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Conservation and Environment in South Africa: Monthly Updates
Conservation in Botswana - Monthly Update – September-October 2014
The summer is slowly setting in at Wild at Tuli and the first rains arrived with a total of 12.1mm of rain over two days. More rain is, of course, still needed but it's sure to be on its way. The temperature is gradually increasing and we have seen heights of 50˚C and lows of 19.5˚C, which makes it hot but still bearable. The trees are starting to sprout new leaves and the bushveld is returning to its lush state. This pleases everybody as the animals can enjoy fresh leaves and the volunteers can watch nature flourish. Even the mopane moth (Gonimbrasia belina) is busy laying eggs in the trees.
These last two months have been incredible for us at Wild at Tuli. The volunteers have been working hard to improve the reserve and to protect the wildlife by cutting back trees, which could obstruct visibility on the roads and cause accidents. They have also helped to build a new road, to make dams and to create barriers to prevent soil erosion.
As always in the bush, there have been some incredible sightings. A leopard (Panthera pardus) called 'Bond' was spotted lying on a dead tree and we have captured some nice footage on our camera traps of our brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) and her three cubs. We have also come across more lion tracks (Panthera leo) and we saw over 70 elephants (Loxodonta africana) in one sighting. We have also seen giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), the grey-headed kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala), the red-faced mousebird (Urocolius indicus), the southern pied babbler (Turdoides bicolor), and the red-headed weaver (Anaplectes melanotis) was spotted nesting in front of the communal bathroom. For two days in a row, we were visited by our well-known "Captain", a solitary bull elephant that likes to drink from the bird bath and feast from all the trees around the camp. Unfortunately, he is a bit naughty though and he likes to destroy all the small solar lights at the camp. That said, all of the volunteers have really enjoyed his visits and watching him from such a close distance.
The whole team wishes to take this opportunity to thank all the present and past volunteers for their hard work, which has made a huge difference to the environment. We hope you all enjoyed your time with the Wild at Tuli family!
We also hope you will enjoy this latest update and learn a lot of interesting facts about African wildlife and life in the bush. We have also given you some tips about how you can make a difference back home by reducing your impact on the environment.
Clearing the tarmac road
The tarmac road is Botswana's highway and connects the reserves in the far south to the main cities of Bobonong, Pikwe and Francistown. The problem on this road is the speed of the drivers and the lack of visibility along the sides. The mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane) amongst others has been growing rapidly for at least three years, which decreases the visibility along the sides of the road and makes it very dangerous for wildlife. African elephant (Loxodonta Africana), impala (Aepyceros melampus), plain zebras (Equus quagga), greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) and birds are often victims of tragic accidents, which can end badly for humans too. With the help of motivated volunteers, we started to cut back the trees along the road. It was a lot of difficult physical labour but we're starting to make progress. Besides, you can't put a price on the feeling of knowing that this task will save animals' lives.
Photographic comparison of the bush
Every year, the bush is different and every day is a new adventure here in Botswana! I remember overlooking the bush and seeing a family of elephants from the top of Signal Hill two years ago. I remember this moment so clearly because we saw a baby elephant that was only a few months old and was so weak that it was struggling to follow its emaciated mother. It was extremely difficult for us because we knew that this poor baby would most probably pass away due to the lack of food. The winter of 2012 was very difficult for the wildlife as there was little rain so the vegetation was depleted and animals, especially kudus and impalas, struggled to obtain enough food to survive. We helped them by cutting down high branches and giving them hay but this was of little impact overall. In comparison, this winter has been very lush and the animals have had an abundance of food. The summer rain has been plentiful and we can see its incredible effect on the reserve and the vegetation. There is more than enough food and all the animals are in great shape. We have photographic evidence of the difference between the years. Back in 2012, there were no leaves on the trees or grass on the ground. Whereas in 2014, the mopane trees have kept their leaves and the earth is still covered in yellow grass.
Conservation back home
Here at Wild at Tuli, we try to give volunteers an unforgettable experience but we also always keep nature and the environment in mind. Everybody knows that we only have one planet and that it is struggling to survive at the moment. Humans are destructive by consuming too much and polluting likewise. This needs to change. Some of the more negative people will tell you that it is too late to make a difference but we do not think so. It is never too late to do the right thing and I prefer to see the glass as half full rather than as half empty. Everyone has the power to make a huge difference by making little changes to their lifestyle. You, too, can also make a difference wherever you may live. In the following link, there is a checklist of the different species here in Botswana and there is also a checklist of what you can do to help conservation efforts in general. Here are some ideas:
- Changes at home (e.g. take shorter showers, recycle etc.)
- Conscientious consumerism (e.g. buy local, buy organic, avoid palm oil products etc.)
- Become a better role model (e.g. think globally, get actively involved in conservation efforts etc.)
We are trying to encourage people to realise that small changes can make a huge difference! Small rivers flow into a big ocean.
Baobab protection
The baobab (Adansonia digitata) is an iconic tree of the bushveld, which lives for millions of years and reaches great widths. It is believed that a tree with a diameter of five metres is about 1,000 years old. About one hundred baobabs grow at Wild at Tuli; the oldest of them being just under 1,000 years old. Despite its rather large stature, some trees need a little help from our volunteers to protect them from thirsty elephants. Two baobabs were taken care of this month. While the heartwood is pulpy, fibrous and has no use as firewood or building materials, it is very popular among elephants. 40% of the wood is made up of water so elephants tend to use it as a refreshment stand over the dry season. They dig at and peel the tree to chew on its moisture. As a result, some trees have been deeply marked by the elephants. While baobabs are quite resilient, they would not survive excessive damage by elephants. After testing different methods of protecting the tree, we opted for a simple but effective technique. This involved volunteers scattering pointy rocks, which were about 3 metres wide, around the trees. This is a durable and non-invasive technique that does not endanger the animals or the environment. The wide distance prevents elephants, which dislike walking on sharp stones or unstable ground, from reaching the bark of the tree. We also made sure to leave enough trees to quench the elephants' thirst given that elephants and baobabs have survived together over the course of history.
All the volunteers involved put in a great amount of effort and energy to this project. We stopped counting just how many rocks we lifted but it was worth it.
Road creation
We have recently gone to great lengths to create a new road on the northern side of the reserve to offer a scenic alternative to the main road. The new road runs in between kopjes, from the top of which we will be able to spot rare wildlife such as leopards (Panthera pardus), brown hyenas (Parahyaena brunnea), spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), hyrax (Procavia capensis), klipspringers (Oreotragus oreotragus) and even African elephants (Loxodonta africana), which are pretty good climbers. The view from the road is amazing with kopjes on both sides and a nice view of the surroundings. However, it was not an easy job! Volunteers had to cut down trees and remove stumps and rocks but, thanks to their help, the 600 metre long road was completed in less than a month. Well done to everyone involved in improving the reserve's driving lanes!
Leopard ID
We are happy to announce that we have identified two new members of the reserve's leopard family, which now counts 14 members among its brood. Leopards (Panthera pardus) are amongst one of the rarest animals in the reserve and are nicknamed the "Holy Grail". They are shy, nocturnal animals and difficult to spot. Often confused with the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), the leopard is a powerfully built cat with rosettes or broken circles of irregular black spots. This cat is built to carry heavy prey up trees with its powerful neck and jaw. They can live in a myriad of habitats and feed on whatever is most available in the area. At Wild at Tuli, the main staple is the impala (Aepyceros melampus). To identify a leopard individually is not an easy task. Each leopard has a uniquely patterned spotted coat and characteristics that distinguish it from others. It is a long and difficult process to analyse every picture collected from either sightings or camera traps. To date, 14 leopards have been identified at Wild at Tuli. Each of them has their own identification file, which includes details about their spots, features, territory and sightings. Our aim is to understand the present population and their movements, as well as review the population's evolution.
Conservation Manager
Sophie Juget


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Hi, welcome to our winner's post for the Stuck on You with Team Trace challenge.
We were so thrilled with how many people played along with the challenge, thanks to all of you that joined in.
There are so many amazing projects!
Our winners for the challenge (chosen by random.org) are
Such a beautiful card, and that ribbon and paper edging is gorgeous.
I just love the gorgeous flowers on this card and that delicate butterfly!
To claim your prizes please email tracy{dot}rich{at}xtra{dot}co{dot}nz
To claim your prizes please email tracy{dot}rich{at}xtra{dot}co{dot}nz
Our top 5 this fortnight chosen by the awesome Alethea are....
22. Marilyn Webb
I love the colour palette used, the minimal embellishments and your beautiful colouring.
I love the soft colours of the background, the green hills and the beautifully coloured images that have been stuck on to give some depth to the card.
9. Heidi
I always love seeing male cards, the colouring is amazing love the simplicity of the card and those garden tools are a great addition.
Absolutely love the simplicity of this card with the beautiful bright colours to create the flower, the water drops and the simple sentiment.
Absolutely stunning card. Love the layers, the autumn colours and that big bunch of flowers.
Well done everyone AWESOME work!
Remember to claim your top 5 badge from the side bar to display on your blog.
Thanks to everyone that played along with us.
Remember to join our current challenge HERE
Remember to join our current challenge HERE
Hugs and happy crafting
Louise and the Southern Girls Design Team

subset: commoncrawl


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Yesterday, we showed the first image of Dori, Ori, and Nori from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. Today, we're getting a look at fellow dwarves Oin (John Callen) and Gloin (Peter Hambleton). As you can see, dwarves certainly enjoy their battle axes and styling their facial hair. As a little background, Gloin is Gimli's father and Oin is Gloin's brother (are you starting to get a sense of how dwarven families name their kids?). Like all dwarves in The Hobbit, they accompany a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) on the Quest of Erebor on which Bilbo found The One Ring and encountered Gollum and the dragon Smaug.
Hit the jump to check out the image. The film also stars Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, and Andy Serkis. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released on December 14, 2012. The Hobbit: There and Back Again will hit theaters on December 13, 2013. Both movies will be in 3D.
Image via our partner site, Omelete:
Here's the synopsis for J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit:
Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit, is a peaceful sort of cozy hole in the Shire, a place where adventures are uncommon and rather unwanted. So when the wizard Gandalf whisks him away on a treasure hunting expedition with a troop of rowdy dwarves, he's not entirely thrilled. Encountering ruthless trolls, beastly orcs, gigantic spiders, and hungry wolves, Bilbo discovers within himself astonishing strength and courage. And at the ultimate confrontation with the fearsome dragon Smaug, the hobbit will brave the dangers of dark and dragon fire alone and unaided. [Amazon]


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The most popular baby names are...: Latest list revealed(CNN) -- Michael and Jacob, your reign has ended.
By: Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
(CNN) -- Michael and Jacob, your reign has ended.
In 2013, for the first time since 1960, a new name unseated Michael or Jacob as the most popular for newborn boys. That's according to the Social Security Administration, which releases the list of most popular baby names each year.
The new king's name? Noah.
Sophia held the top spot for girls for the third year in a row, though Sofia with an "f" is crawling up the list: The latter reached its highest spot ever, at No. 13, the Social Security Administration said.
Parents submit their babies' names when applying for Social Security numbers when the children are born. The names tend to reflect pop culture's influence on trends. The fastest riser for girls in 2012 was Arya, the name of a beloved character in the "Game of Thrones" series on HBO.
In 2013, Jayceon and Daleyza made the biggest jumps in popularity in the top 1,000. Jayceon rose from 1,051 to 206 from 2012 to 2013, while Daleyza leaped from 3,715 to 585.
The fastest riser for boys, Jayceon, is the birth name of the rapper known as The Game. He has a reality series on VH1, "Marrying The Game," which follows his life as a rapper and father of three. The show premiered in late 2012 and started having an effect on naming trends last year, the agency said.
Daleyza's rise might have resulted from the influence of a popular Spanish-language reality TV series, "Larrymania," which airs on mun2, the agency said. Daleyza is the young daughter of Larry Hernandez, an American regional Mexican singer who's the star of the show.
Rounding out the Top 10 names for boys were Liam, Jacob, Mason, William, Ethan, Michael, Alexander, Jayden and Daniel. The other top names for girls were Emma, Olivia, Is
Tags: news, national, family, updates


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La Table D'Aligre
11, Place d'Aligre
11, Place d'Aligre
75012 Paris
Tel: 01-43-07-84-88
Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor
€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)
1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
2.5 - Star...............................................................€€€............................................................1 - Bell
This restaurant has been around awhile, and our friend read some fabulous reviews of the restaurant, so we decided to go, "pourquoi pas"? It was an extremely warm evening. The restaurant was located in the same area as where the d'Aligre market is located. At first glance it looks like a tiny restaurant, nicely open with a nice open kitchen. In fact, there's a whole unknown area upstairs with comfortable cushy armchairs with low tables where you can choose to eat, or choose the two long tables they have. They had their wines displayed nicely. It was extremely warm upstairs since there is no airconditioning, but nice and private. However, we were all fanning ourselves vigorously with the menu cards or fans; even the people sitting in front of us who had very little breeze from the open windows did the same.
This restaurant is known for their seafood, although they do have one or two meat dishes. So we all decided to go with the fish.
I had the gazpacho, and I have to say on a warm night it was so refreshing. I've had some really bad gazpacho, but I have to say this was delicious, nicely seasoned and chilled perfectly. Cucumbers in themselves are very refreshing, so I was fortunate that the ratio of cucumber to tomatoes was higher.
One ordered the anchovies, although I like salt, I have to say these were some of the strongest anchovies I've ever tasted. It was too salty for my liking but he enjoyed them.
A friend had the Moules a la plancha (mussels), I had a taste and thought they were nice. The broth was not too overwhelming and cooked very well.
Another friend had the Moules gratinée, although I didn't taste it, he said he enjoyed it a lot.
I had the homard (lobster), the small one of course. I have to say, it was a bit overcooked. So, in some respects it was a bit rubbery. It came with small roasted potatoes, and they were delicious.
My friend had the brochette de lotte (skewered white fish), he said they were good but nothing out of the ordinary, and served with greens and potatoes.
Other friends had the turbot, which was pan roasted whole. They liked it as well, but found it a bit daunting to tackle since it was a whole fish rather than a filet.
Interestingly my description of the dishes aren't very elaborate nor for that matter very enthusiastic as you can probably tell. They didn't really wow us, especially me. It was just good, just average, nothing out of the ordinary. It's like food you could get at any average seafood place in the U.S., with the exception of being in coastal cities of the US like San Francisco, Seattle or Boston where seafood is cooked perfectly.
While I liked our wait-person, the service was so slow. Even slow by Parisian standards. It probably had to due with the fact that she had to climb the stairs constantly, and I did not see a dumb waiter, so I can't really fault her, but fault the management staff.
I liked the restaurant for what it is, but for me the price is a bit high for just OK seafood. In fact, some of us left hungry. We were going to order dessert, but it was already 11:45 and we came in at 9 pm and only had 2-courses?!?. We figured if we ordered the dessert with the service being as slow as it was, we wouldn't finish until way after 1 a.m. and, hence, miss our metro. So, some of our friends who lived in walking distance went to an ice-cream parlor afterwards.
Net-net, I would not go out of my way to go to this restaurant, but if I'm in the neighborhood and friends want to go, I'll go. And, probably for lunch since they have a pre-fix priced at 22€.
Our total bill came to 52€ per person for an entrée and plat and sharing 2-bottles of white wine among 6 people.


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Last week, Dennis Endras started things off the right way for players with Wild ties at the IIHF World Championship. He posted a shut out of Russia in the opening game of the tournament. He appeared to set the tone for some other players of interest to Wild fans.
Mikael Granlund has had himself a nice showing through two games in helping Finland go 2-0. The 2010 first round pick tallied a power play goal in a 5-1 win over Denmark, becoming the first Team Finland player born in the 1990's to register a goal in World Championship competition. In a 3-2 shootout win over Latvia, Granlund picked up assists on both regulation goals and would have been Finland's final shooter in the shootout if not for Mikko Koivu sealing the win with his patented backhand roof shot on the glove hand side. Koivu also has an assist through two games.
Finland's next opponent will be the Czech Republic, which is also 2-0 thus far. Martin Havlat is tied for the team lead in scoring with a goal and two assists, while Marek Zidlicky has one helper.
Brent Burns and Cal Clutterbuck each have a point for undefeated Team Canada, with Burns notching a goal and Clutterbuck assisting on a Travis Zajac tally in a 9-1 rout of France. Canada is currently trailing Switzerland, 1-0 in the final game of pool play.


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Newtown High School of the Performing Arts
Day in paradise depicts a series of moments throughout Newtown, heart of Sydney's inner west. I intended to explore, illustrate and embellish the richness of its detail and history, the peculiarity of its people and the unique street art and culture that make Newtown the world it is. I've spent so many good times in Newtown that I just wanted to put them all down on paper.
Influencing artists: Albert Uderzo, Gilbert Shelton, Phibs
Nicholas Harding and Maxwell Tilse use the same subject matter in their artmaking. Compare their approach, including technique and the use of material, and discuss how they have captured different qualities of Newtown.
Create a body of work based on your local area. Make sketches and take photographs to create a dialogue about this place. Consider what is personally important to you and also observe places that you take for granted. Present this body of work to the class and compare it with others.


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Bamboo, David Yurman, Diane von Fürstenberg, Fashion, Fashion blogger, Fit & Flare, Full Face Mask, Hermes, Japan, Kaminarimon, Mask, Nakamise-dori, Ninja, Ninja Belt, Ninja Clothing, Ninja Hood, Ninja Mask, NYC Blogger, Over The Knee Socks, Raymond Weil, Senso-ji Temple, Spilt Toe Tabi Boots, Style Blogger, Tabi Boots, Temple, Thunder Gate, Tokyo, Tokyo Takeover, Travel
On the final evening of our holiday in Japan, I got little silly with a few pieces I purchased while visiting Senso-ji Temple.
At Senso-Ji Temple, once you enter the Kaminarimon or as it's referred to, the "Thunder Gate", you come upon Nakamise-dōri. This street is the footpath leading you directly to the temple. This street is flanked with small stores that have been there for centuries. Here you can find anything you may be looking for… and some things you didn't realize you wanted. Much like myself.
Photos by One Shot Photo
Dress: Diane von Furstenberg (old) | Ninja Attire from Senso-Ji Market | Bracelet: Hermes & David Yurman


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UPD - Drake Lord Knows Freestyle [Unsigned Hype]
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The Good Powerful parts, a lovely screen, stunning design, and an excellent camera help the Evo 4G LTE restoke the fires of the Evo faithful.
The Bad Given the 4G LTE in its name, the newest Evo's lack of Sprint LTE at launch is a huge letdown.
The Bottom Line The HTC Evo 4G LTE is a worthy successor to Sprint's Evo family, as long as you remember one important caveat: until Sprint gets its LTE network off the ground, the Evo 4G LTE won't actually run 4G — it will be 3G-only at first.
With its new HTC Evo 4G LTE, Sprint is the latest U.S. carrier to jump on the HTC One X bandwagon. Like its HTC One X cousin on AT&T, the Evo 4G LTE offers a sleek design, a quality camera, and Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
To say the HTC Evo 4G LTE is a looker is, well, a serious understatement. Clad in black anodized aluminum, glossy premium plastic, flashy red accents, and sophisticated silver trim, this phone is drop-dead gorgeous. You can tell HTC put a lot of thought into the Evo's design, right down to its retro transistor-radio-style buttons. Frankly, the phone screams luxury on par with — dare I say — the BlackBerry Bold or even the iPhone 4.
The HTC Evo 4G LTE up close (photos)
Measuring 5.31 inches tall by 2.72 inches wide, there's no denying that this new Evo is a handful. At just 0.35 inch thick, though, the phone is a hair thinner than the One X. That's trim enough to make you forget its sizable footprint. Additionally, somehow the Evo 4G LTE manages to weigh a light 4.73 ounces despite its laundry list of powerful internal hardware.
Sporting a gigantic 4.7-inch Super LCD 2 (1,280×720-pixel) display, the front of the HTC Evo 4G is almost all screen. As I noted with the HTC One X, the Evo's screen gets very bright and creates vivid colors. Viewing angles are wide, too, both horizontally and vertically, which is traditionally a weakness of LCD technology. Of course, I personally prefer AMOLED displays for their higher contrast, deep blacks, and truly eye-popping colors. For instance, the qHD AMOLED screen on the HTC One S, though not as sharp, did paint richer hues.
Above the Evo's large display is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for snapping vanity shots or video chatting. Also, just as on the HTC One X, there are three capacitive buttons for back, home, and recent applications below the screen. A stylish silver, oval power button and standard 3.5mm headphone jack are on the handset's top edge. The right side houses a thin black volume bar that I found difficult to press or even locate, as it blends in with the phone's black background. Here, too, are the phone's dedicated camera button crafted in silver and an etched ring-pattern surface. Unfortunately I couldn't get the button to wake up the phone and launch the camera from standby.
On the phone's back is its main 8-megapixel camera with LED flash. It sits on the top portion, which is crafted from high-gloss plastic and covers the Evo's microSD card slot. The lower half uses handsome and fingerprint-repellant anodized aluminum. Dividing the two regions is a striking red stripe that conceals a spring-loaded kickstand. It's an awesome feature, one that I feel more big-screen phones should have. I also appreciate how the kickstand functions properly regardless of whether the phone is placed on its left or right side.
The HTC Evo 4G LTE's cutting-edge software is just as compelling as the phone's high-octane hardware. Besides the latest iteration of Google's Android OS, version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, you also get HTC's freshly revamped Sense user interface. According to HTC, Sense 4 fits the new functions of ICS like a glove and is designed to run stealthily behind the scenes. Indeed, a lot of what made Sense 3 flashy, but a little too in-your-face, is gone. I'm talking specifically about the perpetually looping 3D carousel of home screens and fanciful weather graphics that seemed to eat up every morsel of processing power.
In line with HTC's other One-class phones, the HTC Evo 4G LTE is unlocked by either pulling a virtual ring from the bottom of the screen to the center, or moving icons into the ring to quick-launch the related functions. I especially like how dragging the camera symbol into the ring activates the Evo's imaging system to squeeze off pictures and video rapidly. Other default lock-screen shortcuts launch the Web browser, text messaging, and phone functions.
Just like T-Mobile's HTC One S and AT&T's One X, the Evo 4G has seven screens available for personalizing with application shortcuts and animated widgets. HTC's classic weather clock plays center stage on the main home screen. Tapping the widget's digital readout launches a world clock with a fancy 3D globe visual; selecting the weather portion of the clock activates a detailed forecast. If you're a weather geek like me, you'll also dig the engaging graphics displayed on the lock screen that correspond to current atmospheric conditions. You can even choose them as your live wallpaper.
The bottom edge of each home screen is a tab containing the same four quick-launch icons shown on the lock screen. I really appreciate being able to swap out these icons for others I prefer or even creating and adding folders that hold multiple app icons. You can make a social networking folder for Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter, for example, to save screen real estate. Any changes here are reflected on the lock screen; placing application shortcuts on top of one another creates a folder.


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D'azavedo Surname Ancestry Results
Our indexes 1000-1999 include entries for the spelling 'd'azavedo'. In the period you have requested, we have the following 1 record (displaying 1 to 1):
Try these...
d'azambuja d'azeglio d'azene d'azevedo d'azyr d'bacalan d'bart d'bauddisson dayus dayuyll dayv dayval dayve dayvell dayvelle dayvelman dayvil dayvile dayvill dayvill' dayville dayvyll daywatre daywell daywen daywick daywood daze dazeley dazeliers dazely dazer dazevedo dazey daziliers dazle dazley dazrziliers dazzeliers dbbadie
These sample scans are from the original record. You will get scans of the full pages or articles where the surname you searched for has been found.
Your web browser may prevent the sample windows from opening; in this case please change your browser settings to allow pop-up windows from this site.
Research your ancestry, family history, genealogy and one-name study by direct access to original records and archives indexed by surname.


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"Colonizing space is essential for the long term survival of the human race, and Buzz Aldrin's book shows us how." —Stephen Hawking
"Buzz Aldrin has been as far from Earth as any human being, and now he's leading the charge to go much farther, to our next epic destination: Mars." —James Cameron
"Any time an Apollo-era astronaut steps forward with ideas for our future in space, it's time to stop what whatever we're doing and pay attention. Buzz Aldrin, one of the first moonwalkers, has no shortage of these ideas. And in Mission to Mars he treats us to how, when, and why we should travel there." —Neil deGrasse Tyson
"Buzz is one of the foremost forward thinkers of our time and this book will be essential reading for those who care about humanity's future in space." —Richard Branson
"Although the lunar landing is decades behind him, Dr. Aldrin is just plain passionate about humankind's exploration of space. An extraordinary pilot, scuba diver, moonwalker, and the first man to board a spacecraft on its way back to Earth, he advises us to keep going— farther and deeper into space. Page by page, this book makes you want to slide into your space suit and light your engines." —Bill Nye, The Science Guy®
"A masterful array of strategies for exploration by a true space expert and patriot." —Michael Collins, astronaut and command module pilot, Apollo 11
"Aldrin calls for systematic investment to establish a cycle of transportation and sustained, permanent settlements on the Red Planet." –NPR "Talk of the Nation"
"Mission to Mars is pure Buzz: creative ideas flying off the pages, a big picture view of how to move forward, and a laser-like focus on why space exploration is key to humanity's future. Buzz Aldrin has been making major contributions to the U.S. space program for a half century, and his new book continues that tradition." —John M. Logsdon, founder of the Space Policy Institute and professor emeritus, The George Washington University
"I've traveled to the North Pole with Buzz, and if I were to travel to Mars I can't think of a better person to plan the trip than he. Sign me up!" —Norm Augustine, Chairman, U.S. Human Spaceflight Review Committee
"Buzz Aldrin's Mission to Mars presents a bold, inviting plan to colonize Mars. His call that the 'Earth isn't the only world for us anymore' is incontrovertible." —Roger D. Launius, Senior Curator, Division of Space History, National Air and Space Museum
"No one's given more thought to Mars exploration than Buzz Aldrin— a hero whose legacy as one of the first men on the moon may well be eclipsed by his contributions to engineering our future in space." —Elliot Holokauahi Pulham, CEO, The Space Foundation
"Mission to Mars is a white paper for getting us back on track, complete with math, science, and diagrams—though Aldrin and his coauthor put it all together with clear and quick-moving prose." –The Weekly Standard
"There are places to go beyond belief, and this book is the call to get there." —Chris Lewicki, President & Chief Asteroid Miner, Planetary Resources
"Aldrin's hand-drawn diagrams throughout the book offer a uniquely human glimpse at what must be going through an astronaut's mind as he looks up at the night sky." –Washington Post
"A blend of reminisces, snippets of mission and policy concepts, and revisited analyses of the space landscape to-date." —Space Safety Magazine
"A detailed, multi-stage plan for journeying to the red planet that would culminate in the first permanent human settlement beyond the Earth." –Smithsonian Magazine
"Aldrin wants to inspire the next generation." — International Business Times
"A critique of current space policy, examining the economic, political and technological viability of various options to explore the solar system." –ZeeNews.com
"While the title focuses on Mars, the book covers much more…What Aldrin calls his "unified vision" could provide a timeline of crewed missions to Mars between 2035-2040." –Universe.com
"Aldrin's new book [charts] a course that could put astronauts on the surface of Mars by 2035." —MSNBC
"[Aldrin] believes the time has come to broaden our horizons- and rediscover once again the spirit of exploration." –BeforeItsNews.com
"Aldrin outlines his vision for the permanent human settlement of Mars." –EuroNews.com


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Written By:
Ted Roberts, iContact Director of Deliverability
The inbox deliverability experts at iContact employ many best practices to help our clients avoid the dreaded spam folder. After all, that's where the phishing scammers belong! While most senders are aware of the rules when it comes to email sending, they may not be aware of the intricate hoops that an email jumps through on its way to the inbox.
This article provides introductions to the three major authentication types that iContact uses:
- Sender ID
SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework and ensures that an email sent from a company's domain name is only allowed to come from company-approved IP addresses. This presents a dual benefit, as ISPs will not associate spam efforts with the company (as it did not originate from their IP address) and ISPs will allow legitimate emails to come through more easily. Simply put, SPF records increase the chances that your email reaches its intended destination. iContactPlus clients are provided this record (it's a small text file) when they become a client.
Sender ID is Microsoft's version of SPF, and attempts to prevent many of the same problems as the standard SPF; the benefits are largely similar, but are specifically relevant to message delivery to MSN and Hotmail addresses.
For more information you can visit: https://help.icontact.com/node/11
DKIM, or DomainKeys Identified Mail, is an increasingly popular method for email authentication. Developed by Yahoo and Cisco, it is the most technologically challenging and allows users to assign public-key cryptography to electronically sign legitimate emails in a way that permits verification by recipients. Basically, it's a secure digital fingerprint for your messages. iContact uses DKIM signatures for all of our clients' messages so that there is nothing for the client to do.
As you can see, sender authentication is an important component to reaching the inboxes you're targeting. Unlike other Email Service Providers (ESPs), iContact takes care of this and many other aspects of message delivery for you, so that you can focus on what's important — running your business!


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Tsogo Sun Hotels climbed on its Johannesburg stock exchange debut as the South African hotel operator attracted investors with the potential of its portfolio of properties.
The stock rose to R4 by the close Wednesday after first trading at R2.70, valuing the company at about R4.2bn. Some 700 000 shares were traded. The hotel operator was carved out of Tsogo Sun Holdings Ltd., which declined. That company now houses the group's casino operations.
'Many stocks undervalued'
"Many stocks are deemed undervalued on the JSE right now and management teams are trying to find ways to drive share prices higher," Nolwandle Mthombeni, an analyst at Mergence Investment Managers in Cape Town, said by email. "This move allows investors to invest in either the casinos or the hotels."
The newly listed company has 110 hotels, with a combined total of almost 19 000 rooms, ranging from budget to deluxe offerings. Tsogo Sun Holdings has said the hotels division services a different customer base to the gaming division and is subject to different demand and risk profiles, particularly in regulation.
"They have a very strong hotel portfolio and although it's still operating at lower than desired occupancies, it's a much lower risk and has a more stable earnings profile," Mthombeni said. "If business confidence recovers, it will do well."


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You have no items in your shopping cart.
The traditional Andean poncho has a plain design and it is made of alpaca, sheep or llama wool. It comes in natural colors. The traditional poncho is a basically a large piece of fabric with and opening for the head and it is a comfortable garnment that men and women can wear to protect their bodies from low temperatures.
Aproximate dimensions:
Our craftmen have inherited this tradition which combines the art of wool spinning with modern styles and designs. Our many craftmen offer a great variety of styles and designs that range from Andean designs that preserve the identity of the Bolivian Altiplano to modern, casual or formal designs.
Our craftmen offer items of clothing manufactured with different knitting techniques:
* Knitting with needles.
* Loom weaving.
* Crochet weaving.
* Semi-industrial weaving machine.
block type="Yoast_Filter/Result" name="filter_result" template="catalog/product/list-manufacturer.phtml" attribute="manufacturer" value="11"


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A few hundred teenagers in Rwanda are about to walk out of their science classrooms and map their world using smart phones and tablet computers provided by two scientists from Rochester Institute Technology.
The community-mapping project asks the students to think like scientists. Whether this leads some of them to science careers or to advocate for climate-change measures, the experience will give them problem-solving skills and a new perspective.
RIT professors Brian Tomaszewski and Anthony Vodacek are implementing high school science curriculum centered on geographic information systems (GIS) technology. Their two-year pilot study is funded with £294,712 ($473,000) from the U.K. Department for International Development in support of the Innovation for Education, a national initiative the Rwanda Ministry of Education launched earlier this year. The project is one of 26 programs the ministry will consider adopting as national models.
The curriculum Tomaszewski and Vodacek developed will train 225 high school students in the Huye and Gisagara districts in southwestern Rwanda to map the natural resources in their communities using tablet computers and smart phones.
The students will learn to use the geographic information system technology embedded within the electronic devices to collect and synthesize data from their surroundings. The assignments will teach them the spatial-thinking skills needed to navigate and make their own maps.
Spatial thinking uses the properties of space, such as scale, distance and direction, to structure and solve problems ranging from simple navigation with a map to complex scientific inquiry, Tomaszewski says. It drives his research about the science behind geographic information systems—information tools and interactive maps—and Vodacek's use of remotely gathered imagery to study land cover change, monitor wildfires and assess water quality.
"My interest in mapping technology coupled with Tony's interest in environmental science gives our collaboration a really great synergy," says Tomaszewski, assistant professor of information sciences and technology at RIT.
Their project focuses on three high schools in Rwanda. Two schools will receive the spatial-thinking curriculum, tablet computers and smart phones; the third school will serve as a control to statistically verify the program's impact, Tomaszewski says.
The students will use computers equipped with the Android operating system to run open-source mapping technology. The availability of free software makes the community-mapping program feasible as a pilot project and, possibly, implemented on a national scale.


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At first sight, this M80 doesn't look much like a Squier - isn't Squier supposed to just released budget versions of Fender guitars? -, but more like these Matsumoku guitars from the early 1980s that prepared the guitar world to the metal era: unspectacular outline and wood, transparent finish, Gibsonesque gear and pickups - even an Ibanez-style headstock! But the M80 is a real - though short-lived - Squier guitar from the mid-2000s, about which there is little online information, but several very positive reviews.
This one has seen its Duncan Designed HB replaced by Seymour Duncan open ones - like many Squiers, it seems that the M80 has been a good base for upgrades and modifications! It's easy to overlook this guitar - though it has a refreshing feel of honesty that made me want to know more about it -, but when you read what Tod Krause, its designer, says, you may reconsider:
"I've been working on the M-80 for a long time. I designed it for somebody who was playing at a club, working with a label, about to be signed, or had been signed. I wanted to build a "workingman's" guitar for a new generation of players. That guitar evolved from many years of seeing things in guitars that I like or dislike. A lot of designs on that guitar are my gut-level reaction to what I see people playing, my playing, and what players tell me they like and dislike – or find comfortable and uncomfortable.
"There's a lot of design in the M-80 that doesn't meet the eye. For example, the body comes from a shortened Mustang guitar. If you put a longer-scale Neck on a Mustang, you have to shorten the body so it feels right. I placed the strap buttons, so that when the guitar is hanging, it feels familiar. Let me put it this way … I've got 25 years in the business, and the M-80 is the accumulation of 25 years of designing and building guitars for the world's most discriminating players." – Todd Krause
Strange that the guitar was discontinued so quickly...
© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!


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We must support the native animals in Australia, as they cannot help
themselves in vulnerable situations such as road kill, natural disasters and
mass slaughter. Did you know that kangaroo culling in Australia is largest
commercial wildlife slaughter in the world?
Every night a family of kangaroos going about their lives are shot after appearing in a blinding spotlight. These precious animals are shot for meat and skins. Farmers also shoot them as they are deemed to be 'pests'. Despite legislation outlining humane methods of slaughter, an estimated 100,000 kangaroos have not been humanely shot. And does 'humane slaughter' even exist? If you are appalled to learn of the mass slaughter of one of our iconic emblems, please read to see how you can reduce the suffering of these peaceful creatures.
You can outline your concern towards kangaroo culling on the Defence Department land and urge him to stop this process!
Again, you can express your concern towards the ongoing commercial slaughter of kangaroos. You can also mention the 'A Shot in the Dark' report, which exposed the suffering of both kangaroos and their joeys.
3. Please don't buy any kangaroo meat or clothing such as leather or fur made from kangaroos
4. Sign this online petition! You can also send it to others:
5. Let your friends know the truth behind this gruesome process. Increasing public awareness is key to uniting together and ending commercial kangaroo slaughter once and for all
If you would like more information, visit the Kangaroo Protection Coalition at http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-in-europe.html
If you see an injured on the side of the road:
1.Remove the animal from any nearby threats
2.Place a towel, blanket or similar material over the animal to avoid further stress on the animal – line the box with a towel rather than any paper products. Take care as stress on the animal can result in death
3.Gently place the animal in a box and them in a warm, quiet dark room. DO NOT DISTURB. Ensure you keep your children away from the animal and do not feed the animal anything
4.Seek advice – the following recue groups can help 24/7 and are great in assisting emergencies related to native animals.
If you find an injured snake do not handle it or attempt to rescue.
WIRES- Contact: 13 00 094 737
Fostercare of Australia's Unique Native Animals Association Inc (FAUNA) – Contact: 1300 328 621
Australian Rescue and Rehabilitation of Wildlife (A.R.R.O.W.) – Contact: 0430 904 415
Wildlife Victoria - www.wildlifevictoria.org.au - Contact: 1300 094 535
Tasfauna Wildlife Rehabilitation – Contact: 0409978064
Native Animal Recue - Contact: (08) 9474 9055
FaunaCare and Release In-. Contact: 08 8396 3669, 08 8244 3208 or 08 8263 0563
Wildlife Rescue - Contact?Emergency Hotline: 0409 090 840
Please take care when you are driving and watch out for any animal that may be passing by on the roads.


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - Making friends instead of enemies Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Making friends instead of enemies Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Opinions View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message friends-in-english.netJoined: 15 Apr 2004Posts: 12 Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2004 11:56 am Post subject: Making friends instead of enemies I have set up a mailing list at http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/friends-in-english/ It is for everyone learning English and wanting to make friends around the world. With all the hate and fighting, isn't it better to make friends... I hope to see you there, if you have a problem in joining..please email me at [email protected] Ruth_________________Ruth Harnish Hartlepool, England. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Opinions All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


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The Challenge
The finance and accounting departments at the M+W Group are responsible for two separate yet similar processes: consolidating data throughout the group to create management reports and financial statements.
In the past, these processes were managed in two separate systems – which quickly added up to too much work for everyone involved. That's when the company decided to unite these processes into a single solution.
CCH Tagetik Solution
- Uniting internal and external reporting
- Eliminating double work in data collection and analysis
Less time for verifying the data in Excel sheets
Now the users can manage this process from an integrated, Web-based intercompany matching platform
High Quality
CCH Tagetik's built-in rules support a very stringent consolidation process, which has significantly improved the overall data quality
The streamlined processes
This solution has led to faster consolidation and reporting cycles
Organizational improvements
The management team is satisfied that the reporting has improved in terms of speed, detail and quality
Web solution
The M+W Group's subsidiaries now have a powerful solution for storing master data on all projects worldwide
Faster Processes
The workflow has profited as well because many validations are now already built into the data entry and approval processes
Customer Quote
CCH Tagetik's intercompany matching features are a huge advantage for us because there are so many different relationships within our group. Now, our subsidiaries just report their internal transactions in the exact currency during the standard data entry process. After adjusting the balances in the integrated cockpit, we can already use this data for other processes.
Renate Jaeger - Project leader and financial accountant


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Ben Folds Does Chatroulette
April 7, 2010
Not sure if y'all have heard about chatroulette, a site where random strangers are paired up for webcam-based "conversations", but singer Ben Folds took it upon himself to do it mid-concert! In homage to a fella named Merton, he serenaded his partner(s) with improvised lyrics based on what he saw. These videos are gold I tell you, GOLD!
Check out Merton's page for more chatroulette improvisation and the videos that started it all!
No comments yet


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The White-Garnett Letters
T.H. White
Whenever university administrators or professors are trying to extract money to finance some new development, they declare how essential it is for the university to keep pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge. It might be all for the good if they were asked: "And how do you propose to get your students to help push?" It can sometimes happen. Back in the 1920s in Cambridge, England, when the New Criticism was being born, I. A. Richards, struggling with the fundamental problems of meaning and value in poetry, handed his audience of undergraduates a sheet of a dozen poems, date and author unrevealed, and asked them to say what each poem was about and whether it was a good or bad poem. The results of this inquiry were startling. A poem by Longfellow was thought superior to one by Hardy, and the verses of Ella Wheeler Wilcox and of a First World War army chaplain, known as Woodbine Willie, were preferred to Hopkins and Lawrence. There was not the faintest agreement about the meaning of any one poem: a greeting to Meredith on his birthday was confidently asserted to be a cavalier drinking song. Richards drew some conclusions on the causes of this singular lack of success. Not only had his audience read too little poetry, not only were they unable to construe their own language, not only were they immature, but they brought to the text a mass of preconceptions and—most fatal of all—stock responses. They lacked sincerity of feeling. They responded to poems as if they were advertisements. They had never let the poem penetrate to the heart, nor let the heart be guided by the informed use of their intelligence.
Among the audience was an undergraduate a little older than his contemporaries. Most than a year before he had been found to be in the early stages of tuberculosis, and his friends got up a subscription to send him to Southern Italy for a year. He had returned cured and was to obtain the exceptional honor of a first class with distinction in his final examinations. In a sense, T. H. White lived the rest of his life according to his own interpretation of I. A. Richards's teaching. What mattered was your feelings and whether they were genuine and personal, and not second-hand aphorisms. White doubted whether truth existed or could be deduced by reason. He did not doubt, however, that being true to what you felt and taking the utmost trouble to express those feelings as exactly as possible in words, were of supreme importance.
But what happens if you feel with perfect sincerity most deplorable things, or, worse, are unable to feel what you think you ought to feel? Are sense and sensibility never to discipline the feelings or give them a profounder meaning? Or should you act out your feelings without regard to the feelings…
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Alaskan Husky
Maun, a lead Alaskan Husky sled dog in the Boundary Waters, Minnesota
Alaskan Husky eyes
The intensity of an Alaskan Huskies eyes, Boundary Waters, Minnesota
American Avocet at Palo Alto Baylands, California
American Avocet chick at Palo Alto Baylands, California
Allen's hummingbird bathing in a stream
Allen's hummingbird, Selasphorus sasin, bathing in a stream in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
Allen's hummingbird feeding on a pride of Madeira plant
Allen's hummingbird, Selasphorus sasin, feeding on a Pride of Madeira plant (Echium fastuosum) in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
Polar bear protecting its young
Mom protecting its cubs from an interested male, Churchill, Canada
Mom & 2 cubs, Churchill, Canada
Mom & cub polar bear
Mom and cub resting after nursing, Churchill, Canada
Selkirks, Canada
Heading towards Mt Durand in Selkirks, Canada
Lillies on a Pond
Lillies on a pond wtih the reflection of the clouds by Seward Highway, Alaska
Horned Puffin
Horned Puffin with its fish, Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska
Grizzly Bear with his catch
After catching this salmon the Grizzly Bear wondered into the forest to eat it before returning for his next dish. Brooks River, Katmai, Alaska
I see you!
Wolf checking me out, near Brooks River, Katmai peninsula, Alaska
Grizzly Bear Fishing
Grizzly bear about to catch his dinner. Brooks River, Katmai, Alaska
Its MY fishing spot!
Grizzly bears fighting for key fishing positions in the Brooks River, Katmai, Alaska
Waiting & watching
Grizzly bear patiently waiting and watching for the salmon. Brooks River, Katmai Peninsula, Alaska
Grizzly Bear claws
Close up of the Grizzly bears claws, Katmai Peninsula, Alaska
Mom, HELP!
Grizzly bear mom rescuing its cub after a male grizzly bear chased it up a tree, Katmai, Alaska
Arizona Cactus Garden, Stanford University
Arizona Cactus Garden, Stanford University, California
People silhouetted in Redwall Cavern at mile 33 of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon
Saddle Canyon, Grand Canyon
Saddle Canyon, a slot canyon off the Grand Canyon at mile 47, Arizona
Nankoweap Granaries
AD 1100 puebloan granaries at Nankoweap, mile 53 or Grand Canyon Colorado River, AZ
Still water of the Colorado River allowed the reflection of the sun on the rock wall of the Grand Canyon
Desert Spiny Lizard
Desert Spiny Lizard at Deer Creek, mile 136 of Colorado River through the Grand Canyon
Rafts at Havasu Creek, Grand Canyon
Rafts on the mineral rich Havasu Creek, mile 157 of Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, AZ
Winter Snow in Tahoe
Snow of the Sierra Nevada's at Royal Gorge, California
Royal Gorge
Creek at Royal Gorge, Tahoe, California
Lake Tahoe in Winter
Snowy scene of Lake Tahoe from Alpine Meadows, California
Snowy Lake Tahoe
Snowy mountains around Lake Tahoe from Alpine Meadows, California
Valley Fog
Fog in Mineral Basin at Snowbird, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah
Sunset at Ludington Beach
Sunset over Lake Michigan with Ludington Lighthouse in the background
Sunset, Ludington Lighthouse
Sunset over Ludington Lighthouse, Lake Michigan
Horseshoe Bay from Mackinac Island, MI
Horseshoe Bay from Mackinac Island, Michigan
Precariously balanced
Common Merganser with chicks, Mackinac Island, Michigan. The chicks kept falling off and having to climb back up!
Firing of Fort Mackinac Cannon
Cannon being fired at Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island, Michigan
Stream in Olympic National Park
Stream in the rainforest of the Olympic National Park, Washington
Teahwhit Head, Olympic National Park
Fog clearing from Teahwhit head, Olympic National Park
Rainbow at Sol Duc Falls
Rainbow at Sol Duc Falls, Olympic National Park
Sun rays
Suns rays catching the mist from Sol Duc waterfall, Olympic National Park
Mt Olympus
Mt Olympus through the clouds from Bogachiel Peak, Olympic National Park
Anna's Hummingbird feeding
Anna's Hummingbird getting nectar from a Lily of the Nile flower
Feeding time
Anna's Hummingbird feeding on a border penstemon
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird, California
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, from Baker Beach at sunset
Kings River, Kings Canyon National Park
Fall colors in Kings Canyon National Park, California


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Phase 3 ASCEND Study of Pirfenidone in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Presented at American Thoracic Society (ATS) and Published in New England Journal of Medicine
May 18, 2014, 17:04 ET
- Investor Conference Call and Webcast Today at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT) -
BRISBANE, Calif., May 18, 2014 /CNW/ - InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN) today reported that results from the Phase 3 ASCEND study evaluating pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) were presented today at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in San Diego, and published on-line in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Talmadge King, Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Co-chair of the ASCEND protocol steering committee, presented the ASCEND results.
In ASCEND, pirfenidone significantly reduced decline in lung function as measured by change in percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) from Baseline to Week 52 (rank ANCOVA p<0.000001). Additionally, significant treatment effects were demonstrated on both of the key secondary endpoints of change in six-minute walk distance (6MWD) (p=0.0360) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.0001). The secondary endpoint of dyspnea (shortness of breath) was not met. In ASCEND, treatment with pirfenidone was associated with fewer deaths although the study was not powered for and did not reach statistical significance on mortality. A pre-specified analysis of the pooled population from ASCEND and the two Phase 3 CAPACITY studies showed that the risk of all-cause mortality was reduced by 48% at Week 52 in the pirfenidone group compared to the placebo group (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.52, log rank p=0.0107). In ASCEND, treatment with pirfenidone showed a favorable safety profile and was generally well tolerated.
IPF is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible lung disease characterized by scarring in the lungs, which hinders a person's ability to breathe. The median survival time from diagnosis is two to five years, which makes IPF more rapidly lethal than many malignancies, including breast, ovarian and colorectal cancers.
Dr. King said, "Pirfenidone, as compared with placebo, reduced disease progression, as reflected by lung function, exercise tolerance, and progression-free survival in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Treatment was associated with an acceptable side effect profile and fewer deaths."
Dan Welch, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of InterMune, said, "The presentation of the ASCEND results at ATS and publication in the New England Journal of Medicine represents an important milestone in the decade of clinical research we have conducted on pirfenidone. The study results provide strong evidence of pirfenidone's robust treatment effects and augment its already well-established safety and tolerability profile. We currently intend to resubmit the pirfenidone New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the coming weeks."
Primary Endpoint
The magnitude of the treatment effect of pirfenidone was measured by comparing the proportion of patients in the pirfenidone and placebo groups experiencing either a 10% decline in FVC, or death. A 10% decline in FVC in an individual IPF patient is considered clinically meaningful and strongly predictive of a higher risk of mortality. At Week 52, 16.5% of patients in the pirfenidone group experienced an FVC decline of 10% or more or death, compared with 31.8% in the placebo group, representing a 47.9% reduction in the proportion of patients who experienced this meaningful decline in FVC or death. Additionally, at Week 52, the results demonstrated that 22.7% of patients in the pirfenidone group experienced no decline in FVC, compared with 9.7% in the placebo group, representing a 132.5% increase in the proportion of patients who experienced no decline in FVC between Baseline and Week 52.
Treatment Effect on FVC Confirmed in Supportive Analyses
The New England Journal of Medicine publication contains additional supportive analyses of the treatment effect of pirfenidone on FVC change that corroborate the results of the primary analysis. The mean decline from Baseline to Week 52 in FVC volume, a measurement of lung capacity, was 235 mL in the pirfenidone group and 428 mL in the placebo group (absolute difference, 193 mL; relative difference, 45.1%; p<0.0001). The slope of decline in FVC through Week 52 was 122 mL/yr. in the pirfenidone group and 262 mL/yr. in the placebo group (absolute difference, 140 mL/yr.; relative difference, 53.5%; p<0.0001).
Dr. King added, "The compelling statistical result on the primary analysis was corroborated by supportive analyses, all of which resulted in similar conclusions. The results are very robust."
Two Key Secondary Endpoints
Two key secondary endpoints were pre-specified in the ASCEND protocol: change from Baseline to Week 52 in 6MWD and PFS.
6MWD is a measure of exercise tolerance and a 50-meter decrement in 6MWD is considered an independent predictor of mortality in a patient with IPF. In ASCEND, pirfenidone reduced by 27.5% the proportion of patients who experienced a decline in 6MWD of 50 meters or greater or death relative to placebo (p=0.0360).
PFS is a measure of time until death or disease-progression. Disease progression was defined as any of the following: confirmed percent predicted FVC decrement of 10% or greater or confirmed 6MWD decrement of 50 meters or greater. In ASCEND, pirfenidone reduced the risk of death or disease progression by 43% compared to placebo (HR 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43-0.77; p<0.001). Fewer patients in the pirfenidone group compared with placebo experienced a qualifying event for each component of the endpoint: death (3.6% vs. 5.1%), confirmed >/= 10% decline in percent predicted FVC (6.5% vs. 17.7%), and confirmed >/= 50 m decrement in 6MWD (16.5% vs. 19.5%).
Additional Secondary Endpoints
Additional secondary endpoints were pre-specified in the ASCEND protocol: change from Baseline to Week 52 in dyspnea (shortness of breath), all-cause mortality, and treatment-emergent IPF-related mortality.
The secondary endpoint of dyspnea was not achieved. Analysis of UCSD SOBQ scores showed no statistically significant difference between treatment groups at Week 52; 29.1% of patients in the pirfenidone group experienced a >/= 20 point worsening in UCSD SOBQ score or death, compared with 36.1% of patients in the placebo group (absolute difference, 7.0%; relative difference, 19.3%; p=0.1577).
The two mortality analyses were pre-specified for both the ASCEND study and the pooled population of the ASCEND study and the previous Phase 3 CAPACITY studies through 52 weeks. Given the relatively low overall mortality rate in patient populations in one-year IPF studies, ASCEND was not powered to detect a mortality benefit. The pooled analyses increase the statistical power for detection of a mortality effect and provide a more stable estimate of the magnitude of effect.
The pre-specified analysis of the ASCEND study alone showed fewer all-cause and treatment-emergent IPF-related deaths in the pirfenidone group compared to the placebo group. Four percent of patients in the pirfenidone group and 7.2% of patients in the placebo group died during the study (HR 0.55; 95% CI 0.26 to 1.15; p=0.1045). Treatment-emergent IPF-related deaths occurred in 1.1% and 2.5% of patients in the pirfenidone and placebo groups, respectively (HR 0.44; 95% CI 0.11 to 1.72; p=0.2258). The relationship of death to IPF was determined in ASCEND by a blinded adjudication committee.
The pre-specified analyses of mortality in the pooled population (N=1,247) from ASCEND and the two Phase 3 CAPACITY studies showed that the risk of all-cause mortality was reduced by 48% at Week 52 in the pirfenidone group compared to the placebo group (HR 0.52; 95% CI 0.31–0.87; p=0.0107). Additionally, in the pooled population the risk of treatment-emergent IPF-related death in the pirfenidone group compared to placebo was reduced by 68% at Week 52 (HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.14–0.76; p=0.0061).
Safety and Tolerability
In ASCEND, pirfenidone showed a favorable safety profile and was generally well tolerated.
A total of 93.5% and 94.6% of patients completed the study, died or had a lung transplant by study day 365 in the pirfenidone and placebo groups, respectively. The most common adverse events with higher incidence in the pirfenidone group were gastrointestinal (e.g., nausea and dyspepsia) and skin-related (e.g., rash). The gastrointestinal and rash adverse events were generally mild to moderate in severity, manageable, reversible and only infrequently led to treatment discontinuations. A Grade III gastrointestinal adverse event was experienced in 5.4% and 1.4% of patients in the pirfenidone and placebo groups, respectively. A Grade III skin-related adverse event was experienced in 1.8% of patients in the pirfenidone group compared with 0.4% of patients in the placebo group. No patients in either group experienced a Grade IV gastrointestinal or skin-related event.
The percentage of patients discontinuing treatment due to an adverse event was 14.4% in the pirfenidone group and 10.8% in the placebo group. The most common adverse event resulting in treatment discontinuation was worsening of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (1.1% of patients in the pirfenidone group vs. 5.4% of patients in the placebo group). The only other adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation in >/= 1% of patients in the pirfenidone group were hepatic enzyme elevation (1.1%), pneumonia (1.1%), rash (1.1%), and decreased weight (1.1%).
Serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported in 19.8% of patients in the pirfenidone group and 24.9% in the placebo group. The most common serious adverse event was worsening of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (2.5% of patients in the pirfenidone group vs. 9.7% in the placebo group). There were fewer deaths in the pirfenidone group compared with placebo (2.9% vs. 5.4%).
Elevations of aminotransferase levels at least three times the upper limit of normal occurred in 2.9% of pirfenidone patients (including one case associated with a bilirubin increase) vs. 0.7% of placebo patients. In general, these elevations occurred early, were manageable and reversible, and were similar to those observed in previous pirfenidone studies.
The safety and tolerability profile of pirfenidone was generally consistent with observations from the previous Phase 3 CAPACITY studies, open-label extension studies and post-marketing experience.
"The results from the ASCEND trial reinforce the favorable safety and tolerability profile observed in previous studies of pirfenidone and through real-world experience where it is currently marketed," said Dr. Paul W. Noble, Chair, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif. and Co-chair of the ASCEND protocol steering committee. "As a treating physician, I am pleased that there is such a robust and thorough assessment of the safety and tolerability of pirfenidone, a medicine that may play an important role in managing patients with IPF."
Investor Conference Call and Webcast Details
InterMune will host a live webcast of a conference call today at 5:00 p.m. PDT (8:00 p.m. EDT) to discuss pirfenidone in IPF. Interested investors and others may participate in the conference call by dialing 844-825-0513 (U.S.) or 484-365-2934 (international), conference ID# 43717876. A replay of the webcast and teleconference will be available approximately two hours after the call.
A telephonic replay will be available for 10 business days following the call and can be accessed by dialing 855-859-2056 (U.S.) or 404-537-3406 (international), and entering the conference ID# 43717876.
To access the webcast, please log on to the company's website at www.intermune.com at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to ensure adequate time for any software downloads that may be required.
About ASCEND
ASCEND (Assessment of Pirfenidone to Confirm Efficacy and Safety in IPF) is a multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pirfenidone in patients with IPF. Patients (N=555) were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive oral pirfenidone (2403 mg/day) or placebo and were enrolled at 127 centers in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru and Singapore.
More than 95 percent of eligible patients (those patients who remained on blinded pirfenidone or placebo therapy) who completed the ASCEND study decided to enter the open-label RECAP extension study. RECAP is a study in which all patients receive pirfenidone. RECAP also includes patients rolled over from the company's prior CAPACITY studies, which were completed in late 2008 and enrolled 779 patients in two Phase 3 studies. RECAP provides valuable long-term safety data that further expands the already large safety database for pirfenidone in patients with IPF.
About CAPACITY
Pirfenidone has been studied in multiple Phase 3 clinical trials in patients with IPF, including the two Phase 3 CAPACITY trials sponsored by InterMune.
The CAPACITY program consisted of two concurrent 72-week trials, which enrolled a total of 779 patients. Both trials were multinational, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled. The studies were designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pirfenidone in IPF patients with mild to moderate impairment in lung function. The primary endpoint in both studies was the change from Baseline to Week 72 in percent predicted FVC. This endpoint was met with statistical significance in CAPACITY 2 (p=0.001). The secondary endpoints of PFS and categorical change in FVC also achieved statistical significance (p<0.05). Although the primary endpoint was not met in CAPACITY 1 (p=0.501), supportive evidence of a pirfenidone treatment effect was observed on a number of measures, including percent predicted FVC at weeks 24, 36 and 48, and on 6MWD.
Pirfenidone demonstrated a favorable safety profile and was generally well tolerated in both CAPACITY studies. The most frequent side effects reported were photosensitivity rash, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and dyspepsia, and dizziness.
About Pirfenidone
Pirfenidone is an orally active, anti-fibrotic agent that inhibits the synthesis of TGF-beta, a chemical mediator that controls many cell functions including proliferation and differentiation, and plays a key role in fibrosis. Pirfenidone also inhibits the synthesis of TNF-alpha, a cytokine that is known to have an active role in inflammation.
On February 28, 2011, the European Commission (EC) granted marketing authorization for Esbriet® (pirfenidone) for the treatment of adults with mild to moderate IPF. The approval authorized marketing of Esbriet in all 28 EU member states. Esbriet has since been approved for marketing in Norway and Iceland. In 2011, InterMune launched commercial sales of pirfenidone in Germany under the trade name Esbriet, and Esbriet is now also commercially available in various European countries, including key markets such as France, Italy and the UK.
On October 1, 2012, Health Canada approved Esbriet for the treatment of mild to moderate IPF in adult patients. Health Canada designated Esbriet for Priority Review and completed the accelerated review according to target guidelines of 180 days. InterMune launched Esbriet in Canada in January 2013.
Pirfenidone has been marketed as Pirespa® since 2008 in Japan and since 2012 in South Korea by Shionogi & Co. Ltd. Under different trade names, pirfenidone is also approved for the treatment of IPF in China, India, Argentina and Mexico.
Pirfenidone is not approved for marketing in the United States.
About IPF
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an irreversible and ultimately fatal disease characterized by progressive loss of lung function due to fibrosis (scarring) in the lungs, which hinders the ability of lungs to absorb oxygen. IPF inevitably causes shortness of breath, and a deterioration in lung function and exercise tolerance. IPF patients follow different and unpredictable clinical courses and it is not possible to predict if a patient will progress slowly or rapidly, or when the rate of decline may change. Periods of transient clinical stability in IPF, when they occur, inevitably give way to continued disease progression. The median survival time from diagnosis is two to five years, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 20-40 percent, which makes IPF more rapidly lethal than many malignancies, including breast, ovarian and colorectal cancers. IPF typically occurs in patients over the age of 45, and tends to affect slightly more men than women.
About InterMune
InterMune is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and orphan fibrotic diseases. In pulmonology, the company is focused on therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive, irreversible, unpredictable and ultimately fatal lung disease. Pirfenidone is approved for marketing by InterMune in the EU and Canada under the trade name Esbriet®. Pirfenidone is not approved for sale in the United States. InterMune intends to resubmit the pirfenidone New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. FDA in coming weeks to support regulatory registration in the United States. InterMune's research programs are focused on the discovery of targeted, small-molecule therapeutics and biomarkers to treat and monitor serious pulmonary and fibrotic diseases. For additional information about InterMune and its R&D pipeline, please visit www.intermune.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that reflect InterMune's judgment and involve risks and uncertainties as of the date of this release, including, without limitation, InterMune's expectations regarding the timing for resubmission of its new drug application with the FDA for pirfenidone; the potential to make pirfenidone available as a medicine to IPF patients in the United States and the potential for pirfenidone to play an important role in managing patients with IPF. All forward-looking statements and other information included in this press release are based on information available to InterMune as of the date hereof, and InterMune assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements or information. InterMune's actual results could differ materially from those described in InterMune's forward-looking statements.
Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in InterMune's most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 24, 2014 (the "Form 10-K") and other periodic reports filed with the SEC, including but not limited to the following: (i) the risks related to the uncertain, lengthy and expensive clinical development process for the company's product candidates, including having no unexpected safety, toxicology, clinical or other issues and having no unexpected clinical trial results such as unexpected new clinical data and unexpected additional analysis of existing clinical data; (ii) risks related to the regulatory process for the company's product candidates, including the possibility that the results of the new 52-week Phase 3 clinical trial (ASCEND) having an FVC endpoint may not be satisfactory to the FDA for InterMune to receive regulatory approval for pirfenidone in the United States; (iii) risks related to unexpected regulatory actions or delays, in particular in connection with our planned resubmission of a Class 2 NDA with the FDA seeking approval of pirfenidone or other government regulation generally; (iv) risks related to our ability to successfully launch and commercialize pirfenidone in the United States, if approved by the FDA and (v) InterMune's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protections. The risks and other factors discussed above should be considered only in connection with the fully discussed risks and other factors discussed in detail in the Form 10-K and InterMune's other periodic reports filed with the SEC, all of which are available via InterMune's web site at www.intermune.com.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120827/SF62570LOGO
SOURCE: InterMune, Inc.
For further information:
Investors: Jim Goff, InterMune, Inc., 415-466-2228, [email protected], or Media: Geoff Curtis, Edelman, 312-550-8138, [email protected]
PRN Photo Desk, [email protected]


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Friday, February 26, 2010
Once again, we thank you for been a part of our Course -Assisting the less priviledged youths in the Society through Mentoring.
Our Appreciation
Really, RSN wouldn't be what it is today without the effort of so many of you. May I use this medium to say a very big thank you to all our Donors, Mentors, Friends and Sponsors. We greatly appreciate you.
Thank You!
Recently, we received a parcel of Educational materials from PCET and David Tyler Trust via Mr. Gerry. Thus far, we have been able to give these materials out to four Schools (2 Secondary & 2 Primary Schools). We appreciate the gestures of Dorothy and Christopher Tyler. . We thank you so much for these donation and we wish you so well in all your endeavours. Thank You!
Moreso, we've received some cash donation from Mrs. Taiwo and Mrs. Toroti. This money has been used to pay for 2-Months Tutorial Classes of two Mentees. . . Miss Tosin Lawal and Miss Linda Obi of Ikeja High School, Ikeja. We cannot but say thank you Madam(s) for your donation.
God bless you real good! Sure, the money was so timely!!!
Mock Examination
Presently, our Mentees are writing the Mock Examination -this in preparation for the West African Examination which starts in April/May. Please, kindly stay in tune with your Mentee. Spend adequate time to interact with him/her. As this little seed (mentoring) you're sowing shall never go unrewarded. They need your
hearing ears and listening heart. . . . .they trully need YOU!
Although, we do understand the busy schedules of some of you -Mentors, but we are assured that YOU CAN still help to PASS on the torch of Excellence! You'll be remembered for it.
Our Need
Our school of interest remain: Ikeja High School, Babs Fafunwa Millenium High School and Opebi Grammar School. Peradventure, you live close to any of these schools and you are interesting in teaching any of the Compulsory courses, kindly give us a call or reply to this email so that we can fix you up. We need volunteer Tutors. . . .
Thanks a million!!!!
Resource Sharing Network


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So many users told me that the hiddy idea was very good and applicable in many thing such as user registration form in wordpress.
You said i did.
Non in version 1.5.5 hiddy captcha appear even in the user registration form where enabled in WordPress.
Enjoy it.Buy me a coffee


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Yesterday, Stanczyk wrote about an email from Poland. Well I guess Grandmother's / Grandfather's day caused Polish genealogists to go web surfing in America. This jester received a message from Rzeszów (Teresa B.).
We traded messages and while we had family names in common from Biechów and Pacanów it was a near miss … nobody in common. But Teresa did mention that the gmina Pacanów website did have some nice pictures.
This Pacanów cemetery image had another angle of Jozef Wleciał's tombstone (notice lower right corner) picture from yesterday's blog.


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I'm about to carve a new Jim Crow and I was going to ask on here if anyone has pictured of theirs as I'm wondering exactly how to paint him. But first I did a little Internet research and discovered the following:
Taken from: http://www.swisseduc.ch/english/resourc ... .html#name
"Come listen all you galls and boys,
I'm going to sing a little song,
My name is Jim Crow.
Weel about and turn about and do jis so,
Eb'ry time I weel about I jump Jim Crow."
These words are from the song, "Jim Crow," as it appeared in sheet music written by Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice… in 1828 Rice appeared on stage as "Jim Crow" -- an exaggerated, highly stereotypical Black character.
Rice, a White man, was one of the first performers to wear blackface makeup -- his skin was darkened with burnt cork. His Jim Crow song-and-dance routine was an astounding success that took him from Louisville to Cincinnati to Pittsburg to Philadelphia and finally to New York in 1832…White audiences were receptive to the portrayals of Blacks as singing, dancing, grinning fools.
By 1838, the term "Jim Crow" was being used as a collective racial epithet for Blacks, not as offensive as nigger, but as offensive as coon or darkie… the popularity of minstrel shows aided the spread of Jim Crow as a racial slur.
Rice, and his imitators, by their stereotypical depictions of Blacks, helped to popularize the belief that Blacks were lazy, stupid, inherently less human, and unworthy of integration... Ironically, years later when Blacks replaced White minstrels, the Blacks also "blackened" their faces, thereby pretending to be Whites pretending to be Blacks.
Daddy Rice, the original Jim Crow, became rich and famous because of his skills as a minstrel. However, he lived an extravagant lifestyle, and when he died in New York on September 19, 1860, he was in poverty.
My current, admittedly rather crude, Jim Crow:
Now I've never intended my Jim Crow routine to be a racial slur. In fact, the kids love him as he talks directly to them more than any other character. But since reading the above I'm having second thoughts about including him at all. And if I do, how should I depict him and, given the historical background, should I be changing his name? Having said that, we use the word Squaw to depict an American Indian's wife yet, literally translated, it is about the most misogynistic term one can use for a woman – then and now.
Thoughts please.


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THE TOUGH CUSTOMER- Short Circuit: How low does this e-tailer go?
November 27, 2008 Huge signs reading "Going Out of Business," "Liquidation Sale" and "Everything Must Go" are intended to mean one thing to people.
There'll be some big bargains.
The logic is simple. A business, forced to close its doors and sell its inventory– the business term is "fire sale"– will take whatever it can get.
By the looks of the bare shelves at electronics retailer Circuit City in Albemarle Square, which has been conducting just such a sale, the pitch has worked.
Circuit City is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, meaning it is not going out of business, but is trying to reorganize itself into a profitable company. Its plan calls for the closing of 155 stores nationwide, including the one in Charlottesville. Liquidation sales of inventory in stores designated for closure in retailers' Chapter 11 cases are common as the struggling business seeks to raise cash.
It is less clear, however, whether these sales are such a great deal for consumers.
An unscientific sampling of a variety of items in the Circuit City store over the last week suggested bottom-fishers hoping to pick up that long-coveted HDTV or stereo receiver for some ridiculously low price might want to try a new fishing hole.
In fact, one item I priced, a 40-inch Sony HDTV, actually cost less that day on Circuit City's website ($1899.99) thanks to the manufacturer's one-day price cut than it did in the liquidation sale ($1919.99). And I was able to find the same television for sale from online sellers for as low as $1499.99.
Most other items I priced at the store matched the advertised 20% off of Circuit City's online prices, but they were squarely within the range of other prices I was able to find online. An Onkyo stereo receiver priced at $240 at Circuit City's sale, for example, could be had online for between $230 and $300.
Because of Circuit City's depleted stock and the wide variation of available television models, apples-to-apples comparison with prices in other local stores was difficult. At least one comparison, however, suggested Circuit Prices were pretty good: a 50-inch plasma television was $900 less at Circuit City than at Crutchfield, where it cost $2,500, although the day I shopped, the Crutchfield set did come with a free Blu-Ray disc player worth about $350.
Bill Crutchfield, founder and CEO of the eponymous retailer, says his company doesn't worry about matching a liquidation price (but was more concerned with online store prices). He notes that he has not even visited the Circuit City liquidation sale here.
Crutchfield, however, says he has seen media reports of companies that hype liquidation prices, and indeed, there are a number of web postings easily found online complaining that Circuit City's liquidation prices are not, in fact, sufficiently low.
A Circuit City spokesman wouldn't comment on the pricing, saying all aspects of the sale were being handled by a third-party liquidator. Circuit City's local store manager also said he could not comment.
A representative from that Northbrook, Illinois-located liquidator, Hilco Merchant Resources, was unavailable to comment.
Beyond the issue of prices, Crutchfield points out, is the fact that dealing with a liquidating retailer "has some hassles associated with it."
While a manufacturer's warranty will apply to any item purchased in the sale, Crutchfield explains, there will be no store at which a return can be made.
While that problem may be "not insurmountable," Crutchfield says– for example, returning a defective MP3 player might be a simple matter– "with a big TV, getting it back to the manufacturer can be more complicated."
Of course, on non-electronic items, like printer supplies and blank discs, the markdowns at Circuit City were fairly straightforward and less risky. For example, while researching this story I was able to pick up an ink cartridge at 20 percent off, saving myself $3.65.
That money went right into a new fund I'm starting to save up to get that 50-inch plasma.


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Tonight Mrs. Dee Dee Warren concludes her series on eschatology with a brief overview of Matthew 24.
To listen to the program from the site please click the link provided below. To save this program to your portable listening device please right click the link below and select "save as".
Mrs. Warrens commentary on Matthew 24 can be read in its entirety at the link below;
The archives for the entire series can be found at the link below;


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A Sworn Oath to David
We do not serve a king who is far off and unacquainted with our creaturely state. Rather, we have a Priest-King who has shared the human condition and has experienced the things we have experienced, albeit without sin (Heb. 2:14–18). ...Read More
Melchizedek Blesses Abraham
John Calvin comments on today's passage: "The same Person, therefore, who was constituted the only and eternal Priest, in order that he might reconcile us to God, and who, having made expiation, might intercede for us, is also a King ...Read More
The Levitical Priests
Even on those occasions when God does not reveal conditions explicitly, we can be sure that His ultimate blessings work through the means of our faith and repentance. This faith and repentance is not something we create but is rather ...Read More
Special Garments for Aaron
God was never meant to dwell permanently in a house but to dwell within His people. In becoming incarnate, in "tabernacling" among us as the Greek of John 1:14 may be translated, the eternal Son of God came to live ...Read More
The Ark and the City
The Lord is slow to anger, and He is gracious and merciful, but we can never take advantage of that fact. True, there is no condemnation if we are in Christ, but that does not mean we will not feel ...Read More
The Ark of the Covenant
Blood and the mercy seat typified the final cleansing that would be achieved through the shed blood of Christ (Heb. 10:1–18). Because of this blood we can now meet with the Lord in worship just as the high priest used ...Read More
A New Most Holy Place
What Ezekiel saw in a vision we now see in reality as the kingdom of God spreads across the earth and people from every tribe and tongue are set apart to be priests (1 Peter 2:9). The turning of the ...Read More
Pride and Prayer
We are always to be humble servants of the Lord, coming before Him in prayer boldly (Heb. 10:19–22) not on account of what we have done but knowing that such access has been to granted to us in Christ alone. ...Read More
The Altar of Incense
Only authorized incense could be offered on the altar (Ex. 30:9), which shows that God is zealous to determine how He is worshiped. In fact, the Lord hates the worship and prayers of all those who do not approach Him ...Read More
David and Ahimelech
The letter of the Law is not unimportant, but it can never be followed at the expense of the spirit of the Law. This can be difficult and is fraught with peril, for it can be easy to claim to ...Read More


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MONTREAL — On Monday night, Canada's ruling Conservative Party lost ground in all three by-elections. It barely held onto Calgary Centre, a party stronghold for decades. Its share of the vote went down in Durham, just east of Toronto. And in Victoria, its candidate received a meagre 14 per cent of the vote.
Yet after contemplating these results, the happiest politician in the land may be Stephen Harper.
Why? Because the results gave each of the opposition parties something to boast about. The Greens dramatically increased their vote in both Calgary Centre and Victoria, where they came close to toppling the NDP, who have held the seat for the past six years. The NDP succeeded in holding onto Victoria and saw their share of the vote rise in Durham. And the Liberals nearly stole Calgary Centre from the Conservatives, even though right-of-centre parties have won every seat in the entire city of Calgary since 1972.
The result, once again, is stalemate in the opposition. Elizabeth May, Tom Mulcair and interim Liberal leader Bob Rae are free to reassure their troops that they're marching toward victory in the 2015 federal election.
They know better, of course. They just can't admit it.
The truth is that although a large majority of Canadians voted against the Conservatives in 2011, and dislike the extreme pro-corporate, anti-environment policies of the current government, Stephen Harper is on track for another majority. Harper won the last election with less than 40 per cent of the vote, and even if his party's share drops by a few points in 2015, he could easily gain a further mandate.
The problem is the split opposition. Look at what happened on Monday in Calgary Centre. The Conservative candidate, Joan Crockatt, scraped by with just 37 per cent of the vote. Together, the Greens and the Liberals outpolled her by far. In Durham, the NDP would have had a fighting chance of unseating the Tories if they had enjoyed support from Liberals and Greens.
Can anything be done about this fragmentation? The political elite seems convinced that it can't. "No one hates Canadian Liberals more than the competitors to their left," writes Robin Sears in the current Literary Review of Canada. (As a former national director of the NDP, he should know.) Likewise, "most Canadian Liberals have understood that they are bleeding to the left, not to the Conservatives. And, as they make vehemently clear in every campaign, they resent it mightily."
Knowing his political history, Sears believes a marriage between progressive parties is unlikely — though he ends up wistfully admitting that "the time has come."
I wonder. In this year's NDP leadership election, the surprise force was a previously unknown MP from rural B.C., Nathan Cullen, who ran a strong third after promoting a pre-election alliance among his own party, the Greens and the Liberals. NDP members responded warmly to Cullen's message of hope and unity. Thousands of them proved willing, even eager to put some water in their wine.
Today we're in the early stages of a Liberal leadership race. Will any of the aspirants dare to take up Cullen's challenge? Conventional wisdom says it would be political suicide for one of the main candidates to advocate an alliance with the NDP and the Greens – despite the obvious fact that the Liberals are now just a third party, so weak in most of Quebec and Western Canada that they have no realistic hope of winning a majority in 2015.
But conventional wisdom can be wrong. When Stephen Harper led his Canadian Alliance into a merger with Peter MacKay's Progressive Conservatives in 2003, several commentators expressed doubt about the arrangement, saying the governing Liberals had no reason to worry. True, some prominent members of both right-of-centre parties agonized about the merger. None of them is complaining now.
Hardcore New Democrats, lifelong Liberals and fervent Greens have their differences, of course. But they share a host of values and beliefs, as well as a growing despair with the ideologically driven policies of the current government. What's needed now is for enough members of all three parties to step forward and demand a pre-election alliance.
I'm not saying it will be easy. I'm merely saying it's necessary.
Mark Abley writes The Gazette's Watchwords column. He is a New Democratic Party member who happily voted for his Liberal MP in the last federal election.