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Maydra Dress
Or 4 installments of $51.25 by afterpay Learn more about Afterpay
- 62% linen , 36% viscose , 2% spandex
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- Revolve Style No. THEO-WD258
- Manufacturer Style No. E0203619
- Modeled in size 2.
- Shoulder seam to hem measures approx 35" in length
- Model Measurements: Height 5'11", Waist 24.5", Bust 30", Hips 36"
- Size Guide
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D.Chamberz & Bill Collector - Nikes & Adidas (Dir. By Mills Miller) [Label Submitted]
DOWNLOAD LINK - http://is.gd/Zmu7OF
The much anticipated video from D.Chamberz & Bill Collector "Nikes & Adidas" is finally here! The most anticipated single from the UnorthodoxTrapRaps Mixtape, visuals brought to you by Mills Miller Media. Just in time for the NBA Playoffs, get your Nikes & Adidas game RIGHT!
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subset: commoncrawl


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James Tyler Variax is the only guitar in the world that can sound like an entire collection of modern, vintage and exotic instruments. No more dragging multiple guitars to recording sessions. Thanks to Variax HD technology, each instrument inside the JTV-89F guitar offers exceptional sonic detail plus organic feel and response—allowing you to capture a wide range of tones in pristine sound quality.
JTV-89F also eliminates many common recording challenges: Stay in the creative flow instead of finding, tuning and acclimating to the feel of a new instrument. Track acoustic guitars with ease. Switch between drop tunings on the fly. Banish pickup noise from your recordings forever. Find inspiration in the collection of eclectic instruments. It's the guitar you've always wanted in the studio.
Create Custom Instruments with Variax Workbench HD
Variax Workbench HD is your own personal guitar custom shop—with a twist. The software takes you far beyond what's possible in the physical realm so you can build virtually any guitar imaginable. Using the powerful and easy-to-use interface, you can mix and match a wide variety of instrument body and pickup models to define your own sound. You can also set up your guitars with Drop D, Drop C, Baritone or any other custom tuning.
Record with Amazing HD Acoustics and Eclectics
With instant access to the world's greatest acoustic and exotic instruments, JTV-89F ensures you'll always get a great acoustic guitar sound in the studio. Each HD model delivers the tone of a professionally miked instrument in breathtaking depth and detail, capturing the subtle nuances of string vibration through the soundboard and the tonewoods of the original guitar body. It's never been easier to record pristine acoustic takes—without setting up mics, preamps and EQ, or worrying about a barking dog or nearby lawnmower.
HD Electric Guitars
When it comes to electrics, we've included a broad collection of incredible instruments so you can explore everything from aggressive metal tones to classic rock, blues and more. Featuring meticulous HD models based on historic Strat, Les Paul and Rickenbacker guitars, among others, your James Tyler Variax provides instant access to the guitar tones favored by the world's most famous players. Whether you're recording or performing, Variax gives you a huge range of guitar sounds for all styles of music.
Access an Arsenal of Drop Tunings—Instantly
Imagine going from Standard tuning to Drop Bb in an instant—without interrupting your recording session or sacrificing an ounce of playability. JTV-89F lets you go lower than guitars have gone before, without worrying about pitchiness or slack strings. You can mix and match any tuning with any instrument—and also create your own tunings on the fly with Virtual Capo. It's easy to save your custom tunings, either to the open Model slot on the Alt Tune knob, or to one of the other alternate tuning slots.
Clean Tones Without Hum
When you switch to a clean tone, hum, crackle and other noises can easily ruin a perfectly good take. With JTV-89F you can enjoy a variety of classic guitars without the distraction of noisy electronics. Thanks to Variax HD technology, every instrument in JTV-89F is free of hum—so you can enjoy great-sounding, consistent tone when the recording light is on.
Legendary Craftsmanship
Designed by master luthier James Tyler, JTV-89F is a supreme player's instrument. The mahogany body complements a 24-fret three-piece maple neck with 6-in-line headstock, super-slick Tyler Fast n' Flat profile, and a rosewood fingerboard with 25-1/2" scale length. A pair of custom alnico humbucking pickups—wound to James Tyler's specs for high output, sizzle and sustain—translates this powerhouse to the amp of your choice. It all adds up to punishing lows, searing highs and aggressive midrange.
Floyd Rose Licensed Double-Locking Tremolo by Graph Tech
The Floyd Rose licensed double-locking tremolo system by Graph Tech is designed for rock-solid stability in any alternate down tuning—and with any instrument. With JTV-89F, you can use extreme whammy bar techniques with classic electric guitars and exotic instruments like sitar—which would otherwise be impossible without heavy mods. The custom-designed bridge includes built-in piezo crystals that flawlessly translate the Variax guitar tone and dynamics. The precision piezos are housed inside a set of Graph Tech String Saver saddles, which are highly resistant to rust, corrosion or perspiration—ideal for sweat-stained stages and beer-soaked venues.
The Dream Rig
Individually, the JTV-89F guitar, DT25 or DT50 amplifier and POD HD500 multi-effect processor are powerful sonic tools. Collectively, they form the ultimate integrated dream rig—and provide limitless sonic possibilities. With the press of a single footswitch, you can change sounds, routing, instruments, effects and tuning—instantly transforming your setup into virtually any rig.
|Line 6
|Product Specification


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I'm a little late for the latest Carnival of Genealogy (CoG) at Creative Gene (see link at the right), but I wanted to add my 2 cents. The theme was Inherited Traits or Genes. Most everyone on my paternal side has brown hair – which is probably where I got it. My maternal side has either brown or black hair. Now the brown hair has differing degrees. Some are light-headed brunettes, some of us have some red in their hair and my dad's mother was auburn haired – as is my niece. The blue eyes came from just about everyone on both sides except my mom – she has hazel eyes and her father had dark eyes. Her mom had blue eyes and so does my dad's side of the family. When I was very young, everyone asked me where I got my blue eyes from. They were that dark, sapphire color of blue. As I've grown older, they are more of a sky blue. My son and oldest daughter have bright blue eyes. All four of my children were born with beautiful dark blue eyes. The other two now have hazel eyes (switches from green to amber to brown) and green eyes.
My creative genes I get from both parents. My dad is a poet and amateur musician and my mother is very creative at needlework and sewing. I can't sew a straight line (although I've tried) but I can do cross stitch and needlepoint. I have tons of poetry that I've written. I think instead of doing lots of needlework I've been able to transfer that to graphic arts in laying out scrapbook pages, and working for a printer and a marketing department in paste-up. I never figured out where my "theater" gene came from until a few years ago when I came across a picture of a play my mother was in when she was in high school. I asked her why she never told me she liked to act in plays. It was "oh, I don't know". My mother was an avid sports player – she played basketball in high school and liked to golf. She watches all sports on television – golf, baseball, basketball and college football. I can never see a golf game and be very happy. Many years ago my husband picked up the sport as a way to stay connected to people he was working with so I became a little familiar with it. I like to watch a game of baseball if I am actually in the stands. Saw a lot of Cincy Reds game growing up and had a great time. I'll watch pro-football every Sunday during the season (or Thursday, Friday or Saturday). Not so much college unless Ohio and Michigan are playing! The only basketball game I enjoyed watching was the very last game of my senior year in high school when I actually went to the game – hoping our team would qualify for the finals (they didn't win). As far as playing sports myself, I loved to play volleyball; was on a swim team in elementary school; and I like to bowl. Flirted with the idea of trying out for the soccer team when I was in high school – that was before "selective" sports and the idea that if you hadn't been playing it since you were able to walk, then you couldn't play at all. My dad really isn't a sports junkie. Both my parents cooked – in fact my dad used to bake eons ago – he still might, I don't know. It took me awhile to get the hang of cooking without a recipe. First I had to get past the "too picky to eat anything that is mixed together" people. For a long time as a young adult and when my children were very small, I couldn't even think about making a casserole that might have a vegetable in it – hence, I was a pretty lousy cook because I decided I could care less! Once I met someone who actually enjoyed my cooking and told me what a good cook I was, then meal time didn't seem like a chore anymore.
I'm sure there are a lot of other "traits" that I've inherited through the generations and I'm quite pleased with the ones I do have. Go to http://creativegene.blogspot.com to read about other folks' perception on their inherited traits.


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The October 2013 release of Premiere Pro CC saw several brilliant features.
One feature that, I think, is really cool is the new Monitor Overlays feature. This feature lets you display metadata information, like source timecode information, marker comments, and edit point indicators on the Source Monitor and Program Monitor. The metadata information can be viewed on the monitor in context with the clip or sequence.
And if you've hooked up an external monitor to your computer, you can transmit the metadata as overlays on the external monitor. Now isn't that really cool?
We have an article that talks about this feature in great detail. Check out Monitor Overlays in Premiere Pro CC for more information.


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Talk about a tough act to follow.
The sons of Joe Montana and Cris Carter are hoping to forge gridiron careers of their own on Sunday and Monday at the NFL's "Super Regional" pre-draft workout at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
NFL.com has confirmed that quarterback Nate Montana and receiver Duron Carter will participate along with 213 other prospects. FOXSports.com's Alex Marvez first reported the news.
At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Nate is bigger than his 6-foot-2 father, but he's hardly come close to equaling the Hall of Fame passer on the field. After following Joe to Notre Dame, Nate transferred to the University of Montana before a stint at Pasadena City College and then shifted to Division II West Virginia Wesleyan. Nate's 2,480 passing yards and 19 touchdowns over nine starts last season led the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Duron attended Ohio State like his dad, but he struggled academically and transferred to Coffeyville Junior College (Kan.). From there, he wound up at Alabama, but classroom issues interfered again and he never played a game for the Crimson Tide. Same drill last season at Florida Atlantic University.
The college careers of these famous offspring don't suggest history is about to repeat itself, but name alone might earn them a tryout with an NFL team looking to capture a little bit of nostalgic magic.
UPDATE: NFL Network's Michelle Beisner reported Monday morning that Duron Carter will not attend Monday's workouts in Dallas. A source close to the receiver said he is "disappointed" he could not attend, but he has the flu and could not travel.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.


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Two steaks with wrappers, pasta, potatoes, carrots, eggs, apples, avocado, paper towels, lunch meat and celery.
Those were the stomach contents of an enormous black bear shot by Colorado Parks and Wildlife rangers Monday morning, the second bear killed in Boulder in three days, and they represent a big reason that bears end up dead, wildlife officials said.
"People will say that it's senseless that we killed that bear, and I agree," said Larry Rogstad, Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Area 2 wildlife manager. "It is nonsensical. But the point that it became nonsensical happened much earlier in the summer, when people had the option to take steps to secure their garbage, and they didn't do it."
Wildlife officials shot and killed the 590-pound bear -- the largest Rogstad has seen in his career -- around 10:30 a.m. at Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near Flatirons Elementary. A much smaller bear, between 180 and 200 pounds, was killed Friday night after its presence that afternoon led school officials to lock down the same elementary school.
Both bears previously had been tagged and were considered problem animals.
The larger bear was relocated almost to the Wyoming border five years ago, but it returned to Boulder within months. It had grown so large, officials said, it no longer climbed over fences but simply barreled through them.
Wildlife officials also are keeping a wary eye on the activity of a previously tagged female bear and her two cubs who have been seen in the same area.
Poor habitat
Ecologically, Boulder should be a poor habitat for bears, Rogstad said, but anywhere from four to six bears are living mostly full-time in a small area concentrated on University Hill. That compares to one to five bears per 40 square miles in natural areas.
That so many bears can live in such a small area speaks to the abundance of food from human sources, Rogstad said. The bear killed Monday had no natural food in his stomach at all.
The day beds and denning sites found within the city of Boulder indicate the bears largely are living in town, rather than living in the mountains and venturing into the city from time to time. Rogstad said a bear was found hibernating in a crawl space in a house in Mapleton Hill several years ago, and there is "no doubt" in his mind that bears are wintering in town.
Despite the easy pickings, urban bears have much shorter lifespans. Bears in wild areas live eight to 10 years on average and can live to be as old as 15 or 16. Struck by cars, poisoned by garbage or killed by wildlife officers, urban bears average just four years, Rogstad said.
And urban living has become a way of life. The cubs of the previously tagged sow are learning how to live on garbage, not how to find wild food sources.
"This is the awful dynamic," Rogstad said. "She has two cubs who spent their entire lives in town feeding on garbage. What are the chances those bears are going to turn around and go up to the mountains and become wild bears? It's an intergenerational problem."
Education campaigns
Since 2012, Boulder officials have been conducting education campaigns about bears and trash and doing increased monitoring and ticketing in an area south of Pleasant Street, north of Baseline Road, west of Ninth Street to the city limits.
They patrol early in the morning three days a week. In 2012, of 260 trash violations, 247 were bear-related, according to a report on the first year of the pilot program.
In a survey of residents of the pilot program, 60 percent supported voluntary individual actions to secure trash and encourage other people to do so. Less than half supported fines for people who do not secure their trash, but 85 percent said the threat of a $100 fine would encourage them to do more.
Residents were nearly evenly divided in whether they would willingly pay more for trash service to cover the cost of bear-resistant trash containers.
Boulder previously scrapped a plan to test bear-resistant trash cans in one western neighborhood due to the cost. The trashcans, which feature locking lids, cost $225 apiece, and the program's budget would have covered just a few blocks.
And Western Disposal, which purchased 200 of the trashcans for its customers, has found limited interest. In addition to the cost of the bin, the company charges an extra $10 a month to cover the extra work of having to manually open the bins.
Valerie Matheson, Boulder's urban wildlife conservation coordinator, said this year monitors have seen more bear activity overall, but less in the areas targeted by the education program.
'Everything is on the table'
Current city law requires that residents secure their trash from wild animals. People with curbside trash pickup cannot put their bins out until 5 a.m. on collection days, but people can put trash out in alleys whenever they like. In 2012, 59 percent of bear-related trash disturbances occurred on days other than collection days.
Code Enforcement Supervisor Jennifer Riley said Boulder has issued 606 notices of violation and 10 summons to court for trash violations this year. That's down 7 percent from last year, in large part because the code enforcement division is down an officer.
Matheson said Boulder staffers are working on policy recommendations to be presented to the City Council in 2014 when the study period is complete and "everything is on the table," from requiring bear-resistant bins to extending the same-day restriction to alleys to increased enforcement of current rules.
"Some residents have invested in behavior changes that secures their trash from bears," Matheson said, including building enclosures, storing trash indoors and freezing organic trash before putting it out the morning of pickup. "For residents who have invested in changes, they are resistant to a broad requirement because they have already made that investment."
Colorado Parks and Wildlife also is doing a multiyear study of the effectiveness of bear-resistant trash cans at reducing problematic interactions between bears and people in several neighborhoods in Durango.
Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said the division strongly supports any efforts to increase trash enforcement in Boulder.
"The reasons these bears are dying is because they're getting into accessible trash," she said. "The bears have no reason to go back to bear habitat when they can just sit and eat people's trash."


text: On Tue, 15 Feb 2005, Rob Ross wrote: > Hello Guy, > > I wasn't aware that IBM would give that out for use on existing systems. > Does anyone know the constraints under which they will provide such a > copy? As an academic, you sign up for it under the IBM "scholars program". It comes at no cost but unsupported (well, best-efforts support via the GPFS mailing list). http://www-306.ibm.com/software/info/university/members/faq.html If you want support or want a commercial license, then you have to pay money. The "official" GPFS hardware support matrix is pretty tight, but if you don't care about support, you should find that it will run on pretty much any sort of disk hardware. Guy -- Dr. Guy Coates, Informatics System Group The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK Tel: +44 (0)1223 834244 ex 7199


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Regular price $89.00
Three ways to find your size
Product ID: LHEZ32103781
- 100% cotton
- 80 (2ply)
- Button cuff
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Sciolto: To set free
[In music] With freedom and without strictness
Set yourself free from ties with our new collection of one-piece collar shirts designed to be worn untied. The beautifully engineered roll promises elegance even with the top button undone.
Choose the spread collar if you still want to wear a tie. Unlike the button-down, these still have the top button for those who want to wear a tie for work, and be untied after 5.


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VSO and the UK government (DfID) have set up the 'National Disaster Recovery Coordination Secretariat' (NDRCS) in Kathmandu. It aims to help rebuild Nepal, following the devastation of two earthquakes (25th April and 12th May 2015) which claimed nearly 9,000 lives and left hundreds of thousands people homeless.
When given a list of celebrities, US Presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, is the British public's top choice (28%) as representing the modern day equivalent of King Lear, the Shakespeare character who through false flattery led his country into war(1). The British public's other modern equivalents of Shakespeare characters were Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lawrence, Hilary Clinton and Lady Gaga.
On Tuesday 23rd February, 22 year old Tania Tuzizila from Croydon will be the 20,000th young person to volunteer with the International Citizen Service (ICS) – a youth development programme for 18 to 25 year olds, led by leading international development charity, VSO and funded by the UK government.
Results from a national online poll out today (Weds 2 Dec) show that 56% of British full time workers would freely volunteer their skills to fight poverty in a developing country, if they had the support of their employer.
Leading international development charity, VSO, commissioned Gorkana ahead of International Volunteer Day (Saturday 5 December) to survey 3,000 professionals from sectors such as finance, IT, business and engineering.
Methodist Central Hall in Westminster, London
Thursday 10th of December 2015 @ 7:30pm
Tickets www.vsointernational.org/christmas-concert
VSO named as major charity partner of the Shakespeare Lives campaign, a major global programme for 2016 celebrating Shakespeare's works and his influence on culture, education and society on the 400th anniversary of his death, launched today by British Council and the GREAT Britain campaign.
The creative partnership will use the power of Shakespeare's anniversary year to give real help to children in some of the world's poorest communities and to raise funds and awareness of VSO's work in education globally.
October 26th, 2015: As part of the European Commission Certification Mechanism under the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, VSO International has been certified as a volunteer sending organisation for the first time.
VSO is the world's leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. The certification is part of a process to identify organisations to run the proposed EU Aid Volunteers Initiative through DG ECHO.
Despite adequate numbers of maternal health workers showing up to work, new research published today (Tues 6th October) reveals it was the patients who stayed away at their own peril for fear of catching the disease.
Lesson plans delivered to teachers in India via SMS, tablets introduced to classrooms in Malawi to improve numeracy and specialist units created to bring down newborn mortality rates by 40% in five hospitals in Ethiopia, are among VSO's most successful recent initiatives according to its Annual Report 2014/15 published today.


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To see adult content (Parental Act), confirm you are over 18 years old
Jessica McClanahan
I am Jessica McClanahan and I want to change the world with my art. I strive to better myself as an artist, and learn everything that I can possibly learn about art. Art is my passion and purpose for living. With my art I want to show people new ideas and perspectives they don't normally see. I want to show the beautiful and grotesque, and everything in between.
All works by Jessica McClanahan
from the gallery of Jessica McClanahan


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Chicago's storefront theaters operate on very low budgets. They typically put together a season, or several seasons, on a budget far less than a single Broadway play. Yet, time and again, the artists who work within those confines ensure that audiences receive an experience comparable to that of the work you can see in the city's biggest venues.
Take, for example, the current Steep Theatre production of "Motortown." Simon Stephens' intense howl of dramatic despair is not for the fainthearted — I found parts of it very uncomfortable to watch — but when it comes to the quality of the acting in Robin Witt's production, there's no better work currently on view anywhere in Chicago.
Well, Joan Allen is no slouch in "The Wheel" over at Steppenwolf Theatre. But still.
Actually, one other notable performance this fall is also in a storefront theater — John Judd doing a solo turn in Neil LaBute's "Wrecks" at Profiles Theatre. This is a prima facia example of what can happen when storefront theaters strike a deal with the Actors' Equity union, allowing them to draw from the broader pool of Chicago actors — which matters especially when you need an actor over the age of 40, when the non-Equity life for a performer tends to lose some of its charm and all of its viability.
Judd's formidable work mostly has been seen at the Goodman and Steppenwolf theaters, with occasional forays at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and to New York, as called. But there is something remarkable about watching this man prowling around like a big Irish tiger, just a few inches from your nose.
"Wrecks," which deals with a bereaved, middle-aged Chicagoan wandering aimlessly around a funeral home in advance of his wife's funeral, is best experienced in just such a scruffy theater as Profiles, where you can see the beads of sweat on the actor's brow and where the teller of the story is right up in your face. Judd is a big fellow — he virtually fills this playing space just by walking through the door. Grief can feel like a cage and you surely feel that manifested in this particular encounter with the unknown and the fateful, right there next to the 7-Eleven.
Even though this is a small production — one guy, after all — it feels like a step up for Profiles Theatre.
Ideally, this company will enjoy the same kind of growth as TimeLine Theatre, which is having an extraordinary autumn season, what with "A Raisin in the Sun" doing big business because it is one of the best shows you can see in Chicago at present, and it features exactly the same kind of acting you can see at Steep and Profiles. "The Normal Heart," starring David Cromer, is still to come at TimeLine this fall.
As the name Cromer suggests, TimeLine also has started working with formidable actors. Indeed, the performance of Karen Janes Woditsch as Julia Child in "To Master the Art" (which closes this weekend) had a lot to do with that production enjoying its commercial run at the Broadway Playhouse and recouping its entire investment in five weeks. The investment wasn't huge — the show came from off-Loop Chicago, after all — but recoupment still is recoupment.
Audiences in Chicago know their Chicago actors, and when actors working at the level of Woditsch or Judd, plenty of folks want to come see them in action, especially when you can get up close without making a mortgage payment at the box office.
Twitter @ChrisJonesTrib


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Ultrafast & Broadband Photonic Signal Processing: From Microdevices to Control of RF Propagation
Published on
Andrew M. Weiner graduated from M.I.T. in 1984 with an Sc.D. in electrical engineering. Upon graduation he joined Bellcore, first as Member of Technical Staff and later as Manager of Ultrafast Optics and Optical Signal Processing Research. Prof. Weiner moved to Purdue University in 1992 and is currently the Scifres Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research focuses on ultrafast optics signal processing and applications to high-speed optical communications and ultrawideband wireless. He is especially well known for his pioneering work on programmable femtosecond pulse shaping using liquid crystal modulator arrays.
Prof. Weiner is author of a textbook entitled Ultrafast Optics (Wiley, 2009), has published six book chapters and approximately 250 journal articles, and is inventor of 13 U.S. patents. Prof. Weiner is a Fellow both of the Optical Society of America and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He has won numerous awards for his research, including the Hertz Foundation Doctoral Thesis Prize (1984), the Adolph Lomb Medal of the Optical Society of America (1990), the Curtis McGraw Research Award of the American Society of Engineering Education (1997), the International Commission on Optics Prize (1997), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists (2000), and the IEEE Photonics Society Quantum Electronics Award (2011). He is joint recipient, with J.P. Heritage, of the IEEE LEOS William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award (1999) and the OSA R.W. Wood Prize (2008) and has been recognized by Purdue University with the inaugural Research Excellence Award from the Schools of Engineering (2003) and with the Provost's Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award (2008). In 2009 Prof. Weiner was named a U.S. Dept. of Defense National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellow. Additionally, a number of Prof. Weiner's 27 graduated Ph.D. students have been selected for graduate student awards & fellowships from the IEEE Photonics Society and Optical Society of America.
Prof. Weiner has served as Co-Chair of the Conference on Lasers and Electro-optics and the International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena, as Secretary/Treasurer of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-optics Society (LEOS), and as a Vice-President of the International Commission on Optics (ICO). He has also served as Associate or Topical Editor for Optics Letters, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, and IEEE Photonics Technology Letters. Prof. Weiner is currently serving as Chair of the National Academy of Engineering's U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Meeting.
Sponsored by
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Burton Morgan 121, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN


text:
All items > Knives > Automatic Knives > Spyderco (Auto) > Spyderco Embassy
- Overall Length:7.375"
- Blade Length:3.125"
- Blade Thickness:0.13"
- Blade Material:CPM-S30V
- Blade Style:Sheepsfoot
- Blade Grind:Flat
- Finish:Black
- Edge Type:Serrated
- Handle Length:4.28"
- Handle Thickness:0.46"
- Handle Material:Aluminum, G-10
- Color:Black
- Weight:3.60 oz.
- User:Right Hand, Left Hand
- Pocket Clip:Tip-Up
- Knife Type:Automatic
- Opener:Push Button
- Lock Type:Plunge Lock
- Brand:Spyderco
- Model:Embassy
- Model Number:C121BKPS
- Country of Origin:USA
- Best Use:Tactical
- Product Type:Knife
The Embassy boasts a black anodized aluminum handle with G-10 inserts (front and back) for maximum gripping power. The black coated blade is CPM S30V (partially serrated). The plunger lock push button deploys the blade and the action is fast and lock-up solid. The Embassy also features a sliding safety and reversible pocket clip, tip up.


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Effective Teaching, Teaching Excellence Awards
The university prides itself on its excellent student-teacher ratio and relatively small classes. Faculty have developed many effective teaching strategies, and some years ago these were shared and compiled at a workshop in which over a hundred faculty participated. Results of the discussions are presented at the Teaching Strategies that Work at UH Hilo webpage.
Establishing connections with your students begins with learning the name of each student. In order to make students feel comfortable, faculty may want to ask students at the beginning of the semester how they wish to be addressed and how their names are pronounced. Some Hawaiian students, for example, commonly prefer to be called by their Hawaiian names. Some transgender students may prefer to be called by a name that is most closely associated with their gender preference, even though it may not be their legal name and the name that appears on your class list.
Other simple but effective teaching strategies are summarized on the webpage referred to above.
Awards for Excellence in Teaching
UH Hilo recognizes excellence in teaching through the Board of Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching (tenured or tenure-track faculty), the Frances Davis UH System Award for Excellence in Teaching (instructor or assistant professor), the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teacing (instructor or lecturer), and the Taniguchi Award for Innovation in Teaching and Research. Names of prior awardees and nomination deadlines and forms and other information are posted at Faculty and Staff Awards.
Reviewed June 2013 by AKS.


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Status Report is included in our news feed.
December 15, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 11
A record number of models earn TOP SAFETY PICK as automakers make changes to win
This year's list of winners of the highest safety accolade from IIHS includes vehicles in nearly ever size category.
New Jersey teen decals boost citations, not compliance
A New Jersey law intended to help police enforce graduated licensing restrictions by requiring young drivers to display decals hasn't increased compliance with the restrictions.
Early months of driving are riskiest for teens, monitoring study confirms
Crashes and near crashes are more common in the first six months of independent driving than later, a study that monitored teen drivers with cameras and other sensors has found.
November 17, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 10
Hybrid advantageHybrids' injury odds are lower than their gas-powered twins
Hybrids have a safety edge over their conventional twins, new HLDI research shows. The lower injury odds are in large part due to their bigger weight.
Hybrids chalk up more injury claims for pedestrians
Hybrids may be as much as 20 percent more likely to injure pedestrians than nonhybrid vehicles because of their quiet motors.
Teens' crash risk rises when they drive models built for performance
Teenagers are more likely to crash than drivers their parents' age. That extra risk is amplified when they ride motorcycles or drive sports cars, a HLDI study shows.
Alcohol-detection device project is now in development phase
Developers of advanced in-vehicle detection technology have two years to build a system that reliably determines a driver's blood alcohol concentration in a third of a second.
October 13, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 9
Take your pickMore boosters are doing a good job, new ratings show
More boosters are providing good belt fit for children, the latest ratings show. IIHS has awarded a record 31 seats the BEST BET designation this year.
Inflatable booster earns top rating
The BubbleBum, the first inflatable seat tested by the Institute and a BEST BET, provides a solution for traveling and car pools.
Kids in crashes fare better if states have tough restraint laws
Expanding child restraint laws to cover children through ages 7 or 8 reduces crash injuries among booster-age kids, a new IIHS study finds.
Onboard recorder rule for trucks and buses hits roadblock in court case
A proposal to mandate onboard recorders for all interstate carriers may be delayed after a similar requirement for carriers with major hours-of-service violations was struck down.
September 28, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 8
Better compatibility has lessened the danger that SUVs and pickups pose to people in cars
Recent changes to SUVs and cars have made crashes involving the two vehicle types less dangerous. Even pickups aren't nearly the danger to people in cars that they were before.
Older drivers sense when they should limit their trips
Older drivers often voluntarily put limits on their driving. The more impairments an older driver has, the more limits they place on themselves, a new study finds.
ESC benefits keep adding up as feature becomes standard
A new federal analysis of electronic stability control indicates the technology cuts by a fifth the probability that a vehicle will be in a fatal crash.
August 18, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 7
Low-hanging fruitExisting countermeasures merit renewed attention
Tried-and-true strategies such as safety belt and helmet laws and lower speed limits don't grab headlines, but they still have the potential to save many lives.
Kids should use rear-facing seats at least until 2
The American Academy of Pediatrics now says children should ride rear-facing until age 2 or until they reach the height or weight limits of their restraints.
U.S. trails other wealthy nations on road safety gains
July 19, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 6
Volvo's City Safety prevents low-speed crashes and cuts insurance costs
A new HLDI study indicates that Volvo SUVs with a low-speed forward collision avoidance system get into fewer crashes than comparable vehicles without the feature.
Forward collision warning systems available by manufacturer
A list of systems on 2011 models by vehicle make
Red light cameras see solid support in latest survey
Two-thirds of drivers in 14 big cities with longstanding red light camera programs support their use, a new IIHS survey shows.
Revamped labels to help curb sale of unsafe helmets
New labeling requirements for motorcycle helmets should make it harder to sell flimsy novelty headgear.
June 9, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 5
Death rates by modelSUV drivers are among least likely to be killed
Drivers in all types of vehicles are less likely to be killed in crashes than in the past. The change has been especially dramatic for SUVs.
Exploring ways to optimize ESC for all vehicles
ESC is working as intended under a new federal requirement, IIHS concludes following track tests.
April 26, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 4
Safety now comes in green1st crash tests of electric cars
The Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf earn the highest safety ratings from IIHS in the first U.S. crash tests of plug-in electric cars.
Truckers still need more rest than plan allows
Truckers could continue to work long hours without adequate rest under a proposed revision to hours-of-service rules, though drivers on a seven-day schedule would get more rest.
Institute supports broader mandate for recorders
Federal regulators have proposed requiring interstate carriers to install electronic recorders on large trucks and buses to track driving time, something IIHS has long supported.
New ejection rule may spur changes in side airbags
A new federal standard means side airbags will deploy in rollovers as well as side impacts. IIHS supports the rule but has concerns about other changes it requires.
March 30, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 3
Pedestrians stand to benefit from new vehicle technology and designs
Engineers are adding technology to vehicles to help drivers avoid hitting pedestrians and modifying vehicle designs to soften impacts.
Cars can brake for pedestrians if drivers don't
Volvo has already brought a pedestrian detection system to the U.S. market. Other automakers are close behind.
Silence isn't golden when it comes to hybrids, electrics
A new law requires hybrid and electric vehicles to be equipped with sounds to warn pedestrians of their presence.
Oesch retires from Institute
Stephen L. Oesch has retired after 29 years with the Institute. Most recently he served as secretary-treasurer and senior vice president for insurer and government relations.
March 1, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 2
Crash tests demonstrate the need for new underride guard standards
Underride guards that meet federal standards can fail in relatively low-speed crashes, new IIHS tests show.
Regulators slow to act on upgrade
IIHS has been studying the underride problem for decades, but federal standards have been slow to change.
More people buckle up amid higher fines for violations
Increasing fines for violating safety belt laws can boost compliance, new research shows.
Laura P. Sullivan, former Institute chairman, dies at 63
Laura P. Sullivan, the only woman to serve as chairman of the Institute's board of directors, died Dec. 10, 2010. She was 63.
February 1, 2011 |Volume 46, Number 1
Special issue: red light running
Red light running kills; red light cameras save lives
Opponents of red light cameras contend the devices are a scheme to pick motorists' pockets. The truth is that cameras save lives, a new IIHS study shows.
Common thread binds crashes despite different story lines
Just like the lives they ended, the circumstances surrounding these crashes were unique. But in every case someone ran a red light.
City uses cameras as safety tool, not moneymaker
Less than three years after being switched on, the red light cameras in Springfield, Mo., were $33,000 in the red. Fortunately, making money was never the goal.
©1996-2018, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute | www.iihs.org
IIHS-HLDI in the Classroom
An educational resource for students and teachers


text:
Nikolai Khabibulin's New Mask
First off, thanks to The Goalie Guild for the breaking news, and to David Staples, whose blog brought this to my attention.
Is this effing hot, or what? This thing is gorgeous. On top of the hotness that we behold from the eagle * / wall smashing, we also see Grant Fuhr's vintage mask in there. Absolutely friggen hot.
Check out this link to see what his pads look like, from a recent practice.
* – The eagle is likely the two-headed eagle as seen in the Russian Coat of Arms.
Here are pics from different angles so you can see the whole mask:


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Difference between revisions of "STEM Solvers"
(→Stochastic Solver)
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Incidence of H7N9 avian influenza from a stochastic STEM model of bird flu in China.
Incidence of H7N9 avian influenza from a stochastic STEM model of bird flu in China.
As for any solver, you can pick the stochastic solver when creating your scenario.
As for any solver, you can pick the stochastic solver when creating your scenario.
Revision as of 12:41, 25 June 2013
When you create a new scenario in STEM, you need to specify which solver to use. A solver is simply the method used to determine how the state of a simulation changes from one time step to the next. Models for populations and diseases in STEM are all designed to carry out this change or derivative calculation given a current state. How the derivative is applied to determine the next state is where solvers differ.
You decide which solver to use when creating a new scenario.
Available Solvers
Users can select from STEM Native Solvers or the Apache Commons Math Solvers. The Native Solvers offer speed and ease of use. The Apache Solvers involve more overhead but can offer greater accuracy.
STEM Native Solvers
Finite Difference
The finite difference solver is the most straightforward (and fastest) solver available. It uses Euler's method and simply estimates the next value from the current value plus the derivative:
y(t+h) = y(t) +h*y'(t)
where h is the step size (default 1 day in STEM as defined by the sequencer). Label values in STEM are often constrained to a positive value. For instance, the count of a population can never go negative, and this is also true for any population assigned to a particular compartment state. When a constrained value goes negative, the finite difference solver does a partial step to avoid this as illustrated in this figure:
(the figure assumes h = 1). The next value is thus calculated as:
y(t+h) = y(t) + x*y'(t)+(1-x)*y'(t+x)
The algorithm finds the smallest x among all differential equations solved and rescales all label values accordingly. If necessary, multiple partial steps are carried out.
The finite difference solver is able to take advance of multi-core CPUs; each CPU is assigned a sub-set of the graph to work on.
Runge Kutta Cash-Karp
The Runge Kutta Cash-Karp solver is an adaptive step size ordinary differential equation integrator that calculates six function evaluations for each time step and estimates two solutions (of 4th and 5th order). The difference between the two solutions is the estimated error, and the solver can be calibrated to any desired degree of accuracy using the Relative Tolerance parameter. If the error exceeds the tolerance the step size is reduced. The Runge Kutta Cash-Karp solver can take advantage of multi-core CPUs, and each CPU is assigned a sub-set of the graphs to work on. The algorithm perform CPUs synchronization to establish the step size to use, ensuring that the same solution is reached no matter how many CPUs are running concurrently.
Apache Commons Math Solvers
These solvers use the Apache Commons Math library and its classes for solving ordinary differential equations. There is some overhead in using these solvers since the STEM data models (graphs/labels etc.) need to be adapted to the APIs expected by the Apache integrators. The advantage to using solvers from this list is that they (especially the Gregg Bulirsch Stoer and Dormand Prince 853) can be more accurate than the STEM Native Solvers. The Apache solvers are maintained and tested independently by the Apache Commons Math community.
Since the 1.4.1 release, all these solvers are able to take advantage of multi-core CPUs to increase performance.
All Apache solvers takes four parameters, Relative Tolerance, Absolute Tolerance, Min Step, and Max Step. Relative and Absolute Tolerance determine the tolerance in the estimated error, indirectly controlling the step size. Min Step and Max Step determine the minimum and maximum step size allowed. If the error tolerance cannot be satisfied by reducing the step size to the minimum allowed, an error is thrown and the simulation stops. The unit of the Max Step and Min Step parameters is in simulation cycles, i.e. one step of the sequencer.
Dormand Prince 853
This integrator is an embedded Runge-Kutta integrator of order 8(5,3) used in local extrapolation mode (i.e. the solution is computed using the high order formula) with stepsize control (and automatic step initialization) and continuous output. This method uses 12 functions evaluations per step for integration and 4 evaluations for interpolation.
This method is based on an 8(6) method by Dormand and Prince (i.e. order 8 for the integration and order 6 for error estimation) modified by Hairer and Wanner to use a 5th order error estimator with 3rd order correction. This modification was introduced because the original method failed in some cases (wrong steps can be accepted when step size is too large, for example in the Brusselator problem) and also had severe difficulties when applied to problems with discontinuities. This modification is explained in the second edition of the first volume (Nonstiff Problems) of the reference book by Hairer, Norsett and Wanner: Solving Ordinary Differential Equations (Springer-Verlag, ISBN 3-540-56670-8).
It is described in the Apache documentation.
Dormand Prince 54
Another solver from the Dormand Prince family, originally described in:
A family of embedded Runge-Kutta formulae.
J. R. Dormand and P. J. Prince.
Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics
volume 6, no 1, 1980, pp. 19-26
This integrator is an embedded Runge-Kutta integrator of order 5(4) used in local extrapolation mode (i.e. the solution is computed using the high order formula) with step size control. This method uses 7 functions evaluations per step but since the last evaluation of a time step is the same as the first evaluation in the next time step, one evaluation can be avoided.
More details in the Apache Documentation.
Gregg Bulirsch Stoer
This solver implements a Gragg-Bulirsch-Stoer integrator for Ordinary Differential Equations. The Gragg-Bulirsch-Stoer algorithm is one of the most efficient ones currently available for smooth problems. It uses Richardson extrapolation to estimate what would be the solution if the step size could be decreased down to zero.
More details in the Apache Documentation.
Highman Hall 54
The solver implements the 5(4) Higham and Hall integrator for Ordinary Differential Equations.
This integrator is an embedded Runge-Kutta integrator of order 5(4) used in local extrapolation mode (i.e. the solution is computed using the high order formula) with stepsize control (and automatic step initialization) and continuous output. This method uses 7 functions evaluations per step.
More details in the Apache Documentation
Stochastic Solver
New in STEM 2.0, you can run any STEM model stochastically simply by selecting the new stochastic solver. Many infectious processes are by nature stochastic. In a stochastic model, all transitions (e.g. between infectious compartments) are drawn from a discrete binomial distribution (using the Apache Commons math library). As a consequence, only an integer count of humans (or animals) are transitioned from one state to another. This is also what takes place in the real world.
The stochastic solver in STEM takes one input parameter, the stochastic seed. Varying the seed from one run to another will results in a different outcome and running multiple simulations varying the seed can give you an indication of the range of results possible. If the stochastic seed is the same between two runs the output of the model is guaranteed to be identical.
Incidence of H7N9 avian influenza from a stochastic STEM model of bird flu in China.
As for any solver, you can pick the stochastic solver when creating your scenario.


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Hope Vale Aboriginal community lies 40 kilometres north of Cooktown. Originally established as a Moravian Lutheran Mission on the east coast near Cape Bedford, the community was later moved to its present location.
Go on a tour with a highly-acclaimed Aboriginal guide who can show you rock art sites and other locations on the Deed of Grant in Trust land. What's to see - the arts and craft centre is worth a visit and a private beach house accesses a coloured sands beach. You'll need a Council permit to camp and make arrangements in advance with the beach house. Useful stores include a couple of general outlets, hardware, a butcher and petrol station - but you will need to pay cash here.
Hope Vale is easily accessed from Cooktown on a good dirt road off the Battle Camp Road between Cooktown and Laura.
Hope Vale has an Alcohol Management Plan (AMP). AMPs aim to reduce alcohol-related violence.
AMPs vary from community to community. They include alcohol restrictions, home brew bans and dry place declarations which operate within a defined boundary, known as a 'restricted area'. These strategies set the quantity and type of alcohol you may possess in the restricted area.
Penalties apply for possessing or attempting to bring illegal alcohol into a restricted area.
To find out more about AMPs for each community, visit the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs web site.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


text:
Friday, April 22, 2011
tongue twister
in the old days at kalafong (hell) we sometimes had to deal with obnoxious people. alcohol tends to make the worst of a personality come to the fore. most of us tended to ignore these irritations and get on with the job, but there were exceptions.
he was a senior registrar at the time. before going into the whole surgery thing he had been in the army and had served in the angolan war in the special forces. i occasionally asked him about those days, but he never spoke about it. i think it messed him up a bit and he probably didn't want to dwell on that stage of his life too much. only once did he ever actually say anything to me that alluded to what he had gone through.
"bongi, when you are in battle and people are shooting at you with the intention of killing you, it somehow changes your perspective on life." i suppose part of his changed perspective was that he tended not to take crap from mere mortals (hy vat nie kak van kabouters nie), especially those with more than a liberal dose of dutch courage.
the patient was drunk beyond description. he lay there in casualties with a nice neat bullet hole through his chest. however the injury had done nothing to his foul mouth. he maintained a constant stream of verbal abuse directed against anyone and everyone who had anything to do with him. when the poor house doctor inserted the intercostal drain she had to contend with both his sharp tongue as well as the occasional flying fist. he even managed to land a blow which had reduced the house doctor to tears. to her credit, she had continued the procedure but was unwilling to go near him after that. she called her senior, the registrar, to make sure the patient had no other injuries.
my friend walked into casualties, quickly found out what the trouble was about and approached the patient. he stood just outside the reach of the patient and casually observed his fists flying around, keeping everyone away. he listened as the patient flung a stream of obscenities at him. he seemed unmoved, but the wry smile that until then had been on his face slowly slipped away to be replaced by a stern grimace. he tried to speak to the patient to explain that he needed to check him out but this was met with such aggression that he ended up walking away. the house doctor tried once more to approach the patient, but caught a heavy body blow and slumped to the floor in pain. that, it seemed, was too much for the registrar.
"sister, put the patient in the procedure room. i'll be back in five minutes."
five minutes later the registrar returned. he went straight to the procedure room. just before he entered he turned to the sister.
"sister, call the maxillofacial surgeon and tell him we have a patient for him with a broken jaw."
"does the patient have a broken jaw?" she asked, surprised.
"well not yet." and with that he entered the room and closed the door.
after that, so the story goes, the patient was as tame as a lamb, albeit a lamb with a very swollen face.
25 comments:
- Lynda Halliger-Otvos said...
Alcohol is legal and so many people act like this under its effects. Why do we continue to allow it in our societies ?~?!
- April 22, 2011 9:40 am
- michkhoo said...
Proper education is the key not prohibition..
- April 22, 2011 10:44 am
- LOST SOUL said...
Sometimes such "procedures" are necessary,and not just for the drunk
- April 22, 2011 1:00 pm
- Bongi said...
lynda, i thought the americans already tried that and it didn't work. not that i am qualified to give an opinion, but i don't think alcohol is evil or wrong in itself. excess is. likewise, food causing obesity doesn't mean food in itself is wrong.
michkhoo, i think education of that order in this country is nothing but a pipe dream. i simply don't see it happening here. i don't even expect it.
lost soul, you are the only one who has commented on the actual issue. thank you. however i'm not sure i agree with you. true i often wish i could orientate a patient with a stiff clout, but violence begets violence. vicious circle and all. put it like this, i don't necessarily agree with the management of my friend, but that doesn't mean i didn't get a good laugh. sometimes i dream about klapping (south african word meaning hitting, usually with open hand) a patient or two, but it isn't right to actually do it. it's probably not wrong to secretly be delighted that someone else did, though.
- April 22, 2011 2:21 pm
- Studio at the Farm said...
I like your friend's [ the senior registrar] attitude. I don't believe one should have to put up with unwarranted and undeserved crap, especially when you are trying to help someone. Good for him!
- April 22, 2011 2:49 pm
- Danger Boy said...
I don't know that I'd consider a right cross an effective sedative...
- April 22, 2011 6:24 pm
- Cal said...
While not condoning the registrar's actions I can understand the build up of frustration that led to it. How you guys (doctors, nurses, medical providers in general) deal with this kind of abuse while still providing care if beyond my capabilities.
- April 22, 2011 8:23 pm
- Renny said...
I was gonna say something along the lines of 'please tell me this story is real, and if so, good for him!' but then I realised something I think most people forgot- the guy was drunk. Whilst that is no excuse as it was his choice to drink in the first place, it means that hopefully there's a slight chance that he's not as voilent or as foul-mouthed in 'real life'. But to be honest I doubt this is the case...
- April 22, 2011 10:30 pm
- Menaka Indrani said...
As long as it is not a habit and done in moderation it should be ok
Menaka Indrani
- April 23, 2011 7:53 am
A good friend was working in an ED in a foreign country when an obnoxious drunk came in with a chest injury. He swore and spat at the staff. My mate recognised his accent as South African, so he went up to the patient and wispered in his ear "Do you know were I'm from? I'm South African!" with that his patient (and countryman) shut up. And lay silently without flinching while my mate put in a chest drain without anaesthetic. It seems this story of the broken jaw reached the South African expat community in distant lands!
- April 23, 2011 12:58 pm
- Shopgirl said...
What a story, with such an effective punch at the end!
- April 24, 2011 12:10 am
Why wasn't the patient put in four-point restraints when he first started getting violent?
(Not a criticism, just a question. Love your stories!)
Hopalong Ginsberg
- April 25, 2011 5:21 am
- Barbara K. said...
Great story. Sometimes meeting attitude with a bigger attitude is enough to create enough psychological restraint so that physical restraint isn't necessary.
- April 25, 2011 11:00 pm
- DJ Joe said...
This blog is awesome!! I'me going to follow it now!!
Could you tell me your opinion 'bout mine??
I hope you like it, if you do please follow
- April 26, 2011 9:55 pm
- Pseudonym said...
Your stories are brilliant (and making pre-medical years so much more tolerable, even if I will never be able to pull off this kind of thing).
- April 28, 2011 5:12 am
- Cupcake Ideas said...
It is best to take part in a contest for the most effective blogs on the web. I will recommend this web site!
Cupcake Ideas
- May 03, 2011 3:10 pm
- Jin said...
I had to deal with a burly highschool kid who was spaced totally out of his bracket on dagga - on top of the spliff, his 'mates' had fed him a tablespoon full of seeds. It took 4 nurses to eventually hold him down & restrain him. This only happened after the &*()!# slapped me across the boobs, which hurt like hell! I grabbed his 'tackle' & twisted.............feel free to flinch bongi LOL.
*ps - I have a new spot: http://aspotinafrica.blogspot.com
- May 07, 2011 11:14 am
- Bruce said...
Reminds me of Richard Selzer's story "Brute," where the surgeon sews the patient's ears to the matress when he won't hold still. Yikes!
- May 12, 2011 7:13 pm
- Meg said...
- May 17, 2011 10:12 pm
- R2K said...
: )
- May 22, 2011 3:49 pm
- Rommel Peter Fernandes said...
I think that what the registrar did was necessary for that situation.
Goa apartments
- May 26, 2011 7:11 am
- Ruby said...
I miss reading your updates.... Where, oh where have you gone?
- June 02, 2011 1:09 am
- Chloe said...
Hi Bongi
Love your blog, i nominated you for a blogging award.
Please check out my blog www.wildhorseproject.blogspot.com
to receive your award and instructions
- June 06, 2011 8:09 am
- Wreckless Euroafrican said...
U got to love "tough love"!
- June 07, 2011 9:07 pm
haahah, no witnesses.
- June 09, 2011 12:54 am


text:
The VMware vCloud Air Network Program enables partners to invest in VMware infrastructure on a monthly subscription basis, driving the success of public and hybrid clouds.
The VMware vCloud Air Network Program is comprised of VMware vCloud Air and our global ecosystem of VMware Service Provider Partners. It is the ideal solution for all companies that offer hosted services to third parties, including infrastructure as a service (IaaS) providers, cloud service providers (CSPs), application service providers (ASPs), Internet service providers (ISPs) and platform as a service (PaaS) providers.
As the world's largest network of validated cloud services based on VMware technology, the VMware vCloud Air Network Program enables partners to consume VMware products on a pay-as-you-go, pay-as-you-grow, monthly subscription model. By offering a wide range of VMware-based cloud services on a geographical basis, VMware Service Provider Partners can now offer hybrid cloud services that quickly and seamlessly extend the customer's data center into the cloud using the same VMware products and tools they already use on premise.
vCloud Air Network solutions, offered through VMware Service Providers, enable rapid and cost effective delivery of hybrid cloud services that customers increasingly demand. Whether infrastructure-as-a-service, disaster recovery or desktop-as-a-service, service providers can benefit from decreased time to market, reduced capital investments and lower development costs to stay competitive in the cloud computing market.
The VMware vCloud Air Network Program increases opportunities for partner success with a new vCloud Air Managed Services Provider model.
vCloud Director 8.0 is now available to VMware Service Provider Partners. It is focused exclusively on the hybrid/public cloud requirements of cloud service providers.
VMware partner, IndonesianCloud, shares its real-life deployment experience of Virtual SAN


text:
VMWare, Parrallels, boorcamp? This guy has some hands-on experience and is willing to give advice. Vista on Macintosh at IdentityMine
Year: 2007
Visual Studio Addons for the Holidays (World Of Warcraft, Storyboard,IronPython)
Just copied this from an internal mail I received. Very cool stuff although the Story Board stuff leaves a lot to the imagination if you want to link it to a holiday scenario. AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft To get the upper hand playing WoW with your teenage cousins, build an add-on using…
Vista versus Leopard
Leopard is the New Vista, and It's Pissing Me Off – Columns by PC Magazine I enjoyed reading this blog post. I'm amused by people going all Jerry Seinfeld over technology. There is one reason however why one should never compare Windows to MacOS like this: MacOS runs on closed hardware. Any technical person and…
Google embracing SkyDrive model?
Google Plans Service to Store Users' Data – WSJ.com Compare this from the article announcing Google's plans: The service could let users access their files via the Internet from different computers and mobile devices when they sign on with a password, and share them online with friends. With this from the Windows Live Skydrive…
The Ultimate Evangelist
When people create such pictures of you, you know you are the ultimate evangelist: From the ultra entertaining: http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/
Live Spaces Photos or Flickr?
I was glad to see indications that Microsoft is going to increase competition with Flickr. I have a Flickr account and a Windows Live Space and welcome competition. Here's how these services compare to me as a hobbyist. Cost of service This is free. Can't beat that. But I would not mind paying for…
Microsoft is Web 2.0 but some bloggers just don't want to see or accept it
Inbox 2.0: Yahoo and Google to Turn E-Mail Into a Social Network – Bits – Technology – New York Times Blog Interesting article but the author fails to mention Microsoft as being a big (if not the biggest) player in this game. This happens only too often in my opinion. I understand many people don't…
I don't feel safe on Facebook
I like Facebook a lot but I don't feel safe. I just don't know what those applications can do with my personal data. I have a couple of reasons and the last one is the most scary. 1. What does it mean that the application can 'Know who I am and access my information'? 2….
Halo 3 or Gears of War?
I'm huge fan of Gears of War and I never played Halo 1 or 2 on my own console. Now I've been playing Halo 3 at home for a couple of hours and I feel I can take a first stab at comparing these games. Graphics: When I was playing multiplayer Halo 2 at my…
Tech Ed Developers: 3 more days for Early Bird Discount
Nice promotional clip for Tech Ed Europe (Tech Ed Developer and Tech Ed IT Forum). How are those type of constructions called again? Video: TechEd Europe 2007 promotional video


text:
2Daoilz - Win, Wind, When [User Submitted]
Official Music video by 2DAOILZ - GryndModeSeason365, @ITZOILZ FB/2daoilz INSTAGRAM@2daoilz #GMS365 #XFMS For Booking shows and features contact HIP @ 347 582 4921 send beats to firstname.lastname@example.com
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Zespri Green And Gold Kiwifruit Reaches U.S.
Redwood City, Calif.-based Zespri International North America delivers Zespri Green Kiwifruit through November and Zespri Gold Kiwifruit through September to supermarkets and foodservice providers.
Looking forward to this year's crop, Karen Brux, market manager for Zespri International North America, predicts, "Juicy and flavorful in ways no other source can duplicate, Zespri Kiwifruit from New Zealand will deliver truly superior fruit in 2010."
After a hot, dry summer, brix levels are being recorded at historic high levels that translate into sweeter, more flavorful fruit. However, it's not just the weather that creates a perfect kiwifruit. According to Zespri grower Jim Mathews, "The soil is the start of everything." New Zealand boasts a unique environment for growing kiwifruit: fertile volcanic soil and artesian irrigation water from the country's mountain ranges. Patience is a virtue in New Zealand. Growers only harvest kiwifruit that's reached a minimum 6.2 brix level that allows the fruit to continue to ripen off the vine. Sweet fruit picked at peak conditions reduces waste and increases customer satisfaction.


text:
Shanghai Metro ensures reliable power for safe, stable and efficient rail operations with EcoStruxure.
Chart your energy career with our +200 free, vendor-neutral e-learning courses in more than 13 languages.
Access our mobile catalog, 24/7 support as well to expert help and tailored services on the go!
Don't miss the latest events, videos, or articles. It's all in our news bulletin.
Welcome to our website.
You can choose another country to view available products or go to our Global website for company information.
Hybrid Inverter.
Solar Charge Controller.
Communication Device.


text:
All times are Eastern Time.
I took the opportunity to clean out some dust in the computer that I couldn't clean while it was turned on.Jun 1 04:58:02 phantom-desktop kernel: Kernel logging (proc) stopped.
Jun 1 06:26:42 phantom-desktop kernel: imklog 4.2.0, log source = /proc/kmsg started.
In other news, the following changes have been made to my Tribes server in recent days:
-added Necromancy Magic, ported from MR-TRPG
-Bots now only drop packs on zone-exit if the bot has picked up a pack beforehand
-Disconnecting while riding a horse no longer causes random players (or even objects) to become trapped inside the horse
-Pack dropping has been improved to minimize item loss (particularly belt items)


text:
tim10000 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 25 diseños de 10 diseñadores freelance.
SEM Business Blueprint
Website Owner
What I need are 3 graphics:
- 1 x software box
- 1 x DVD image
- 1 x product 'collage' a little like this:
The collage should contain 10 dvds & 5 software boxes
- A seperate image of the Logo (see details below)
Format: JPG & PNG versions of each.
Graphics quality like this:
3 sizes, small medium and large.
Small: http://www.nicheblueprint.com/boxcover-sm.png
Large: http://www.nicheblueprint.com/boxcover-lg.png
Medium: somewhere between the two
Colors: General colors should be dark blue.
Details: Take a look at this layout picture I've done
here: http://www.nicheblueprint.com/businabox/sem.jpg
At the top of the software box we need the
'logo'. This will basically be the font/text
of "SEM Business Blueprint" and I'm open to ideas
on how this should look.
On the bottom half of the box, my idea is to
have a light blue strip running across the
The background image of this strip will be a
type of 'blueprint' graphic a bit like this: http://www.mediabistro.com/agencysp…eprint.gif
On this image there will be three areas each of these boxes
will be joined with arrows to represent a 'process flow'
- Box # 1 should contain an icon representing
2 customers. The icon should be like the image I
have on the right hand side of my example page but without
the 'tick'...and two people, not one.
- Box # 2 should contain an image of Google
search results (like I have on the right hand side)
- Box # 3 should contain a dollar sign.
PM me if any other info is needed..
Many thanks


text:
« Incumbent Rule Redux | Main | CT: Party ID from Quinnipiac Poll »
August 16, 2006
More on the CT Exit Poll Experiment
Today I want to catch up and fill in a few details provided by our intrepid reader/reporter Melanie about that experimental CBS/New York Times exit poll conducted last week in Connecticut. As regular readers may recall, Melanie first brought the exit poll to our attention after being interviewed last Tuesday. I asked her what she remembered about the experience, starting with the interviewer. Here is her report:
The poll person was a young guy, maybe 20 - looked like a college student (tall, a little messy, scraggly hair, very diffident). I think he had some sort of ID around his neck or clipped to his pocket, but I didn't notice what it said (he was in the midst of a discussion with the woman running the voting site about where he could be set up - she said she had just gotten a faxed letter from someone giving this young guy permission to be there, wherever he wanted to be as long as he didn't interrupt anyone, so she told him he could stay out of the sun - he was about 5 feet from the door of the site).
Melanie's experience gives us a unique window into the real world challenge of trying to select voters randomly as they exit a polling place. She happened to overhear the interviewer's most important interaction of the day, the one that enabled him to stand just outside the door of the polling place. Had he been forced to stand farther away, his ability to sample exiting voters randomly would have been severely compromised. The post-election report provided by the two companies that conducted the 2004 exit polls (Edison Research and Mitofsky International**) showed that errors in John Kerry's favor were more than twice as large (-12.3) when interviewers were forced to stand 100 feet or more from the door of the polling place than when they could stand right outside the door (-5.3, p. 37).
At first I assumed this conversation occurred first thing in the morning, just as the polling place opened. But I asked her to clarify and she said:
I got there about 9, which is early for me, but not for them (they had opened at 6 - the folks inside told me about 10% of the possible voters had already been in by then).
So put it all together and notice the reference to a faxed permission letter that the polling place official "had just gotten." From the description, it appears that when the interviewer first arrived, the polling place officials would not let him stand near the exit door. So he presumably called his supervisor and they found a way to fax a letter to the polling place official, and just as Melanie was voting, they relented and allowed the interviewer to stand near the door. Up until that time, the interviewer had to try to intercept 10% of the day's sample from a less advantageous position.
Second, notice the clear impression that the interviewer's appearance made on Melanie. He "looked like a college student" with "messy scraggly hair" and a "diffident" attitude, yet she did not notice what appeared on his ID. Now dear reader, ask yourself what you might guess about the politics or personality of that interviewer. How would you react to an approach from such a person? Is it possible that your choice -- whether you make eye contact, approach with interest or walk briskly in the opposite direction -- might have some relationship to your politics? The data in the Edison/Mitofsky report from 2004 strongly suggests that it does.
I will let Melanie continue with her description of how she happened to be interviewed:
He was alone -- he actually didn't approach me -- I saw a couple of other folks doing his poll and when I walked over to see if he'd ask me to do it too he just handed me the device. (My voting site is pretty small -- just one voting machine -- with about 700 registered democrats -- in a part of a smallish suburb east of New Haven -- we never get exit polls here).
An exit poll interviewer is usually instructed to select exiting voters at random using a predetermined selection rate. In other words, they are given a number (usually between 1 and 10) and told to select every third voter or every fifth. Some are told to select every voter that exits the polling place. We do not know the interval used here, although with 700 voters likely a number greater than one -- that is, not every voter should have been selected. We will also never know if Melanie was one of the voters who should have been selected, but it is awfully interesting that in this instance she approached the interviewer rather than the other way around.
The data from the Edison/Mitofsky report on the 2004 exit polls showed that errors in Kerry's favor were nearly three times greater when where interviewers had to approach every tenth voter (-10.5), than in smaller precincts where interviewers were instructed to interview every voter or every other voter (-3.6, p. 36). The clear implication is that where there was more potential for the random selection procedure to break down (either because of more chaos at the voting place or just more room for error), Kerry voters were more likely than Bush voters to volunteer to participate.
So here we have another anecdote that helps convey the most important challenges in conducting an exit poll. Some argued the collection of "almost perfect" random samples outside a polling place is easy. It is not.
Now let's hear about the most novel aspect of the CBS/New York Times Connecticut experiment, as per Melanie's report, that they used an "electronic device" to conduct the interviews. Exit polls have traditionally been conducted with a paper "secret ballot" given to respondents on clipboard so they can fill it out and drop it into a "ballot box" without revealing the answers to the interviewer. In Connecticut, CBS and the Times experimented with something new:
The device was sort of like what the UPS guys use, except horizontal -- about 11" wide and 7" high. There was a LCD screen making up the middle of it, and the questions were in the center of the screen -- you just tapped the answers with a pencil to register your choices. He didn't get involved at all -- just handed it to me and took it back when I was done. He seemed to have 2 or 3 of them. He also had a little thing that looked sort of like a Palm pilot or blackberry that (I think) he inserted into the back of the poll device after it was filled out -- I assumed that was the way each set of info was transmitted to the collection folks, but I could be completely wrong about that.
The downside of the paper ballot is that it forces the interviewer to stop intercepting voters several times during the day to talley up responses and call in respondent level data, reading off each answer to someone on the other end of the line that enters everything into a computer. The NEP exit polls (and those done by their forerunner, VNS) typically had interviewers call in only half of the respondent level data in order to cut down on phone call bottleneck. This new technology automates both the tabulation and transmission so interviewers can cover the polls constantly all day, and 100% of their collected data gets transmitted immediately.
How hard was it to use the electronic device? Melanie continues:
The last question on the poll was about how easy or difficult the text on the screen was to read, so clearly they are experimenting with that part of it too (it was a little tough to read, especially with sunlight reflecting off the LCD screen -- or maybe that's just my aging boomer eyes). But it was very user-friendly -- I think it was much quicker than a paper ballot would have been.
One last footnote: In my speculation about the exit poll problems in 2004, I have given great weight -- probably too much, in retrospect -- to the presence of the network logos on the survey questionnaire, the exit poll "ballot box," and on the interviewer name tags. Note that Melanie did not notice that network identification until she was holding the device in her hands. I asked her specifically when she first noticed the logos. Her answer:
I noticed the logo after I had started to read the questions on the device -- it was about 2-3" square, at the top left of the device -- he didn't say anything about it and I just happened to notice it after I had read the first question or 2. It was the usual CBS logo, but it wasn't a particularly bright color -- it sort of blended in to the dark gray or black color of the device, so it wasn't splashy. I assumed that was on purpose, as was his failure to tell me whose poll it was.
Of course, Melanie was just one respondent and amounts to a sample size of one. Of course, as a colleague of mine once told me, the plural of anecdote is data.
**An MP source reports that Edison-Mitofsky, the company that does the pooled exit polls for the NEP consortium did not conduct the CBS/New York Times exit poll in Connecticut last week.
Related Entries - Exit Polls
Posted by Mark Blumenthal on August 16, 2006 at 06:49 PM in Exit Polls | Permalink
When we had that discussion of exit polls 2 years ago, especially after the release of the Mitofsky report, I noted that the hiring of exit poll-takers from Craigslist and college poli-sci classes inevitably prevented a bias issue. Throw in that the worst discrepancies in Kerry's favor were with graduate students. It's not hard to conclude that straightlaced Republican MBA students were not volunteering for a low-paying exit pollster job.
Posted by: Nathan | Aug 18, 2006 11:55:16 AM
Mark, what do you think of the alleged "push-poll" controversy?
Posted by: Alan | Aug 18, 2006 2:32:23 PM
In Quinnipiac's August 17, 2006, poll in Connecticut (http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x11362.xml?ReleaseID=948), the results are reported by party affiliation, but don't include the % of total respondents in each party, making it difficult to tell how much the Democrat, Republican and Independent voters weigh in the totals.
In case anyone else is looking for this, I asked Quinnipiac if they could provide this information, and this is what they gave me:
Generally speaking, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat an Independent, or what?
Republican 25%
Democrat 36
Independent 34
Other 4
Posted by: Alan | Aug 21, 2006 1:05:12 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.


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Rescue Profile: Ben and Dave
Case #: 7438
Several friends headed out for a quick lap of kayaking in California's Cherry Bomb gorge. Gear packed and ready for the water, Ben, who had bought a SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger™ a few days before, tossed the device in his backpack as an afterthought. "The camp was only 10 minutes away and it was just a quick trip," recalled Ben. "I didn't think we would need SPOT, but I figured I've got it, I might as well take it."
Ben, sidelined from a previous injury, watched from a ledge as his friends passed by.
Rescue Profile: Frank and Sam
Case #: 9925
Frank and three of his friends got together for a day of off-road riding in the California forest. The friends were all expert quad riders, knowing both their vehicles and the terrain. With packed lunches and dressed for cool weather, off they went to explore.
Along the way, they encountered a large log and decided to ride across it. Frank successfully crossed first, followed by Sam. While crossing, Sam accidentally hit his throttle wide open. His quad bucked sideways and Sam's friends watched in disbelief as he fell 70 feet.
Rescue Profile: Todd Churchill
Case #: 3397
As he had done many autumn days before, Todd Churchill was hunting in Payette National Forest on horseback. Before leaving, Todd packed his SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger™, a small action that would soon have a significant impact on his life.
On the way back to camp, Todd's horse unexpectedly threw him. The horse then landed on top of Todd and crushed his pelvis. Trapped due to immobilization miles from civilization and in severe pain, Todd activated SPOT's emergency alert.
Todd recalls, "My friends thought this was it. One of them had begun to give me my last rites."
The International Emergency Rescue Coordination Center (IERCC) received the S.O.S. alert and swept into action. IERCC confirmed relevant details and relayed the information to local authorities.
Rescue Profile: Kiri and Dad
Case #: 8393
Not every girl can claim to be daddy's tough biker. But every girl is not Kirsten, affectionately known as Kiri. Her father, John, takes pride in referring to her as one of the toughest bikers he has ever seen.
This daughter/father duo enjoys the outdoors as much as they enjoy each other's company. This past Labor Day, they were doing just that when the day took an unexpected turn for the worse. In the mountain trails of Ashland, Oregon, Kiri took a jump on her bike that resulted in her body being thrown against the rocky terrain.
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Case #: 9294
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The United Way of the Lowcountry Board of Directors announced gifts and pledges totaling $2,006,493, which is 71.6 percent of the organization's 2012 goal of $2.8 million.
With the holidays in full swing and the season of giving underway, United Way leaders encourage helping others.
From 2-6 p.m. Friday, J Banks Retail Store in Hilton Head offers all shoppers 25 percent off purchases. The 10 percent of the store's total sales that day will be donated back to United Way of the Lowcountry.
In October, volunteer reading tutors began working in eight Lowcountry schools. The goal is to ensure that students are reading at grade level when they enter fourth-grade. It ties to the long-term goal to reduce dropouts by 50 percent within 10 years in all Beaufort County and Jasper high schools.
To learn more about United Way of the Lowcountry and its work to make the community a better place, call 982-3040 or go to www.uwlowcountry.org.


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Sunday, 20 March 2011 09:25
It bears repeating. Government, industry, and major media reports downplay and deny Japan's unprecedented nuclear disaster, potentially able to kill millions now living and in future generations painfully.
Nuclear power is a real life Andromeda Strain. If uncontrollably unleashed, it's potentially able to destroy life worldwide under a worse case scenario.
In his latest article, nuclear expert Harvey Wasserman said "the most devastating thing about (Fukushima) is not what's happening there now. It's that until all the world's reactors are shut, even worse is virtually certain to happen again. All too soon." Fukushima, in fact, may be the nuclear nightmare he suggests.
Globally, 450 reactors operate, including 104 aging American ones, many with bad safety records caused by cost-cutting and shoddy maintenance. Poorly regulated, they're ticking time bombs, accidents waiting to happen, many plagued by near-meltdown misses.
According to Beyond Nuclear's Linda Gunter, American utilities have gambled since the dawn of the nuclear age, NRC regulators letting them get away with cutting corners, taking risks, and being lucky hundreds of times. However, it can't forever avoid a Fukushima-like disaster. From 1986 - 2006, Greenpeace estimates 200 near-misses. Any loss of power for any reason could cause one - an earthquake, tsunami, ice storm, or any number of accidents that can and do happen, including human error.
Even operating normally, reactors discharge enough radiation daily to contaminate food, water, air and earth. Further, if a large city like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles lies downwind of a meltdown, it would become uninhabitable forever.
Moreover, contrary to government and industry misinformation, nuclear power is neither efficient, reliable, cheap, clean or safe. Annually, it discharges significant amounts of greenhouse gases and hundreds of thousands of curies of deadly radioactive gases and elements.
They're also atom bomb factories, a 1,000 megawatt plant producing 500 pounds of plutonium annually. Ten pounds can destroy greater New York. Moreover, the link between radiation and disease is irrefutable, dependent only on the amount of cumulative exposure over time. As Helen Caldicott explains:
"If a regulatory gene is biochemically altered by radiation exposure, the cell will begin to incubate cancer, during a 'latent period of carcinogenesis,' lasting from two to sixty years."
As a result, a single gene mutation can and often is fatal. No amount of radiation is safe, cumulative exposure causing 80% of known cancers.
As long as the technology exists, humanity is playing an insane game of nuclear roulette it can't win. It's only a matter of where and when one or more devastating meltdowns will occur. At Fukushima, it's virtually certain now happening, full-scale damage control concealing it. The only unknown is how bad, whether multiple reactors are affected, and whether anything's able stop it.
According to an unnamed industry expert, Japanese engineers confirmed a serious leak in the floor and/or sides of Unit 4's spent fuel pool, making it impossible to keep its rods under water. As fast as it's sprayed in, extreme heat evaporates it. A Los Angeles Times report said a "breach in the pool would leave engineers with a problem that has no precedent or ready-made solution." According to Union of Concerned Scientists physicist Edwin Lyman:
"My intuition is that this is a terrible situation and it is only going to get worse. There may not be any way to deal with it." Most at risk are children and pregnant women.
EU energy head Gunther Oettinger's assessment bears repeating that "We are somewhere between a disaster and a major disaster." It's wrong to "exclude the worst. There is talk of an apocalypse, and I think the word is particularly well chosen."
Nuclear expert John Large called Fukushima's response "shambolic," saying advance preparations for disaster weren't made, adding:
"What this means is, accidents like we are seeing now where there are two breaches - one involving the reactors, and one involving fuel ponds outside the reactors - they don't have plans for it. They don't have a procedure in a book to turn to." What they're doing may not work. "This shows the fundamental omission in nuclear safety culture. What this shows is the basic confidence of nuclear engineers and operators is flawed."
It also shows a disdainful government/industry disregard for safety. Imagine the price future generations will pay, especially if unstoppable radioactive emissions spread globally. Moreover, entombing Fukushima like Chernobyl can't be done until spent fuel rods are cooled. Otherwise, they'll melt and burst through enclosure. As a result, restoring power is crucial, whether or not possible dependent on the extent of damage done that minimally is considerable after four explosions, fires and over a week of extremely high heat.
On March 19, New York Times writers Ken Belson and Hiroko Tabuchi headlined, "Japan Confirms High Radiation in Spinach and Milk Near Nuclear Plant," saying:
Above safe levels were found, "the first confirmation (that Fukushima contaminated) the nation's food supply," making none of it safe to eat. Claiming only milk and spinach were affected is false. Emitted radiation doesn't choose targets. It lands everywhere, poisoning everything it strikes. Nonetheless, cabinet secretary Yukio Edano claimed otherwise, adding that "levels (found) do not pose an immediate threat to your health."
He lied. Ingested irradiated substances cause considerable harm, depending on amounts consumed.
On March 19, Washington Post writers Chico Harlan, Joel Achenbach and David Nakamura headlined, "A week after disaster, doubts about Japanese government's grip on crisis," saying:
Sacramento, CA detectors registered Fukushima radiation, US officials, like their Japanese counterparts, downplaying the risks instead of warning of their harmful effects. Prime Minister Naoto Kan's "words came amid doubt that the nation's leaders have a firm grip on the nuclear crisis. The government and (Tokyo Electric) have issued a thin and fitful stream of information about the radiation-spewing plant," downplaying serious hazards.
Moreover, reactors besides Fukushimas are troubled. Others include a Tokai one and three at Onagawa. On March 13, a state of emergency was declared at the facility after high radiation levels were recorded. The Tohoku Electric Power Company said readings were 700 times above normal" but still low. In fact, normal ones are too high.
Admiral Hyman Rickover's Warning about Nuclear Power
In his January 1982 congressional testimony, the Father of America's Nuclear Navy warned about nuclear power dangers, advocating its abolition, saying:
"I'll be philosophical. Until about two billion years ago, it was impossible to have any life on Earth; that is, there was so much radiation on earth you couldn't have any life - fish or anything."
"Gradually, about two billion years ago, the amount of radiation on this planet (reduced enough to) make it possible for some form of life to begin....Now when we go back to using nuclear power, we are creating something which nature tried to destroy to make life possible....every time you produce radiation, (a) horrible force (is unleashed), and I think there the human race is going to wreck itself. (We must) outlaw nuclear reactors. It is important that we control (destructive) forces and try to eliminate them."
"In this broad, philosophical sense, I do not believe that nuclear power is worth the present benefits, since it creates radiation. You might ask, why do I design nuclear-powered ships? Because it is a necessary evil. I would sink them all."
"From a long-range standpoint - I am talking about humanity - the most important thing we could do at present is to have an international meeting where first we outlaw nuclear weapons. Eventually, we could outlaw reactors too."
A Final Comment
On November 8, 2010, nuclear expert Karl Grossman headlined, "The Push to Revive Nuclear Power," saying:
"I'd like to start with the bottom line: the problem with nuclear power is - in one word - radioactivity."
"Splitting (the atom) is called fission....If these fission products are let loose in an accident - or are released without an accident (including "routine emissions" explained above) - and they are absorbed by the body, they can (and often do) cause cancer and other diseases. They kill" painfully.
"Some of these poisons remain hot with radioactivity for thousands, some millions of years. During this time they must be isolated from life or they'll destroy" it.
"The extreme dangers of atomic energy were understood," yet development and proliferation happened anyway, too often cutting corners dangerously. As a result, all nuclear plants are unsafe. Why? Radioactivity. Released into the environment, it kills.
Can we "put the nuclear genie back into the bottle," asked Grossman. "We can and must," replaced by "energy we can live with." The alternative is too grim to imagine.
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Watch Taylor Swift Perform Her New Track 'Safe and Sound'
Folk-country duo the Civil Wars invited Taylor Swift to join them onstage in Nashville last night (Jan. 12), where they teamed up to perform their new collaboration 'Safe and Sound' from the upcoming 'The Hunger Games' soundtrack.
The Civil Wars introduced Swift to the crowd at the Ryman Auditorium by joking, "We like to give back to the community and to people that their careers are struggling a lot more than ours … She hasn't had much time on stage and she's really new at writing songs. Don't be shy, it's cool. Come on out."
At that point Swift emerged, surprising the sold-out audience. She told them she considered wearing her Civil Wars t-shirt for the performance but opted against it.
They began playing the quiet song, with only an acoustic guitar backing up Swift's vocals and the Civil Wars' beautiful harmonies. Swift sounded near-perfect, hitting all the delicate high notes in the lines, "I remember tears streaming down your face / When I said, 'I'll never let you go' / When all those shadows almost killed your light / I remember you said, 'Don't leave me here alone' / But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight."
Watch Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars Perform 'Safe and Sound'