999, 'The Greatest Hit' preceded her debut album by a full five years, setting into motion a glacial drip feed of releases, the pace of which she still teases us with today. After waiting four years for her brilliant follow up LP – the now ironically titled Don't Stop – it's been a further four years until this five-track-collection, produced in partnership with long-time collaborator Richard X.
The reason it's so surprising, and simultaneously so easy to forget, that Annie's been on the scene for so long is that her music so effortlessly blends the retro and contemporary; paradoxically sounding almost timeless, even as she inhabits the forefront of the European electro-pop scene. Every new release hits the zeitgeist right on the pulse, each resonating more effectively as throwback, while sounding even fresher and today than the last.
So it is that this collection of five tracks moves away from the high octane pop-rock sound of Don't Stop - which Girls Aloud over-farmed at the turn of last decade - and finds itself revelling in a certain sense of restraint, Annie's timbre even thinner and more childlike than ever, launching her straight into the middle of 2014 by way of 1982. Lead single 'Back Together' is the most high-energy injection of euphoria on offer here, and even that pulses with a softer, more confident sense of motion than the spiky high-kicks of LP highlights like 'My Love Is Better' or 'Loco'.
Annie's LPs have both ultimately played out more like a collection of individual songs than they have properly conceived albums. This has made her full-lengths uneven but, on the scale of an EP, this plays to her advantage. Each song acts as a one-off demonstration of ability, confidently operating in a slightly different mood, and creating a more succinct overall structure by never trying to awkwardly double back on itself, or create the faux-structure of an LP. 'Hold On' sees her in her pensive melancholy mode; 'Ralph Macchio' brings her at her most loved up and electronically-glitchy, while 'Invisible' uses a one note throb to backbone Annie at her most badass.
And what holds these five songs together is the recognisable identity which they all share, in spite of their different moods and textures - Annie. Even at her most strident in 'Invisible', her voice still channels the vulnerability of Hold On, and vice versa. There's a maturity and confidence to this material which allows Annie to use each track to showcase each of her strengths in turn, and have a collection of tracks which complement each other, while the same tracks might have derailed the momentum of one of her two LPs.
Ultimately, the blissed out softness and heightened subtlety of these tracks means that the EP lacks a summer-defining chorus which we've come to take as standard from Annie, but there's a new consistency to her music here – a consistency which would be incredibly welcome if it could be replicated across a full LP. Let's hope we don't have to wait another four years to hear it.
7Russell Warfield's Score


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Enabling you to identify and mitigate the intrinsic risk in your operations, supply chains and business processes.
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Evaluating how your products and services meet and exceed quality, safety, sustainability and performance standards.
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Validating the specifications, value and safety of your raw materials, products and assets.
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Formally confirming that your products and services meet all trusted external and internal standards.
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In accordance with the International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA) rules, if you have completed a 5-day training course for lead auditors, you can obtain additional qualification as a lead auditor of a different standard by attending a 3-day training course.
The Quality Management Systems Auditor/ Lead Auditor Training Course provides participants with the knowledge and skills related to the preparation, planning, conducting, and reporting of audits and assessing the compliance of the Quality Management Systems (QMS) with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015.
The combination of presentations, discussions, and case-studies (individual and team) are designed to help you develop an understanding and lasting skill set to be used in your professional career.
Course Dates & Locations:
|August 14-18,2018
|Bangalore, IN
|August 15-19, 2018
|Chennai, IN
|August 27-31, 2018
|Delhi, IN
|September 17-21,2018
|Delhi, IN
|September 19-23, 2018
|Chennai, IN
The training course is accredited by IRCA.
Training Topics:
After the training, you will be able to:
Each attendee must have sufficient knowledge of the ISO 9001:2015 requirements before attending this course.
Training course duration:
Intensive, 5-day training
Internationally recognized certificate for Lead Auditor of Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2015) issued by Intertek upon successful completion of the course.
For more information regarding this course including dates and locations, please fill out the form below.


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Torontobaobao's Lenses
I would like my blog to be a haven , where everyone can seek comfort from in times of difficulty, uplift each other in times of aspiration, and encourage each other in times of necessity. No one is perfect! Our innate imperfection makes us uniquely, and individually perfect. Always love and appreciate yourself!
Month: June 2018
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Key Votes
H Amdt 1273 - Drug Price Amendment - National Key Vote
Jesse Jackson, Jr. voted Yea (Amendment Vote) on this Amendment.
Read statements Jesse Jackson, Jr. made in this general time period.
Related Legislation
- H Amdt 1264 - Education and Training Programs Amendment
- H Amdt 1265 - School Improvement Programs Amendment
- H Amdt 1276 - Human Embryo Research Amendment
- H Amdt 1278 - Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds Amendment
- H Amdt 1280 - Family Planning Services Clinics Amendment
Issues Related to H Amdt 1273
Stage Details
Amendment -
Amendment Rejected
(180-242) -
July 11, 1996(Key vote)
See How Your Politicians Voted
Title: Drug Price Amendment
Vote Result
Yea Votes
Nay Votes
Vote to adopt an amendment that prohibits funds appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services from being used to make agreements giving private companies exclusive rights to market drugs that are developed by the National Institute of Health, unless certain requirement of such an agreement are met.
Amendment - Introduced (House) - July 11, 1996
Title: Drug Price Amendment
- Bernard 'Bernie' Sanders (VT - I) (Out Of Office)


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How to 'Get Lucky' at 35,000 Feet
Virgin Airlines is rolling out a new in-flight entertainment system that lets passengers send drinks to other guests, play video games and more. Scott McCartney has details on Lunch Break. Photo: Virgin Airlines.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... all he at thirty five thousand feet of Virgin America has a new ... high ad campaign out there encouraging people ... to use their in flight entertainment system to ... order drinks for somebody they might think is attractive on the plane I Scott McCartney or Middle Seat columnist here ... I this this is another ploy by Richard Branson who runs the airline to to get attention there are is is this thing going on for a long time people flirting with people on planes anyway ... employee ... the chip nature nurture it for them ... aam and that and the notion that that that it would buy a drink for somebody that that that ... didn't have what it did deliver current ... you know that that that the person in the next aisle ... ALM that we don't go a long time and ended the people of that that that that ... people look at it with another seven ... of Richard Branson ... it has done well for ... urgent companies from ... selling the potential ING and that and that is yet another forget what the of ... beat ... ALM that you know they did in flight entertainment systems up to have ... I did ... chat capability to do of interactive TV capability you can play a game again ... but in this heat ... you ... can order ... let that go through another stretch of that that you get that that that ... that were were then returned to help you out ... to a stranger in his speedo person ... and spitting it and ... protect working on ... one of the market ... that works for Brent ... and will emerge that interactive setting between that between the seats of course you are in first class flirting with someone in such an ... offer to bring that to the seat next to you might have a better ... a better chance than walking up there playing with the ButScott McCartney ... you're very despite this being with us ...


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Las Vegas Harley-Davidson
Find motorcycle dealers in Motorcycle USA's motorcycle dealer locator. Over 50,000 United States motorcycle dealerships are listed by state and motorcycle brands sold. You can contact, rate and review your local motorcycle dealerships. If we missed it, you can recommend your favorite motorcycle shop.
Las Vegas Harley-Davidson
3700 West Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Las Vegas Harley-Davidson is a motorcycle dealership located in Las Vegas, NV selling Buell and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Contact and map Las Vegas Harley-Davidson through Motorcycle USA's Dealer Locator.
- lasvegasharleydavidson.com
- Map It


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There's trouble at Professor Weardd's School for Responsible Reanimation! The school has burned to the ground, taking the beloved headmaster along with it. Foul play is suspected and students are taking up…ahem…arms against their former classmates. Join the fray as a novice necromancer: assemble your undead minions during the day and send them into pitched combat under the cover of darkness.
Game Stats2,450 views
Game Tags
match-3, real-time-strategy, rts, zombie


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Stu2021 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 40 designs submitted by 7 freelance designers.
Stu's Woodworks
An expert craftsman who builds Arts and Crafts inspired furniture based on studying original pieces of Arts and Crafts furniture and the philosophies of the Arts and Crafts movement. The focus of the business is teaching classes on building Arts & Crafts furniture, lecturing at woodworking guilds, and accepting commissions to build Arts and Crafts inspired furniture (in that order).
This project is two-fold. The first part is creating three logos (they can be similar to each other) centering around three blogs: Curious Gus (for this blog that will be moved to WordPress - http://wwwstuswoodworks.blogspot.com), Gus' Guild (http://gusguild.stuswoodworks.com), and Collecting Gus (still to be developed. Will be focused on collecting Arts and Crafts furniture. Will have a similar look to the other two blogs). We would like the logos to be similar to each other yet stand on their own. The second part is creating a character/icon to represent "Gus". Gus is based on Gustav Stickley (http://www.stickleymuseum.org/craft…ckley.html). We are not looking to recreate him in cartoon form, but would like something that represents him and his legacy to use as a "mascot" which would be part of the logos and as an independent image within the blogs. Please stay within the same color groups as represented on http://www.stuswoodworks.com and http://gusguild.stuswoodworks.com. We would also like to keep the same font, if possible, used in the current Gus' Guild logo (attached to this brief) which is Nickley (http://www.urbanfonts.com/fonts/Nickley.htm)
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Richard Clarke
Daily Forecast for April 23rd 2019
Richard Clarke is a male celebrity.
He was born on Monday October 30th 1950, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
April 23rd 2019 finds Richard Clarke with mental strength and insight. These qualities can be put into best use through contemplation and meditation.
However, while wishing for an introvert day, distractions at work are testing Richard's patience. He must find ways and means to relax and avoid emotional confrontations.
While studying the color and flavor of the day, it is a good practice to keep in mind the greater meaning of April and the master plan of 2019 in Richard's life.
You and Richard
About Richard's Numerological Forecast & Personal Day Cycle
Just as Richard Clarke evolves through a nine-year cycle and experiences the nine-month cycle, he is also subjected to nine-day cycles, even though their impact is subtle compared to the Personal Year and even Personal Month cycles. The Personal Day cycles proceed according to the same pattern - 1 through 9 - that the Personal Year and Personal Month cycles do. The numbers within the daily cycles have a similar impact on Richard to the yearly and monthly cycles - though less pronounced.
Read more about our numerological daily forecast for


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Paan, bidi and shisha
Tobacco that you don't smoke (including paan, betel quid and chewing tobacco) is not a 'safe' way to use tobacco. It causes cancer and can be as addictive as smoking. Find out the risks and how you can quit.
Chewing tobacco and cancer risk
Betel quid, paan or gutkha is a mixture of ingredients, including betel nut (also called areca nut), herbs, spices and often tobacco, wrapped in a betel leaf.
Chewing smokeless tobacco, such as paan or gutkha, is popular with many people from south Asian communities, but all forms of tobacco can harm your health.
Research has shown that using smokeless tobacco raises the risk of mouth cancer and oesophageal cancer.
Studies have also found that betel itself can raise the risk of cancer, so chewing betel quid without tobacco is still harmful.
Cigarettes, bidi and shisha
Smoking increases your risk of cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems.
This is true whether you smoke cigarettes, bidi (thin cigarettes of tobacco wrapped in brown tendu leaf) or shisha (also known as a water pipe or hookah).
A World Health Organization study has suggested that during one session on a water pipe (around 20 to 80 minutes), a person can inhale the same amount of smoke as a cigarette smoker consuming 100 or more cigarettes.
Like cigarette smoke, water pipe smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals and toxic gases such as carbon monoxide.
Quit smoking and tobacco
The most effective way to quit smoking and tobacco use is with expert help from a stop smoking adviser.
Your free local NHS Stop Smoking Service can provide medication and expert support to help you quit.
Many services also offer support to help you stop using smokeless tobacco, such as paan.
You can call the Smokefree National Helpline for free on 0300 123 1044 (0300 123 1014 minicom) and ask to speak to an interpreter for the language you need.
The helpline is open 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.


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Holy Hollywood
Many movies are centered around life events, books, video games, amongst other great ideas. Looking at the current and upcoming filmography, many films are also influenced by the Bible. The infamous book has inspired some great movies that will forever remain blockbuster classics. Here are a few of the infamous films and a list of some upcoming projects in Hollywood.


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Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Laudrup concerns over Michu injury
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup admits Michu's lay-off with an ankle injury could be longer than first expected.
The 27-year-old Spaniard has scored 28 goals for the Swans since his bargain move from Rayo Vallecano, but was hurt in Sunday's derby defeat against Cardiff.
Laudrup had said at the time that Michu would definitely miss Thursday's Europa League clash with Kuban Krasnodar and Sunday's Premier League meeting with Stoke, but was hopeful he would be available again after the international break.
However, at his pre-match conference in Russia, Laudrup suggested the Spain international may be out for longer at a time when he is desperately needed, with Swansea lacking a clinical edge in front of goal.
"There are some players not at their best," said Laudrup.
"Michu, our top scorer last season, has been struggling for a few weeks and is not 100 per cent and unfortunately he is out again for maybe three to four weeks."
Such a diagnosis would mean Michu, who has started every Premier League and Europa League fixture so far this term, will not potentially return until the December 4 meeting with Newcastle.
Laudrup was keen to make clear that is a worst-case scenario, but also revealed the player has been affected by a problem with both his knees in recent weeks and has gone to Spain for treatment on his various ailments.
"When I say he has not been at his best, it is because he has been struggling with both his knees for many weeks, but he wanted to play anyway and he is one of our most important players," said Laudrup.
"So with this ankle injury hopefully he can get both his knees sorted as well.
"He will be away in Spain for a few days for some injections."
Laudrup added: "Three to four weeks was the first medical opinion. But we said Ben Davies would be out for three to four weeks and he is back training with us now (after two weeks).
"It is always better to do it that way, to say a little more rather than reduce it and say it is three weeks and it ends up being five."


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By Rob Glidden
Staff Writer
This year's top three students at Southington High School learned a great deal about time management skills over the last four years, as they balanced their school work with numerous extra-curricular and community activities.
Valedictorian Bryan Davis, Salutatorian Jonathan La Follette and Essayist Molly Potter are all pursuing careers related to science and credited their experiences in specialized activities and community involvement with helping them find their path.
Davis is headed for The University of Connecticut to study electrical engineering. He said the Project Lead the Way technology classes had helped cultivate a passion for the work.
"We were exposed to all different types of engineering," he said. "My father has done electrical engineering too and it turned out to be my favorite."
Both he and La Follette credit technology teacher Justin Mirante's classes with helping them learn the fundamentals of engineering firsthand.
"We had a lot of hands-on experience which was very beneficial," La Follette said. "It wasn't as much about taking notes or lectures. It was very project-oriented."
The Salutatorian is headed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study Biomedical Engineering. He hopes to eventually become involved with prosthetics, specifically prosthetics with moving parts. He acknowledged his time with the high school's highly accomplished robotics team as an inspiration, even though it kept him extremely busy.
"It was like blending a job with my regular schedule," he said. "At least most of my friends were in Robotics, so I didn't need to schedule more time to see them."
Potter is also going to UCONN and plans to major in Biology while on a Pre-Medicine track. A member of the swim team, she works part-time as a swim instructor at the YMCA and is a counselor at Camp Sloper. She said it was this work that helped her realize she wanted to be a pediatric physician.
"At that job, I found that I loved working with kids," Potter said. "I also had passion for biology so I wanted to try and combine the two."
She said English teacher Rebecca Migliaro with helping her determine the best way to achieve that goal.
"English wasn't my best subject, but she became a mentor," she said. "She helped me a lot through all the standardized testing and figuring out how to pursue the career I wanted."
With all three of them dabbling in a number of different activities, the students had to manage their time wisely.
"During lacrosse season, I just had to accept that I would have no free time," Davis said. "You have to set your priorities."
Potter said she was excited about having more control over day-to-day activities as a college student.
"I'm looking forward to more freedom with my schedule," she said. "It's not the same schedule every day. You get to be independent and on your own."
While a full schedule can be a positive thing, La Follette urged future students not to become so caught up in perfectionism that they didn't enjoy their high school experience.
"I see a lot of people stressing about grades and how every tiny mistake is the end of the world," he said. "It's not the end of the world. You've got to calm down."
Davis nodded his head in agreement and added, "Work hard, but don't forget to have fun too."
Students are at the top of the class
By Rob Glidden


text: Hi, Yes... you are right. Databases IO are usually in short burst and in smaller packets compared to HPC type IO. However... Oracle 10g does presents an interesting architecture... and could prove a valuable door-opener to many of us on this mailing list to work on HPC style type systems in enterprises. 10g currently requires a SAN backend... and I believe can scale to a "large" number of nodes - of course it will be much smaller then what the list is used to... but for enterprises... running 10g on commodity hardware using linux clusters (not HPC in this case) is nevertheless an important milestone for the beowulf community. Laurence Kumaran Rajaram wrote: > Imho, the I/O workload in databases are dominated by random, small > block-sized requests. In order to cater such I/O pattern, nodes > hosting databases tend to have large caches (RAM) and are SMP-based. > The database software implement proprietary storage/access policies for > high performance. In this sense, databases mostly require block-device > interface from the storage system than file-system interface. File-system > interface should also work although performance-wise, you tend to add > additional layer and are restricted by file system storage policies. The > pros is that file-system aggregates the storage and provides a single > namespace, making it easier to manage + backup the data. > > In terms of block-devices, SAN provides low latency, high bandwidth, > and high availability ideal for database environment. For moderates > prices, iSCSI SAN may be used instead of FC SAN. SAN also makes management > of block-devices easier. The only caveat is that the maximum size of the > block-device is 2TB in 2.4 kernel. 2.6 kernel extends this to 16TB. > > PVFS/Lustre are currently tuned for HPC style applications which are > dominated by large, contiguous I/O requests and the file-system striping > policies helps to provide higher bandwidth. However, for small-sized > requests, striping may not prove beneficial. Also, most file-systems use > TCP/IP, hence the network layer latency can affect database performance. > MPI-IO interface may be used to optimize non-contiguous, smaller requests > through its datatype and file-view features. Newer PVFS/Lustre versions > offer native implementation for low-latency interconnects like Myrinet, > IB, or Quadrics, however, the stability of the file-system needs to be > studied. > > Consistency, intergrity, and availability of data cannot be compromised > in databases. Current PVFS/Lustre versions stripes files across their I/O > nodes in RAID-0 pattern. Going down another level, hardware or > software RAID 1/5 can be performed at the disk level, resulting in file > system providing RAID 10/50. However, the failure of a single I/O nodes > might lead to temporary loss (data in cache)/unavailability of file-data > until the node is revived. RAID1/5 across I/O nodes is planned in future > versions. > > Price, Performance, Availability, Manageability, and Consistency of > file-data need to weighed when architecting the Database solution. > > Regards, > -Kums > > > On Mon, 15 Nov 2004, Laurence Liew wrote: > > >>Hi >> >>The current version of GFS have a 64 node limit.. something to do with >>maximum number of connections thru a SAN switch. >> >>I believe the limit could be removed in RHEL v4. >> >>BTW, GFS was built for enterprise and not specifically for HPC... the >>use of SAN (all nodes need to be connected to a single SAN storage).. >>may be a bottleneck... >> >>I would still prefer the model of PVFS1/2 and Lustre where the data is >>distributed amongst the compute nodes >> >>I suspect GFS could prove useful however for enterprise clusters say 32 >>- 128 nodes where the number of IO nodes (GFS nodes with exported NFS) >>can be small (less than 8 nodes)... it could work well >> >>Cheers! >>Laurence >> >>Chris Samuel wrote: >> >>>On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 12:08 pm, Laurence Liew wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>>>You may wish to try GFS (open sourced by Red Hat after buying >>>>Sistina)... it may give better performance. >>> >>> >>>Anyone here using the GPL'd version of GFS on large clusters ? >>> >>>Be really interested to hear how folks find that.. >>> >>> >>> >>>------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org >>>To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf >> >>-- >> >>Laurence Liew, CTO Email: laurence at scalablesystems.com >>Scalable Systems Pte Ltd Web : http://www.scalablesystems.com >>(Reg. No: 200310328D) >>7 Bedok South Road Tel : 65 6827 3953 >>Singapore 469272 Fax : 65 6827 3922 >> >>_______________________________________________ >>Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org >>To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf >> > > > -- Laurence Liew, CTO Email: laurence at scalablesystems.com Scalable Systems Pte Ltd Web : http://www.scalablesystems.com (Reg. No: 200310328D) 7 Bedok South Road Tel : 65 6827 3953 Singapore 469272 Fax : 65 6827 3922


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"American Idol" fans might not know what to expect when Ellen DeGeneres joins the judge's table in January, but four former contestants tell Access Hollywood they think the talk show host will shine.
"I love Ellen, she's like one of my favorite people I've ever met in the industry," Season 1 champ Kelly Clarkson told Access Hollywood Thursday night in New York at the "VH1 Divas" concert. "Ellen loves music, almost more than anyone I've ever met. She's funny! She's going to bring some humor to it."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson & More At 'VH1 Divas' 2009
Season 3 finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson said she was surprised to hear the news that Ellen would be joining the FOX reality series.
"I was like, 'Really! What?!'" Jennifer, who was also performing at the "VH1 Divas" event, told Access. "[But], I love Ellen!"
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Since She's Been Gone: Catching Up With Kelly Clarkson
Jordin Sparks, who won the crown during the show's sixth season, shared her fellow "Idol" alum's surprise at the VH1 celebration of women in music.
"I was actually very surprised at first, but then I thought about it, and I was like, 'Actually this is a great idea,'" Jordin told Access. "I know Ellen loves music. She will definitely represent the people who are sitting at home going, 'I don't know if I want to vote for this person or this person.' I know she'll get on Simon's butt, which is great. I'm excited for her!"
And it isn't only the "Idol" divas that have high hopes for the funny lady.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Former 'American Idols'
Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta is also on Team Ellen.
"I love Ellen. She's so cool. She's so funny," David told Access Thursday night in LA at the 2009 ALMA Awards. "She's going to add something really interesting to the show that hasn't been there before because she's a comedian. She kind of livens things up a bit."
Fans and former "Idols" will have to wait until January 2010 to find out how Ellen does sitting next to Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell at the judge's table.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Former 'Idols' Shine At 2009 'VH1 Divas' Concert
PLAY IT NOW: David Archuleta: 'I Love Ellen'
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Jennifer Hudson - Simon Cowell - Music - American Idol - Access Hollywood


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Explore the help topics, and if you can't find your answer or just want to say 'hi', please come by the forums (which are filled with friendly folk, we promise!) or email us.
Top questions
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Tweet @rememberthemilk
How do I backup/export my data?
The iCalendar feed provides a total export of all your tasks and notes in a standard calendar format that's readable by a number of applications (we don't currently support exports in formats other than iCalendar, sorry).
To export your tasks:
- Login to this website with the same username/password you set up for the app.
- Click on Settings at the top of the page.
- Click on the Info tab.
- Click on iCalendar Service (All Lists).
If the browser does not prompt you to download the file (or attempts to open it with an application), you may need to change the link from webcal:// to https://
- Save the file to your desired location.
Still need help? Contact a human


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Wallace & Gromit is an arcade platform adventure where the player has to liberate the zoo from the evil clutches of the maniacal Feathers.
The diabolical penguin has incarcerated all the baby animals in order to persuade their parents to do his bidding and manufacture gems from the coal being mined using the incredible diamond-o-matic. Wallace & Gromit have smelled the fishy presence of Feathers and developed an elaborate plan to infiltrate his domain.
Also known as: Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo
Release Region: United States
Release Date: October 8, 2003
Publisher: BAM! Entertainment
Also available on: PlayStation 2, GameCube
Wallace & Gromit in Pr... at IGN
Wallace & Gromit in Pr... at GameSpy
Wallace & Gromit in Pr... at TeamXbox
Wallace & Gromit in Pr... at GameStats


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Our Top Ten blog posts by readership in 2014.
This post was originally posted on January 29, 2014
Around the end December of every year, the pundits start coming out with their forecasts for 2014. This past December, the World Bank pundits predicted everything from girls outperforming boys in developing countries (girl power!) to the staggering idea that for Europe, 2014 will be a better year.
This year though, the World Bank's Future Development Forecasts blog, included a prediction that caught these two political scientists by surprise— "as more and more economists point to the primary [sic] of politics in development, political scientists will wake up and wonder why they have been left out of the discussion."
Joel Hellman, the World Bank's Director of the Center on Conflict, Security and Development in Nairobi (OPSFN), predicted there will be a new movement of "political contextualists." Meaning: we as development practitioners have to take a look at the broader institutional framework influencing the performance of the economy, and on development in particular. This is particularly relevant with regard to governance reform and strengthening institutions and service delivery in countries.
Politics in development, hear, hear! The World Bank's People, Spaces and Deliberation blog has been making this case for years. Nevertheless, neither economists nor political scientists have really introduced a convincing framework for how this political contextualization would play out in development: how it influences development and how it helps us understand strategies that promote development effectiveness and the efficiency of development interventions.
Well, here's a suggestion: introduce yourselves to New Institutional Economics (See North and Weingast & Williamson). NIE considers both the regulative and normative influence of institutions on the economy. Within this framework one could analyze a range of influences on development from the normative influence of international transparency initiatives to the regulative impact of business regulations on the economy, poverty and inequality.
NIE is not that new. Early economic works on institutional transaction costs established that any economic aspect is always nested in and influenced by a broader institutional framework. For example, the price for water is always part of a larger reality that includes water access and scarcity, the state of water infrastructure, market competition, etc. Political aspects – including the nature of the political system, dominant political interest, coalitions, and more – play a huge role in influencing the economic reality of water supply.
Very few development practitioners probably still believe that poverty is a purely economic phenomenon. However, the variation of development perspectives and approaches in the field do not show any systematic or consistent approach to accounting for the multi-faceted causes of poverty, including politics. A robust analysis of the relevant political issues, as Hellman suggests it, requires a framework that uses cases to illustrate theoretical formulations, including cases which challenge the theorist's own theoretical position.
As we move forward in 2014, one thing is clear. We have a big challenge before us: ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity, taking a bold leadership role in the development of fragile and conflict-affected states, a sweeping institutional change within the World Bank, and many others. These challenges aren't easy, and you can bet your hat they're about politics. So maybe 2014 just is the year to introduce yourself to NIE.
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How do I get the Hand Book " The New Instutional Economics"?


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Butler University (Indianapolis, IN)
Butler is a small university of about 4,000 undergraduates which averages a very large diversity of majors for its size. Especially strong programs are business, communication and health sciences, such as pharmacy and physician's assistant. Butler even offers a unique 3-2 engineering program with IUPUI that allows students remain in Butler dormitories as they complete their degrees. The campus is very attractive with a nice combination of new facilities and older buildings, including the fieldhouse where the movie "Hoosiers" was filmed. The university has a big emphasis on internships, which are readily available in nearby downtown Indianapolis. The school itself is located in a very safe and desirable residential neighborhood, with the Broad Ripple section of restaurants, stores and bars nearby. Broad Ripple high school is, by the way, the alma mater of illustrious celebrities like Marilyn Quayle, David Letterman and Mr. Bill Royer. Butler would be a great school to consider for students already interested in small to medium universities like Elon, Evansville, Tulane and SMU. R,B,KRead More


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Here is a tribute to the first time I hiked the Timpooneke Trail with friends. We celebrated Pioneer Day in 2003 (the day after) by hiking this trail with a phenomenal view of Utah Valley below. The trail will take you to the triangulation station at the very peak of Mount Timpanogas located at 11,749 feet. In the photo above, you can see the north face with a 1,500+ face. (As always, click the photos to get a closer look)
Brad Hales, Marianne Hales, and Mark Morris and I started hiking around 6 A.M. We made our way slowly through the day to the top. We ended up taking about 7 hours to get to the very top. It was quite the trail upward. Other websites indicate the trail is 14 miles round trip and you gain 4,389 before descending.
The mountain is quite a fascinating climb if you like geology. I had just completed my Geology class at BYU the year before and learned the appreciate the mountains near the Y. By the time of this photo, I had repented of my ways and returned to USU, but still appreciated the geologic history so easily viewable on the way up (and down).
Here is a look back across the valley as you ascend the hill. You start on the back side of the mountain and this is looking back (just like Lot's wife). You do not see Utah County until you are nearing the peak.
Here is a shot of Marianne, me, and Brad with Provo and Orem and Lake Utah in the background. I was so exhausted at the top that I took a 30 minute kip in addition to lunch at the peak.
Here is a shot looking down at Emerald Lake below the peak. We would ride our bags down the "glacier" that goes into the lake. I have to admit, sitting at the top of the "glacier" looking down and the incline scared me to death. Something about dropping a couple of thousand feet within a minute or two and the incline that scared me.
Here is a picture of me sliding on my bottom, probably around 3/4 of the way down.
If anyone needs a good trail to hike, I recommend this one. Great views, good effort, and bring good company. Do not forget a roll of TP in your backpack as the restrooms did not have any.


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Frances Elizabeth Jensen, MD, FACP
Professor of Neurology
CPUP Board of Directors, University of Pennsylvania
Chair, Neurology Department
Member, Steering Committee, Lifespan Institute for Behavioral Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Penn Medicine Neuroscience Center, Steering Committee, University of Pennsylvania
Attending, Neurology Inpatient Consult Service
CPUP Compensation Committee, University of Pennsylvania
Dean's Development Leadership Council, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
Neurosciences Service Line, Steering Committee, University of Pennsylvania
CPUP Executive Board, University of Pennsylvania
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Review Committee, University of Pennsylvania
Subcommittee on Re-Credentialing and Reappointment Policy Meeting, University of Pennsylvania
Co-Director , Penn Medicine Translational Neuroscience Center
Committee Member, Internal Advisory Board;IDDCR - Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, , Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
APPC Distinguished Research Fellow, Annenberg Public Policy Center The University of Pennsylvania
Member, Steering Committee, Orphan Disease Center, PSOM
Member, Steering Committee, Orphan Disease
Department: Neurology
Contact information
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
3 West Gates Building
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Perelman School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
3 West Gates Building
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-662-3360
Fax: 215-662-3362
Fax: 215-662-3362
Graduate Group Affiliations
Jensen Lab
Jensen Lab
A.B. (Neuropsychology)
Smith College, 1978.
M.D. (Medicine)
Cornell University Medical College, 1983.
A.B. (Neuropsychology)
Smith College, 1978.
M.D. (Medicine)
Cornell University Medical College, 1983.
Post-Graduate Training
Research Associate, Univerisity of Massachusetts, 1976-1980.
Research Associate, Children's Hospital, 1981-1983.
Clinical Fellow in Internal Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 1983-1984.
Internship in Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, 1983-1984.
Clinical Fellow in Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 1984-1987.
Resident in Neurology, The Harvard Longwood Neurology Training Program, Boston, MA, 1984-1987.
Chief Resident in Neurology, The Harvard Longwood Neurology Training Program, Boston, MA , 1986-1987.
Research Fellow in Neuroscience Division, Children's Hospital, 1987-1989.
Research Associate, Univerisity of Massachusetts, 1976-1980.
Research Associate, Children's Hospital, 1981-1983.
Clinical Fellow in Internal Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 1983-1984.
Internship in Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, 1983-1984.
Clinical Fellow in Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 1984-1987.
Resident in Neurology, The Harvard Longwood Neurology Training Program, Boston, MA, 1984-1987.
Chief Resident in Neurology, The Harvard Longwood Neurology Training Program, Boston, MA , 1986-1987.
Research Fellow in Neuroscience Division, Children's Hospital, 1987-1989.
CertificationsPermanent link
National Board of Medical Examiners, 1984.
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Neurology), 1988.
National Board of Medical Examiners, 1984.
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Neurology), 1988.
Description of Clinical ExpertiseI actively mentor residents, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. I have trained over 25 postdoctoral fellows in my laboratory, and over 30 undergraduate and graduate students since starting my laboratory in 1987. The vast majority the postdoctoral trainees are now in faculty positions at competitive academic medical institutions and universities. Over 90% of these trainees obtained independent funding from NIH or private foundations while in my laboratory, including 3 KO8 awardees of whom I served as primary mentor. I am currently the PI on the R25 for Resident training in the Neurosciences at Children's Hospital and the Beth Israel Deaconess residency programs.
As Director of Epilepsy Research as well as Director of Translational Neuroscience, I mentor junior faculty on a wide range of topics, and in some instances serve as research supervisor for training grants. We have established a successful seminar series for both programs, and invite both external as well as internal speakers to encourage dialog and new collaborations.
With respect to teaching leadership I have been involved as an organizer and speaker at a national, international, and regional level in educational symposia furthering the understanding of the role of brain development in the mechanism of diseases such as stroke and epilepsy, including planning and participating in such activities for the National Institutes of Heath, Society for Neuroscience, American Epilepsy Society, Workshop on Epilepsy Research, and the National Academy of Sciences/Society for Neuroscience African Initiative. I served as Chair of the Annual Meeting Committee and Council of Education for the American Epilepsy Society, and oversaw the process for ACCME accreditation, which was achieved at the exemplary level. I also served as Chair of the Program Committee for the Society for Neuroscience, and now serve on Council.
Recent activities with the Neurology residents at the Children's Hospital and the Brigham and Women's Hospital includes training on hypothesis generation, grant writing. In addition, I am running an Epilepsy Treatment Algorithm project in development for both hospitals, in order to streamline our management of first and second seizure patients. This will be QI as well as CER activity for the departments.
Description of Other ExpertiseIn my capacity as Director of Epilepsy Research and Translational Neuroscience, as well as the natural extension of my own translational research, I have become involved in clinical research projects.
1) FDA- approved Phase I/II trial of bumetanide in neonatal seizures. I serve as FDA sponsor, and this project has emerged directly from basic research performed in my laboratory as well as Dr. Kevin Staley, and others. The trial was funded by an NIH RO1 grant (2010-2015), with the PI being Dr. Janet Soul, and Drs. Jensen and Staley are among the Co-PIs. The trial is now actively recruiting patients
2) Examination of cognitive and psychological comorbidities in pediatric epilepsies. In a first study, a team of from the Psychiatry department (J Gonzalez, MD and K Boyer, PhD) and Neurology (M Takeoka, MD) are examing the incidence of depression and learning disabilities in children with complex partial seizures and childhood absence epilepsy. In a related study, we are examining the incidence of learning disabilities in benign rolandic epilepsy in children, and the extent to it is related to the frequency of ictal and interictal EEG abnormalities.
3) Examination of abnormal synaptic transmission in human tissue removed from patients with refractory epilepsy or encephalitis. This is an interdisciplinary group and investigative only but has developed a centralized multi-PI IRB with universal consent form to improve availability of human tissue for experimental study and genetics.
Description of Research ExpertiseThe primary focus of my research is to investigate pathophysiological mechanisms of epilepsy and stroke, and secondary effects on synaptic plasticity. A secondary goal is to elucidate age-dependent differences in such mechanisms, and to examine the interactions between brain development, excitotoxic brain injury, epilepsy and cognition. Neurotransmitter receptors are developmentally regulated, and we have specifically demonstrated critical roles of these receptors, as well as their upstream modulators and downstream effectors, in neuronal and glial cells that are unique to the immature, implying age-specific disease mechanisms. The overall aim is to develop new targets based on novel mechanisms for the treatment of epilepsy, stroke, and autism.
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Summary of major research findings:
1. Establishment of in vivo and in vitro rodent models of neonatal seizures and perinatal hypoxic/ischemic cerebral injury for examination of cellular and molecular factors influencing age-specific susceptibility, epileptogenicity, and cellular injury.
2. Demonstration that calcium-permeable AMPA receptors are constitutively expressed on neurons and glia in developing rodent and human hippocampus and neocortex, and that these are critical to the mechanisms of seizures and ischemic injury in the developing brain.
3. First demonstration that AMPA receptor antagonists selectively block seizures in the immature brain, but not in the adult. Additional demonstration that the clinically available drugs topiramate and talampanel attenuate AMPA receptor currents and suppress neonatal seizures and stroke, including periventricular leukomalacia, in rat models.
4. Elucidation of novel calcium-mediated signaling pathways downstream from the AMPA receptor that play critical roles in the pathogenesis of epilepsy in the immature brain, and preclinical efficacy of preventative or rescue treatment in rodent models. Specific pathways include those mediated by early post-translational changes to glutamate and GABA receptors that increase synaptic excitability. First demonstration that AMPA receptor antagonists including NBQX, topiramate and talampanel can reverse these changes when administered as post-seizure treatment, and prevent long term changes.
5. Identification of novel phosphorylation sites Ser 831 and Ser 845 on the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA receptor that are required for the epileptogenic effect of early life seizures, suggesting a novel mechanism for epileptogenesis.
6. Development of novel antiepileptic and neuroprotective strategies that are permissive of neuronal plasticity and long term potentiation. These include the NMDA receptor redox site modulator pyrroloquinoline quinone, and the use-dependent, uncompetitive NMDA blocker memantine as highly protective in vivo and in vitro stroke models, without significant neurocognitive effects.
7. Identified parallel patterns of relative underexpression of the KCC2 chloride transporter versus NKCC1 transporter in human and rodent perinatal cortex during developmental period when GABA receptor agonists are ineffective as antiepileptic agents. This result is the first to strongly implicate the presence of depolarizing GABA receptors in human neonates. This date provided the preclinical target validation that was critical for translation of the use of the NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide in an FDA approved NIH-funded ongoing clinical trial at CHB and Partners – Phase I/II safety PK trial in neonatal seizures.
8. Elucidation of abnormal patterns of glutamate and GABA receptors,in human tissue from malformations of cortical development, such as Tuberous Sclerosis, and that these changes are associated with epileptic foci. These results are presently under evaluation with respect to the generation of new clinical treatment trials.
9. Demonstration of convergence of signaling deficits in early life seizures and autism. Alterations in canonical autism-related pathways, including mTOR, FMRP and MeCP2, occur secondary to seizures in the developing brain.
In summary, the emphasis of this translational research program is to identify age-specific mechanisms of brain injury at the cellular level using a variety of in vivo and in vitro techniques, and to use this information to explore and devise experimental therapeutic strategies with clinical potential. Several therapeutic strategies developed in the laboratory are being considered for clinical development. We have established IRBs that have created a repository of human tissue from surgical specimens and autopsy material, and routinely obtain brain tissue directly from surgery for electrophysiological investigation.
Selected PublicationsJantzie Lauren L, Talos Delia M, Jackson Michele C, Park Hyun-Kyung, Graham Dionne A, Lechpammer Mirna, Folkerth Rebecca D, Volpe Joseph J, Jensen Frances E: Developmental Expression of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) Receptor Subunits in Human White and Gray Matter: Potential Mechanism of Increased Vulnerability in the Immature Brain. Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) Sep 2013.
Engel J Jr, Pitkänen A, Loeb JA, Edward Dudek F, Bertram EH 3rd, Cole AJ, Moshé SL, Wiebe S, Jensen FE, Mody I, Nehlig A, Vezzani A.: Epilepsy Biomarkers. Epilepsia August 2013.
Pitkänen Asla, Nehlig Astrid, Brooks-Kayal Amy R, Dudek F Edward, Friedman Daniel, Galanopoulou Aristea S, Jensen Frances E, Kaminski Rafal M, Kapur Jaideep, Klitgaard Henrik, Löscher Wolfgang, Mody Istvan, Schmidt Dieter: Issues related to development of antiepileptogenic therapies. Epilepsia 54 Suppl 4: 35-43, Aug 2013.
Brooks-Kayal Amy R, Bath Kevin G, Berg Anne T, Galanopoulou Aristea S, Holmes Gregory L, Jensen Frances E, Kanner Andres M, O'Brien Terence J, Whittemore Vicky H, Winawer Melodie R, Patel Manisha, Scharfman Helen E: Issues related to symptomatic and disease-modifying treatments affecting cognitive and neuropsychiatric comorbidities of epilepsy. Epilepsia 54 Suppl 4: 44-60, Aug 2013.
Wintermark Pia, Lechpammer Mirna, Warfield Simon K, Kosaras Bela, Takeoka Masanori, Poduri Annapurna, Madsen Joseph R, Bergin Ann M, Whalen Stephen, Jensen Frances E: Perfusion Imaging of Focal Cortical Dysplasia Using Arterial Spin Labeling: Correlation With Histopathological Vascular Density. Journal of child neurology May 2013.
Ryan T. Cleary, Hongyu Sun, Thanhthao Huynh, Simon M. Manning, Yijun Li, Alexander Rotenberg, Delia M. Talos, Kristopher T. Kahle, Michele Jackson, Sanjay N. Rakhade, Gerard Berry, Frances E. Jensen: Bumetanide Enhances Phenobarbital Efficacy in a Rat Model of Hypoxic Neonatal Seizures. PLOS ONE Page: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057148, March 2013.
Jacobs Margaret, Jensen Frances E: Introduction to institute of medicine report: epilepsy across the spectrum: promoting health and understanding. Epilepsy currents / American Epilepsy Society 12(6): 243-4, Nov 2012.
Kowbow K, Auvin S, Jensen F, Loscher W, Mody I, Potschka H, Prince D, Sierra A, Simonato M, Pitkanen A, Nehlig A, Rho JM: Finding a better drug for epilepsy: Antiepileptogenesis Targets. Epilepsia November 2012.
Zhou C, Lippman Bell JJ, Sun H, Jensen FE: Learning Through Silence: Amping up Cognition After Neonatal Hypoxic Seizures Through AMPA Receptor Inhibition. Journal of Neuroscience September/October 2012.
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Last updated: 02/02/2018
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
Last updated: 02/02/2018
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


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Tragedy in Knoxville
On Sunday, July 27, 2008, a man opened fire on the congregation of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, during a children's performance. Two people were killed and seven were injured. The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and the Trauma Response Ministry responded:
Pastoral Letter from UUA President, Rev. Bill Sinkford
Response to the Knoxville Shooting
Knoxville Community Gathers to Honor the Victims
"Supporting Our Friends in Knoxville" blog site