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The John Murray Show Wednesday 25 September 2013
A lively mix of entertainment, human interest and lifestyle features with Miriam O'Callaghan.
On the line from Prague are Emer Hickey, Ciara Judge & Sophie Healy-Thow, who recently spoke to Miriam as they headed off to Prague to compete in the European Union Young Scientists Competition & last night they beat 38 other countries to win the top prize!
At the age of nine, Tomi Reichental was incarcerated in Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp in Germany. For over 50 years he didn't speak about the horrific scenes he witnessed there. He lost a staggering 35 extended family members in the Holocaust & his story is told in a new documentary to be screened at the Irish Film Institute, called "Close to Evil". Miriam is joined in studio this morning by Tomi & filmaker Gerry Cregg.
There are a limited number of tickets available so see Gerry Gregg's film 'Close to Evil' which tells Holocaust survivor, Tomi Reichental's story of his close encounter a former Belgan-Belsen concentration camper SS officer.
It's screening on Sunday, Sept 29th at the IFI Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Film Festival – Eustace Street, Dublin 2 at 1:30pm.
Tickets €9 for more information go to www.ifi.ie
Joining Miriam from our London studio is Christina Carty who has been welcomed as thenew character, author Virginia Woolf in Downton Abbey, one of the biggest period dramas to hit our tv screens. Christina talks about her positive experience of being on one of the biggest TV shows in the world.
Call: 01-2083257, 01-2083971, 01-2082339
Text: 51551
Presenter: Dave Fanning


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VIDEO DOWNLOAD - Breaking Kayfabe - Lanny Poffo
The Poffos were a family entrenched in the wrestling business for decades and Lanny Poffo takes the role of storyteller as he takes you inside the family as well as inside himself. Randy Savage's untimely death left so many questions... questions that we discuss with Lanny. Some will shock, some will sadden.
Randy's tense relationship with the WWE is traced back to the roots of the unraveling and Sean Oliver steers the discussion to all the hotpoints -- some you'd expect, and some you won't.
Lanny Poffo's unique perspectives on life, love and loyalty to a brother will leave you with the intimate knowledge of the man behind "The Genius" as this groundbreaking series does every time.
Randy and Lanny... brothers, wrestlers... and people.
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subset: commoncrawl


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I received this question from a group I'm a member of on facebook, and whilst I'm not sure how appropriate it is for me to ask this, I'm going to anyway.
Anyway the poster said this
Marking. I love this mechanic from 4e. It makes defenders able to do their job. But friends of mine who are used to primarily playing earlier editions (2e, 3e) would struggle to understand it, and never use it when playing defenders. Is there any way to simplify it?
I'd also wonder if this is the case with other people they know who have migrated from earlier editions, and how they help them adapt.


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U.S. Census Bureau: 15% Of Utah Children Live In Poverty
SALT LAKE CITY - The number of children in Utah living in poverty is not going down. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's "2012 American Community Survey," 15 percent of Utah's children live in poverty, which is down less than one percentage point from the year before.
According to Terry Haven, deputy director of Voices for Utah Children, the small decline does not reflect any meaningful change. Parents and the government should put as much focus as possible on giving impoverished children the best education, she said, adding that research shows that kids who learn usually go on to earn their way out of poverty.
"We know that investing in kids and families pays off," she asserted. "You know, you've got better school performance, when they get through school they have higher earnings as adults, and they have better health outcomes. Everything is better when we invest in our kids. "
According to the American Community Survey, the poverty rate for Caucasians in Utah is the lowest at 11 percent. It shows the rate is at 19 percent for African Americans, while the highest poverty rate in Utah is 29 percent for Hispanic Americans.
Haven noted that poverty has historically been much higher among minority communities.
"I think we've seen nationwide and historically there have always been racial disparities in poverty," she said. "And we know there has always been an over-representation of our ethnic minorities in poverty."
The American Community Survey also shows the poverty rate is at 13 percent among adults ages 18 to 64 in Utah. The poverty rate among the state's senior population age 65 and over is at 7 percent.


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They even gave a bit of humanity to Joffrey this last episode.Of course Tyrion is the ultimate amoral ******* you can't help but root for.
I thought it was a really phenomenal episode. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it given the absence of Daenerys.
The ninth episode is titled "Rains of Castamere". I'd say that gives you a pretty good idea of what it's about.
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Join free now!
It is free to search locals
Frank responded gradually.
" Do not perplex me with your sexiness, you," Frank reprimanded lightheartedly. "You understand what I indicate. This appears past idea that these beautiful females all take place to collaborate and also all were left by their hubbies as well as they are deprived for love and also admiration."
" Do not you like eye-catching ladies, Frank?" Aima asked, batting her eyes at him, pursing her lips, as well as running her pass on her body as if she were aligning her garments.
Aima tipped up to a community vehicle that was parked, with the motorist awaiting them, and also she entered. Frank followed her in. He had actually found out to not be stunned by all the important things she provided for them.
" Yeah, yeah," Frank claimed. He pressed his lips with each other as well as wrinkled his eyebrow for a minute. "In fact ... if they are lovely to me, as well as they have not been seen by doing this by others ..." he routed off with a far look.
" So is this magic, deceiving me right into assuming they appear like this?" Frank asked.
" Many thanks," he claimed. "I had no concept just how great a personalized made fit might really feel."
" Obviously I do. You recognize I do," Frank stated, going down the picture to his lap as well as checking out Aima. "However this appears a little past idea."
" Just how around if you learnt more about them, as well as truly valued that they were? Would not you locate them extra appealing?".
" Why?" Aima asked.
" Life isn't rather as straightforward as you regard it, Frank. Similar to I had the ability to make significant adjustments to you, yet Jeanine hasn't seen them all yet, I have the ability to make these girls look various.".
Aima furrowed her eyebrow, slanted her head and also stopped briefly. "I'm not deceiving you ..." she claimed. "I'm simply aiding you see them in a suitable light.".
" Hang on," Frank stated, taking a look at the picture as Aima viewed him and also they rode to his brand-new task.
" Yes, I expect," Frank claimed, frowning as well as drinking his head.
Frank understood Aima really did not have any kind of envy towards him. And also she recognized his dreams.
" Ah, I see," Aima claimed, responding. "Frank," Aima asked, "do you believe they were ever before young and also attractive? Or that if their lives had been much easier, as well as they had consumed well as well as rested well and also worked out, that they would certainly look far better than if they had not?".
" You look excellent, Frank," Aima informed her master, grinning at him.
" These females resemble the leading 5 candidates in an over 40 appeal competition!" Frank objected.
" And also you really did not also need to go to a dressmaker!" Aima claimed.
" Certain," Frank stated, responding. "Yet what does that relate to what they appear like below?".
" Do not you discover them appealing?" Aima asked.
And even yearn for it, she assumed. Among the advantages of their partnership, her love for him, him having actually released her, was she might review his mind as well as can utilize her magic nonetheless she suched as. As well as she liked him.
" To begin with," Aima claimed, handing Frank a 8x10 picture, "these are the workers at your brand-new business. That you will certainly be ... assisting to kick back as well as give convenience for-" She grinned, as well as considered him.
" Is that ALRIGHT?" Aima asked, turning her head, and also attempting to check into his eyes.
Frank left your house, kissing his beautiful, satiated better half and also going out with Aima, his undetectable to almost him genie buddy. Frank used the customized made, grey match Aima had actually offered him, Aima put on the brief plaid skirt, t-shirt, coat, stockings and also boots that had actually driven Frank wild in the washroom.


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"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…it's about learning how to dance in the rain."
That just about sums it all up. 🙂
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: quotes | Leave a comment »
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…it's about learning how to dance in the rain."
That just about sums it all up. 🙂
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: quotes | Leave a comment »
I finally found a product I have been searching for for a while. I kn0w I could have ordered it online, but I despise paying shipping costs, so I was patient and waited like a good girl. 😉 I know I have a nut butter obsession, but I really don't plan on doing anything about it anytime soon, except feeding it. 😉
I have heard about the Naturally Nutty Products for a while now. I had emailed them a while back to check on the gluten-free status of their products & I got an email from Katie Kearney, the president of Naturally Nutty Foods, Inc herself:
Thank you so much for your inquiry. Yes, all of our products are completely gluten free. We are slowly adding that to our labels!
My first experience with the Vanilla Almond Butter was last Friday. I spread some atop my Van's gluten-free waffle and topped with some blackberry fruit spread. O.M.G. The flavors danced on my tongue! What a fantastic combo! The ingredients in this almond butter are so simple, yet so good for you:
Almonds, Organic Flax Seed, Vanilla Powder, Organic Hemp Seed
That is it! It doesn't get much better than that. This nut butter has definitely moved up to the top of my list, just about even with my beloved Barney Butter! I love having options! 🙂 I can't wait to try some of the other varieties that Naturally Nutty makes. I hope my local store starts to carry more than just the Vanilla Almond Butter. I would love to try the Mocha Peanut Butter, White Chocolate Coconut PB and the Chocolate Butter Toffee PB!
Give this stuff a try if you find it! A definite don't miss!!
Filed under: Family, Gluten-Free, Gluten-free Products | 2 Comments »


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Account Access
I'm retired, how long will my savings last?
Are my current retirement savings sufficient?
What are my needs for burial and final expenses?
How much Life Insurance do I need?
In addition to setting aside pre-tax income to pay current and future medical expenses, an HSA could play an important role in your long-term retirement strategy.


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Did not you notice the difference in the simple project that I presented to you ?
Do not put character space. Do like this: viewtopic.php?t=2114
Moderator: Rathinagiri
Did not you notice the difference in the simple project that I presented to you ?
Hi Pablo,Pablo César wrote: ↑Wed Apr 05, 2017 12:17 pmThanks for letting me know and I'll really wait for this !
Ohhh I see... pictures were so big ones in your trying ? If you find the problem, pls report to Rathinagiri in the due forum help section.
Hi PabloPablo César wrote: ↑Sun Apr 16, 2017 11:46 pm
"it doesn't compile"
Hi PabloPablo César wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2017 12:19 amOFF TOPIC Do not put character space. Do like this:
No, don't do it.Sorry I dont know which viewerror.prg produced that exe.I have so many viewerror files on my disk I will have to compile each one to know which prg file produces a working exe file. If you can find easily the correct prg file well and good else pls let me know and I will check on my side.
Please do it... everybody should do this.I will install hmg3.4.4 and see how viewerror works.
This F5 screen is from Notepad++ because ViewError makes focus onto your Notepad++ editor.But I found I can't use the "F5" to rebuild the program ...


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Calling that dude "underrated" is totally overrated: The Drunk Jays Fans have the piss take on the survey done by a second rate distiller of third rate Irish whiskey on who's "underrated" in baseball. Also, the blatant the misuse of the term ironic. (Are you happy Alanis? Do you see what you've wrought?)
One day, Dusty Baker is going to choke on that toothpick, and baseball will become just that much smarter: We tip our caps and genuflect to the Southpaw, who's been grinding it out over the past few weeks and showing lots of scrappy grittiness. (Hey-O!) Really, you should reading them everyday, but we especially like their take on Flat Earth Society Executive Director Dusty Baker and his ongoing efforts to run the Reds into oblivion. (We weep for Jay Bruce and Joey Votto.) Also, as noted by the DJF this morning, they did yeoman's work to dig deep and find out everything there is to know about Buck Coats, our new favorite player.
Bob McLeod loves Dunedin too much to leave: Contrary to what we said yesterday, Globe Junior is still in Florida, but
The madness to come: Belong to Rios makes some sage predictions for 2008, including further Dusty Baker madness and the phone calls that will drive Mike Wilner into a profound madness where he'll lock himself in the booth with a plate of pork schnitzel and a case of Black Velvet rye.
Speaking of Wilner: He finds meaning in the fake games, and speculates on how the whole Litsch/Janssen thing will shake down.
The Jeff Blair Appreciation Society: The Mockingbird's Jon Hale takes issue with our assessment of the Globe's baseball guru, noting that he is pleasant and mannerly. We'd like to note that we don't find Snappy the Turtle's grumpiness to be a bad thing.
Marty York makes shit up: "According to information obtained by Metro" may be the funniest line we've read all week.


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The government has a settlement with NSCN-I/M at hand. It must sell it to the other Naga groups
By Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 30th June 2015
Nagaland has always been an enigma, shrouded in the cult of the warrior. The 35 Naga tribes have been fighting since pre-history. From the mid-19th century, they brought to a standstill British armies seeking to establish control over Naga areas. Since 1956, they have fought Indian security forces in the country's longest running insurgency. And without an outsider to unite them, the Naga tribes fight amongst themselves.
An hour from the state capital, Kohima, at the gateway to Khonoma village, is a memorial slab engraved with 46 names --- residents of just one village who died fighting the Indian Army. Not far from Khonoma is Nerhema, which celebrates one of its sons, Captain N Kenguruse of the Indian Army, who won a Mahavir Chakra --- the country's second-highest gallantry award --- for successfully assaulting a Pakistani-held peak, unmindful of his fatal injury.
Given this martial tradition, it is unsurprising that the guns have not been silent even through an 18-year ceasefire between the Government of India (GoI) and the most powerful Naga separatist group, the Isak Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah faction of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-I/M). Though Indian security forces were off limits, various Naga militant groups sporadically killed each other in an internecine contest for power and extortion rights.
The deep-rooted democracy embedded in Naga tribal culture has spawned a succession of splinter groups, usually along tribal lines. AZ Phizo initiated the fight for Naga independence, under the banner of the Naga National Council (NNC). With Phizo exiled to London, NNC leaders in India signed up for peace in the 1975 Shillong Accord. That brought hundreds of insurgents over-ground but a sizeable group, then training in China, cried sell-out. Led by Isak Swu, Muivah and a Naga from Myanmar called SS Khaplang, they renamed themselves the NSCN in 1980. Trained and armed by China and espousing a left-wing ideology, the NSCN saw no irony in its official slogan: "Nagaland for Christ".
In 1988 the NSCN split, with Khaplang, drawing support from northern Nagas like the Konyak tribe, peeling off from the main group and heading the NSCN-K. Isak Swu and Muivah now headed the NSCN-I/M, drawing support from southern Nagas, especially the Manipur-based Tangkhul tribe.
To its credit, New Delhi has intervened pro-actively in this drama, unlike in Jammu & Kashmir where it has remained politically passive. In June 1995, Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao met NSCN-I/M in Paris. HD Deve Gowda met NSCN-I/M in Zurich in February 1997, leading directly to a ceasefire agreement in May 1997. The government appointed a series of "special interlocutors", who between them have had some 80 rounds of successful talks with the NSCN-I/M.
Whilst the NSCN-I/M negotiated as the guest of New Delhi, the NSCN-K stood marginalized, largely because Muivah made it clear that opening dialogue with Khaplang would mean the end of talks with him. So Khaplang, a longstanding handmaiden of Indian intelligence agencies, was told that he would be brought into the dialogue at the right time. He bided his time.
As a consequence of dialogue with the NSCN-I/M, New Delhi has in its hands an agreed settlement with this key group, which the government believes would unlock the door for separate agreements with other Naga groups and a final end to the problem. Sources close to the talks say Swu and Muivah have dropped their two key demands: a sovereign Nagaland with its own constitution, army and currency; and the integration of all Naga-inhabited areas, including in the neighbouring states of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Making concessions
The sovereignty demand was dropped when the NSCN-I/M came to the table, an acknowledgment that maximalist positions had yielded no results in four decades of fighting. The larger breakthrough was Swu's and Muivah's acceptance that it was impossible to reorganise states to include all Naga-inhabited areas into a "Greater Nagaland", termed Nagalim. During negotiations and through years of strife with the states concerned, the Naga leaders came to understand that Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam would on no account accept their territory being peeled off and merged into Nagalim.
"Even if the Government of India agreed to expand the boundaries of Nagaland to include Naga-inhabited areas of neighbouring states, Articles 3 and 4 of the Constitution of India prescribe that the concerned state legislatures would have to accede to the proposal. Swu and Muivah understood that, given the neighbouring states' opposition, the government does not have the numbers to pass the amendment through the legislatures involved," says a source close to the negotiations.
The NSCN-I/M, therefore settled for an autonomous administrative mechanism for Naga-inhabited areas, of the kind already created for other hiill areas, such as the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils for Leh and Kargil.
Even so, the NSCN-I/M is clinging onto hope for a Greater Nagaland some day, perhaps through the mechanism of a States Reorganization Commission, as was done in the 1950s.
This secret agreement is reflected in a joint statement by the government and the NSCN-I/M, issued in New Delhi on July 18, 2011, announcing a breakthrough in the peace process. It stated: "Sustained negotiations over the past few months have led to a set of proposals for an honourable political settlement… By appreciating and respecting each other's position and difficulties, both the parties are confident of working out a settlement in the shortest possible time."
Business Standard is aware that the settlement was finalised and even checked and approved for constitutional validity by the Attorney General. Yet two governments have failed to push it through. For two years in 2012-14, the lame-duck United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government dallied; followed by a year of inactivity by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The new interlocutor, RN Ravi, who is the chairman of the joint intelligence committee, has met Swu and Muivah. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kohima in November to inaugurate the Hornbill Festival, but no deal was announced or inked.
Winds of change
Meanwhile, New Delhi's negotiation plan --- i.e. to negotiate a settlement with the NSCN-I/M, which would then catalyse settlements with the NSCN-K, the NNC and various splinter factions --- began to unravel, setting the stage for the bloody June 4 ambush on an army column in Manipur, in which 18 soldiers died. Khaplang ran out of patience and trust, concluding that New Delhi's deal with Swu and Muivah would leave him out in the cold. With a limited support base in India, this Burmese Naga would have to feed off the crumbs from Muivah's table. With time running out, Khaplang refused to renew his ceasefire in April.
The signals were clear that Khaplang would strike hard at Indian security forces to underline his relevance. Even as the NSCN-K began splintering --- a new group, NSNC-R peeled off days after the ceasefire abrogation --- Khaplang's fighters began targeting the security forces. On April 25th, an Assam Rifles trooper was shot dead; on May 3, the NSCN-K killed eight security personnel and wounded nine in Mon district.
Yet the government in New Delhi did little. Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijuju blandly declared that the government took "serious note of the incident from the security point of view".
"The June 4 attack was an explosion waiting to happen. We should have activated intelligence sources, tightened up security forces and issued public statements to tell Nagas that Khaplang had repudiated the ceasefire, which the government wanted to continue. Public sentiment in Nagaland overwhelmingly favours an end to violence. The government could have generated strong public pressure on Khaplang to return to the table", says a senior Nagaland government official.
Intelligence officials admit they underestimated Khaplang, who had already joined hands with nine northeast militant groups, forming a joint front, United National Liberation Front of West South East Asia (UNLFWSEA).
Even so, the Indian Army's cross-border strike of June 9 against Khaplang's camps in Myanmar has put the spotlight on both NSCN-K and the government. Khaplang's fighters, accustomed to the comfort of ceasefire camps, do not relish the prospect of a return to jungle camps with the army at their heels. For the government, there is the need to sign off on an agreement that satisfies not just the NSCN-K, but also an angry and embittered Khaplang.


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Kelvin Yan's business was seemingly on a going-nowhere path half a decade ago.
He was reselling electronics gear online – primarily accessories for cellphones – via eBay from a warehouse in Brea. At its peak, his company's 15-employee staff shipped 5,000 packages a day.
It wasn't the economic downturn that required Yan to change gears. Rather, he realized the niche he was plying was becoming commoditized. It was tough work and not very rewarding. Competition was stiff, and profit margins at times elusive.
Yan knew his middleman's role was a no-win game in the long run, so four years ago he chose to start a branded effort where he could dictate a strategy. In this new space, Yan saw the shot at not being prisoner to other's designs or manufacturing quirks – and a chance to charge a decent price.
"We were always chasing the market," Yan says of the eBay days. "Now we can create a market."
Yan started Kanex – a name that fits his "connect the dots" business mentality – and his target was relatively simple.
Who doesn't enjoy Apple's sleek look and ease of use? But that same simplicity begets a challenge – to meet its unique needs for functionality and efficiency, Apple products don't often have all the electronic bells and whistles.
That creates opportunity for the likes of Yan and countless others. Kanex's first gadget allowed an Apple MacBook user the ability to export video and audio to a high-definition TV. At the time, the laptops output only the picture, not the sound.
"Trial and error," is how Yan describes his design philosophy – if not his overall business plan.
Take the genesis of Kanex's latest product: Yan's iPhone had run out of storage space. So Yan's team created MeDrive, a $99 gadget that gives Apple product owners a way to connect storage to an iPhone or iPad – without wires.
"I hate wires," Yan says.
So goes the curious and not-so-conventional story of Kanex, where the 35-year-old Yan morphed a sideline reselling items on eBay into a branded technology outfit.
Yan came to the United States from Malaysia at age 8, growing up in Los Angeles. By the time he was in high school, he could often be found helping out with his father's general store as a stock boy. By 16, Yan's desire for a paycheck grew to the point that he skipped finishing high school.
But he knew stock boy wasn't a career. He left dad's business to sell and build personal computers, dabbled with some junior college classes, and largely taught himself computer coding. Now, he had hardware and software training.
"I like to break things, then fix them," Yan says.
At roughly the same time, Yan also discovered discount luggage supplies in the region – high-end pieces selling for pennies on the dollar. Yan realized he could buy them cheap, then resell them for hundreds of dollars more on eBay. Another career – first as a side job, then eventually a full-time gig – emerged.
Yan's reselling business quickly shed its baggage, literally – "I hated luggage," Yan said. He then found a relative gold mine – reselling other's electronics goods online, primarily power hookups and covers for the emerging cellphone industry.
"I'm a finder," Yan says.
A decade ago, Yan's reselling business grew rapidly as a new generation of cellphone owners wanted bargains on the accessories. The work ballooned to a point he needed a warehouse in Brea. It was busy, with as many as 15 employees scurrying to meet deadlines for as many as 5,000 shipments a day. But it was cutthroat business, too, where price was king and foraging for supply was equally critical.
In the past two years, Yan exited the reseller business model to become a product creator in the same Brea facility. Yan has found so far that the branded-product business has its own challenges. Yes, profits can be better – if you create the right product.
He's grown Kanex – he now has 25 employees, and those are better-paid, more technical workers than his previous staff heavy on order takers and shippers. And Kanex is profitable, Yan says, with no outside investors – "I hate partners" – and is able to pay himself a modest salary, even getting a raise this year. As for days off, "One or two."
But even the branded space has its headaches. Yan admits Apple gear has become a rapidly crowded field, as the technology giant's profile has grown from a large following to an even bigger global brand.
That means Yan knows he'll eventually have to do something different because competition will eventually trim the profits of Apple accessories makers.
But he doesn't have a clue what – nor is worried by that ambiguity. He speaks of being hit by a car at age 12 – an accident he barely survived – as his motivation to take life in a more free-form style.
"I know I was given a second chance for some reason," he says.
Contact the writer: 949-777-6727 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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August 24 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at Genesee Grande Hotel in Syracuse, NY
NYSNLA's annual Leadership Forum is the leading green industry management event in New York state helping you take your business to the next level. It's geared toward owners and senior-level staff seeking to grow and strengthen their business by honing their management skills. Every year, we bring in a world-class business speaker to work in a small-group, interactive setting for a full day. Then we follow it up a month later with a live webinar where participants check in with the speaker and report on their progress. This year's topic is in high demand!
Mel Kleiman is North America's foremost authority on how to recruit, select, and retain hourly employees and president of Humetrics, founded in 1976. Mel provides selection and retention tools to help you "reassess and reinvent the way you recruit, select, and retain frontline hourly employees and the people who manage them." Learn more about Mel by visiting his website and reading his article in the Summer 2016 issue of Nursery Lines, "The Most Important Buying Decision You'll Ever Make."
At the end of this year's Leadership Forum with Mel, you will have learned:
• The five key questions you need to ask before you hire anyone
• How to attract the right applicants
• The No. 1 most overlooked source of great, proven employees
• How to tell the winners from the whiners
• The most important question to ask every applicant
• The No. 1 way to reduce turnover by 20 percent
• What every employee wants out of a job no matter what generation he or she is
• The No. 1 employee motivator (and it doesn't cost a dime!)
• Lots of other easy-to-implement ideas
Want to learn even more from Mel?
Be one of 15 business owners to attend the exclusive Private Owner's Dinner with Mel the night before Leadership Forum (August 23)! Enjoy a fine dinner and great conversation facilitated by Mel. Learn from Mel and the experience of your fellow business owners as you talk about the challenges you face in your business and share ideas for how to overcome your hurdles.
Cap Off Your Day at Leadership Forum by joining us at the 2016 NYSNLA Membership and Environmental Beautification Awards Dinner, featuring our annual Education Auction! We'll enjoy an hourlong reception with hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and soda, followed by a sumptuous dinner. Enjoy the presentation of our 2016 Environmental Beautification Awards over dessert, and finish the evening with a live auction with everyone's favorite auctioneer, Jeff Rogers! We'll also take a little time to recognize our 2016 Court of Honor awardees. Be sure to buy your ticket when you register for the Leadership Forum. Click here to learn more about the dinner and auction, including your meal choices!
Gain Valuable Exposure for Your Business with a KEY AUDIENCE.
Sponsor Leadership Forum!
We have several sponsorship opportunities available at Leadership Forum 2016, with names to remind us that the next day is Opening Day of the Great New York State Fair right there in Syracuse!
Blue Ribbon Sponsors ($1,500) receive a table in the Forum room; their large logo on all Forum signage, literature and promotional materials (with links where applicable); and one complimentary admission to both the Leadership Forum and that night's Environmental Beautification Awards Dinner & Education Auction.
Red Ribbon Sponsors ($1,000) receive a table in the Forum room and their medium-size logo on all Forum signage, literature and promotional materials (with links where applicable), and two tickets to that night's Environmental Beautification Awards Dinner & Education Auction.
Yellow Ribbon Sponsors ($500) will have their logo on all Forum signage, literature and promotional materials (with links where applicable) and one ticket to that night's Environmental Beautification Awards Dinner & Education Auction.


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Lessons Learned from Mobile Attacks in the Middle East
Attention on cyber security has skyrocketed since the end of last year thanks to the data breaches that hit several of the nation's biggest retailers. But in other parts of the world cyber security has been a hot topic for much longer. Ever since the famous Stuxnet virus was used to damage Iran's nuclear program, the Middle East has been a hotbed of cyber attacks conducted by a range of different players. The Syrian Electronic Army, for instance, has waged a cyber campaign of targeted DDoS attacks and hacks in support of Bashar al-Assad's brutal war against rebels in Syria.
While these politically motivated actions against nation-states have grabbed headlines, banks and businesses in the Middle East have also been at risk. In one recent example, several Mid-East banks were hit a couple weeks ago by a malicious botnet that infected Android mobile devices disguised as a banking app.
While these kinds of mobile attacks are not as widely known in the States yet, it's reasonable to expect that they will become more prevalent here as more online activity shifts to mobile. That means banks will need to start educating consumers about being more cautious and skeptical in the mobile app stores, says John Zurawski, VP of Authentify, a security and authentication solutions provider. "Mobile security will be much like online security. If you don't know where it's from, don't click on it," he points out.
[For More of Our Coverage on Mobile Security: Improving Security In the Fast-Paced World of Mobile]
Banks will need to educate consumers on their mobile offerings so they know what to look for in the app stores. "You have to alert users that you won't ask them to download any second app for security [a common prompt used by malicious apps to attract downloads]… You need to tell consumers to research apps before downloading them," Zurawski advises. "The end user needs to know what your app looks like, what the logo is [in the app store]. The real app is going to have lot of downloads and reviews. The end user needs to realize that if they see a Bank of America app with 16 downloads then it's a fake."
There are anti-virus programs for mobile as well that banks should promote, he says. "The trojan at work in the Mid-East had a signal code that was well known. Any of the top anti-virus programs would have noticed it. But I could probably stop 100 people on the street and none of them would have anti-virus protection on their mobile device," Zurawski notes.
Banks should also use more post log-in verification for mobile sessions, Zurawski adds. The botnet at work in the Mid-East attacks intercepted one-time passcodes that were sent to users' mobile devices for authentication. Zurawski says that he expects banks will move away from that type of authentication towards a model where details are presented to the consumer out-of-band for approval after the log-in has occurred.
Jonathan Camhi has been an associate editor with Bank Systems & Technology since 2012. He previously worked as a freelance journalist in New York City covering politics, health and immigration, and has a master's degree from the City University of New York's Graduate School ... View Full Bio


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A thoroughly revised and updated version of the popular textbook on abstract algebra. The material is introduced with clarity and reference to problems and concepts that students will easily understand. With many examples and exercises, it will serve as the ideal introduction to this important and ubiquitous subject.J. F. Humphreys is the author of 'Numbers, Groups and Codes', published 2004 under ISBN 9780521540506 and ISBN 052154050X.[read more]
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I seem to be on a scent quest lately with all these perfume posts. I don't know why, but I hope you all like it. I promise diversity will return to my blog right after the holidays!
I was thinking about all of the home scents that I love this time of year, and obviously my first idea is to share them all with you here. Perhaps it is because yesterday as I was walking up the steps of the building I could smell the fir tree that our building's guardian put up in the entry hall, perhaps it is the delight of coming home to an apartment that smells lovely and the rapidly approaching Christmas day… But I am avid about holiday scents this time of year. I have four, yes four, diffusers just in the living room! These also are great gift idea for those of you who are not sure what to get people at the last minute! 😉
Here are my favorites, not in any particular order :
Fir Balsam by Geodesis. It smells like Christmas trees and warm Christmas cheer! They sell it in candle and spray form as well.
I am also crazy about L'Occitane's Rameau d'Hiver scent. It too smells just like a winter Christmas tree. It brings out the nostalgia and the childhood memories.


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Bugatti Gangloff Concept
We've been on a concept kick lately and now Bugatti is here to help our fix with the Gangloff Concept. The Gangloff is the brainchild of Polish designer Pawel Czyzewski and was inspired by 1938's unique Type 57 SC Atlante Coupe which was built by the French coachbuilder Gangloff. Further inspiration comes from Bugatti's lust-inducing Veyron, giving the concept the details it needs for a contemporary connection to the storied brand.
Inside, the large oval shaped center console is reminiscent of the Veyron as is the high-mounted shifter and the center-tunnel mounted engine start button. Chances are slim to none that we'll see the Gangloff on the road anytime soon but here's to Bugatti for feeding our concept craving.
- Source: Diseno Art


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Muslim Riots Aid Neo-Con Global Agenda
Paul Joseph Watson & Alex Jones/Prison Planet.com | February 7 2006
The riots that are currently sweeping across Europe and the Middle East in response to caricatures of Mohammed that were originally printed in Danish newspapers are staged managed and are helping the Neo-Cons advance the "clash of civilizations" that they need to impose world order and imperial hegemony.
Images of Muslims with signs that read "freedom go to hell" and "Europe, take some lessons from from 9/11" are playing right into the hands of the Globalists by enabling them to hold up examples of how the Muslims are dangerous barbarians who wish to take away our liberties and need to be dealt with.
The elite is encouraging and fostering the spread of Islamofascism throughout Europe by allowing mass immigration in increasing levels year after year. It is in their interests to create a balkanized melting pot so they can use divide and conquer tactics to enslave all races under a centralized new world order.
The elite want us to be at each others throats while they dominate over the downtrodden and befuddled warring tribes. Race is the ultimate touchstone hot button issue and the Globalists have enacted policies of rampant uncontrolled immigration in order to force hostile cultures to intermingle. The outcome is always tribal warfare, as we saw in Bosnia and Kosovo.
The right of newspapers to publish these caricatures is unwavering and freedom of speech takes precedence over everything else. Violent Muslim demonstrators should be aware that they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction by allowing the media to portray them as freedom hating, brutal and out of control. This ensures increased support for future wars that primarily target Muslim and Persian majority countries.
During collection of material that is posted on this website, we regularly scan political cartoon and artwork archives such as Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index. This is an archive for cartoons that appear in US newspapers nationwide on a daily basis. On numerous occasions over the past five years we have seen cartoons and caricatures that depict Mohammed. Why the sudden outrage now?
As Kurt Nimmo points out, the three most offensive cartoons that caused the outrage were not even printed in the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper but were added in and handed out by Danish imams who "circulated the images to brethren in Muslim countries," according to the London Telegraph.
It also appears highly suspicious that Muslims in Gaza City and other places had gained access to a plentiful supply of Danish flags to burn in front of the waiting world media as soon as the controversy broke out.
We have tirelessly documented previous cases where Muslim clerics and leaders were proven to be acting on behalf of Western intelligence agencies. Early indications strongly suggest that the original riots that led to worldwide demonstrations were staged managed.
Last November's French riots were used to advance a similar agenda that we see unraveling today.
The melting pot of multiculturalism does not work, it has never worked and it was never intended to work. The Algerians in France do not want to be part of the Western fabric because they fundamentally hate it to its very core. This is not helped by promotion of decadent and hedonistic lifestyles pumped out from every cultural and media orifice.
A sizeable proportion of the secular humanist Westerners who like to think of themselves as part of the establishment, when in reality they are unwitting tools of the true elite, have bought into the cuddly utopian philosophy that the West is a global village which welcomes all comers and has the enlightened innate ability to homogenize millions of different people of all different colors and creeds into one giant melting pot.
The reality couldn't be further from the truth and images of flaming buses, schools, nurseries, terror and panic betrayed that fact in France last November.
Establishment controlled Mexican groups such as Aztlan and Mecha advocate killing all whites and blacks and driving them out of the southern states by means of brutal ethnic cleansing. Flags and placards carried at marches depict white people having their heads cut off, as seen in the picture below.
Those that protest such groups are then attacked by the establishment media and labeled as racists, despite the fact that the Plan of San Diego, a rallying cry for the Hispanic Klan groups, advocates total eradication of any race but Hispanics.
Mecha's own slogan reads, "For the race everything. For those outside the race, nothing."
Again, this racial warfare only benefits a smug elite who are content to sit back and watch all the chaos unfold, leaving a terrified middle class to beg for a choking police state to be instituted as the only solution to the problem, a problem manufactured by elite control of so-called minority groups in the first place.
Violent Muslim demonstrators need to take a step back and consider what is important in the long term. The ability of western media to exercise freedom of speech and print cartoons, or unwittingly greasing the skids for a giant engineered backlash against the Muslim world that will see all Muslim nations subjugated and dominated under a tyrannical world government, along with every other race, color and creed.


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Well this was kind of expected. According to one source at HBO, the program has decided to do away with the comedy aspect of the show and go back to a more traditional Costas-like format.
It's easy to see why they would decide to go this route after Artie Lange spooked HBO's execs (and Joe Buck) enough that they ended up apologizing to America for the lewdness. The next show should be scheduled for around September but apparently it'll be a lot more tamer. No more whiskey sour sketches? No more telescope gags? Will Joe Buck scold his guests if they accidentally utter a "goddamn" while they're live? They're tearing the soul out of the show!
More on this once HBO flacks wake up on the West Coast....
With this new theme Buck can go back to being a "legend in the making" as St. Louis magazine called him:


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This '66 El Camino project was originally purchased by Michael Barnes' father-in-law in the late-'90s. The paint and bodywork were already handled and the interior was upgraded with SS components. The plan was to drop in a radical 383ci stroker with a Muncie four-speed and call it done. The combo did make its way to the dragstrip for some low 11-second quarter-mile runs and even got to lay down some laps at the famous Laguna Seca road course. Beyond that, the Elco was left alone for sunny days with limited road duty.
Fast forward to 2005, Michael and his father had a '70 Elco they were working on, however, they were convinced by Michael's wife's father to modify the '66 instead. Unfortunately, without warning, Michael's father passed away. Knowing that it was his father's wishes to complete the ride, he began the long journey to the final creation you see here. Their dreams were big: LS power, A/C, corner carving suspension. With a new plan on paper, he enlisted Santa Rosa Resto Rods for the build.
With the plan underway, he set his goal to attend Holley's LS Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In September of 2013, Michael, his father-in-law Jim, along with his best friend made the 5,083-mile round trip; the modern-day powerplant awarded them with an average of 20 mpg, and no trouble on the road. If nothing else, it was rather uneventful and allowed them to focus on the drive and the incredible scenery.
Michael went on to tell us "The car has been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears but a huge joy to build and drive. I could not have done it without the help of my family and friends who have helped me along the way." Well said, Michael, very well said.


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Based in the Somme department of northern France, the substations will be equipped with their own weather stations and be capable of instantly adapting the grid's configurations to supply, demand and weather conditions.
They will also be capable of quick analysis of line defaults, automatically "self-healing" the system by redirecting electricity flows where needed, says RTE.
Field trials for the €32 million project are scheduled for autumn 2015 with deployment across the rest of the country starting in 2020, says RTE. The programme is funded by Ademe, France's agency for environment and energy management, and its partners, Alstom Grid, Schneider Electric, Alcatel-Lucent, ERDF and Neelogy.


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BALTIMORE- UMBC exploded for a season-high 19 goals and defeated the visiting Vermont Catamounts, 19-6, in an America East Conference match-up at UMBC Stadium.
The Retrievers improved to 1-1 in league play and 4-6 overall, while Vermont slipped to 3-8, 0-2.
Senior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C./Terry Fox) and junior face-off specialist Phil Poe (Harwood, Md./DeMatha) produced sterling effort for the hosts. Jones scored a career-high six goals and surpassed the 100-point plateau in his tenure, while Poe recorded a school record 23 face-off wins in the resounding victory.
Jones became the 30th player in school history to record 100 points with 86 goals and 18 assists for 104 points.
The 19 goals scored by UMBC is the most since a 20-11 victory over Vermont in the 2007 season and the 13-goal differential is the most since an 18-5 victory over Mount St. Mary's in 2001.
Vermont junior attackman Graham Horvath led the visitors with a pair of goals.
After a quiet first five minutes, UMBC erupted for three goals in a two-minute span. Jones scored the Retrievers' first man-down goal of the year, picking up a loose ball and the midline and beating the Catamount defense down the field to score unassisted at the 5:45 mark. Nearly a minute later, senior attackman Matt Gregoire (Crofton, Md./South River) whipped a shot past Vermont starting keeper Justin Rosenberg from eight yards out after receiving a feed from freshman middie Pat Young (Ewing, N.J./Christchurch School). Freshman Nate Lewnes (Arnold, Md./St. Mary's) capped the sequence by finishing senior midfielder Scott Hopmann's (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary's) feed.
UMBC increase the lead to 6-0 after 15 minutes as Gregoire completed a hat trick of his own in the first quarter and junior midfielder Zach Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./St. Paul's) added a goal.
Vermont opened the second quarter with its first score of the game, as Horvath scored 59 seconds into the stanza. But UMBC went on another 6-0 surge to take an insurmountable 12-1 advantage at the break. Jones scored four of those six goals, including the half's final score with four seconds remaining.
The Retrievers added five goals in the third quarter and led, 17-4, after 45 minutes, before substituting liberally in the final stanza.
UMBC amassed a season high with 45 shots and outshot the Catamounts, 45-27. Retriever sophomore goalkeeper Wes DiRito (Odenton, Md./DeMatha) recorded the win, making six saves, while allowing four goals in 45 minutes. Rosenberg took the loss for Vermont, recording six saves and allowing 12 scores.
Gregoire finished with four goals, while Young contributed a pair of goals and a season-high three assists. Senior midfielder Joe Lustgarten (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) posted a goal and three helpers.
UMBC is now 4-1 at home in 2013 and 21-4 at home in America East regular season play.
The Retrievers travel to New York to face Stony Brook in a league game on Sat., April 13.


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Architect Gia Wolff Wins the Inaugural Wheelwright Prize
POSTED ON: June 6, 2013
Assistant Professor Adjunct Gia Wolff is the winner of the inaugural Wheelwright Prize, a $100,000 traveling fellowship dedicated to fostering new forms of architectural research informed by cross-cultural engagement.
"The Wheelwright Prize jury—Mostafavi, Yung Ho Chang, Farès el-Dahdah, K. Michael Hays, Farshid Moussavi, Zoe Ryan, and Jorge Silvetti—selected Gia Wolff from among 231 applicants from 45 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, and Spain. Applicants were asked to submit portfolios along with a research proposal and travel itinerary, outlining an extended field investigation and its anticipated benefits for the field of architecture. "The positive response to the Wheelwright Prize has been extraordinary," said Mostafavi. "It is inspiring to see so many talented architects with clear agendas and visions."
The jury commended Wolff as an original talent who has developed an innovative, multifaceted architectural practice. The 35-year-old architect has worked for Acconci Studio, LOT-EK, Adjaye Associates, and Architecture Research Office (ARO), where she has been involved in projects that range from libraries to residences, exhibition designs to urban installations. She is presently an assistant professor adjunct at the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at the Cooper Union and a visiting assistant professor at Pratt Institute. She leads her own practice, which focuses on "performance and its use of space and objects to convey narrative, form, and emotion," in her words. Recently, she has been collaborating with the Phantom Limb Company on set designs for productions including The Devil You Know (presented at La Mama Experimental Theater, New York, 2010), The Composer Is Dead (Berkeley Repertory Theater, Berkeley, 2010), and 69° South (BAM Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn, 2011). Wolff received a Master of Architecture from Harvard GSD in 2008 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design in 2001." - wheelwrightprize.org


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While we Iaciofano's were cavorting through Italy, Marmo found a beverage she liked very much. So much, that she would order it wherever we went.
Marmo isn't much of a drinker. In fact, I usually have to cut her off after one glass of wine. Her normal speech velocity increases threefold and it becomes even more challenging to follow her thought patterns.
Luckily, an Aperol Spritz isn't a heavy hitter in terms of alcohol content. It's an aperitif…think of it as your warm up drink before you pull out all those fancy bottles of Brunello (or whatever) that you'll be enjoying with your main meal.
It's simple to concoct as well. Because warms ups should be simple. You don't want to strain yourself before the main event.
So ease into action with this aperitif.
What you need:
Sparkling white wine – we used Martini & Rossi Asti Sparkling Wine
What to do:
The recipe is simple: 3 parts Asti to 1 part Aperol.
I used a shot glass to measure and poured three shots of the sparkling wine and one shot of the Aperol into a large wine glass filled with ice.
Dunk in a slice of orange if you like.
Oh, and try to have some nice, meaty olives on hand. And maybe some peanuts too. Got it?
Now go find a sunny spot and enjoy. Cheers!


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Many researchers now use small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to reduce the expression of specific mammalian genes. Here we describe five methods for producing siRNAs for use in mammalian RNAi experiments. Each of these methods has its advantages and drawbacks. The best method for generating siRNAs will depend on the goals of the experiment. This article briefly describes the five methods, presents their advantages and disadvantages, and discusses the types of applications for which they are best suited.
- Chemical synthesis
- In vitro transcription
- Digestion of long dsRNA by an RNase III family enzyme (e.g. Dicer, RNase III)
- Expression in cells from an siRNA expression plasmid or viral vector
- Expression in cells from a PCR-derived siRNA expression cassette
The first three methods involve in vitro preparation of siRNAs that are then introduced directly into mammalian cells by lipofection, electroporation, or other technique. The last two methods rely on the introduction of DNA-based vectors and cassettes that express siRNAs within the cells. Table 1, below, summarizes these methods.
| Chemical
| In vitro
| RNase III
digestion of
| siRNA
Expression Cassette
|(2) 21-
mer RNA
|(2) 29-mer DNA oligos
|Transcription template (200-800 bp region flanked by T7 promoters)
|(2) 55-60-mer DNA oligos
|(2) ~50-mer DNA oligos
|Turnaround time (total preparation/
synthesis time)
|4 days to
2 weeks*
|24 hours + DNA oligo
|1 day + transcription template preparation time
|5+ days + DNA oligo
|~ 6 hours + DNA oligo
|Hands on time
|Little to none*
|Testing to find optimal siRNA sequence
|Not Required
|Ability to label siRNA (i.e., for analyzing siRNA uptake or localization by fluorescence microscopy)
|Relative ease of transfection
|Selectability (i.e, antibiotic selection)
|Useful for long term studies
|Yes, with selection
|Ability to scale up synthesis
|Monitor transfection efficiency of entire population
|Relative cost per gene (not including labor)
|Ambion Solution
|Ambion's Custom siRNA Synthesis Service
|Silencer siRNA Construction Kit
|Silencer siRNA Cocktail Kit (RNase III)
|pSilencer siRNA Expression Vectors
|Silencer Express siRNA Expression Cassette Kits
siRNA Design
In Vitro Preparation
Method #1: Chemical Synthesis
Although more expensive than any of the other methods, the production of chemically synthesized siRNAs requires almost no effort by the researcher. Ambion, and several other companies, provide high quality, chemically synthesized siRNAs on a custom basis. One of the major benefits of chemical synthesis is the large yield of high purity siRNA. Drawbacks include the price and turnaround times (typically 4–12 days depending on synthesis and purification options). Because of the relatively high price tag, many researchers find it beneficial to screen siRNA sequences using a less expensive preparation method, such as in vitro transcription, and then have the most effective sequence(s) synthesized chemically. A robust design algorithm that results in a high proportion of effective siRNA sequences is available from Ambion. Improved siRNA design criteria decreases the number of sequences that need to be tested, lowering the costs associated with this option.
Best for:
Studies that require large amounts of a defined ultrapure siRNA sequence
Not suitable for:
Long term studies
Ambion's Solution: Custom, Pre-designed and Validated siRNAs
Custom siRNAs: Ambion provides premium quality, made-to-order siRNAs with your choice of synthesis options. Our standard purification procedure includes deprotection and column purification, and typically yields siRNA that is 90% pure (guaranteed >80% pure). HPLC and PAGE purification is also available, yielding siRNAs that are guaranteed >97% pure. All RNA oligonucleotides are assessed by MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization – time-of-flight) mass spectrometry and annealed siRNAs are analyzed by nondenaturing gel or capillary electrophoresis to confirm that the strands are annealed properly.
Pre-designed siRNAs: A design algorithm developed by Ambion's partner, Cenix BioScience, predicts potent and specific siRNA sequences with an impressive success rate. Multiple siRNA designs are available for the human, mouse, and rat genes listed in the public RefSeq database maintained by NCBI. We can also use the algorithm to design siRNAs to other organisms or genes not in the RefSeq database.
Validated siRNAs: Silencer™ Validated siRNAs are single siRNA duplexes that have been verified experimentally to reduce the expression of individual human genes. Each siRNA has been shown to reduce target gene expression by at least 70% forty-eight hours post transfection by real time RT-PCR. Most of the siRNAs were found to reduce target gene expression by 90% or more. Every Silencer Validated siRNA strand is purified by HPLC and subjected to rigorous quality control measures. The result is the highest quality siRNA with a sequence verified to reduce gene expression.
Method #2: In Vitro Transcription
siRNAs can be readily prepared by in vitro transcription. siRNAs produced by this method are considerably less expensive than their chemically synthesized counterparts, making them a more cost-effective choice for screening siRNA sequences. In addition, they can be produced more quickly than chemically synthesized siRNAs. Once template deoxynucleotides are obtained, the procedure takes about 24 hours, with little hands on time. Disadvantages of this method include the limited scale up potential (although each reaction produces enough siRNA for hundreds of transfections) and the fact that it requires more hands-on time from the researcher compared to chemically synthesized siRNAs which can simply be purchased. It should be noted that in vitro transcribed siRNAs work as well as chemically synthesized siRNAs and usually at lower concentrations -- 0.5–20 nM vs. 50–100 nM concentration per transfection (Figure 1).
Best for:
Screening siRNA sequences or when the price of chemical siRNA synthesis is an obstacle
Not suitable for:
Long term studies or studies that require large amounts of a single siRNA sequence
Ambion's Solution: Silencer™ siRNA Construction Kit
The Silencer siRNA Construction Kit produces transfection-ready siRNA at a fraction of the cost of chemical synthesis. The kit is based on a patent-pending in vitro transcription method and can generate up to 15 purified siRNAs in less than 24 hours. The cost and time saved using the Silencer siRNA Construction Kit enable screening sequences of more genes and more potential targets within the target gene to find the most potent siRNA.
Figure 1. Use of Chemically Synthesized and in Vitro Transcribed siRNAs to Induce Gene Silencing. siRNAs targeting ß-actin were prepared by chemical synthesis (Ambion) or by in vitro transcription using Ambion's Silencer siRNA Construction Kit. HeLa cells were plated at 30,000 cells per well in a 24 well tissue culture plate containing glass slides. The cells were transfected 24 hours after plating, using 2 µl siPORT™ Lipid (Ambion) according to the manufacturer's protocol, at a final siRNA concentration of 75 nM. Immunofluorescence analysis was performed 96 hr post transfection using mouse anti-human ß-actin primary antibody and a FITC conjugated anti-mouse IgG secondary antibody. Photographs were taken using the appropriate fluorescent filters and quantified using MetaMorph software. Note that both siRNA preparation methods resulted in > 95% reduction in ß-actin protein levels.
Method #3: Digestion of Long dsRNAs to Create an siRNA Cocktail
One of the major drawbacks of all the other methods of siRNA production is the need to design and test several siRNA sequences before an effective one can be identified. Preparation of siRNA cocktails overcomes this limitation. In this method, long dsRNAs are prepared by in vitro transcription using a template that typically encodes a 200–1000 nt region of the target mRNA. The dsRNA is then digested in vitro with RNase III (or Dicer) to produce a population, or cocktail, of siRNAs. Since the cocktail contains many different siRNAs, efficient gene knockdown is virtually guaranteed. A representative of one of these experiments is depicted in Figure 2.
The major benefit of this approach is the ability to bypass the testing steps involved in selecting an effective siRNA sequence, saving researchers both time and money (note that RNase III reactions are typically less expensive than those performed with Dicer). One downside of this approach, however, is the theoretical potential for nonspecific silencing effects, particularly for closely related genes. Most research to date indicates that this does not pose a problem (1-4).
Best for:
Fast and inexpensive analysis of loss of function phenotypes
Not suited for:
Long term studies or studies that require a single, defined siRNA sequence
Ambion's Solution: Silencer™ siRNA Cocktail Kit (RNase III)
With the Silencer siRNA Cocktail Kit (RNase III), a population of siRNAs to a specific target can be prepared in a quick, simple procedure. The population of siRNAs produced by the Silencer siRNA Cocktail Kit (RNase III) elicits gene silencing effects comparable to well designed individual siRNAs, without the need to design and screen individual siRNAs. Ambion scientists have tested many genes and they have yet to see an increase in cytotoxicity. They have also not observed any nonspecific effects associated with the use of siRNA populations as compared to individual, chemically synthesized siRNAs targeting the same gene. To date, Ambion scientists have used this kit successfully with NIH-3T3, HeLa, S3, 293 and BJ cell lines and have knocked down the expression of numerous genes, including c-fos, GAPDH, La, ß-actin, and Ku-70.
Figure 2. Gene Silencing with the Silencer siRNA Cocktail Kit. A population of siRNAs targeting 200 nt of the Ku-70 mRNA was prepared with the Silencer siRNA Cocktail Kit (RNase III) and transfected into HeLa cells at a final concentration of 100 nM. Cells were analyzed 48 hours later by immunofluorescence. Ku-70 levels were reduced 86% in cells transfected with the siRNA cocktail, compared to non-transfected controls.
In Vivo Expression
All of the methods described so far rely on the in vitro preparation of siRNAs. The use of siRNA expression vectors and PCR-based expression cassettes, however, relies on in vivo transcription of siRNAs from DNA templates introduced into cells. One advantage of these two approaches is that there is no need to work directly with RNA.
Method #4: siRNA Expression Vectors
Most siRNA expression vectors rely on an RNA polymerase III (pol III) promoter to drive the expression of a small hairpin siRNA in mammalian cells (1–4). RNA pol III was chosen to drive siRNA expression because it naturally expresses relatively large amounts of small RNAs in mammalian cells, it terminates transcription upon incorporating a string of 1-4 uridines, and its transcripts lack poly(A) tails.
To use siRNA expression vectors, two oligodeoxynucleotides encoding the desired short hairpin RNA sequence are ordered, annealed, and cloned into the vector downstream of the promoter. Because cloning is involved, the procedure takes several days, and sequencing the region containing the insert is required. However, this limitation is balanced by the ability to produce large quantities of vector once the vector is shown to work well in gene silencing experiments.
Without a question, the main advantage of siRNA expression vectors is that they are amenable to long term studies. Vectors with antibiotic resistance markers can be used to reduce the expression of targeted genes for several weeks or longer. Transient selection of cells transfected with selectable marker containing plasmids also permits the enrichment of cells that have taken up the plasmid. This can help compensate for low transfection efficiencies in difficult to transfect cells. Recently, several groups including Ambion have begun preparing adenoviral, retroviral, and other viral vectors for siRNA expression (see pSilencer adeno 1.0-CMV). These vectors offer the added advantage that cells can be transduced for gene silencing studies, thus reducing problems associated with inefficient plasmid transfection.
Best for:
Long term and other studies in which antibiotic selection of siRNA containing cells is desired. Retroviruses allow for efficient integration of the siRNA expression cassette.
Not suitable for:
Screening siRNA sequences (note: screening siRNA sequences is possible, but is time and labor intensive with vectors).
Ambion's Solution: pSilencer™ siRNA Expression Vectors
pSilencer siRNA Plasmid Expression Vectors feature U6 and H1 pol III promoters, an ampicillin resistance gene; an E. coli origin of replication; and one of three antibiotic selectable markers (neomycin, puromycin, or hygromycin resistance genes). An siRNA template is cloned into the vector resulting in siRNA expression once the plasmid is delivered to cells.
pSilencer-adeno siRNA Expression Vectors are also available, making expression vector delivery much easier in otherwise hard to transfect cells.
Method #5: siRNA Expression Cassettes
siRNA expression cassettes (SECs) are PCR-derived siRNA expression templates that can be introduced into cells directly -- without first being cloned into a vector. Initially described by Castanotto and colleagues (5), SECs include an RNA pol III promoter, a sequence encoding an siRNA hairpin, and an RNA pol III termination site. In contrast to siRNA expression vectors, which require cloning and sequencing prior to use and thus take 1–2 weeks to prepare, SECs can be generated by PCR in less than a day. SECs thus provide an excellent screening tool to find the most effective siRNA sequence, or to identify the most effective combination of promoter and siRNA in a given cell line. In fact, SECs provide the perfect complement to siRNA expression vectors. By incorporating restriction sites at their ends, SECs found to effectively elicit gene silencing can be readily cloned into a plasmid or viral vector to create an siRNA expression vector. The siRNA expression vector can then be used for stable expression and long term studies. One disadvantage of SECs is that they are not as easily transfected into cells as siRNAs. As new transfection agents and protocols are developed, however, SEC transfection efficiency should increase. Because they are generated by PCR, SECs are not amenable to scale up without being cloned into plasmids. Figure 3 shows data from an experiment in which SECs each containing one of three different promoters were tested for their ability to drive siRNA expression and induce knockdown of c-fos expression.
Best for:
Screening siRNA sequences and testing promoters before preparing vectors
Not suitable for:
Long term studies until cloned into vectors containing selectable markers
Figure 4. Variable Reduction in Target Gene Expression Using SECs with Different Promoters. siRNA Expression Cassettes featuring the mouse U6 (Mo-U6), human U6 (Hu-U6), and human H1 (Hu-H1) promoters and encoding a c-fos-specific hairpin siRNA were transfected into HeLa cells. 72 hours post-transfection, the cells were assessed using nuclear staining with DAPI and immunofluorescence using a c-FOS antibody. Non-transfected cells (NT) as well as cells transfected with an SEC expressing a negative control siRNA (scramble) demonstrate wild-type levels of c-FOS. The relative level of reduction in gene expression was quantified and is provided in the bar graph.


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Electrical Engineering
BSEE Educational Program Outcomes
Students should demonstrate these abilities upon graduations.
(a) Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering.
(b) Ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.
(c) Ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability.
(d) Ability to function on multidisciplinary teams.
(e) Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
(f) Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
(g) Ability to communicate effectively.
(h) Broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.
(i) Recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning.
(j) Knowledge of contemporary issues.
(k) Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.


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College has started up again and many students are considering which major suits them best. Even those who have chosen an area of emphasis often change their minds once they have had a chance to sample the variety of college offerings. While pay potential isn't the be all and end all for many students, knowledge, they say, is power. So it can't hurt to know where different majors stand in that regard.
Earlier this year we took a look at the 30 Best Paying College Majors. This time around, we count down those that sit in the bottom quarter of the financial ladder. Many of them fall in areas that traditionally might be seen as more altruistic, like religion and the arts.
Still, as you look through the list, note that just because an occupation has low starting salaries, doesn't mean there's no room for growth. The major that finished fourth from last leaped to the middle of all majors by mid-career.
We used data from payscale.com, which information lists 129 majors on its site.
(Also check out Top 30 Colleges for Highest Starting Salaries and Top 25 Best Value Colleges.)
The rankings below are based on data collected from 1,000 universities and include graduates with bachelor's degrees only. The universities surveyed include 88% of U.S. schools with an enrollment of more than 5,000.
Take a look at the 30 Worst Paying College Majors for 2013:
30. Liberal Arts
Starting Salary: $36,600
Mid-Career Salary: $ 60,500 (Rank: 86th-tie)
29. Psychology
Starting Salary: $36,300
Mid-Career Salary: $60,700 (85th)
26 (tie). Photography
Starting Salary: $36,200
Mid-Career Salary: $55,500 (110th)
26 (tie). Theater
Starting Salary: $36,200
Mid-Career Salary: $55,500 (96th-tie)
26 (tie). Anthropology
Starting Salary: $36,200
Mid-Career Salary: $61,400 (83rd)
25. Art
Starting Salary: $36,100
Mid-Career Salary: $57,100 (103rd)
24. Interior Design
Starting Salary: $36,000
Mid-Career Salary: $59,300 (91st)
22 (tie). Human Development
Starting Salary: $35,900
Mid-Career Salary: $48,000 (125th)
22 (tie). Public Health
Starting Salary: $35,900
Mid-Career Salary: $56,500 (106th)
20. Music
Starting Salary: $35,700
Mid-Career Salary: $51,400 (119th)
20. Hospitality & Tourism
Starting Salary: $35,700
Mid-Career Salary: $62,600 (81st)
19. Drama
Starting Salary: $35,600
Mid-Career Salary: $56,300 (107th-tie)
18. Kinesiology
Starting Salary: $35,600
Mid-Career Salary: $60,400 (88th-tie)
17. Biblical Studies
Starting Salary: $35,400
Mid-Career Salary: $50,800 (123rd)
16. Criminal Justice
Starting Salary: $35,300
Mid-Career Salary: $58,400 (98th)
15. Horticulture
Starting Salary: $35,200
Mid-Career Salary: $50,900 (122nd)
14. Recreation & Leisure Studies
Starting Salary: $35,000
Mid-Career Salary: $51,900 (118th)
13. Paralegal Studies
Starting Salary: $35,000
Mid-Career Salary: $53,000 (116th)
12. Physical Education Teaching
Starting Salary: $34,900
Mid-Career Salary: $56,300 (107th-tie)
11. Religious Studies
Starting Salary: $34,900
Mid-Career Salary: $57,900 (101st)
9 (tie). Athletic Training
Starting Salary: $34,800
Mid-Career Salary: $46,900 (126th)
9 (tie). Culinary Arts
Starting Salary: $34,800
Mid-Career Salary: $51,100 (120th)
8. Theology
Starting Salary: $34,000
Mid-Career Salary: $52,200 (117th)
7. Special Education
Starting Salary: $33,800
Mid-Career Salary: $49,600 (124th)
6. Animal Science
Starting Salary: $33,600
Mid-Career Salary: $55,200 (112th-tie)
5. Social Work
Starting Salary: $33,000
Mid-Career Salary: $46,600 (127th)
4. Broadcast Journalism
Starting Salary: $32,700
Mid-Career Salary: $68,800 (69th)
3. Exercise Science
Starting Salary: $32,600
Mid-Career Salary: $51,000 (121st)
2. Elementary Education
Starting Salary: $32,200
Mid-Career Salary: $45,300 (128th)
1. Child & Family Studies
Starting Salary: $30,300
Mid-Career Salary: $37,200 (129th)
Check out these Top 10 lists at ThinkAdvisor:
- 30 Best Paying College Majors
- Top 30 Colleges for Highest Starting Salaries
- Top 25 Best Value Colleges: 2013
- Top 10 Richest Colleges for 2012—The Biggest Endowments


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- Prayer and Worship
- Beliefs and Teachings
- Issues and Action
- Media
- Bible
- Catholic Giving
- About USCCB
Blessings are called "sacramentals" because they prepare us to receive the grace of the sacraments and help us to grow to be more like Christ (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1670).
Blessings consist of prayer, Scripture, and sometimes a special ritual sign (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1668).
People are accustomed to seeing bishops, priests, and deacons blessing objects or persons in the name of the Church. Indeed, "the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1669), often with the participation of the local parish community gathered in prayer. Whenever an ordained minister is present, he should be called upon to give the blessing.
However, there are other blessings, like the ones contained in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, that can be prayed by anyone who has been baptized, "in virtue of the universal priesthood, a dignity they possess because of their baptism and confirmation" (Book of Blessings, no. 18). The blessings given by laypersons are exercised because of their special office, such as parents on behalf of their children.
Right after telling his disciples to "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you," Jesus instructs them to "bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Lk 6:28). St. Paul echoes the Lord's command when he exhorts the Romans to "bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them" (Rom 12:14). St. Peter urges that each time we are on the receiving end of evil, we should return "a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing" (1 Pt 3:9).
This is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that "every baptized person is called to be a 'blessing,' and to bless" (no. 1669; see Gn 12:2; Lk 6:28; Rom 12:14; 1 Pt 3:9).
Like the Lord into whom they have been baptized, parents should bless and pray for their children. Each one of us should remember the sick and those who suffer. Each time we gather around the family table, we should bless God and the food he has given us. On special occasions, we will observe the traditions of the season, sanctifying by prayer and blessing all the seasons of grace that God has given to us.
By accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This link is provided
solely for the user's convenience. By providing this link, the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops assumes no responsibility for,
nor does it necessarily endorse, the website, its content, or
sponsoring organizations.


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Difficulty in paying
If you are having difficulties making your payments, the first thing you should do is contact the Council. You can either ring the Council Tax Helpline Number 01543 464285 or visit one of the Council offices (see below) where Counter services staff will be pleased to assist you or email email@example.com
We maybe able to rearrange your instalments to make them more manageable or advise you if you may be entitled to any reduction in your bill.
You may also be entitled to Local Council Tax Reduction or Second adult rebate.
Please ring the Benefit Helpline number 01543 464292 for more information
If you are having problems paying debts to companies outside the Council there is help and advice available to you at the Citizens Advice Bureau (see below).
Last Updated: 01/08/2015


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Many Ways People Have Prepared for Court Interpreting
Anabella, ArgentinaA formal education is important . . . but it is not enough. I started working with a California and federally certified court interpreter who served as my mentor for more than a year. She recommended that I volunteer at small claims courts. I was able to assist many litigants while continually improving my skills. I also participated in the Superior Court of Orange County's Family Law Interpreter Internship Program. Once a week for three months I worked with pro bono attorneys, interpreted in pretrial conferences, and eventually interpreted before the judge, all while under supervision of a certified interpreter. It is like a part-time job to prepare for certification.
|Native Language: Spanish
Years Interpreting: 3+
Education: B.A. (six-year
degree) with two-year diploma
in Conference Interpreting
Tin, VietnamI was a coach and a quality assurance person for the Vietnamese interpreting team at a major national telephonic remote interpreting agency for five years. I have been working as a medical interpreter and technical translator for a large public medical center since 2005. I studied very hard on my own but knew I would need a coach to help me over the hump. I found a certified interpreter two hours from my house and took an apprenticeship course with him for three months. After taking the course my oral scores improved greatly, but I still did not pass. I kept working with my mentor and even took a one-week vacation just to study every day and be closer to my coach. Since passing the oral interpreting exam, I have worked for California's superior courts.
|Native Language: Vietnamese
Years Interpreting: 7
Education: B.A.
Patricia, El SalvadorAfter completing my Certificate Program in Interpretation and taking other formal in-person and online interpreter training, I joined a study group before the oral exam. We met four times a week using Skype. There were six or seven of us and we met four days every week before taking the exam and practiced all modes of interpretation. You need someone to give you objective feedback and challenge you and keep you motivated, so I also had a study partner and we challenged each other constantly. She was stronger in simultaneous and I was stronger in consecutive, so we complemented each other and studied together for several hours a week.
|Native Language: Spanish
Years Interpreting: 20+
Education: B.A. in Journalism
and Business Administration,
Certificate in Interpretation
and Translation


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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults with colon cancer who were prescribed a daily aspirin were less likely to die than those who weren't, according to a new study.
While the results need to be confirmed with more rigorous studies, they add to the evidence linking aspirin use to longer survival for cancer patients. Studies have also suggested the inexpensive drug can prevent some types of the disease from occurring in the first place.
Medical guidelines currently endorse the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent heart disease, but not to fight or prevent cancer.
The new study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, included more than 500 colon-cancer patients in the Netherlands aged 70 and older. More than 100 were prescribed daily low-dose "baby" aspirin for heart protection after their cancer diagnosis.
Between 1998 and 2007, the death rate for those prescribed aspirin was about half that of the non-aspirin users. The effect was biggest in people with more advanced cancer and in those who received no chemotherapy.
Anything that might improve survival in elderly adults with colon cancer would be welcome, since there is no consensus on whether to use chemotherapy in those patients, according to the study.
Previous studies have also associated aspirin use with increased survival. Research published in October in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that aspirin therapy could extend survival for colon cancer patients whose tumors had a specific genetic mutation.
Still, more scientifically rigorous randomized controlled trials will be needed to confirm the findings of studies that are based on observation after the fact, and therefore less definitive about what actually causes the effect seen.
"We're pretty sure this is a real effect, but we're not sure of the magnitude," said Dr. Gerrit Jan Liefers of Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, an author of the new study. He said he didn't expect randomized trials would show such a large survival advantage. Liefers is working to develop such a trial in the Netherlands.
One limitation of the study is that it looked at aspirin prescriptions, not actual use of the drug. (Low-dose aspirin for heart-disease protection isn't available over the counter in the Netherlands.) It's possible that heart benefits from aspirin might have helped the patients live longer, but the study authors said that alone couldn't account for the big difference in death rates. Also, there might be differences between the groups unaccounted for by researchers that led to the improved survival among the aspirin users.
Liefers said it's not completely clear how aspirin might combat colon cancer. One likely route: blocking the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2, or COX-2, which is involved in inflammation and is expressed in about 70 percent of colon tumors.
Boris Pasche, director of the hematology and oncology division at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said it would be helpful to figure out who would benefit from and who could skip daily aspirin.
"It's a fairly benign drug, but it has side effects," including bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract and the brain, Pasche said.
He said patients should discuss with their physicians whether it makes sense to take aspirin at this point. "This supports the concept, but we need a prospective randomized trial," he said.
SOURCE: bit.ly/TFEnSF Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, online November 23, 2012.


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At Giffords Law Center, our legal experts research, write, and defend the laws, policies, and programs proven to save lives from gun violence.Join the Fight
The data speaks for itself—states with safer gun laws have fewer deadly shootings per capita than states with weak laws. Learn the truth about gun violence and the proven solutions that save lives.
Learn the essentials about the gun violence crisis, the Second Amendment, and the laws, programs, and policies that work.
Every year, our experts rank the states on the strength or weakness of their gun laws. How does your state stack up?
In Gun Law Trendwatch, our attorneys round up the victories, challenges, and trends in state firearm legislation.
Our exhaustive reports and legislative toolkits take a deep dive into the proven solutions to gun violence.


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Jaimie Alexander plays Lady Sif in the Thor movies. She recently visited the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, but instead of going as Jaimie Alexander, she went as Lady Sif. Sword, armour, the works.
OK, so maybe it's not quite as cool as having Thor himself turn up, but it's still pretty damn cool. Especially since that sword looks kinda real.
Lady Sif Visits the Children's Hospital Los Angeles [Marvel, via Super Punch]


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1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is, my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?
7. Lev.21:20 states that I may ! not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle- room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I must confess, I had a good laugh but could I be accused of blasphemy ? However, it does show how absurd the position of those who take the book of Genesis literally actually is. Why do they not take these passages of scripture literally as well ?
I wonder if I should make Paul Taylor aware of the above next time he's on Talkback ? Would it make any difference to his position ? I doubt it. It just shows though, why taking a literal position on Genesis is nonsensical and how even YEC's like Taylor or White do pick and choose as well.


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HTML5 video is taking the web by storm.
Not only has a very public (and contentious) debate unfolded on the web about the efficacy of presenting videos using HTML5 instead of Flash, but momentum is gathering behind the nascent web standard.
From giant video sites like YouTube to Wikipedia, everyone it seems wants to get their video out of Flash and into native web formats. With Microsoft recently announcing it will support the HTML5 video tag in the coming Internet Explorer 9, expect even more sites to abandon Flash for native video.
So, you want in on the fun? Do you want to use some HTML5 video tags on your site right now? No problem. Fasten your seat belts, as we're about to take a tour of the wonderful world of HTML5 video.
Browser Support for HTML5
First, let's deal with some very basic stuff, like where this will work and where it won't. As you can see in the table below, only the latest versions of most browsers support native video playback using HTML5's <video> tag.
|Fx 3.0
|Fx 3.5
|Safari 3
|Safari 4
|Chrome 3+
|Opera 10.5
Since Firefox 3.0 and IE 7 & 8 lack any support for HTML5 video, you'll have to come up with a fallback plan for serving video to those users. Depending on what you want to do you, could fallback first to Quicktime and then, failing that, to Flash. That's the strategy used in Video for Everyone (note that as of v0.4, Video for everyone no longer falls back to QuickTime).
To keep things simple we're just going to fall straight from HTML5 to Flash.
Formats, Codecs and Technicalities
The next thing you need to understand is what is actually happening when you load and play a video file in your web browser. You're probably used to thinking of video as .mp4 or .mov files, but unfortunately it's not that simple. The actual file formats are just containers. Think of them as a bit like a .zip file — they hold other stuff inside.
Each container holds at minimum one video track and, most likely, one audio track. When you watch a movie online, your video player (most likely Flash) decodes both the audio and video and sends the information to your screen and speakers.
Why does this matter? Well, because the process of decoding what's inside the video container file varies. To know how to decode a movie, the player (which is your web browser in the case of HTML5 video) has to know which codec the movie was encoded with.
When it comes to web video there are two codecs to worry about: H.264 and Theora.
There's a huge debate right now among web developers, browser makers and just about everyone else as to which codec is right for the web. We believe that a free, open codec without patent and licensing restrictions is the best solution for the web. Sadly, neither codec exactly fulfills that dream, so for now, let's just skip the whole argument and be practical — we're going to use both codecs.
Why? Well, have a look at the table below, which shows which codecs work where and you'll quickly see that there is no one-size-fits-all-browsers solution. Only Google Chrome can play both H.264 and Theora.
|Ogg Theora
So, you may be thinking … if HTML5 video doesn't work in IE7 or IE8 and it means I'm going to have to encode my videos twice, then why bother at all? Well, the best answer is simple: mobile users. If you want iPhone and Android users to be able to see your video, HTML5 is the only way to do it — Flash support is coming to Android sooner or later but for now HTML5 is the only option, and we all know Flash doesn't run on the iPhone or the iPad.
The HTML5 Code
Here's how to actually embed your videos. First, we encode video in both .ogv and .mp4 containers. Encoding video is beyond the scope of this article, so instead we suggest you check out Mark Pilgrim's online book Dive Into HTML5, which has a whole chapter devoted to understanding video encoding. Pilgrim's encoding suggestions use free software to get the job done, and in the end you'll have two files — one .mp4 and one .ogv.
Now it's time to unleash those movies in pure HTML glory. Here's the code:
<video width="560" height="340" controls> <source src="path/to/myvideo.mp4" type='video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2"'> <source src="path/to/myvideo.ogv" type='video/ogg; codecs="theora, vorbis"'> </video>
Yes, that's it. What we've done here is use the
<video> tag to specify the dimensions of our video, and to denote that we want to use the browser's default controls. Then, within the video tag, we've added two
<source> elements which link to our video files.
The "type" attribute of the
<source> tag helps the browser understand which file it should load. It's a bit of an ugly chunk of code that needs to specify the container format, the video codec and the audio codec.
In this case we've assumed standard .ogv and baseline encoded H.264 video as per Pilgrim's tutorial. See the WHATWG wiki for more information on which video types you can specify.
And there you have it — native web video, no plugins required.
Dealing With Everyone Else
What about IE7, IE8 and older versions of just about any other browser? Well, for those users, we'll fall back on Flash. To do that, we just use an
<embed> tag within our video tag:
<video width="560" height="340" controls> <source src="path/to/myvideo.mp4" type='video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2"'> <source src="path/to/myvideo.ogv" type='video/ogg; codecs="theora, vorbis"'> <object width="640" height="384" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="path/to/swf/player.swf?image=placeholder.jpg&file=path/to/myvideo.mp4"> <param name="movie" value="path/to/swf/player.swf?image=placeholder.jpg&file=path/to/myvideo.mp4" /> </object> </video>
Now any browser that doesn't understand the HTML5 video tag will just continue on its way until it hits the object tag, which it should understand (note that the order, mp4 before ogv, is important for iPad support — Apple requires that mp4 be the first video file).
Of course for this to work you need a Flash video container. JW Player is one popular example, or you can roll your own using Adobe's tools. Also remember that we still haven't handled the case of an older version of Firefox with no Flash plugin installed (maybe your users are surfing your tubes with an outdated Linux machine). You can always add good old text-based links to the video files as a catch-all fix for anyone who can't, for whatever reason, see either the HTML5 or Flash versions.
Embedding HTML5 video isn't significantly more difficult than using Flash, especially if you've been using H.264 video files in your Flash player — which is exactly what YouTube has done with its HTML5 beta.
While we're concerned about the licensing and patent requirements of H.264, it isn't hard to notice that if you skip Theora and make all non-H.264 fall back to Flash, you've still saved yourself a considerable encoding headache. In fact, that's probably the best practical argument against Mozilla and Opera's refusal to support H.264.
If you'd like to use some of the more advanced aspects of HTML5 video, be sure to check the SublimeVideo player, which offers very nice JavaScript-powered set of custom controls. Also be sure to have a look at Video for Everybody, which makes for more complex code but handles just about every use case you could imagine. And there's a handy Video for Everybody WordPress plugin as well.


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Sign the Petition: Investigate the TSA
"Porno Scanners," Groping, and Intimidation are Abuses of Power
Sign our petition to Congress to investigate the TSA:
The TSA's "porno scanners" are a gross invasion of privacy. After the House voted down invasive porno scanners, the TSA ignored the will of Congress and bought the machines anyway, wasting $25 million in stimulus funds to create just a single job.
The TSA's new aggressive "pat downs" are clearly designed to punish people like John Tyner who refuse to go through the porno scanners. Neither the scanners nor the aggressive pat-downs make us any safer. Now the TSA is further abusing its power, threatening a citizen's most basic rights to intimidate the rest of us.
It's clear that the TSA is out of control. Congress should investigate the TSA's abuse of power, and then pull the plug on the invasion of our privacy.
Add your name to our petition to the left.
Background Information
John Tyner had two options when he got to the airport: go through the TSA's "porno scanners" unprotected, or get an aggressive groping by a TSA agent that one woman described as being "sexually assaulted by a government official."
Tyner avoided the porno scanners, but when he objected to the TSA's plan to fondle his genitals, the agents refused to let him board his flight. Tyner recorded the incident in a now-famous video in which he told the TSA to "don't touch my junk."
Now the TSA says they are "investigating" Tyner, threatening him with prosecution and $11,000 in civil penalties. It should be obvious why the TSA is investigating Tyner: to intimidate the rest of us into using their invasive, dangerous porno scanners.


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Need Help with a Budget?
Check out the money managing resources below to help set – and stick with – a budget. If you utilize the ideas listed below, you will be able to limit your borrowing as well.
CashCourse Basics about budgets, spending habits, credit score and tons more! Check it out!
Mapping Your Future Advice on how to budget your money and stretch your dollars.
You can also find resources through the State of Michigan at michigan.gov. Their resources provide a lot of helpful information and tips to help you budget and repay your student loans.
FAFSA4caster will help you get an early start on the financial aid process by providing you with an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid. In addition, FAFSA4caster will increase your knowledge of the financial aid process and provide information about other sources of aid.