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If we have this :
the out put would be like that:Code:#include <iostream.h> #include <stdlib.h> int main() { const int size=7; int a[size]={0}; for( int i=1; i<600; i++) ++a[1+ rand()%6]; cout<<a[i]<<endl; for(int j=0; j<size; j++) cout<<a[j]<<" ";
why the value of the array remained 0 while i have already incremet it and also i have used rand()???Code:0 9404 9063 14109 9306 18378 9454
and wut are these numbers when the array is being printed in the second loop? why the each cell contains 4 or more numbers? why not one number? and why does it conttain 7, 8 and 9 if i used the rand() of range (0-6)?????????
anyone can tell me?

subset: commoncrawl


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Hallmark adds new kid-friendly style bands featuring popular characters, shows, and singers.
Australian teen singer and songwriter, Cody Simpson, will be featured on a style band at participating Hallmark Gold Crown stores. Disney show Shake It Up! will also be featured on the new style bands. The bands allow kids to trade messages by bumping fists or shaking hands. Kids can also showcase their own style by changing their band to match their outfits, moods, and interests.
To check out the full collection of style bands, watch Text Bands in action, and view Text Bands celebrity videos and photos, visit www.textbands.com.


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Cart is empty
Introducing ARRL�s Understanding Basic Electronics, second edition�your gateway into the exciting world of electricity and electronics. This book is written in a friendly, easy-to-understand style that beginners and nontechnical readers will enjoy. Even if you already have a foundation in basic electronics, you will enjoy the small module format of each chapter�allowing readers to digest (or skim) �bite-sized� chunks of learning material. Real-world examples and clear illustrations make the study of electronics interesting and fun! A handful of small �kitchen table� projects are included to help bring abstract concepts to life.
Now including digital electronics!
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6524.0.55.002 - Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas, Time Series, 2003-04 to 2007-08
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 14/09/2010
|Page tools: Print Page Print All
Ascot and Hamilton top Queensland's income list
Ascot recorded the highest average total income in Queensland in 2007-08 ($84,766), followed closely by Hamilton ($84,759).
Pullenvale ($65,893), Kenmore Hills ($65,891) and Chapel Hill ($65,880) round out the top five, with average incomes well below those of the leaders.
Around 40% of regions in Queensland recorded average total incomes above the state average ($41,911). Of these, around 70% were located within the Brisbane metropolitan area.
Outside of Brisbane, highest average total incomes were recorded in Belyando ($62,100), Broadsound ($60,474) and Nebo ($58,934), and in the Central Highlands region, Duaringa ($58,579) and Peak Downs ($58,093).
These data include income from wages and salaries, own unincorporated business, investment, and superannuation and annuities, but do not include government pensions and allowances.
Further information is available in Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas, 2003-04 to 2007-08 (cat. no. 6524.0.55.002).
Media note:
When reporting ABS data the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) must be attributed as the source.
Document Selection
These documents will be presented in a new window.


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Manage storage software components like Data Facility Systems Managed Storage hierarchical storage manager, tape management subsystems, and more. View real-time, actionable hardware subsystem status.
Use problem-solving workspaces with Dynamic Workspace Links (DWL) to related tools in the Tivoli Enterprise™ Portal (TEP) and Enhanced 3270 UI to help eliminate "war-rooms."
Enable end-to-end z/OS I/O subsystem performance and availability monitoring to provide a complete view of application storage performance.
Define custom exception situations to target real issues without triggering simple threshold notifications. Set standard or custom situations to respond automatically or to alert an administrator.
Use the storage toolkit to make administrators more efficient with automated commands and scheduled actions to manage the storage environment.


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USB game controller
- 1 Button layouts
- 1.1 HID controllers
- 1.2 Adapters
- 1.3 XInput controllers
- 1.4 Conclusions
- 2 Reading the controller
Button layouts
Unlike controllers for a single game console, USB Human Interface Device game controllers for a PC have their buttons in different layouts. Even if the buttons are in the same layout, they may be presented to the application in a different order. So unlike a console game, a PC game cannot assume that, say, "button 1 = jump".
This section describes how various controllers are seen by Pygame, a wrapper around SDL. Most tests were performed with a program under Xubuntu 12.04 "Precise Pangolin". Section headings represent the device name as seen through the test program, under Linux if not otherwise specified. Results on Windows 8 were similar, except SDL under Windows 8 omits the manufacturer name from the device name, and devices without a name show up as a less informative "2 axis 10 button joystick" instead of the hexadecimal vendor and product IDs.
HID controllers
The original iMac was the first popular personal computer to have USB as its only connection for external input, storage, and output devices. USB ports became common on other brands of PC starting in 1999. Once USB became standard and sound cards stopped carrying the 15-pin game ports to which joysticks had previously connected, companies started producing USB game controllers specifically for the PC.
Gravis GamePad Pro USB
One of the first USB game controllers, with the same physical layout as the original PlayStation controller.
- Axes: 2
- Control Pad X
- Control Pad Y
- Buttons: 10
- Red (left)
- Yellow (down)
- Green (right)
- Blue (up)
- Select
- Start
Logitech Logitech Dual Action
A controller with the same layout as Sony's Dual Shock, except the sticks' restrictors are square, not circular. When the "mode" switch is turned on, the left stick is swapped with the digital Control Pad. Surprisingly, buttons 1-10 are in the same order as on the Gravis.
- Axes: 4
- Left stick X
- Left stick Y
- Right stick X
- Right stick Y
- Buttons: 12
- Square (Left)
- X (Down)
- Circle (Right)
- Triangle (Up)
- Select
- Start
- Hats: 1
- Control Pad
Logitech Logitech(R) Precision(TM) Gamepad
This controller is essentially the same thing as the Dual Action, except with no analog sticks and the "mode" switch always on. It's similar to the original PlayStation controller with larger L2 and R2 buttons like those of the Dual Shock.
- Axes: 2
- Control Pad X
- Control Pad Y
- Buttons: 10; same placement and order as the first ten buttons of the Dual Action
DragonRise Inc. Generic USB Joystick
The SteelSeries 3GC Controller is mapped quite oddly. The name of this device, as seen by SDL on Linux, has a lot of spaces:
DragonRise Inc. Generic USB Joystick
Buttons 1-10 have silk-screened numbers. Shoulder buttons 5-8 have the number silk-screened next to an engraved 1 or 2, showing that the manufacturer uses the same mold for PlayStation controllers. A "mode" button at the bottom center of the face switches between two modes, signaled by green and red LEDs next to the button. Green appears to be designed for games expecting only digital controls, while red makes all analog controls available.
- Axes: 5
- Left stick X OR Control Pad X (green only)
- Left stick Y OR Control Pad Y (green only)
- Left stick X OR right stick Y (red only)
- Right stick Y (red only)
- Right stick X (red only)
- Buttons: 12
- Triangle (Up) OR right stick up (green only)
- Circle (Right) OR right stick right (green only)
- X (Down) OR right stick down (green only)
- Square (Left) or right stick left (green only)
- Shoulder L2
- Shoulder R2
- Shoulder L1
- Shoulder R1
- Select
- Start
- Hats: 1
- Control Pad (red only)
Jess Tech GGE909 PC Recoil Pad
This one has a flat, retractable USB cable. Its Control Pad is severely diagonal-biased, making it next to unusable for anything but isometric games like Q*bert, Snake Rattle 'n' Roll, and other games designed for a 4-way diagonal joystick. Its face buttons are in PlayStation order and have 1, 2, 3, and 4 symbols colored like PlayStation buttons.
Axes (4):
- Left stick X (analog on) OR Control Pad X (analog off)
- Left stick Y (analog on) OR Control Pad Y (analog off)
- Right stick Y (analog on)
- Right stick X (analog on)
Buttons (4):
- Triangle
- Circle
- Square
- Select
- Start
Hats (1)
- Control Pad (analog on)
HID 1267:2afb
This is a Chinese no-name clone of the Super NES controller, except with lighter plastic and a USB HID protocol instead of the SPI-like protocol that the NES and Super NES controllers use.
- Axes: 2
- Control Pad X
- Control Pad Y
- Buttons: 8
- Select
- Start
Evidently a lot of people are dissatisfied with the Control Pad on no-name and Gravis controllers, preferring that of a Nintendo or Sony console. Several companies have produced adapters to use controllers for classic game consoles with any PC game that supports USB HID controllers.
Wish Technologies Adaptoid
Adapter to use Nintendo 64 controllers on a USB HID host. As with the Dual Analog, there is a way to swap the Control Pad and Control Stick. While holding L, R, and Z, press Up on the Control Pad three times to enable swapping or move the Control Stick up three times to disable it.
- Axes: 2
- Control Stick X
- Control Stick Y
- Buttons: 14
- C Down
- C Right
- C Left
- C Up
- Start
- Control Pad Up
- Control Pad Down
- Control Pad Left
- Control Pad Right
HID 0b43:0003
The EMS USB2 adapter can be switched between two modes. One mode allows the use of an original Namco Guncon with PS2 software designed for the Guncon 2. The other mode, described here, allows using one or two PlayStation, Dual Shock, or Dual Shock 2 controllers on a USB HID host. Some people report it works better when plugged into a hub than when plugged directly into the PC. It has become popular among StepMania users because Control Pad directions are always returned as buttons, even in digital mode, so that Left+Right and Up+Down presses on a dance pad work correctly. An original PlayStation controller or a Dual Shock or Dual Shock 2 with the Analog button turned off will replace all joystick axes with the corresponding direction on the Control Pad. The buttons on a Dual Shock 2 are not pressure-sensitive; it is treated as an original Dual Shock.
- Axes: 4
- Left stick X
- Left stick Y
- Right stick Y
- Right stick X
- Buttons: 14
- Triangle
- Circle
- Square
- Select
- Start
- Control Pad Up
- Control Pad Right
- Control Pad Down
- Control Pad Left
XInput controllers
The Xbox 360 controller's native protocol is not the standard USB Human Interface Device protocol.
Microsoft X-Box 360 pad
This is a wired Xbox 360 Controller. Its Linux driver misspells "Xbox". The layout below is for SDL on the Linux driver.
- Axes: 6
- Left stick X
- Left stick Y
- Right stick X
- Right stick Y
- Buttons: 11
- A (Down)
- B (Right)
- X (Left)
- Y (Up)
- Back
- Start
- Guide (the "hot cross bun" button in the middle)
- Hats: 1
- Control Pad
Controller (XBOX 360 For Windows)
Under Windows, SDL uses DirectInput, not XInput, for Xbox 360 controllers. The Windows DirectInput driver for the Xbox 360 controller produce the difference RT - LT as one axis, with no second axis for LT + RT, in order to encourage developers to switch from DirectInput to XInput, which is exclusive to Xbox 360 controllers. (Another thing to encourage use of XInput is the fact that Windows Store applications cannot use DirectInput and thus cannot use any controller other than the Xbox 360 Controller.)
- Axes: 5
- Left stick X
- Left stick Y
- Right stick Y
- Right stick X
- Buttons: 10
- Select
- Start
- Hats: 1
- Control Pad
Microsoft makes a receiver for Xbox 360 wireless controllers that plugs into a PC's USB port, but I haven't had a chance to test it. One of my testers reports that it calls itself a "Controller (Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows)".
The primary axes are either the Control Pad or the left stick. Buttons come in a rough order: face buttons, then shoulder buttons, then Select and Start, then buttons under sticks, and finally Control Pad directions if not assigned to a hat. But the order and number of buttons within a category are unpredictable, as is which button the user expects to use for each action.
|The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119. (what's this?)
An application that doesn't recognize a particular controller brand SHOULD do the following:
- In the menu, map the primary axes to move, buttons 1 and 3 to OK, and 2 and 4 to Back.
- In the game, map face and shoulder buttons for an Xbox 360 controller, and map 7 and 8 to Pause unless the controller has fewer than eight buttons, in which case the last should be Pause.
- From both the game's menu and the pause menu, include a configuration form that can be operated with the menu bindings.
- Save the result of this form after the user completes it.
To make things easier for the user, the form SHOULD be preloaded with layouts for the most widespread controllers. All XInput controllers use the layout for Xbox 360, and the layout for Gravis GamePad Pro USB, Logitech Precision, and Logitech Dual Action appears to be fairly widespread as well. If the user selects "Custom", ask the user to press the button for each game action in sequence. Assigning multiple buttons to a given action can be done later, after the basic configuration is in place.
- Main Menu
- Continue
- New Game
- ⌥ Options
- Exit
- Options
- 🎮 Control
- 🎨 Graphics
- 🎧 Sound
- ← Back
- Control
- Show a drawing of the controller with button functions overlaid.
- [Xbox 360 Standard] (or whatever controller was detected)
- Custom Layout
- 🔧 Fine-Tune
- ← Back
- Custom Layout
- Press the following
buttons in order:
- [Up], Down, Left, Right,
Jump, Attack, Change Tool,
- Game Paused
- ► Continue
- Abort Mission
- ⌥ Options
The player may end up starting a game with the wrong controls and not knowing how to get back to the menu to configure the controls. Such a player would have to press all the buttons on the controller but would eventually end up pressing the button whose number is the same as that of the Back or Start button on the Xbox 360 controller, or in the case of a controller with few buttons, the last button. (Based in part on recommendation by Belial6.)
Reading the controller
An analog joystick returns displacements along two axes: X (horizontal) and Y (vertical). These readings include a small amount of noise. So the way axes are mapped SHOULD have a dead zone, or an area at the center of the range where the stick is considered centered.
There are two ways to convert the X and Y axes to a direction: separable and polar. A "separable" interpretation treats the X and Y axes independently, giving each axis its own dead zone. The size of the dead zone controls how easy it is to hit the straight and diagonal areas, and it's next to impossible to go directly from centered to diagonal. Separable interpretation is useful for side-view games, where the X axis moves left and right and the Y axis looks up and down or jumps and crouches.
A "polar" interpretation first determines how far and at what angle the stick is moved. The straight sectors can be the same size as the diagonals (45 degrees), or it can be biased toward straight movement (60 degrees). The angle measurement need not use time-consuming trigonometry or square roots. It takes only two multiplies and three adds to calculate whether the squared displacement is greater than the square of the dead zone radius (x2 + y2 > r2), and then calculate whether min(|x|, |y|) > m * max(|x|, |y|), where the slope threshold m (0 < m < 1) is the tangent of half the width of the straight sector.
Here are plots of the nine possible zones for the six combinations of separable, polar with 45 degree straight sectors, and polar with 60 degree sectors, at both 25% and 50% dead zone radius.
Some games allow no diagonal movement at all, such as top-down games with 4-way movement (Pac-Man; Pokemon) and block puzzle games that don't let the user move a piece sideways and drop it at the same time. The best way I've found to handle this is to use a bit of hysteresis: if the diagonal is pressed, use the most recent straight sector (if it's adjacent). This works with separable interpretation or with 60-degree straight sectors.
Even on controllers with a digital Control Pad, some cheaper controllers may make it too easy for the player to accidentally press diagonally. This might make the character in a platformer suddenly switch from a run (Right) into a crawl (Down+Right). This can be prevented with a similar technique to the diagonal: only allow Down+Right to be entered from Down. Holding Right and pressing Down would continue moving to the right; to roll or crawl, the player would first have to roll the Control Pad to Down then back to Down+Right, as if performing a Dragon Punch. But games SHOULD still offer a way to turn this compensation off in case the user is using a higher-quality controller, such as a keyboard, an N64 controller through an Adaptoid, a Dual Shock through an EMS USB2, or a Wii Classic Controller through a Mayflash PC045.
And don't depend on the player being able to reach the four corners with the joystick. The thumb sticks on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation controllers, for example, have a circular restrictor. So scale each joystick's dead zone size relative to the maximum displacement that the program has seen on that joystick in this play session.


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Simpla is a Clean & Simple theme, perfect for any business concept. You will find fully layered PSD files, easy to edit and customize. Well arranged and properly named layers and groups.
Images are NOT included in the download files.
Fonts used: Open Sans – http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/open-sans
Images: http://www.behance.net/
Best regards!


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Albertans won't have to wait for a new disclosure policy to take effect to find out how much money Premier Alison Redford's former chief of staff received as severance.
Stephen Carter, who worked as the premier's top adviser until April 2012, tweeted Friday morning that "in respect for the Premier's demand for openness, the amount of my severance was $130,000."
Opposition Leader Danielle Smith said Friday the amount seems high, but the premier's office should release all of the details of the compensation – along with all of the other severance packages paid by Redford's office. Smith also wonders why a staff member in the premier's office who left his position voluntarily received any severance at all.
"It looks like he was paid six months of severance for six months of work, which I think by anybody's estimation is pretty rich," Smith told Global News. "You don't see those kinds of severances in the private sector… it just does not pass the reasonable person test."
Likewise, Derek Fildebrandt of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said the payment to Carter is unreasonable.
"I'm glad he finally released it, but $130,000 – I guess there was a reason the government wanted to keep that secret," he said in an interview Friday.
"Traditionally you get two to three weeks for every year you've worked. That's far out of line…. Which is potentially why Mr. Carter and the government went so far out of their way to keep it hidden."
Carter was not available for comment on Friday.
The surprise disclosure comes a day after Redford's Progressive Conservative government faced scathing criticism for not releasing Carter's severance.
Opposition parties said Thursday the premier's office's refusal to abide by a call from the information and privacy commissioner to disclose severance paid to Carter raised concerns he'd received public compensation for his service as a political operative.
Speaking to reporters in Medicine Hat before the new disclosure policy was announced, Redford insisted the appropriate rules were being followed in the case.
"It's not for me to step in to release a document or to not release a document. I don't actually have a role in the process," she said.
Later Thursday, Redford released a statement saying she'd instructed Don Scott — associate minister of accountability, transparency and transformation in the Tory government — to implement a new "proactive" policy around disclosing salary and severance information for senior government employees.
Redford said the new policy would expand and replace the existing release of compensation information in the government's annual report.
"It is my intention that this disclosure would be retroactive to the day this government was sworn in," she said in the statement.
An official within the premier's office confirmed the new policy "will cover Carter's contract and severance" since it was paid out after the Progressive Conservative government was re-elected in April of 2012.
"Minister Scott has to go and do some work to figure out what this looks like, he has to make sure that we're balancing all of the privacy issues that come around disclosing contracts," said Neala Barton, the premier's spokeswoman.
"But certainly I think by the end of the year is what I expect the timeline that we're looking at."
Carter, who now works in the private sector, became Redford's chief of staff after managing her successful bid to become leader of the Progressive Conservative party in 2011.
He left the $265,000-per-year post to work as a strategist for the Tories' election campaign leading up to the April 2012 vote.
Critics and media — including the Herald — have been trying to get his severance made public through freedom of information requests.
On Thursday, Smith said the severance paid to Carter is "basic public information" that should be released.
The fact Redford was defying a ruling from the privacy commissioner's office raised troubling questions about how public dollars are being used, Smith said before the government's new policy was unveiled.
Smith questioned why Carter was paid severance at all.
Later Thursday evening, Smith issued a statement accusing the premier of flip-flopping with her new stance and saying Redford should release the information immediately.
"After saying this morning, she had no control over the release of Mr. Carter's severance information, tonight she has backtracked, saying that she will change the policy and release this information — but only well after her leadership vote has taken place," said Smith, referring to the upcoming PC party leadership review in November.
"Make no mistake, the premier knows that legally she will be forced to eventually release this information and has therefore created a path to ensure its disclosure at a politically convenient time."
The executive council — which includes the premier's office — has so far refused to comply with an Oct. 4 deadline imposed by the privacy commissioner's office to release the information.
The ruling was handed down last month by Catherine Taylor, an investigator with the privacy commissioner's office, in response to a freedom of information request made last year by Global News.
Carter declined to comment Thursday when contacted by Postmedia.
NDP Leader Brian Mason said the message is that the government is not as committed to openness and transparency as it claims to be.
"They've got something to hide with the question of Mr. Carter's severance and I want to know what it is, and I think the public does, too," Mason said.
Liberal Leader Raj Sherman echoed that view: "This sum that she paid him must be huge, otherwise why would the premier hide how much was paid?"
Earlier this year, the premier's office disclosed to the Herald that $2.1 million in severance had been paid to former staffers there since 2010, but the government won't say how much each person was paid, or even how many severance packages were paid out.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation said the Tory was "dead wrong" in not disclosing payments to Redford's former chief of staff.
But the move to release salary and severance information for senior government employees is positive, said Fildebrandt. He wants to see all government salaries over $100,000 revealed to the public, mirroring so-called "sunshine laws" in other provinces.
"They may have been wrong off the top, but they're definitely right now," he added.


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Simon Goinard has been doing freelance work for the past decade, with his art featuring for clients as diverse as Disney, Exxon, Camel and Aston Martin.
He's also done quite a bit of video game work, with an equally-impressive list of employers like Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Guild Wars developers ArenaNet.
You can see more of Simon's incredible work at his personal site (thanks CAW!)
To see the larger pics in all their glory (or so you can save them as wallpaper), right-click on them below and select "open in new tab".
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you're in the business and have some concept, environment or character art you'd like to share, drop us a line!


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Mall name:
400 Mill Avenue SE, Suite C8, New Philadelphia, Ohio - OH 44663
Phone number to New Towne Mall mall
330 339 8700
Hours (mall)
Monday - Saturday 10:00 am - 9:00 pm, Sunday Noon - 6:00 pm.
Driving directions
Other stores in New Towne Mall:
Looking for another location of Finish Line store?
Go to Finish Line store locator to see all Finish Line stores


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Men's Formal Shoes
If you want to look your best for a special occasion or an important event and need some stylish shoes that don't compromise on comfort, look no further than our exceptional range of men's formal shoes.
Shop this season's latest arrivals, including brogues, loafers, patent shoes, and leather formal shoes from all the big brands here at Wynsors. With sizes that run from 6 - 12 in an assortment of colours, designs, and materials, you're sure to find some formal shoes that help you to look the part.


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Labels: Achtung
I'm a number cruncher, married and a mother to 2 handsome young boys ~ Ikmal & Nabil. Also a self-confessed movie freak, a walking dictionary of useless facts and I just love swapping postcards. I love loud music, black t-shirts, good books and hot caramel macchiato. I hate hypocrisy, the colour pink, rude people, busy-bodies and those with 'holier than thou' attitude. :) I blog 'coz I hate talking. In real life, I'm this quiet person, often immersed in my own virtual world of obsessions, work and whatnot. Comments, suggestions, brickbats (even virtual cupcakes!) are loved, as long as you use the proper channels a.k.a the comments thingy or my e-mail ~ zackzip [at] hotmail [dot] com.


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Far too often when we talk about EHR, we mostly only talk about the software side of an EHR implementation. Certainly selecting the right EHR software is the most important part of an EHR implementation. It will guide and direct many of the other EHR implementation decisions. However, once you've selected the right EHR software, you need to make sure and give plenty of attention to the hardware side of an EHR implementation as well. Many don't and suffer the consequences.
Yes, I know that many clinics and even some hospitals sit back and rely on their EHR vendor to walk them through all their new technical hardware needs. This can work out really well since the EHR vendor knows which hardware will work best with their EHR software. Plus, many EHR vendors have partnered with hardware vendors to provide a really seamless service to their customers. For example, we recently posted to the EMR and EHR video website some HP videos with their EHR partners Greenway and Quest Diagnostics. In fact, at HIMSS I learned about the HP EHReadySM Program which focuses on the seamless EHR implementation experience between EHR software and hardware. I was amazed by the number of EHR partners HP had.
Other clinics have their own in house IT support that deal with all of their EHR hardware needs. In some cases, the doctors themselves act as their own IT support. Regardless of how you approach your EHR hardware, here are some things to consider when it comes to hardware during an EHR implementation:
Consult Other EHR Physician Users – One of the best ways to learn what hardware you need for your EHR is to ask existing users of that EHR. Don't ask a clinic that's been using that EHR for more than a year. They're likely using older hardware you can't buy anymore and have also forgotten what they bought. Instead ask your EHR vendor for a doctor who's been using their EHR for about a year.
Existing Infrastructure – Any vendor worth their salt is going to want you to use your existing infrastructure as much as possible. If you just bought a brand new laptop, then there shouldn't be a need to replace that in order to use the EHR. However, be very careful that you don't take this too far. I know many clinics who have tried to skate by on old hardware and made their EHR implementation miserable. They finally spend the $500 on a new desktop and EHR satisfaction skyrockets. For some context on when to invest in hardware, read these article on EHR performance issues and EHR slowness. Make sure your lack of investment in hardware isn't the reason your "EHR is Slow."
Financing – Yes, the cost of EHR software has dropped dramatically with even a number of high quality Free EHR software offerings. However, many doctors forget to add in the EHR hardware costs including: desktops, laptops, scanners, tablets, printers, cables, network devices, signature pads, cameras, etc. You can and should defray these costs with existing infrastructure as mentioned above, but that only goes so far. All of these hardware costs can add up and especially larger clinics might need to consider financing the cost of all this hardware.
Lifecycle Management – If you're in a larger clinic you're going to want to make sure you have a good lifecycle management plan in place for your hardware. A thoughtful replacement cycle for your hardware is so much better than unplanned hardware crashes with no budget plan to replace it. This replacement cycle should also correspond to your EHR vendors ongoing development plans. How much longer will they support your current hardware? When will they support the latest operating system?
Hire Great IT Help – With few exceptions, the best thing a clinic can do is to hire competent IT people to assist them with the selection and implementation of their hardware. A few doctors get a kick out of the latest IT. For the rest of the doctors out there (which is most of you), find great IT support. No, your daughter's boyfriend who likes computers usually doesn't match that description.
Hardware Takes Time – When planning your EHR implementation schedule, make sure you give plenty of time to implement the hardware side of the EHR implementation. It takes time to select the hardware, for the hardware to be delivered, for the IT people to implement, configure, and test, the hardware, etc. I've seen many EHR implementations delayed while they're waiting for the hardware to arrive.
Those are a few suggestions to help you out. I hope that readers will offer other suggestions in the comments. My key message for this post is to not forget about the hardware side of an EHR implementation. EHR hardware is completely manageable if you deal with it early. If you wait or skimp, then it can wreak havoc on your EHR plans.
This post is sponsored by HP Healthcare, however opinions on products and services expressed here are my own. Disclosure per FTC's 16 CFR, Part 255.


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Speak Up!
This story appears in the February 1998 issue of . Subscribe »
When you're starting out in business, the most effective and least expensive way to market yourself is by word of mouth--your mouth.
"Even if you can't afford to do any marketing," says Pamela Truax, co-author of Market Smarter, Not Harder (Kendall/Hunt Publishing, $29.95, 800-228-0810), "you can promote your business by getting out and talking to people."
For Truax, the most important speaking opportunity is the "elevator speech"--what you say at mixers and networking opportunities when people ask what you do. Like any good speech, it requires preparation.
A successful self-introduction follows these steps:
- Let the other person talk first. If you express interest in others, they'll be more receptive to what you say. You can then tailor your comments to their concerns.
- Cite the benefits--to the listener--of your product or service. The most appealing benefits are saving time, money or effort.
- Hand out your business card.
- Prove your claim with statistics or a testimonial. "My product saved ABC Co. $25,000 in six months." "The director of sales at XYZ Co. credits my training program with improving her department's performance by 10 percent over a two-year period." Be specific, concrete and honest.
From start to finish, your self-introduction should last no more than a minute. Your goal is to inform and arouse interest, not to give an exhaustive (and exhausting) infomercial. Be prepared to say more if someone expresses interest.
Join The Club
Speaking to clubs, civic groups and nonprofit organizations is another way to promote your business. Each time you speak, you meet potential customers, network with professionals, establish credibility and gain free publicity. (Clubs such as the Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions are always looking for good speakers.)
Rich Manuccia had been a personal fitness trainer for 13 years when his business coach convinced him to give public presentations to attract new clients. In the past two years, he has spoken to several different groups: Kiwanis clubs, weight-management groups at community hospitals, a health fair and even a gathering of nuns.
"Few of the speaking engagements paid me anything," Manuccia says, "but they put me in front of potential clients and referral sources. People are still contacting me as a result of those talks."
At a speaking engagement, follow these steps:
- Be focused. Tell people how to do something--one thing.
- Slant your subject toward your audience. Keep the basic content the same, but tweak it 10 percent (usually by adapting your examples and stories to your audience). Examples: "How to Lose Weight and Keep it Off--A Program for Professionals Who Travel" (or "for the Confirmed Couch Potato," etc.).
- Be brief. Stay within the time limits your host suggests. If possible, speak for 15 to 20 minutes, then take questions from the floor.
- Be simple and direct without being simplistic. Tell stories and give examples.
- To get your speeches noticed, send press releases to local newspapers, trade journals and business publications.
Spread The Word
Once you feel confident about your presentation skills and your expertise in a particular field, consider speaking to professional organizations. Doing so has all the benefits of speaking to clubs and nonprofit organizations--and then some. It connects you with professionals in your field, establishes your credentials as an expert and generates free publicity.
Nancy Jensen, president of Medical Care Connections Inc. in San Diego, has built her medical public-relations company on the effectiveness of professional presentations in two ways.
First, she promotes the services of physicians and chiropractors by helping them give presentations to professionals in the workers' compensation field. "Insurance adjusters attend the seminars to keep up to date," says Jensen, "and in the process, become personally acquainted with the health-care provider who's giving the talk. These seminars are one of our most effective marketing tools."
Jensen also promotes her own business by speaking to professional organizations. As a result of a speech she made to a statewide convention of ambulatory-care-center administrators, she picked up a major new client. "It also gave me credibility and recognition as an expert," she says. "Now I get appointments with people who otherwise might not normally return my calls."
When you address a professional organization, you can speak longer--from 45 minutes to an hour--and in greater detail. Distribute handouts that highlight your central points, and be sure to include your name and phone number so people can contact you later. The same rules apply: Be focused, slant your talk to your audience and send out press releases.
You may not be able to afford a major marketing campaign, but you can't afford not to promote yourself and your business by speaking on your own behalf.
Vocal Exercises
Here are some great places to practice your presentation skills:
- Join Toastmasters. Weekly meetings will get you on your feet and speaking in no time. With a mentor, a manual and a supportive environment, you will learn how to overcome anxiety, structure a speech, use gestures and vocal variety and speak persuasively. Toastmasters dues are $36 annually and $5 to $10 per meeting. Call (800) 993-7732 for the club nearest you.
- Take a Dale Carnegie course. The 12-session program teaches communication and human-relations skills. It can help you gain confidence before an audience and master the basics of effective speaking. The instructors and training are excellent, but the price tag is high ($1,075). Call (800) 231-5800 for more information.
For more help, check out these books:
- The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking, by Dale Carnegie (Pocketbooks, $6.99, 800-223-2348).
- How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presentations, by Thomas Leech (Amacom, $27.95, 800-262-9699).
- Would You Really Rather Die Than Give a Talk?, by Michael Egan (Amacom Books, $12.95, 800-262-9699).
- Secrets of Power Presentations, by William Hendricks, Micki Holliday, Recie Mobley and Kristy Steinbrecher (Career Press, $16.99, 800-CAREER-1).
Just For You:
Rest for success.
By Sean M. Lynden
Sleep: Everyone needs it, but most don't get it--until it's too late. By that time, you're beaten down by the latest virus traveling through the air, leaving you unproductive in your business and ornery at home.
"You can't ignore your sleep," warns Roger S. Smith, a sleep disorders specialist and consultant with the Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic in Palo Alto, California. "You need to put sleep somewhere in your strategic planning list."
But if you're wearing all the hats, working without a steady paycheck or pushing to meet deadlines, it's difficult to find the time to sleep more.
What often happens is this: The more stress you feel, the less you sleep. But the less you sleep, the more stress you feel. What can you do to break this vicious cycle?
1. Think long-term. Burning the midnight oil on occasion is fine, but if you consistently skimp on sleep, beware. You're racing on the fast track to burnout.
2. Make sleep a priority. Remember, good health and vitality--byproducts of a good sleep regimen--will give you an edge in the marketplace.
3. Determine your sleep needs. Smith advises that most people need seven to eight hours of sleep each night to perform their best.
4. Manage your time. Take care of crisis situations before they happen. This way, you cut down on the various "surprise" activities that deprive you of sleep.
5. Focus on the benefits of a good night's rest. Having the energy to accomplish tasks efficiently and the enthusiasm to go the extra mile for your clients will help you take your business to the next level.
Remember, your sleep--or lack thereof--will either positively or negatively impact your bottom line. If you don't snooze, you'll inevitably lose.
Can You Manage?
Wage Discrimination.
By Patricia G. Pollack
Employers spent millions of dollars last year making restitution for violating wage and hour laws. Are you at risk? Maybe it's time to review how you pay your employees.
Confusion over employee compensation requirements can result in costly legal fiascoes. Here are answers to some of the most common compensation questions:
- If I pay an employee a salary, do I have to pay him or her overtime? Maybe. Executive, administrative and professional employees, including outside salespeople, are exempt from overtime pay requirements if they meet the qualifying factors set for each category by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). If your employee's duties and responsibilities don't meet the FLSA requirements, the employee is not exempt and must be paid overtime wages.
- Do I have to pay my employees minimum wage? Not necessarily. With permission from the Department of Labor, there are several scenarios in which you may pay employees less than minimum wage. Retail, school or agricultural employers, for example, may pay full-time students 85 percent of the minimum wage; you can pay vocational education students, learners or apprentices 75 percent of the minimum wage. Employees with disabilities may be paid a subminimum wage based on their productivity and consistent with the prevailing wage in the local area. Finally, new employees younger than 20 years old may be paid an "opportunity wage" that's less than the minimum wage for the first 90 days of employment.
- Can I "round" my employee's time card? Rounding the minutes on an employee's time card to the nearest fractional hour is a common practice that makes it easier to calculate the total hours worked. For example, seven hours and 50 minutes may be rounded down to 7.75 hours, and seven hours and 55 minutes may be rounded up to eight hours. You may round the times as long as you're consistent and round equally at both the beginning and the end of shifts. Still, rounding down must not result in the nonexempt employee working more than one uncompensated hour per week.
The FLSA regulations are available from the U.S. Department of Labor. Call (202) 219-8743 or visit the Department of Labor's Web site at http://www.dol.gov for more information.
Contact Sources
Rich Manuccia, 4489 North Ave., San Diego, CA 92116, (619) 295-6988
Medical Care Connections Inc., P.O. Box 60193, San Diego, CA 92166, email@example.com
Roger S. Smith,firstname.lastname@example.com
Pamela Traux, http://www.marketsmarter.com


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The Seagate Slim portable drive is basically the previous
That said, the new drive is much shorter than its predecessor and is an incredibly portable storage device. In my testing, it offers fantastic performance, and it works on both a Windows PC and Mac, without the need to reformat.
The Seagate Slim's only shortcoming is its limited 500GB capacity, though that's plenty for most people. And if you're happy with that, the drive is very affordable, costing just $60. And the Seagate Dashboard software bundle, which includes backup, utilities, and a cross-platform read/write access software driver, is a great bonus. If you're looking for a great portable drive to carry extra data or for backup on the go, this is it. For more options in terms of capacities, check out others on this list.
|Drive type
|2.5-inch external USB hard drive
|Connector options
|Available capacities
|Dimensions (LWH)
|4.5 x 3 x 0.4 inches
|5.3 ounces
|OSes supported
|Windows 2000 or later, Mac OS 10.4 or later
|Software included
|Seagate Dashboard for backup and cross-platform access
Supercompact, cross-platform design
The new Seagate Slim shares the exact thickness of the GoFlex Slim drive. It no longer supports the flexible modular design, which enables you to use the drive with different types of peripheral connections via a swappable adapter. Instead, the new drive is now a straightforward USB portable drive. It works with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. The drive is bus-powered, meaning you just need a USB cable (one is included) to make it work with a computer.
While it's a little disappointing to lose this level of flexibility, this is not a big deal since most computers now support USB 3.0, which is faster than both FireWire and eSATA, and more than fast enough for a single-volume storage device. There's an added benefit, as well: the new Slim is now significantly shorter than its predecessor, making it one of the most compact standard portable drives on the market.
There are two versions of the new drive: the Seagate Slim and Seagate Slim for Mac. The only difference between the two is that they are preformatted for the targeted operating system (NTFS on a Windows machine and HFS+ on a Mac). But you can get either version, regardless of what platform you use. This is because the drive comes with software drivers that allow Windows to read/write Mac file systems and vice versa. The only benefit of getting the version designed specifically for your platform is that out of the box, the drive will work right away without you having to install anything.
Note that since Mac OS can read drives formatted in NTFS, the Windows version of the Slim comes preloaded with Mac software. If you want to use the Slim for Mac on a Windows machine, you will need to download the driver software because by default, Windows can't access a storage device formatted in the Mac file system.


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Defending Civil Rights and Suing Rogue Prosecutors Is Left‐Wing Lawyering?
The National Law Journal and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog note an apparent legal curiosity: Paul Clement, superstar head of King & Spaulding's appellate group and Bush‐administration solicitor general, now "flirts with liberalism" and has "embrace[d] left‐leaning causes" to grow his practice. Is this another case of a conservative lawyer "growing" in office or "drifting" to the left, seduced by the cocktail parties and press attention of the Washington elite?
Hardly. The two cases that prompted this gnashing of teeth (or cautious optimism, depending on where the commentator resides on the political spectrum) are Perdue v. Kenny A. and Pottowattamie County v. McGhee. In Kenny A., Clement represented a group of public interest attorneys who won a big case on behalf of mistreated foster children and argued that they should be entitled to the enhanced fees the trial court awarded them for exceptional performance. In McGhee, Clement's clients are two men who were framed by overzealous prosecutors and served 25 years in prison for crimes they didn't commit — the convictions for which were based on the prosecutors' fabricated evidence.
To say that these are left‐wing positions is to consider the Left to be the only possible champion of justice and constitutional rights, and to paint the non‐Left as standing for limitless, unaccountable governmental power. Neither of these positions is accurate, to say the least. If anything, Clement's positions are solidly libertarian.
Indeed, Cato filed briefs in both cases, and I signed both of them. You can read our brief in Kenny A. here and in McGhee here — Clement actually called me to make sure Cato got involved in this one — and you can read my blog posts about the cases here and here, respectively.
In short, if Paul Clement has gone red, well then so have I — and trust me, there won't be any kumbaya confabs at my place any time soon. My car's new vanity plate does say FED 51, however — short for Federalist 51 — so feel free to call me out for flirtations with Madisonian political theory.
H/T: Manny Klausner


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Valentine Morgenstern (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is holding Clary Fray (Lily Collins) down on a long wooden table. He's angry, and getting more frustrated with each passing second. Standing close by is Jace Wayland (Jamie Campbell Bower), who is covered in tattoos, and he looks concerned. After some time passes, Valentine screams "I want my cup!" A second later, he slams Clary's head onto the table and turns around and hits Jace. Immediately Jace says, "you said you wouldn't hurt her!" and then grabs a long wooden staff to go in for the attack. A second later, I hear director Harald Zwart call cut.
But let me back up a second.
About four months ago, I got to visit the set of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones with a few other reporters when the production was filming in Toronto. While on set I participated in group interviews with the cast and filmmakers, watched a few scenes get filmed, and saw firsthand how Cassandre Clare's extremely popular young adult series was being brought to life. And from what I saw on set, if you're a fan of the series, I think you're going to be extremely happy. Hit the jump for more.
Before going any further, if you aren't familiar with The Mortal Instruments, I suggest reading the official synopsis and watching the first trailer:
The Mortal Instruments is a series of six young adult fantasy books written by Cassandra Clare. In the series' first book, the #1 New York Times bestseller The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray, discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother, Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures.
While I've been on a lot of set visits, one of the things that always impresses me is when a production is willing to show visiting journalists footage. Because while you can say and do all the right things, what it really comes down to is…does the movie look cool?
Since we were there on day 40 of 55, the production had tons of footage and they showed us a 5-minute sizzle reel. While I won't be specific regarding what we saw (although a lot of it is in the trailer), what really impressed me was how good it looked without any visual effects. The reason for this was director Harald Zwart. We were told that Zwart wanted to do as much as possible "in camera," and that meant building big practical sets and making them come to life on soundstages. While many movies rely on green screen and CGI, if you can do it in camera, it will always look better. Also, by doing it in camera, if you need to add visual effects, they will always look better because the background is real.
Another thing that impressed me about the footage and the sets was the attention to detail. It seemed like the production had spent the time making the sets feel lived in. And as we walked around the library and Clary's apartment, it looked like they had spent some real money to make everything believable. Honestly, the production looked and felt a lot bigger than I expected.
After walking through the sets and watching them film the scene that I mentioned in the intro, we were able to speak with the filmmakers and cast. Since I know a lot of you just want to know the highlights, I've listed the "35 Things to Know About the Film."
However, I know a lot of you will want to read or listen to the complete interviews, so at the bottom of this article are links to everything.
35 Things to Know About The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Harald Zwart:
- Zwart wanted to ground the material by taking Cassandra's magical ideas and almost scientifically explain them.
- Zwart wanted to ensure that the film has emotional closure rather than just having the ending set up the next book/film.
- Zwart thought of the film as more of an Amadeus than a monster movie in terms of his visual approach.
- Zwart consults with Cassandra Clare when he gets stuck, asking her to write new pages when he wants a different solution to how to accomplish things.
- The City of Bones underground city set incorporates thousands of different models of skulls of different ages.
- Clare's books were originally optioned by Michael Lynne and Bob Shaye, who executive produced the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- Clare became close with the casting director, which led to her becoming more involved with the creative decision-making, even though writers are usually out of the loop.
- Clare wanted actors that "embodied the spirit or captured the essence of the character" rather than an exact match to their physical descriptions.
- Clare stipulated that, since the character of Magnus is Asian in her books, a person of Asian descent must be cast in the role.
- Fans of the book will be happy to hear that only some of the backstory has been lost in the adaptation, as Clare fought to keep all of the important scenes from the book in the movie.
- Clare says that they were lucky to get Lily Collins, who is a fan of the books and brings a "grounded relatability to that character."
- The chemistry between Jamie Campbell Bower and Lily Collins made Clare so happy she cried.
- The fanbase has had a significant amount of input into the film's creative process since the producers took in-depth looks at fan art to get a handle on the visualization of the world.
- The protagonist, Clary, is older in the movie than in the books, but her exact age is never mentioned.
Producers Don Carmody and Robert Kulzer:
- Warner Bros. originally had the rights to The Mortal Instruments. Kulzer speculates that they were looking for the next Harry Potter, but had trouble with the female lead character and eventually let the property go. Kulzer grabbed the rights and took the movie to Sony.
- The producers had trouble finding a "great, successful director" because of the young adult adaptation stigma. But Zwart, fresh off the $350 million success of The Karate Kid, came in and wowed Kulzer with a "whole pile of boards" and a very specific vision for the film.
- They cast Collins when she was lesser known. But delayed production made it easier to sell to financiers when Mirror, Mirror came out and they could say, "Look, there's a fifty foot billboard and there's Julia Roberts and there's Lily Collins and she's the lead in my movie."
- In the book, Clary is 15. She is older in the movie because they wanted to target more of an adult audience.
- Kulzer colorfully explains that they aged the character partly because "if you have a 15-year-old go oh my God I want to have sex with this guy, you go to jail."
- Kulzer says, "The most loyal audiences right now are the young girls." He believes the studio system hasn't embraced the female audience as much as they ought to. Carmody and Kulzer seek out "strong, independent female characters," as seen in Resident Evil movies and Silent Hill.
- Author Cassandra Clare was very involved in the process of deciding what scenes would make it into the movie and what should be cut for time.
- Here's how Kulzer describes the many tone shifts: "It is epic, it is action, it is sci-fi. It plays a little juvenile in certain parts, you know, where it has the Simon turning into a rat or the vampire bikes."
- There are six books in the series now, so the producers do have one eye on the franchise. Because the Twilight and Harry Potter stars are now multimillionaires, it makes it harder to negotiate even with relative unknowns to lock them in to long-term deals.
- Collins didn't meet the author until a few days before filming began.
- The Institute set is exactly as Collins envisioned it in her head, and she got emotional the first time she saw it.
- When Collins did her first screen test with Jamie Campbell Bower, she turned to the producers and said "That's Jace."
- The filmmaking process on-set was very collaborative with the actors, as Zwart invited input from the actors regarding changes to their characters.
- The script went through many changes since it was first written two years before filming began. The first drafts were more romantic, whereas subsequent drafts amped up the action/adventure aspect.
- When Bower was first approached about the film, he didn't know that it was a possible franchise.
- Bower started training three months before filming begin. He didn't want the character to look like a jock, he wanted to have more of a rock star build that was super lean.
- Bower read the online reactions early on, and it made him want to prove to the fans of the books that he's the right person to play Jace.
- Harris says the role of Hodge appealed to him as a fun character. Plus, he likes that there is a bit of Fringe in the story: "There's parallel worlds, there's worlds going on next to each other, and this shadow world exists alongside the world that we live in and that we can see."
- Because Hodge used to be a Shadowhunter, he has a neck tattoo. Harris wore the neck tattoo off set occasionally—his girlfriend is a fan.
- Harris is heavily made up, with a prosthetic scar and a white wig. He joked, "Which is a bit shocking. You look in the mirror and you see what you might be like a couple years from now."
- Harris says they take Hodge's "moral conundrum" further in the movie than in the book. He knows the difference between right and wrong, but he also act "purely to get his own ass out of the situation that he's stuck in."
- Harris like the thrill of acting out a fight scene with Robert Maillet—whom he describes as "a fucking enormous man"—because he recognizes that he'd "crumble" if the man actually connected.
For more from our Mortal Instruments set visit:
- Lily Collins Talks Script Changes, the Project's Two-Year Development, Chemistry with the Cast, & More on the Set of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES
- Jamie Campbell Bower Talks Fake Tattoos, Female Protagonists, Working with Lily Collins, and More on the Set of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES
- Jared Harris Talks Fight Sequences, SHERLOCK HOLMES, and More on the Set of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES
- Author Cassandra Clare Talks Casting, Changes from the Book, and More on the Set of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES
- Director Harald Zwart Talks Collaborating with the Author, Why He Wanted to Make the Film, & More on the Set of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES
- Producers Don Carmody and Robert Kulzer Talk the Development Process, Casting, and More on the Set of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES


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Chris Cilliza of the Washington Post blog, The Fix, says that former Nebraska Governor Kay Orr has been approached to run for Senate in 2012.
And her reaction?
"I can't see any set of circumstances that would persuade me to get in there again," Orr said. "I'm flattered that I've had some people suggest that I do so. They think it would be an interesting rematch."
Asked whether that meant she was ruling out a challenge to Nelson, Orr said with a laugh: "Is that what I just said?So coy!
OK, look, Orr would be 73 in 2012. We are not saying that disqualifies her or anything, but it is not like she has been heavily involved in the political scene since her defeat to Ben Nelson...TWENTY years ago. We have no doubt Orr is flattered, but we aren't going to get riled up just yet.
Then again, Ben Nelson ain't exactly a Spring chicken either. So maybe they could re-match up.
The thing is here, there are apparently people going around trying to find alternatives to Jon Bruning and Don Stenberg.
We heard the name of Rex Fisher sort of out of nowhere. And now Orr.
And then in another story, The Fix quoted David Kramer saying:
"There are people that are hoping that a candidate captivates them more than Jon does."Is another big name GOPer needed in this race? We probably haven't heard the last of the names being thrown around.
And as long as The Fix is keeping busy, note that Don Stenberg Tweeted (well, he tried anyway) The Fix story that said he is "absolutely" in.
Announcement by Twitter?
And as long as we're filling space, you can follow our Twitter feed here.


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2010 Student
This page allows 2010 Students to access their own specific wiki page.
- Please note that all changes including additions, deletions and edits are logged by the wiki.
- For individual projects, specific comments about the course and for your own use, each student has their own wiki page using their student number as a title for the page.
- Hint - you can quickly get directly to your own page on your own home computer by adding your student number to this link http://cellbiology.med.unsw.edu.au/cellbiology/index.php?title= and then bookmarking.
- Project Referencing information on how to add a reference list to your page. Hint look at the page in edit mode to see how the page is formatted to get a reference list. I also do prefer the formatting as it appears on the PubMed website, as you can copy and paste.
Individual Assessment
Lab 1 - What Cell Biology Journals allow reuse of acknowledged and correctly cited content?
Lab 2 - What are the "light" regions of DNA within the nucleus called?
Lab 3 - How do we know the hazards associated with research chemicals?
Lab 4 - Identify a commercially available antibody to an adhesion junction protein, and also add a link to the antibody page on your own student page.
Lab 5 - Complete the knockout methods handout given out in the laboratory.
Lab 6 - Comment on (a) any differences that you may see in the phenotpye of tropomyosin 4 (Tm4) overexpressing and control B35 cells and (b) explain how potential changes in the phenotype may result from the overexpression of tropomyosin 4.
Lab 7 - From today's confocal tutorial, identify an advantage to using each of the following objectives: Air, Water or Oil.
Lab 8 - Your assessment item is to critically review all other group projects. Use the Group Assessment Criteria as discussed in the lab. Record your peer assessments on each group talk page, with your signature. Add the project title and a brief comment to your own page.
--Mark Hill 04:33, 6 May 2010 (UTC) No group members should edit their own projects until the peer assessment process has been completed in next week's lab.
Lab 9 - Microarray Lab: What is the technological bottleneck common to all next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms?
Lab 12 - Stem cell analysis and online CATEI.
one more thing .....
2010 Questionnaire
This does not form part of your individual assessment, but I would very much appreciate constructive feedback on the current course. If you have time, could you provide some answers to the following questions in the 2010 Questionnaire.
I have changed your link pages below, so that it matches the login page at the top of the screen. Please transfer your answer to lab 1 to that page.
Group 1
Group 1 Project - Fluorescent-PCR | User:Z3162393 | User:Z3178608 | User:Z3187043
Group 2
Group 2 Project - RNA Interference | User:Z3188856 | User:Z3213957 | User:Z3216273
Group 3
Group 3 Project- Immunohistochemistry | User:Z3217043 | User:Z3218146 | User:Z3219308
Group 4
Group 4 Project - Cell Culture | User:Z3220040 | User:Z3252005 | User:Z3252231
Group 5
Group 5 Project - Electron Microsopy | User:Z3252261 | User:Z3252340 | User:Z3252833
Group 6
Group 6 Project - Confocal Microscopy | User:Z3253199 | User:Z3254509 | User:Z3254641
Group 7
Group 7 Project - Monoclonal Antibodies | User:Z3254857 | User:Z3254900 | User:Z3255926
Group 8
Group 8 Project - Microarray | User:Z3256270 | User:Z3256316 | User:Z3269335
Group 9
Group 9 Project - Fluorescent Proteins | User:Z3254934 | User:Z3329502 | User:Z3187802
Group 10
Group 10 Project - Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer | User:Z3256682 | User:Z3251370 | User:Z3126328
Honours Projects
- Honours projects in the Department of Anatomy
- you will find more information on Cell Biology research carried out in the School of Medical Sciences on the indivual Research Interest Sites of Lecturers and Guest Lecturers of this course.
- Dr Mark Hill - local page
- Dr Thomas Fath
- Dr Antonio Lee
- Prof Peter Gunning
- Dr Galina Schevzov
2010 Course Content
Lectures: Cell Biology Introduction | Cells Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes | Cell Membranes and Compartments | Cell Nucleus | Cell Export - Exocytosis | Cell Import - Endocytosis | Cell Mitochondria | Cell Junctions | Cytoskeleton Introduction | Cytoskeleton 1 Intermediate Filaments | Cytoskeleton 2 Microtubules | Cytoskeleton 3 Microfilaments | Extracellular Matrix 1 | Extracellular Matrix 2 | Cell Cycle | Cell Division | Cell Death 1 | Cell Death 2 | Signal 1 | Signal 2 | Stem Cells 1 | Stem Cells 2 | Development | Revision
Laboratories: Introduction to Lab | Microscopy Methods | Preparation/Fixation | Immunochemistry | Cell Knockout Methods | Cytoskeleton Exercise | Confocal Microscopy | Microarray Visit | Tissue Culture 1 | Tissue Culture 2 | Stem Cells Lab | Stem Cells Analysis
Dr Mark Hill 2015, UNSW Cell Biology - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G


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Mike Cassesso and MaiLien Le were supposed to be married Saturday at the Jefferson Memorial, but the government shutdown put those plans in jeopardy.
Stephen Colbert came to the rescue.
The TV host and apparent ordained minister of the American Marriage Ministry (he showed his license on Thursday's show) married the couple and presented it as "The 2013 Government Shutdown Wedding of the Century."
"Well, Nation," Colbert said, after he explained the couple's story, "I promised you on night one of the shutdown that as leader of the Colbert Nation and Earl Lord of the Afterscape, I would provide all canceled government services and that includes weddings."
But before the couple exchanged vows, Colbert made sure the bride was ready for the special event. She had expressed her nervousness of getting married on TV.
"Don't you ruin this for me," Colbert said to the bride. "This is my special day, okay? I have been dieting for like 15 minutes. But hey, listen everything is going to be OK. You look lovely, but it doesn't matter because everyone is going to be looking at me."
Le soon made her way down the aisle, holding "The Colbert Report's" new Emmy as her bouquet. After the couple was married, "Homeland" star Mandy Patinkin sang the Jewish Shehecheyanu blessing, while Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald performed Billy Idol's "White Wedding."
Colbert however isn't the only person reaching out to help the 24 couples affected by the government shutdown. The National Cathedral is inviting couples to have their weddings there, for free, NBC Washington reported.
Watch the Video Below:


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For the second-straight week, junior Laura Messina and freshman Alexis Debrosse have been honored with NEC weekly awards, the conference announced Monday. Messina was tabbed NEC Pitcher of the Week and Debrosse earned NEC Co-Rookie of the Week for their impressive performances this past weekend at the Hampton Tournament in Hampton, VA.
Messina takes home Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. The junior started all three games for CCSU this past weekend, going 3-0, and helped the Blue Devils (5-3) earn two shutouts. She posted an ERA of 0.64 and tallied 17 strikeouts in 11 innings. She allowed just six hits and one run over the weekend.
So far this season, Messina posts a 5-1 record and 0.66 ERA. Following the weekend's action, she now has 496 career strikeouts and is just four away from reaching 500.
Debrosse continued her impressive start this past weekend at the Hampton Tournament. The freshman posted four hits, six RBI and three runs over the weekend batting .444 and slugging .778. She completed the weekend with an on-base percentage of .500 and no errors.
In Saturday's matchup against St. Bonaventure, Debrosse blasted a three-run homer going 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring two runs and driving in a total of five RBI.
The Blue Devils are scheduled to return to action Friday, March 14th against St. Joseph's at the USF Spring Break Tournament in Clearwater, FL.


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The family of John Carter who was beaten and left to die in a lift in Edinburgh's Salamander Court in February last year have said "nothing can lessen the heartache we have gone through".
Their statement comes a few hours after Simon Brown and Paul Banks were found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced in Glasgow High Court to eight years imprisonment each, over the death of Mr Carter.
The family described the deceased as "a vibrant, fiercely intelligent, loving man who brought countless joy to the lives of his family and friends."
They added "his laughter, his kindness, his ability to accept individuals for who they were and his inherent sense of fairness, were just a tiny part of who he was. If John could help, he would."
Brown, 41, and Banks, 48, left Mr Carter to die on the 26th or 27th of February last year. They dumped his semi-naked in a lift after putting handcuffs on their victim and punching and kicking him repeatedly. They put a plastic bag over his head. Bruises to the scalp, chest and wrists were found in the post mortem examination.
The victim's wallet was found on Paul Brown when he was searched by police.
Judge Michael O'Grady said they would have received ten years each if they hadn't admitted the charge.
"You behaved with extreme cruelty and utter indifference. No sentence I can impose can ease the ordeal of Mr Carter's family," said the judge.
The pair admitted culpable homicide after the charge was reduced from murder.


text:
For the Week of January 24 – 31, 2010. The week's most read stories on The Disciplined Investor.com – in order of popularity. Want it faster? You can get instant updates via Twitter. Follow @andrewhorowitz.
Disclosure: Horowitz & Company clients may hold positions of securities mentioned as of the date published.


text:
- 1 My student page
- 2 Attendance
- 3 Lab 1 assessment
- 3.1 Search PubMed
- 3.2 How to make an in-text citation
- 3.3 Links
- 3.4 Learnt today
- 3.5 Student image
- 3.6 Lab 2 assessment: Summary of Article
- 3.7 Lab 3 assesment
- 3.7.1 Article Source: study of mast cells and granules from Primo Nodes using Scanning Ionic conductance microscopy
- 3.7.2 Article Source: A method for detailed analysis of the structure of mast cell secretory granules by negative contrast imaging
- 3.7.3 Article Source: Phospholipase D2: A Pivotal Player Modulating RBL-2H3 Mast Cell Structure
- 3.7.4 Article Source: NOD1 and NOD2 Interact with the Phagosome Cargo in Mast Cells: A Detailed Morphological Evidence
- 4 Lab 5 assessment
- 5 Lab 6 assessment
My student page
|Group Assessment Criteria
Group Assessment Criteria
|Individual Lab Assessments
Z5015719 (talk) 11:53, 10 March 2016 (AEDT)
Z5015719 (talk) 11:11, 17 March 2016 (AEDT)
Z5015719 (talk) 11:11, 24 March 2016 (AEDT)
Z5015719 (talk) 11:10, 7 April 2016 (AEST)
Z5015719 (talk) 11:09, 14 April 2016 (AEST)
Z5015719 (talk) 11:05, 21 April 2016 (AEST)
Lab 1 assessment
Search PubMed
<pubmed>26756351</pubmed> eukaryotic cytoskeleton
How to make an in-text citation
Bacterial division protein Ftz. [1]
- ↑ <pubmed>26756351</pubmed>
Learnt today
In this lab, I learnt how to create and edit a wiki page. I learnt how to format a page and log my attendance for each lab. I also learnt how to create headings and different types of subheadings and the coding involved in achieving that, as well as how to put in text under these particular headings. Two equal signs are used for headers, i.e. ==Title== and subsequent subheadings are created by adding an extra equal sign, e.g. ===subheading===. This lab also enabled me to learn how to search for scientific articles on various research databases such as PubMed and BioMed central, and use filters on these websites in order to find articles of interest. Furthermore, I learn the importance of copyright declarations on these articles, and which papers can and cannot be used in assignments. These databases were then used to be linked into the wiki, and I learnt the ways in which specific articles could be formatted to be linked into the wiki page. Coding was also used such as using [url] to link specific searches on the database, and the coding of <article database> article number </article database> was used to link to the specific article of choice, as well as provide additional information regarding the authors and publication date of the articles. In addition, coding was learnt to link specific pages within the wiki by using two square brackets, title of page, and for pages outside of this particular wiki, the coding of [URL] would be used. In order to give the link a title, the coding of [URL/ title] is used.
Student image
Energetics and genetics across the prokaryote-eukaryote divide.[1]
Lab 2 assessment: Summary of Article
Platelet functions are dependent upon the release of bioactive molecules from their granules, traditionally studied and classified in groups through electron microscopy techniques. These granules are essential for secondary haemostasis, and any deficiencies in number, shape or content leads to bleeding. In genetic disorders such as Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS), the absence of dense granules immensely slows down the rate of hemostasis at the site of injury. In normal circumstances, dense granules have been identified with EM techniques through the presence of an electron-dense core. However, these EM methods are time consuming and lead to differences in identification of the granules depending on different analysis types. As a result, the recent developments in super resolution microscopy (SRM) allow for structures to be resolved in the 10-200nm range, leading to individual platelet granules easily being resolved. SRM methods coupled with current automated image analysis methods allow for quantitative data of platelet granules to be obtained.
In order to effectively study the abilities of SRM, one such method- structured illumination microscopy (SIM)- was utilised in this study to distinguish between a group of healthy control patients and three patients with platelet storage disorders, in particular HPS. Of interest was the CD63 marker, as it is present in dense granules and has an altered distribution in HPS patients. The SRM techniques were used to reconstruct images from a sequence of raw images of the sample. In this study, SIM methods proved to be efficient, compatible with the routinely used fluorescent labels and achieved fast image-acquisition rates. The number of CD63-positive markers per platelet was determined through staining techniques, and this method enabled a more sensitive analysis of granules per platelet through SIM due to its improved resolution and removal of out of focus backgrounds. Samples of platelets were taken from healthy controls as well as HPS patients and SIM was used to differentiate between the two groups. Through this it was found that the mean number of dense granules in the controls (3.5) was far higher than that of the patients (0.07). Blood samples were consequently tested using SRM, counting the number of CD63-positive structures through SIM, and once again it was found that the number of CD63-positive structures per platelet was higher in the controls than in the patients. Thus, these results indicate that SIM is a rapid and successful method of identifying those with platelet bleeding disorders, and SRM can act as an effective determinant of a dense-granule disorder. [3]
Lab 3 assesment
Structure/ morphology of mast cells
Article Source: study of mast cells and granules from Primo Nodes using Scanning Ionic conductance microscopy
<pubmed> 26742911 </pubmed>
In this article, scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is used to study the three dimensional structure of live mast cells, and the distribution of mast cell granules in each of their four developmental stages. This was done in the in the primo node (PN) of the primo vascular system from the surfaces of the large and small intestines, abdominal walls and bladder of rats, as mast cells are found to be in abundance here. Through the use of SICM, the mast cells were easily observed through the presence of their granule structures, and by the use of toludine blue stain. SICM methods were able to obtain a 3D image of these mast cells, with the surface of the cells densely covered with granules. Through this, it was able to be determined that the structure of the mast cell included 74 granules, with an average diameter of 1.2 micrometers. Upon further analysis, early stages of degranulation of the mast cell in stage 2 showed a granule-free region in the middle upper portion of the cell. In addition, the mast cell in stage 3 showed very sparse remnants of granules on the upper most parts of the cell surface. Here, SICM picked up the disintegrated boundary of the mast cell as having an appearance of laced patches, with a diameter of 1.6 micrometers. It was observed that the height of the mast cell progressively decreased with each stage, while the round shape and diameters of the granules remained the same.
This article was useful to the subtopic of mast cell structure, as it provided a detailed analysis of the structure and appearance of mast cells in their various developmental stages, with a focus on the mast cell granules during these stages. The graunles are an essential component of mast cell structure as these are secreted when mast cells are triggered, thus making it important to understand its structure. Hence, this article was useful in the research of the structure and morphology of mast cells. [4]
Article Source: A method for detailed analysis of the structure of mast cell secretory granules by negative contrast imaging
<pubmed> 26997316 </pubmed>
An essential aspect of mast cell structure is the large number of secretory granules (SG) found in the cytoplasm. These elicit inflammation through molecules including histamine and serotonin. Several models suggest that a single mast cell has a large number of different types of secretory granules, all in various stages of development. Secretory granules also contain lysosomal proteins and markers such as CD63, and are hence lysosomal granules.
In order properly study the structure of mast cells, this study aims to gain insight into the structure and organisation of SGs via negative contrast imaging (NCI). Within the mast cell, organelles such as SGs are separated from the cytoplasm by a lipid bilayer, and this method uses microscopy techniques in order to visualise negatively stained organelles. These NCI techniques highlight the presence of small outlines in the perinuclear region surrounded by large, spherical shapes. NCI usage in this study also identified key structures such as the cell body, nucleoli, nuclear membrane as well as the mitochondria. The structural appearance of mast cell SGs was found to be either single elongated structures or a cluster of multiple spherical structures strung together. Experimental data indicated SGs are cylindrical in shape, and fuse along the vertical axis, highlighting polarity in structure. Further, time lapse observation during the cell cycle showed that SGs increase in abundance with cell size, but are under continuous control to maintain size distribution. This data is important as mast cell proliferation in peripheral tissues is an issue of interest in allergy treatment.
Thus, this article was beneficial in facilitating knowledge in the sub topic of mast cell morphology as it sheds light on the structure of mast cell SGs, including their organelle volume, size and number using NCI techniques. These methods can ultimately provide more information on the detailed molecular mechanisms of SG biogenesis in mast cells. [6]
Article Source: Phospholipase D2: A Pivotal Player Modulating RBL-2H3 Mast Cell Structure
<pubmed> 22344748 </pubmed>
This article examines the role of PLD2 in mast cell structure maintenance. It is thought that PLD plays a key role in mast cell degranulation, and PLD2 is essential in maintaining the structure of mast cells. The study examined if differences in PLD2 expression reflected upon alternations in morphology of the mast cells, with different cell lines being used, and was found that the inactive form of PLD2 has a dramatic effect on the morphology of these cells. The morphology of secretory granules was also determined, with these granules being heterogeneous in some cell lines include PDL2Ca, but having an electron lucid content in others. It was thus found through this study that the overexpression of the inactive form of PLD2 has a dramatic effect on the structure of mas cells, thus suggesting that the production of PA by PLD2 assists in the structural maintenance of the cytoskeleton, golgi complex as well as influencing the distribution of lysosomes and secretory granules in mast cells.
This article is hence relevant to the sub topic of mast cell structure as it highlights the specific role of PLD2 in the maintenance of the structure and morphology of the mast cell, as well as the structures within the cell. Thus, this article is beneficial as it provides a background knowledge regarding the way in which the specific structure of the cell is maintained. [7]
Article Source: NOD1 and NOD2 Interact with the Phagosome Cargo in Mast Cells: A Detailed Morphological Evidence
<pubmed> 25502289 </pubmed>
This article analyses the detailed structure of the mast cell, and in particular, the mast cell phagosome, as it has key functions in triggering the inflammatory process and has phagocytic properties. The mast cells express NOD1 and NOD2 proteins whose role is to recognize intracellular foreign components and initiate cytokine synthesis. In this study, five experiments were conducted in which mast cells were incubated with E. coli and at least 100 cells were analysed in order to determine the main morphology in each cell population. The maturation of the paghosome structure of the mast cells was also followed closely, and the outside leaflet of the mast cell plasma membrane was able to be distinguished. As structure was analysed, it was seen that many granules were interacting with the phagosome, with the phagosome membrane structure undergoing remodeling over time. It was also established that the phagosome membrane is interrupted in places in direct contact with the granule components, and these interruptions were observed at sites of granule-phagosome interaction. Additionally, NOD1 and NOD2 were found to be associated with granule surface or the granule matrix of the mast cell. The article was thus useful for this particular subtopic as it analyses the structure and morphology of the various components of the mast cell, such as the phagosome. It is beneficial to gain some perspective on the structure of the phagosome that is heavily involved in inflammatory processes, which is a key function of the mast cell. [8]
Lab 5 assessment
Lab 6 assessment
1. Identify an antibody against your group blood cell protein that is commercially available.
Anti-Mast Cell Tryptase antibody [AA1], commerically availble from abcam
2. Add a link to the original data sheet page and identify the type of group blood cell protein.
http://www.abcam.com/mast-cell-tryptase-antibody-aa1-ab2378.html, It is mouse monoclonal [AA1] to Mast Cell Tryptase
3. Include the following information: type of antibody (polyclonal, monoclonal), species raised in, species reacts against, types of application uses, and if available any reference using that antibody.


text:
Last updated 1st January 1970
Creative Artists Agency
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Agent: Jay Baker
+1 424 288 2000+1 424 288 2900
Suggest a new film for the British Films Directory
Suggest a new festival for the international Festivals Directory
2018 © British Council, the photographers & the authors. The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).


text:
What are you playing today?
Drawing Games
Thinking Games
Drawing Games
Drawing Games
Our drawing games are a great way to hone your art skills while having fun. In our collection, you can draw aspects of the game environment; draw ramps, hills, and slopes, and your characters can ride on your artwork! Every line you draw will become part of the level, creating new adventures and challenges every time. Race down customized hills, perform tricks off of ramps, and set new high scores with custom stick figures! Our collection is perfect for players of all ages and all drawing levels!
If you have a mouse, you can play our drawing games. Controls are extremely intuitive, allowing you to draw directly with your mouse. If you have a tablet PC, you can draw directly on your screen, giving you complete control. Although each challenge is different, the general concept is the same: draw obstacles and parts of levels with which your character can interact. If you draw effectively enough, you'll send your opponent flying through levels and completing challenges. Earn points with your very own drawings!
Popular this week


text:
19th Century Adam Style Mirror
19th Century Adam Style Mirror. Antique rectangular wall mirror with central bevelled oval panel surmounted by gilt scroll mounts and porcelain plaque.
Dimensions: 92cm x 92cm x 3.5cm
Condition: Age and signs of some minor damage and losses due to the fragile nature of the decoration.
Delivery: *�75 Delivery quoted covers England & Wales only. This item will be sent with a man & van courier or pallet delivery firm. Please see our Delivery & Returns page for more information. We can arrange Worldwide Shipping.
30 day returns
See T+Cs for details
Payment: We use a secure (PCI DSS compliant) payment platform for all transactions and accept all major credit cards, card payments are processed by Shopify Payments powered by Stripe secure online payment system. We also accept PayPal payments.
For further information or to order by phone, please call 01209 316220


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$16.00 $20.00
I am so excited you are here and I would love to tell you a bit more about our Little boo Banner.
This Banner is a perfect addition to a high chair.
Letters and gosts are between 5.5 and 6" Tall
How it is made:
All my Banners are made of glittered card stock;
We use Magical Papier Mache which is stomped into Card Stock by our in- house Unicorns.
Fairies sprinkle it with just the right amount of Pixie Dust before it is being cut into your magical cake topper.
Okay, Yeah I know I went a bit overboard here but the cardstock we use is pretty stinkin awesome!
We searched and tried many brands and we love our current Non toxic- low-shed glitter-stock!
The back of these Magical Banners is white.
Got any questions about your banner or want to know the names of our Unicorns?
Do not hesitate to hit the message button!
1-2 business days
I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Just contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 7 days of delivery
Request a cancellation within: 0 hours of purchase
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
Please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
This Privacy Policy describes how and when I collect, use, and share information when you purchase an item from me, contact me, or otherwise use my services through Etsy.com or its related sites and services.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that I do not own or control, including Etsy or any third party services you access through Etsy. You can reference the Etsy Privacy Policy to learn more about its privacy practices.
1. Personal information I collect
Information I Collect
To fulfill your order, you must provide me with certain information (which you authorized Etsy to provide to me), such as your name, email address, postal address, payment information (last 4 digits of your payment method are only visible to me), and the details of the product that you're ordering. You may also choose to provide me with additional personal information (for a custom order of jewelry, for example), if you contact me directly.
2. The legal bases I rely on to collect, use, and share personal information
Tent legal bases. For example:
Why I Need Your Information and How I Use It
I rely on a number of legal bases to collect, use, and share your information, including:
* as needed to provide my services, such as when I use your information to fulfill your order, to settle disputes, or to provide customer support;
* if necessary to comply with a legal obligation or court order or in connection with a legal claim, such as retaining information about your purchases if required by tax law; and
3. The third parties with whom I share personal information
Information about my customers is important to my business. I share your personal information for very limited reasons and in limited circumstances, as follows:
* Etsy. I share information with Etsy as necessary to provide you my services and comply with my obligations under both the Etsy Seller Policy and Etsy Terms of Use.
* Service providers. I engage certain trusted third parties to perform functions and provide services to my shop, such as delivery companies. I will share your personal information with these third parties, but only to the extent necessary to perform these services.
* Compliance with laws. I may collect, use, retain, and share your information if I have a good faith belief that it is reasonably necessary to: (a) respond to legal process or to government requests; (b) enforce my agreements, terms and policies; (c) prevent, investigate, and address fraud and other illegal activity, security, or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property, and safety of my customers, or others.
4. The length of time I keep personal information
Data Retention
I retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to provide you with my services and as described in my Privacy Policy. However, I may also be required to retain this information to comply with my legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce my agreements. I generally keep your data for the following time period: 2 years.
5. If transferring personal information outside of Europe, how the transfer will be handled
Transfers of Personal Information Outside the EU
I may store and process your information through third-party hosting services in the US and other jurisdictions. As a result, I may transfer your personal information to a jurisdiction with different data protection and government surveillance laws than your jurisdiction. If I am deemed to transfer information about you outside of the EU, I rely on Privacy Shield as the legal basis for the transfer, as Google Cloud is Privacy Shield certified.
6. Buyers' rights regarding use of their personal information and my contact details
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If you reside in certain territories, including the EU, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. While some of these rights apply generally, certain rights apply only in certain limited cases. I describe these rights below:
* Access. You may have the right to access and receive a copy of the personal information I hold about you by contacting me using the contact information below.
* Change, restrict, delete. You may also have rights to change, restrict my use of, or delete your personal information. Absent exceptional circumstances (like where I am required to store data for legal reasons) I will generally delete your personal information upon request.
* Object. You can object to (i) my processing of some of your information based on my legitimate interests and (ii) receiving marketing messages from me after providing your express consent to receive them. In such cases, I will delete your personal information unless I have compelling and legitimate grounds to continue using that information or if it is needed for legal reasons.
* Complain. If you reside in the EU and wish to raise a concern about my use of your information (and without prejudice to any other rights you may have), you have the right to do so with your local data protection authority.
How to Contact Me
For purposes of EU data protection law, I, Sandra van Berkel, am the data controller of your personal information. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com Alternately, you may mail me at:
Sandra van Berkel 3814 Taft Ave Beavercreek, OH 45431
To access, correct or delete personal information held by Etsy, you may contact Etsy at Etsy.com/help for assistance, or send a request directly to Etsy.
No, as our main focus is on smash cake photography they are not double sided.
Yes, they are double sided. Some white might show on the back of the flags as we focus to make them perfect on the front.
When receiving your package always open it from the top or bottom.
Please handle your topper with care as some parts might be fragile depending on the design
I ship world wide within 2 BUSINESS days unless noted differently on the listing.
All packages are sent first class with USPS. please check their website for delivery times. We ship from 45431
Need it faster? Please upgrade to Priority Shipping.
With some of our toppers we attach the stick in an angle so the stick won't show when placed on your cake. Who wants to see a stick if you don't need to.
Insert your topper in an angle as well for a straight look as pictured in my cakes. Easy like that for a perfect look!
All items are photographed. Slight color differences are there with the pic and the item (I always think they look way better in real life then on the picture!)
We use Glittered stock paper; after trying out pretty much every brand available until we found our favorite brand. It is sturdy and hardly sheds any glitter, The glitter used is non-toxic. A perfect match for your cake.


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This business of Mary Portas says almost everything necessary about why things don't work in our country.
While it's true that there might be some government scheme somewhere which works and as it does, we don't get to hear about it from the press, in general I think we're agreed that anything the government touches, especially local government, turns to ashes.
The longer I live, the more the classical-liberal position seems best for society. With local government though, there is the added factor of Common Purpose. You will have noticed that one of those councils was Dartford:
"It was our third attempt to create a partnership when we decided to do the Common Purpose programme. Two years on, the partnership is still together and is starting to produce real benefits."
– Graham Harris, Managing Director, Dartford Borough Council
You'll have noticed "managing director".
Of a council? Talk about delusions of grandeur and in those two parenthesized words lie one of the true issues with councils – they think they're businesses instead of state providers. The sorts of people Common Purpose approve for employment are public servants with delusions of grandeur and ambition but lacking the talent to do more than push pens and who are essentially easy to manipulate from above.
And officious to those below – I've had a run in with my own local council in the past few days, so, so different to the way other bodies dealt with my requests. Here are some comments at the Wail on the Portas debacle:
And one of the councils Mary mentioned is Redcar and Cleveland. Have they read Marys report? Maybe but they're not heeding it.
Redcar high street is dead but they continue with pay and display there and now want to implement parking charges and restrictions in Saltburn by the Sea. The town doesn't have a parking issue, it has a flourishing independent shopping culture and thriving farmers market….so what do the council want to do? kill it like Redcar.
They're just proving they are blind to success and deaf to a majority population saying no to parking charges. What they are now planning to do is spend £20000 on a consultant to change Saltburn's population's opinion, probably funded from the Mary Portas pot mentioned in this article.
No reply from a request for help sent to Mary regarding Saltburns plight has been forthcoming in the last 4 weeks. Asking Mary to do a report was just an exercise in quietening the people of the nation. No one with any power really cares at all.
– Debbie, Saltburn By The Sea
No mention of business rates! I am a small shop owner. My rates have increased 120% in five years and gone up for 14 years in a row! The English shop rates are the highest rates/property taxes in the world. Business rates are now even higher than my shop rent. I pay ten times the amount of a council tax payer in a similar value property & do not get my bins emptied. Rates are going up again this year by 2.6%. If the equivalent increase was given to council tax payers there would be riots on the streets.
– fightrates, dunstable
Most of the comments posted say the same thing , high parking fees that put people off , also high rates , high water rates , we had a shop in Lichfield Staffs and we needed to work for around two and a half days a week to pay for these charges ! these councils are run by people who have NO business idea or trading whatsoever , they have never had to go it alone in the real world ! the top management are highly overpaid
– presidenteernie, Cannock
Councils have caused a lot of the "high street" problems with parking and restricted access , business rates and miles of red-tape and encouraging out of town centres. So to give them more tax-payers money to solve the issues does seem a bit strange..and maybe the reason that most of the money is unspent is because they havn't got a clue..
– s.gee, stafford
Free parking. Have you seen the charges? £2 an hour, £6 for 4 hours in some places. No wonder people avoid towns, or if they go they're as fast as possible to avoid high parking fees – meaning less time to look around and shop. People prefer retail parks and large supermarkets because they have FREE PARKING, so you never need to keep track of how much time you're shopping.
– Roy, London
And back to the original article:
Elsewhere, Dartford Council spent £1,160 hiring a person in a Peppa Pig costume, £317.46 on items from Waitrose, £5,983 on newspaper surveys and £1,317 on surveys.
A Dartford spokeswoman said adverts in local newspapers were used to promote the launch of Sunday trading in the town, a six-month Sunday market pilot, and a bursary scheme for businesses looking to set up in the market.
A Dartford spokeswoman. Y-e-e-e-s-s-s. And central government on this?
'The main aim of this scheme has been to harness the energy and enthusiasm of local people to breathe new life into the town centres and make them the hearts of their communities once again'
– Department for Communities and Local Government
12% of funds allocated, not a clue how to implement the stated purpose or to take on board why the high street is dying, online alternatives proliferating. Now if I can see this, if you can see it, if the people who commented can see it, then why can't government?
Yes, a rhetorical question in the end.