text: Mesenchymal Stem Cell Growth Kit for Adipose and Umbilical-derived MSCs - Low Serum (ATCC® PCS-500-040™) General Information Characteristics Culture Conditions Specifications Documentation Print Email Share Share this product Facebook Twitter Google+ Permits and Restrictions View Permits Biosafety Level 1 Biosafety classification is based on U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines, it is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that their facilities comply with biosafety regulations for their own country. Product Format frozen 1 Kit Storage Conditions -20°C (or -70°C for long-term storage) Comments Mesenchymal Stem Cell Growth Kit for Adipose and Umbilical-derived MSCs - Low Serum contains components that when added to Mesenchymal Stem Cell Basal Medium (ATCC PCS-500-030) create a complete cell culture environment for mesenchymal stem cells isolated from normal human adipose and umbilical tissue. The final concentration for each component in complete mesenchymal stem cell growth medium is as follows: rh FGF basic: 5 ng/mL rh FGF acidic: 5 ng/mL rh EGF: 5 ng/mL Fetal Bovine Serum: 2% L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine: 2.4 mM Complete Growth Medium Obtain one Mesenchymal Stem Cell Growth Kit– for Adipose and Umbilical-derived MSCs - Low serum from the freezer; make sure that the caps of all components are tight. Thaw the components of the growth kit just prior to adding them to the basal medium. Obtain one bottle of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Basal Medium (485 mL) from cold storage. Decontaminate the external surfaces of all growth kit component vials and the basal medium bottle by spraying them with 70% ethanol. Using aseptic technique and working in a laminar flow hood or biosafety cabinet, transfer the indicated volume of each growth kit component, as indicated in Table 1, to the bottle of basal medium using a separate sterile pipette for each transfer. Table 1. Mesenchymal Stem Cell Growth Kit for Adipose and Umbilical-derived MSCs - Low Serum Components Component Volume Final Concentration MSC Supplement 10 mL 2% FBS 5 ng/mL rh FGF basic 5 ng/mL rh FGF acidic 5 ng/mL rh EGF L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine 6 mL 2.4 mM Antimicrobials and phenol red are not required for proliferation but may be added if desired. The recommended volume of each optional component to be added to the complete growth media is summarized in Table 2. Table 2. Addition of Antimicrobials/Antimycotics and Phenol Red (Optional) Component Volume Final Concentration Gentamicin-Amphotericin B Solution 0.5 mL Gentamicin: 10 µg/mL Amphotericin B: 0.25 µg/mL Penicillin-Streptomycin-Amphotericin B Solution 0.5 mL Penicillin: 10 Units/mL Streptomycin: 10 µg/mL Amphotericin B: 25 ng/mL Phenol Red 0.5 mL 33 µM Tightly cap the bottle of complete growth medium and swirl the contents gently to assure a homogeneous solution. Do not shake forcefully to avoid foaming. Label and date the bottle. Complete growth media should be stored in the dark at 2°C to 8°C (do not freeze). When stored under these conditions, complete growth media is stable for two weeks. Volume 1 Kit Sterility Tests Negative for bacteria, fungi and yeast Functional Tests Rate of proliferation and morphology C of A Certificate of Analysis Permits These permits may be required for shipping this product: Customers located in the state of Hawaii will need to contact the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to determine if an Import Permit is required. A copy of the permit or documentation that a permit is not required must be sent to ATCC in advance of shipment. Basic Documentation Product Sheet Certificate of Analysis SDS


text:
Looking to save money and time in the new year? Amazon.com offers groceries and other items delivered right to your door. How does it compare to the grocery store? Are there other online grocery store options?
To see the grocery store from Local 6's story, click here.
Two others to check out are Garden Grocer and We Go Shop.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We all know that stress takes a toll on your mind and your body. It shakes up your nerves, it puts you on edge and can cause unwanted side effects, such as sexual problems, insomnia, even hair loss.
Top 5 Destinations For Outdoor Lovers
When most of us think of the physical effects of stress, our minds jump to common complaints like headaches and upset stomachs. Stress, however, can influence many aspects of physical and mental health, ranging from teeth and skin to memory and concentration skills — even how well we sleep. The good news is while these problems may seem serious, stress relief can make real improvements on your overall health and well-being.
How Hair Weaves Could Cause You To Die!
Hair Loss
Some amount of hair loss is normal — strands fall out over time and get replaced by new ones. However, when you're under physical or emotional stress, the normal shedding of 100 or so hairs a day can speed up to the point where half to three-quarters of your hair can fall out. Known as telogen effluvium, this diffuse and often stress-induced hair loss may not happen right away. In fact, it may take weeks or months after the stressful event for the hair to actually shed. Fortunately, after six to eight months, this type of hair loss often improves.
We all have our moments of not being able to find our car keys, but research shows that the more stress we are under, the more frequent these mental lapses may become. Make sure to read the rest by clicking here.


text:
Categories: Criminal Law Municipal and Local Government
Instructor(s) Scott, Michael
Selected Problems in Policing: Clinical Assistant Professor Michael Scott
In this seminar students will explore a range of legal and policy issues relating to policing in an open, democratic, and complex society. Students will select specific public safety problems that police must commonly address (e.g., domestic violence, robbery, youth gangs, drunk driving, sexual assault, human trafficking, speeding vehicles, noise complaints) and explore those problems in depth. This exploration will consider, among other things, the proper police role with respect to the problem, the roles and responsibilities of individuals and groups other than the police, the adequacy of existing legislation, the range of possible responses to the problem, and the factors that should be considered in determining how best to address the problem. Each student will write a paper and make periodic oral presentations on a specific problem of their choosing. There will be assigned supplemental readings as needed.
Satisfactory completion of The Role of the Police in a Free Society (528-760) is recommended, but not required.


text:
Only about 1 month to go until exam day. Have I been studying?
Truth is, while I have been logging a couple hours a day studying, I certainly have not put all other projects on hold in order to focus like a laser on only the CFA.
There are three problems with that approach:
(2) J-factor Risk
(3) Regret Aversion
Let me elaborate.
TVM is the time value of… my time, a.k.a. opportunity cost. In addition to my beloved equities analyst consulting gig, I have a number of side projects going on too. You could call these my private equity allocation as most may not end up being worth the time & money I sink into them, but… you never know! Have you seen how I've been climbing the leaderboard for the $20,000 pot of moolah over at Kaggle?! Did you know I've sold almost 120 iPhone apps in the past 5 weeks (thanks to my wife's media blitz)? That the blog has earned $13 in Amazon referral fees this month alone? That a Google Adsense check just arrived in today's mail? That despite hate-hate-hating the clothes of a certain retailer, I turned a 30% profit in just a few weeks after my mad valuation skills (careful spreadsheeting of worst-case EPV) just forced me to buy their stock? And that I'm now 1 week into Stanford's free machine learning class?
Give up all this? For more GIPS?!
J-factor Risk relates to my belief that there are Just a lot of other factors besides how much you studied that influence whether you pass or fail. These include how used you are to the testing format (it changes every level), whether you sleep well and wake up on the right side of the bed on exam day, how smart your fellow test-takers are that year (for the curve), and whether the material you happen to be good at is what they decide to test that year.
Regret Aversion is absolutely why I refuse to give my whole life over to studying for the exam. I have a strong aversion to possibly spending huge amounts of time preparing, later finding out I failed, and regretting the time wasted – so much so that I consider not continuing! Is it really true that 75+% of the 50% who passed Level III last year were there for AT LEAST the second time? With those odds, I should have just shown up, said hi to familiar faces, practiced an essay question or two to see what they are like, and vamoosed!
So I put in my teensy 2 hours per day. Then I have some chocolate, to make sure my brain continues to associate CFA study with pleasure (thank you Charles Duhigg).
Well it would be unfair for me not to provide some insight into the mindset of the OTHER approach. Robert Baer, (quoting his downhill ski teacher) said:
"We all have to take risks in life, sometimes grave ones. Risk it all and you just might win. Hedge your bets and you never will."
For a detailed description of how one guy DID NOT hedge his bets, and passed Level III on the first try (he did that on all exams) check out the link to Patrick's story below. 407 freaking hours he put in for one year! I've only added 100 to my original 240 from last year!
How to Pass the CFA Level 3 Exam
And here's another person with laser-beam-like focus on one goal, Diana Nyad, who is yet again this year attempting to swim from Cuba to Florida – probably about the same time we're in our exams. Her conviction is contagious.
You only have to do one simple thing to pass all the CFA exams, or achieve any goal for that matter, and that is to never quit.


text:
As part of our Game Plan for Life, we encourage our Scouts to write a Personal Declaration. In some ways, it is similar to the first sentences of the Declaration of Independence. The Personal Declaration is a declarative statement made with pride, in which are our Scouts say who they are.
The Personal Declaration is meant to be short, a few sentences at most, and snappy. Our Scouts are encouraged to speak with pride about who they are.
For example, "I am a loving son, and a good brother. I am the best soccer player on my team. I know first aid and CPR because I am a person anyone can count on in an emergency."
This declarative statement develops confidence and self-esteem. Our Scouts may not even realize the value of their accomplishments until they start to think about them! Every Scout has something they are proud of, whether it is skill playing baseball, getting an A on a difficult test, or being a great sibling.
We want our Scouts to be bold and proud in their Personal Declaration and in their life.


text:
The Murphy Insurance Group is a full service, family owned insurance agency that has been in business since 1908. We presently have over 25 insurance professionals working with us, most with over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry.
We represent a broad range of companies which allows us to tailor an insurance program to meet your specific needs. Whether it be business or personal insurance we have the expertise and knowledge to service your requirements.
Charles F. Murphy, Chairman of the Board of Charles F. Murphy, Inc., works closely with the fourth generation of the family owned business. In 1992, Charles F. Murphy, Inc. was joined by Nathaniel F. Ladd Insurance Agency, Inc. and The McDonald Insurance Agency, Inc., thus forming what is The Murphy Insurance Group.
These alliances have allowed us to grow into one of the top 25 largest independent insurance agencies in Massachusetts as ranked by the Boston Business Journal.


text:
Vikings Exercise Option on Coach Leslie Frazier's Contract for 2014
The Minnesota Vikings have exercised an option on coach Leslie Frazier's contract for 2014.
According to the Associated Press and confirmed by two media outlets in the Twin Cities the deal has not been officially announced and terms were not immediately known.
Frazier took over with six games to go in the 2010 season for fired Brad Childress. He is 16-22 in the regular season since then.
Frazier was entering the final year of his deal. He went 3-13 in his first full season, but rebounded to lead the rebuilding to team to the playoffs in his second year.


text:
Status: Open
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first YellowBot user to add photos or videos of Gunby Norris W Sr Funeral Home
Since 1961, Norris W Gunby Sr Funeral Home has been providing Funeral Home from Lincolnton.
Gunby Norris W Sr Funeral Home can be found at Metasville Rd 456. The following is offered: Funerals. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Lincolnton there are 3 other Funerals. An overview can be found here.
Funeral Pre-Planning Service, Cremation Services
If you don't see your business listed on YellowBot, please add your business listing.
YellowBot wants to get your input! If you have a comment, find a bug or think of something neat we should do, let us know.
© 2007-2020 Solfo, Inc. – All rights reserved


text:
Archdiocese of Bremen-Hamberg, Germany
- Diocese of Bremen-Hamberg
- Diocese of Bremen
- Archidioecesis Bremensis
- 1 November 787 as the Diocese of Bremen
- 864 to an Archdiocese
The civil state of Brement was united with Hamburg in 848, and the diocese expanded to cover both. Much evangelism work in northern Germany was based in Bremen. The city was burned by Hungarians in 918. Beginning in the 11th century, the temporal power of the archbishops included all the countships in the diocese, but declined during the 14th century.
The city of Bremen was a center of the Reformation, and joined the Smalkaldic League; by the 16th century the cathedral chapter had become Protestant. The revival of Catholicism in 1625 was temporary; the archdiocese was captured by Swedes who secularized it in 1648, and suppressed the cathedral chapter.
- "Archdiocese of Bremen-Hamberg, Germany". . CatholicSaints.Info. 27 August 2010. Web. 23 September 2020. <http://catholicsaints.info/archdiocese-of-bremen-hamberg-germany/>


text:
A fire pit creates community. With the unique nature of this Personalized Fire Pit, you'll be able to design your fire pit to meet individual outdoor decor motifs.
- Made from a One-piece drum
- Formed from 16 Gauge Cold Rolled Steel
- Natural rust patina matures over time
- Legs are welded to fire pit - no assembly!
- Includes Poker, BBQ grill, Spark Screen and Weather Cover
By using a CNC (Computer Numeric Control) Plasma Cutter for precision accuracy, each Personalized Fire Pit is hand-welded and hand-finished, making your fire pit one-of-a-kind. As time passes, your fire pit will mature to an earthy rust patina, giving the appearance of aged metalwork without any of the degradation.


text:
ABOUT once every three weeks, I watch someone die.
Beginning in 1984 when I arrived in Texas for The Associated Press, I've been just a few feet away as one convicted killer after another took a final breath in the Texas death chamber in Huntsville, where the state's 500th execution in modern times took place Wednesday.
I really don't know how many I've seen. I lost count years ago and have no desire to reconstruct a tally.
While death penalty cases are not the only assignments I cover, those certainly leave the strongest impressions.
One inmate, Jonathan Nobles, sang "Silent Night" as his last words as he was receiving the lethal injection. He got to "Round yon virgin, mother and child" before gasping and losing consciousness. Christmas, for me, never has been the same.
When I walked into the death chamber to witness Bob Black's execution, he called my name, said hello and asked how I was doing. What do you say to an otherwise healthy man seconds away from death?
J.D. "Cowboy" Autry was the first lethal injection I saw, in March 1984. A female friend of his who was a witness loudly sobbed about his "pretty brown eyes." Moments later, Autry's eyelids popped open as he died, revealing for a final time his brown eyes.
Autry's case was a memorable one. Six months earlier he was on the gurney with the needles in his arms when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a last-minute reprieve. To make sure no one had to make the final walk twice again, the prison stopped taking inmates to the death chamber until all appeals were resolved.
I remember Charles Rumbaugh's mangled hand, the result of being shot by a federal marshal he attacked in a courtroom. Henry Lee Lucas, who avoided execution when it was determined he hadn't really committed the hundreds of murders he had copped to, always had orange-tinged fingertips from rolling his own cigarettes. The arms of Angel Resendiz, the notorious "Railroad Killer," were scarred by repeated self-inflicted razor cuts. Markham Duff-Smith, who insisted he didn't kill four relatives, made a death chamber confession.
The death chamber, for 50 years home to the electric chair, has undergone its own changes. The gurney, once on wheels, is a permanent pedestal-like structure bolted to the tile floor. The simple horizontal bar between the inmate and the viewing area was replaced by a thick transparent plastic wall after a needle popped out of Raymond Landry's arm, spraying the lethal drugs toward me and other witnesses.
The first executions were carried out just after midnight. Years later, death warrants were set to take effect at 6pm, more convenient for lawyers and judges and less costly in prison overtime.
Some executions came with raucous public demonstrations outside. When Ronald Clark O'Bryan, known as "The Candy Man," was executed for lacing his son's Halloween candy - a Pixy Stick - with cyanide so he could collect on an insurance policy, dozens of students dressed in Halloween costumes filled the streets. One carried a giant Pixy Stick replica that looked like a barber pole.
One convict, Ponchai Wilkerson, spit out a hidden handcuff key in his mouth as he was about to die. A Houston judge added a smiley face to his signature on Robert Drew's execution warrant. Carl Kinnamon gave a long final statement in hopes of delaying the procedure until his death warrant expired. He thanked me and others for covering his case, then tried to wriggle out of the leather restraints.
The final statements - which some victims' relatives have criticised as providing prisoners with an opportunity their slain loved ones never had - have included songs, poems, prayers and Bible verses. Some inmates have spouted profanity. At least two prisoners thanked the Dallas Cowboys for brightening their lives.
Patrick Knight held a contest dubbed "Dead Man Laughing,"
encouraging people to send him a joke to tell from the chamber. He said he got 1,300 responses. The "joke" turned out to be Knight's claim that the person being executed wasn't really Patrick Knight. But fingerprints confirmed it was.
Richard Hinojosa repeatedly invoked "Yahweh" during his final words as thunder boomed and lightning crackled outside, adding an eerie backdrop to the proceeding.
Johnny Frank Garrett thanked his family for loving and caring for him, then added: "And the rest of the world can kiss my ass."


text:
Brand name: Selzentry
Generic name: maraviroc, T-20, or MVC
Class: CCR5 antagonist (a type of entry inhibitor)
Manufacturer: ViiV Healthcare, www.viivhealthcare.com, (877) 844-8872
AWP: $1,199.84/month for 150 mg or 300 mg tablets
Standard Dose: Available in 150 mg and 300 mg tablets. Can be taken with or without food, with no dietary restrictions. The recommended dose varies, depending on other medications the patient is taking: 150 mg twice daily if taken with medications that increase the levels of Selzentry such as protease inhibitors (except for Aptivus) and Rescriptor; 300 mg twice daily if taken with Aptivus, Viramune, Fuzeon, and all of the NRTIs and medications that do not affect the levels of Selzentry; 600 mg twice daily if taken with medications that decrease the levels of Selzentry such as Sustiva, Intelence, rifampin, and some anti-convulsant medications such as phenobarbital, phenytoin, and carbamazepine. Dose change may be required if kidney function is less than 30 mL/min. Your doctor or pharmacist can determine which medications will affect Selzentry levels and recommend the appropriate dose for you. Before you start Selzentry, you will need a specific blood test (tropism assay, Trofile or Trofile ES) to determine if this medication will work for you. The results of this test may take up to a month. Selzentry only works for those people with CCR5-tropic virus.
Potential side effects and toxicity: Most common include cough, fever, cold, rash, muscle and joint pain, stomach pain, and dizziness. Other potential side effects may include liver toxicity; an allergic reaction may happen before the liver problems. It is recommended that Selzentry be stopped and your doctor contacted right away if you develop a rash, yellowing of your eyes or skin, and/or dark urine, vomiting, and upper stomach pain. Other rare side effects may include low blood pressure when standing up that could lead to dizziness or fainting. Should not be used in people with severe kidney problems or end-stage kidney disease who are taking medications that can increase or decrease the levels of Selzentry (check with your provider). While no increased risk of infections or cancer was seen in clinical trials, Selzentry affects other immune system cells and could possibly increase the risk of infections and cancer. See chart for potential drug class side effects.
Potential drug interactions: Selzentry interacts with many other drugs. See package insert for the most complete list. Tell your provider or pharmacist about all medications, herbs, and supplements you are taking or thinking of taking, prescribed or not. Not recommended with rifampin or St. John's wort. Dose adjustment needed for Biaxin, Dilantin (phenytoin), Tegretol (carbamazepine), phenobarbital, HIV NNRTIs and PIs, Mycobutin, Sporanox (itraconazole), Nizoral (ketoconazole), Vfend, oral contraceptives, and oral Versed (midazolam). See standard dose section for interactions with other anti-HIV medications.
More information: Selzentry is the only oral entry inhibitor available on the market. Originally approved for treatment-experienced patients infected only with CCR5-tropic virus (determined by the tropism assay), it has also been FDA approved for people starting HIV therapy for the first time. Complex dosing, the need for an expensive tropism test, and competition from newer drugs have dimmed some of the initial enthusiasm for this drug. The Trofile test needed, however, is now generally paid for by state public health departments, Medicare, and other private insurance coverage. ViiV may cover the payment if someone is ADAP-eligible and does not have insurance coverage for the Trofile test. Viral tropism refers to the types of HIV that a person can have: CCR5-tropic (R5) and/or CXCR4-tropic or (X4) virus. HIV attaches to the CD4 receptor on the surface of some T-cells (hence, CD4+ T-cells), and then it latches on to one or both of the two co-receptors on the surface of the cells, R5 or X4, thus gaining entry. As the name "CCR5 inhibitor" suggests, Selzentry inhibits (blocks) CCR5, shutting down this point of entry for the virus. X4 virus is usually associated with advanced HIV disease or extensive experience with taking HIV medications. Most people are infected with CCR5 virus, and then over time more CXCR4 and mixed viruses may accumulate. Results from various studies showed that blocking R5 with Selzentry does not cause virus to shift to X4 or show a negative effect on disease progression or CD4 count in so-called "dual tropic" people (their virus can use either R5 or X4). In 2007, the company reported that a switch to pre-existing X4 -- or dual-tropic virus -- was transient and reversible when people went off Selzentry. A sub-analysis reported that Selzentry seems to have minimal impact on lipid levels. Selzentry has been studied in treatment-naïve patients (first time on therapy) in the MERIT clinical trial. Although the initial analysis suggested that Selzentry was unable to match Sustiva's viral loads of less than 50 copies (undetectable), a re-analysis of the data using the enhanced Trofile test (Trofile ES) showed the regimens to be comparable (59% for Selzentry vs. 63% for Sustiva) in undetectable viral loads at 96 weeks. The follow-up results of 96-week data led to its FDA approval for this population. See package insert for more complete information on potential side effects and interactions.
Doctor's Comments
Selzentry is an entry inhibitor that acts at an earlier stage of the entry process than Fuzeon: It blocks the binding of the virus to the CCR5 co-receptor on the CD4 cell surface. Some people have virus that can get into the cell using CXCR4, another co-receptor, and Selzentry won't work against that kind of virus. As a result, it's necessary to test the "tropism" of the virus before using Selzentry. Only those with purely "R5-tropic" virus should use the drug. The need for this test has been the main obstacle to widespread use of Selzentry, which is an effective, safe, and very well tolerated agent. The test currently in use in the United States, the Trofile assay, is expensive and time-consuming. Outside of the U.S., cheaper genotypic tests are being used. These may turn out to be good alternatives to Trofile, but we need more data on how well they measure tropism and predict success with Selzentry before they can be recommended. Selzentry has now been approved by the FDA for initial therapy, and people are more likely to have R5-tropic virus at early stages, before they've been treated. However, Selzentry is not yet being widely used for that purpose, and for initial therapy, it's categorized as "acceptable" or "alternative" in the DHHS and IAS-USA guidelines, respectively. Selzentry is taken twice a day, but once-daily dosing is being studied.
-- Joel Gallant, M.D., M.P.H.
Activist's Comments
One of my biggest disappointments, this new class of drugs, CCR5 antagonists, was a bust! Consider the fact that people have tropisms that can switch and add to that a tropism test that is more expensive than a month's supply of the drug itself, and you get a number of barriers and reasons this drug never took off. The mode of activity -- preventing fusion to occur in the first place -- and relatively few side effects means more research is needed to see how we can use this new class with a better method of detecting who will benefit from it, other than the company making the super expensive trofile assay!
-- Joey Wynn


text:
Lupita Nyong'o Tops People Most Beautiful List
Today in news about famous Yale graduates: Award-winning actress and renowned wearer of dresses Lupita Nyong'o was named People magazine's most beautiful human on Wednesday.
She's only the third woman of African descent ever to win the title (the other two being Halle Berry and Beyoncé) and, at 31, younger than many other women on the list. But most importantly, she's dethroned last year's most beautiful human, Gwyneth Paltrow.


text:
I was making a list of social networking methods for blogs, plus discussing it with Deb, and I realized that some of the methods I use are pretty fuzzy. Many social activities cross over with blog promotion and the other way around, and it all mixes up with building your own blog community. For example, if someone finds you through Technorati and you become pals and maybe score a gig through that friendship, is it blog promotion, or are you doing a little networking? Fuzzy business.
That said, I'm going to cover some blog networking methods over the next few posts, but some of the methods we'll look at may cross over into blog promotion. Although networking is fuzzy, here's my take. If you're a blogger, you need to get out there, connect, and interact with others. If you do that, you'll not only be networking, but promoting your blog.
Here is a sample of what you'll see if you look up "social networking" online:
[Read more…]


text:
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Doors open 7:30pm, reading at 8 sharp.
RAE ARMANTROUT has published 13 books of poetry. Her most recent collection, Partly: New and Selected Poems, was published by Wesleyan U.P. in 2016. Her poems have recently been collected in Spanish editions: Necromancia (Spain, 2015): and Rae Armantrout: Poemas (Spain, 2014). In 2015 she was awarded the Levinson Prize for best poems in Poetry Magazine. Her book Versed (2009) received the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2010. She was also the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008 and A Foundation for Contemporary Arts Award in 2007. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies.
MARTHA RONK's forthcoming collection of poetry Ocular Proof from Omnidawn focuses on photography and comes out this fall. A recent chapook, familiar/unfamiliar, was released by Magra Books this summer, and her 2015 volume Transfer of Qualities was long-listed for National Book Award last year. She lives in Los Angeles, where she is professor at English at Occidental College.
Poetic Research Bureau
951 Chung King Rd.
Los Angeles, CA


text:
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wordless Wednesday - All things bright and beautiful
I took this photo during one of our walks last week. It feels so great to be able to get outside with the kids and enjoy nature without freezing. That little bit of green is such a welcome sight! Spring is here and all is beautiful and bright.
Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom or Seven Clown Circus.
17 comments:
- Stylist A said...
oh nature walks are the best. what a beautiful sighting. I can't wait till the warmer weather is actually here to stay for a little. being outside is the best! Thanks for sharing :)
- March 30, 2010 at 9:53 PM
- Claremont First Ward said...
- March 30, 2010 at 9:55 PM
- Auntie E said...
I love these spring brooks, I can imagine the sound.
My WW link for you
- March 30, 2010 at 10:24 PM
- Cecily R said...
Oh, the sunlight on this shot is gorgeous! I love it!
- March 30, 2010 at 10:40 PM
- Muthering Heights said...
What a beautiful place for a walk!!
- March 30, 2010 at 10:52 PM
- * said...
Beautiful & bright, indeed! Welcome spring!
Today we brought out our summer clothes, as the kids were complaining of it being too hot (it was 80 degrees!).
- March 31, 2010 at 1:09 AM
- JDaniel4's Mom said...
What a peaceful shot!
- March 31, 2010 at 6:55 AM
- Cascia Talbert said...
That is beautiful! I always loved spring back home in Wisconsin. Enjoy your nice weather! I think it is warmer out there this week than it is here.
- March 31, 2010 at 1:26 PM
- Run DMT said...
That is truly beautiful!
- March 31, 2010 at 2:31 PM
- bermudaonion said...
Beautiful picture. I just love this time of year!
- March 31, 2010 at 3:21 PM
- Amy said...
what a nice picture..
- March 31, 2010 at 3:45 PM
- Simply Being Mommy said...
What a great picture...just beautiful.
- March 31, 2010 at 4:17 PM
- An Apel a Day said...
So pretty! Now I'm ready for summer!
- March 31, 2010 at 4:49 PM
- Kristie said...
The signs of Spring, like the green grass, sure are refreshing after a long winter! It's not too green here yet, but we're having warmer days-67 today and by Saturday it's suppose to be 77! SO exciting! :-)
- March 31, 2010 at 6:37 PM
- Anonymous said...
What a peaceful place to walk. So beautiful.
- March 31, 2010 at 8:07 PM
- Alicia The Snowflake said...
Oh how beautiful! I love getting outside for walks. I'm so thankful it's Spring!
Thanks for visiting my blog yesterday. Hope you're having a great week!
- April 1, 2010 at 5:34 PM
- siersplit said...
The sunlight is really nice to see, thanks for this!
- April 19, 2011 at 11:25 AM


text:
The Software Defined Data Center Emerges (Slowly)
Due to the increasing importance of virtualization and cloud computing in the enterprise, the Software Defined Data Center, or Virtual Data Center, is gaining momentum. Once applications are separated from underlying hardware, it makes sense to push the concept further. And once application assets reside in a nebulous cloud that may be difficult for IT to gain visibility into, let alone maintain and manage, ideas like Software Defined Data Centers (SDDC) start to make a quite a bit of sense.
To date, the only Software-Defined market with any real traction is for Software Defined Networking products. A 2012 study by IDC predicted that SDN spending would reach $360 million in 2013, expanding to $3.7 billion by 2016.
Analyst forecasts aren't the only way to measure the potential of SDN, though. In 2012, VMware acquired SDN startup Nicira for $1.26 billion. Brocade, Cisco, and Juniper followed suit by acquiring Vyatta, Cariden, and Contrail, respectively. Moreover, VCs are pouring serious money into this sector, heavily financing such startups as Affirmed Networks ($103 million raised to date), Big Switch Networks ($45 million), and Plexxi ($48 million).
From SDN to SDDCs
Building on SDN's success, the SD concept has migrated to storage, security, and, now, the entire data center. At the most basic level, what SDN does is separate the control plane (or the built-in management logic firmware) from the data plane (which forwards network traffic to other devices) of networking devices.
Unlike virtualization, where the early focus was on server consolidation, SDN separation makes it possible to program the entire network in a different way. This shift makes it possible for applications themselves to control networking and security features. Or control functions could eventually be centralized and unified into some sort of higher-level cloud control plane or management suite.
In contrast, the status quo is that a device from Cisco or Juniper or whomever ships with vendor-supplied firmware that handles control and invariably results in all sorts of vendor-lock issues. Thus, another benefit of SDN is the ability to exercise unified control in a heterogeneous environment.
Software Defined Storage builds on this concept, treating various storage devices as a single pool of storage, which can be controlled centrally. The Software Defined Data Center, then, is an additional layer of abstraction above the other virtualization and SDx layers, which provide centralized control of all of these assets, not matter where they are located.
"While originally I was skeptical about any SDx assignation, the more I think about SDDCs the more the concept resonates," David J. Cappuccio, Research VP at Gartner, noted. "The idea is that in a perfect world data center resources would be placed where it made the most economic sense, and then the allocation and use of those resources could be controlled by rules and analytics, allowing both workflows and workloads to be moved, or directed, where they best served the business at any particular point in time."
Why are SDDCs important?
A number of factors are converging to accelerate the interest in SDx products. For starters, networks are getting bigger, faster, and far more complicated. Meanwhile, applications are breaking away from their siloes and being shifted to the cloud, mobile devices, connected home appliances, the M2M world, etc.
The rapid adoption of cloud computing means that traditional hardware-based networking just won't keep up with the needs of both service providers and cloud consumers.
The same is true for storage. In theory, cloud computing makes automatic backups and disaster recovery practically table-stakes features for cloud services, but VM sprawl and network constraints hinder that vision.
Let's also not forget the spread of WLANs in the enterprise. The various networking devices associated with WLANs (and serving Bring Your Own Device employees) are also sprawling practically out of control. As such, wouldn't it make sense to centralize the control of the many WLAN switches and APs scattered through corporate campuses?
Finally, all of these new application consumption models introduce numerous new security risks. SDx could help security to evolve beyond its perimeter-protection roots into something that better matches today's cloud and mobile environments. Moreover, IT security pros would be able to shift from a reactionary, firefighting mode, so they could actually spend time analyzing data and behaviors in order to proactively secure dynamic environments.
Add all of this up and the SDDC concept reaches beyond the data center to deliver services from the right place to the right end user in an efficient manner.
The Seven Properties of Network Virtualization
Before being acquired by VMware, the founders of Nicira laid the groundwork for SDDCs by defining "The Seven Properties of Network Virtualization":
1. Interdependence from network hardware
2. Faithful reproduction of the physical network service model
3. Follow operational model of compute virtualization
4. Compatible with any hypervisor platform
5. Secure isolation between virtual networks, the physical network and the control plane
6. Cloud performance and scale
7. Programmatic network provisioning and control
Boiling down what all of this actually means, the properties essentially say:
1) Avoid outdated vendor-lock architectures
2) Be sure to factor in all of those legacy workloads that weren't written for virtualized and cloud environments, but which won't be phased out any time soon
3) Support the networking of VMs in the same way they were designed, i.e., don't limit VM flexibility
Read more on "Server Virtualization Spotlight" »


text:
You know it's go-time when a woman puts on red lipstick. I really love the dramatic effect of a dark lip colour, and LiSse's lipsticks are no exception. I am wearing Lisse's (formely Mamboo Chic) Melina in the honey tone by Leona Olivieri. I love how exotic this skin is, and how much richness there is in this particular skin tone. I've been wearing it for days eagerly awaiting Lisse's new release.
Also, very excited to be wearing one of Lamb's hair styles from this year's Hair Fair. I love the way this hair style flows and I especially love the texture.
Izzie has out a brand new line of eyes called "Deep dark eyes", and well these eyes are deep and dark. They come in ten different colours and are meant to be worn with dark skin tones. Read more on Izzie's blog.
I have to say that since mesh came out Ricielli is one of the stores at the top of my mesh clothing list. I have been a huge fan of all their releases. I ended up walking around the sim and stumbled across a hunt. It feels like there is always a hunt going on there, and that's fine by me. I picked up this beautiful strapless dress for L$15. I paired them up with my favourite N-cores. I stopped by Je Suis because there is a moving sale happening. Most of their items are marked down, so now is the time to stock up on jewellery.
'Til next time... happy shopping!
Poses from Izzie's - Headshot Poses by Izzie Button
Poses from label motion - Noel by Anne Dakun
Hair from lamb - Blue Velvet (HAIR FAIR) - Kit Kat by Lamb Bellic
Skin from LiSse - Melina - Honey by Leona Olivieri
Eyes from Izzie's - Deep Dark Eyes - Blue by Izzie Button (NEW)
Makeup from LiSse - Melina - My lipstick 007 by Leona Olivieri
Jewellery from je suis - Brillante Jewelry Collection - Browns by Julia Merosi
Dress from Ricielli - Valentines Gorgeous Minidress (HUNT) by Fhara Acacia
Shoes from N-core - COQUETTE by Claire Messenger [/toggle]


text:
Did you know that over 100 million cell phones are discarded each year in the US and only 13% of this e-waste is disposed of properly? Keep that staggering statistic in mind when you gaze on Nokia's crazy-looking Mobile Man.
Mobile Man stands six feet tall, weighs 44 pounds and is made entirely of discarded Nokia mobile phones. The unusual looking figurine must attract a lot of attention as it (he?) casually reads a green magazine outside a Beijing post office.
There are three of these non-mechanical robots in circulation and Nokia is using them to promote its cell phone recycling program. Nokia's green push uses automated touchscreen kiosks that make it easy for Nokia owners to discard their phones in an environmentally friendly way. These kiosks are located at high-traffic locations like Post Offices and even offer rewards like movie tickets for customers that make the effort to recycle. [CNET]
You can keep up with Kelly Hodgkins, the author of this post, on Twitter or Facebook.


text:
Walton Arts Center announces the 4th annual regional Artosphere Festival
Walton Arts Center proudly announces the 4th Annual Artosphere Festival featuring music, visual art and kids & family events performed throughout May and June all over the region. Tickets to Artosphere events are on sale now and can be purchased through the box office at 479.443.5600 or at www.artospherefestival.org/tickets-events.
The mission of Artosphere, Arkansas' Arts and Nature Festival is to celebrate artists, influenced by nature, who inspire us to live more sustainable lives. The festival will kick off in May with free evnts like the signature Trail Mix Concert Tour and the family friendly Erth's Dinosaur Petting Zoo. June brings back 80 musicians from around the world for the acclaimed Artosphere Festival Orchestra under the baton of renowned musical director, Corrado Rovaris. Throughout the entire festival, visual arts projects such as Stacy Levy's Spiral Wetland and Tasha Lewis' The Herd and Swarm will challenge the way we see our natural world.
Jodi Beznoska, VP of Communications at Walton Arts Center says, "At its heart, Artosphere represents what makes Northwest Arkansas a great place to live and visit. The festival invites audiences to experience incredible art and reflect on our beautiful surroundings while engaging in a dialogue about sustainability." Beznoska adds, "One of the festival goals is to make the arts available to families, students and the entire community-- that's why we present dozens of activities in multiple locations throughout Northwest Arkansas, most free or low cost."
For a complete listing of Artosphere events, visit www.artospherefestival.org/tickets-events.


text:
A simple tool to help you develop a succession plan
The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on the past year and firm up your plans for the new one. As you look to 2013, consider developing a farm succession plan if you don't already have one in place.
If you find the idea totally overwhelming, know that you aren't alone. In a recent Farm Journal survey, 80% of respondents said they plan to transfer control of their operation to the next generation, yet fewer than 20% are confident they have a good plan in place.
The Dell family was part of that 20% three years ago, but took concrete steps to take charge of their future. Today, they have a working plan in place for their Westminster, Md., farm, which includes four generations and six families.
"Take one thing at a time, and you'll get there," encourages family spokesman Greg Dell.
Resources are available at www.FarmJournalLegacy Project.com to help you plan a successful transition process. You can read what the Dells and other farm families have done and make plans to attend a Legacy Project Workshop.
Another option is to retain a professional consultant as you start the planning process. If you choose this route, try to work with someone who understands farming and farm families, Dell suggests.
"The best advice I could give another farmer is to get help making your succession plan, and work with people who know agriculture and take your input in the process of helping you get where you want to go," he says.
A way to move forward. Farm Journal succession planning expert Kevin Spafford recommends that farmers use a simple framework, which he calls the S-M-A-R-T strategy, to establish goals in the planning process. Here are the steps to that approach:
Specific. Identify the goals you and your family want to accomplish with a succession plan. Consider the ideal situation for each member of your family, both vocationally and financially. "All too often, people sacrifice opportunity and impose constraints by thinking first and only of money. It's important to carefully consider what kind of life you want to build for yourself and your loved ones," Spafford says.
Success in developing a succession plan depends on the quality of communication within the family. "Set up regular family meetings, scheduled at a time that is convenient for most participants," Spafford advises. "Use a location that is not home turf for anyone."
Create an agenda with each participant offering suggestions and concerns. Establish ground rules, and conclude discussions with some form of action and agreement for follow-up.
Measurable. Write down each goal so you can compare progress and quantify degrees of achievement. Include as many details about each goal as possible.
Actionable. Nothing happens until you take action. Wishes, wants and intentions will not help you achieve; only by acting can you generate a result.
Relevant. Judge your goals based on priority and then act on the goals that will make the most impact.
Time-bound. Set deadlines for measurable action. "Assigning deadlines during family meetings is the only way succession planning really gets accomplished," Spafford says. He recommends making one person responsible for each goal, whether it is business planning or simply setting up the next family meeting.
Along the way, focus on what you really want to achieve. "A good succession plan is far more than a financial or business arrangement," Spafford says. "It's a road map for ensuring continued support, security and growth for you, your family and your operation."
You can e-mail Rhonda Brooks at [email protected].
To read more about the Dell family, find resources to guide you through the succession planning process and register for workshops, visit www.farmjournallegacyproject.com.


text:
resumo de perfil do autor
11 2504-5100
Segunda a Sexta das 9h às 18h.
Entre em contato
© 2020 PR Newswire.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.


text:
There's just about NO other car coming out of the early days of the Rat Rod movement that caused as much teeth-gnashing and hand-wringing and tongue-wagging as Mark Idzardi's Purple People Eater. It demanded attention –– good, bad and ugly. And Marky, his brother Alex and the rest of the Shifters car club hailing from Orange County, CA ate up every bit of it. Mark and the club didn't have to throw a middle finger in the air to the drowsy street rod set, since the Eater did it for them.
And that little coupe became a rallying cry for the crowd that was really beginning to amass in garages and backyards and impromptu car shows up and down California and a few pockets across the country. By the mid to late Nineties, the burgeoning Rat Rod scene was really gaining a head of steam and the Shifters were probably the earliest car club to assemble that embraced the new incarnation of the cars being built in the late Forties, Fifties and Sixties.
Marky and Alex had cut their teeth on late Sixties muscle cars and had developed a taste for Pontiacs as kids. So, when they found a '56 Pontiac 316 c.i.d. for sale at the March Meet in Bakersfield, CA in '97 or '98, they picked it up quick. Turned out, the motor was hogged out to 450 cubic inches and had some good drag racing history: it ran in an Altered-bodied rail between 1959 and 1961 and held a track record at Riverside for a supercharged, gas class. As they cracked it open and ran through it, they found all kinds of early speed equipment and the truly historic motor is probably the earliest supercharged Pontiac engine still in working condition, much less existence.
So, they had a motor. And a blower on top of it. And EIGHT Stromberg carbs on top of that. They all got to work and hacked up a Model A sedan and built a hot rod based on a Sixties-era Altered dragster: short wheelbase, HUGE motor perched way up in the air for weight transfer on launch from the starting line, skinny spindle-mount front wheels with no brakes, racing slicks on the rear, a solid-mounted rearend, no radiator and gobs of attitude.
The car was, by all accounts, like nothing that had been seen in some forty years. When it showed up at the West Coast Cruisin' Nationals car show in Paso Robles, CA the next year, people LOST THEIR MINDS. Freaked out. Babies were crying, women were rushed to safety, windows were shuttered, the National Guard was called out and the hotrodders in attendance quietly ate themselves to death. Well, maybe all that shit didn't really happen, but people were changed that weekend.
The Purple People Eater was perfect. It had all the atttitude, all the rough edges, all the right parts and the right stance. It became the undisputed poster child for what the movement was all about: build a car on your own that respects tradition and indisputable good taste while making it your own –– naysayers be damned.
At the same time, the Interweb was being embraced more and more by the general public. The Purple People Eater's influence spread like wildfire –– in ways that magazines of the day couldn't keep up with and before we all knew it, early chatboards were abuzz with the little purple coupe's upset at Paso and subsequent car shows. It was decried from the Establishment's pulpit and blasted by the guys who had to shield their time-out dolls' eyes from the spectacle. Simultaneously, the car was waking up kids who finally found the same kind of inspiration their dads found in Roth Studios forty years earlier.
When the PPE finally found itself on the cover of the February issue of Rod & Custom magazine in 2001, it blew the lid off the simmering crab pot. Legend has it that after Rick Amado photographed the car for the magazine, there was some, well, internal strife over what was going to be done with the film. But he finally got his way and that issue changed the direction of hotrodding more than any other cover of the era.
To this day, the car still commands attention and starts arguments: self-appointed drag racing experts say it can't be run down the track. It has. People claim it's dangerous. It is. Old guys shake their heads and say it'll blow up. It hasn't. Claims have been made that it was built all wrong and can only sit on a trailer. It's been driven PLENTY. The Purple People Eater embodies the original spirit of the Rat Rod movement: built well with the right historical parts and the right attitude to bring excitement and inspiration back to hotrodding. What passes for a "rat rod" these days is an embarrassment to the original drafters of the Rat Rod constitution –– kinda like what passes for Punk Rock at a Hot Topic store in the mall. But to find what it was really supposed to be, look no further than the PPE, Marky, Alex and the Shifters.
Images courtesy Hot Rod magazine, Rod & Custom magazine, Traditional Rod & Kulture Illustrated, pontiacheaven.com


text:
Free economy delivery on all orders over £75 for UK retail customers* (*UK mainland only, Highlands, Islands & other remote locations may incur an extra charge which we will inform you of before dispatch)
Standard economy charge on all UK orders under £75 are charged at a flat rate of £3.95 (*UK mainland only, Highlands, Islands & other remote locations may incur an extra charge which we will inform you of before dispatch) unless otherwise specified (i.e by means of a free delivery promotion).
Shipping to the EU is available on nearly all products, if you come across a product that does not allow shipping please contact us for a personal quote. Delivery charges on all EU orders start at £7.95.
We use Hermes and Royal Mail to deliver our smaller items, most items will be dispatched from our warehouse the following working day. The delivery aim from Royal Mail and Hermes is 3 working days. Please allow 7 working days in total for your items to arrive, unless the item is a pre-order. Larger items that are in stock are normally dispatched using a specialist parcel carrier & will need a signature upon delivery, if you are not in when the delivery arrives a card will be left so that an alternative time for delivery can be arranged.
Please note we do not part ship orders, a combined in stock order and a pre-order will ship when all items are in stock.
We are happy to offer the opportunity to pre-order some of our items to ensure you don't miss out on an item for which we are awaiting stock. These items will ONLY be dispatched once we have received our stock.
Please note your payment for the item will be taken immediately.
We add an expected date for stock arrival to the pre-order but please be aware that this is subject to change.
We will endeavour to notify you as soon as we are made aware of any change of expected stock fulfilment date.


text:
Meteorologists refer to a powerful storm that resembles a hurricane with snow as a snowicane. A hurricane with its wind in and of itself is formidable enough, but when combined with heavy snow the result can be devastating. One such storm pounded the Alaskan coast in November of 2011 with pressure equivalent to a Category 4 Hurricane.
On a recent night I dreamed that a snowicane impacted the East Coast in a manner similar to a nor'easter. In the dream, I was watching YNN, a channel that carries local news to Syracuse and central New York viewers. A weatherman who was nameless in the dream showed a map with the double-oval storm symbol tracking up the coast and veering inward toward eastern and central New York state. The nameless weatherman who was dressed in a dark suit with white shirt and a tie colored purple, black, and silver moved his hand along the forecast trajectory of the storm and announced:
"Generally, these nor'easters move along the coast and into New England, but this one is going to move westward and make a direct hit on central New York, including Syracuse, Utica, the Catskill region but first through the tri-state area. This monster storm will be packing winds in the 60 to 80 mile per hour range, with gusts near 120 miles per hour. Snowfall of twenty-four inches or more can be expected Tuesday night with blizzard conditions. This is an extremely dangerous storm that can be best described as a snowicane. Temperatures will be falling through the teens with windchill factors well below zero. Folks, I wouldn't be surprised to see three feet of snow fall over twenty-four hours – but it will be the wind that could lead to fatalities if all precautions are not taken. Now ladies and gentlemen, this will not be the snowiest storm that the Syracuse area has ever seen, but with the wind, hail, and ice it will likely be the most dangerous in our history."
What was peculiar was that this weatherman seemed delighted to report the news of the oncoming storm. He was sneering and snickering while speaking of the windchill factor and that he "wouldn't be surprised to see three feet of snow fall over twenty-four hours." What I do recall about this chap was dark wavy hair and dark circles under his eyes. He didn't bear the likeness of anyone that this writer is familiar with as far as the reportage of Syracuse-area weather is concerned.
It was just a dream but it has hung with me vividly. I am not a meteorologist but there is something that seems legitimate here; it's as though I believe that some sort of snowicane may indeed impact the East Coast and eastern and central New York State this winter of 2011/2012. It's likely that I'm wrong and there was nothing to the dream, but what if I'm not? What kind of physical and economic destruction would a snowicane visit upon the eastern United States? How great would the toll be on human life in the affected area?
In conclusion, it is best to be prepared. As with a hurricane, a snowicane would not only cause tremendous damage but also knock out electrical power. A stock of canned goods, powdered milk, bottled water, candles, matches, Sterno canned-heat, batteries, flashlights, and warm coats, hats, boots, and gloves would be a good idea. A battery-powered radio with weather band to receive National Weather Service broadcasts would prove to be exceedingly useful and could save lives. If you have a wood stove or fireplace, make sure that there is plenty of dry firewood on hand.
But don't be too concerned as what I'm describing in this episode was merely a dream had while in REM sleep…
…Or was it?
- September 2020
- August 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- December 2018
- August 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- November 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- March 2017
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- April 2015
- August 2013
- March 2013
- October 2012
- July 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- August 2011


text:
Triumph set to return to sea for first time since February fire
The Carnival Triumph sets sail again this week from Galveston with extensive upgrades after an engine fire in February made national news by stranding passengers at sea for several days.
The 2,758-passenger ship returned to Galveston on Tuesday with $115 million in repairs and upgrades. Its first cruise, which is sold out, sets sail Thursday.
According to Carnival, all guests whose cruises were canceled during the repairs received full refunds and a discount off a future cruise.
Galveston port officials told KHOU (Channel 11) that the Triumph's absence cost the port nearly $700,000 in revenue.
Without the Triumph there, some businesses in the nearby Strand area have also suffered.
Shop owners are thrilled to see the Triumph come back, with a lot of traffic coming from people killing time before setting sail or those waiting to pick up friends and family just coming ashore.
Jennifer Caravageli works at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on the Strand.
"Lots of people come by and get chocolate as gifts for those who have been house-sitting for them," Caravageli said.
Mod Coffeehouse is located a few blocks from the port, and owner Holly Hopkins said that business has still been brisk even without the Triumph.
"Downtown has been a little quieter so far this summer, but I am not sure that is related to the Triumph," Hopkins said.
The Triumph was scheduled to be back in Galveston over a week ago, but damage sustained at a repair dock in Alabama in April pushed back the plan.
The ship's upgrades include new bars and restaurants, including a poolside eatery designed by the Food Network's Guy Fieri, according to a statement from Carnival.
All 24 of Carnival's ships have now been outfitted with advanced fire-suppression systems. They also have installed secondary emergency backup generators to power toilets, elevators and food service stations since the February incident, the cruise line said.


text:
Gwyneth Paltrow has continued her 40th birthday celebrations by inviting A-list pals Beyonce and Cameron Diaz to dinner in New York.
The Shakespeare in Love star was in Portofino, Italy with husband Chris Martin and their two kids when she turned 40 on 27 September (12), and she followed her big day up with a star-studded dinner in London on 3 October (12).
It seems Paltrow wanted a third bash on home soil - so she threw a dinner party for a host of her celebrity friends in New York this week (begs07Oct12).
Paltrow and Beyonce were joined by Diaz, comediennes Chelsea Handler and Kristen Wiig, supermodel Christy Turlington, actor Ethan Hawke and director Steven Spielberg at Elio's restaurant in Manhattan.
Her actress mum Blythe Danner also showed up for the get-together.
tagged in Blythe Danner Cameron Diaz Chris Martin Ethan Hawke Gwyneth Paltrow Home Shakespeare Steven Spielberg Beyonce


text:
Department of Primatology
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
phone: +49 (0)341 3550 - 200
fax: +49 (0)341 3550 - 299
Curriculum Vitae
Date of Birth: 11-08-51 in St Gallen, Switzerland
Nationality: French and Swiss
Marital status: Married, two children (1983, 1988)
Languages: French, English, German
|Secondary school
|1965-68: Lycée François Villon, Paris
1968-70: Collège Calvin, Genève
degree: Maturité scientifique.
|University of Geneva, Switzerland
|1970-75: Faculty of Biology, Diplôme de biologiste,
1975: supervisor: Prof. Hans Huggel
|University of Zürich, Switzerland
|1979-1984: Department of Ethology and Wildlife Research
Ph.D. degree, 1984: Title: "Nut-cracking behaviour of wild chimpanzees", supervisor: Prof. Hans Kummer.
|University of Basel, Switzerland
|Habilitation degree (Privat Dozent): 1994. supervisor: Prof. Stephen Stearns.
Professional experience
|3 months of census work on the Mountain Gorilla in the Virunga National Park, Rwanda. Supervised by Dr. Dian Fossey. This work was the basis of my diplom master thesis.
|1975 and 1977
|Teaching biology at a secondary school, Collège Moderne, in Geneva.
|8 months in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast, for a preliminary study of the nut-cracking behaviour of wild chimpanzees and an evaluation of the feasibility of a long-term study.
|4 months assistant at the Department of Ethology and Wildlife Research (Prof. Hans Kummer) at the University of Zürich.
|Long-term study of the wild chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in the Ivory Coast. Principal themes under study; ecology, social organisation, tool-use, hunting, cooperation, food-sharing, inter-community relationships, cognitive capacities.
|Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Ethology (Prof. Hans Kummer) at the University of Zurich.
|4 months visit at the Department of Population Biology (Prof. Stephen Stearns), University of Basel.
|1990 and 1992
(April to July)
|Comparative field study on the chimpanzees of Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania.
|January 1991-
September 1997
|Assistant professor at the department of Population Biology (Prof. Stephen C. Stearns), University of Basel (Switzerland).
|1995 Spring
|Visiting Professor, University of Rennes, France.
|1996 Spring
|Visiting Professor, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
|1997- ongoing
|Director, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
|1999 (August to October)
|Comparative field study on the chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania.
|1999- ongoing
|Honorary Professor, Dept. of Zoology, University of Leipzig, Germany.
|2000- ongoing
|Founder and President of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation.
Teaching experience
|Directing field work of students:
|Diplom thesis: 16 students of different European universities. Ph. D. thesis: 24 students from European and American universities. Post-doctoral work: 8 students from European universities.
|Teaching at the University
of Basel:
|Spring 1991: Behavioural Ecology of Primates (2 hours per week).
Winter semester (1991- 1997):
Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour (4 hours per week).
Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology (2 hours per week).
Seminar on Population Biology (1 hour per week).
Summer semester (1992-1997):
Field course in Population Biology (2 weeks).
Field course in Evolutionary Biology (1 week)
|Teaching at the University
of Leipzig:
|Summer semester (1999-ongoing):
Behavioural Ecology (2 hours per week)
Offices and advisory work
- Fyssen Foundation, Paris, scientific board member (1985-1989)
- World Wide Fund for Nature International (WWF Int.): Consultant to negotiate with the Ivorian government a conservation project for the Taï National Park (1987-1988).
- World Wide Fund for Nature International: Coordinator project in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast (1988-1992).
- Committee for the Care and Conservation of Chimpanzee (CCCC), executive council (1988-1992)
- Society for the study of Animal Behaviour, Member (1993-1998)
- IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group (1986-ongoing)
- International Primatological Society (1986-ongoing)
- International Primate Protection League (1986-ongoing).
- International Journal of Primatology, Editorial Board (1990-2004).
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Associates (1991-ongoing)
- Pan Africa News, Editorial Board (1997-ongoing)
- Steering Committee of the World Heritage Species Status Taskforce, Member (2002-ongoing)
- IUCN/SSC/ Section of the Great Apes (SGA), Excecutive Committee Member (2003-ongoing)
- Co-chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Great Apes Survival project (GRASP) of the UNEP/UNESCO (2003-ongoing)
Grant reviewer: NIH, National Science Foundation (USA), Swiss National Science Foudation, Leakey Foundation, National Geographic Society, Fulbright Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation
Ad Hoc Reviewer: Behavioural and Brain Sciences, Animal Behaviour, Nature, Behaviour, Ethology, Primates, International Journal of Primatology, American Journal of Primatology, Folia Primatologica, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Current Anthropology, Behavioural Ecology, Proceedings of the National Academy Science, Serie B, Quaterly Review of Biology, American Naturalists, Journal of Human Evolution, Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, Journal of Evolutionary Biology.
Awards and other honours
|Prix Cortaillod for talented Swiss scientists under 35 years old, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
|Great Apes Fellowship of the Leakey Foundation, Pasadena.
|Great Apes Fellowship of the Leakey Foundation, Pasadena.
|Phillip Morris Research Price, München.
|Medal "Officier de l'Ordre National" by the president of Côte d'Ivoire Alassane Ouattara 2013
|Prof. Boesch and the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation received the St. Andrews Prize for the Environment.


text:
I decided it was a junk character -- Hank & Gail Johnson Smell your way to my success!! http://www.hgwickless.scentsy.us Sharing a story or helping someone opens my heart to God's love.Email services provided by the System Access Mobile Network. Visit www.serotek.com to learn more about accessibility anywhere.
To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.


text:
Field sampling methods for mosquitoes, sandflies, biting midges and ticks
This report of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was produced by the VectorNet project (European network for sharing data on the geographic distribution of arthropod vectors transmitting human and animal disease agents).
Preventing vector-borne diseases in Europe: VectorNet issues the first protocols for vector sampling
Vector sampling protocols outlining the recommended methods for collecting vectors have been issued today by ECDC and EFSA, to support entomologists and public-health professionals in Europe. It is a first attempt to summarise best-practices in terms of methods and strategies for sampling mosquitoes, sandflies, biting midges and ticks.


text:
IG finds improper hiring practices in management division for third time since 2004.
Several senior officials in the Justice Department's management and operations arm violated federal laws by participating in hiring family members, according to a watchdog report released Thursday.
The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General investigated allegations of nepotism in the justice management division and implicated eight senior-level employees with participating in the practice by hiring their own family members or helping to hire colleagues' family members.
Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., requested the OIG report after a former Justice employee informed him of the incidences of nepotism. The report's findings mark the third time the inspector general has implicated JMD for improper hiring practices. Two directors were criticized in 2004 and 2008 for "manipulating the competitive hiring process to favor particular candidates," the IG wrote.
The report found the employees violated several laws and statutes to help their relatives and those of their colleagues earn positions in the division. It also found that hiring friends and relatives of employees for paid summer internships and clerkships was not an uncommon practice. Relatives of JMD employees occupied six of its 11 paid human resources internships during the second quarter of 2010, which later gave those relatives a leg up in earning career appointments.
While "some of the training materials and other guidance we reviewed addressed important topics (such as nepotism) in a superficial and incomplete manner, the pattern of fundamental misconduct described in this report did not stem from ignorance of the rules," the OIG wrote. "Rather, most of the misconduct described in this report -- the nepotism, the prohibited personnel practices, the ethical lapses, the false and misleading statements -- was the result of bad behavior by individuals insufficiently impressed with the principles of fair and open competition."
"Nepotism has no place in any federal agency, and it is especially disturbing coming from the Department of Justice -- the agency charged with enforcing the law," Wolf said in a statement. Wolf, who also serves as chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds Justice, called for the employees involved "to be punished under full extent of the law."
In the department's response to the IG's report, Assistant Attorney General for Administration Lee J. Lofthus pledged to put in place "appropriate and immediate corrective actions to ensure the problems are not repeated," including pursuing "disciplinary and other actions as appropriate based on the circumstances of each of the cases raised in this report."
Lofthus also concurred with the IG's recommendations to avoid nepotism incidences in the future, including revising training materials and guidance on hiring practices, requiring disclosure of applications by relatives, and reviewing whether nepotism or improper preference occurred in the hiring of additional relatives who were not part of OIG's investigation.


text:
H2O Asset Management singled out at Financial News 2016' Awards for Excellence
At the latest edition of its prestigious Awards for Excellence, pan-European professional financial press leader Financial News voted Natixis Asset Management subsidiary H2O Asset Management "Boutique Manager of the Year: Fixed Income". H2O Asset Management was singled out for its entrepreneurial spirit, robust growth and the performance displayed by its investments. Assets under management increased from £5m to £8.8m last year against a complex market backdrop, while staff numbers reached 40. Meanwhile, H2O Asset Management's Multibonds global macro strategy posted the highest performance in its sector over the three years to end-May 2016, posting a 10.6% gain per year over the past three years.
H2O Asset Management: performance, liquidity, transparency
H2O Asset Management was co-founded by CEO Bruno Crastes and CIO Vincent Chailley in July 2010*, and sits on the border between a traditional fund management approach and alternative investment management strategies.
"We offer clients global macro multistrategy-type investment solutions within the framework of UCITS benefiting from daily liquidity. Most of us have been working together for more than ten years and we are already a well-established team" states Vincent Chailley. Bruno Crastes adds "Our team consists of 40 senior asset management professionals, and we have the size, focus and flexibility of a boutique investment management company. The human scale of our company means we can take decisions swiftly and act efficiently, while benefiting from the security offered by an asset management major, as we are backed by one of the largest asset managers in Europe, Natixis Asset Management."
* Accredited by the Financial Services Authority on December 17, 2010.
Reference to a ranking and/or an award does not indicate the future performance of the fund or the fund manager. Methodology is available at am.efnevents.com.
Figures mentioned refer to previous years. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Natixis Asset Management – Asset management company regulated by AMF under n°GP 90-009 – Limited Liability Company, Share Capital €50 434 604.76 - RCS Number 329 450 738 Paris - Registered Office: 21 quai d'Austerlitz, 75013 Paris
H2O Asset Management LLP – 10 Old Burlington Street, Westminster – London W1S 3 AG – UK – registered in England and Wales with registration number OC 356207 – Authorized as an asset management company by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), and entered on the FCA Register with the Registration Number 529105.
Find out more about H2O Asset management


text:
Winmalee High School
My work was inspired by society's concerns about privacy and surveillance in our day-to-day lives, and my own experience of growing up surrounded by the cameras of my photographer parents. I tried to reflect the concerns of the public on this topic through a visual depiction of the paranoia that surrounds it. The work represents the constant feeling of being watched, where the drawings are interpretations of existing technologies. The use of old technology in the works clearly shows the machine's functions, which are usually hidden in contemporary technologies, while paying homage to my family's past.
Influencing artists: William Kentridge, Banksy, Locust Jones, Jim Campbell


text:
Automated corrosion control program improves reliability and eliminates need for $5 Million capex
Analyzing salt-in crude online allows for real-time desalter optimization
PATHFINDER? Amine Test provides an added layer of protection from tramp amines
We found no results!
The implementation of innovative, state of the art analyzers provide refiners with increased levels of insight that can be used to respond to events in real-time, identifying the root causes of process upsets that would otherwise go unseen. This increased awareness allows refiners to take more proactive measures to manage crude unit threats and allow the safe processing of a more opportunistic crude slate.
Visitors who viewed this story also viewed
Our search returned no results.


text:
Wine Bank on View is your local wine bar, restaurant and wine merchants with a 64 page wine list including the largest range of local wines from Bendigo and Heathcote plus a select range of interstate and international wines. Every week we welcome a new winery and new wines for anyone to come and try, we love sharing and educating people on wines from all over the world.
Each week we have a selection of wines on tasting and we also guarantee best pricing on any wines you try and wish to buy on the night, plus check out the weekly wine prize up for grabs for one lucky wine taster every week.


text:
Page 4By Brad Wieners
Time for a Redesign: Dr. Jakob Nielsen
Danish-born Dr. Jakob Nielsen, 46, who completed his doctorate in computer-human interaction at the Technical University of Denmark in 1988, made a name for himself in Silicon Valley during the late 1990s as a champion of minimalism and ease-of-use in Web site design. In fact, a list of the sobriquets bestowed on him by the press neatly recalls those overwrought times: "the reigning guru of Web usability" (Fortune); "eminent Web usability guru" (CNN); "perhaps the best-known design and usability guru on the Internet" (Financial Times); "the usability Pope" (WirtschaftsWoche Magazine, Germany).
If Nielsen's status today is less Papal, he's nevertheless continued to build a body of research, best practices and technologies (including a remarkable 73 patents), all of which relate to how companies can actually get the increased productivity and business value from IT that has so long been promised. "It's still a horrible experience to do business with most companies," Nielsen says, "because, honestly, their computer systems remain so cumbersome and customer-hostile."
In 1998, Nielsen and fellow futurist Don Norman formed the Nielsen Norman Group. The Group has consulted on projects at a number of well-known firms, including General Electric, General Motors, UPS, Hallmark Cards, and wsj.com. Each year, it recognizes the "Ten Best Intranets." Meanwhile, in his regular online column, "Alertbox," Nielsen continues to increase his reputation as a gadfly.
Executive Editor Brad Wieners recently caught up with Nielsen by telephone and asked him what, if anything, we've learned in the decade since everyone awoke to the need for a Net strategy.
Page 2
CIO Insight: Let's start with your research findings, some of which seem rather sensational. You report that an average mid-size company can expect a return on investment of 1,000 percent, and a gain of $5 million a year in employee productivity, simply by improving the usability of its intranet.
Nielsen: That's right.
How do you figure?
That number came from 2002. And I am sorry to say that I've not seen huge improvements in intranets these last two years, so that potential is still there. But I also want to point out that that estimate is really going from a company being average to above average, to just being in the top 25 percent. It's not going from average to being the best, which would have even more of an impact. And that particular figure [$5 million per year] is estimated for a company of 10,000 employees. But this is linear, so it applies to companies of all sizes. Multiply the number of employees by the number of hours per year that they waste.
Then there's this even more eye-popping number: that superior intranet design could save the world economy $1.3 trillion.
That's true, but that's really, truly worldwide. And that's how I can say [that] usability is not just a small issue. It's one of the biggest driving factors for really getting our productivity up in the white-collar economy, the service economy, and it's really in many ways the equivalent of what was done in the old days when people were studying productivity on the assembly lines. The problem is that nowadays most work is knowledge work. So this means to get productivity gains today we have to adjust the machinesand by machines now, we really mean software. So how do we adjust machines to human thinking? Well, by studying human thinking; in other words, by doing these usability studies and adjusting the technology.
In 1999 you revisited your "Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design" from 1996. Let's compare 1999 to now. What continue to be the most persistent challenges?
Bad search continues to be a problem today even though, from a technology perspective, great progress has been made. You can see this plainly when you use the public search engines. They're much better today than they were ten years ago. But the search on individual Web sites or inside intranets is, typically, still bad. And it's bad in all the different aspects of search. It's usually not unified searchno one search can search everything. This is a particular intranet problem. Things are divided up into different knowledge bases, so you've got to know where to search, and if you need to know where to go to search, then that defeats the entire idea.
The other problem about search is the content, which is to say the individual pages, or units of information, are typically poorly described in terms of things like the headline and the summaries, which is all people have to choose from when they get the search-results listing. So if there was just one thing we could fix on the Web, and for intranets as well, I would say let's fix search; that's still the number one single thing that's causing people problems.
What else?
The second thing that's causing the most problems is information architecture, which continues to be driven more by how the information is produced than by how it's consumed. Intranets are usually divided up by which department does which things, as opposed to what tasks employees have, or which work activities people have.
And I'll just mention one glaring mistake that most companies make: They divide up their networks or Web sites between products and supplies and service. There are typically three different places because there are three different divisions doing it. For a customer, however, if I have a certain copier, let's say the X17 copier, and I want toner for that machine, or I want to get it servicedwell, what I want is to go and find my copier and, once I find it, I want to get supplies for my copier, I want to get some trouble-shooting, self-service information. But it's a major effort because these are in different places. So that's something we find almost every time we do a study: that information is not structured in the way that people think of it. And that has been a problem for all ten years.
And then the last thingI mean, there's millions of these things. But another one I want to mention is lack of clarity in the content. In other words, the descriptions, the actual information, doesn't clearly answer the questions people have. It's all kind of buried under a huge, thick layer of marketing, you know, of hype, and it's not concrete. [The content] does not explicitly say what you want to know.
Let me give you a very small example. I was looking at a hotel, and so the hotel Web site says, "Ample parking is available," but you have to pay for it, in this parking garage located in the same block as the hotel. Well, that's all very nice, but can't you just tell me how many dollars a day it is to park there? Okay, it's downtown. I've got to pay for parking. I can accept that. But how much is it?
So you definitely advise publishing prices online.
That's the number one specific thing people always ask for, and I think it's a completely mistaken idea that you're going to lose customers if you tell them what it's going to cost, because nobody's going to buy anything without knowing what it costs.
Pet Peeves
Page 3
If usability offers so much potential, why does it seem like there's still resistance to doing usability reviews?
There is resistance. It comes in many different ways, and often it's from the highest-level executives who don't even realize how bad their intranet is, because they don't use it themselves.
I'll just pose a very simple challenge to your readers: When is the last time you did your own expense reports, as opposed to handing it off to an assistant to do it? If you had to find out, you know, the rules for getting reimbursed for taking a client out for lunch, and how to actually take the receipt from the restaurant and enter it into the systemit may involve many steps. Well, most executives never actually do those things, and so, therefore, they don't realize that many of these steps can be quite cumbersome. So you really have to go on the intranet, not just to check it out, "Does it look good?," but to actually accomplish a specific task. So that's one really big issue right there.
Then a second issue is that the people who work in IT departments, even if they do try these things themselves, they don't necessarily recognize how difficult the processes are for mainstream employees. For someone in the IT department, the intranet may make a process much, much easier than it is for, let's say, an attorney in the legal department who might have a very high hourly rate, but who is not particularly a computer person.
The third barrier is that even when it is accepted that something needs to be done to improve usability, it often falters on more political barriers. Within the organization, it's not always clear who is in charge of [the intranet] and can say, okay, we're going to make it this way. Very often, it's a very distributed responsibility, and so a lot of people have to be brought on board, and they might drag their feet, or say that's not their problem this year. And if you have to get 50 departments to do it, it never happens.
It becomes a major coordination problem.
Last fall, you published your most recent survey of "Best Intranets." Any surprises from that research?
You might say that the lack of a clear technology platform was in some ways a surprise because you read so much about this and that solution being supposedly the way to great intranets. In fact, when we go and talk to those companies that have done great intranetsfirst of all, they all use something different, and, second, all of them say of whatever [technology] they happen to be using, "Well, we had to make a lot of changes ourselves to make it really work for us." So I think there is a big contrast between advertising and reality, and that these technologies are not all there yet. You really have to take responsibility yourself if you want to get a good solution.
Another thing that was quite striking was that several of these best intranets had reduction of e-mail as being one of their priorities in their project, finding ways of taking information away from e-mail and sticking it into a more kind of organized and searchable space on the intranet. It was probably because you can provide better features on the intranet than you can an e-mail reader, but it's also partly because people are just getting so buried in their e-mail, we've got to take things out of e-mail if at all possible.
The goal used to be the opposite: to put things into e-mail.
That's right, and people have done it too much. Now we've got to retract.
B2B Tips
To make the most of your B2B Web site, nielsen recommends that you "Help your fans help you" win their business. Provide the resources prospective clients' need to sell your products and services internally. Offer these aids:
Downloadable product photos, preferably ones that show the product being used.
White papers that demonstrate ROI. Make these short, and don't use PDF; standard Web pages make it easier for advocates to cut and paste text and images into their memos and presentations.
Links to external press coverage that demonstrates that independent sources have covered you positively.
Downloadable tables showing your product's main specifications, benefits and price, along with competitive comparisons.
Downloadable slide shows, preferably in PowerPoint format.
Ongoing updates through an e-mail newsletter, which can offer advocates hints about tidbits to feed their bosses.
Source: Norman Nielsen Group Inc.
Page 4
Among your Web site pet peeves, you inveigh against pop-up ads, which you once compared to selling a vacuum cleaner by first dashing someone's ashtray on the floor.
That's completely what it is like, yes. My screen is really precious to me. It's mine; don't go and pollute it.
Okay, but what have you got against PDFs?
Well, the problem is that PDF documents are just not very suitable for online access because they are optimized for print, and they're big linear documents, and, therefore, they're not very good for search. So if you find something that's in a PDF file, it's probably on page 217 or something, and being dumped at page one doesn't really help you that much. And so often you'll miss the information even though it is, in fact, in the file.
Also, the formatting is optimized for print, so it's simply a nice brochure. It's typically letter-sized, and you kind of have to scroll it too much or the type becomes too small and hard to read. And the very first time you experience this, you don't even see the document. All you see is "Now we're loading Acrobat." So it becomes an extra delay that people hate as well.
You're also not a fan of drop-down menus. For example, you'd prefer to type in a two-letter abbreviation for your state, CA, than scroll down looking for it.
Exactly. Because it's much faster and it's less error prone.
The reason I think that drop-downs are so common is that the programmers want to avoid having to validate the input, but it's not really that difficult to write a little routine that checks that you have one of the authorized abbreviations. And it's actually much less error prone because what very often happens is that people who want to enter "California" will end up with "Alabama" because the menu kind of first goes to C, but then it goes back to A. This is a minor irritant, but it's an example of a more general issue which is, Where do you put the burden? Do you put the burden on the computer or on the user?
Another thing that this points to is the general principle that if a task is keyboard-centric, stay at the keyboard as much as possible. If it's mouse-centric, stay at the mouse as much as possible.
Many of our readers have been through a generation or two of their own Web sites and intranets. Any mistakes to avoid when redesigning that are distinct from the original development process?
Well, the biggest difference is that if you have a redesign, you already have a design by definition, and, therefore, I would very strongly recommend starting by not actually doing anything new, but by researching what you already have. This is a piece of advice that most people think of as weird because they feel like, "I want to just get moving, I want to get moving on my new thing, I want to throw out the old thing and get a new thing." But that's putting the cart before the horse. You want to know first what works on your old design, and what doesn't work, and why it doesn't work. Those are all very important questions to get answered, because otherwise what happens is that you may actually lose some of the features that worked well in the old design. And of the ones that didn't work, you know, maybe you'll have something different, but who's to say that different is better? So it's very, very important to do a study of the existing design. The existing design is your best prototype of your new design because it's already working, it has all the features, and it has all the users right there.
That seems common sense enough.
Sad to say, people often miss that.
In the past, you've suggested that 10 percent of the budget for any Web or intranet project go toward usability. Still a good rule of thumb?
That is still a good figure. Ultimately it should be higher than that, but in today's world, that's a good recommendation. The way to think of that is, really, that you spend 10 percent of your budget making sure you're doing the right thing, and then 90 percent on doing that thing.
Designing Web Usability
By Jakob Nielsen
New Riders, 1999
Don't Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
By Steve Krug
New Riders, 2000
Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web
By Christina Wodtke
New Riders, 2002
Web sites
Adaptive Path's incisive essays on information design, architecture and usability
www.adaptivepath.com/ publications/essays/archives/index.php


text:
The soccer resume of one Gordon Jago is pretty impressive. A player in his native England, he then became a head coach in the NASL and also briefly coached the US National team. Dallas-area soccer fans remember him for his two stints coaching the area's former indoor team the Sidekicks, whom he led to a pair of championships during his tenure. More recently, Jago has served as executive director of the Dallas Cup, which is regarded as one of the most prestigious youth soccer tournaments in the entire world. He recently discussed this year's event for a few minutes and here's what he had to say.
Discuss this year's Dallas Cup.
Jago: Interestingly, of course, it's a new competition in every way. We have so many new people with a new sports equipment company, Nike. We have a new host club, the Dallas Texans. Business-wise, we have a new creative artist company. For us, there are a lot of new things and you take that into the tournament. I'm pleased to have three international teams in the Super Group. Basically, they're Under-20 teams i.e. America, Mexico and Japan. Then of course, we have the women's international game for Susan G. Komen with USA Under-17 and Brazil Under-17. This is the most international teams we've ever had in the Dallas Cup in one season. We've had the Under-20s and Under-17s once with the USA and I think that's about it. The big thing this year is having three teams that are preparing for the Under-20 championship in Colombia next year. They are a big plus for us in terms of the attraction for good soccer.
This year, you have the US and Brazil Under-17 women's teams playing in a benefit match for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Discuss how that came about.
Jago: Three of our board members have wives who are survivors of breast cancer and my wife is also. All of us have been very deeply involved in the well-being of our wives and got involved in the cancer world, shall we say. It's incredible that all the ladies went to Baylor (Medical Center) and are under the same doctor. It was a natural reaction when we were talking about having a women's international game.
At first, we were able to get the US Under-17 and Brazil Under-17. The object of the exercise was for both teams to have the opportunity to prepare for the World Championships in Trinidad in September. Unfortunately, the USA went to compete and got beat by Canada in penalties last week and won't be going. Of course, Brazil did quality and will be going. That was an attraction to start with and then it followed on in a natural way. We wanted to help a good cause with these young ladies. It's a women's game and we wanted to support a women's charity. Susan G. Komen came quickly to mind because of what I just said about the three ladies and my wife all being survivors.
What is the biggest challenge for you with each year's even t?
Jago: Well, I think we try to come up with top teams and new top teams as well as the old ones. For example, we have sent invitations already to Manchester United and Barcelona for next year. We were hoping to try and get a reply before this year's tournament so we could announce it. That's the sort of challenge that we have each year, to bring in the very best of youth soccer from around the world.
What I'm trying also to do now is to bring in some countries that are new to us. I tried to get the North Korea Under-17 women by the way. I contacted their federation because they are unbelievably strong. They have won the Under-17 and the Under-20 women's championship and I tried very hard to get them this year. That's the challenge that we have, to come up with talented teams that are going to be interesting to the soccer community of Dallas.
The other thing that's important is once you get a particularly attractive team, then other top teams want to come. That's the situation that prevails. When I first joined, we had a problem with the Under-12s after 9/11 because parents weren't letting the youngsters travel. We had nothing come in for the Under-12s at that time. I had Manchester United's Under-12 team agree to come over and as soon as I put it on the Web site, we had 32 teams in no time. That was a clear indication to me that when they get their notice of being accepted, the next question is: who's in our bracket? They all want to put themselves to the test against visiting international teams and I think that's the secret of the Dallas Cup at this moment. It has been able to bring in a large number - I think we're over 60 foreign teams this year - into the tournament across the board. By being able to do that, you get the youngsters here. They want to come and test themselves against players from other countries.
How proud does it make you to know your event has such a renowned reputation across the globe?
Jago: Well, we take a lot of pride but we're also disappointed. Everywhere we go, if we're wearing a Dallas Cup shirt or my luggage label says Dallas Cup, people recognize it. I was in Heathrow Airport and the guy behind the counter saw Dallas Cup and said his boys played in it two years ago. But we're not as well known in our own city. That's what I'm trying to do now, build more awareness of the Dallas Cup in our own area. We are a well-known soccer tournament in the soccer world around the world but not so much here.
This year, I've got four teams going into the schools for a meet-and-greet and cultural exchange. I've got Japanese, New Zealand, Mexico and England teams going into local schools. I've got Tottenham and Chelsea to the two children's hospitals, Scottish Rite and such. So, it's two-fold and part of that is the diversity factor. But I'm also trying to build awareness in our own city. I often say that the Dallas Cup is the best-kept secret in Dallas. That's something that we're trying to bring about.
All of us connected to this event, the last 31 years have been unbelievable with the tournament and the way its built itself from 36 teams in the first one to where it is today. For us to receive so many applications, we had 360 applications for 180 spots. For every one available, there were two applicants. We're quite pleased with that and proud of that. Each year, we try to not only maintain our standards of everything but increase it all the time. That's half the battle, to keep coming up with attractive teams that haven't been seen by our local soccer fans. In the summer, now we have to get more international teams to commit, particularly from Scandinavia. I don't understand why we haven't had many teams from that area in some time. I wanted to try and see if we can't attract some interest from there for next year.


text:
We're all tired of waiting for web pages to download, aren't we? To make sure that visitors to your site don't get frustrated, we rounded up some in-house experts to help you make your pages faster 'n greased lightning.
Pictures are worth a thousand words — especially on the web, where pages of text can download in the time it takes for a single image to load. Your images may be sub-zero cool, but if they're too plump, few people will stick around long enough to see them. We'll dig into tricks and optimizations to speed up your GIF, JPG, and PNG downloads.
Once you've learned the basics of shrinking your images, we'll will walk you through the advantages of using CSS for your page layout. And, if you're one of those people who insists on using tables, we'll offer you a few choice hints on how to get those tables slim and streamlined.
After you've removed the bloat from your layout code and your images, you'll learn how to cut needless elements from your pages. Hint: Start with all those links.
The series concludes with wise words about how to come up with benchmarks for speed and how to test your site using nothing but a stopwatch and a pencil.
Get started with with lesson 1
Site Optimization Tutorial – Overview
Site Optimization Tutorial – Lesson 1
Site Optimization Tutorial – Lesson 2
Site Optimization Tutorial – Lesson 3