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- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Take entomologist Bruce Hammock, distinguished professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis. Forty years ago, while studying insect development, he discovered a group of anti-inflammatory compounds called sEH (soluble epoxide hydrolases) inhibitors.
In 2005 he began collaborating with cardiologist and cell biologist Nipavan Chiamvimonvat of the School of Medicine's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.
Fast forward to today.
Today an 11-scientist team from the Chiamvimonvat and Hammock labs published groundbreaking research in the Proceedings of National Academic of Sciences that shows a new treatment may help prevent and reduce cardiac fibrosis, a common occurrence in patients after a heart attack.
The research utilized a treatment involving a compound synthesized by Sing Lee and Sung Hee Hwang in the Hammock lab. The scientists determined the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitors in a heart attack.
"Our study (using rodents) provides evidence for a possible new therapeutic strategy to reduce cardiac fibrosis and improve cardiac function after a heart attack," Chiamvimonvat told us.
Every year some 935,000 U.S. residents have a heart attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart disease kills about 600,000 a year, accounting for one in every four deaths in the nation.
The research, "New Mechanistic Insights into the Beneficial Effects of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitors in the Prevention of Cardiac Fibrosis," is "really important in terms of understanding a unique pathway which may be targeted to reduce fibrosis and adverse cardiac remodeling," Chiamvimonvat said.
The lead authors of the research paper are Padmini Sirish and Ning Li of the Chiamvimonvat lab, and Jun-Yan Liu of the Hammock lab. In addition, other researchers involved in the project are Kin Sing Stephen Lee, and Sung Hee Hwang of the Hammock lab; Hong Qiu, Cuifen Zhao, and Siu Mei Ma of the Chiamvimonvat lab, and López, who developed the methods to quantitate the fibrotic cells using flow cytometry.
Chiamvimonvat and Hammock have filed patents with the University of California for sEH inhibitors and cardiac hypertrophy therapy and organ fibrosis.
A multi-talented scientist and administrator, Hammock holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, and directs the campuswide Superfund Research Program, National Institutes of Health Biotechnology Training Program, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Combined Analytical Laboratory. He is a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, and the recipient of the 2001 UC Davis Faculty Research Lecture Award and the 2008 Distinguished Teaching Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching.
Read more about Hammock's research activities on his lab website. More information on the Hammock/Chiamvimonvat research appears on the Department of Entomology's website.


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While millions of Americans celebrated the birth of the Prince of Peace, agents of the federal government were delivering death by remote control overseas.
On Friday, December 28, for example, five people were killed and three others injured in a U.S. drone attack on a house in the Mana Gurbaz area of the remote and mountainous Shawal Valley in Pakistan's North Waziristan Agency.
According to a report filed by Pakistan's The News International:
Official and tribal sources said the drone fired four missiles and pounded a house in the forest-covered Shawal Valley, sited 90 kilometres northwest of Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan.
Witnesses indicate that "it was for the first time that a drone carried out [a] missile attack in the cloudy and rainy weather in the volatile tribal region." Chances are it won't be the last.
One official reports that the death toll from the drone strike could increase if those victims wounded in the attack die as a result of their injuries. "There was heavy snowfall in Shawal [V]alley when the drone fired missiles and targeted a house," the unnamed official told The News International.
Given the callous and indiscriminate approach of the Obama administration to the names and numbers of those assassinated in the name of "national security," it is not surprising that "there was no immediate information about the identity of those killed in the drone attack."
Naturally, the White House promises that those targeted by the Predators are militants determined to harm Americans. But given the disregard for discrimination in the drone strikes, how many of those killed were innocent bystanders? How many of the actual "targets" were themselves innocent or at least had no demonstrable ties to terrorist organizations? This question will never be known with certainty because the president alone serves as judge, jury, and executioner — and does not believe he is obliged to provide evidence to the American people.
In fact, it would be very naïve to believe the targeted assassination of an innocent person (such as American teenager Abdulrahman al-Awlaki) was an unfortunate miscalculation. When the judicial and executive powers of government are consolidated and restraints on the exercise of power are cast aside, it can be expected — based both on our knowledge of history and on the nature of man — that power will be abused and no one's rights or life will be safe from elimination by despots.
On Christmas Eve, as many Americans prepared to open presents, some opened Foreign Policy and read the following harrowing story of a "botched drone strike" in Yemen carried out on September 2:
The villagers who rushed to the road, cutting through rocky fields in central Yemen, found the dead strewn around a burning sport utility vehicle. The bodies were dusted with white powder — flour and sugar, the witnesses said — that the victims were bringing home from market when the aircraft attacked. A torched woman clutched her daughter in a lifeless embrace. Four severed heads littered the pavement.
"The bodies were charred like coal. I could not recognize the faces," said Ahmed al-Sabooli, 22, a farmer whose parents and 10-year-old sister were among the dead. "Then I recognized my mother because she was still holding my sister in her lap. That is when I cried."
In a Christmas Eve Washington Post report, anonymous officials of the government of the United States admitted that the brutal mass murder of 12 innocent civilians (three of whom were children) was carried out by "a Defense Department aircraft, either a drone or a fixed-wing airplane."
That's it. The U.S.-dependent Yemeni regime remarked that the drone-delivered deaths were the result of an "accident."
What isn't an accident is the targeting by Yemenis, Pakistanis, and others weary of constant bombings of Americans and those perceived to be aiding them. It is a deadly development known as blowback.
"You want us to stay quiet while our wives and brothers are being killed for no reason. This attack is the real terrorism," said Mansoor al-Maweri, whom CNN reports as being "near the scene of the strike" that "accidentally" killed 15 innocent men, women, and children in Yemen in September.
Then there was this from "an activist" who lives near the site of the massacre: "I would not be surprised if a hundred tribesmen joined the lines of al Qaeda as a result of the latest drone mistake," said Nasr Abdullah. "This part of Yemen takes revenge very seriously."
Reuters explains that "Western diplomats in Sanaa say al Qaeda is a threat to Yemen and the rest of the world." An argument can be made that a bigger threat to the world is the United States' daily drone attacks that destroy our own dedication to the rule of law and serve as effective recruiting tool for those seeking revenge for the killing.
The former CIA Pakistan station chief agrees. Speaking of the rapid expansion of the drone war in Yemen, Robert Grenier told The Guardian (U.K.):
That brings you to a place where young men, who are typically armed, are in the same area and may hold these militants in a certain form of high regard. If you strike them indiscriminately you are running the risk of creating a terrific amount of popular anger. They have tribes and clans and large families. Now all of a sudden you have a big problem.... I am very concerned about the creation of a larger terrorist safe haven in Yemen.
We have gone a long way down the road of creating a situation where we are making more enemies than we are removing from the battlefield. We are already there with regard to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A recent New York Times story written by Declan Walsh chronicles the case of blowback in Pakistan and how "militant enforcers," motivated by the CIA's covert identification of drone targets, have taken to tracking and torturing those suspected of aiding the American operatives in carrying out their murderous missions.
For several years now, militant enforcers have scoured the tribal belt in search of informers who help the CIA find and kill the spy agency's jihadist quarry. The militants' technique — often more witch hunt than investigation — follows a well-established pattern. Accused tribesmen are abducted from homes and workplaces at gunpoint and tortured. A sham religious court hears their case, usually declaring them guilty. Then they are forced to speak into a video camera.
The taped confessions, which are later distributed on CD, vary in style and content. But their endings are the same: execution by hanging, beheading, or firing squad.
Such sham proceedings are a mockery of legitimate justice and are themselves as reprehensible and unconscionable as the indiscriminate delivery of Hellfire missiles by U.S. drones. Remarkably, however, the suspected CIA co-conspirators are at least afforded some due process, albeit with a pre-determined and deadly outcome. The same cannot be said of those marked for assassination by the U.S. government. As Kevin Gosztola writes:
Now, there is one point worth making: as horrifying as the torture and killings of alleged informers in Pakistan might be, those targeted by these militant groups are afforded more justice than targets of US drone attacks.
How are the militant witch hunts any worse than the Obama administration's Star Chamber killing by committee?
Facts reveal that the prosecution of the drone war in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and North Africa is creating more enemies than it is destroying. Al-Qaeda couldn't cook up a more effective recruitment program than the U.S. drone war that is allegedly aimed at eliminating the "terrorist" organization.
For President Obama and those pulling the triggers on the joysticks guiding the missiles toward their human targets, "suspected militant" means (presumably) "all military-age males in a strike zone." For those of us more concerned with the Constitution and with the rule of law than the president, "suspected militant" means nothing other than a person not charged with any crime, not afforded even the most perfunctory due process protections, but summarily executed upon order of the president anyway. In this way, we are no better than those we kill in the name of safety.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Due to current health and safety measures, all wineries are accepting visitors by appointment only
Winery located at 1170 Tubbs Lane Calistoga, Ca. Carter Cellars tasting done by appointment. Please call 707-942-4670
Plan a trip to Carter Cellars on our interactive winery map:
Warm and friendly with spectacular views of the Mayacamas,Pallisades and St. Helena mountain ranges. Outdoor picnic grounds in an intimate location off the highway.Music in Tasting Room: Variety,with a spanish influence.
Wine clubs are a great way to stay connected to your favorite wineries.
To join the wine club, visit www.cartercellars.com or call 707-445-0311.
Once a year the rarest new Napa Valley wines become available under one roof at Premiere Napa Valley. Wineries throughout the Napa Valley are given one task to participate: create a one-of-a-kind wine for this event to be purchased by one lucky bidder. This event is only open to select members of the wine trade and the successful bidder is the sole owner of this unique wine.
Carter Cellars
Cases: 5
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2008
Release Date: September - 2010
Appellation: Napa Valley
To purchase this wine or check on availability contact:
Cliffewood Wine Syndicate
Little Rock AR


text:
Mike Adams
Natural News
November 4, 2012
(NaturalNews) China has promised to phase out its organ harvesting operations and move to a volunteer organ donation system over the next few years, reports the Associated Press. As you read this, keep in mind that if Natural News had published an article just two days ago with the headline, "China harvesting organs from executed prisoners," we would have been widely branded a bunch of "conspiracy theorists" who were fabricating news.
Most people, you see, are utterly clueless about reality. They have no idea what really goes on in our world: Organ harvesting, the U.N. running child sex smuggling rings, the U.S. banking system laundering drug money for the Mexican cartels, and so on. Heck, if I had told you a year ago that a Penn State football coach named Sandusky was molesting children in the university sports locker room, you wouldn't have believed that either.
The truth is that people are reluctant to believe things they wish weren't true. So they live in a state of never-ending DENIAL about the world, refusing to acknowledge the horrors of what really go on day after day.
China, you see, has been harvesting organs from executed prisoners since the dawn of the organ transplant industry, an industry steeped in criminality, even in the USA. It's quite a lucrative black market, actually. If a wealthy customer needs a new kidney, you just find some guy on the street, frame him for a crime he didn't commit, then have him executed for his organs. All the bureaucrats involved pocket a few thousand dollars each — and that's big money in China.
(By the way, you probably didn't know this, but the organ transplant industry routinely transplants diseased organs into recipient patients.)
In the U.S., people are set up and prosecuted as criminals in order to feed the slave labor private prison system. They don't harvest your organs, but they do harvest your sweat and labor. U.S. prisoners work for a few cents an hour — even cheaper than Chinese laborers! — making prison labor the new growth industry.
Everywhere around the world, tyrannical, corrupt governments predictably and routinely exploit human beings for their own profit. Whether it's harvesting organs, expanding the prison system through continued marijuana criminalization, or just using Child Protective Services to kidnap children and sell them off to international sex traders, it's all accomplished by corrupt, criminal government officials working as a type of mafia.
Government = Mafia
"Mafia" is probably the best descriptive model for government as a whole. The activities of government are routinely not just criminal, but highly unethical and immoral as well.
For example, who funded the inhumane medical experiments on Guatemalan prisoners that we learned about last year? The United States government, of course, through a conspiracy with the NIH.
Who gave vaccine manufacturers blanket immunity against lawsuits, even while knowing their products maim and kill huge numbers of people every year? The government!
Who grants Big Pharma a medical monopoly over the "treatment" of all disease while attempting to crush the natural supplements industry through intimidation and threats? The U.S. government!
Without the U.S. government involved in medicine, prescription drugs would be far less expensive, nutritional supplements would be more widely available, the population would be far healthier, and the pharmaceutical industry would only be about 1/10th its current size.
The ultimate example of Big Government? North Korea
In fact, if you really want to look at the ultimate expression of big government, look no further than North Korea. There, the government must be literally worshipped daily by the impoverished people. The leader of the government, Kim Jong Il's son, must be worshipped as a god.
Anyone who does not bow down to the government, its soldiers and its police officers is immediately sent to a gulag-style labor camp. A military general who recently offended North Korea's leader was recently sentenced to death by mortar fire.
That's exactly where the U.S. government is headed these days, by the way: Cult-like charismatic leaders who are corrupt, criminal operators who have no clue about how to create abundance through freedom. The TSA already operates much like North Korea, engaging in sexual assaults on a daily basis, stealing massive quantities of prescription drugs, electronics, jewelry and cash from travelers, and operating entirely outside the law. (Under U.S. law, all TSA agents should be immediately arrested as sexual predators.)
Government-run vaccination programs are medical assaults on children and adults. The U.S. government's collusion with the vaccine industry mirrors China's collusion with the organ harvesting and transplant industry: It's all about exploiting people for power and profit, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.
Already, there's talk of mandatory organ donations in the USA, where the government would force people to be organ donors "for the good of society." It's actually just a way to enrich the medical system even more, because the only people who profit from organ transplants are the hospitals, surgeons and organ transportation companies.
That's already on top of the mandatory fluoride poisoning which has been in place across America for decades. No, the fluoride they dump into the water doesn't make your teeth stronger, folks. They're feeding you hydrofluosilicic acid — a toxic pesticide chemical — and calling it "fluoride." The entire thing is a sinister scam.
And then there's Obamacare, with the government forcing you to financially support a corrupt, criminal pharmaceutical industry that quite literally murders 100,000 Americans each year (and routinely conducts medical experiments on babies). I don't know about you, but I have no desire to financially support a criminal mafia organization, and that's exactly what Big Pharma really is: Every major drug company has been prosecuted for fraud, and nearly all the so-called "science" is fabricated, especially in the vaccine industry.
But that doesn't stop the U.S. government from handing the criminal pharmaceutical industry a monopoly over modern medicine, of course. Because that's what government does best: Grant monopolies to the worst criminals in society.
Governments crush the human spirit
Remember: Every government is, as its core, anti free market. Every government is in the business of handing out money and protection to its criminal cohorts in the private sector while crushing competition and freedom at the same time.
Right now, the United States government is:
• In bed with Monsanto
• Opposed to GMO labeling
• Protecting the Big Pharma monopoly
• Opposed to holistic medicine
• Opposed to home gardening
• Strongly opposed to the Bill of Rights
• Strongly in favor of globalist banks
• Stealing your money by creating new money
• In favor of medical experiments on children
• In favor of endless environmental destruction
• In favor of the continued criminalization of hemp farming
This is not a fair and just government, as you can tell. It's a government of corrupt, criminal, evil-minded demons who thirst for power over others, and who relish the idea of wielding their power to crush the lives of innocents.
That's North Korea, that's China, that's the British government and it's also the United States Government. All governments are the same: They all seek to crush to human spirit, create dependence, and position themselves into positions of power and dominance while the rest of the human race suffers.
If you want to learn more about the dangers of bad government, here are some resources I recommend you read:
Lew Rockwell
Daily Reckoning
Info Wars
The REAL answer to bad government? Direct Democracy
The ultimate answer to bad government is to eliminate government "representatives" who pretend to represent the People.
Yep, that's right: Do away with Congress, completely, permanently and for the greater good!
Let the People vote on issues, without the corporate lobbyists controlling Washington.
Learn more at:
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


text:
The fourth day in St Peter Ording began with clouds and rain resulting in an action-free morning for the PKRA. Towards midday the clouds began to clear and the wind picked up leaving us with a beautiful sunny beach to begin the first race of the day (Race 7). As the spot was perfectly flat a three buoy course was set with a starting line far out to sea.
John Heineken (USA, Ozone) seemed on form today as he won the first race by a good margin. John reckons that he is a lot more confident in strong winds and the same thing applies to his friend and challenger Adam Koch (USA, Ozone). "It's seems like when it's windy we get away. Adam and I are fighting for first place, just like at home!"
Race 7
1. John Heineken (USA, Ozone)
2. Adam Koch (USA, Ozone)
3. Julien Kerneur (FRA, Takoon)
1. Katja Roose (NED, Airush)
2. Steph Bridge (GBR, North)
3. Caroline Adrien (FRA, Cabrinha)
Heineken led race 7 all the way and commented that the conditions were a lot stronger out there on the start line; he claimed to be overpowered on his twelve meter kite. Kerneur had the same problem and estimated 20 to 25 knots on the starting line for Race 8.
Julien took some time to explain to us his strategy to stay within the bands of wind whilst racing: "If you feel that you are losing speed and that you might be leaving the band then you just look on the water surface to see where the gusts are moving. You can then tack accordingly to stay within them."
The reaching tack was the most spectacular for the public as the racers were going full speed towards the finish line. The leading fleet came in close to each other and Dirk Hanel (GER, North) had a massive crash on the last stretch when he came too close to the shore with his fins skimming the sand.
Race 7
1. John Heineken (USA, Ozone)
2. Adam Koch (USA, Ozone)
3. Julien Kerneur (FRA, Takoon)
1. Steph Bridge (GBR, North)
2. Katja Roose (NED, Airush)
3. Caroline Adrien (FRA, Cabrinha)
At 2.30pm, despite cloudy skies, the wind was strong enough to move onto Freestyle. We began with 10 to 15 knots blowing on flat water but unfortunately this didn't last and before long the beautiful spot turned grey and rainy which stopped the wind and therefore the action. We did however manage to squeeze in three heats before the weather turned, qualifying Hund (GER, North), Blomvall (SWE, Nobile) and Spiesseperger (AUT, North) into the main event. Most riders were doing 313's and Blind Judges to secure their heats and would then go into mobes to impress the crowds and judges.
Between the course racers, the freestylers who were going into trials, and the freestylers training for the single elimination, there were over 150 kites lying on the beach by the end of the day. All of these plus the 300 packed in the riders tent and the kites on display in the brand tents probably made St Peter Ording the biggest concentration of kites on earth today…
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text: By the late 1960s, a decade after the television became the centerpiece of the suburban living room and sin qua non of American--if not yet global--culture, artists had begun to appropriate the power of official communication represented by broadcast media to their own critical and often confrontational ends. The recently opened exhibition Broadcast, at the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore through November 18th, chronicles 30 years of artists intervening in and manipulating television and radio. Some appropriate audio and images from mass media and re-broadcast them in ways that critically address their values and conventions. Dara Birnbaum's six-channel video installation, 'Hostage' (1994), for example, reworks footage from the kidnapping of German industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer by the Baader Meinhoff group aired some two decades before, while Siebren Versteeg's 'CC' (2003) uses an Internet connection to feed text from randomly selected blogs into the closed-caption boxes below looping video television newscasts. Other artists participate directly in original broadcasts by either creating their own or intervening in existing media channels. One of Gregory Green's anarchistic experiments with stylized pirate radio equipment joins Christian Jankowski's work 'Telemistica,' which documents the artist's calls to Italian on-air psychics during the 1999 Venice Biennale, as does Chris Burden's literal takeover of the airwaves, 'TV Hijack, February 9' (1972), during which the artist, appearing as a guest on a local television talk show, held his interviewer hostage at knife point for the duration of the program.


text:
posted by mailgeek @ 12:28 PM
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Popehat's Censorious Asshat of the Year Poll
Brett Kimberlin is a candidate, and richly deserves to win.
With your help, he can.
If you vote in just one online poll this year, let it be this one.
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text:
Jan 4, 2011
How to swim faster easier? (Learning to streamline your body)
Before you go on, I have a small exercise for you. Next time you are in the pool try the following exercise for yourself and see that I am not just pulling your leg. While swimming your normal laps, slow down in your normal body position and stroke technique to a slow motion like movement and see what happens to your body. More than likely it will be very difficult for you to swim at that speed and stay afloat in the same way you are when you swim faster. This is actually one of the reasons why people do swim faster as they are compensating for lack of correct body position with speed. Do you remember the young thugs in the lane next to you that jump in and suddenly start to thrash at the water as fast as they can and stop all out of breath when they get into the other side? Well, this is exactly what I am talking about. Besides being very annoying nuisance in the swim lanes, they cannot keep afloat unless they thrash around like that with their muscular body :).
have a better start and will remember how to do it. Then you practice it very slowly until the movements become natural. When the movement is imprinted into your motor skills you can tie your shoe in stealth speed without even thinking about it. With swimming, it is very similar. When you do not learn the proper streamlined body position, arm movement, head position, catch and relaxation while swimming slow, your body will produce too much drag and turbulence while you swim, thus making swimming a much harder activity then it actually is. Which in turn will make you slower as you cannot sustain speed over long period of time. Remember, water is much denser than air, so moving through it requires a much more streamlined and thought out movement then when you move through the air. What I want to teach you is to save energy while swimming by streamlining your swimming, so you swim effortlessly and are the flower among the thorns in the pool.
Now, are you with me here or are you still thinking I am nuts. I am not going to lie to you, slowing down and learning the proper technique and body position at a lower speed takes a lot of patience as your mind will always tempt you to go faster. You might feel you are not exercising enough and wasting your valuable time, however, if you are serious about learning how to swim properly, more efficiently and faster, I challenge you to bare with me and slow down. In the next articles, I will take you through a set of exercises (phases) which will help you build up your stroke and save valuable energy during your swims. Whether you are doing laps in the pool or stroking away in the open water, the slow down approach is a must.
Swim tip for: Drills-Tips , Freestyle , Level 2: Beginner
11 comments:
- Lorient said...
I am learning how to swim through swimming courses and the swimming lessons that you post on this blog. -Thank you
Now, on the subject, I due recognized the importance of floating on water before ''swimming''. Practicing the ''dead log''---> adjusting your upper body (arms, chest) and your lower body (legs, etc.) are must as you said. Then, comes the floating and before you know it, you start moving your legs and your arms to ''push'' the water in the opposite direction to where you want to go.
Nonetheless, as you said it in this article, to compensate our inability to float well, we swim as fast as we can and if you are not correctly breathing air while swimming (inhale the air by turning your head on the side)well, you quickly miss air and stop in your track.
I)My question is: how do you inhale air properly?
- When I swim, it is as if I had to swim as fast as I can or else, I going to miss air because I do not take air properly while swimming...
II)How to float in the deep part of the pool? (at least 3,8 meter)
-Today,during my swimming lessons, I wore a ''floating belt'' if I may say so and I dived in the deep side of the pool. I immediately sank and could not swim at the surface. I was exhaling air by making bubbles, I moved my arms, but I presume my legs weren't following. Then, I panicked because I was missing air and I felt desperate and powerless.
- libor said...
@ Lorient: thanks very much for your thorough comment. I am glad you are taking the time to read my swim advice.
To answer your question:
1) how do I inhale properly? - You need to take a deep breath and see your chest rise when you take it. I find that many people struggle with exactly this. They try to take a breath, but it is a breath via stomach breathing and not chest breathing. So, inhale to see your chest rise. This will make sure you get enough air in your lungs to float.
If you start blowing bubbles, you are releasing the air and thus you will start sinking, so hold your breath during your floating exercises.
2) How to float in deep end of the pool? - there is no difference between floating in shallow end and deep end. The water is the same and if you learn how to float in the shallow end you'll be able to do this in the deep end.
I know this doesn't really explain much in terms of floating or breathing in detail, but it seems to me that you need to learn how to relax in the water by doing a few simple sinking exercises. I will put some videos for you and add a post here soon. stay tuned.
- Lorient said...
Thank you very much! By combining your tips and my teacher's instructions, I have been able to swim successfully and, more importantly, I have been able to help other members of the course to progress further in their development.
I have followed your first tip which turned out to be great. Nonetheless, I am still learning how to maintain myself on the surface of the water (without necessary floating on the stomach or the back)to then be able to maintain my head out of the water in the deep end. Hum... I don't know if you know what I mean...
p.s.: Sorry for all the mistakes I made in my last post. I wrote so quickly that I did not take the time to correct it...
- libor said...
@Lorient: that's great you are improving. Well done.
I am not too clear on your question, however, when you mentioned "keeping your head out of the water" it sounds a red alarm :). Head out of the water is only in the case of breathing which is only like 10% of your time spent swimming. The rest of the time, your head should be under water, so you can float easier with little or no effort.
Also, when you mention having a problem with balance. Many beginners have issues with the feeling of tipping over. Try to fight this feeling and don't try correct your position on the water. Your body is like a boat, it rocks back and forth, but it will not tip, so not need to tighten all your muscles to try to keep yourself straight.
- Wesley Norris said...
Thank you for your article, it was interesting to read, but unfortunately when I swim at a slow speed as you suggest, I am still exhausted after only swimming from one side of the pool to the other. I am taking deep "chest" breathes with every third stroke, I have a streamlined position, and I am wearing jammers, but I still feel utterly exhausted when I swim.
If I were to identify my problem, I would say that I am expending way too much energy as I swim, but I don't know how I am doing it or how to relax and expend less.
I am teaching myself how to swim and am currently not taking lessons. Thank you for reading my post.
- libor said...
@Blazius: thanks for sharing your swimming experience. You are correct about the fact that you expand way too much energy swimming. My guess is that you kick too much and you try to fight the water instead of letting the water float you. If you take a deep breath, lay yourself into the water and fully relax, you should not exert much energy at all. Try some of these swimming exercises to get your body into the right position.
- Swimming Pool said...
You also want to make sure that you have good form when swimming. This will help with performance.
- mytripletsrock said...
I am currently taking swim lessons and was kicking at a slow/moderate pace(similiar to when I used fins when snorkeling) and instructor advised me to kick faster. Says I should be using a fast flutter kick instead. It feels unnatural to me and is tiring. Do I just need to work on conditioning or should I stay with the speed I was comfortable with?
- Swimator said...
@mytripletsrock: I am just guessing here, but perhaps the instructor meant it in a way that your kick is too big (too much up and down motion) if you kick slow. So by increasing your kick's speed you automatically are forced to make a smaller kick. You should be able to do both, have a slow kick and fast kick, however, not that if you swim up and down the pool (not only kicking, but swimming), your kick does not need to be fast. You can take only one kick per stroke (2-beat kick) to conserve energy.
That said, fast kick conditioning is always good :). Especially when done in a vertical position in a deep end of the pool.
- Nebulus said...
I just started taking swimming classes.In my second class deadlog should be performed.
I tried many times I could float my feet but the problem is I am getting carried away to the left side.It happened all the times.
Please suggest me some tips.
- Swimator said...
@Nebulus: Thank you for sharing your floating difficulty. Two things to keep in mind: 1) could it be that there is a current in the pool? 2) if not current, then you'll need to work on body balance, working with the core muscles of your body (your mid section) to stabilize. Good luck.
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PARIS (Reuters) – France's upstart mobile player Iliad is seeking talks with larger rivals Vivendi's SFR and Bouygues Telecom over joining the duo's network sharing plan, according to a letter published online by Les Echos newspaper.
PARIS (Reuters) – France's upstart mobile player Iliad is seeking talks with larger rivals Vivendi's SFR and Bouygues Telecom over joining the duo's network sharing plan, according to a letter published online by Les Echos newspaper.
The letter attributed to Iliad Chief Executive Maxime Lombardini underscores how the planned network sharing between France's second- and third-largest operators, which aims to cut costs in response to Iliad's low-cost service, could reshape competition in Europe's fourth-biggest mobile market by clients.
Iliad, which is owned by billionaire Xavier Niel, is concerned that it will be left without a partner and in a weaker negotiating position with market leader Orange, if it is left out of a network sharing deal with SFR and Bouygues, said a person familiar with the group's views.
In a bid to spark talks with SFR and Bouygues, who are still working on a final accord that is expected to be finalized early next year, Iliad wrote to them and sent copies to France's telecoms and competition regulators.
"We understand that the … sharing accord being negotiated between SFR and Bouygues will cover a very large part of the country and more than half the population," Lombardini wrote, according to Les Echos.
Iliad is not in principle opposed to network sharing, he added, but a deal that did not allow for its inclusion "seems to us a factor that will destabilize competition and could be legally challenged."
Iliad is required to cover 75 percent of the population with its 3G mobile network as a condition of the license it obtained in 2011. Any network sharing would complement that coverage and help Iliad keep investment costs down.
SFR and Bouygues declined to comment.
Iliad also declined comment.
Iliad has said it will spend 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion)on building its network. It must also pay between 500 and 700 million euros a year at least until 2016 to Orange under a roaming contract to carry mobile traffic while the network is constructed.
Since launching its mobile service in January 2012, Iliad has taken a 10 percent market share and forced rivals to cut prices. French mobile prices have come down roughly 15 percent and further declines are on the cards, spurring Orange, SFR and Bouygues to embark on cost-cutting programs to restore profitability.
Iliad's letter to Bouygues and SFR was also aimed at showing Orange that Iliad could turn to others for its roaming and network sharing needs, the person familiar with the situation said.
Orange boss Stephane Richard has to date shown little interest in network sharing with Iliad, which has the smallest network in the country while Orange's is the largest.
"The imbalance between the networks of Orange and Iliad is too big to make network sharing interesting for us," said Richard at a Morgan Stanley investment contract last Friday. "The only topic up for discussion is the future of the roaming relationship."
In any case, France's competition regulator is likely to review the network sharing accord once it is finalized by SFR and Bouygues, to determine if it complies with antitrust laws.
In March the competition regulator laid out the criteria it would use to evaluate network sharing deals, including whether they apply to cities or rural areas and the type of equipment involved.
The combined market power of the companies proposing to share equipment will also be considered, it said at the time.
Bouygues and Vivendi shares were up 0.2 percent at 1153 GMT, while Iliad's rose 0.6 percent. France's blue-chip index was up 0.3 percent. ($1 = 0.7367 euros)
(Additional reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by David Holmes)


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All structural elements around your home's living spaces should be insulated. It's most practical to insulate many of these areas as part of a renovation. Otherwise, accessibility drives costs and determines what's worth doing.
Does Your Home Have Enough Insulation?
Insulation is rated by its resistance to heat flow—or R-value. The higher the R-value, the greater the resistance. If you double the R-value by adding insulation, you halve heat loss in the insulated area.
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If you don't have any attic insulation now, adding to the recommended level and sealing big leaks produces substantial savings that fairly quickly recoup the costs of the improvements.
Finding an Insulation Contractor
The quality of an insulation job is vital to maximizing the effectiveness of insulation work. Fortunately, several area contractors are equal to the job.
Insulation Types and Materials
Installers recommend a product based on where it's to be installed, their experience with the product, and their relationships with their suppliers. Here's a roundup of the most popular types of insulation and materials.


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Chicago may be known as the Windy City, but don't sell short its sunlight. According to veteran Chicago weather observer and recipient of the National Weather Service's Thomas Jefferson Award, Frank Wachowski, the city sees at least some sun on about 320 days a year. A new solar power project involving one of the city's most iconic buildings is about to take advantage of that.
The Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is on deck to become an enormous vertical solar farm with the installation of photovoltaic glass panels on the south side of the skyscraper's 56th floor.
Two existing windows on North America's tallest building were replaced last November with new high power density photovoltaic glass units (PVGU) developed by Pythagoras Solar. These innovative windows sandwich a common solar cell between two panes of glass. A reflective prism inside the PVGU directs angled sunlight onto the solar cells, but still allows daylight to shine through.
Each window is about one square meter and capable of generating 120W of power.
Energy harnessed by the transparent solar windows are expected to reduce heat gain, and therefore cooling costs as well.
Science news from NBCNews.com
Cosmic rays may spark Earth's lightning
All lightning on Earth may have its roots in space, new research suggests.
- How our brains can track a 100 mph pitch
- Moth found to have ultrasonic hearing
- Quantum network could secure Internet
- Cosmic rays may spark Earth's lightning
"We are excited to launch this pilot with Pythagoras Solar's leading-edge solar window solutions as a test for not only the energy savings that can be achieved, but the potential they represent to actually generate power through the sun," said John Huston in a PRNewswire press release. He is executive vice president of American Landmark Properties, one of the ownership partners of Willis Tower.
Currently, the photovoltaic cell in each PVGU is capable of generating the same amount of energy as a standard roof-top mounted solar cell. However, if successful, the high-profile pilot project could expand to the building's east and west facades and potentially generate 2 megawatts of solar power.
Image: Murat Taner/Corbis
© 2012 Discovery Channel


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At last, twenty-six months after starting this world-wide cooking journey, I have reached my final country, Zimbabwe. I can't begin to express what an amazing trip this has been, and none of it would have been possible without the love, support and generosity of my family and friends. Looking back, I could never have imagined all the incredible food, experiences and friendships I've had the privilege to try and experience. Special props go to my Mom, who taught me everything I know about food and love. To my sister and brother who can cook it up and throw it down like the bosses they are. To my husband and children, who sampled, critiqued and went along with all my crazy rambling, endless peanut stews and still love me (you guys are saints). And to very special friends: Beth, Merri, Lucy, Lisa, Ben and John (who gave me tonight's recipe and wants everyone to know he's an Irish-Italian stud). Lastly, to all my new friends from around the world who gave me recipes, advice and shared your cultures with me with such openness and generosity - I am honored to be in your company.
A landlocked country in the southern part of Africa, Zimbabwe is bordered by South Africa, Bostwana, Nambia and Mozambique. At one time a British colony, Zimbabwe declared its independence in 1980. The main languages spoken in this African country are English, Shona and Ndebele. Although most of the country is a savana, it also has mountains, a tropical climate as well as evergreen and hardwood forests. Home to the world's biggest and most spectacular waterfall, the Victoria Falls attracts tourist from around the globe to witness its raw and beautiful power. Rich in biodiversity, Zimbabwe boasts 500 species of birds, 350 species of mammals such as rhinos, baboons and giraffes as well as a huge range of reptiles such as snakes and lizards. Zimbabwe has one of the largest platinum and diamond resources in the world, but these vast and valuable resources have not been fully realized due to poor governmental oversite, corruption and mismanagement. Fortunately, this is beginning to change, making the promise of the country's future more optimistic.
Food in Zimbabwe is based on mealie meal, a cornmeal and water porridge that is eaten alone or with gravy, vegetables such as spinach, greens, beans, sour milk, dried fish or peanut butter. Peanut and tomato based stews are also a common staples. Due to British colonization, rice, pasta, melon, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and potato-based dishes along with porridge and tea are still eaten by many. For weddings and graduations, goat or cow might be enjoyed. Closer to the South African border, Afrikaner recipes using jerky, sausage, beef lamb and pork might also be cooked for special occasions.
Chop up some onions, saute and add spices, vinegar and jam - simmer until thickened
Sosaties (Grilled Marinated Meat with Apricots) - Adapted from Global Gourmet
2 pounds lamb, cut into 1" pieces
1 pound pork, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 garlic clove, peeled
Salt, pepper
4 tablespoons oil
1 cup onions, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons apricot jam
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in
2 tablespoons red wine
1/2 pound dried apricots
1/2 cup dry sherry
Place the lamb and pork pieces in a large bowl that has been rubbed with the clove of garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and toss.
In a saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes, then add the curry powder and garlic. sauté for another minute. Add the sugar, tamarind paste, vinegar, and jam and stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the onions, and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. This should take about 3 minutes. Cool, then add to the meat and toss well. Marinate for 2-3 days.
One day before preparing the sosaties, combine the dried apricots and sherry in a small bowl, cover, and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Drain meat from sauce and reserve. Thread lamb, pork, and apricots on skewers. Grill over charcoal until browned on all sides. Serve with heated reserved sauce.
© 2010-2012, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved


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While The Courtier is not prepared to stop bathing, and infest himself with either lice or Timothy Leary-esque logorrhoea, he must admit that he is beginning to wonder whether we have gone too far in our embrace of consumerism, when it comes to marking the times and seasons of life here in the United States. This has always been, thank goodness, a nation of consumers who actually like to consume, rather than falsely claiming that they do not like having a wide range of goods and services at various price points to choose from – whether we are talking about butter, guns, or tablet computers. And yet, there has to be some point at which the love of "stuff", such as it is, makes way for the love of families, friends, and country.
Yesterday the Twitterverse started chatting about the fact that a number of national retailers decided to start their upcoming Black Friday sales early: and by early, either on Thanksgiving itself, or at midnight as Thanksgiving rolls into Black Friday. The national news media is now picking up on this story, as retailers across the country are adopting earlier and earlier opening times to try to take advantage of fewer shoppers during our economic malaise. According to one report from CNN:
This year marks Target's earliest opening ever. Target, Best Buy, Macy's, and Kohl's are all opening at midnight on Thanksgiving eve. Wal-Mart recently announced plans to open its doors to the public at 10 p.m., then Toys R Us followed suit, announcing it would open most stores as early as 9 p.m. the day before Black Friday.
For my non-American readers, it should be explained that Black Friday is the day which falls after Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday commemorated on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving of course, needs little or no introduction, other than to say it is a near-universally beloved holiday in this country, as being one of the very few times of year when overworked Americans take the day off. Most everything other than basic services grinds to a complete halt, so that people can gather with family and friends, and be thankful that they have each other, and this great country to live in, with all of the bounty, hope, and possibilities available here.
Black Friday has been, for many years, a day that generates so much retail sales volume, because many people have or take the day off, and want to start their Christmas shopping, that many retailers go "into the black" in their accounting ledgers for the year, just from the sales generated on this one day. Traditionally, many American retailers held off promoting their Christmas merchandise and putting up their decorations, or making their special seasonal sales and discount pitches, until the day after Thanksgiving. Fortunately, some such as Nordstrom still do – and they should be applauded for it.
Let no one accuse this scrivener of being some sort of economic hypocrite, protesting against capitalism while tweeting from my iPhone and wearing an overpriced, fleece-insulated jacket made in China out of plastic fibers picked up from a yuppie outdoors retailer. When it comes to the embrace of the wealth of consumer products available for purchase, this truly is the land of plenty. The Courtier thoroughly enjoys patronizing retail establishments of all sorts, and savours finding a great bargain on a bold sartorial item or the like.
Yet there is no real justification other than pure greed to explain opening a toy store at 9:00 pm on Thanksgiving, since the sole purpose of such a promotional tactic is to persuade people to leave their families on a holiday, in order to spend their money on products which are not necessities. Nor is there any moral imperative to explain why people should be encouraged to leave the house before midnight, in order to stand in line in the cold and the dark just to purchase a new blender at a discount. In these and other cases, consumers can make such purchases in the morning, if they choose, after they have recovered from the feast shared with the family the evening before.
Moreover, all of these shops need to be staffed, in order to provide their products to shoppers. While the corporate heads who decided to open on Thanksgiving night are tucked soundly in their beds, their employees will be cutting short Thanksgiving dinner, or possibly avoiding their turkey altogether so as not have the tryptophan turn them into somnambulants. They will down pots of coffee in order to head in to work, to provide sales assistance, security, stocking, and the other services of their employment, without which these overnight sales cannot happen.
The only explanation for the tawdry policies and tactics adopted by those major retailers engaging in this practice is that the worship of Mammon has taken over nearly any semblance of remaining decency and respect for American values, both on the part of these retailers, and on the part of those consumers who will respond to their siren song. Putting profit ahead of one of the most cherished and long-lived American traditions, and one which thank goodness has virtually no consumer goods attached to it other than the foods we eat, is insulting to the people of this country. And those among our citizenry who choose to participate in it ought to be equally ashamed of themselves, particularly those who will push their credit cards to their limits just to take advantage of hoarding goods from the malls and shopping centers that they really do not need.
The present state of the union is one marred by spiraling debt burdens, tremendous levels of unemployment, smelly anarchism, and so on. Americans need holidays like Thanksgiving to step back from all of this, and to be with those they care about – to share a good meal, to relive old memories, and to make new ones. Do not doubt that this writer is no leftist, in any sense of that term. However, it still must be said that it is a great pity that our national retailers cannot see past their bottom line, in this instance, to recognize that some things are more sacred than the pursuit of profit, and that some shoppers will put materialism at the top of their priority list.


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#1 Shy Children Read To Greyhounds At School05-02-2012, 04:34 PM
Shy children will read to retired racing greyhounds instead of teachers as part of a new literacy project at UK schools.
Young pupils who are reluctant to read in front of their classmates will be encouraged to practice in front of dogs selected by the Retired Greyhound Trust.
The idea - which will also help children with learning difficulties - has been welcomed by the The National Literacy Trust, the National Autistic Society and educational psychologists.
READ - Reading Education Assistance Dogs - is a big success in America where there are now 1,400 dogs visiting schools.
One of the first dogs to take part in the UK will be retired greyhound Batman and owner Kelly Bakewell, who make their debut at Oakway Infant School in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, on Friday.
Scotts listens intently
Another, Scotts, is booked to visit a string of schools in the coming months with owner Tony Nevett.
The project is aimed at children aged between four and seven at both mainstream and special needs schools.
Nevett, who has worked with the Retired Greyhound Trust, for several years, said: "Many children find it a struggle to read and it really knocks their confidence if they stumble over words in front of their mates.
"The idea of reading to dogs is that they dont answer back and they dont give you a hard time if you dont get it right first time." ...
Not a new story but I hadn't come across this before.
- Join Date
- Mar 2010
- Posts
- 3,269
This is a wonderful idea.
Stutterers can often speak plainly when speaking to animals, and very often they don't stutter when they sing. Hippotherapy, where horses are used, has a long history of success, and many, many teachers 'learned' to teach by teaching to their dolls all lined up like students.
James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, hardly spoke at all for eight years as a child because of a severe stutter.
That black greyhound with the white on the muzzle looks like Darlene.
They're using greyhounds (and other breeds) to assist some of our military with PTSD. Dogs are also greyt for visiting nursing homes.
The National Trust in the UK is a wonderful organization. I used to post on the "big list", an international group of greyhound fanatics. I learned so much from that group. When in Kanab, Utah, I met a wonderful nurse from the UK who almost single-handedly saved so many of the galgos, greyhound mixes in Spain (and also purebred greys). The Spanish had the lovely habit of hanging the greyhounds til dead. It's been a while and I'm ashamed that I can't remember her name, but she gave me a set of lovely little note cards that she had brought from the UK.
" To the world you are just one more person, but to a rescued pet, you are the world."
"A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!"
05-03-2012, 09:58 AMWhile you were hanging yourself , on someone else's words
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- Mar 2010
- Posts
- 10,189
Dying to believe in what you heard
I was staring straight into the shining sun
My daughter, the Librarian, has a lady who comes in with some small mutt-type quiet dog that simply appears enraptured with the young readers and has made several non-starters into very earnest readers.It's not how old you are, it's how you got here.
It's been a long road and not all of it was paved.
. If you ain't havin' fun, it's your own damn fault
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NY laws hinder towns' truck, plow upgrades
An obscure state law that puts caps on the amount of tax dollars towns can spend on heavy machinery stymies efforts by Long Island municipalities to upgrade aging snow removal trucks, town officials say.
The problem was highlighted during last weekend's blizzard when dozens of trucks broke down or were stuck in snowbanks as they tried to clear roads covered by as much as 3 feet of snow.
Other factors contributed to their struggles, including a lack of coordination and delays in hiring outside contractors, but town officials said they also were hampered by a law that keeps trucks in service long after their optimal life spans.
The 1936 statute, part of the state Highway Law, sets annual caps ranging from $1 million for the Town of Brookhaven to $100,000 for East Hampton and Shelter Island. Attempts by state lawmakers to update the limits have met with opposition in the Assembly.
"A Payloader costs $250,000 to $300,000," said Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio, whose town is limited to $800,000 a year for equipment such as plows, power rollers, concrete mixers and machines for grading and scraping roads. "$800,000 doesn't go a long way to buy heavy equipment for a highway department."
Smithtown spent $797,500 on new trucks last year -- enough for three or four heavy-duty trucks. But the town has a fleet of 130 vehicles, almost half of which are at least 15 years old.
Close to the limit
Brookhaven spent close to its $1 million limit every year from 2004 to 2011 and is on track to do the same with its 2012 budget once contracts are finalized, according to a source familiar with the highway department's budgets.
Adding to the towns' woes, in recent tough economic times, repair budgets have been flat even as deteriorating vehicles become prone to breakdowns.
The Feb. 8 storm left residents of hard-hit towns such as Brookhaven, Islip and Smithtown complaining bitterly that highway crews were slow to plow their roads.
Brookhaven interim Highway Superintendent Michael Murphy resigned Wednesday, and Supervisor Edward P. Romaine apologized to residents for being on vacation during the storm.
Brookhaven, Islip and Smithtown officials said the storm highlighted the urgent need to replace their aging trucks.
The state limits on new equipment purchases are set by a formula based on each town's population and road mileage. The law does not apply to cities and villages. Smithtown and Brookhaven officials argue that the limits are out-of-date and must be updated to reflect current truck prices.
Smithtown Highway Superintendent Glenn Jorgensen said his predecessors could buy as many as 14 heavy-duty vehicles each year. Now he's limited to four new trucks a year.
"Our equipment purchase line has been the same since the 1970s," Jorgensen said.
Some towns in recent years have gotten around the spending limits by leasing trucks or hiring private contractors to plow roads. But some of those efforts backfired last weekend when contractors driving pickups outfitted with plows were overwhelmed by snow falling as fast as 3 inches an hour. Some contractors gave up.
"You're not going to get through this storm with a pickup truck and a mundane plow," Brookhaven Deputy Supervisor Daniel Panico said. "In a storm of this size, you can't be dealing with rinky-dink equipment."
Cash crunch
Islip raises money for heavy-equipment purchases through bond sales, which are not covered by the law, Public Works Commissioner Tom Owens said. "A new Mac truck costs $300,000," he said. "We can refurbish that for $45,000 and get another 10 years out of it. It's a way for us to circumvent purchasing a new one in a bad economy."
Smithtown and Brookhaven officials have asked state lawmakers to amend the spending limits. The State Senate has passed a bill each year since 2001 allowing Brookhaven to spend up to $2.6 million; a bill allowing Smithtown to raise its limit to $1.2 million was approved each of the last three years in the Senate. But similar bills died in the Democratic-controlled Assembly.
"I ran into a lot of resistance simply because it involved new spending," said Assemb. Steven Englebright (D-Setauket), who has submitted bills for Brookhaven since 2001. The concern, he said, was "about how to cut rather than how to add new spending."
He said the bills never got out of the Assembly Transportation Committee. Committee chairman David Gantt (D-Rochester) did not return calls for comment.
Englebright and other Long Island state lawmakers said the severity of the Feb. 8 storm might help them pass new legislation.
"Our hands are tied by the antiquated rule, but maybe a storm like this will give us a better argument," said Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James). "Sooner or later everything breaks down and you have to replace it."
With Lauren R. Harrison, Candice Ruud
and Patrick Whittle
State Highway Law limits the amount of tax dollars towns can collect annually "for the purchase of stone crushers, power rollers, motor trucks, scarifiers, concrete mixers, traction engines or road machines for grading and scraping, equipment, tools and other implements." Amounts for each town vary and are based on population and road mileage.
Here are the limits for Long Island's 13 towns:
Brookhaven: $1 million
Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Smithtown: $800,000
Babylon, Huntington, Islip: $400,000
Riverhead, Southold, Southampton: $200,000
East Hampton, Shelter Island: $100,000
Payloader: $250,000-$300,000
Dump truck with plow: $155,000
Six-wheeler: $175,000
Ten-wheeler: $195,000
Street sweeper: $250,000
Salt spreader: $24,000
Number of trucks: 130
Those 15-20 years old: 33
Over 20 years old: 30
Heavy equipment purchases, 2012: $797,500
Number of trucks: 160
Oldest vehicle: 1992 Mac truck; 65 percent of vehicles in snow removal fleet are 15 years old or older.
Number of trucks: 125
Age of trucks: Not available
Sources: Town officials


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I have to honestly admit that I have not ripped one of the necessary sprites to release this kit. I have another project I work on that I've been working on half a year and it's no where near done.
This kit is only waiting on NES DoaE 1 and 2 walking sprites and world map tilesfor release. Everything functions at this point and if you weren't using said sprites anyways, you could make a game with it.
If anyone wants to either rip the sprites, or make something that doesn't involve them, shoot me a message.
Example of what can be done easily. I started messing with it tonight, and powered through setting up some characters, a map, stats, and basic equipment for said characters. If I did this for 2 weeks straight, I could get an entire custom character list, tactic list, equipment list, items, a bunch of maps, and battles done and have a g game not using a single DoaE sprite.
I used some DoaE portrait backgrounds as bases and duplicated others, then threw sprites over them for the "Face Sets" the battlers so far used. It was easy.


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April 12
National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine requests faculty speakers
The National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine is searching for speakers for several of their events. Each speaker will present to one group of scholars for a total of 1 hour, 40 minutes addressing the scholars and 20 minutes at the end for questions.
Clinical trial of experimental drug targeting mutation in thyroid cancer shows clinical benefit
In a clinical trial of an experimental drug to treat thyroid cancer, UNC and six other institutions report the first evidence in this tumor that targeting therapy to an oncogene documented to be present in the patient receiving therapy may be associated with clinical benefit. Neil Hayes, MD, is the UNC principal investigator and first author of the study.
Call for Applications: Director, Program in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
The Director will be charged with developing a new mission for the PMBB that will provide critical support for the overall research program outlined in the SOM strategic plan. The position is a supplemental administrative position for a current full-time faculty member at the Associate to full Professor level.
American Urological Association names Wallen 2012 Teacher of the Year
Eric Wallen, MD, is Professor of Surgery/Urology, Director of Laparoscopic Surgery, and Residency Program Director.
Seminar: Towards a New Paradigm in HCV Chronic Infection
Evolutionary biologist Rebecca Gray, PhD, MRC Research Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, will present this guest lecture on Wednesday, April 11.
CGIBD Thursday Research Seminar Series
Jason Mills, MD, PhD, will present "How to make a Secretory Cell from a Stem Cell and how it all goes wrong in Cancer" on Thursday, April 12.
Lecture: A Rising Imperative - Human Rights and Global Health
Sofia Gruskin, JD, MA, is a pioneering expert on public health and human rights, teaching preventive medicine and law at the University of Southern California.
YOUR HEALTH: Re-Airing of the Supreme Court & Your Health
This weekend on YOUR HEALTH, we're re-airing one of our most popular shows about the Supreme Court & Your Health, with special guest, Executive Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Gregory Curfman.
The Sixth Annual Run for the Promise Gala
Honorary hosts Eric & Laura Montross invite you to attend the 2012 Run for the Promise Gala, benefiting N.C. Children's Hospital. The 6th Annual Run for the Promise Gala will be held on May 5, 2012 at Governors Club in Chapel Hill.
Carolina Health Informatics Seminar Series
The speaker is Harold "Skip" Garner, PhD, Executive Director of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech.
Dean's Advisory Committee - Meeting Minutes
Read more for a link to the approved minutes from the February meeting.
Bozymski to present the Annual AOA lecture
Eugene M. Bozymski, MD, a member of Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society, will present the Annual AOA lecture at The Medical College of Wisconsin in late April.
Save the Date: Combined SOM Faculty Meeting and Medical Staff Meeting
The annual combined meeting will be held at 5 p.m. on Oct. 1, 2012 in the Old Clinic Auditorium.


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Correos de Costa Rica, asks us to inform the designated operators of UPU member countries that the public sector labour unions have called an indefinite strike as of Monday, 10 September. This situation may result in collection, processing and delivery delays for both inbound and outbound mail (letters, parcels and EMS).
Correos de Costa Rica thanks designated operators for their understanding and will inform them once the situation has returned to normal.


text: Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock...." This classic nursery rhyme has been captured on this enchanting wooden clock. Large removable wooden shapes teach number, color and shape concepts, as well as eye-hand coordination. Clock measures: 10" diameter. Blocks vary from 1-1/4" to 1-3/4" long. Ages 2 and up. Made in the U.S.A.


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Four St. Bonaventure alumni have won newspaper writing awards from the New York State Associated Press Association in the under-15,000 circulation category.
The contest, honoring work from 2013, recognizes excellent writing, presentation, photography and graphics in AP member newspapers.
Winners will be honored May 31 at a luncheon in Saratoga Springs.
Finger Lakes Times reporter Jim Miller, '05, took first-place honors in spot news and business writing categories.
Kelly Voll, '06, and Samantha House, '11, of the Auburn Citizen took first in the depth reporting category, while House added a third-place honor for beat reporting.
Chris Michel, '08, of the Olean Times Herald took third place for business writing.
Also, Olean Times Herald sports editor Chuck Pollock, an adjunct instructor in SBU's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, took third place for sports columns.
About the University: The nation's first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. We are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition. Our students are becoming extraordinary.
Application forms, procedures and additional information
There are many ways to experience
St. Bonaventure for yourself
Learn more about the programs that interest you


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How a Connecticut town turned away the Nazis is chronicled in new documentary
SOUTHBURY--Before World War II began with Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939, Southbury fought to keep the Nazis from building a training camp in the Kettletown section of the rural town that shares sensibilities with its Litchfield County neighbors but resides on the outer rim of New Haven County.
Seventy-Five years later, that little-known piece of war history is coming to light once again, through a series of events whose centerpieces is a new documentary by award-winning filmmaker Scott Sniffen, which is scheduled to debut Nov. 18 at the Heritage Hotel in the Heritage Village section of Southbury.
Mr. Sniffen was commissioned by local forces to create a documentary depicting the events in 1937 when Southbury said "no" to the Nazis--when, as part of an effort to spread a favorable view of Nazi Germany, the partisan German American Bund attempted to create in Southbury a training camp like those being created elsewhere in the U.S. and other countries.
"2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the town of Southbury putting a halt to the establishment of a Nazi German-American training camp in Kettletown," reads the announcement of the town's commemoration on the Web site of the Southbury Historical Society. "In 1937, the Bund, a Nazi organization, bought 178 acres in the Kettletown section of Southbury to use as a retreat and training camp. Church leaders and residents of the then 1,200-person town were outraged. Lead by two pastors, residents organized and protested and the town passed its first zoning law, which outlawed use of land in Southbury for paramilitary training. Stories about the Bund's defeat in Southbury received national attention.
"I think this is just a moment for the town to take pride in its history," said First Selectman Ed Edelson of the documentary recalling a moment of prescient bravery on the part of Southbury.
Joyce James, president of the Southbury Historical Society, one of the commissioning entities for the film, said the filming is taking place at South Britain Congregational Church, where the original meeting of residents fighting to prevent the Nazis from establishing a presence in Southbury took place. During that time the town hall was too small to accommodate everyone.
According to Ms. James, the documentary is a joint venture of the Southbury Historical Society, the town and local clergy and other members of the community. The goal, on the 75th year anniversary of the start of World War II, is simply to commemorate this significant event in the life of the town.
"This is the only community in the United States that recognized the threat of the Nazis and said "no" long before the events unfolded," said Ms. James. "The sense of exclusion and targeting a particular population was not accepted by the community."
"I think it's an amazing little story that has a major impact," said Mr. Sniffen, who was selected to make the film by the town's Commemoration Committee after a competitive bid process.
"We are interviewing a woman who is 99 and as many people we can. We are also talking to daughters and sons of people who were there."
Mr. Sniffen said they will try to capture the spirit of the town 75 years ago by wrapping in key locations, including Leo's Restaurant, which was the courthouse during the war era. The filmmaker, whose credits include work on Steven Spielberg's "Survivors of the Shoa" and a special for Turner Classic Movies with Alec Baldwin and Gene Wilder, will also be filming on the site where the Bund had started to build the Nazi youth camps.
Mr. Sniffen has over 20 years of experience shooting for television, commercial, feature and business communication programs. Other projects of his include Lifetime TV's "Health Corner" with host Joan Lunden, according to his Web site at www.sniffen.com.
Rabbi Eric Polokoff, of B'NAI Israel of Southbury, called the story one of people standing up against prejudice and hate, and seeing the Nazis for what they were a little bit earlier than many others.
"The Bund had 25,000 active members and it had camps in 20 locations around the country," said Rabbi Polokoff, who said that, by contrast, in Southbury there was "just a really amazing story of the town mobilizing itself to combat hatred."
Rabbi Polokoff said the Bund group was originally called "Friends of New Germany," and its members wanted to take what was happening in Germany and give it an American flavor and have the same understanding here.
"There were political rallies; they went to these camps to promote their ideology," said Rabbi Polokoff. "They were planning the largest camp here for Southbury."
Rabbi Polokoff said the group had 178 acres to use in the Kettletown section of Southbury. Word immediately spread that they were coming to Southbury and the leading clergy were Reverend. M. Edgar N. Lindsay of the South Britain Congregational Church and Rev. Felix Manley of Southbury Federated Church now known as the United Church of Christ in Southbury.
"They both spoke out against the Bund coming to Southbury strongly; they helped galvanize the community to respond. There were protests meetings. Southbury received national attention, and the upshot of it all [was that] Southbury created zoning regulations which prevented the Bund from building their camp," said Rabbi Polokoff.
"The Nazis are gone, but hate is not gone and bullying is not gone, so the idea of standing up against prejudice remains. It's part of Southbury's past. It needs to be celebrated and recognized into the future," said Rabbi Polokoff. "A few years ago the synagogue honored the town and the story came back to light a bit."
Rev. Shannon Rye Wall of South Britain Congregational Church said she didn't even know much about the Nazis being in America and was interested in finding more about it.
"I knew there were people in the congregation who remember the events or remember their parents talking about it. We felt we really wanted to capture that as an oral history before that history is lost," said Revered Rye Wall. "It was a very hot topic in the whole country but also in this region. In fact, one of the petitions that were signed in support for what Southbury did came from New Milford."
Reverend Rye Wall was particularly interested in finding out more about Reverend Lindsay. She looked through church records and found that he left South Britain area of Southbury in 1941 and moved his family to Virginia. Through a church in Virginia, she was able to find that Rev. Lindsay's daughters were still alive.
"They were able to fill out more information they remembered and [find] letters that had been written to him," said Rev. Rye Wall. "When this hit the papers people from all over the country wrote letters to people involved."
Reverend Rye Wall said there was also correspondence from those who thought Southbury residents' stance was anti-German, and a curtailing of people's rights to freedom of speech and right to assemble.
"It has just been a great collaborative project to work with clergy, the town leaders, historical society and the schools," said Reverend Rye Wall, who noted that Reverend Lindsay's children and grandchildren will be attending the debut of the film in November.
Other events have been scheduled prior to the main event on Nov. 18 include a special exhibit on the events in 1937, which will include newspaper articles, sermons, letters, diaries and more at the Southbury Historical Society Museum. The special exhibit will run from Nov. 10 through 17.
On the weekend of Nov. 16 through the 18, religious communities of Southbury will reflect on the lessons for people of faith today, according to a release. Participating houses of worship include Beth El Congregation, B'NAI Israel of Southbury, Church of the Epiphany, Community Chapel, Sacred Heart Church, South Britain Congregational Church and United Church of Christ Southbury.
On Nov. 20, the annual interfaith Thanksgiving celebration will take place at the historic South Britain Congregational Church, the site of the 1937 town meeting when Southbury voted to "Keep the Nazis Out"
The Region 15 school district, which serves Southbury and Middlebury, has plans to develop a curriculum around the events of 1937, according to a release.
The Commemoration Committee is a subcommittee of the Southbury Historical Society and has eight members including clergy, town officials, representatives from the schools and the business community.
"It's a wonderful group working on this," said Rabbi Polokoff.
The Commemoration Committee is in the midst of a fund-raising effort for the documentary project. Corporate sponsorships are still available. Those interested should call the Southbury Historical Society at 203-405-3124 and leave a message. All contributions to the committee are tax deductible and should be made out to the Southbury Historical Society, P.O. Box 124, Southbury, Conn. 06488.
Updates and details of the documentary screening are available at www.southburyhistory.org.


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text:
Last night Diddy made his "chart topping" "band"..and my nig Donnie got a solo spot, maybe he'll be tha new Robin Thicke? Anywho lets see how far they go and if I actually buy their CD. Of course Diddy (aka God..lmao) had to shake things up and choose five guys instead of four (ooooo ahhhh). Lets pretend they'll make hip hop history
Monday, August 27, 2007
Making the Band IIVXXIVVV?!
Posted by kimmie e at 10:13 PM 2 comments
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text:
sponsored by
to withdraw diplomat at India's request as dispute festers
Send a link to a friend
[January 11, 2014]
By David Brunnstrom and Frank Jack Daniel
WASHINGTON / NEW DELHI (Reuters) — The
United States said on Friday it would withdraw one of its diplomats from
New Delhi at India's request after Washington effectively expelled an
Indian envoy at the center of a dispute between the allies.
Devyani Khobragade, 39, who was India's deputy consul-general in
New York, was arrested in December on charges of visa fraud and
lying to U.S. authorities about what she paid her housekeeper.
Khobragade's arrest and strip-search provoked protests in India and
dealt a serious blow to U.S. efforts to strengthen ties.
An indictment announced by U.S. prosecutors on Thursday accused
Khobragade of making her Indian housekeeper and nanny, Sangeeta
Richard, work 100-hour, seven-day weeks for a salary of little more
than $1 an hour and refusing her sick days and holidays. The legal
minimum U.S. wage is $7.25 an hour.
Khobragade, who has denied the charges, arrived in New Delhi on
Friday night and was met by her father, Uttam Khobragade. "I want to
thank my nation for the support they have given me," she told
Reuters Television.
Shortly after Khobragade's return home, the U.S. State Department in
Washington said it would recall a U.S. diplomat, whom it did not
identify, at India's request.
"This has clearly been a challenging time in the U.S.-India
relationship," department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. "We expect and
hope that this will now come to closure and the Indians will take
significant steps with us to improve our relationship and return it
to a more constructive place."
The continued presence in the United States of the housekeeper could
pose a challenge to Washington as it seeks to repair its
relationship with New Delhi, an important U.S. ally in Asia. India
has asked U.S. authorities to arrest Richard over the Indian
government's allegations that she stole cash, a mobile phone and
documents from Khobragade. Richard has denied the charges.
The United States has so far rebuffed those requests and further
enraged India by spiriting Richard's family out of India for safety
reasons. Psaki declined to comment on Richard's status, citing
privacy reasons.
David Beasley, a spokesman for Safe Horizon organization that has
provided Richard with legal representation, said that she and her
family have been granted what is known as "continued presence"
immigration status. It is available to victims of human trafficking
who may serve as potential witnesses in a criminal case, allowing
them to live and work legally for up to a year and can be renewed in
one-year increments.
The monthlong dispute set off reprisals against American diplomats
in New Delhi and led to the postponement of visits to India by U.S.
officials and another by a U.S. business delegation.
India removed some security barriers near the U.S. Embassy and
reduced the number of embassy staff with diplomatic immunity. On
Wednesday, it ordered the embassy to close a club frequented by
American expatriates and other foreign residents.
The deal allowing Khobragade to return to India had been expected to
help mend the rift, but there was no sign, in the short term at
least, that India was ready to forgive and forget.
"We called the U.S. mission to withdraw an officer of similar rank
of Devyani as reciprocal action," an Indian official said.
[to top of second column]
The official told reporters the government believed the U.S.
diplomat had a role in the Khobragade case but gave no more details.
Analysts say it will take time to dispel the bad feelings built up
between New Delhi and Washington, and some fear lasting damage has
been done to a relationship Washington hoped would serve as both as
a counterbalance to a rising China and as an engine to boost the
U.S. economy.
With national elections due in India by May, political parties there
have seized on the case and labeled it an attack on national
Political analyst Persis Khambatta of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington said that now Khobragade had
returned to India "tensions may begin to ease between the U.S. and
India, but I fear that this episode has caused significant damage."
During the crisis, both New Delhi and Washington repeatedly stressed
the importance of their strategic partnership, which includes $100
billion of annual trade.
The president of the U.S.-India Business Council, Ron Somers, called
the Khobragade incident "deeply regrettable."
"The U.S.-India relationship is strategic to both countries, and is
simply too important to allow it to be degraded or side-tracked," he
Although Khobragade was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York
on Thursday, she had already been transferred to India's U.N.
mission, a move that accorded her diplomatic immunity. India denied
a U.S. request for that immunity to be waived and she was asked to
leave the country.
Many Indians felt the case was an example of U.S. arrogance and
taking its friendship with India for granted and they supported the
government's tough stand.
"India's perception that it is not treated on par with other
strategic partners, and the U.S. frustration with a relationship
that is too long on 'potential' have come to the fore over a
seemingly small, but not unimportant incident," Khambatta said.
Middle-class Indians sympathized more with Khobragade than with her
housekeeper. Indian political circles are calling Khobragade a hero,
with one party in her home state of Maharashtra saying it would talk
to her about running for parliament.
(Reporting by Sruthi Gottipati in India, David Brunnstrom in
Washington; additional reporting by Nate Raymond, Joseph Ax and
Chris Francescani in New York, Louis Charbonneau at the United
Nations; editing by Eric Beech, Doina Chiacu, Grant McCool and Ross
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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text:
So the theory is, convert a number to the worded value. 1 = ONE 2 = TWO 3 = THREE etc.. If user enters anything over 5 then display the numerical value of its type. The problem is this:
The output seems to differentiate from what I would hope to be the correct one...
// Class NumberProgram public int getE() { return e; } public void setE(int e) { l = Integer.toString(e); switch(e) { case 1: l = "ONE"; System.out.println(l); break; case 2: l = "TWO"; System.out.println(l); break; case 3: l = "THREE"; System.out.println(l); break; case 4: l = "FOUR"; System.out.println(l); break; } this.e = e; } // Class - NumberTest import java.util.Scanner; public class NumberTest { public static void main(String[] args) { Scanner kbd = new Scanner(System.in); NumberProgram P = newNumberProgram(); System.out.println("Enter your number: "); int number = kbd.nextInt(); P.setE(number); System.out.println(P.getE()); } } OUTPUT : 3 THREE 3
SO... from what I can see, it seems to be also printing out the value that I enter as well as the worded value... Mhmm.. anyone got any advice?
--- Update ---
Ignore the Integer.toString... I've been working on it for a while and I've been trying alsorts of methods to convert these numbers into worded values


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$122 million bid received for Journal Register Company
The process under which the owner of The Middletown Press was to be auctioned concluded last week with only one bidder.
The sole bid of $122.15 million for the Journal Register Company, which is under federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, came from 21st CMH Acquisition Co. 21st CMH Acquisition is a subsidiary of Alden Global Capital LLC, which is the owner of JRC.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the details of the auction in December. The court has a hearing scheduled Thursday at which time the court will decide whether to approve the 21st CMH Acquisition bid.
Jonathan Cooper, vice president of media relations and employee communication for Digital First Media, could not immediately comment on what the next step in the process is for JRC if the court approves the bid.
JRC's Chapter 11 bankruptcy declaration in September 2012 was the second time in three years that the company went to court to seek protection from its creditors. The company previously was under Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a six-month period during 2009.
But when JRC emerged from Chapter 11 protection in August 2009, it still had approximately $225 million in debt that includes leases, defined benefit pensions and other liabilities. John Paton, chief executive officer of Digital First Media, which operates JRC and MediaNews Group, said JRC can "no longer afford the legacy obligations incurred in the past."
At the time of the filing in September, Paton said that, "The Journal Register Company has made solid progress in its digital transformation in the last two years, more than doubling its digital audience with 235 percent digital revenue growth from 2009 to 2011. But that transformation is threatened by a decline in print advertising revenue -- the company's largest revenue source -- and legacy costs incurred when Journal Register Company's total revenues were nearly twice the size it is today. Since 2009 the company's pension liabilities grew 52 percent."
In addition to The Middletown Press, JRC owns several other Connecticut publications, including Connecticut Magazine, The Register Citizen of Torrington and the New Haven Register. Overall, the company's more than 350 multi-platform products reach an audience of 21 million people each month, according to its website.
Call Luther Turmelle at 203-789-5706.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified 21st CMH Acquisition Co. as CMH Acquisition Co.