text:
New Mon State Party
မြန္ျပည္သစ္ ပါတီ
Armed wing: Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA)
Founded: July 1958
The NMSP tried unsuccessfully to promote constitutional and political reform through the National Convention until 2008. Communications broke down in April, 2010 after refusing to transform into a Border Guard Force (BGF). However the situation did not deteriorate into outright armed conflict. Negotiations following reforms led to the renewal of the ceasefire agreement at the statelevel and a commitment from the government to negotiate ceasefire agreements with all nonstate armed groups before the end of 2012 so that inclusive political dialogue can commence at the Union level.
On 5 August 2009, Mon Revolution Day, the NMSP announced that it would not transform
Rejected the BGF scheme: April, 2010.
Central Committee members: 27
Chairman: Nai Htaw Mon
Vice-Chairman: Nai Han Thar (Nai Hongsar)
General Secretary: Nai Aung Min
Joint Secretary (1): Maj. Gen. Joi Yaet
Central Military Committee: 7
Commander in Chief: Maj. Gen. Layi Gakao
Ceasefire & Peace Process
Preliminary Peace Talks
Inside the country:
Official delegation team
-official delegation team for outside the country: (Naing Hong Sa, Nai Tala Nyi, Nai Hong Sa Bun Thai)
-official delegation team for inside the country: (Nai Htaw Mon, Nai Rawsa, Nai Tala Nyi, Gen. Zay Ya, Nai Aung Min (S-1), Bri-Gen La Yi Kaung
Liaison offices
NMSP's liaison offices opened in 1995 after the NMSP signed a ceasefire agreement with the SLORC. They were closed in April, 2010 after the NMSP rejected transforming into a BGF. All liaison offices reopened one day after the new ceasefire agreement on Feb. 26, 2012. (ceasefire stipulated that offices could only be opened in locations agreed by both sides)
1. Mudon
Economic offices:
Alliances: UNFC, NCCT, SD, and DPN member
Mon Peace Monitoring Group
Following a peace process monitoring workshop in Shwe Myint Moh Tun Hotel, Mawlamyine city, Mon state on 7 June 2013, 15 members were selected to run a peace monitoring group for Mon State.
About 120 representatives from Social Welfare minister of Mon State, Economic and Planning minister of Mon State, Mon affairs minister in Karen State, Politicians, Mon state MPs, businessmen, civic groups, youth groups and individuals attended the workshop.
|Armed Group Rep
|Govt Rep
|Ye Township, compound of govt. Infantry Unit No. 61
|Nai Tala Nyi
|Mon state Minister for Security and Border Affairs, Col.Htay Myint Aung
|Preliminary meeting
The party also proposed that the government announce a nationwide ceasefire and to hold a dialogue with the UNFC [United Nationalities Federal Council] to solve political problems.
Other NMSP delegates: Nai Baya Lai; and Nai Hong Sar
Other govt. delegates: Colonel Tun Tun Nyi of the Southeast Command; and Mon state municipal officials
|Ye Chaung Phya, NMSP headquarters
|Nai Htaw Mon
|5 member envoy from the Mon state Govt as peace create team (peace mediators)
|Preliminary Meeting
There were discussions about avoiding clashes between their respective armies, opening liaison offices and cooperating in undertaking business and development projects in the state. The talks included an agreement that both sides would inform the other side in advance if one side wanted to enter the other's control area with weapons.
Other NMSP delegates: Nai Rawsa, Nai Hong Sa
Govt Delegates: former NMSP central executive member Nai Tin Aung and former central committee member Nai Soe Myint; Mon National Democratic Front central executive member Nai Thet Lwin, Dr. Min Kyi Win, Buddhist Abbot Sayadaw Bhaddanta Kaytumarlar
|Sankalaburi, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand
|Nai Hong Sa
|Aung Min
|Preliminary Meeting
Other NMSP delegates: Bun Thai, Nai Banyar Leh, Nai Shwe Thein
|Moulmein, Mon state
|Nai Rawsa
|Aung Min
|State level 5 point Ceasefire
Other NMSP delegates: Bri-Gen La Yi Kaung, Nai, Tala Nyi, Maj. San Aye, Nai Arca
Other govt. delegates: Union Minister U Soe Thein, Union Minister U Zaw Min, State Chief Minister U Ohn Myint, Commander of South-East Command Maj-Gen Tin Maung Win, Mon state Minister for Security and Border Affairs Col Htay Myint Aung, the General Staff Officer (Grade-I) (People's Militia), the Mon state Advocate-General, the secretary of Mon State Government and officials
|Moulmein, Mon state
|Nai Rawsa
|Aung Min
|Union level 4 point Ceasefire
Other NMSP delegates: Bri-Gen La Yi Kaung, Nai Tala Nyi, Maj. San Aye, Nai Arca
Other Govt. Delegates: Union Minister U Soe Thein, Union Minister U Zaw Min, Union Minister U Win Tun and State Chief Minister U Ohn Myint, Commander of South-East Command Maj-Gen Tin Maung Win, Deputy Minister for Border Affairs Maj-Gen Zaw Win, Mon state Security and Border Affairs Minister Col Htay Myint Aung, the general staff officer (Grade I) from Commander-in-Chief (Army) Office, the general staff officer (Grade I) (militia) of South-East Command, Mon State advocate-general and officials
|Moulmein, Mon state
|Nai Aung Min, Nai Tala Nyi
|Aung Min
|Union level meeting - perpetuation of ceasefire
Other Govt. Delegates: U Khin Yi from Union level peace-making group, State Chief Minister U Ohn Myint, Commander Maj-Gen Tin Maung Win, Lt-Col Zaw Naing Oo of the Office of the Commander-in Chief of Defence Services, Minister for Security and Border Affairs Col Htay Myint Aung from Union level peace-making group, the State Advocate-General, Lt-Col Kyaw Myint from the South-East Command, the Secretary of State Government, U Shwe Thaung from Region Development Supervisory Office,
|For National accord agreement , MPC met the NMSP at Mawlamyaing informally
|Karen Arms Groups 4 and NMSP
|Khinn Yee, State Minister Zaw Min and immigrations officers
|Govt and Karen arms groups and NMSP meet in pha am, karen state government office. Govt explain about the nationwide census, immigration law and asking for their cooperation for census.
|Public consultation
negotiation terms/process:
- To start political dialogue within 45 days of ceasefire.
- Allowing observers to participate in meetings.
- To start political dialogue between representatives of armed national races organizations and representatives of the government after ceasefire of all armed national races organizations. In case ceasefire is not secured with all the organizations till December 2012, to start the political dialogue between representatives of the ceasefire organizations and representatives of the government.
- To continue talks on national reconciliation, based on political compromises with participation of representatives of domestic national political parties and democratic forces.
- To initiate procedures for prompt implementation of agreement reached in the above-mentioned dialogue.
- To not extend military strength in Mon state and related areas in period of ceasefire.
- To work for stability and development of education, health and social sectors of the region in coordination with respective national races armed organizations and the government as the ceasefire comes into effect.
- To have the right to communicate with the public and help each others.
- To have the right to communicate with domestic political parties.
- To have the right to communicate with news agencies and media.
- To inform the public of outcomes of political dialogue as required.
- To conduct negotiation in advance in communicating with the foreign diplomats.
- To release all political prisoners remaining in the prisons and to free comrades of New Mon State Party in prisons with sympathy as well.
- To avoid forced labour by both sides, apart from volunteers. To solve problems of land confiscation by the Myanmar military.
- Releasing imprisoned party members including Nai Myo Thway and Nai Yekka
- To hold political dialogue
May 06, 2014 - British Ambassador Meets With Mon Political Parties and NMSP
January 30, 2013: The NMSP issued a statement on the intensive armed conflict in Kachin state
June 19, 2012: The NMSP has threatened to break its four-month-old ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government if Naypyidaw fails to hold political talks with all the ethnic armed groups by the end of this year, according to the party secretary.
February 8, 2012: NMSP chairman said that the group will not sign a ceasefire with the Myanmar government while it continues to wage war against ethnic Kachins
Nai Hong Sar, the secretary of NMSP and the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), told Mizzima in October 2011 that the NMSP wanted all discussions with the government to involve the UNFC while the government wanted to negotiate with the NMSP separately.
NMSP leaders had informal meetings with ethnic political leaders in 2012.
NMSP representatives met 88 generation leaders who visited Mon state (11 November 2012)
International Partnerships
Nippon foundation -


text: At 04:13 PM 8/15/2006, Mike Davis wrote: >I'm not 100% sure about that Mark. I care about big-A >administration. I care about showing departments what resources are >actually available. I care about what is the most efficient use of >limited University resources. When I meet with researchers they >often say that they had no idea that there were 500+ processors >dedicated to research here. > >I know that other people have the same issues. Another is the >funding model issue. Which is best overhead, direct, or central >budget? Or how about knowing what resources we each provide our >users. Does a given organization focus on hardware support, software >support or both? > >Those are some of the Big-A issues. Here is one that is both Big-A >and small-A. > >Running one of the new Sun x4100's with both dualcore processors at >100% uses <270 watts (as determined by kill-a-watt. That is Big-A >because it means that we can be more efficient in our use of AC and >power. It is small-a for the same reasons. For example spinning up a >v20 uses 250 watts for both processors at full power. I can't >discuss some of my application specific performance due to license >constraints, but I can say that I like the 4100 in general for >Computational Physics and Chemistry. I often scratch my head wondering how certain decisions are make at the "central IT" level, so a perspective from the campus that involves both performance and up time (plug in the wall) costs is refreshing. We far to often see a complete disconnect between the two, which very often means that none of the invested parties (at either the NSF/NIH/state/federal level) ever really enjoy the value of each dollar they invest. I appreciate that Sun may be suggesting (these days) that their systems are more environmentally friendly; however, given the price/performance/environmental/support...and really crazy extended down time associted with engineering issues, logic at least for some, makes distancing significant IT investment with Sun a decision that follows very few conversations. My point comes honestly from your comments, which we hold dear.....the growing number of research system/cpu's on campus affect each and every one of us on a daily basis. Having spent this week at the LSS event at Stanford, I am ever more convinced, how diverse the needs...and the number of possible solutions. So that must be a big-A approach with a huge tilt in a not so big-A direction. >Another that is both is what submission systems we are using and Why? > >Same questions, that affect both administration and Administration. > > >Mike davis > > > > > > >Mark Hahn wrote: >>>beowulf traffic itself is "noise"? If you are thinking of a "list for >>>university deans" or members of research support offices or departmental >>... >> >>>administerable and accountable should they get audited) -- then yeah, I >>>think a new list or other venue would be very useful. >> >>yes. the overlap is minimal, I believe - I'd say the two >>approaches are even inimical. someone who is primarily interested >>in big-A Administration will have values opposed to mine as a technologist. >>as a random pot-shot, big-a people tend to have great faith in >>negotiating special purchasing relationships with a vendor, or >>believe that integration >>is the high-road to success (or an end in itself). I know, OTOH, >>that a vendor who makes a good desktop may make the worlds worst compute >>nodes, and that, for instance, the service requirements are nearly opposite. >>here's my general conclusion about central-IT efforts: if the idea >>(centralized storage, whatever) is so good, >>people will beg to use it. if you have to force people to use it, >>you are simply wrong in some way (perhaps subtly). >>_______________________________________________ >>Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org >>To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit >>http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf > >_______________________________________________ >Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org >To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit >http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The New York Times iPad Application
It is interesting to note that the user interface on the iPad is not as effective as in iFlex due to the limited range of control provided by the original iPhone gestures list. On the iPhone the swipe gesture was only used to spin through a list. As a result the only swipe gestures provided are either horizontal or vertical to spin through a displayed list. You can not swipe up and down in a list that is displayed as sequence of horizontal screens.
In the iFlex user interface the user moved within an article by using the arrow keys to scroll vertically and with the left and right keys to scroll to the next article in the section. This provided a great user experience as scrolling down within an article was natural and scrolling left to right to skim the above the fold view of each article provided ideal article surfing.
With the restriction to a single left right swipe for the scroll through a list, the developers have been forced to only allow scrolling through an individual article, and then forced the user to use a very awkward button to return to the front page. Pressing a button is not directional, so doesn't allow the next or previous article to be selected, and interrupts the surfing experience with the need to press a small button instead of using a swipe.
In the absence of multi-dimensional swipe, the iPad has a drag gesture which would allow movement both vertically and horizontally with gestures. It isn't clear if the iPad presentation layer would allow this to be used to flip to the next item rather than providing a location for a moved object but this may provide an interim solution. The long term solution would be to switch to a swipe gesture which allows movement in both dimensions and a return to an elegant surfing of the content.


text:
Now displaying product availability and prices for orders shipping to Canada
Switch to USA store
We can ship only to USA and Canada destinations.
Explore the Map >
New flavours and textures unite to create perfect pairings in these four new salted caramel chocolates, made with the same very high-quality Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut® chocolate you know and love. Each box contains 16 caramels in four flavours with just the right amount of buttery, salty sweetness and our caramel won't stick to your teeth! Using all-natural ingredients and no artificial preservatives, we make our own caramel recipe in our Calgary factory, rolling it out and cutting it by hand before enrobing it in our unique-recipe milk or dark chocolate and then hand-finishing with gourmet sea salt. (140g)
- Fleur de Sel Sea Salt Caramel in milk chocolate
- Thai Ginger Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel in dark chocolate
- Hawaiian Sea Salt Raspberry Caramel in milk chocolate
- Fleur de Sel Sea Salt Caramel in dark chocolate
(Please note: Message on the card will appear exactly as written in this field. Messages cannot exceed 100 characters)


text:
All charges dismissed against NFL star Darrelle Revis in altercation
Felony charges against former New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis stemming from an alleged fight in Pittsburgh were dismissed at his preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Another man came forward in Municipal Court to testify that it was him -- not Revis -- who threw the blows that left two men knocked out on a street in the city's South Side neighborhood on Feb. 12.
The witness, one of Revis' childhood friends, testified that Revis called and said he was being jumped by the men, and that he ran there and punched both of them.
While the witness said he thought he was defending himself, the District Attorney's Office maintains it didn't happen that way. The judge ended up throwing out the entire case.
Police said the incident happened when a man started recording a video of Revis and Revis grabbed his phone and tried to delete it. Other men joined the fracas, and two men say they were punched and knocked out.
Revis was charged with aggravated assault and robbery, but his attorney called him the real victim in the case, saying that the NFL player feared for his safety.
Revis is from Aliquippa and played at Pitt before the Jets drafted him in 2007. He was released by the Jets last month and has not been signed by another team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


text:
Emergency Kit
Be ready. Be willing to help.
Virginia Disaster Relief Fund
How is the money distributed?
Fund proceeds will be distributed to local long-term recovery groups, members of the Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and other non-profit and faith-based organizations as a grant.
Many of these groups work directly with individuals and families following a disaster.
How else can I donate?
The Virginia Disaster Relief Fund benefits projects that include: repair or rebuilding of underinsured dwellings, transportation assistance, replacing essential household items, helping renters establish new rental residence, temporary living expenses while recovering from loss, and more.
How can I donate?
If you want to help, send checks made payable to the Treasurer of Virginia with "Virginia Disaster Relief Fund" noted in the memo line to:
Comptroller's Office
P.O. Box 1971
Richmond, VA 23218-1971


text:
Hair mineral analysis
Hair analysis is a test in which a sample of a person's hair—typically from the back of the neck—is sent to a laboratory for measurement of its mineral content. This discussion concerns multielemental hair analysis in which a single test is used to determine values for many minerals simultaneously. This type of analysis used by chiropractors, "nutrition consultants," physicians who do chelation therapy, and other misguided practitionerswho claim that hair analyses can help them diagnose a wide variety of health problems and can be used as the basis for prescribing supplements.</P>
A Sampling of Proponent Views
Doctor's Data, located in St. Charles, Illinois, appears to b the market leader. It's Web site states that "Hair element analysis is a valuable and inexpensive screen for physiological excess, deficiency or maldistribution of elements. It should not be considered a stand-alone diagnostic test for essential element function, and should be used in conjunction with patient symptoms and other laboratory tests." [1]
Biochemical Laboratories, of Edgewood, New Mexico, claimed that abdominal pain, hypertension, anemia, hypoglycemia, anxiety, impotence, depression, infertility, diarrhea, joint pain, learning, disorders, fatigue, headache, and premenstrual syndrome all result from "chronic metal imbalances," which, presumably, can be diagnosed with hair analysis and treated with dietary supplements.
Trace Elements, Inc., of Dallas, Texas, has promoted "balancing body chemistry through hair tissue mineral analysis." The company claims to have developed "a precise nutritional therapeutic approach based on the recognition of eight individual biochemical types using elemental analysis of hair." It has also sold "metabolic supplements synergistically formulated" for each of these types. It markets primarily through chiropractors.
Trace Mineral Systems, of Alexandria, Virginia, touted its hair analysis as "the test that helps body chemistry" and marketed it directly to the public. A 1998 magazine ad claimed that its test reports would show "the body's excesses, deficiencies & toxicities and the diseases associated with them." [2]
Scientific Facts
Proponents claim that hair analysis is useful for evaluating a person's general state of nutrition and health and is valuable in detecting predisposition to disease. They also claim that hair analysis enables a doctor to determine if mineral deficiency, mineral imbalance, or heavy metal pollutants in the body may be the cause of a patient's symptoms. These claims are false.
- Hair analysis is not reliable for evaluating the nutritional status of individuals. In 1974, the AMA Committee on Cutaneous Health and Cosmetics noted: "The state of health of the body may be entirely unrelated to the physical and chemical condition of the hair . . . Although severe deficiency states of an essential element are often associated with low concentrations of the element in hair, there are no data that indicate that low concentrations of an element signify low tissue levels nor that high concentrations reflect high tissue stores. Therefore . . . hair metal levels would rarely help a physician select effective treatment." [3]
- Most commercial hair analysis laboratories have not validated their analytical techniques by checking them against standard reference materials. The techniques typically used to prepare samples for analysis can introduce errors for many of the elements being determined.
- Hair mineral content can be affected by exposure to various substances such as shampoos, bleaches and hair dyes. No analytic technique enables reliable determination of the source of specific levels of elements in hair as bodily or environmental.
- The level of certain minerals can be affected by the color, diameter and rate of growth of an individual's hair, the season of the year, the geographic location, and the age and gender of the individual.
- Normal ranges of hair minerals have not been defined.
- For most elements, no correlation has been established between hair level and other known indicators of nutrition status. It is possible for hair concentration of an element (zinc, for example) to be high even though deficiency exists in the body.
- Hair grows slowly (1 cm/month), so even hair closest to the scalp is several weeks old and thus may not reflect current body conditions for purposes of health diagnosis.
- The use of a single multielemental hair analysis test as the sole means of diagnosis violates basic tenets of medical practice that laboratory findings should be considered together with the patient's history and physical examination, and that the practitioner should keep in mind that laboratory errors occur.
For these reasons, multielemental analysis of human hair is not a valid technique for identifying an individual's current bodily excesses or deficiencies of essential or nonessential elements. Nor does it provide a valid basis for recommending vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements [4,5].
In the mid-1980s, about 18 laboratories were doing commercial hair analysis in the United States. Today there are fewer. Some laboratories have belonged to the American Society of Elemental Testing Laboratories (ASETL). In 1982, ASETL began a program in which a well-known proficiency-testing service received and tabulated the data from analyses of identical hair samples sent to seven member laboratories. However, at the end of the year, the testing service refused to continue because the data were inconsistent and appeared to have no clinical significance.
In 1983 and 1984, I sent hair samples from two healthy teenagers to 13 of the commercial laboratories [6]. In 1985, I sent paired samples from one of the girls to five more labs. The reported levels of most minerals varied considerably between identical samples sent to the same laboratory, and from laboratory to laboratory. The laboratories also disagreed about what is "normal" or "usual" for many of the minerals, so that a given mineral value might be considered low by some laboratories, normal by others and high by others. Most of the reports contained computerized interpretations that were voluminous and potentially frightening to patients. The nine labs that included supplement advice in their reports suggested them every time, but the types and amounts varied widely from report to report and from lab to lab. Many of the items recommended were bizarre mixtures of vitamins, minerals, nonessential food substances, enzymes, and extracts of animal organs. One report diagnosed 23 "possible or probable conditions," including atherosclerosis and kidney failure, and recommended 56 supplement doses per day. Literature from most of the laboratories suggested that their reports were useful in managing a wide variety of diseases and supposed nutrient imbalances. I concluded that commercial use of hair analysis in this manner is unscientific, economically wasteful, and probably illegal, and that even if hair analysis were a valuable diagnostic tool, it is doubtful whether the laboratory reports themselves were reliable.
In 1985, the public affairs committee of the American Institute of Nutrition/American Society for Clinical Nutrition issued a position paper on hair analysis. The paper concluded that although hair analysis may have some value for comparing population groups as to status of various minerals or assessing exposure to heavy metals, assessment of individual subjects appears to have "almost insurmountable difficulties." For this reason, said the paper, hair analysis might best be reserved for experimental studies designed to evaluate its potential as an indicator of nutrition status and perhaps for some public health surveys. Noting that about 100 articles a year were published on hair analysis, one nutritionist who reviewed the position paper suggested that the test's inherent limitations made much of the research useless [7].
The AMA's current policy on hair analysis—adopted in 1984 and reaffirmed in 1994, is:
The AMA opposes chemical analysis of the hair as a determinant of the need for medical therapy and supports informing the American public and appropriate governmental agencies of this unproven practice and its potential for health care fraud [8].
Some hair analysis proponents claim that hair analysis can detect allergies. The claim is completely senseless. In 1987, the Lancet published a study in which the ability to diagnose allergic disease was studied in 9 fish-allergic and 9 control subjects, who provided specimens of blood and hair for testing. All fish-allergic subjects had previously been shown at Guy's Hospital to have a positive skin prick test to fish. The specimens were submitted as coded, duplicate samples to five commercial laboratories that offered to test for allergy. All five laboratories were not only unable to diagnose fish allergy but also reported many allergies in apparently non-allergic subjects and provided inconsistent results on duplicate samples from the same subject [9].
A subsequent 2-year study of students exposed to fumes from metal welding found that hair analysis did not consistently reflect blood levels of 11 heavy metals [10].
In 1999, researchers from the California Department of Health located nine laboratories and sent identical samples to six of them. The reported mineral levels, the alleged significance of the findings, and the recommendations made in the reports differed widely from one to another. The researchers concluded that the procedure is still unreliable and recommended that government agencies act vigorously to protect consumers [11]. An editorial accompanying this report in JAMA provided additional information about why hair analysis cannot provide a reliable basis for "nutritional counseling." [12]
In 2001, German researchers did a study similar to mine in which they sent hair samples from two volunteers to seven commercial hair analysis laboratories. They found inconsistencies in both both the results and the laboratory reference ranges and concluded that "hair mineral analysis from these laboratories is unreliable." [13]
Insurance companies do not knowingly cover the use of hair analysis for nutritional analysis. Aetna, for example, considers chemical hair analysis "experimental and investigational, except for diagnosis of suspected chronic arsenic poisoning." [14] CIGNA does not cover it for any reason [15]. A recent review concluded that determination of arsenic in hair and nails has been most useful in epidemiological studies performed to evaluate environmental exposures of populations to inorganic arsenic but is less useful in the evaluation of an individual patient [16].
Doctor's Data reports the level of a "toxic mineral" as high when the amount is near the top of its "reference range." This merely means that the specimen contained more than most other specimens handled by the lab. It does not mean that the level is abnormal or that the level within the patient's body is dangerous. In a 1998 paper, the company acknowledged that "compared to interpretation of commonly measured analyses in blood or serum, interpretation of elemental analyses from hair seems primitive." Despite, this, the authors claimed that it would be prudent to "adopt a reference range consistent with what is observed in 95% of a healthy population." [17]
Government Regulatory Actions
Hair analysis was involved in a case prosecuted in 1980 by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. According to the official press release, Benjamin Colimore and his wife, Sarah, owners of a health-food store, would take hair samples from customers in order to diagnose and treat various conditions. Prosecution was initiated after a customer complained that the Colimores had said she had a bad heart valve and was suffering from abscesses of the pancreas, arsenic in her system, and benign growths of the liver, intestine, and stomach-all based on analysis of her hair. Two substances were prescribed, an "herbal tea" which turned out to be only milk sugar, and "Arsenicum," another milk-sugar product that contained traces of arsenic. Another sample of hair was taken when the customer returned to the store five weeks later. She was told that the earlier conditions were gone, but that she now had lead in her stomach. A government investigator received similar diagnosis and treatment. After pleading "no contest" to one count of practicing medicine without a license, the Colimores were fined $2,000, given a sixty-day suspended jail sentence, and placed on probation for two years.
In 1985, in response to a petition by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a federal judge issued a permanent injunction against Arthur, Ethel and Alan Furman and any business through which they might act. The order forbids "holding themselves out . . . to persons other than health professionals, as being able, on the basis of hair analysis, to measure accurately the elemental content of a person's body or to recommend vitamin, mineral or other dietary supplements which can correct chemical excesses and deficiencies in a person's body." [18] As a result of the FTC action, the Furmans' laboratory closed and, until the Internet became popular, direct advertising to the public was rare. However, the FTC has ignored the laboratories that serve practitioners because it feels that practitioner misconduct should be regulated by state agencies.
In 1986, Analytical Research Laboratories (ARL) of Phoenix, Arizona signed a consent agreement with the New York State Attorney General to stop "soliciting and accepting hair specimens for laboratory examination where the purpose is to determine possible excesses of deficiencies in nutrient mineral levels or toxic metal levels in the body." The Attorney General acted because a health food store proprietor had been using hair analysis as the basis for recommending vitamin and mineral supplements. ARL had not been licensed to operate within New York State, and hair analysis for the purpose of determining nutrient levels was not legal there.
In 1986, Doctor's Data agreed to stop accepting human hair specimens from New York State without a permit from the New York State Department of Health [19]. The company also agreed to pay $25,000 in costs and penalties [20]. Action was taken because a bogus "nutrition consultant" had been using the test as a basis for prescribing vitamins, minerals, and other supplements.
Societal Harm
Hair analysis has helped to fuel controversies in at least two communities. During the 1960s and 1970s, a company that did chrome-plating had dumped liquid waste containing chromium into a nearby lagoon in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. Corrective measures were taken, and state and federal agencies did many studies and determined that there had been no significant contamination of the drinking water supply [21]. However, community fears were aroused when a chelation therapist (relying on hair analysis tests) falsely diagnosed a few residents with "chromium toxicity" and recommended chelation therapy. Press reports aroused widespread public concern, and Erin Brockovich's attorney even said to be considering whether to file suit. In 2000, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) asked federal officials to sponsor a town meeting that would provide science-based information about the situation. Shortly before the meeting I had the opportunity to examine three hair analysis test reports done by Doctor's Data. One said that the patient had a "high" antimony level, another found "high" levels of lead and tin, a third found "high levels" of antimony and bismuth, and all three reported well above average "total toxic representation." At the meeting, public health officials described their studies, Dr. Robert S. Baratz reassured that no risk from chromium-6 exposure existed, and he and I debunked hair analysis and chelation therapy. We also met with reporters and the individuals who were most concerned about the situation. Our educational efforts succeeded in calming down the community's fears.
In 2001, largely in response this controversy, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) convened an expert panel to examine whether hair analysis is a useful clinical test. The panel concluded:
Before hair analysis can be considered a valid tool for any particular substance, research is needed to establish better reference ranges, gain a better understanding of hair biology and pharmacokinetics, further explore possible dose-response relationships, establish whether and when hair may serve as a better measure or predictor of disease than other biological samples (e.g., blood or urine), and learn more about organic compounds in hair [22].
In 2008, Boca Raton, Florida's fire chief John Luca, who had been having unexplained neurologic symptoms, consulted Leonard Haimes, M.D., a chelationist who sent a hair sample to Doctor's Data for analysis. When the test reported an elevated antimony level, the fire fighters union encouraged its members to undergo testing and 29 of them did so. The resultant reports said that all 30 had antimony levels much higher than the test's "reference range." Twenty-three of the firefighters also underwent urine testing for "toxic metals" and were told that their mercury levels were high. Because antimony oxides are used to make the textiles for fire-retardant uniforms, many firefighters concluded that their uniforms were responsible for the test results—and about 80 of them filed workers compensation claims. As these events unfolded, news media and fire fighter Web sites reported the story and aroused national concern over the safety of the uniform pants.
In October 2008, Luca asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a health hazard investigation. After questioning the fire fighters, CDC investigators conducted appropriate urine tests and compared the results and health status with those of other groups of fire fighters, some of whom used similar uniforms and some of whom did not. CDC's urine tests showed that none of the fire fighters had a significant antimony or mercury level and that the urine antimony levels of both groups of fire fighters were actually lower than those of the general population. The investigators concluded that the uniform pants posed no hazard from antimony exposure and that both the urine and hair tests were untrustworthy [23-25]. One report—aptly titled "Pseudo-outbreak of antimony toxicity in firefighters"—criticized hair analysis this way:
This investigation highlights the importance of using validated methods for toxicity determination. Urine testing is the most reliable validated test for measuring antimony concentrations. The decision to perform laboratory testing for heavy metals should be based on whether symptoms are consistent with toxicity from these metals and whether a likelihood of exposure exists. Hair testing is not reliable or valid for measuring heavy metals in the body (except for methylmercury) and does not predict toxicity. Standards on methods of hair collection, storage, and analysis are lacking. No regulation or certification of laboratories conducting hair analysis exists. Different laboratories have reported different results for hair samples collected from the same person and use different reference ranges. Hair analysis cannot distinguish between internal (substances inside one's body) and external (substances that might stick to hair, such as ash or hair-care products) exposure. These limitations render hair analysis results uninterpretable [25].
After the CDC investigation was completed, most of the Boca Raton firefighters were reassured and withdrew their workers compensation claims. The rest of the claims were dismissed by the city, but the financial and/or emotional damage to the participants was considerable. To begin with, at least 30 fire fighters spent about $500 each for their worthless evaluations by Dr. Haimes. The improper assessments caused widespread concern among the fire fighters, many of whom sought further medical evaluation elsewhere. Although most feel reassured, some have lingering doubts about what to believe. The City of Boca Raton, which it self-insured, spent money processing the worker's compensation claims. And the manufacturer of the fire-retardant pants lost sales of a perfectly good product.
The Bottom Line
Hair analysis is worthless for assessing the body's nutritional status or serving as a basis for dietary or supplement recommendations. Nor should it be routinely used to screen people for heavy metal toxicity. Should you encounter a practitioner who uses hair analysis for any of these purposes, run for the nearest exit and complain to your state attorney general!
For Additional Information
- <a href="http://www.aetna.com/cpb/data/CPBA0300.html">Aetna Clinical Policy Bulletin on Hair Analysis</a>
- <a href="http://www.cigna.com/customer_care/healthcare_professional/coverage_positions/medical/mm_0289_coveragepositioncriteria_hair_analysis.pdf">CIGNA HealthCare Coverage Position Statement on Chemical Hair Analysis</a>
- <A HREF="Tests/mercurytests.html#hairmercury">Mercury Testing in Hair</A>
- <a href="/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/urine_toxic.html">How the Urine Toxic Metals Test Is Used to Defraud People</a>
- Doctor's Data Web site, accessed July 28, 2010.
- Trace Mineral Systems. Alternative Medicine Digest, Aug/Sept 1998, p 99.
- Lazar P. Hair analysis: What does it tell us? JAMA 229:1908-1909, 1974.
- Hambidge KM. <A HREF="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7137078&dopt=Abstract">Hair analyses: Worthless for vitamins, limited for minerals</A>. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 36:943-949, 1983.
- Klevay LM and others. <A HREF="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3303896&dopt=Abstract">Hair analysis in clinical and experimental medicine</A>. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 46:233-236, 1987.
- Barrett S. <A HREF="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=4021042&dopt=Abstract">Commercial hair analysis: Science or scam</A>? JAMA 254:1041-1045, 1985.
- Fosmire GJ et al. Hair analysis to assess nutritional status. AIN Nutrition Notes 21(4):10-11, 1985.
- Hair analysis: A potential for medical abuse. Policy number H-175.995,(Sub. Res. 67, I-84; Reaffirmed by CLRPD Rep. 3 - I-94)
- Sethi TJ and others. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2879187">How reliable are commercial allergy tests</a>? Lancet Jan 10;1(8524):92-94, 1987.
- Teresa M and others. <A HREF="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9372630&dopt=Abstract">Trace-element concentration in blood and hair of young apprentices of a technical-professional school.</A> The Science of the Total Environment 205:189-193, 1997.
- Seidel S and others. <A HREF="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11150111&dopt=Abstract">Assessment of commercial laboratories performing hair mineral analysis</A>. JAMA 285:67-72, 2001.
- Steindel SJ, Howanitz PJ. The uncertainty of hair analysis for trace minerals. JAMA 285:83-85, 1999.
- Drasch G, Roider G. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11878749">Assessment of hair mineral analysis commercially offered in Germany</a>. Journal of Trace Elements in Medical Biology 16:27-31, 2002.
- <a href="http://www.aetna.com/cpb/data/CPBA0300.html">Aetna clinical policy bulletin on hair analysis</a>. Revised June 17, 2008.
- <a href="http://www.cigna.com/customer_care/healthcare_professional/coverage_positions/medical/mm_0289_coveragepositioncriteria_hair_analysis.pdf">CIGNA HealthCare coverage position statement: Chemical hair analysis</a>. Revised Feb 15, 2008.
- Goldman RH. <a href="http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~hp55siHlaQcKlts">Arsenic exposure and poisoning</a>. Waltham, MA: UpToDate, 2008.
- Druyan ME and others. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9676882">Determination of reference ranges for elements in human scalp hair</a>. Biological Trace Element Research 62:183-197, 1998.
- FTC v Furman, 1985-1 CCH Trade Case (CCH) ¶66486 (ED Va 1985).
- <a href="http://www.casewatch.org/ag/ny/doctors_data/order.shtml">Consent judgment</a>. New York v Doctor's Data Laboratories, Index No. 42127/85, filed Oct 16, 1986.
- Stipulation and judgment. New York v Doctor's Data Laboratories, Index No. 42130/85, filed Oct 16, 1986.
- Pa. Dept. of Health. Public Comment. Health consultation No 8. Past exposure to contaminated groundwater, surfacewater, soil, sediment, air and answers to community questions. CERCLIS No. PAD052676631. ATSDR, Atlanta, Sept 7, 2000.
- <a href="/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/hair_atsdr.pdf">Summary Report. Hair Analysis Panel Discussion: Exploring the State of the Science,
June 12–13, 2001</a>. Prepared for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, and the
Division of Health Education and Promotion. Prepared by the Eastern Research Group. Lexington, MA, Dec 2001.
- dePerio MA, Durgam S. <a href="/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/hair_niosh.pdf">Evaluation of antimony and mercury exposure in firefighters</a>. Health Hazard Evaluation Report HETA 2009-0025 and HETA 2009-0076-3085. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, June 2009.
- dePerio MA and others. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042882">A health hazard evaluation of antimony exposure in fire fighters</a>. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 52:81-84, 2010.
- <a href="/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/hair_mmwr.pdf">Pseudo-outbreak of antimony toxicity in firefighters</a> --- Florida, 2009. MMWR 58:1300-1302, 2009.


text: Are you ready to enjoy the anthology of the best melody pieces of Johann Strauss and W. A. Mozart? Then why not enjoy it at the historical venue where the great Johann Strauss used to lead his orchestra from the first violin's position? If you are planning to attend the https://pickard26.blogspot.com/2018/07/be-part-of-magical-music-city.html


text: if anyone has the time, can anyone please help me with (to any of you a simple program) a homework assignment due by midnight. I am not looking for a handout, i have worked on this for several days and i do not have friends or family who can help. Thanks, god bless


text:
Compiled and Guest Blogged for The BRAD BLOG by Pokey Anderson, co-host of "The Monitor", a weekly news and analysis show at KPFT Radio in Houston.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Too late to filibuster Alito? Not if what Senator Dick Durbin says is true.
As we have previously opined, Democrats will be making a huge mistake by voting "NO", but failing to back up their "convictions" with a filibuster. Such an action would be both a political mistake, which their base will not likely forget, especially in the upcoming mid-terms, as well as a mistake for the good of the country, which will pay the price for such a lack of backbone for decades to come.
In her first BRAD BLOG Guest Blog, Pokey Anderson lends the Dems a hand, by helping them build their case...
Samuel Alito, if confirmed, could serve on the US Supreme Court for the rest of your life. At age 55, his life expectancy from now is an additional 28 years or, in other words, the equivalent of 7 presidential terms. Instead of occupying a centrist position, like Sandra Day O'Connor, he would move the court far to the right.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor "provided the swing vote 77 percent of the time. If confirmed, Alito would tip the high court's delicate balance radically to the right. Nearly always favoring the government, corporations and universities, Alito has ruled against individual rights in 84 percent of his dissents."
-- Marjorie Cohn, "Alito Sounds Death Knell for Individual Rights", t r u t h o u t, January 10, 2006
With Judge Samuel Alito, the Senate Judiciary Committee faces its most consequential Supreme Court confirmation hearing in a generation. Not since Robert Bork has the Senate encountered a nominee whose long record and fully articulated views so consistently challenge decades of progress on privacy, civil rights and control of corporations. And never in memory has a single nomination so threatened to redirect the Court as Alito's. [His] fifteen years of rulings ... demonstrates that Alito is at odds with the interests of ordinary Americans.
-- "The Case Against Alito", The Nation, editorial | posted January 5, 2006
Constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe, in Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, places Alito to the right of Justice Roberts, and between Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
-- New York Times, January 12, 2006
"After a careful study, University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein described Alito's record of appeals court dissents as 'stunning. Ninety-one percent of Alito's dissents take positions more conservative than his colleagues...including colleagues appointed by Presidents Bush and Reagan.'"
-- "The Case Against Alito" The Nation, editorial | posted January 5, 2006
"The debate over Judge Alito is generally presented as one between Republicans and Democrats. But his testimony should trouble moderate Republicans, especially those who favor abortion rights or are concerned about presidential excesses."
-- "Judge Alito, in His Own Words", NY Times Lead Editorial: January 12, 2006
"The White House is banking on fear that if this second nominee goes down, Bush will nominate someone even worse. This argument ignores history: When in 1969-70 President Nixon nominated and lost both Clement Haynsworth and Harrold Carswell, the result was not "someone worse" but the pragmatic, humane Judge Harry Blackmun, who later wrote Roe v. Wade; when Bork was Borked, his replacement was Anthony Kennedy, who in 1992 joined fellow Reagan nominee O'Connor to reaffirm Roe. Alito defeatism also ignores today's political climate: As the midterm elections draw closer, as the Iraq War scandals deepen, Senate Republicans are falling over one another to distance themselves from the Administration and the far right."
-- "The Case Against Alito" The Nation, editorial | posted January 5, 2006
No. It's not. Inside sources are telling me the situation is quite fluid...
One of the things that would help is you --- calling your Senator, or visiting his or her district office. A public outcry in the next few days could strengthen the resolve of Democrats to filibuster. A few Republicans could even be encouraged to think twice about voting in support of Alito. The administration recently waged a fierce battle to gain even more powers under the Patriot Act --- Congress staved that off. Some of the Alito issues are similar.
Alito is not just a garden variety conservative. Senators need to understand that by confirming Alito, they would shrink Congress's Constitutional power --- in effect, cutting their own throats.
Both newly appointed Chief Justice John Roberts and nominee Samuel Alito endorse an out-of-the-legal-mainstream theory dubbed the "unitary executive." This theory would elevate the president's powers at the expense of the Congress and judiciary branches, wreaking havoc with the balance of power. Given that President Bush is currently under fire for authorizing torture, and warrantless NSA wiretaps of American citizens (which is a felony), allowing him to appoint another justice who seems hand-picked to approve of that would be ill-advised, to say the least.
Alliance for Justice (AFJ) wrote that Alito's "judicial record strongly suggests that he will ... interpret the Constitution as giving the president greater authority to evade Congressional statutes and constitutional limitations whenever deemed essential to national security." Indeed, in a memorandum he wrote as a lawyer in the Reagan Justice Department, Alito argued that the attorney general should receive absolute immunity from lawsuits when he illegally wiretaps Americans.
-- Marjorie Cohn, "Alito Sounds Death Knell for Individual Rights", t r u t h o u t, January 10, 2006
"Alito's defense of Nixon-era officials implicated in illegal wiretaps makes clear--in light of today's NSA wiretap scandal--that the Bush Administration's motives in Alito's nomination extend well beyond a token nod to social conservatives."
-- "The Case Against Alito", The Nation, editorial | posted January 5, 2006
In 2000, Alito told a Federalist Society meeting that he was a strong proponent of the "unitary executive," which means that all federal executive power resides in the president. This theory would reject discretionary executive power of independent agencies Congress has created since the New Deal, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Reserve Board.
-- Marjorie Cohn, "Alito Sounds Death Knell for Individual Rights", t r u t h o u t, January 10, 2006
Alito was one of those pushing to elevate the power of the presidency two decades ago, by advocating "that the president make a 'signing statement' indicating what he thinks the law means when he signs a bill. Even though the Constitution grants the lawmaking power only to Congress, and thus courts look to congressional intent to interpret statutes, Alito hoped that the president could divert the courts' focus away from congressional intent in favor of what he called 'the President's intent.' George W. Bush has issued at least 108 such "signing statements," according to the Washington Post. Most recently, Bush qualified his concurrence with the McCain amendment that outlaws torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, implying that he would be free to torture if he felt it was necessary for national security.
-- Marjorie Cohn, "Alito Sounds Death Knell for Individual Rights", t r u t h o u t, January 10, 2006
Bush "issued a constitutionally ludicrous 'signing statement' on the McCain bill. The message: Whatever Congress intended the law to say, he intended to ignore it on the pretext the commander in chief is above the law. That twisted reasoning is what led to the legalized torture policies, not to mention the domestic spying program. ... Both of the offensive theories at work here - that a president's intent in signing a bill trumps the intent of Congress in writing it, and that a president can claim power without restriction or supervision by the courts or Congress - are pet theories of Judge Samuel Alito, the man Mr. Bush chose to tilt the Supreme Court to the right."
-- "The Imperial Presidency at Work", New York Times | Editorial, Sunday 15 January 2006
�Judge Alito continues to claim memory loss when it comes to his involvement with the Concerned Alumni of Princeton, a group hostile to the university's admission of women and increased enrollment of minorities. Even less plausible is his testimony that he was not aware of the group's well-known anti-woman and anti-minority positions when he touted his CAP membership on a job application in the Reagan Administration."
-- National Women's Law Center
In addition, when it came to recusing himself in cases where he had a conflict of interest, Alito previously promised Congress that if there was a case involving something where he had investments, specifically Vanguard, he would recuse himself. Such a case did come before him and, despite his several hundred thousand dollars in investments in Vanguard, he did NOT recuse himself. He has yet to provide a satisfactory explanation.
...�Judge Alito's testimony about his record on the Third Circuit in employment discrimination cases does nothing to allay our concerns in this area, either. He has repeatedly taken positions that make it harder for victims of workplace discrimination to succeed in court or even to get to a jury. ...Samuel Alito's legal views would put women's hard-won rights and liberties in grave danger."
-- National Women's Law Center Co-President Marcia Greenberger, January 12, 2006
ROE v. WADE
As Prof. Laurence Tribe testified, with Alito on the court "the court will cut back on Roe v. Wade, step by step, not just to the point where, as the moderate American center has it, abortion is cautiously restricted, but to the point where the fundamental underlying right to liberty becomes a hollow shell."
-- New York Times, January 12, 2006
"While in the Solicitor General's office, Alito urged the government to file an amicus brief in Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In a 17-page memorandum, he argued that the case offered an 'opportunity to advance the goals of bringing about the eventual overruling of Roe v. Wade and, in the meantime, of mitigating its effects.' His memo argued in favor of upholding even the most burdensome and dangerous barriers to abortion."
-- Alito and Women's Issues - Fact Sheet [PDF], National Women's Law Center
STATEMENT OF AL GORE re PRESIDENTIAL POWER
Speaking on Martin Luther King Day 2006, Al Gore said:
"The President's judicial appointments are clearly designed to ensure that the courts will not serve as an effective check on executive power. As we have all learned, Judge Alito is a longtime supporter of a powerful executive - a supporter of the so-called unitary executive, which is more properly called the unilateral executive. Whether you support his confirmation or not - and I do not - we must all agree that he will not vote as an effective check on the expansion of executive power. ...
If this President's attempt to dramatically expand executive power goes unquestioned, our constitutional design of checks and balances will be lost. ...
Can it be true that any president really has such powers under our Constitution? If the answer is "yes" then under the theory by which these acts are committed, are there any acts that can on their face be prohibited? If the President has the inherent authority to eavesdrop, imprison citizens on his own declaration, kidnap and torture, then what can't he do?
-- Complete Text of Gore Speech
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said, "It's important to know whether [Alito] would serve with judicial independence or as a surrogate for the president nominating him." --- Marjorie Cohn, "Alito Sounds Death Knell for Individual Rights", t r u t h o u t, January 10, 2006
Sen. Leahy also said, "The Supreme Court must be an institution where the Bill of Rights and human dignity are honored. At a time when the President is seeking unprecedented power, the Supreme Court needs to act as a check and to provide balance. Based on the hearing and his record, I have no confidence that Jude Alito would provide that check and balance. In good conscience, based on the record, I cannot support this nomination."
-- Nomination Watch
Sen. Edward Kennedy: "[H]is views on issues of particular concern to women should give every woman pause ... Judge Alito's testimony failed to resolve the very serious concerns that he's itching to overturn Roe v. Wade. ... His record just does not show a judge who is committed to equal justice under law."
-- Nomination Watch
Sen. Richard Durbin: "In the Bible, Solomon personified the virtue of wisdom, and when God offered him any gift, Solomon asked for a caring heart. In the record, the writings, the works, and the life of Samuel Alito, I searched for evidence of his caring heart - evidence that for the next two or three decade he would use his position on the Supreme Court to enlarge our freedom, protect our privacy, and respect the delicate balance of power and responsibility our Constitution creates. At the end of the day, at this historic moment, I cannot say with confidence that Samuel Alito meets that test. I will vote no on the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court."
-- Nomination Watch


text:
Still Fly: Kid From Kid N Play In An LA Suit Commercial! "2 Suits For $100" (Hell Of A Bargain)
BUY 1 SUIT and GET 1 FREE Actor and Comedian Christopher 'Kid' Reid
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:
Confer Introduces World's First Cyberthreat Prevention Network and Announces $8 Million in Series A Funding
Built on an open threat-sharing platform, Confer protects servers, laptops and mobile devices from sophisticated cyberattacks
Jan 15, 2014, 10:00 ET
WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Confer, the first company to offer endpoint security via an open, threat-based, collaborative platform, today announced the company and its service offering. Confer has developed the world's first cyberthreat prevention network that secures servers, laptops and mobile devices from cyberattacks. Built on a wirespeed, standards-based, threat-sharing platform, Confer allows companies to efficiently collect and share threat intelligence, enabling better protection while providing visibility into the behavior and intent of attackers, without requiring complex tools and deep security expertise. The company has secured $8 million in Series A funding from Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140115/NE46445LOGO)
Today's enterprises face organized, financially motivated attackers, whose rapidly evolving tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) easily outpace traditional signature-based security solutions. In addition, shifts in the way we work—such as borderless networks, software as a service (SaaS) and bring your own device (BYOD) policies—mean that organizations must defend an ever-growing attack surface. These realities call for a new approach to protecting servers, laptops and mobile devices against cyberthreats. Confer takes a collaborative approach to cybersecurity that focuses on understanding the attacker across the entire Confer user community, rather than simply an individual attack. The analysis of attacker behavior makes clear the broader context of an attack, and that, in turn, enables better protection.
"To date, all of the industry's attempts to defend servers and endpoints have overlooked their potential as one of the richest sources for understanding the behavior of threat actors," said Tim Barrows, general partner at Matrix Partners. "Well-resourced security organizations have moved to a collaborative, threat-based model, sharing information with one another. Confer automates this threat-sharing process and allows a much broader community to benefit from this approach."
"The fact that the vast majority of companies today do not even know when they are breached, let alone when they're the subject of a concerted attack highlights the need for more comprehensive security visibility across the enterprise," said Jim Moran, general partner at North Bridge Venture Partners. "As our pilots with small organizations up to global multinationals showed, organizations will now have a simple, easy way to harness the power of big data analytics to prevent attacks before they occur and put the balance of power firmly back in the hands of the good guys."
Confer's cyberthreat prevention network is a SaaS-managed, host-based system. It prevents malware and advanced attacks via lightweight, cross-platform sensors that feed a big data analytics and sharing platform. Confer runs on Microsoft Windows, Android and Apple Macintosh-based systems, installs in less than a minute and, once installed, is managed completely from the cloud. Confer works from anywhere, continuously monitoring and protecting servers and endpoints regardless of whether they are inside or outside of the network perimeter. This strategic, threat-based approach offers users a rich, contextual understanding of attacker behavior that helps them understand who is attacking them and why.
"Attackers are efficient in designing malware that can evade traditional endpoint security controls. Defenses need to move beyond signatures to stop specialized threats," said Charles Kolodgy, research vice president at IDC. "Solutions like those offered by Confer, which IDC calls Specialized Threat Analysis and Protection (STAP), are emerging to fill the gap. STAP solutions leverage a variety of techniques to collect information around behavior, communication activity, reputation, and other factors to detect the seemingly undetectable. It's a promising approach that companies should consider to identify the unknown before it becomes a problem."
Confer is led by co-founders CEO Mark Quinlivan, Chief Technology Officer Jeff Kraemer, and Vice President of Products Paul Morville. The $8 million venture capital investment will fund further product development and expansion of the company's marketing and sales operations.
Trials of Confer are underway at enterprises in the finance, defense, pharmaceutical and information technology industries. For more information about Confer and to learn about the company's 60-day trial offer, please visit www.confer.net or contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
About Confer
Confer developed the world's first cyberthreat prevention network that secures servers, laptops and mobile devices from advanced cyberattacks. Built on an open, wirespeed, threat-sharing platform, Confer enables companies to secure the enterprise with an intelligence-driven, threat-based defense, without requiring complex tools and deep security expertise. For more information, visit www.confer.net.
SOURCE Confer


text:
I wanted to share with you one of the things I made for my farm holiday last weekend, since I couldn't have you all with me. Which is a shame because what a wonderful holiday that would have been huh? 🙂 A bunch of food loving individuals filling their tummies and then talking incessantly about it! This way, I can at least share some of what I ate…
I put together a spread of different meze for our Greek inspired dinner, and although I'd like to share recipes for each dish, most were done based on feel and whim…so no exact quantities for now. This, however, is beyond simple to do and a great thing to have in your appetizer tray (or anywhere else for that matter). And if you love yogurt as much as I do, I'm sure you will always have extra portions with which to make this.
Labneh (or labnah/labna), also called Arab Yogurt Cheese, is plain/natural yogurt strained of its whey. The longer you strain it the thicker it will be. It is criminally simple to make…all you need is good yogurt, some salt, a cheesecloth, a strainer, and some patience. After exerting as much effort as you would to, say, take a nap or decide what top to wear, you will have a creamy "yogurt cheese" (like a light, fresh cream cheese with the yogurt's distinct sour note) to do with as you please!
Although simple, I still perused a bunch of recipes before proceeding. I am just a little geek that way. There was one in my copy of The Arab Table by May Bsisu (nice book with great explanations and lists of Arab ingredients!) and I found two recipes from Donna Hay! Doesn't she just think of everything? 😉 One recipe comes from her book Entertaining (with lemon thyme and chili) and the other come from her magazine issue # 35*** (with oregano and black peppercorns).
It's quite basic so I'll just give the main guidelines (no recipe really) I used based on the different recipes and you can improvise depending on the flavors you like.
- About 1 teaspoon salt for every 2 cups plain yogurt
- Herbs and spices that you like
- Olive oil
– Mix the yogurt and salt together. You can add flavor at two points – either mix in your spices/herbs with the yogurt now, or add them to the oil later.
– Line a sieve with fine muslin/cheesecloth and place over a deep bowl (you don't want your yogurt to come in contact with the liquid that has been drained). Place the yogurt mixture into the sieve. Cover the lot and place in the fridge to drain – this can be anywhere from 6 hours to 5 days! The longer it drains the thicker it will be.
– After it has drained to the consistency you like, you can scoop them up by tablespoons and form into balls (this is what Donna does). Place balls in a jar and, if you didn't add them to the yogurt in the beginning, toss in the herbs/spices, then cover with olive oil. Store in the fridge.
– Another way of forming the cheese (May's method) is to press onto a plate with the back of a spoon, causing little indentations in the cheese (like how hummus is often served). Drizzle olive oil into the indentations and sprinkle za'atar or dried mint (again c/o May) all over the cheese.
You could also have this for breakfast! See the breakfast spread Barbara put together with labneh.
***It was part of a terrific feature called "a dairymaid's tale" which included recipes on how to make your own ricotta, curd cheese, clotted cream, and yogurt! Absolutely gorgeous white-on-white-on-white food styling too!


text:
Recently, Amazon – and other e-tailers – started collecting sales taxes on purchases made in California. The Los Angeles Times reports that the state could generate as $317 million from all e-tailers during its first fiscal year – which is a much needed revenue stream for a state that is projected to be north of $16 billion in debt.
Predictably, consumers are generally upset knowing that their free ride is essentially over. Alternatively, local brick and mortar stores are ecstatic because the playing field would now be level. The benefit to the state of California is clear.
However, the question on my mind is: What is the silver lining for Amazon?
(Read More: Inventions That Killed Businesses)
Amazon faced two choices: walk away from the state or comply with the new tax law. Given the importance and size of the state, and given the fact that taxation is not new to the brand (Amazon currently collects sales tax in Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas), it complied. Once all is said and done, consumers, the state and Amazon all could actually benefit – the rare win–win–win for all involved.
(Read More: Apple Set to Unwrap Mini-iPad to Take on Amazon, Google)
The benefits to California are documented and known: extra revenue. However the benefit to both Amazon and residents of California are just being revealed. As part of the delay Amazon originally got in collecting taxes, the company agreed to open two distribution centers in the state. One is located outside of Patterson, east of San Jose. The other is in hard-hit San Bernardino. In my view, these are just the first of many distribution centers to come.
(Read More: As Some Thrive on Disruption, Others Strive to Survive It)
The centers will add jobs in areas that need them and give Amazon access to potential employees that previously were shut off to the company unless people were willing to relocate. In addition to speeding up delivery times, Amazon, if it chooses, will be able to do the following:
- Same day delivery: One of the knocks on buying from Amazon is that you can go to your local Target or Toys R Us and get the item right away. After all, we are a culture of instant gratification. The option to offer same day delivery will help to reduce cart abandonment, a key e-commerce metric, which will improve Amazon's revenue. I expect that in the beginning same-day items will be limited. But as Amazon increases distribution centers (five to seven would be ideal, potentially creating thousands of jobs) it will be able to offer an order by 2pm, delivery by 6pm – or something reasonably close.
- Scheduled deliveries: This is a big deal for both Amazon and consumers – and opens up the perishable category to both. This is similar to Amazon Fresh, a grocery service, currently being offered in Seattle. In addition to perishables, if consumers need a last minute birthday gift, they could easily jump on Amazon.com and have that Sonic Emotion powered sound dock delivered directly to their hotel, office, home or party.
- Integration with local shippers: The localizing of Amazon will allow it to merge shipments and have them delivered via UPS, FedEx, or potentially some sort of Amazon delivery service, thus streamlining operations. This is also likely to reduce fixed costs, which Amazon can pass on to consumers. Consumers will also benefit from potential cost savings in receiving one shipment versus multiple shipments. That shipping cost savings alone could be enough to offset the tax.
- Open new product delivery avenues: Interstate commerce laws prevent the shipping of alcohol across borders without proper licensing. However this does not apply to shipping wine in-state. Want your favorite Napa red delivered in time for your party and you live in Los Angeles? Go to Amazon. Flowers could also be an arena that Amazon could get more aggressive in - after all, most online flower e-tailers do not offer same day delivery, yet.
- IT expansion: Amazon could also build upon its leading position as a cloud host provider and expand to IT services. The laptop that you bought from Amazon crashes? Get a replacement the same day.
So what about the consumer? No matter how you cut it, a tax is a tax is a tax and paying taxes is not necessarily a good thing. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his team are not foolish. In addition to the above they will likely do the following to make the taxes more palatable by:
- Providing consumers with service and delivery flexibility similar to "one click" that at the end of the day will save consumers money
- Expand kiosk delivery service, which is currently in Seattle at 7-11 stores, to California, making shopping more convenient. Order something online and have it delivered to a shipping kiosk at LAX – in time for your flight.
As mentioned, the brick and mortar owners are welcoming the change. In my view Amazon's executive team will have no choice but to become hypercompetitive, even more than they are now. Competition is good for all residents and the ying and yang of this is that the teams at Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and the like will also need to be ready for the Amazon influx. This will lead to better options and value for consumers.
If Amazon does this right, everyone could benefit. If Amazon does not – for example, sticking with just two distribution centers – the driving to Target or Toys R Us may just win the day.
Rajeev Kapur is the CEO of Sonic Emotion. He previously was Director of Sales and Marketing – Dell China.
CNBC and YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) have formed an exclusive editorial partnership, consisting of regional "Chief Executive Networks" in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. These "Chief Executives Networks" are made up of a sample of YPO's unrivaled global network of 20,000 top executives from 120 countries who are on the frontlines of the economy. The opinions of "Chief Executive Network" members are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions of YPO as a whole or CNBC.


text: richard.walsh at comcast.net wrote: > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > From: "Toon Knapen" <toon.knapen at gmail.com> > > How come there is almost unanimous agreement in the > beowulf-community while the rest is almost unanimous convinced of > the opposite ? Are we just tapping ourselves on the back or is MP > not sufficiently dissiminated or ... ? > > Mmm ... I think the answer to this is that the rest of world > (non-HPC world) is in a time > warp. HPC went through its SMP-threads phase in the early-mid 1990s > with OpenMP, and then we needed more a more scalable approach > (MPI). Now that multi-core and multi-socket has brought parallelism > to the rest of the Universe, SMP-based parallelism has had a > resurgence ... this has also naturally caused some in HPC to revisit > the question as nodes have fattened. > > The allure of a programming model that is intuitive, expressive, > symbolically light-weight, > and provides a way to manage the latency variance across memory > partitions is irresistable. > > I kind of like the CAF extension to Fortran and the concept of > co-arrays. The co-array is > and array of identical normal arrays, but one per active > image/process. They are defined as such: > > real, dimension (N) [*] :: X, Y > > If the program is run on 8 cores/processors/images the * becomes 8. > 8, 1D arrays of size > N are created on each processor. In any references to the locale > component of the co-array > (the image on the processor referencing it), you can drop the []s > ... all other references (remote) > must include it. This is symbolically light, but reminds the > programmer of every costly non- > local reference with the presence of the []s in the assignment or > operation. There is much > more to it than that of course, but as the performance gap between > carefully constructed > MPI applications and CAF compiled code shrinks I can see the later > gaining some traction > for purely programming elegance related reasons. If you accept that > notion that most MPI > programs are written at a B- level in terms of efficiency then the > idea of gap closing may not > be so far fetched. CAF is supposed to be include in the Fortran > 2008 standard. > > rbw > > -- > > "Making predictions is hard, especially about the future." > > Niels Bohr > > -- > > Richard Walsh > Thrashing River Consulting-- > 5605 Alameda St. > Shoreview, MN 55126 But isn't CAF (and UPC, and Titanium) implicitly message passing for a Beowulf anyway? It's attractive because it simplifies the process and might be able to optimize communication, but underneath everything it's still message passing. -- Geoffrey D. Jacobs To have no errors would be life without meaning No struggle, no joy


text:
Welcome to Wellbeing Liverpool. The online directory for Mental Health and Wellbeing Services, Activities and Groups in Liverpool.
Search for information by keyword. Use the name of a service, an activity or a place to find matching results.
Index of Local Services
An alphabetical list of the entries in the directory. If you know the name of the service that you are looking for, this is a quick way to find it.
Search for services by area or postcode. Give us a postcode and we'll show you what's available in that area.
A-Z of Mental Health Terms
An alphabetical list of terms used in relation to Mental Health and Wellbeing, all explained here in plain English. Thanks to the Mental Health Foundation for allowing us to use their wording.
About us
At Wellbeing Liverpool we've put together a huge list of services, activities and groups and made them searchable through this website. We have information on everything from counselling to CAB's and much more. You can search this website by Keyword, by service name, by map location or alphabetically, it's up to you. We also have a handy A-Z list of definitions relating to mental health and wellbeing.
Wellbeing Tips and Stories
Be active...
"I go walking whatever the weather. It energises me. You don't need to go to a gym".
Why not try this for yourself and see if it works for you? You can walk by yourself or try a walking group to walk with others.
Add a service
Do you have details on a service we've not listed here? Send us details and we'll add it to the site.
Contact us
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
How do I use this website
Not sure how to use this website? We've put together a list of instructions for the various parts of the site.


text:
your bag
Your bag is empty.
Sorry, this product has sold out!
If you would like ARCHFASHION to try to and find it for you complete the form below.
Sexy fitted mini dress with cut out detail. Available in orchid/nude.
The excellent Welcome To Miami Dress from Kuku has sold out. We did have it in6 & 10.
Start a "Find It For Me" to notify hundreds of Australian Boutiques that you're looking for it and then be notified if it comes back in stock.


text:
Customer Reviews
All reviews are from people who have redeemed deals with this merchant.
What You'll Get
Personal trainers push people to do more, whether it's doing one more set of bench presses or eating one more box of protein bars. Go the extra mile with this Groupon.
The Deal
Personal training certification course ($399 value)
- Includes the following core programs: Personal Training Practical Application, Weight Training Program, Fitness Assessment Program, and Lifestyle Consultant Program
- Each core program includes a theory and practical exam
- Secure online testing at your own pace
- IACET nationally accredited personal training certification received upon passing the exams and providing proof of CPR certification
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires 180 days after purchase. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person, may buy 2 additional as gifts. Valid for downloadable PDF study material only. Students must be 18+ to receive certification, have a CPR card prior to completion, and access to a webcam. Extra $25 fee to retake exam. Valid for downloadable PDF study material only. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About National Association for Fitness Certification
The National Association for Fitness Certification (NAFC) is on a mission to create a dynamic community of educated fitness specialists. To this end, NAFC offers a variety of accredited trainer-certification programs online, allowing aspiring fitness professionals the luxury of earning their credentials from the comfort of their own home or extra-large gym locker. The courses teach students how to lead nutrition programs, group fitness classes, Pilates lessons, and personal training sessions, opening the door to a variety of careers in health and wellness. Onsite workshops scheduled on a regular basis supplement virtual classroom learning with practical skills.


text:
Product Information
Keep laundry from piling up with our ventilated Stacking Laundry Basket. It holds a full load of clothes and its ergonomic design makes it easy to carry. Multiples can be stacked so that each family member has their own or to make sorting easy. Once laundry is done, sort it back into individual baskets and stack them up for each family member to carry away. They also make great stacking vertical bins for organizing a game room or child's room, and they can nest when empty for compact storage.
How do we measure?
- Made with heavy-duty handles
Made In:
- 23-1/2" x 16" x 11-3/4" h


text:
2014 BMW M235i First Drive Details:
- Driven from Las Vegas to Los Angeles
- 2 Series replaces 1 Series
- 0-60mph in 4.8sec
- 326hp 3.0L straight-six engine with TwinPower turbo
- Red Rock National Park photoshoot
Coming from the tuner world, I grew up with posters of import cars on my walls and would spend nights looking through foreign magazines that I couldn't read but would obsess over nonetheless. The cars of my childhood dreams not only promised a level of exclusivity but also performance that was rarely matched.
While I can easily say that the majority of my life has been spent obsessing over badges that had special edition letters in them, I seemed to have ignored badges that bore the all-important "M." I don't think I intentionally ignored the most famous letter from Bavaria, I just never took interest in it - until now.
Last week, BMW invited Greg Emmerson, Editor of european car magazine, and myself out to Las Vegas to test two new models of M fresh from Munich, the M235i and M235i Racing. While Greg got to spend some time on track wringing out the M235i Racing, I got the unique pleasure of driving the M235i from Las Vegas back to Los Angeles. On my way home from Sin City, I decided to stop by the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area to snap some photos of the M235i.
Full story and video track testing the 2 Series race model: M235i Racing - First Drive
As I drove the M235i around the park, the lines of the car started to grow on me. Every time I stopped and got out, I caught myself staring at the car without even shooting any photos. Maybe it was the surreal surroundings or maybe it was all the time we spent alone in the desert, but I almost felt like I was falling in love.
Check out 100+ photos of the BMW 2 Series: M235i Mega Gallery
I haven't gotten to the best part of the M235i yet, the driving experience. The moment you set foot inside the car, you immediately know you're in a BMW. The sounds, the smells, the feel and the looks of the interior are classic Bimmer.
BMW almost provides enough information at your fingertips where you would never have to step outside of the car again. The "BMW Online" system provides everything from news to weather, the navigation system is actually smart, and if you can't find an address on a map, you can simply search the web for it from the Nav menu. Believe it or not, it found some of the most obscure locations I could think of. To top it off, you can even view images of the your destination location so you know what you can expect to see once you get there.
You can see why I started to fall in love with the car, and I haven't even touched on the motor. The twin turbo inline-6 puts out 320hp and 330lb/ft. torque effortlessly. In fact, there were a few times where my heavy foot got the best of me and I found myself spinning the tires pretty easily. With a 0-60 time of only 4.8 seconds, you can quickly get yourself into a lot of trouble. Lucky for me, BMW outfits all their new M235i's with their new Torque Sensitive LSD, making sure both tires are spinning at all times (and making me look that much more badass albeit accidentally).
Is the M235i the perfect first-timer M car? The answer is without a doubt YES! This one car has officially converted me into a major M fan. It not only combines all the newest technology from BMW but also has the soul and power of what the "M" badge means. It's very difficult to drive this car without a permanent smile on your mug, and that's exactly why I'm going to end this article now. I've got some driving to do.


text:
The Titleist 913 driver has finally been spotted! Here is what was written on the Titleist Blog:
Here are a few pics, thanks to Golfwrx.com for the images:
link for more info.
"As many Titleist Brand Ambassadors start their journey to the 2012 AT&T National, they'll have a nice surprise waiting of for them on the range of Congressional Country Club – new prototype Titleist 913 drivers.
And we're excited to be bringing Team Titleist a sneak peek of what's in store for this week.
Starting Monday morning, our Titleist Tour Reps will be in full force working closely with Titleist players in the field to check all of the build specs and SureFit Tour hosel settings to help players get dialed-in with the new prototype 913 drivers for testing.
This marks the official introduction of the new drivers on the PGA Tour and kicks off the tour seeding and performance validation process that all Titleist clubs go through prior to being released in the market.
The Titleist Golf Club R&D team will also be on-site to walk through some of the new technology and advancements that players will see in the prototype 913 drivers. They'll also be taking note of the feedback from the player testing as this will influence the design and specifications of the final product that is made available to golf shops around the world.
In case you were wondering, "913" is the series designation for the new family of drivers. Titleist continues to release metals under the 900 number designation with the "9" standing for metals and the "13" indicating the new model year, 2013.
As the tour seeding and performance validation process continues in the coming weeks across the worldwide professional tours, we'll continue to share more behind-the-scenes information and product details here on the Team Titleist.
In the meantime, check out the slideshow below for a first look at the new prototype Titleist 913 drivers as they were being built and packed for their trip to Washington D.C. (and a few player's homes)."
Here are a few pics, thanks to Golfwrx.com for the images:
link for more info.


text:
kevinhutto needed a new other design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 14 designs submitted by 4 freelance designers.
Internet training firm looking for a header design for a new password protected, members-only site.
This is a job-seekers resource site. The users are already clients that need follow on "how-to" content.
We need a header for our blog found at http://www.job1university.com/restricted
With "Job1University.com" we are trying to communicate the idea of a teaching/learning forum.
We want something that is brandable and that can be used as a reoccurring theme visually and in the content/words i.e. "classroom", "chalkboard", "101", "bookstore", etc.
As an example we like this site --> http://www.minisitefrog.com/portfolio/24/ because we like the idea of using a reoccurring character or mascot like the Einstein professor at the top.
We would like that character in the design (along with the chalkboard).
The name "Job1University.com" should be used in the design.
This will be used on a Wordpress blog.


text:
National Association of Police Organizations
Nationwide® Retirement Solutions (Nationwide) makes payments to the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) for services and endorsements related to the Nationwide Post Employment Health Plans (PEHP) that NAPO performs for its members. These services and endorsements include:
- The exclusive endorsement of PEHP;
- Providing access to NAPO conferences; and
- Permission to use NAPO logos in PEHP marketing materials.
Nationwide pays a fixed amount to NAPO in exchange for its endorsement of Nationwide's products and services in the deferred compensation program. Nationwide may also pay NAPO in support of promotional items at NAPO conferences.
NAPO serves all of its members by permitting them to provide a benefit program to their employees without incurring the costs associated with independently designing a similar health care arrangement.
Nationwide is committed to providing quality products and services to plan sponsors and their participants. As with most business expenses, the cost of this relationship is reflected in product and service pricing. Nationwide does not represent that PEHP is the lowest cost product available to plan sponsors. Plan sponsors and PEHP participants are encouraged to review the advantages and disadvantages of the PEHP program including the fees and expenses of the program.


text:
Contact Us
The Research Group of
Distinguished Professor Ruth E. Stark
City College of New York (CCNY)
City University of New York (CUNY)
The Group
News & Events
Projects & Research
Education and Careers
Virtual Tour
Group Members Only
April 23, 2019
You are visitor #12421 since 03/05/08
About Us
Principal Investigator
Research Associates
Graduate Students
Undergraduate & HS Students
Extended Members
Previous Members
Contact Us
About Our Group
About the Group
Located in the Department of Chemistry on the City College campus of The City University of New York, the research group led by Distinguished Professor Ruth E. Stark pursues diverse research projects in the areas of molecular biophysics and structural biology.
Our main research focus areas are:
Molecular Biophysics (structure and dynamics of cytosolic and membrane proteins; fatty acid binding and transport, molecular structure and biomechanics of Plant Cuticles; molecular structure and development of fungal melanins)
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Technology.
We collaborate with research groups in the New York Metropolitan area as well as at other sites in the U.S. and overseas.
Our 14-person research team includes Senior Research Fellows, Postdoctoral Associates, Ph.D. & M.S. Students, Undergraduate Students majoring in Chemistry and Biology, and high school students.
Detailed information can be found on this website about our group's ongoing research projects, personnel, and career trajectories.
© 2003-2011 Ruth E. Stark Group Website
Last Updated On: Dec. 19th, 2017 (ver 2.8)


text:
Contrary to some wildly erroneous and irresponsible reports in the press recently, Portland has a serious and growing gang problem. The Crips and Bloods are harmless compared with the menacing groups roaming the streets of Maine's largest metropolis, perpetrating crimes in broad daylight with no respect for the law or common decency. Here's a rundown of the most notorious gangs plaguing Portland today:
The Code Enforcers: These nefarious characters have thoroughly infiltrated city government. They are known to walk into local shops and restaurants without warning and make unreasonable demands, strong-arming mom-and-pop proprietors to follow arbitrary and capricious rules, known as "The Code," and shaking them down for a variety of dubious permits and fees. If you refuse and don't pay up, they can and will shut your place down. "They told me I didn't have proper 'signage' above the 'hand-washing station,'" said one restaurateur, who was too frightened to give his name. "I think they were talking about the sink."
The Munjoy Hill Yuppies: Police say this scourge has spread here in recent years from bigger cities like Boston and New York. Their main racket is real-estate speculation, buying up multi-unit apartment buildings and converting them into condos, thereby kicking working-class residents to the curb. Some have been known to operate "art galleries" downtown that the cops suspect are fronts for less legitimate business, since these "galleries" are only open a few hours a week and the "art" consists of unimaginative, over-priced work that no one actually buys. Law-enforcement officials say the members of this gang are easily identified: They're the only people in the state who actually read Maine magazine.
The Forest City Foodies: Loosely affiliated with the Munjoy Hill Yuppies, this knife-wielding criminal organization has snapped up every available restaurant space in town, converting affordable eateries into the kind of places where a grass-fed, locally sourced burger, humanely harvested fries and a craft draft beer can cost unsuspecting customers over a Jackson (with tax and tip). A recent investigation by The Huffington Post ("The 22 Most Hipster Foods on the Planet") uncovered a host of questionable menu items this gang attempts to foist on the hungry masses, from rotten cabbage and cold coffee to a mysterious moonshine-like concoction called "Kombucha."
Spencer and the School Spirit Mafia: Former Rustic Overtones keyboardist Spencer Albee organized this cabal several years ago. The Mafia's 2009 manifesto, "Candy, Cake and Ice Cream," was a collection of upbeat pop songs so sickeningly catchy and sweet that listeners complained of brain-ache. Under pressure from critics, Albee allegedly disbanded the group, but authorities warn it could reconvene under the guise of a "reunion show" at any time.
Biker Gangs: The motorcycle gangs former Portland Police Chief Mike Chitwood warned us about have been replaced by an even more dangerous threat to public safety: bicycle gangs. Identified by their indecently tight-fitting shorts, Day-Glo bike-club "colors" and intimidating calves, gang members have pressured city officials into giving them their own lanes on the public's streets and are known to menace motorists with withering glares if you cross their path without signaling. Many are also suspected of "doping."
Anthony Barrasso: Also known as "Tony," "Elvis" and "Grampa," Barrasso is the most powerful and respected figure in the Old Port underworld. Working out of his subterranean lair on Middle Street, Anthony's Italian Kitchen, Barrasso brazenly flaunts his affinity for organized crime. Memorabilia from "The Sopranos" hangs all over the restaurant, in addition to dozens of snapshots of "The Family," and Barrasso and his accomplices regularly impersonate another infamous group with mob ties, Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack," during dinner-theater performances at his establishment. Investigating undercover as a "customer," I've observed Barrasso and his network of lunchtime associates. On weekdays between noon and 1 p.m., a steady stream of judges, cops and lawyers line up at the counter to pay tribute, in the form of cash or major credit cards, to this Don of Dough. Anthony's is a short walk from the county and federal courthouses and the police station, and the pizza and sandwiches are quite tasty, but that doesn't fully explain the sway Tony holds over these powerful figures. Clearly more research, and another delicious Boston Italian, are needed to crack this case.


text:
- Home
- Services
- The Casey Experience
- Solutions
- Company
Aligning IT Solutions to Business Objectives.
Whether it's developing innovative Mobility and Cloud Applications or modernizing Legacy Systems, we help companies better leverage their IT Resources so they are aligned with each client's current and future business goals and objectives.
The Casey Experience
Innovative Resourceful Business Partners.
We believe that every successful engagement starts with our listening to your business needs and understanding your existing capabilities. Listening and working closely with our clients enables us to build teams with the right talent to deliver successful solutions.
IT Solutions for Your Business Challenges.
We integrate software, hardware, business consulting, and IT services into solutions that are aligned with your business objectvies and assist you in reaching the full potential of your core business.
Knowledge, Experience and Integrity.
The Casey Group is a business and technology solutions firm that specializes in helping companies, across a variety of industries use technology more effectively.


text:
Please wait...
Serving Our Customers Since 1984
You have no items in your shopping cart.
There are no products matching the selection.
Army Surplus World is a premier supplier of USGI and commercial products for past and present members of the military, public service professionals, outdoor enthusiasts and patriotic Americans.11650 S Sam Houston Pkwy WHouston, TX 77031
We accept
Army Surplus World, Inc. Copyright © 2019
Design & Developed byInformatics Commerce
Back to Top


text:
OAKLAND — Jarrett Grube assumed the worst when an ornery coach marched him into his manager's office late Friday night.
"The pitching coach kind of waved me in with a mad look on his face," said Grube, a 32-year-old career minor leaguer who thought he'd botched an assignment charting pitches.
He left Triple-A Salt Lake Bees manager Keith Johnson's office after an extra-innings game in Tacoma (Wash.) as a major leaguer with a ticket to Oakland.
Grube was in the visitor's clubhouse at O.Co Coliseum wearing an Angels uniform by Saturday afternoon.
"It's a pretty awesome feeling," he said proudly.
The Angels designated reliever Wade LeBlanc for assignment to make room for Grube.
The Angels needed to add a fresh arm to a taxed bullpen after LeBlanc's 6 1/3 innings of mop-up work on Friday, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of the move.
LeBlanc will be assigned to Salt Lake if he clears waivers. Scioscia said he hopes the Angels can keep LeBlanc in the organization.
"This is pure and simple bad timing for (LeBlanc)," Scioscia said.
"We needed to get a fresh arm up here and that's why the move was made."
The move forced Grube to place some frantic calls to relatives early Saturday morning to share the news with his family.
"It was pretty emotional," he said.
His wife and mother in-law flew in from the Midwest and were expected to arrive at the ballpark by game time. His parents — also from the Midwest — were expected to arrive in the Bay Area later Saturday night.
Grube's call-up culminates 11,064 innings over 11-plus years in the minors, including parts of two seasons in independent ball.
Grube admits doubts that this day would ever happen were already creeping in.
"You do, but you try to keep that glimmer of hope alive," he said.
A strong support system encouraged him to keep going, though, and Grube didn't really have a Plan B, anyway.
"I didn't really know," he said.
"I was thinking about that stuff all the time but I didn't have anything lined up. I still had that hope for this year and I was just trying to live in the moment here.
"I wasn't really thinking about anything else."
Now Grube is thinking about making his mark in the majors.
He was 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA with Salt Lake this year in 11 appearances (all starts).
Scioscia said he'll pitch out of the bullpen for the Angels.
Trout out
Angels center fielder Mike Trout was a late scratch from Saturday's game with a back injury.
Neither the cause nor the severity of the injury was immediately known, Scioscia said.
Trout experienced stiffness in his upper back Saturday morning, Scioscia said, insisting that he didn't hurt himself during Friday night's 9-5 loss to Oakland.
Trout was originally in the lineup as a designated hitter in the No. 2 spot, but was scratched about two hours before game time.
"It's not quite loose enough to where you'd want to risk him getting further" injured, Scioscia said.
"Hopefully it's something that quiets down and he's able to go tomorrow."