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Thursday, March 05, 2009
Welcome to this week's selection of links. Enjoy.
Doodling is Good
Plymouth University researchers carried out memory tests on 40 volunteers, asking them to listen to a phone call and recall names and places. They discovered that the doodlers performed 29% better than non-doodlers. Apparently, doodling stops people from daydreaming — a more taxing diversion — and helps them focus on mundane tasks. Now there's no need to feel guilty if you're caught doodling during a particularly boring meeting!
The Pleasures of Guilty Reading
The writers and readers of The Morning News discuss their favourite guilty reading pleasures, ranging from bodice rippers to UFO novels to very amusingly (since this is from a severe minimalist) the ubiquitous mail order catalogues.
Lost Worlds
The new book by David Grann, The Lost Worlds of Z, sounds like a fascinating read. His book chronicles his journey retracing the route of British explorer Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, who in 1925 embarked on his final expedition into Amazonia, in search of El Dorado, the mythic "city of gold." Fawcett disappeared, and in the past century nearly a hundred people have gone looking for him, many never to return. The link here takes you to an interview about his book that he recently gave to the New Yorker.
Celebrating 90 Years of Bauhaus
"The legendary Bauhaus movement turns 90 this year and the anniversary is being marked by exhibitions from Tokyo to New York. The school was founded by a young architect, Walter Gropius, who wanted to shape products for the future and create a more just society." Follow the link for the rest of Ulrike Knöfel's article in Spiegel. Via Polymeme.
Deep Font Challenge
A very silly game that tests your knowledge of fonts. Perfect for design nerds. Via How About Orange (who always finds the best stuff like this).
Women's History Month at the Smithsonian
Smithsonian Magazine has some great links to stories about fascinating women past and present, ranging from an exploration of the real Joan of Arc, separating the mythology from the history in the life of Cleopatra, to the riveting story of Virginia Hall, an Allied spy during WWII.
Charles Darwin and Buddhism
Research by Paul Ekman, a psychologist whose work has shown how the facial expressions that signal emotion are universal across all cultures, has identified striking similarities between Darwin's attitude to compassion and morality and that of Tibetan Buddhism. Darwin believed that compassion for other sentient beings was the highest moral virtue, and this informed other aspects of his world view such as his passionate opposition to slavery. A fascinating example of cross-cultural fertilization.
Poster Cabaret
A fab site with a great selection of the best gig posters around, plus art prints, too. A great gift idea for a music lover!
Beautiful photograph via Domino's My Deco File.
Labels: architecture , art , books , buffet , domino archive , fun , graphic design , history , ideas , people , science , travel
2 comments :
- giulia said...
Thanks for the inspiring list of reading, Lori. And I the photograph made me squeal (a bit)& scare the cat. So beautiful. Thanks. Susan
- 2:02 pm
- automatism said...
You are so welcome, Susan! And I agree — that photo is gorgeous and makes me smile every time I look at it, too!
- 10:12 pm
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Where's Msi.lib?
If you're developing custom actions for Windows Installer or a bootstrapper in Visual Studio 2005, or utilizing the resiliency and install-on-demand features of Windows Installer in your product developed in Visual Studio 2005, you might get link errors for Windows Installer functions. Msi.lib was not included for x86 in the Platform SDK lib directory if… Read more
- Tags: Development

subset: commoncrawl


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This one is the perfect pick for the contemporary kid who has a classic heart. The American Craftsman Bunk Bed is a versatile style with just the right amount of details to stand out, but remain a solid staple to build the room around.
The American Craftsman Bunk Bed is a wonderful bunk bed for any kids' room and comes hand crafted from the finest solid hardwoods to provide an incredibly sturdy bunk bed which you can count on to last a long time. This bunk bed comes in 2 Twins (84"L x 45"W x 70"H) or Twin over Full (84"L x 61"W x 70"H). Optional Trundle is available.
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International Customers (including Alaska and Hawaii) please contact a Customer Service Representative if you have any questions about placing an order with PoshTots.
Some assembly required. Assembly service available upon request.
This item is custom made especially for you upon order.Click here for our policy on custom made items.
Promotion codes cannot be used for sale item purchases.
*Free shipping offers are limited to the 48 contiguous states of the USA.


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David Justice was born April 14, 1966 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He played outfield for several Major League Baseball teams, including the Atlanta Braves from 1989 to 1996, the Cleveland Indians 1997-2000, the New York Yankees 2000-01, and the Oakland Athletics in 2002. Throughout his career Justice used his big bat to win over the fans in Atlanta, Cleveland and then New York. In spite of his injuries, Justice was a winner, making a trip to the playoffs every year between 1991 and 2000, excluding 1996 and the strike year of 1994, and earning two championship rings, one with the Braves in 1995 and another with the Yankees in 2000.
When Justice made a 1995 appearance on The Young and the Restless. some people thought that he wasn't paying enough attention to baseball. Other fans and members of the media doubted his willingness to play hurt, especially in 1997 when Justice sat out Game Five of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox because he had a stiff neck. The Indians lost that game 12-8, and many felt that if Justice was in the lineup they could have won. But Justice stated that when he took himself out of the lineup, it wasn't because he didn't want to play, but because he felt he would be more of a detriment than a help.
Justice played in the Majors for fourteen seasons, in that time Justice reached the playoffs ten times and the World Series six times (1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2000, and 2001).
Braves Career Highlights
David Justice made his Major League debut in May playing for the last-place Atlanta Braves.
Justice went on an offensive tear during the second half of the 1990 season, finishing with 28 home runs and winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award.
Justice finished with 87 RBI's despite being injured for part of the season, and he played in his first World Series.
He hit 40 home runs and 120 RBI's with 78 walks, finishing third in MVP voting behind Barry Bonds and Lenny Dykstra.
Justice had a batting average of .313, on-base percentage of .427 and a slugging percentage of .531 when the strike ended play in 1994.
Justice helped the Braves win the 1995 World Series against the Cleveland Indians with a crucial home run in Game 6 to provide the only run in 1-0 game that clinched the championship.
In May, a swing and miss in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates caused a season-ending shoulder injury. Which was also Justice's last at-bat as a Brave.


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This event has passed.
Birthday Party BOOKED
February 9 @ 2:45 pm - 4:30 pm| $190
Have your birthday party in the gym! What better way to celebrate your special day than with games, cartwheels, handstands, balance beams, trampolines and a giant pit full of foam?! Parties spend 1 non-inclusive hour in the gym having a blast with one of our certified coaches before moving upstairs to the spacious multipurpose room for 45 minutes of food, cake, and presents. All food and supplies are to be provided by the party host (nut-free, please). Please contact the general office for more information.


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I turn 50 this year.
50? 50!
#$%^& 50!
Don't worry. My birthday is not for a few months yet, so you still have lots of time to buy me a gift. (No tube socks, please.)
Anyway, it seems like yesterday I was a nine-year-old whose mind was blown by the first "Star Wars," a 12-year-old addicted to Atari Asteroids, a 17-year-old who wore designer jeans that were far too tight. (Despite the dire warnings of the day, thankfully I was able to have kids.)
How is it possible that 37 years have passed since a girl named Suzie broke up with me because I didn't swear? (If she could only see me now, when the Red Sox or Leafs are playing or Trump is speaking.)
It can't be 30 years since I was a university frosh trying to sell some of his clothes on a Friday night to buy beer.
And it's incredibly hard to grasp that it's been 25 years since the phone rang and I got asked to write one story for my hometown's weekly paper. That afternoon, I went from lying on my parents' couch watching "Days of Our Lives" to a career in journalism that has given me so many experiences and introduced me to so many incredible people.
Birthdays have never really affected or bothered me, but I just can't believe this one is here. Fifty already? Where did the time go? Who stole the years? Is there any way to get them back?
I try not to regret mistakes — and I've made many — preferring to focus on learning from my gaffes to avoid a repeat. But what would I do over? I'd unsay some unkind things to family, friends and co-workers if I could. And I would never, ever have bought those snakeskin boots on a Sears credit card with 28,000 per cent interest. The boots went out of fashion long before the debt.
A big thing I'd change is my weight. My reader is probably sick of me writing about that topic. I'm sick of writing about it too. But, sadly, it's one of the most frustrating challenges of my 50 years and, while writing this, I realized weight loss could probably be considered part of their life's work.
That thought really, really bothered me.
So now I say screw it. My 50 Mission — thanks, Tragically Hip — is to find greater health through simple actions, like eating slower and in moderation, and trying to move more.
I'll aim to play more hockey and plan on signing up for fitness class (details to come) but no fad/strict diets or unsustainable workout plans. Neither has worked for me yet so I'd rather put those efforts into other things as I try to milk the next 50 years for whatever I can squeeze out of them.
Because it won't take long for those decades to fly by either.
Steve Bartlett Steve Bartlett is an editor with Saltwire Network. He dives into the Deep End Mondays to escape reality and empty calories. Reach him via email at steve. firstname.lastname@example.com.


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As Father Time marches on, and Chevelles enter their forties, so do many of their owners. Being middle-aged is a time in life when you try to recapture your youth with either stupid behavior or a kick-ass musclecar. For John Sonnefeldt, a "kick-ass" musclecar was the order of the day. When he decided he wanted an LS2 for his Chevelle, he used his tax return to pay for it. Smart move, right? What he didn't do was tell his wife where the money went until after the engine was on its way.
Either way you look at it, being middle-aged can be good, and it is especially true for this Chevelle because it's getting the chance to run hotter and heavier than it ever did in its prime.
The challenge for John and his crew of friends was to build a car in a home garage for the SEMA shows within seven months--a daunting task to say the least. First, the car was dismantled and taken to The Custom Shop in Flanagan, Illinois, for a PPG custom two-tone paint job with custom airbrushed graphics. Once the LS2 arrived, John immediately set his sights on some performance improvements. What guy could resist? Some of the modifications included a COMP Cams Extreme Energy Cam and springs, a FAST 90mm throttle body, a manifold, and an XFI engine management system. An Optima Battery, an MSD APS 130-amp alternator, and custom wiring from Street Wires provides electrical power.
Cooling the LS2 is a Be Cool reverse flow aluminum radiator and dual electric fans. The drivetrain was completed with a TCI Streefighter 4L60E Transmission, a Moser 12-bolt with 33-spline axles, 4:11 Motive Gears, and a Detroit Tru-Trac for positive traction in any condition. Seven weeks later, the body arrived in its new resto-mod, two-tone black and yellow paint scheme. The difficult part was to not chip this custom paint job while reassembling the car. The underside was completed first. Stainless Steel Tri-Power four-wheel disc brakes were installed. A Hotchkis suspension was then mounted under the Chevelle, including QA1 adjustable shocks. The goal here was to have plenty of torque with no wheelhop. Finally, the fuel system was run with RockValley in a tank fuel system, a regulated fuel filter, and FAST fuel rails.
There were many challenges along the way, but the Chevelle made its first pre-SEMA run to Katech Engines for dyno testing and the Woodward Dream Cruise. The new LS2 combo tested out at over 450 hp and simulated low 12-second quarter-mile passes. Unfortunately, during the maiden voyage, road debris kicked up from a truck, struck the front, and damaged the freshly painted fender with two long gashes down to the bare metal. The car was shown with a fender cover over the damage during the Woodward weekend. Two weeks and $800 later, everything looked great again. This Chevelle now packs more power than it ever had in 1971, and has a youthful new look. How's that for middle-aged?


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Message Board
Barry Lopez Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Lopez has written!
Author Lopez's Book Reviews
About This Life
This 1998 collection brings together essays from the breadth of this marvelous writer's life, from travels to Hokkaido, aboard jet freighters, in the Galapagos and Antarctica, to his most personal attempts to see himself and the wonders and lessons of nature truly. Among the loveliest of the latter is an essay about regularly walking the river -- that's IN the river -- near his home in western Oregon, and another about the life and lessons written on his...
Lopez meditates on the subject of road-killed animals. He relates his observations of them, occasional violent encounters with them, and thoughts about what to do, how to honor these sacrifices to humans' obsession with cars and speed. Rendered with his usual sensitivity to landscape, beauty and truth, in lovely English prose. Although published among his other essays, this piece has also been printed as a stand-alone coffee table book with tasteful and ...


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TAUNTON — State police arrested two city men on charges of heroin trafficking in a pair of unrelated incidents Thursday night in Taunton.
Both Kevin Camara, 29, of 282 Bay St., and 35-year-old Waldemar Rivera, last known address 30 Maple St., were arraigned Friday in Taunton District Court on a single charge of trafficking 18 or more grams of heroin.
Camara is also charged with conspiracy to violate a drug law.
Judge Mary Elizabeth Heffernan set bail at $5,000 each for Rivera and Camara. Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Katie Rayburn had requested bail for each be set at $10,000.
A third man, Kevin Miles, 38, of 15 Rush Pond Road, Lakeville, was allegedly driving the car in which Camara was a passenger and was charged with being where heroin is kept and conspiracy to violate a drug law.
Miles was held in lieu of $500 bail.
More than 50 grams of heroin was taken off the streets as a result of the three arrests, police said.
Rivera was arrested at 8:40 p.m. after police said they observed him for an extended period in the area of Granite and Tremont streets, during which he made several cellphone calls while walking around, according to the state police report.
When a state trooper approached Rivera, he allegedly ran and tossed away packages containing more than 28 grams of heroin, according to a state police press release. The trooper and other officers caught up with him and took him into custody, police said.
The trooper was in the area, according to the police report, to help local police contend with an increase of heroin dealing and overdoses in the city during the past four to five months.
No one was injured as a result of the foot chase, police said.
Camara and Miles were arrested by two state troopers after one of them pulled Miles over for speeding at around 7 p.m. on Oak Street, police said.
When a trooper asked Camara if he was holding any drugs, he alledgedly handed over "two fingers" of heroin equaling 25 grams, according to the police report.
Police said they also seized $2,500 in cash from Miles' car after a search of the vehicle. Both Camara and Miles were taken to state police barracks in Middleboro before being transported to court in Taunton on Friday.
Camara and Rivera face a minimum of two years in state prison if they are convicted.
Taunton police said nine people have died of heroin overdoses out of a total of 132 reported overdoses in the city since the beginning of the year.
Taunton police Chief Edward Walsh said members of the state police Community Action Team have been helping not just Taunton, but also police departments in New Bedford and Brockton.
"They're very good and help us with some things we don't have the manpower to do," Walsh said.
He said CAT troopers typically patrol and conduct surveillance in Taunton one to two times a week.


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Electricity is everywhere. Even momentary contact can cause injuries or even be deadly. Always assume powerlines are live, whether it's powerlines on utility or those entering your home or building. Click on the links below to learn more about each subject.
Fallen Power Lines Stay away from downed lines. Follow our direction if you see fallen lines.
Never stand ladders near powerlines. Learn how to stay safe while working.
Trees that come in contact with electricity can be dangerous. Teach your children how to stay safe.
Check out our tips before purchasing new appliances and how to stay safe while operating them.
A home generator can be a good back-up solution, if used safely. Consider our tips before you use one at home.
Learn how to keep your family safe in the event of a flood.
Space Heaters Space heaters can provide comfort during the winter months. Follow our dos and don'ts to ensure their safe use.
Holiday Decorating Keep your home safe during the holidays. Read up on our ten quick tips.


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|Product ID: 1250 - English
Published: 26 Aug, 2008
Product Links
|PDF (1.2MB) - Static viewing and printing
PDF (3.8MB) - Static viewing and printing
This atlas map presents a satellite-based damage assessment for the affected areas between Kekhvi and Tskhinvali, South Ossetia, Georgia following the armed conflict between Georgian and Russian military forces in August 2008. Damaged buildings have been identified with WorldView-1 and Formosat-2 satellite imagery acquired on 19 August 2008. The estimated number of affected buildings within the mapped extent of this atlas sheet is described in the damage summary box below. Affected buildings have been classified either as destroyed or severely damaged. An important preliminary finding of this satellite damage analysis is the observed heavy concentration of damages within clearly defined residential areas. Please note, this is an initial damage assessment and has not yet been independently validated on the ground. Please send additions/corrections to UNOSAT. Map scale for A3: 1:9,250; Projection : Pulkovo 1995 GK Zone 8N; Datum :Pulkovo 1995.
|Satellite Data : WorldView-1
Resolution : 50 cm
Imagery Date : 19 August 2008
Copyright : Digital Globe (2008)
Source: U.S. Department of State - HIU
Access Rules : NextView "EULA" - 2008
Additional Imagery : Formosat-2 (2m pansharpened)
Imagery Copyright : NSPO 2008
Imagery Date : 19 August 2008
GIS Data : USGS, UNEP, UNOSAT
Damage Analysis : UNOSAT


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Nov. 16, 2001
Irvine, Calif. -
The first championship took a while, but it was worth the wait.
The UC Santa Barbara men's soccer team blanked UC Irvine 2-0 on Friday night, clinching the Big West championship, the first title in the program's NCAA Division I history.
UCSB, which snapped UCI's ten-match unbeaten string, didn't waste any time in staking claim to the league crown. In the fourth minute of the match, senior Jaime Ambriz took a long pass from senior defender Galen Donaldson and drilled a shot past UCI's goalkeeper to give the Gauchos a 1-0 first half lead. While both teams challenged on several occasions, the score remained 1-0 at halftime.
In the opening minutes of the second half, the teams continued to physically pound each other, but neither team could put one home. That changed in the 64th-minute, when UCSB's most potent offensive threat, junior forward Rob Friend, took a through-pass from freshman defender Tony Lochhead and placed a shot into the upper-left portion of the net, giving the Gauchos a 2-0 advantage. From there, it was UCSB's defense that had its way.
Freshman goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, ranked among the nation's top-20 in goals against average coming into the match, picked the right time to have one of his finest performances. Not only did he come up with five saves, one came on a penalty kick, preserving his seventh shutout of the season.
Statistically, the Anteaters outshot the Gauchos 10-4, but UCSB clearly had the advantage in quality opportunities, taking advantage of two. Friend's goal was his tenth of the season, the most by any player in the Big West, and a total that ranks him in a tie for eighth in school history.
With the win, the Gauchos, ranked eighth in the Far West, improve to 11-4-3 overall and 7-1-1 in the Big West. The 7-1-1 mark gives UCSB 22 points in the league standings. UCI, ranked sixth in the Far West, falls to 9-4-6 overall, 5-1-3 in the Big West with 18 points in the standings. Each team has one match to play.
UCSB closes the regular season on Sunday, November 18, with a 1:00 p.m. match at Cal State Fullerton. Despite the league title, the Gauchos do not receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the league's first year back after an 11-year hiatus and it will not possess an automatic bid until next year. Now the Gauchos must hope for a NCAA at-large bid when the 48 bids are awarded on Monday. If UCSB were to receive a spot in the NCAA Tournament, it would be the first in the program's history.


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Strategic Affiliations
As part of Oregon's only academic health center, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is uniquely positioned to lead a statewide effort to create standards for cancer screening, therapy and prevention. Together with regional clinical partners, we are developing initiatives to help set and implement statewide standards for care of cancer patients. We are also working on measures to improve public health and advocate for more health-conscious public and corporate policies.
In the Pacific Northwest and nationally, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute works with regional and national partners to raise awareness and advocate about cancer as well as to find new cures and treatments for cancer.


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Beaufort News
County patrol car damaged, officer attacked during arrest
An irate Bluffton man kicked a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office patrol car Saturday, causing about $400 in damages before lunging at an officer, according to a crime report released Tuesday.
Deputies were called to the Hilton Head Hospital emergency room at about 4:15 a.m. after Justin Chin, 23, began yelling and cursing, the report said.
Chin, who already faced a Bluffton Police Department warrant for an earlier assault and battery charge, left the hospital before officers arrived.
Chin told hospital staff he was going to another hospital for treatment of a cut on his hand. Deputies caught up with him at a convenience store off Gumtree Road.
After he was placed in the back of the patrol car, Chin "became irate," cursing officers and kicking the window and rear protective bars, according to the report.
An EMS unit arrived to treat Chin's hand. Bluffton police officers arrived to serve the earlier arrest warrant.
Chin again began kicking the inside of the car, the report said.
When an officer opened the door, Chin allegedly lunged at him. The officer put Chin in a headlock, "hip tossed" him to the ground, and with the help of other officers, put him in leg restraints, according to the report.
Chin suffered a cut lip during the struggle and was taken back to Hilton Head Hospital for treatment.
Deputies also found a small bag of marijuana on Chin, the report said.
He was charged with first-degree assault and battery, malicious injury to personal property and simple possession of marijuana. He is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center, with bond set at $27,750.


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Reviewed at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival
Old family photos, accompanied by sad piano music and children's voices, aren't quite as reliable as a preface to tales of long-suppressed family dysfunction as home movies (the go-to cliché), but they'll do in a pinch; one of these days, some filmmaker's going to throw audiences for a real loop by using faded ephemera in the opening credits of a film about a family that gets along great and supports each other all the time. Adam Christian Clark's Caroline and Jackie is not that film. What it is, however, is a deeply felt and frequently unnerving portrayal of mental illness and sibling rivalry, one which transcends its occasional markers and dreary subject matter to create something sharp and direct.
Its events transpire over the course of a single, very long evening, which begins with the arrival of Caroline (Marguerite Moreau) from New York. It's her birthday, and she's visiting her sister Jackie (Bitsie Tulloch), with whom there's tension right away: Jackie has made her sister's favorite, the family pot roast recipe, but Caroline has already made reservations at a nearby restaurant, and insists that they go. When they get there, the cause for Caroline's inflexibility is clear; she's arranged a surprise party for Jackie, since she never gets to be there for her birthday. Sweet—less so when the group moves back to Jackie's and she realizes the party was a prelude to an intervention. So that's awkward.
This turn of events blindsides the audience as much as it does Jackie. Caroline and her friends are worried about her anorexia, her drinking, and her pills, but she seems fairly together in those opening scenes—a little uptight, maybe. But this is an intriguingly off-balance way to tell a story; Clark's screenplay tosses us right into the deep end before we have a chance to get our bearings, and since we don't know these people, we don't know what's true, what's not, who to trust, or what's what. The gradual unpeeling of that information is the film's master play—information and insights are revealed piecemeal over the course of the loose and rambling narrative, in moments both big and small.
Some of these scenes are awkward to a point of discomfort. As a writer and director, Clark is especially skilled at capturing that moment when a stray comment or inappropriate gesture turns a room, when it's not fun and games anymore, when it's weird for everybody. In the early scenes, Caroline and Jackie talk about how close they are, but even before the night starts to crumble, one can't help but notice that they still cut, jab, and top each other, competing for attention and angling to belittle one another; some of it is casual, second nature by now, but some of it is purposeful and hurtful. And then the film goes a step further, in showing (in a close-up on Jackie, for example, during a particularly agonizing display by Caroline) that in spite of all of that, they will still protect each other, no matter what.
Caroline and Jackie seems to know these situations from the inside out, which gives it an advantage over your standard family melodrama or pedestrian examination of mental illness. It's easy for a film to make sweeping generalizations and gin up heavy drama. What's tougher is what this film does, to examine the minute-to-minute feeling of being around that, in it, and unable to escape it.


text: A >Please note that nothing beats the price of nuclear power Nuclear power, if all the incidental costs (often absorbed into government budgets) for things like liability cover, waste disposal, etc. is not overwhelmingly competitive with other sources. One must also consider the capital cost of the production equipment and it's retirement (which is quite a bit higher than for, say, coal fired, gas fired, etc.) >Electricity production costs of nuclear power are hundreds of times cheaper >than producing it with oil, oil produces it roughly for 5 dollar cent a >kilowatt (if memory serves me well). Implying that nuclear energy generation costs are <0.0005/kWh? I find this quite hard to believe. Can you cite a reasonable source for the data? Just the capital cost of the generating plant is more than that. (2 GW plant, 20 yr life, 3.5E11 kWh. If the plant costs $1B, you're at about $0.003/kWh) I think that nuclear power, by the time you figure in all the stuff you need to, is a bit cheaper than fossil fuel, but not hugely cheaper, and certainly not an order of magnitude. In fact, the chart at the end of http://www.uic.com.au/nip08.htm shows that they're all within a factor of 2:1, except for high cost oil fired. (this chart has cost for OECD 1990) >Coals have a CO2 problem for nations >which are in Kyoto agreement (USA isn't), but also is nearly as cheap as >nuclear power. > >So the actual price they deliver huge power for to big institutes is a very >easy negotiation to get it factors down. Now there's an interesting prospect... buy your electricity on the open traded market, and schedule your cluster computation as the price goes up and down. Don't laugh.. it's been done in other industries. >Vincent Diepeveen >ex-member of high voltage powerline forum. James Lux, P.E. Spacecraft Radio Frequency Subsystems Group Flight Communications Systems Section Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 161-213 4800 Oak Grove Drive Pasadena CA 91109 tel: (818)354-2075 fax: (818)393-6875


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Use mouse scroll wheel over image or pinch-to-zoom on touch devices. You can also click and drag around on image.
'15 Ford Mustang EcoBoost by Ice Nine Group
Parked toIce Nine Mustang
byFord SEMA 2015
Inspired by the DTM Touring car series and the all new GT350R the Ice Nine Group Ecoboost Mustang blends the styling of V8 powered supercars and the cutting edge technology of Ford's Ecoboost series of engines.
Vehicle Info: 2015 Ford Mustang
More from this Profile:
Garage Ford SEMA 2016 Builds
Project Motoroso Mustang
Project GAS F-150 Lariat SuperCrew


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Each week, we'll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.
Blogtable Week 1: Harden Trade | Under-the-radar stories | Lakers' outlook
What do you expect out of James Harden in Houston this year? And how much will the trade affect the Thunder?
Steve Aschburner: I acknowledge Harden's talent, especially his ability to get to the foul line, and expect that he'll do well as the Rockets' No. 1 option. But he'll have to do it against serious game-planning by opponents — there's no Durant or Westbrook to draw most of the defensive attention. So be careful what you wish for, James. As for OKC, I think they made a great save with what they got in trade, but tinkering with a winning formula — for whatever reason — is risky. Short term, they could regret GM Sam Presti's pro-activity.
Fran Blinebury: Harden will put up a lot of points as top gun on a bad team. It remains to be seen how effective he can be in late game situations without playing off Durant and Westbrook. Kevin Martin will replace his scoring and late FTs in OKC, but they'll miss Harden at the point.
Jeff Caplan: Harden will be a scoring machine in Houston. Just look at the roster. He has to be. He will take loads of pressure off of Jeremy Lin and with the media no longer obsessed with Linsanity, Harden will give Houston something it wouldn't have had otherwise — relevance. Everyone will be interested to see how Lin and The Beard mesh and more so how Harden performs as a starter for the first time in his career — and on a team that doesn't feature two dominant scorers. As for the Thunder, chemistry — these guys really liked each other — and fourth-quarter execution will stand out. Martin will go bonkers with the open looks he'll get, but Harden was a beast with the ball in his hands during crunch time and the Thunder will have to make adjustments.
Scott Howard-Cooper: Harden will do well. He will move from complementary offensive weapon to Durant and Westbrook into a centerpiece role and thrive while paying for the opportunity in losses. The team he leaves behind, the Thunder, will obviously be impacted. They traded their third-best player for Martin. That is definitely a step back for a team trying to win a championship.
Sekou Smith: Harden will get his chance to headline alongside Lin, and that should be good for some excitement here and there. But they don't look like a playoff team to me. And the Thunder will survive his departure with a re-stocked bench and a scorer (Martin) more than capable of filling Harden's spot in the scoring column.


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- Year
- 1928
Gabriel Garcia Marquez is born
Gabriel Garcia Marquez is born in Arataca, Colombia. As a child, his grandmother told him fantastic stories of magical events, relating them as if they were fact. These early stories helped shape his own signature writing style, later known as "magical realism."
Garcia Marquez studied law and journalism at the National University of Colombia at Bogota and later at the University of Cartagena. In 1948, he became a reporter for the Colombian newspaper El Espectador and worked as a foreign correspondent in Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Caracas, and New York during the next decade. He also began writing short stories during this time. His first important fiction collection, Leaf Storm and Other Stories, was published in 1955 and introduced the fictional Colombian village of Macondo, where many of his later stories and novels are set.
In the 1960s, Garcia Marquez moved to Mexico City, where he worked as a screenwriter, journalist, and publicist. In Mexico, he wrote one of his best-known novels, One Hundred Years of Solitude, published in 1967. He moved to Barcelona in 1973 and also made many trips to Cuba, where he became close personal friends with communist dictator Fidel Castro. His friendship with Castro and his left-leaning politics made him politically unpopular with the U.S. government, but his books continued to sell well. Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. Other major works include Love in the Time of Cholera (1985) and The General in His Labyrinth (1989).
In 1999, Garcia Marquez was diagnosed with cancer. He began writing his memoirs, the first of which, Vivir para contarla, was published in 2002. The English translation, Living to Tell the Tale was released the next year.
Garcia Marquez died on April 17, 2014, at age 87 at his Mexico City home.


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Reports › Best Places to Work
2011 Best Places to Work in Virginia
Companies on this year's list offer activities and benefits to create a cohesive workplace
- January 28, 2012
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If five minutes go by at the office of Elephant Insurance Services without the sound of laughter, something's wrong. The auto insurance company's Henrico County headquarters has been the scene of cupcake eating contests, table tennis tournaments, Nerf-gun wars and Friday dance parties. To put it simply, it's never quiet.
"We do lots of different things to build up the camaraderie," says Andrew Rose, president and CEO of Elephant.
This year the company will hold its third curling competition as part of its annual in-office Winter Olympics. The sport usually involves sliding a polished granite stone across a sheet of ice toward a target, but "Elephant Curling" consists of about 40 employees pushing colorful ice discs across a tarp taped to the floor of the office. "You want people to be smiling, laughing," Rose says.
The Elephant "herd" is not alone in its hunt for fun at the office. A laid-back work environment is a trend among the companies that made this year's list of Best Places to Work in Virginia. Other standout features include good pay and benefits and performance incentives, such as a $1,000 shopping spree to a local mall.
This issue marks the second year Virginia Business has compiled its Best Places to Work in Virginia in collaboration with Best Companies Group, a Pennsylvania-based firm that has worked on similar projects with more than three-dozen publications.
Best Companies ranked firms for this year's list based on the results of surveys given to participating companies and their employees. Best Companies analyzed the survey data with a focus on a number of core areas, such as leadership, training, pay and benefits, and overall engagement. More than 90 Virginia companies signed up to participate.
In the end a total of 70 companies, up from 50 last year, made the final cut for this year's list. They are divided into three groups: small companies (fewer than 100 employees), midsize firms (100 to 249) and large companies (more than 250). Elephant, for example, ranked 15th among midsize companies.
'Building communities'
Jackie Jackson, founding principal for Jack Consulting in Richmond, says providing a fun environment makes the companies on this year's list stand out. Because of economic woes, the typical workplace can be tense, if not gloomy. Jackson says tough times also mean there are fewer people in the office, and they are working longer hours. Companies that offer social activities and a relaxed atmosphere can gain a step on competitors in recruiting and keeping the best employees available.
"What I see are people building communities within their business," Jackson says. "And making sure that what they're doing is supporting people in their business hours so that they can be better in their whole life … The best work communities are the ones when they see their people are under stress, and they want to help them."
Part of a comfortable work culture includes enjoying the company of co-workers — a core value on this year's list. Employees at 96 percent of the Best Places to Work companies agreed with the statement, "I like the people I work with at this organization."
At Vaco Richmond LLC, a consulting and recruiting firm, the 25 in-office employees work together in an open space — the same setup used at Elephant. Rather than sitting silently in their cubicles, employees interact and help one another throughout the work day.
"It builds a lot of team camaraderie and synergy in the office," says Renee Fisher, managing partner at Vaco, which ranked sixth among small companies. "It's not that everybody's in your business; it's when you're at work you want to be empowered by the people around you."
If employees need an energy boost, they get up and throw a football around or play darts. The work environment is all about "getting your mind in a better place when you're dealing with the outside clients all the time," she says.
Letting off steam
Many companies offer activities so workers can let off steam and bond. Centreville-based CARFAX Vehicle History Reports, ranked No. 6 for large companies, has a running team and a 23-foot shuffleboard, a table-top game similar to air hockey. Employees have their pick of seven sports at Kearney and Co., a government contractor based in Alexandria that ranked fifth for large companies. The choices include skiing, soccer, basketball, dodge ball, kickball, softball and flag football.
Besides sports, this year's winners emphasize events and parties as a way to promote interaction and boost morale. Virginia Beach-based Commonwealth Financial Partners, an independent broker/dealer that nabbed the fourth-place spot for large companies, sponsors many events including an annual black-tie awards banquet.
A black-tie holiday party also is highly popular among employees at Reston-based Veris Consulting, ranked No. 4 for small companies. "Personally, it would be difficult for me to imagine working at a company that didn't promote socialization between co-workers like Veris does, because it adds such an important element to the work environment," says Jeff Hart, a senior consultant at the firm.
An enjoyable workplace apparently also puts a low premium on suits and ties. CARFAX's survey, for example, lists casual dress code as its most popular workplace feature. Employees at Elephant can wear shorts every day. Nine firms mention opportunities to wear jeans. In fact, only four companies on this year's list require business attire.
All these extra privileges point to an employee survey category with more positive responses than any other: "happiness with work environment." Four of the six survey questions in the category garnered 95 percent or more positive responses from employees at all companies that made the list. "I think that Veris has taken the approach that allowing for a more laid-back office environment that regularly incorporates fun allows people to be themselves in the office and develop closer relationships with fellow employees. In the end, I think this fosters a very close-knit, entrepreneurial culture," says Hart.
Pay and perks
Having fun in the office, of course, won't keep employees from leaving without competitive perks and pay. Other than a group dental plan (offered by 100 percent of this year's firms), the most popular benefits are bonuses and incentive plans — offered by 99 percent of the companies making the list.
Workers at Cassaday & Co. Inc., an independent investment advisory and financial planning firm in McLean, love the company's compensation plan, which is tied to its revenue growth.
"We pay everyone based on the top line revenue of the firm. If we get a client, it benefits the receptionist," says Steve Cassaday, the CEO and president of the firm, which ranked ninth among small companies.
Under the compensation plan, administrative staff members can make six figures. Pay like that means his employees are equivalent to the "LeBron James" of their field, says Cassaday.
According to Best Companies' employer's survey, exempt employees (those not entitled to overtime pay) at the firm averaged $217,000, the highest of any company on this year's list.
In more than 35 years of professional experience, Cassaday has noticed that support staff members don't usually have a chance to participate in the success of the firm. As a result, workers tend to quit once they hit a pay ceiling. "I wanted to design a compensation plan so that a person could get really good and stay forever," he says.
In fact, Cassaday says he managed to avoid layoffs during the economic downturn.
Jackson sees a growing trend toward performance-based employee recognition programs, which she believes are gaining popularity over annual bonuses. She says employee recognition helps establish the sense of community within a company. "It rewards everybody. It doesn't just reward the top performers like bonuses," Jackson says. "Then you get into a competition that does not build community."
Not all incentive programs involve money. Vaco offers internal contests based on revenue goals that employees set for themselves, with quarterly prizes like an afternoon at a shooting range. The financial competition coincides with team building events and competitions, like a game of cornhole played in a park near the office.
After a full year of reaching revenue goals, if an employee reaches a company sales target, Vaco offers trips to destinations like Costa Rica and Panama, Fisher says. If enough of the sales force earns a trip, the administration gets to go, too. This year's prize is a trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Similarly, Commonwealth Financial last year offered a trip to Kiawah Island, S.C., as an employee incentive. The company also has sales campaigns throughout the year, with prizes like a $1,000 shopping spree at a local mall.
Employers who care about their workers and reward them for good effort win their loyalty. Employees at 97 percent of companies on the Best Places to Work list agreed with the statement, "I am willing to give extra effort to help my company succeed," and 93 percent agreed, "I would recommend my company's products/services to a friend." In terms of role satisfaction, 95 percent said, "I like the type of work that I do."
Bill Franczek, managing partner at Norfolk-based Vandeventer Black, says many employees have worked for the law firm for decades. In addition, a number who left to work somewhere else have come back to the firm, ranked sixth for medium-size companies. "That's been a real testament for how we've treated our employees and the morale over here."
He recalls one paralegal at the firm who worked through the night on a project. "I never asked him to do that — I didn't expect him to do that," Franczek says. "He wanted to make sure his job was done perfectly."
At Elephant, Rose also emphasizes keeping employees on as long as possible. He says that stability has helped the company double in size in the past year. "People who like what they do, do it better. And the customers feel the difference," he says.
He looks to Elephant's parent company, Admiral Insurance in the United Kingdom, for inspiration. Admiral's "Ministry of Fun" makes an enjoyable workplace the collective responsibility of the entire staff. The company, started 20 years ago, now is the second biggest auto insurance company in the UK.
"Spend a little bit of money making staff happy and that increases the bottom line. There's business logic and rationale to what we do," says Rose.
TOP SMALL EMPLOYER: Knight Point Systems
Best Places to Work in Virginia: List of Small Employers
Best Places to Work in Virginia: List of Midsize Employers
TOP LARGE EMPLOYER: Edward Jones Investments
Best Places to Work in Virginia: List of Large Employers


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|Source: Pixabay (CCO License)
More than 1.7 million paid employees — those not self-employed — worked from home in 2008 at least once a week, up almost 23 per cent from the 1.4 million in 2000, according to the Statistics Canada report on the subject in 2010.
In Canada, Telus found that teleworking increased employee productivity by about 20 per cent after a 2006 pilot project where 170 employees worked at home. Besides increased productivity and morale, it also saved 114 tonnes of greenhouse gases and almost 14,000 hours of time in traffic.
On the south of the border, in US, the stats as per GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com highlight that:
- Regular work-at-home, among the non-self-employed population, has grown by 103% since 2005.
- 3.7 million employees (2.8% of the workforce) now work from home at least half the time.
- The employee population as a whole grew by 1.9% from 2013 to 2014, while employees who telecommuter population grew 5.6%.
Dell and Intel collaborated to produce the Future Workforce Study in 2016 that shows interesting trends about the future of workforce in America. For example, "The traditional workplace doesn't have the same value for Millennials as for older generations of American workers. Increasingly, Millennials are looking to non-office environments for productivity. 3 in 10 Millennials say they do their best work outside of the office – whether at home, in public or outside."
Besides access to good technology including high-speed internet and collaborative tools that enable virtual project teams to work together, working remotely needs a fine mix of skills and work practices. In my experience, here are some of the things that make remote working work for me and my employer:
1) Communication - In the absence of daily face-to-face meetings, I rely on receiving and providing clear, concise and timely communication. Working remotely needs more protocols and processes around communication because I can't get up and walk to a co-worker's desk or a team member and speak to them when I feel the need. Also, there are no non-verbal cues to fall back on so communication requires more sensitivity. Since most communication is via email, phone, skype, etc., it has to be planned ahead and is usually more thoughtful and precise.
2) Trust - I trust my team to do their job as does my company trust me to do mine. Once we have a firm plan, each of us is free to plan our work and we report back as required. I don't like to micro manage and don't appreciate it for myself either. But developing trust takes time. So, I always start with a leap of faith and my default disposition is to trust everyone I work with. This has held me well. When you trust people and show them that you trust them, they do become more responsible and feel more accountable.
3) Discipline - This is a big one and perhaps the area where most new remote workers struggle. When you are working from home, there is no one to give you a task list and no one to police you. All work needs time management but remote work needs it even more especially if you want to make the leap from efficiency to effectiveness. Priorities can change when you are working from home and those are the times you have to figure out what's urgent versus what's important. It is critical to stay organized and continue to do meaningful work and be disciplined about it.
I have a schedule and I start and end work usually at the same time each day. I have built a level of predictability for all my work days for myself and for people I work with. On days, when I take advantage of the flexibility of working from home, I always let my project teams know in advance and add more hours to my work later that day or over the weekend. A big part of my work discipline is also the ability to keep a check on myself and self evaluate. In the absence of immediate feedback, I play the part of a reviewer and a critique of my daily accomplishments. People who work with me know how much I love work plans and tracking planned versus actual :)
Finally, having a dedicated work space with a well-equipped desk and a comfortable chair (not my couch), a big monitor desktop (not my laptop) and easy access to a printer and scanner makes my home office space always ready for work and helps me stay on track.
4) Motivation - I love working independently and creating my own work schedule. I can work with ambiguity and minimum direction and take responsibility for the outcomes. But I also really enjoy collaborating with teams all around the world and feeding off that creative energy. Working remotely needs an extra doze of self motivation and perhaps self inspiration too! Sometimes, working by myself in my home office tires me and I get that dreaded feeling of boredom all over me. Those are the days when I go to my company office (my boss is always open and very welcoming of me dropping by). I also enjoy working from public libraries and co-working spaces to get away from the routine and keep myself motivated. I would add that participating in a daily routine of exercise (I love my daily walks) also helps me stay happy and motivated. I get the opportunity to physically smile and have some polite, early morning conversations with fellow walkers :)
5) Problem-solving - Working remotely as a part of a virtual team calls for good technology skills and an ability to solve problems independently. Things go wrong, as they usually do, and I have myself to rely on. In the absence of an IT department or a colleague I can walk up to, I take on all required roles and solve daily issues. I also help troubleshoot the issues for my virtual team members. If I am unable to solve things on my own, I often pose my problems online into technology discussion forums and twitter especially when it is to do with technology that I am not as familiar with. The community always has a solution I can try! As a remote worker, I have to rely on my critical thinking skills and my resourcefulness to solve any challenges that may come my way.
6) Family - This is a very underrated aspect but clearly something that makes it or breaks it. The support of my family makes a big difference to maintaining my work discipline and a remote working lifestyle. Working from home comes with distractions but I plan as much as I can to avoid these distractions. Sticking to a schedule, keeping my home office away from the living area and keeping the door closed solves most of the distraction issues easily. I also mark my workdays and meetings and other 'no disturb' time blocks in a physical calendar and keep the calendar in an area where my family can view it. My family knows that when I am working, it is strictly work time. So, they stay away from my work space and wait for me to finish work and step out. And I really appreciate and value that respect for my work.
Obviously, it is not all rosy all the time. Just like a 9-5 job, working remotely has its own peeves mostly around not being able to talk face-to-face with other people and engage in deep long conversations or just hang around for a fun chat.
7) The human connect - Because I don't meet people as often, I try harder to participate in online chats, seminars, webinars and discussions to ensure I receive my daily doze of conversations and constructive stimuli to keep my brain going. I am involved with professional organizations that keep me engaged with my area of work and give me opportunities to participate in conferences, training and other face-to-face events. I am also an active volunteer in my community and keep myself involved with an immigrant settlement organization. As a volunteer workplace mentor, I get to meet people from various walks of life and this helps me get my energy back on days when working by myself really gets to me. Because I strive hard to have meaningful conversations, I end up with quality relationships that allow me to add value and in turn provide tremendous value and the much needed human connection.
Remote work is not for everyone. It does take a certain bent of mind and a specific way of working. But anyone can be successful at remote work if they are able to follow good work practices and stay motivated, committed and disciplined.
If you are a remote worker and have been able to successfully work from home, what skills and practices would you add to this list? How do you make remote work work for you?


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Heat Reflective Polycarbonate Sheeting Price List UK
£20 Delivery
Charge for all orders (UK Mainland), please enquire for offshore
and highlands
Delivery approx 7 -
10 days depending on where you are located
offer curbside delivery only. Please provide us with any details
regarding delivery access (Narrow Roads, Low Bridges etc)
.Please ensure someone is availble to take the delivery.
Please Note
that we do not cut the stock sheets to your sizes, however
they are easy enough to cut yourself with a fine tooth saw,
for example a jigsaw
Minimum order value of £100 (inc. VAT and delivery) on these products
to Price Lists | Main Page | Ordering
Information | Contact Us
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member of the The BB Group of Companies
© These web pages and the information
and images within them are copyright of The B.B. Group of Companies
Our recommended
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Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in the District of Columbia. He has been the chairman and CEO of CNN and editor of Time magazine. His biography of the visionary former head of Apple Inc., "Steve Jobs," is a record-breaking international best-seller. His other best-selling books include "Einstein: His Life and Universe," "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" and "Kissinger: A Biography." His newest work, "The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution" (Simon & Schuster), is a biographical inquiry into some of the greatest innovators of the digital age. In 2012, Isaacson was listed as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2014 the National Endowment for the Humanities selected him to deliver the Jefferson Lecture, honoring him for his achievements in the humanities. Isaacson is also chair emeritus of Teach for America, which recruits recent college graduates to teach in underserved communities.


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Deacon's Corner Sign-Gate
On the Trans-Canada Highway east of Winnipeg, there is a sign just past Deacon's Corner that gives the distance in kilometers to Falcon Lake and Kenora. In many respects, it is a sign not unlike many others in the province that gives motorists an idea how far it is to their destination.
This one, however, has a sordid tale behind it.
After the Metric system was imposed upon the Canadian people during Pierre Trudeau's autocratic reign as the country's heavy-handed, supreme ruler, many of these signs around the province were changed to reflect the distances in kilometers instead of miles.
This particular sign, likely an original of the Metric era, had served motorists well for many years. Though the posts and perhaps the brackets that were holding it up had seen better days, despite its age, the metal sign itself looked no worse for the wear. However, someone at Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation still decided that it needed to be replaced. The reasons for this decision escape me.
Two years ago, as part of the much-needed resurfacing of this stretch of highway, this new sign made its unceremonious debut. Not only had Kenora apparently moved two kilometers closer, the first letter of Kenora had been spelled with a small "k" and the "k" in Falcon Lake had been capitalized.
These glaring errors on this three or four-foot high sign could not possibly be any more obvious, yet no one with Signal Industries in Dauphin, where these signs are made, or Infrastructure and Transportation caught them.
This sign clearly should never have left the factory, let alone been put up on the side of a highway. I can't even hazard a guess as to how many people saw this sign on its way here and failed to notice the mistakes.
Worse still, this sign stood there for over a year until it was finally corrected this summer.
Today, as part of a 41-mile bike ride out that way, I visited the location and got a picture of the corrected sign.
Rather than putting a sticker or a metal plate over each letter, which is commonly done on these signs, they repainted it completely. It is akin to repainting an entire wall of a room in your house to cover up a mark the size of a closed fist.
I can just hear a good friend of mine saying, "Thank you government!"™
Your tax dollars at work.


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Technologies to amplify each day.Wearables to take it all in.
How we communicate is evolving. We're breaking away from systems that require us to adapt to them, and moving towards technologies that allow us to engage in the world.
From the first portable video cameras to the advancement of smart phones, Kopin's technologies have made innovation possible. Now, as technology moves beyond handheld devices, Kopin is poised to power the next wave of personal communication wearables.
Kopin's portfolio includes ultra-small displays, optics, speech enhancement technology, software, low-power chipsets, and ergonomically designed Smart Eyewear and Hearables.
How we see, hear and communicate, Kopin will enhance it.
Kopin has a long history of working with the military to create advanced optical systems based on its ultra small microdisplay, optic, backlight and electronic technologies. From fighter pilot helmet displays, night vision binoculars to thermal weapon gunsights, Kopin's technology is designed for the toughest environments, which means it's rugged enough for anything you throw at it.
Without Kopin's heterojunction bipolar transistor wafers, smartphones might not be as ubiquitous as they are today. Its ability to both conserve as well as amplify power made it an ideal choice for carriers to use when launching new networks. Today, billions of these chips power mobile phones across the globe, allowing them to transmit and receive data at blazing speeds.
Kopin's CyberDisplay, created in 1999, was the first electronic viewfinder for camcorders. This technology replaced the decades' old cathode ray tube displays, leading to more than 30 million units.
Kopin's displays let you see both what's in front of you and what lies ahead. It's in our heritage, both being at the forefront of technology and setting the stage for the next revolution.
Kopin's history of technical innovation and computing expertise combine to create breakthrough solutions that are transforming the way people see, hear and communicate.
Kopin's technologies include ultra-small displays, optics, speech enhancement technology, software, and ergonomically designed headset computing systems that are used across consumer, business and military markets.
With the combination of Kopin's technology portfolio and experience in system design, we are able to provide tailored reference designs, displays, military solutions, and modules that meet the product development needs of our customers.


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There are a lot of different opinions out there on dietary fats and what foods are the best sources.
I am sure you've heard the ongoing debates over margarine versus butter and egg whites versus whole eggs. It was not long ago that pretty much all fat was considered unhealthy and fat-free versions of everything from salad dressings to cookies were flying off the supermarket shelves.
New science is starting to shift the debate on fats and bringing into focus a clearer and maybe even more tasty perspective on fats. When it comes to the types of fats, unsaturated fats are still touted as healthy and trans fats are still to be avoided, but there is new evidence on the role of saturated fats and the total amount of fat in the diet that is acceptable.
For decades, research has shown that LDL levels, or "bad" cholesterol, can be reduced by replacing saturated fats, like those in meat, dairy, eggs and butter, in the diet with heart-healthy unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and avocado.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting saturated fat to no more than 10 percent of calories. However, it is likely shortsighted to only focus on LDL cholesterol when it comes to heart health when there are numerous other important health and lifestyle factors to consider such as waist circumference, weight, physical activity and other blood lipids besides LDL.
In addition, current dietary guidelines do not focus on whether the saturated fat comes from coconut oil or other plants, dairy products or animal fat. More research is needed on the health impact of different sources of saturated fats.
In order to meet the age-old recommendation to cut back on fat, Americans have reduced the amount of fat in their diets by replacing fats with carbohydrates and sugar, which may actually contribute more significantly to health problems than saturated fat.
It is important to look at the overall quality of foods consumed and not assume all saturated fats are created equal, just as we now know not all carbohydrates are the same. For example, saturated fat from milk may have some health-promoting properties, while fats in processed meats and commercial baked goods fall short.
Studies show that the Mediterranean diet, which contains plenty of foods rich in unsaturated fats — such as fish, olive oil and nuts as well as fruits, vegetables, beans, small amounts of meat and poultry, and even wine — has much better outcomes in terms of reducing weight gain and risk of developing heart disease and diabetes compared to following a low-fat diet. Simply eating less fat is clearly not the answer for better health.
It is important to point out what is likely one of the biggest culprits when it comes to obesity and chronic disease: overeating. Consuming too much of almost anything is not good for us, so once we get our calories under control, and fill up on a variety of whole, unprocessed foods that are balanced in nutrients, we are one step closer to better health and longevity.
Next time you are in the dairy aisle at the grocery store trying to remember whether butter is in or out, consider opting for the product with the most natural sounding ingredients that tastes the best and follow the serving size listed on the package. Having a little bit of something you enjoy is likely smarter than overeating the latest trendy and highly processed foods.
LeeAnn Weintraub, a registered dietitian, provides nutrition counseling and consulting to individuals, families and businesses. She can be reached at email@example.com.


text: > Note also that I'm guessing that these boxes draw somewhere between 200 > and 300 watts fully loaded with tasks (anybody out there measure? I recently did some measurements on new nodes: HP DL145G2's with 8GB ram, 2x80G disks, quadrics elan4 cards: 2x DC opt/2.2 2x SC opt/2.6 booting 259-317 244-313 idle 265 255 1p thrash -g6 286 275 1p stream 291 284 2p 290-301 310 4p 290-338 "idle" means nothing explicitly running (though the distro includes a surprising number of irrelevant daemons.) "thrash -g 6" is a program that allocates 6GB and just repeatedly memset's it. it's single-threaded, but since 6GB is large enough to require both CPU's banks of memory, the other cpu is not inactive. 1/2/3 are an openmp version of stream, run with "numactl -l". firing up streaming IO during one of these runs didn't really change the power picture at all. then again, disks are not more than ~15W when spun up, so this is not a big surprise.


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Enjoy a new slimmer and lighter PlayStation 3, due to hit stores in September 2009 with a lower price and extensive software line-up in time for the holiday season.
At gamescom in Cologne, Germany, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. unveiled the new PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, featuring a streamlined form factor with a 120GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD). The new PS3 will be available in stores from September 1, 2009, in the UK at a very attractive recommended retail price (RRP) of £249.99.
With the introduction of the new PS3 system, SCEI will also reduce the price of the current PS3 with 80GB HDD to a RRP of £249.99 from August 19. By launching a vast library of exciting and attractive software titles for PS3 this holiday season and offering customers a line-up of hardware models and pricing to match their preference, SCEI will build on the momentum and further accelerate the expansion of the PS3 platform.
The internal design architecture of the new PS3 system, from the main semiconductors and power supply unit, to the cooling mechanism, has been completely redesigned, achieving a much slimmer and lighter body. Compared to the very first PS3 model with 60GB HDD, the internal volume as well as its thickness and weight are trimmed down to approximately two-thirds. Furthermore, power consumption is also cut to two-thirds, helping to reduce fan noise.
While inheriting the sleek curved body design of the original model, the form factor of the new PS3 system features a new meticulous design with textured surface finish, giving an all new impression and a casual look. With the compact body and casual appearance, the newly introduced model will appeal to a wider audience who are looking to buy the best entertainment system for their home.
Concurrently with the release of the new PS3 system, SCEI will modify the PS3 brand name from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 3, and introduce a new logo, which is engraved on the surface of the new PS3 system. By unifying under the familiar PlayStation name, which represents the entire PlayStation family, PS3 together with PlayStation 2 and PSP will further expand the PlayStation business, and will continue to enhance the entertainment experience along with the ever-growing PlayStation Network.
The new PS3 continues to offer the cutting-edge features and functions of the current models, such as the ability to enjoy High Definition Blu-ray Disc (BD) movies and games, as well as various content and services downloadable through the network.
The new PS3 system's storage size has increased from 80GB to 120GB, and with the extra capacity users will be able to store more games, music, photos, videos as well as various content and services available through PlayStation Network. Having more than 27 million registered accounts around the world, as of the end of July 2009 PlayStation Network offers more than 15,000 pieces of digital content, ranging from game titles, trailers, and demos to more than 15,000 movies and TV shows via PlayStation Store.
PlayStation Network members can also download free applications, such as PlayStation Home, a ground-breaking 3D social gaming community available on PS3 that allows users to interact, communicate and share gaming experiences, as well as Life with PlayStation, which offers users various news and information on a TV monitor in the living room by connecting the PS3 to the network.
Since the launch of PS3 in November 2006, the number of disc titles has reached more than 1,000, and downloadable PS3 games to 1,400 titles worldwide, with the support from a broad range of third party game developers and publishers. In addition to this extensive software title line-up, exciting and attractive new titles are to be released from SCE Worldwide Studios, including Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, EyePet, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Heavy Rain, God of War 3, MAG, ModNation Racers, Gran Turismo 5 and more.
Other features of the new PS3 include:
PS3 system software update version 3.00
Concurrently with the release of new PS3, system software will be upgraded to version 3.00 on September 1, 2009. The update adds various user-friendly features such as the What's New screen, where users can quickly browse the new items available in PlayStation Store as well as their recently played games directly on the XMB (XrossMediaBar), with short cuts to each piece of content.
PS3 will evolve continuously with the system software updates, further improving the operability and enhancing the user experience available through the network. PS3 owners will be able to enjoy new features by simply updating the PS3 system software to version 3.00 via the System Update function on the XMB*.
Bravia® Sync™ Feature
The new PS3 system is also equipped with the Bravia® Sync™ feature. By connecting the new PS3 system and a Bravia TV with the HDMI cable, users are able to directly operate the XMB on PS3 using the TV remote control. Other functions include System Standby that will automatically turn off the PS3 system when the Bravia TV is turned off.
Vertical Stand for new PS3 (CECH-2000)
By utilising the separately sold Vertical Stand, users will be able to set the new PS3 in vertical position, making it easier to place the PS3 system anywhere at home.
Removal of Install Other OS feature
The new PS3 system will focus on delivering games and other entertainment content, and users will not be able to install other Operating Systems to the new PS3 system.
Product Outline: PlayStation®3 (CECH-2000)
Product name: PlayStation®3
Product code: CECH-2000 (Charcoal Black)
CPU: Cell Broadband Engine™
Audio output: LPCM 7.1ch, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC.
Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
Hard disk: 2.5" Serial ATA 120GB *1
Inputs / Outputs *2 Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0): 2
Networking: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) × 1; IEEE 802.11 b/g; Bluetooth® 2.0 (EDR)
Controller: Wireless Controller (Bluetooth®)
AV output Resolution: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i (for PAL 576p, 576i)
AV output HDMI OUT connector *3: 1
AV output AV MULTI OUT connector: 1
AV output Digital out (optical) connector: 1
BD/DVD/CD drive (read only) Maximum read rate: BD × 2 (BD-ROM); DVD × 8 (DVD-ROM); CD × 24 (CD-ROM)
Power: AC 220 – 240, 50/60Hz *4
Power consumption: Approx. 250W
External dimensions (excluding maximum projecting part): Approx. 290 × 65 × 290 mm (width × height × length)
Mass: Approx. 3.2kg
Included *5: PlayStation®3 system × 1; Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK®3) × 1; AC power cord × 1; AV cable × 1; USB cable × 1
*1. Hard disk capacity calculated using base 10 mathematics (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes). System software versions 1.10 and later calculate capacity using binary mathematics (1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes), which will display lower capacity and free space. A portion of hard disk capacity is reserved for system administration, which varies depending upon system software version, and is not available for use.
*2. Usability of all connected devices is not guaranteed.
*3. "Deep Colour" and "x.v.Colour (xvYCC)" defined by HDMI ver.1.3a are supported.
*4. Power changes depending on countries or regions.
*5. For certain regions, Euro-AV cable will be included.
Note: This product is not compatible with PlayStation 2 games.
Product Outline: Vertical Stand (CECH-ZS1)
Product name: Vertical Stand
Product code: CECH-ZS1
Included: Vertical Stand (CECH-ZS1) × 1
External dimension: Approx. 88 mm x 18 mm x 260 mm (width × height × length)
Mass: Approx. 115g
Supports: CECH-2000 series*
* The Vertical Stand is for the new PS3 system (CECH-2000 series) and cannot be used on the current model.
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Trap pesky spooks, watch out for Slimer and relive the magic of the Ghostbusters movies on PSP with Ghostbusters The Video Game.
Tackle the murky dangers of Midnight in the latest LocoRoco adventure – where even the threat of the mischievous BuiBui can create a Carnival…
Lead an army against an evil general in a strange new world full of heavy metal in Tim Schafer's Brütal Legend on PS3.
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Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
England announce friendlies
England will launch the Football Association's 150th anniversary celebrations with matches against Brazil and the Republic of Ireland next year.
Five-times World Cup winners Brazil will visit Wembley in February as part of a two-match arrangement that will see England head to South America for a short tour in June.
Immediately before that, the Three Lions will take on the Republic of Ireland for the first time since their abandoned fixture in Dublin 17 years ago.
While the February 6 encounter with Brazil is bound to be attractive, given the South Americans were recently in the UK for the Olympics and played Team GB just before, arguably the Irish match on May 29 is of more significance.
Certainly, Wembley is likely to be full given the interest there is bound to be from the Irish fans in their side's first visit to the stadium since 1991.
For the FA, the high-profile fixtures are in keeping with the rest of their 150th anniversary celebrations.
A match against Scotland has already been confirmed for August, with another fixture planned - possibly against Uruguay - next summer.
The FA have already assured Premier League bosses their players will be back in England by June 11, when World Cup qualifying games will still be being played elsewhere.
Club England managing director Adrian Bevington said: "We're delighted Brazil will kick-off the FA's 150th anniversary celebrations at Wembley.
"2013 is a landmark year for The FA and an exciting England fixture programme in addition to Wembley hosting the UEFA Champions League Final will form a key part of the celebrations."


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|Joan Callaso Jazz Vocalist
|Norman Bolden owner of Room 43
|Larry Hanks (piano), Larry Gray (bass), Kwame Steve Cobb (drums)
|Hyde Park Jazz Society President Charlie Thomas and Secretary Judith Stein
|Hyde Park Jazz Society Attendees
Hyde Park Jazz Society in Chicago preserves the history of jazz in Hyde Park. The Hyde Park Jazz Society (HPJS) promotes jazz performances in the Hyde Park and mid Chicago South Side Community for jazz fans. It also develops and supports jazz musicians.
There was a jazz club located on the University of Chicago campus named The Beehive during the 50's and 60's where famous jazz musicians performed with students in jazz jams. The Hyde Park Jazz Society Sunday Night Jazz Jams at Room 43 continue that legacy with students jazz musicians and accomplished jazz artists performing improvisational jazz music for eager jazz audiences.
View Larger Map
The Hyde Park Jazz Society Home for Jazz on Sundays... Click here for Jazz Schedule
- TIME: 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- LOCATED: 1043 E. 43rd Street, Room 43 is 1.5 blocks east of Ellis (between Berkeley & Greenwood) on the south
side of the street (at the bus stop sign - it has orange awnings).
- FREE PARKING: on the street or in the "One Stop" lot at Lake Park & 43rd (1 block east)
- VALET PARKING: is NOT currently available
- CASH ADMISSION: $10 adults/$5 for University students with ID or children with adults
- ROOM 43 offers bar and food service, including a tasty selection of "Jazz Bites."
The Hyde Park Jazz Society also hosts the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in partnership with the University of Chicago.
Please check about article Jazzin Good Times at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival.
|Chicago Jazz Alive on the Southside Map
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Originally published March 3, 2013 at 5:04 AM | Page modified March 3, 2013 at 7:03 AM
From Woodrow Wilson to Twitter: A Q&A with Joyce Carol Oates
Seattle Times book editor Mary Ann Gwinn interviews prolific author (and Tweeter) Joyce Carol Oates about writing "The Accursed."
Seattle Times book editor
Author appearance
Joyce Carol Oates
The author of "The Accursed" will appear at 7 p.m. March 12 at the Microsoft Auditorium, Seattle Public Library, Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle; free (206-386-4636 or spl.org).
Longtime readers of Joyce Carol Oates won't be deceived by the portrait of an elegant lace-swathed lady on the cover of her new novel, "The Accursed"(Harper, 669 pp., $27.99). The book is no drawing-room diversion. This acclaimed author is quite adept at scaring your pants off and making you think hard at the same time.
The prolific Oates, a professor at Princeton University, has set her latest novel at Princeton in the early years of the 20th century. "The Accursed" tells the story of a curse on the upper-class Slade family, whose patriarch, a respected preacher, is hiding a dark secret. It's safe to say that everybody connected to Winslow Slade pays dearly. Along the way, the reader meets Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, Upton Sinclair, Mark Twain, Jack London and a host of other historical characters, though they may not be precisely who they seem.
Oates agreed to answer questions via email about her new novel. She reads March 12 at Seattle Public Library. Here's a slightly abridged version of the conversation:
Q: I've read that you started this novel in the 1980s, set it aside, then picked it up again. Describe why you decided to resurrect it.
A: I'd done the research into Princeton during the era of Woodrow Wilson's presidency when I first arrived in the early 1980s. By 1984 I had completed a lengthy manuscript which I intended to revise and to rewrite, but could not quite find the narrative "voice." Years passed and other projects intervened.
Then in late 2011, I revisited the novel and fell under the spell of the era once again, and this time quickly rewrote it. Each chapter is imagined as a vehicle propelled by a certain storytelling velocity. I retained all of the original characters but altered the voice and the tone to make it less 19th century. Now, "The Accursed" takes as its thematic destination the Presidency of Obama — an utterly unspeakable possibility in the racist, narrow-minded epoch of 1905-06.
Q: Several writers and books came to mind while reading "The Accursed" — Edith Wharton, "Dracula," Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," fairy tales of the dark persuasion, Stephen King, a Gilded Age version of Faust. How do you describe it, and what were you trying to accomplish with it?
A: The primary influences are my earlier gothic novels — "Bellefleur," "A Bloodsmoor Romance," "Mysteries of Winterthurn," "My Heart Laid Bare." "The Accursed" is in that tradition: American epics exploring and dramatizing leading issues of the day like women's suffrage, racial discrimination, the moral bankruptcy of the Christian ruling class. The novel rehearses cultural crises of the 20th century as conflict between the generations.
Q: "The Accursed" is set in Princeton, N.J., at the beginning of the 20th century. You teach at Princeton, and many of its traditions are featured (or take a drubbing) in the book. What are the benefits and liabilities of writing about your own backyard?
A: Princeton in 1905-06 is very different from present-day Princeton. The University is racially diverse. It not only began to admit women in the 1970s but has a woman president — all of which would have been unthinkable in the past. The advantage was that research was easy, and highly enjoyable, in Firestone Library where there are tons of materials relating to Woodrow Wilson.
Q: Readers of historical fiction sometimes have a hard time separating the fictional character with the real person, and lots of real people walk across the stage in "The Accursed." Taking Wilson as an example, in "The Accursed" he's a man of learning and vision, but he's also something of a hypochondriac, possibly a drug addict, a stroke victim, paranoid and tainted with racism from his Southern upbringing. How many of these things were true of the real Woodrow Wilson?
A: Except for consorting with "demons"— all of this is true. (But everyone in that era took drugs in a way that would seem astonishing to us in 2013, including opiates.) Wilson was highly bigoted, contemptuous of women's suffrage as he was of "Negroes," but he was not a monster so much as representative of his era. The novel explores the tragic limitations of the era's Christian "leaders" — and the rise of a younger generation with an interest in social justice, egalitarianism, women's rights and evolution.
Q: In a general way, what is the nature of the curse on the Slade family? Not trying to give anything away, but metaphorically speaking, what is the burden that brings them to such grief?
A: Repression of the "demonic"— refusal to admit that there is racism in the "good" Christian community. A failure on the part of Christian church leaders and community leaders like Woodrow Wilson to speak up on behalf of beleaguered African-Americans.
Q: The devil plays a pretty big part in "The Accursed." Do you believe in devils, or The Devil?
A: No. But I do believe in the emergence of "demonic" (i.e., repressed) elements. I believe in vampirism (i.e., the exploitation of one class by another, more powerful class).
Q: I follow you on Twitter. What do you like about Tweeting?
A: Twitter is a radically new way of communicating, at least on its higher, more idealistic levels. It's a forum for the exchange of haiku-like impressions, insights and poetry. Also a kind of broad magazine in which individuals provide links to features and videos of interest
I follow Nicholas Kristof, Steve Martin, Bill Maher, Rachel Maddow, James Gleick, Daniel Mendelsohn, NYRB classics, "The Daily Show," the Tweet of God, several writer-friends (Ayelet Waldman, Margaret Atwood, Meghan O'Rourke, Bradford Morrow, Walter Kirn, Sherman Alexie, Colson Whitehead, Dexter Palmer), philosophers (Peter Singer, Gilbert Harman), several animal shelters ... Writing tweets requires a discipline not unlike writing poetry, where each word, even each punctuation mark counts.
Mary Ann Gwinn: 206-464-2357 or email@example.com. Gwinn appears every Tuesday on TVW's "Well Read," discussing books with host Terry Tazioli
(go to www.tvw.org/shows/well-read for archived episodes). On Twitter @gwinnma.


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In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
The Only Source of Guidance
It is God's system that after we choose Him as our only God and Master and hold fast to His rope, He renders our hearts and minds wide open to His message and His commands. He guides us to the easiest path and augments our belief.
God Guides the Believers [10:9] As for those who believe and lead a righteous life, their Lord guides them, by virtue of their belief. Rivers will flow beneath them in the gardens of bliss.
Only God Guides [28:56] You cannot guide the ones you love. GOD is the only One who guides in accordance with His will, and in accordance with His knowledge of those who deserve the guidance.
[19:76] GOD augments the guidance of those who choose to be guided. For the good deeds are eternally rewarded by your Lord, and bring far better returns.
Among the means that God uses to guide those who deserve His guidance is sending human messengers. All God's messengers have the sole duty of delivering and confirming God's message which has always been one and the same: worship God alone. Worshiping God alone means nothing but following His own words in His scriptures.
One God/One Message/One Religion [21:25] We did not send any messenger before you except with the inspiration: "There is no god except Me; you shall worship Me alone."
God's scriptures are also messengers. The Quran, in its perfect Arabic tongue, teaches us that the word messenger could also be used for the message itself. The scriptures also fulfill the same exact function of a messenger: delivering, guiding, warning, and confirming God's message. The following are just a few perfect examples that explain this fact:
[65:10] GOD has prepared for them severe retribution. Therefore, you shall reverence GOD, O you who possess intelligence and believed. GOD has sent down to you a message -
[65:11] a messenger* who recites to you GOD's revelations, clearly, to lead those who believe and work righteousness out of the darkness into the light. Anyone who believes in GOD and leads a righteous life, He will admit him into gardens with flowing streams; they abide therein forever. GOD will generously reward him. *65:10-11 The ``Messenger'' here is clearly the Quran. Verse 10 talks about ``sending down a message,'' and this points to the Quran as the messenger in 65:11 (Appendix 20).
[11:1] A.L.R. This is a scripture whose verses have been perfected, then elucidated.* It comes from a Most Wise, Most Cognizant.
The Quran: Messenger of God [11:2] Proclaiming: "You shall not worship except GOD. I come to you from Him as a warner, as well as a bearer of good news.
[14:1] A.L.R. A scripture that we revealed to you, in order to lead the people out of darkness into the light - in accordance with the will of their Lord - to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy.
[27:1] T. S. These (letters) constitute proofs of the Quran; a profound scripture.
[27:2] A beacon, and good news, for the believers.
Quran: The Ultimate Reference [5:48] Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and superseding them. ....
All students of the Quran know that God's scriptures, preached by all of His messengers, are the only valid source of guidance. Messengers of God are sent as mercy for the sole duty of directing us to this one valid source of guidance.
Our generation was blessed by one of these messengers, Messenger of the Covenant, who confirmed and purified our religion from the Quran and by the Quran. His sole duty, like all previous messengers, was to take us back to following the word of God after years of misguidance, conjecture, and neglection of the Quran. He proclaimed to the world the fact that Quran is our only valid source of religious law and guidance. He was fully supported by the solid proofs of the divine authorship of the Quran. These solid proofs are from within the Quran itself and have existed for more than 1400 years, but we are the generation to witness them according to God's will and plan.
Major Prophecy Fulfilled
God's Messenger of the Covenant [3:81] GOD took a covenant from the prophets, saying, "I will give you the scripture and wisdom. Afterwards, a messenger will come to confirm all existing scriptures. You shall believe in him and support him." He said, "Do you agree with this, and pledge to fulfill this covenant?" They said, "We agree." He said, "You have thus borne witness, and I bear witness along with you."
As preached by God's Messenger of the Covenant and all God's messengers, the only valid source of guidance is the word of God in His scriptures. No where in the Quran and similarly in any previous scriptures would God point out any other source of guidance besides His revelations. Please read, study, and reflect:
[46:12] Before this, the book of Moses provided guidance and mercy. This too is a scripture that confirms, in Arabic, to warn those who transgressed, and to give good news to the righteous.
The Gospel of Jesus: Guidance and Light [5:46] Subsequent to them, we sent Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the previous scripture, the Torah. We gave him the Gospel, containing guidance and light, and confirming the previous scriptures, the Torah, and augmenting its guidance and light, and to enlighten the righteous.
[32:23] We have given Moses the scripture - do not harbor any doubt about meeting Him - and we made it a guide for the Children of Israel.
[32:24] We appointed from among them imams who guided in accordance with our commandments, because they steadfastly persevered and attained certainty about our revelations.
[3:3] He sent down to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming all previous scriptures, and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel
[3:4] before that, to guide the people, and He sent down the statute book. Those who disbelieve in GOD's revelations incur severe retribution. GOD is Almighty, Avenger.
[57:9] He is the One who sends down to His servant clear revelations, in order to lead you out of the darkness into the light. GOD is Compassionate towards you, Most Merciful.
Quran: Our Means to Salvation [17:9] This Quran guides to the best path, and brings good news to the believers who lead a righteous life, that they have deserved a great recompense.
[27:76] This Quran settles many issues for the Children of Israel; issues that they are still disputing.
[27:77] And most assuredly, it is a guide and mercy for the believers.
The Best Hadith [39:23] GOD has revealed herein the best Hadith; a book that is consistent, and points out both ways (to Heaven and Hell). The skins of those who reverence their Lord cringe therefrom, then their skins and their hearts soften up for GOD's message. Such is GOD's guidance; He bestows it upon whoever wills (to be guided). As for those sent astray by GOD, nothing can guide them.
The Quran is All We Need [12:111] In their history, there is a lesson for those who possess intelligence. This is not fabricated Hadith; this (Quran) confirms all previous scriptures, provides the details of everything, and is a beacon and mercy for those who believe.
[42:52] Thus, we inspired to you a revelation proclaiming our commandments. You had no idea about the scripture, or faith. Yet, we made this a beacon to guide whomever we choose from among our servants. Surely, you guide in a straight path.
The devil and his allies will always be disturbed by those who hear and obey God's messengers, upholding God's words and nothing but His words as the only valid source of law and guidance. They manage to control some weak spirits, causing them to be like parrots, repeating what they actually do not practice. They claim they worship God alone, but they idolize messengers and attribute infallibility to them. They make "Hadith" every day without perceiving and repeat the same dark history of all the previous and present generations. This question will always be posed to them:
Profound Question [39:36] Is GOD not sufficient for His servant? ...
[22:74] They do not value GOD as He should be valued. GOD is the Most Powerful, the Almighty.
Finally, please reflect on these paragraphs from appendix 18 and 19 written by the Messenger of the Covenant while he was honestly attempting to deliver God's message to all of us:
Some Muslims compromise: "If a Hadith agrees with the Quran we will accept it, and if it contradicts the Quran, we will reject it!" Such premise proves that these people do not believe God's assertions that the Quran is "complete, perfect and fully detailed." The moment they seek guidance from anything besides the Quran, no matter how "right" it seems, they fall into Satan's trap (see 63:1). For they have rejected God's word and set up another god besides God (18:57). See Appendix 33. The Quran's mathematical miracle provides mathematical evidence that the Quran shall be our only source of religious teachings. Here are just 2 examples:
- "We did not leave anything out of this book," is in Verse 38 (19x2)of chapter 6 and consists of 19 Arabic letters (6:38).
- "He sent down this book fully detailed," is in Verse 114 (19x6) of chapter 6 and consists of 19 Arabic letters (6:114).
The Quran proclaims that the Quran is complete, perfect, and fully detailed (6:19,38,114,115; 50:45), and that religious regulations not specifically instituted in the Quran constitute a religion other than Islam, i.e., Submission (42:21, 17:46).
The true believers uphold the Quran, the whole Quran, and nothing but the Quran. This principle is confirmed by the Quran's mathematical code. 17:46 proclaims that we shall uphold the Quran ALONE. The word "ALONE" occurs in the Quran 6 times: 7:70, 17:46, 39:45, 40:12 & 40:84, and 60:4. All these occurrences refer to God, except 17:46. When we add the numbers of suras and verses which refer to "GOD ALONE," we get 361, 19x19. This proves that17:46 refers to "the Quran ALONE."
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.


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By Matthew Heimer
For the owners of America's 23 million small businesses, retirement may seem like a relatively straightforward prospect: You reach your chosen retirement age; you sell, shut down or hand over the reins to the company; you move on to whatever comes next. But for boomer business owners, that transition is now increasingly likely to be a phased succession in which the owner keeps a part-time role and a significant financial stake in the business for several years.
This entrepreneurial limbo has a lot to do with the growing popularity of seller financing, an arrangement in which the seller essentially agrees to let the buyer purchase all or part of the business over time instead of all at once. As Lisa Ward writes this week in The Wall Street Journal, seller financing has grown more common by necessity, because an iffy economy and stingy credit markets have made it harder for would-be buyers to finance the entire cost of an acquisition up front.
A typical seller-financing deal might result in the buyer paying the owner, say, 70% of the purchase price at sale time, with the remaining 30% paid in installments over time, assuming the business stays viable. This arrangement isn't ideal for owners who are ready to retire, since they can't realize the full value of their business right away. But taking a smaller payment upfront, with later payments down the line, could help some owners reduce the tax hit on the sale.
What's more, a seller-financed transition can be a boon for an owner who would rather move into part-time work than give up the business altogether. Ward reports that many selling owners arrange financing deals that allow them to continue to work part-time at the company, with considerable decision-making authority, until the purchase is fully paid off. (Presumably, some of these part-timers negotiate for compensation on top of their financing payments–another way to make their business equity stretch further into retirement.)
The big risk, of course, is that the buyer will run the firm into the ground before the seller collects full value. With that in mind, some sellers negotiate a takeover clause — one that lets them reassume ownership of the business if the buyer misses a payment.
Also in Encore:
The right neighborhoods for empty-nesters
Boomer workers' biggest edge? Phone skills
Tax trouble for 'alternative' IRAs
Matthew Heimer covers retirement for MarketWatch and edits the Encore blog. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewHeimer.


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These set of products provide the basic components for a fully functional ambient light system, including support for optional reality effects hardware. ARFX USB interface also includes the ARFX software, and provides you with the option of connecting any of your own DC devices (LED's or other DC devices rated at up to 24VDC, 2A).
In this page, we also offer our LED strips. Re-branding of the application and hardware modules is available for qualified vendors.
Assembling these products requires some technical skills.
For building your own custom setups, see this handy Quick Reference schematic.