text:
5 People Whose Major Disabilities Only Made Them Stronger
Everyone loves stories about people who achieved fantastic things despite their disabilities; they make us feel better about the human race and, by extension, ourselves. Well, these stories aren't like that. These are about people who not only overcame their horrific disabilities, but did so in such balls-shatteringly unbelievable ways that they make the rest of us look like shit in the process. Prepare to feel completely worthless when compared to the awesomeness of ...
#5. Spencer West Climbs Mount Kilimanjaro with No Legs
CTV/Mountain Climbing Adventures
About 35,000 people try to climb Mount Kilimanjaro each and every year, but only half have what it takes to make it to the summit. Of course, if you ask most people exactly what it does "take" to conquer the highest free-standing mountain in the world, "a pair of legs" will probably be at the top of their list. Spencer West would disagree.
Because, you see, West has no legs and he climbed the damned mountain anyway.
CTV/Mountain Climbing Adventures
Oh, so there's a hole there, and he's just standing ... wait, no.
West had his legs removed when he was a kid due to a genetic condition that left his lower spine poorly developed. Where anyone else would have accepted that they were destined to be Fate's punching bag, West decided to dangle over Fate's face in the night and teabag it -- he's made it his mission in life to redefine the meaning of the world "possible," and what could be more impossible than for a legless man to climb a mountain that kills 10 able-bodied people a year and sends back a thousand more on stretchers?
So, in 2012, West and two buddies decided to tackle the 19,341-foot mountain, spending seven days trekking through jungle, snowcaps, and desert, which of course presented a few practical issues: For starters, as you might guess, that's not the type of terrain you would normally associate with the phrase "wheelchair accessible." No problem: For 80 percent of the trip, West just walked with his arms -- and since arms aren't really designed for walking, he had to equip himself with elbow braces and plenty of anti-inflammatory meds to handle the stress. Also, he needed several pairs of sports gloves and shitloads of duct tape to keep the fabric together while he propelled himself forward in short but sustained strides.
SWNS/The Telegraph
He's the one on the right, in front of the archer and Isildur's heir.
Even with that, by the time he reached the summit his hands were all bloody and blistered ... but he says it was worth it, since he was doing all of this to raise money to provide clean water for African kids. Dude, we get it, you're trying to make us feel terrible about ourselves.
#4. Nick Newell, the One-Armed MMA Champion
Like many kids in his generation, Nick Newell loved watching the Ninja Turtles and the Power Rangers and dreamed of growing up to become one of the greatest fighters in the world. The difference was that Newell only had one-and-a-half arms. Another difference? He actually went ahead and fulfilled that dream.
MMA Nuts
Makes us feel shitty for abandoning the dream of being a wallaby in a Hawaiian shirt.
Newell, who was born without one arm below the elbow, started out wrestling in high school with predictably abysmal results. This only made him more determined, though, and sure enough, it didn't take long for him to dick-slap the odds, winning more than 300 wrestling matches and then transitioning to mixed martial arts, after presumably deciding that wrestling was too easy. Now he's undefeated with a 10-0 record. Again, the dude is missing the better part of one arm. Don't you usually need at least two hands to kick someone's ass in an MMA fight?
Well, yeah, unless you're Nick Newell, who's actually turned the shit sandwich life dealt him into an advantage. His favorite move consists of latching onto his opponent with his left elbow -- the other guy can't grab him and undo the choke because there's nothing to grab, so he ends up getting grappled to the ground and submitting. That's the move Newell used to become the first one-armed XFC champion, by the way.
That other dude went home and bought a chainsaw.
Being shortchanged in the limb department also makes other fighters underestimate him and try to attack him on his left side, unaware that Newell has become really, really good at both blocking there and retaliating with brutal knees to the face. Here's a clip of Newell knocking out another fighter within seconds by doing exactly that.
Newell says that at the beginning of his career no one wanted to get in the ring with him, knowing that the only two possible outcomes were A) they beat the shit out of a cripple, or B) they get the shit beat out of them by a cripple. Presumably by now they don't want to fight him because they're just afraid.
#3. Jim Miekka, the Blind Gunslinger
Bridget Brown/Bangor Daily News
Yep: This is not a joke headline. Jim Miekka is a retired physics teacher who lost his eyesight in an explosion when he was 26, along with two fingers. Either one of those injuries alone would keep most people out of the shooting range forever, but Jim Miekka's passion for guns just couldn't be denied.
Michael C. York/Wall Street Journal
The glasses are just to look cool.
And since there was no way for a blind man to take up shooting as a hobby that didn't result in dozens of lawsuits, Miekka went ahead and invented one: He created a special rifle scope that allows him to recognize black-and-white targets and effectively snipe them suckers with better accuracy than people who can actually see them.
Basically, Miekka's gun acts as his surrogate eyes. As he describes it, his "bionic eye" converts light into electricity and then puts that signal in in a way his brain can decode -- namely, sound. The frequency of the sound tells him where the target is: "I hear tick, tick, tick, and I scan around for black next to white, and very quiet next to very loud." So if he wants to shoot, say, a mime, he waits for the loudest sound (indicating white) and squeezes the trigger. Here's a video of him tagging bowling pins at 100 yards:
And before you get to thinking that Miekka is powerless without some high-tech super scope, you should probably know that even with regular pistols, the guy has an accuracy of 80 percent and has yet to put a hole in anyone. So how the hell does he aim? The old fashioned way. By which we mean he has someone (occasionally) tap just above the target ...
Ferdinand Zogbaum/Bay News 9
Simulating the heartbeat he no doubt hears in all living targets.
... memorizes where the sound came from, and then blows it away.
Ferdinand Zogbaum/Bay News 9
The poor bandits' expressions really say it all.
Miekka, who is known as Midnight Gunslinger, can draw, cock, and fire his pistol in about a half-second, which isn't even enough time to fully appreciate the fact that you've just been Huckleberried by the blind Doc Holliday.


text:
This article appears in the Fall 2012 CLINIC NEWS.
The Con Lit Clinic filed two amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court in the human rights case Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum. Under the supervision of Clinical Professor Penny Venetis, students worked on the briefs and met with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg after the first oral argument (the second argument is scheduled for October 2012).
In Kiobel, Shell is accused of conspiring with the Nigerian military to torture and kill opponents of its Niger Delta pipeline. Kiobel was brought under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), enacted by the nation's first Congress. Although not intended as such, since 1980 the ATS has been used in the human rights context, almost exclusively, to redress human rights abuses originating far from U.S. soil.
The ATS is silent on the issue of corporate liability. Until Kiobel, all federal courts agreed that corporations, like individuals, could be sued under the ATS, including the court that presided for 12 years over the clinic's lawsuit Jama v. Esmor Correctional Services Inc. Jama was the first successful domestic ATS case and involved human rights abuses against political asylum seekers detained in New Jersey on behalf of the U.S. government by a private prison company.
The Second Circuit's Kiobel decision proved to be an outlier. Since it was decided in 2010, the Seventh, Ninth and D.C. circuit courts of appeals all categorically rejected Kiobel and upheld corporate liability under the ATS. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court decided to resolve the circuit court split.
Originally, the narrow issue on appeal in Kiobel was whether the ATS contemplates corporate liability. Soon after oral argument, however, the Court issued an order asking for additional briefing on the much broader issue of whether U.S. federal courts have any authority to preside over human rights cases when abuses occur extra-territorially.
It remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court will overrule 30 years of federal court human rights-related ATS jurisprudence. Since 1980, U.S. courts have served as the only sure fora for victims of gross atrocities. Those individuals could seek justice against persons and corporations that violated their most fundamental rights. As the Con Lit Clinic stated in its amicus briefs, there is no legal justification for the Supreme Court to change that course.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I recently read Improved Generic Algorithms for 3-Collisions by Joux and Lucks (Asiacrypt 2009), available as http://eprint.iacr.org/2009/305.pdf. I was wondering about applications of this technique (excluding of course the applications already given in appendix). So my question is: Are there interesting applications (constructive or cryptanalytic, preferably practical) of this method that have been proposed since 2009 ?
There are more recent papers that cite Joux and Lucks. Example: "Preimage Attacks against PKC98-Hash and HAS-V", Sasaki et al., uses the Joux-Lucks algorithm to attack two hash functions.
Have you looked at newer papers that cite Joux and Lucks? Have you done a literature search, to find newer papers that cite their Asiacrypt 2009 paper? Google Scholar, Citeseer, and Microsoft Academic Search can help you here. That'd be a good start. If someone uses the Joux-Lucks algorithm in their work, they'll probably cite the Joux and Lucks paper.


text:
Controlling Indoor Mold
Topic Overview
Indoor mold (fungus) is very common in humid areas and in homes that have damp areas such as basements. Mold may trigger asthma symptoms, such as wheezing or coughing, or another allergic reaction, such as the rash of atopic dermatitis or stuffy nose of allergic rhinitis. Substances that trigger these reactions are called allergens.
Although there is no strong evidence that reducing damp areas in homes or limiting exposure to them helps decrease allergy and asthma symptoms, taking the following steps may be helpful.
Adults spend one-third of their time and children spend half of their time in their bedrooms, so it is important that you take steps to prevent allergens in this room.
Next Page:
(Page 1 of 2)
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2014 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
Lounge matches patrons' moods
With The Loft @ Tryst Lounge, brothers George and Nick Ricciardi have brought two unique experiences to one location downtown. On the lower level is Tryst, a cozy-yet-sophisticated lounge with a big city vibe. Red drum chandeliers throw off dim mood lighting, and sleek leather banquettes and bar seating complement the chic aesthetic. Tryst is a place for drinks and appetizers — think artisan meat and cheese boards, a blackboard wine list, craft beer and decadent truffles.


text:
Hooked up a second screen to the second connector of my nVidia card, set it up with
nvidia-settings and it started showing my background correctly.
The X display works correctly (i.e.
DISPLAY=:0.1 gedit works) and the cursor goes from one screen to the other but I can't grab windows to the second screen and windows on the edge doesn't appear half on one screen and half on the other.
The second monitor doesn't show in the monitor Ubuntu settings dialog.
I used to use the cube Compiz effect, but I am not interested in it anymore.
Tried rebooting. Any help appreciated, thanks very much.


text:
This is probably an easy question but i'm confused, it's presented in a finance textbook (often proofs aren't really rigorous in such), but for me it makes absolutely no sense.
Edit: (To those guys who understand finance).
The claim is exactly that $X$ is the return of the minimum-variance portfolio of $Y$ the return on some other efficient portfolio. The assignment states: There is a formula of the form $Cov(X,Y)=A\cdot Var(X)$ [Hint: Consider the portfolios $(1-a)X+aY$, and consider small variations of the variance of such portfolios near $a=0$.] I promise I'm not keeping any information from you, I just tried to take all the finance out, since I expected it to creep you guys out.
I got two stochastic variables $X$ and $Y$ with all relevant moments. I want to look at the variance of a convex combination of them to conclude something about their covariance, here's how:
$$Var(aX+(1-a)Y)=a^2Var(X)+(1-a)^2Var(Y)+2\cdot a\cdot (1-a)Cov(X,Y)$$
I can then evaluate:$$\frac{\partial}{\partial a}Var(aX+(1-a)Y)=2aVar(X)-2(1-a)Var(Y)+2Cov(X,Y)-4aCov(X,Y)$$
If I evaluate this at $a=1$ and set equal to zero I get:
$$2Var(X)-2Cov(X,Y)=0\implies Var(X)=Cov(X,Y)$$
I pretty much don't get the conclusion, I got the feeling that I would always be able to do this trick. So after this proof what would be fair to conclude and what not?
Hope someone is willing to help.


text:
All applicants to the New York State Bar will have to perform 50 hours of pro bono service by the time they apply, starting in 2015. Panelists will discuss the State's requirement, Columbia's pro bono requirement, and how good pro bono project design leads to pro bono partnerships that promote access to justice in the United States and other countries. Speakers will be Miriam Buhl, Pro Bono Counsel at Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP, Marlene Halpern, Supervising Attorney for The Legal Aid Society's Pro Bono Practice, and Ellen Chapnick, Dean for Social Justice Initiatives at Columbia.. Sponsored by Social Justice Initiatives and Graduate Legal Studies. Pizza will be served.
© Copyright 2016, The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York.
For questions or comments, please contact the web administrators.
435 West 116 Street, New York, NY 10027 — 212-854-2640


text:
Is there a software that can help me to improve my speech and grammar?...like learning the past participle,present participle and etc...also in constructing the sentences...or if there is no software can you tell me where i can start in learning my english skills.I know this is ridiculous question but i am serious to gain knowledge.I hope some one can help me on this.
Sign up
- Anybody can ask a question
- Anybody can answer
- The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
closed as off topic by simchona♦, jwpat7, Matt E. Эллен♦, Andrew Leach♦, Robusto Aug 6 '12 at 12:28
Questions on English Language & Usage Stack Exchange are expected to relate to English language and usage within the scope defined by the community. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about reopening questions here.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
If you are a non-native speaker, you might want to consider checking out the higher levels of Rosetta Stone for English. Obviously, you are able to speak English so the first two or three levels would be useless to you, but the higher levels, especially the fifth level, deal with perfecting grammar as well as expanding vocabulary. I have heard stories about immigrants to America speaking perfect English with perfect accents because they used that software.
Other than that, you may want to consider writing an essay, a long one, about anything that interests you, then have someone that you know is good with grammar correct it. Then, you can see where you make grammar mistakes and you will be able to avoid them in the future.
A final option is to take a community college class in English. There are plenty of classes that focus on perfecting grammar and improving speaking, writing, and reading ability.


text:
I've interested in using some sort of online note-keeping application. I've seen these two mentioned frequently online, and have briefly taken a look at their websites. As far as I can tell, they are both note-keeping tools. Are there any substantial differences I should know about?
Remember the Milk is a task list application first. The notes are not the focus here and the options are limited when it comes to taking notes.
Evernote is a note taking application and it specializes in that field.
If you need to take notes, use Evernote (or another note taking app but this one is good), if you need to manage tasks/todos and attach notes to those tasks, use Remember the Milk.
The major differences are that Evernote is designed for note-taking, web clippings, and memos while Remember the Milk is focused on tasks with a due date. Evernote can hold many formats of information you find while RTM can send you reminders through email, SMS, or Twitter of set tasks.
Don't hesitate to try both of them out. I use both regularly.


text:
There are already two questions on how to make a gray card, but unfortunately my ignorance goes deeper than that.
How do you use a gray card?
There are already two questions on how to make a gray card, but unfortunately my ignorance goes deeper than that.
How do you use a gray card?
There are a few ways. Here are the main two I use:
There is also the "historical" use with dark room printing... shoot a frame with the card in it, even if it's way off to the side out of crop, then in the enlarger, slide the film so that you can print that bit, do a test strip of the card, develop, match the box on the test strip to your grey card to get the initial printing time for the negative.
/me wanders off to FIND my old dektol stained gray card... been using a modern white/grey/black target with digital lately... not sure where it is. ;)
Using a gray card, or even a color checking card or something like the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport, is pretty easy. Here are a few steps:
Now that you have a calibration shot, you can remove the gray card/color checker from your scene. Snap the rest of your shots for that particular lighting without the card in scene. It is important to note that, if for any reason, your lighting changes...you will need to take another calibration shot. Any change...this would include reorienting your camera or subject, changing the type of lighting, etc. Out in nature, changes caused by clouds obscuring sunlight would count as a change in lighting.
Once you have all of your shots, you actually CORRECT your white balance in post processing. The simplest way on earth to correct white balance with a gray card or color checker is with Adobe Lightroom. In develop mode, there is an extremely handy little tool...a dropper tool (color picker tool) right next to the white balance sliders. Click this, then click on your gray card in the first shot. Lightroom will automatically correct your white balance for you based on the 18% reflectance emitted by the gray card (the ideal tone to balance color from.) If you used something like X-Rite's ColorChecker Passport, there are several warming/cooling "swatches" that you an pick from. The nice thing about these kind of swatches is you have the option of warming or cooling your picture as you see fit in a color-accurate way.
If you do not have Lightroom, but do have Photoshop, you can use a similar approach. In the Levels tool, click the "Set Gray Point" dropper tool, and pick the gray card. Photoshop should make the same kind of adjustment as Lightroom. With Photoshop, unlike lightroom, you need to make sure that you pick the right dropper tool to correct color automatically, and you will only be able to use an actual gray card or white card, and use the matching "Set XYZ Point" option. Once you have set your color balance, save the current levels settings.
The final step to setting correct white balance for all of your images is to apply the current settings for your calibration image to the rest of your images for that lighting. In lightroom, this is again rediculously simple. Simply copy the white balance setting (CTRL+SHIFT+C, Uncheck All, Check "White Balance"), select all your other photos for that lighting, and paste (CTRL+SHIFT+V).
With Photoshop, it is a little more complex. You need to open the Levels tool for each image, and load the previously saved levels settings. I don't know of any batch way to do this in Photoshop, so it is rather time consuming if you have a lot of shots. Best to work your way through your shoot first, find and flag the keepers, and only work them.
Oh, forgot another option. Not quite as accurate, but an option if you don't have a tool that will let you set perfectly correct WB in post processing. Most cameras these days have a custom white balance setting. These are easy enough to set. Follow the four steps above, only in step 3, DO use AWB (auto white balance). Make the card cover as much of the scene as possible, illuminated by the same light as the rest of the scene. Once you have your shot, use the Custom WB tool, pick the image with the gray card, and set WB from that image. This will only really work with an actual gray card, a color checker card will not really produce the best results if you use Custom WB.
In addition to proper exposure (from the grey card) and post-processing colour correction (from a throw-away shot and white balance correction on your computer), some (most? all?) digital cameras also have a Custom White Balance setting. This is especially useful if you shoot JPEG and your images are under a common light source. (With RAW you can do it all in post, but JPEGs you'll get slightly better colour accuracy doing it on-camera).
It's probably most useful if your lighting is constant, or if you're shooting with one particularly difficult light source (e.g. you can use Auto or a standard white balance on some photos, and the Custom WB on those under the particular light source).
If you've got a bunch of different lighting sources, or a combination of two (so you get variations as you move around) you might be best shooting RAW and taking a few different shots of the grey card and applying the most appropriate WB correction in post processing.
Two ways to use a gray card that I'm aware of:
Thank you for your interest in this question.
Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?


text:
commandlinefu.com is the place to record those command-line gems that you return to again and again.
Delete that bloated snippets file you've been using and share your personal repository with the world. That way others can gain from your CLI wisdom and you from theirs too. All commands can be commented on, discussed and voted up or down.
If you have a new feature suggestion or find a bug, please get in touch via http://commandlinefu.uservoice.com/
You can sign-in using OpenID credentials, or register a traditional username and password.
First-time OpenID users will be automatically assigned a username which can be changed after signing in.
Every new command is wrapped in a tweet and posted to Twitter. Following the stream is a great way of staying abreast of the latest commands. For the more discerning, there are Twitter accounts for commands that get a minimum of 3 and 10 votes - that way only the great commands get tweeted.
» http://twitter.com/commandlinefu
» http://twitter.com/commandlinefu3
» http://twitter.com/commandlinefu10
Use your favourite RSS aggregator to stay in touch with the latest commands. There are feeds mirroring the 3 Twitter streams as well as for virtually every other subset (users, tags, functions,…):
Subscribe to the feed for:
Maintained by Jon H.
Site originally by David Winterbottom (user root).
Typing a word in terminal is easier than digging your phone out, opening your two-factor authentication app and typing the code in manually.
This alias copies the one-time code to your clipboard for 3 seconds (long enough to paste it into a web form), then restores whatever was on the clipboard beforehand.
This command works on Mac. Replace pbpaste/pbcopy with your distribution's versions.


text:
Molly Wood
Molly Wood has covered the technology industry for 15 years as a reporter, commentator, critic, podcaster and video host. She once jumped out of a helicopter to test a smartphone's camera capabilities.
Messaging Apps Offer Do-It-All Services in Bid for Higher Profits
Messaging apps with a multitude of features, such as mobile payment portals and games, can walk a fine line between convenient and overwhelming.
March 26, 2015, Thursday
MORE ON: Facebook Inc , Line Corp , WeChat (Mobile App) , Instant Messaging , Mobile Applications , Smartphones , Tencent Holdings Ltd , WhatsApp Inc
Video Feature: Inside the F 015, Mercedes's Self-Driving Car
Mercedes-Benz's concept car doesn't showcase the technology of autonomous vehicles as much as it does the (yes, luxurious) experience of riding in one.
March 20, 2015, Friday
Video Feature: Design Gains Importance as Devices Get More Personal
Experts say it's not enough for a smartphone or other gadget to have all the software bells and whistles, it must also look and feel good.
March 19, 2015, Thursday
MORE ON: Design , Smartphones , Wearable Computing , Mobile Applications , Electronics
Device Syncing: Call From Computers and Text From Tablets
Technology from Apple, Google, BlackBerry and Motorola is increasingly allowing users to send texts and make phone calls from almost any device.
March 12, 2015, Thursday
Review: Google Chromebook Pixel
The top-of-the-line Google laptop, back in a new version, is meant more as a testing ground for new technology than a mass-market product.
March 12, 2015, Thursday
MORE ON: Google Inc , Chrome (Operating System) , Laptop Computers
Reseña: La portátil Chromebook Pixel de Google
Ha llegado la portátil Chromebook Pixel de segunda generación. Es igual de confusa que la primera pero, extrañamente, igualmente atractiva.
March 12, 2015, Thursday
MORE ON: Google Inc , Chrome (Operating System) , Laptop Computers
Todos contra Apple en el mercado de los smartphones
Muchos fabricantes de teléfonos inteligentes aprovecharon el Congreso Móvil Mundial en Barcelona para tentar a compradores de todo el planeta.
March 5, 2015, Thursday
In Chase of Apple, Smartphone Makers Shift Strategies
With its vast share of the industry's profits, Apple was the target at the Mobile World Congress, where Samsung and Microsoft are trying to position their products as business tools.
March 5, 2015, Thursday
BlackBerry Announces Leap Phone, Moving Back Toward Touch Screens
The company also teased, in the briefest of fashions, that a curved phone with a slider keyboard might be "coming later this year."
March 3, 2015, Tuesday
Sony Reveals Its Waterproof 10-Inch Tablet, and a Midrange Phone the U.S. Can't Have
The 10-inch Sony Xperia Z4 tablet is waterproof and dustproof; boasts extremely long battery life and has powerful specs. The Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone is also waterproof and has a two-day battery life, but it will not be sold in the United States.
March 2, 2015, Monday
Rss Feeds On Molly Wood
Subscribe to an RSS feed on this topic. What is RSS?


text:
Product Features:
Plastic cocktail picks
Topped with playing card suits - heart, diamond, spade and club
Assorted colours
Ideal for skewering olives, cherries and cocktail fruit
Also ideal for use as buffet picks
Ideal for use in martini and other cocktail glasses
Packs Available:
300 x Poker Cocktail Picks
7200 x Poker Cocktail Picks (24 Packs of 300)
Manufacturer Part Number:
Pack of 50: 300848
Case of 7200: 300848
Pack of 50: 4019476300848
Case of 7200: 4019476240847
Approx. Width: 18mm
Approx. Length: 85mm
Pack Weight: 190g


text:
Let $\mathcal{A}$ be an admissible set, or for simplicity a model of ZF without the power set axiom. Let $X \subset \mathcal{A}$. Is there an easy way to show $X$ is $\Sigma$ on $\mathcal{A}$?
PS: $X$ is $\Sigma$ on $\mathcal{A}$ if it is definable in $\mathcal{A}$ by a $\Sigma$ formula i.e. a formula built from atomic formulas and their negations using only $\wedge,\vee, \forall x \in y, \exists x$. To be specific assume $\mathcal{A}=L_{\omega_1^{CK}}$. Also, I need to consider the specific case of $X$ being a set of (codes of) $\mathcal{L}(\omega_1,\omega)$-sentences or to be precise: $X$ is a set of $\mathcal{L}$-sentences + infinitary sentences specifying that certain quotient sets are finite. Here $\mathcal{L}$ is some first order language.


text:
The Valley Empty Stocking Fund has changed the way it identifies families seeking assistance this holiday season.
The fund, which the Lions Club and American Legion created in 1973, provides grocery and department store vouchers to families living in the Horse Creek Valley area. But, this year due to decreased donations, there will be no open application sessions as there have been in previous years.
We just dont have the funds this year, said organizer Mary Lee Opalewski. Were just not taking open applications in Burnettown.
Instead, the Valley Empty Stocking Fund have asked teachers in Area 3 schools to provide a list of families they know are in need.
We will go to each school and take their applications, Opalewski said. Your familys name has to be chosen by the school. We will contact you on a time to come to the school to register. We hope this doesnt cause hardship on any family. We have always tried to help as many as we could, but due to changing times, we feel this is the best way to reach needy families.
Last year, the Valley Empty Stocking Fund aided 169 families with vouchers to Kmart for toys for children and vouchers to Reids for food.
Families eligible to receive vouchers from the fund must have children who attend Area 3 schools: Midland Valley High School, Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle School, Leavelle-McCampbell Middle School, Gloverville Elementary School, Clearwater Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School, Byrd Elementary School or Warrenville Elementary School.
The Valley Empty Stocking Fund runs entirely on donations, and there is no deadline for giving.
Contributions may be sent to Valley Empty Stocking Fund, P.O. Box 517, Langley, S.C. 29834.
For more information, call coordinator Mary Lee Opalewski at 593-2337.


text:
Crown Prince chairs Cabinet session (11/4/13)
November 4, 2013
Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz began the Cabinet session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh this afternoon by praying to God, on the occasion of the advent of the new Hijri year (1435 H.), to bestow blessings and peace upon Arab and Islamic nations and other countries of the world.
Then, Crown Prince Salman noted the high-standing that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz enjoys globally, as evidenced by his rating by Forbes magazine as among the ten most influential people in the world. "This prestigious status of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and what is being witnessed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of progress, comprehensive development and substantial efforts in international arenas to serve Islam, Muslims and all humanity have had a significant impact on the Kingdom's winning, under the leadership of the King, advanced positions in the international rankings," he stated.
Following a discussion on the latest regional developments, the Cabinet condemned the decision by Israeli authorities to build 1,500 new housing units in occupied al-Quds [Jerusalem]. It called the action an obstacle to peace, a flagrant violation of international agreements, and an assault on the inalienable rights of the Palestinians. The ministers renewed their call for the international community to pressure Israel to end its attempts to alter the situation on the ground in the Palestinian territories.
Next, the Cabinet was briefed on the outcome of the extraordinary meeting of the Arab League Council held on Sunday to discuss the situation in Syria. It commended the broad-based Arab support of the Syrian opposition and called for continued support for the rebels' negotiating position at the Geneva II peace conference. The ministers emphasized the importance of maintaining the unity, stability and territorial integrity of Syria and warned the United Nations Security Council of the repercussions of a failure to shoulder its responsibility to that country.
Addressing its remaining agenda items, the Cabinet approved the disbursement of a financial reward of 5% of the value of the money confiscated by a court judgment to whomever within the Kingdom – other than those who work in financial institutions, specified non-financial businesses and professions and non-profit organizations – reports money laundering or terrorist financing operations if he presents evidence which is fit to rely on to begin an investigation and a final judgment is issued proving the crime and he neither was a partner nor an intermediary in its perpetration; approved a number of arrangements for the public transport project in the city of Madinah; authorized the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance to discuss a draft memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance and the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs of Comoros in the field of Islamic affairs and endowments; authorized the Minister of Justice to hold talks on a draft cooperation agreement with the United Kingdom in the judicial field, as well as a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of judiciary relations between the ministries of justice in the two countries.
The Cabinet approved the appointments of Dr. Khalid Tayyash as Architectural Adviser at the Ministry of the National Guard (15th rank); Dr. Mushabab Al- Qahtani as Civil Service Adviser at the Ministry of Civil Service (15th rank); Ahmed Al-Melhem as Security Adviser at the Ministry of the Interior (14th rank); Mohammed Al-A'qbi as Deputy Director General for Technical Affairs at the General Directorate of Water in Riyadh Province (14th rank); and Dr. Abdullah Al-Abdullatif as Legal Adviser at the Ministry of Labor (14th rank).


text:
Don't dive right in to discussing your maternity leave plans at work. First, do some fact-finding about laws and company policy, and consider personal factors.
Get your maternity leave agreement in writing with your employer to ensure a smooth plan for your paid time off. Use our printable sample agreement to guide you.
Many new fathers don't take full advantage of paternity leave laws and company policies. Find out how Dad can negotiate time with his new baby.
Deciding whether to return to your job after having a baby can make your mind race. Check out a list of considerations, from finances and childcare to emotions and goals.
© 2000-2016 Sandbox Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


text:
1971 Pontiac Firebird - How To Replace Driveshaft Universal JointsWritten by on April 29, 2004
I have a '71 Firebird that sees a lot of street/strip action. It's got a hot 400ci V8 with a TH400 trans, 2500-stall converter and 3.73:1 rear gears. After cruising it for the past year or so, I've noticed that each time I put the car in gear, I hear a clang coming from somewhere underneath. Sometimes I even hear it clanging while I drive. The trans and converter are new, so what could the sound be? Lee Kerr Oil City, PA
By John Kiewicz
The loud "clang" noise is probably coming from the driveshaft universal joints. The noise is generated because the U-joints are severely worn and are moving around within the driveshaft yolk assemblies. This is extremely bad and potentially dangerous. The U-joints are shot and need to be replaced. If Lee's engine is as hot as he says, one good launch at the dragstrip will likely destroy the clanking driveshaft assembly. And if the Firebird doesn't have a driveshaft safety loop, a nasty crash will likely occur when the U-joints break.
Being that U-joints are an overlooked hop-up amongst street machiners, chances are that the units in Lee's '71 Firebird are stock. The stock units were medium-duty U-joints at best, which were not designed to handle the rigors of stout street/strip use. Upgrading the driveshaft with new U-joints is a step in the right direction, but what really should be done is an upgrade to heavy-duty units that can handle the hard-launching abuse inflicted by today's high-horsepower street machines.
Here, we follow along as the driveshaft experts at Wenco Industries show us how to install new heavy-duty Lakewood U-joints in Car Craft's project Cheap Street Chevelle. At the dragstrip our rig runs low-13-second times on slicks and 12.20s on nitrous. Our U-joints weren't making noise yet, but we wanted to replace them with heavy-duty parts before they started acting up. We advise that the driveshaft be balanced and checked for straightness while it's out of the car, and that's just what Wenco Industries did to ensure that our driveshaft performs properly for years to come.
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
1. We ordered new driveshaft universal joints (PN 23013) from Lakewood Industries to replace the stock units in our project Cheap Street Chevelle. The Lakewood U-joints are made of high-strength alloy and have heat-treated needle bearings made of high-carbon steel. Lakewood performance U-joints are not cross-drilled, which helps them withstand the rigors of harsh racing conditions. Lakewood U-joints are available for most O.E.M. uses as well as for non-O.E.M. drivetrain conversions.2.Begin the U-joint swap by removing the driveshaft from the vehicle. Be sure to support the car with a sturdy set of jackstands--don't just rely on a floor jack to hold the car's weight.3. Use an old piece of pipe or a large-diameter socket as a low-buck U-joint removal tool. Place it under one end of the driveshaft. It will support the yolk assembly but allow the U-joint cap to be pushed out.4. Using a pair of needle-nose pliers, remove the snap rings that hold the U-joint caps in place. Then use a punch (or even a socket extension) and a hammer to drive the U-joint downward. As the U-joint moves, it will push the U-joint cap out of the yolk assembly and into the pipe/socket support. Rotate the driveshaft 180 degrees and remove the other U-joint cap in the same way. With both caps removed, angle the U-joint slightly and remove it from the driveshaft.5.Once the U-joint is removed, carefully inspect the driveshaft end for cracks and/or damage. Use a small metal pick or a thin screwdriver to remove any gunk buildup in the snap-ring retainer groove.6.Carefully remove the U-joint caps, making sure you don't knock any of the small needle bearings out of position. Then angle the new U-joint and slip it into the driveshaft yolk. Install one of the U-joint caps and slowly tap it into position with a hammer. Only tap the cap far enough to clear the snap-ring retainer groove.7.Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to install the new snap-ring retainer clip. Rotate the driveshaft 180 degrees and tap the other U-joint cap into position (as shown earlier). Now install the other snap-ring retainer.8.To remove the front U-joints from the transmission yolk, begin by supporting the driveshaft with a brace. (We used a scrap piece of iron.) Remove the snap-ring retainer clips from the driveshaft and yolk. Hold the end of the snout and tap on the yolk with a hammer. As you tap, the U-joint cap will push itself out. Rotate the driveshaft 180 degrees and do the same for the other side.
10.Install the new Lakewood U-joint into the driveshaft (as shown with the other end of the driveshaft). Secure the U-joint in position with the supplied snap-ring retainer clips, then angle the yolk and slip it onto the new Lakewood U-joint.11.Position the new U-joint end caps in the yolk and carefully tap the cap downward until it clears the snap-ring retainer groove. Install the new snap-ring retainer clips and you're done. Move the yolk and new U-joints to make sure that everything actuates smoothly and nothing binds.12.Whenever you do driveshaft service work (such as installing new universal joints), it's an extremely good idea to have the driveshaft checked for straightness and balanced. Even if you install new U-joints, if the driveshaft is bent or out of balance, the new parts will wear prematurely. In addition, your car will experience weird vibrations at various road speeds. The folks at Wenco Industries perform full driveshaft service, including driveshaft straightening and balancing. Balancing usually costs about $35, straightening is roughly $15 and U-joint installation is $7.50 per unit. If your driveshaft needs to be shortened, Wenco can usually perform the work in one day for about $35.13.Just as your wheels do, driveshafts use add-on weights to achieve proper balance. However, unlike wheel weights that clip on, the driveshaft balance weights are welded into place. This ensures that they will remain in position when the driveshaft spins at high rpm.14.While the driveshaft is out, it's a good idea to use a center punch to mark the position where the yolk aligns with the driveshaft. By doing so you'll know where the original yolk-to-driveshaft alignment was in case driveshaft service is needed at a later date. If for some reason the driveshaft needs to be shortened or a new driveshaft end needs to be installed, the marking will serve as a reference point for alignment. Maintaining proper alignment will ensure the correct phasing of the driveshaft ends, which is critical for reliable, trouble-free operation. (Out-of-phase driveshafts wear U-joints at an accelerated rate and can add harmonic vibrations to the drivetrain.)15.Carefully inspect the end of the driveshaft yolk that slips into the tailshaft of the transmission. If it is heavily scratched or gouged, you should replace it. Many times, if the end has minute scratches or a built-up glaze on it, you can use a piece of emery cloth as a low-buck micropolisher. Just be sure not to sand so much that you reduce the outside diameter of the yolk snout.


text:
How can I install and run Steam on Ubuntu?
Steam is now released for Ubuntu and there's no need to run Wine or any other thing to get it to work.
Install it with this button:
This offers the easiest method for installing Steam. After clicking the orange button you may not have Ubuntu Software Centre configured to install .apk's. To get Ubuntu Software Centre to show Steam from this link browse to
When installing the "buy" button is not asking for payment to be able to install the Steam for Linux client as it is only indicating you need to buy games in order to use the client for playing games or using apps once the client is installed.
Which means if you have already Steam Play or Linux games in your Steam library there is no cost at all in order to be able to use the Steam for Linux client to play games as it possible to sign in to Linux client with the same account details as with Windows client; just not both at same time.
Also consider upgrading you video drivers as shown in this article step-by-step, doing so will allow you to get the best performance on your graphics card. The article covers the drivers installation for the NVIDIA, AMD/ATI and Intel graphics cards.
I recommend you to use plain Wine without PlayOnLinux. Winetricks is helpful, however.
Steam Games on Linux website has detailed information about which games can be played successfully, and what you have to do for that.
The easiest way to run Steam on Ubuntu is definitely Crossover Games. CX Games supports a lot of games like Starcraft II, Civilization V, Left4Dead and so on. Furthermore there is professional support you can contact if you run into problems. Try the trial version!
I just install Steam on 10.10 this morning with wine and it was super easy. That said the actual games are another story. Just download the .msi file from steam and use the terminal to install it.
A few hours ago the Steam Beta client for Linux has arrived. It can be found here. Everyone can install it, but only beta access users can use it at te moment.
A workaround to use Steam without beta access has been found.
EDIT Steam is now in open beta.
Steam is now in the Ubuntu Software Centre.
In addition to Marco's great answer, I think it is relevant to argue that the best method to run Steam on Ubuntu might be by running it as a standalone session. Depending on your preferences, it may not be as convenient as running Steam for Linux from a logged on Unity session, but it will probably spare you valuable resources so you can have a smoother gaming experience.
popey and Jorge Castro adress the issue here, but the gist of it is that this standalone session is achievable through a third-party app called steam-login, which can be easily installed running the following in a terminal:
An easy way to install Steam is to use PlayOnLinux. The advantage of using this approach (as opposed to using plain Wine or the native Linux version) is that it allows you to download and install Windows games---which otherwise wouldn't work natively on Linux---that are already linked to your Steam account. PlayOnLinux also allows you to easily customize your "Windows" installation, such as installing required dependencies or tweaking the registry.


text:
Why is the Shabbos before Pesach called Shabbos HaGadol? Please contribute as many answers as possible.
Sign up
- Anybody can ask a question
- Anybody can answer
- The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
Maharal adds that the spiritual emanation before a special day becomes manifest in this world on the Shabbos before that special day. Pesach being the Chag HaGeulah, that supernal emanation that brings about geulah manifests itself on Shabbos HaGadol. What is that emanation? It is the sefirah of Hesed, as called Gedulah. The term "gadol" in reference to geulah is stated in the Haftarah and therefore this Shabbos takes on that name.
Bnei Yissoschor Nissan 3:2 brings in the name of MaHari Zevi that due to the Saducees who do not believe that Yom Tov is also called Shabbos (and count Sefira always from Sunday) the Chachomim called it Shabbos Hagodol to show that there is a small Shabbos (Yom Tov) in the upcoming week.
One of my favorite explanations (which I just found out actually comes from the Shiboley Haleket): The Rav customarily gives a Shabbos Hagadol Derosha, and for all the people listening it feels like a really long Shabbos!
1) on this day it was demonstrated that the Egyptians were powerless against the Jews. They must have been mightily peeved by the fact that the Jews were planning to slaughter lambs, an Egyptian deity -- but were incapable of doing anything to hamper their plans.
2) Some suggest that this Shabbat earned the title "Gadol," because it is the day when the rabbis traditionally deliver extensive lectures about the laws of Passover, and pontificate about the lessons to be learned from the holiday.
3) The Haftorah read in many communities on this Shabbat speaks of the coming of Moshiach, referring to the day of his arrival as the "yom Hashem hagadol v'hanora" -- the "great" and awesome day of the L-rd
I've heard that it was originally Shabbat Haggadah and it became corrupted. (concurring opinion: http://www.oztorah.com/2007/03/the-name-shabbat-hagadol-ask-the-rabbi/)
The Chasam Sofer gives the following explanation (I heard this quoted, don't know where to find it) for why it is called Shabbos HaGadol. Every Motzai Shabbos we say ויהי נועם to lengthen the return of the souls that were released from Gehinnom for Shabbos who must go back on Motzai Shabbos (Tur O.C. 295). However, when Yom Tov is during the week, we don't say it, because the souls are not returned to Gehinnom for such a short period since they will be coming back in less than a week, when Yom Tov arrives. Therefore, the extra soul of Shabbos remains for the week, and the sanctity of Shabbos is thereby extended into the week. The first time this happened was the Shabbos immediately before the first Pesach. In commemoration of this "big" Shabbos, we call it "Shabbos HaGadol."


text:
Once upon a time, gay activists hated Vaughn Walker for legally squashing the Gay Olympics. But this weekend The San Francisco Chronicle definitively revealed that the Prop. 8 judge is gay.
Judge Walker's sexual identity has overlapped with his public life before. Appointed to the bench by the first President Bush in 1989, he spent his early career battling the perception that he was anti-gay after he represented the U.S. Olympic Committee in a trademark infringement battle with San Francisco's Gay Olympics. Nancy Pelosi accused him of "insensitivity." (Putting a lien on the Gay Olympics' AIDS-ravaged leader during the man's dying days didn't help.) Walker had "no comment" on Chronicle political gossip duo Matier and Ross' question about his sexuality, but did note that "Life is full of irony" when they brought up the Gay Olympics debacle. Matier and Ross' headline is both report and conclusion: "Judge Being Gay a Nonissue During Prop. 8 Trial."
It'd be cool if the relative quiet on Walker's orientation was because America recognized that Judge Walker's sex life doesn't affect his job. (Minimal MSM and right-wing pickup so far.) As SF Weekly points out, even calling the Chronicle's article an "outing" is misleading: Walker never tried to hide his orientation, and it's pretty common for judges to keep their personal lives away from the spotlight.
A funnier explanation for the relative quiet—that the right-wing bullies who usually drive a story like this forward simply don't read the San Francisco Chronicle or gay blogs like Queerty, which has been reporting this story for months—is perhaps slowed the Breitbartian bullhorns, too. Recall that six months ago right-wingers feared Sonia Sotomayor incapable of fairly judging white men. When it comes to minority judges, plenty of people are still idiots. Hard-right hangouts like The Corner are just warming up, so the wingnut freak-out machine may fly into action yet.
The most cynical guess would be that the right measured the risks and calculated that luck of the draw (which is how the Prop. 8 trial landed in Walker's courtroom) is still in their favor. Here's why:
- A Republican appointment, Walker is believed to lean conservative, albeit by way of libertarianism, which could make him gay-friendlier.
- Almost everyone agrees that, after 21 years on the bench, Walker is fair. There is no reason to believe he'd change now—if anything, the Gay Olympics debacle demonstrated an imperviousness to public pressure. (And resisting the urge to scream But I am one in Nancy Pelosi's face was probably hard.)
- If he rules against Prop. 8, the homophobes will have their big, nasty appeal primed and ready.
Also, if you write a law that so offends an entire class of people that you cannot trust them ever to discuss it fairly, then perhaps there is something wrong with your law.
SF Chron: Being Gay a Nonissue During Prop. 8 Trial
SF Weekly: Chron Hardly 'Outed' Judge Vaughn Walker
Above the Law: Prop 8 Judge May be Gay: Does It Matter?
WSJ Law Blog: Prop. 8 Judge Reported Gay: What to Make of That?
SF Chron: Editorial: Gay Judge Has Proven Record of Impartiality
Queerty: Remember When the Gays Hated Prop 8 Judge Vaughn Waker?
[Pic via]


text:
- Articles
- Book Reviews
- About me
Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
Trending Topics
A La Carte (10/5)
October 05, 2012
Shannon Macfarlane Sproul - Shannon Macfarlane Sproul, daughter of Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. and granddaughter of Dr. R.C. Sproul, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday. She was fifteen years old. Do keep the Sproul family in your prayers, remembering that it was less than a year ago that R.C. Sproul Jr. lost his wife to cancer.
Love Not Lost - Here is a mom's sweet and faith-laced reflection on loving and losing children: "I learned so much about God during the agonizing times. Ever-present. Life-giving. Faithful. Sovereign. Patient."
How God Saved an Atheist - This is a powerful little story from the life of Hudson Taylor.
The Hardest Lesson - Randy Alcorn has a few great lines in this article: "Sometimes we make the foolish assumption that our heavenly Father has no right to insist that we trust him unless he makes his infinite wisdom completely understandable to us. What we call the problem of evil is often the problem of our finite and fallen understanding. It was the hardest lesson I'd ever had to learn."
The Marriage Bed - Ray Rhodes' short book The Marriage Bed is on sale in the Kindle edition for just $0.99. You may also like to take a look at Amazing Grace: God's Pursuit, Our Response by Timothy George ($3.03) and The Teavangelicals by David Brody ($2.99).
Here are three articles on sanctification, each of which seems to nicely complement the others:
- Working to Behold - "We are not transformed, as we strive and work our way toward perfection. We are not transformed as we focus on our own sinfulness. We are transformed uniquely as we look on Christ: his beauty and his righteousness. Because of his holiness, we long to be holy."
- God at Work - "A few days ago I was talking with a man whose son has recently come to faith after many rebellious years. He now wants to make up for lost time in his Christian life and has become discouraged with the slow progress of sanctification. He was asking his father the simple question, 'Why?'"
- Surface Repairs - "Let us not excuse ourselves on the basis that no-one will see and no-one will know. Let us not imagine that a veneer of behaviour will remove the rottenness beneath. Let us not hope that no one will look too closely and see what is really there. We must delve deep to expose and address what is rotten, for our own sake and the sake of one another."
This life was not intended to be the place of our perfection, but the preparation for it. —Richard Baxter
Free Stuff Fridays
Free Stuff Fridays
In lieu of a comments section, I accept and encourage letters to the editor.
If you would like to write a letter to the editor, you can do so here.


text:
Embracing best-in-class manufacturing practices, Carpenter's SAO facilities in North America, Europe and Asia manufacture and warehouse cast-wrought stainless steels, high temperature (nickel, iron and cobalt-base) alloys, high-strength alloy steels, medical alloys, magnetic and controlled expansion alloys, tool and die steels, and other specialty grades in long product form.
Visit Products & Services to search the full range of alloys and capabilities from Carpenter including titanium alloys, down-hole tooling, contract manufacturing, and conversion of stainless steels, high temperature and other specialty alloys, and tool and die steels.
Business units:
Browse our online catalog of stainless steels, specialty alloys, and tool and die steels. For loose metal powders, visit Carpenter Powder Products.
Visit Carpenter's comprehensive, searchable Alloy TechZone to research and compare the Carpenter alloys meeting your performance criteria. Search Latrobe alloy datasheets separately.
Latrobe-related links
Carpenter operates fully integrated mills in Reading, PA and Latrobe, PA. In addition, a state-of-the-art premium products manufacturing plant in Alabama began production in January 2014. A modern bar finishing mill in China is producing product as well. Other operations:
Hartsville Operations - Talley - distribution center and mini mill manufacturing stainless steel bar and wire in South Carolina
Kalyani-Carpenter - manufactures and distributes stainless steels, tool and die steels, and bearing and valve steels in India
Orangeburg Operations - manufactures fine wire in South Carolina
Shalmet - manufactures large-diameter hollow bar for the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania
Special Products - converts metallic alloys into finished and semi-finished parts in Pennsylvania


text:
When working with group cosets in MAGMA is there a way of treating the cosets as subsets of the overlying group. Specifically I have a group $G$ and subgroups $H$ and $K$ . I wish to look at the intersection of a pair of cosets $Hh$ and $Kk$ for some $h,k\in G$ , but am unable to perform such operations in MAGMA when they are considered as cosets.
As far as I can see, the only way to do that directly with cosets $ C1$ and $C2$ of $G$ is
$\{ x : x\ {\rm in}\ G\ |\ x\ {\rm in}\ C1\ {\rm and}\ x\ {\rm in}\ C2 \}$
which looks very inefficient, because it is iterating over all of $G$.
I would suggest first find a right transversal $T$ of $H \cap K$ in $H$, and then search through $T$ looking for an element $t \in T$ with $thk^{-1} \in K$. If you find such a $t$, then the intersection is the coset $(H \cap K)th$, and otherwise it is empty.
Well, this is trivial in GAP. Here is an example:
By the way, GAP is free, unlike Magma...


text:
Please enter a maximum of 5 recipients. Use ; to separate more than one email address.
| Bloch, H. P., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff,
[mechanical seals]
[lubrication oil]
[lubrication system]
Every plant wants to get more service life from site
machinery. Since about 1990, quite a number of start-up
consulting companies have formed to advise clients on equipment
life extension. These companies use different approaches: some
apply large-scale, computer-based statistical methods, while
others blend traditional estimates with risk-based analysis.
All of these approaches have merit, but none of them can
provide all of the answers with high precision. The key
ingredients of any useful endeavor include reviewing the
assets past failure history, examining nondestructive
testing (NDT) data, and upgrading the weakest link.
Wherever failure history exists and the failures root
causes were analyzed, authoritative answers on remaining
service life are possible. The same can be said for thoroughly
evaluating NDT data, which can provide focus to determine
remaining life.
On stationary equipment and piping, wall thickness is of
great importance. Loss of material decreases the allowable
pressure rating. Corrosion and erosion can lower the safety of
the equipment; thus, continued operation becomes risky.
Thickness changes often occur at locations, such as elbows,
where fluid flow changes direction. Changes in velocity such as
at valves or near restrictions are of
high interest. Some can be investigated with NDT methods, which
certainly include X-ray imaging, among others. The extent of
fluid-dependent corrosion can be estimated from coupons placed
in piping and vessels.
Pumps. For pumps, failure history and past
repair data must be matched with a thorough understanding of
upgrade measures that have been taken by successful
best-of-class organizations. Advanced lube
application will probably be part of it, as will the extension
of oil replacement intervals now possible by synthetic
lubricants and advanced bearing housing protection
To what extent superior bearings (ceramic hybrids) are of
value must be determined on a pump-by-pump basis. Perhaps a set
of angular bearings with unequal contact angles should be
installed in your problem pumps. The symmetrical sets of
angular contact bearings mentioned in the most widely used pump
standard may not perform adequately. The extent that superior
sealing technology (dual seals, as shown in
Fig. 1) provides more value must be determined
on a service-by-service basis. As a general rule, the
industrys view about dual seals deserves to be
reassessed. Sealing technology has made considerable
progress in the past two decades. Virtually all present-day
seals are cartridge-style configurations, and braided packing
is being displaced by mechanical seals in the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI), as
well as in the power generation and mining industries.
Fig. 1. Dual mechanical seal
in a
slurry pump. The space between the
sleeve and the inside diameter of the
two sets of seal faces is filled with a
pressurized barrier fluidusually
clean water. Source: AESSEAL Inc.,
Rockford, Tennessee, and
Rotherham, UK.
However, not all manufacturers of mechanical seals use the
same acceptance test procedure for their products. A widely
applied industry standard stipulates using air as a test gas
for mechanical seal tightness. Of course, these seals are
ultimately intended for safe containment of flammable, toxic or
otherwise hazardous liquids. While the standards
expectation is that leakage from these seals does not exceed
5.6 gm/hr, recent tests showed that merely following this easy
testing routine can actually allow orders of magnitude more
liquid to escape. It is, therefore, advisable to question seal
vendors on the matter and to purchase only products that meet
the purchasers safety and reliability requirements. We all
want seals to leak no more than 6.5 gm/gr when first installed
on pumps.
Lubricant application and standby bearing preservation are
especially important in humid coastal climates and in
dust-laden desert climates. Oil mist is the answer. The
settling of foundations and pipe supports should be addressed.
For steam turbines, the blade stresses and water quality must
be compared with those units in successful long-running
installations elsewhere.
In gearboxes, the remaining service life is largely examined
by tooth loading (stresses on tooth face) and temperature
measurements. In all instances, synthetic oils from the most
experienced oil formulators will greatly extend gear life. Oil
additives are everything. They drive both cost and service
life. Oil cleanliness is equally important.
Certain warehouse spares (gears, electric motors, etc.)
should be upgraded, if important. If doing so, it is likely to
speed up re-commissioning after an unanticipated future
For compressors, engineers should consider the mentioned
points. Valve technology and piston velocity are important
comparison-worthy parameters on reciprocating compressors.
Onstream performance tracking and prior sealing technology are important for
centrifugal compressors, etc. They determine seal system
upgrade potential. Never overlook couplings and the work
procedures used to attach couplings to shafts. They tell a lot
about remaining run length.
Whether one ultimately receives life extension guidance from
individual consultants or from billion-dollar consulting giants
with applicable experience is of no consequence, as long as
there is the one common thread: Determining where upgrades are
possible. Upgrades are critical to imparting longer life to
existing equipment, and they can often be accomplished at
relatively low cost. Assessments of remaining life should
include detailed advice on how to upgrade weak links, which
In short, the entity involved in advising you on equipment
life extension must understand the feasibility of component
upgrades. Component upgrading is one of the keys to life
extension and deliverables that should be contractually agreed
upon with the upgrade provider. Be sure that the consulting
company youve asked to give advice on equipment life
extension includes these deliverables. HP
All comments are subject to editorial review.
All fields are compulsory.
Keith E Bowers
I believe it is essential to reduce or eliminate the 'bad actor' equipment items to achieve 'best in class' safety and reliability. There is always a reason for 'bad actors', and unless that core reason is determined and correctly dealt with, the problem remains and failures will repeat. A thorough engineering analysis may be necessary to correctly identify and correctly mitigate the core problem causing the failures.Statistical analyses are not useful for evaluating a piece of equipment. The ACTUAL HISTORY of the particular equipment should be the reference, not 'statistics.' Each equipment installation is unique in the details, a first of a kind in reality. Details are important.
Sign-up for the Free Daily HP Enewsletter!
A searchable database of project activity in the global hydrocarbon processing industry
Engineers and designers are highly skilled individuals. Forcing them to enter design changes using tables, forms and spreadsheets is unproductive and uneconomical, and it increases the likelihood of human error—this is the way that most instrumentation software systems currently work. For too long, software vendors have denied engineers and designers the simple practicality of a graphical visual engineering interface with "drag and drop" capability and inbuilt intelligence, ensuring changes are automatically replicated into all the associated data and databases.
Is 2016 the peak for US gasoline demand?
Too soon to tell
July 2016


text:
We usually see personal web pages like http://a-site.com/~someone/, in this case, "someone" is a user of "a-site". How to enable this by default, so whenever we add a new user "foo", then http://a-site.com/~foo/ is created automatically? Is the tilde in "~someone" optional, customizable?
Software environment:
Webserver: Apache or Yaws (Erlang based webserver)


text:
Changing Partners
Anne Silver
From: Bare Root: A pet's journey with breast cancer, Terrapin Press, 2002
Last Modified: July 16, 2003
I slept while a cancer feasted inside of me.
My lover, finding the noise disturbing, left.
With no one weighting me into sleep,
Darkness has become my lover.
He holds me, promises not to leave.


text:
In Easter Speech, Pope Urges Peace in Korea, Syria
VATICAN CITY—The new leader of the world's Roman Catholics urged a speedy resolution of the bloody civil war in Syria and an end to the standoff on the Korean peninsula in his first Easter address on Sunday.
Pope Francis—who since his election in mid-March has made social justice and the church's duty to the poor central themes in his public remarks—also called for change in a world "still divided by greed looking for easy gain."
From the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the pope spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of about 250,000 cheering and applauding people jammed into the square below, after a Mass marking Christianity's most important holiday.
"We implore peace for all the world," he said, listing conflicts around the globe, between Israelis and Palestinians and in African countries from Mali to the Central African Republic, where fighting has driven people from their homes.
Of Syria, he said: "How much blood has been shed? And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?"
Celebrating his first Easter as pontiff, Francis stuck to the humble style he has embraced since assuming the office, wearing simple vestments and riding through the crowd in an open jeep, waving and kissing babies handed up to him.
A man in the crowd gave the pope a jersey from his favorite Argentine soccer team, the Saints of San Lorenzo, emblazoned with his surname: Bergoglio. Before becoming pope, Francis was archbishop of Buenos Aires. He also paused to take a disabled boy in his arms, kissing and speaking to the child.
Since succeeding Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned in February citing age and frailty, Pope Francis has used a series of carefully chosen words and symbolic gestures to signal what for many appear to be significant shifts in church priorities.
He has so far declined to move into the grand papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, preferring to stay for now at a Vatican guesthouse where he has been living and dining with other clergy. During a Holy Thursday ritual, he bathed the feet of 12 prisoners, including women and Muslims, in a juvenile detention facility.
Francis, the first pope to name himself after St. Francis, who renounced wealth to preach to the poor, has emphasized his job as bishop of Rome—one of the pope's titles—highlighting the importance of the pastoral role of priests and bishops.
On Sunday, he lamented that the world is "still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and family," and "torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources."
The pope appealed to his listeners to be "responsible guardians of creation."
Write to Gordon Fairclough at email@example.com


text:
6 Slacker Behaviors That Science Says Are Good For You
Every grizzled mentor worth their salt will tell you that success takes a lot of work. Getting a good job requires an education, good health requires discipline and good hair requires vigorous conditioning.
But science says that while those high-octane achievers may make more money and climb the career ladder faster, it's the slackers who prevail in the end.
Just consider...
#6. Smoking Weed May Fight Alzheimer's and Cancer
First of all, if marijuana is illegal where you live, printing out this article for the judge is not going to get you out of jail or make your white guy dreadlocks any less ridiculous--we're not advocating that you break the law. It's just that there may be a medical upside to go along with all the bad stuff you've been hearing about since you were a kid. When a professor emeritus of medical chemistry starts talking about the cancer-blocking properties of weed, you have to wonder if those stoners aren't smarter than they look.
So How is This Helpful?
According to Professor Raphael Mechoulam, what we should be focusing on when it comes to weed are cannabinoids. These are organic compounds found in marijuana and in a very similar form in animals and humans. It's because of the similarity between plant and animal compounds that cannabinoids from weed can create a euphoric state if smoked. However, this similarity also means they can influence our body in other ways.
One example of how cannabinoids could be used is for the treatment of Alzheimer's. Mechoulam conducted a study that found that cannabinoids could delay the advancement of brain diseases. Apparently these guys not only halt cognitive decline but reduced inflammation in the brain.
For instance, this man will live forever.
In a very similar study researchers discovered that cannabinoids could halt the growth of tumors. So far the tests were successful on mice as well as two humans, successfully delaying cancer by triggering the death gene in cancerous cells.
Suck on that, cancer!
Again, you should always obey the laws in your area. If you're not sure, just call up the local police department, say that you're considering buying some weed, and see if they give you the thumbs-up.
#5. Being Fat Might Help You Live Longer
When we say that some fat can help you live longer, we're not talking about being obese here. Obesity is still worse for your health than trying to ride a bear that is riding shark. But...
In a rather morbid study, Canadian researchers observed thousands of people for 12 years, carefully noting when they kicked the bucket. Not surprisingly, the super obese subjects died first, proving once and for all that all the video games where you gain more health as you eat more are not scientifically accurate. However, people at what was considered a healthy weight tended to die second, leaving the not-exactly-svelte to laugh as they slurped a milkshake. Then the milkshake came out of their noses, and that made everyone laugh.
Gods among mortal men.
So How is This Helpful?
The most likely reason for the chubbies living longer is stress tolerance. Their bodies have fat reserves they can use while sick or under stress; skinny bodies don't. In other words, being an underfed, stressed out Calvin Klein underwear model is a lot more dangerous for you than lounging on the couch all day.
So fat can make you last longer under stress, but it's not like a big booty can actually save your life, right? Wrong. A study in England discovered that having fat on your back and thighs helps your body produce beneficial hormones that lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Even more interesting is what happened to the patients who decided to lose their ass fat during the course of the study, presumably right around the time the scientists told them they qualified for participation in an ass fat study. The subjects who lost fat around their butt during the study were actually more likely to have a heart attack, marking the first and last time that taking medical advice from Sir Mix-a-Lot saved someone's life.
Sir Mix-a-Lot 1, Cosmo 0.
One of the reasons for fat's unexpected healing powers is that dangerous acids tend to build up in fatty tissue, instead of loitering inside your liver or heart. And in case you're wondering, having toxic acids inside your buttocks is significantly better than having them in your heart valves. It's pretty much like having an angry chipmunk bite your ass versus the same chipmunk biting your heart.
#4. Skipping Out on College Can Make You Happier
Back in the day, college was all about toga parties and binge drinking until your liver burst into flame. Nowadays, it's more about all-nighters hopped up on Ritalin so your GPA can justify spending 40 grand a year. But all those exhausting classes, internships and research projects have to count for something, right? According to researchers: They do. All that effort adds up to a depressed and miserable life.
Meanwhile, skipping out on all that misery might just help you live longer than those Einsteins who don't.
So How is This Helpful?
The Curtin Institute of Technology discovered that the more education you have, the more you're at risk of becoming disillusioned with life. Sinking into a soul-crushing depression is just one of the ultra-fun side effects of higher education, along with a more stressful lifestyle and unmanageable financial debt. Higher education is pretty much like Christmas Day if you expect to get a pony, but instead you discover you're trapped in a Dilbert cartoon, and also there is no pony. Only thousands of dollars of debt in a pony shaped stocking.
If that isn't enough to drive you to the nearest Everclear bottle, another study showed that more intelligent people have less sex. The study, which does come with the important warning that a lobotomy won't make you a sex god, shows that having higher test results means you're not getting lucky tonight, or any time soon. So school is basically an epic anti-aphrodisiac, with the average moron getting more lovin' than the smart guys.


text:
Subject Gateways
Cook Library's Subject Gateways are a great place to find important research tools and resources for a particular subject area. The resources listed here often include Research Databases and other important resources that the library owns, as well as free web resources. Each Subject Gateways provide contact information for the librarian who specializes in the subject and useful Help Guides to assist in the research process.
Try our Course Gateways as well for course-specific research resources.
Select a subject gatewayview all...
Subject Gateways / Albert S. Cook Library
Last revised: January 09, 2015


text:
The book you requested is no longer published at Smashwords.
It's possible the book you're looking for has been republished as a newer title. Try searching by author name or book title in the search box above, or to view other books at Smashwords, go to the home page.
For other books by Heinz Duthel, view Heinz Duthel's Smashwords author profile page.


text:
Here you will find foundation information about and tutorials on how to use our Events Calendar software, LiveWhale Calendar. As you familiarize yourself with the calendar environment, you may discover something that we've missed. Please let us know! We want to hear from you!
Please send your comments/feedback to: email@example.com
To add events, visit: https://events.nyu.edu/admin
The Events calendar uses the NYU Login service. If you've already authenticated for NYUHome, you'll be able to access the calendar without having to log in again. Otherwise, at the main NYU Login screen, enter in your NYU NetID/password.
Need Additional Help?
Should you have a question that is not answered within this section, please contact the IT Service Desk:


text:
Full name Damian Alexander Eason
Born December 31, 1976, Forster, New South Wales
Current age 39 years 207 days
Other Umpire
Damian Eason commenced umpiring in the Australian Capital Territory in 2006, with his first representative game in the Women's National Cricket League Twenty20 competition in 2009. Damian was the ACT representative umpire to the Imparja Cup in 2009and at the National Under-17s Championships in 2009/10.
Pakistan, press-ups and national redemption
The themes of redemption and rehabilitation had been a constant companion for Pakistan in the build-up to what proved to be an epic first Test, but it was only in that moment of victory that the true significance of their 75-run win could be understood
Pakistan's thrilling triumph at Lord's was underscored by their captain's serenity
West Indies need to paper over bowling cracks
The hosts' pace attack, with a combined experience of 31 Tests and 56 wickets, is a candidate for being their weakest ever, yet India cannot simply show up and expect to win
Yasir's 13 going on 100, and 42-year-old centurions
Also, losing ten-fors, and back to back Tests at Lord's
England played a full part in a compelling Test, but if they are to continue to evolve as a Test side the top order has to shape matches
West Indies need to paper over bowling cracks (62)
The hosts' pace attack, with a combined experience of 31 Tests and 56 wickets, is a candidate for being their weakest ever, yet India cannot simply show up and expect to win
Herath versus the mighty Australians? (45)
Sri Lanka's lead spinner must feel like a bus driver in charge of a spluttering vehicle as the hosts strive to challenge a strong Australian side
Cook braves criticism as England play it safe (39)
There was enough logic in Alastair Cook's decision not to enforce the follow-on to make it understandable at worst and reasonable at best
Australia seek returns on Mitchell Marsh investment (37)
Australia will be hoping that Mitchell Marsh grows from an emerging allrounder into a top-quality allrounder by the end of the Sri Lanka tour
Why close-catching standards have dropped (26)
Technique and anticipation are important for close-in fielding. Many of today's fielders lack both


text:
It's been a controversial and debated issue around the United States since last November when a Massachusetts judge ruled that gay couples could marry or be a part of a civil union. Now, Kentuckians have the choice of whether or not to pass a Marriage Amendment here.
Chad Smith says, "I'm going to vote no on the Marriage Amendment."
Mike Wilson says, "I plan to vote yes on the Marriage Amendment."
But what exactly does a yes or no vote mean?
Wilson says, "You're basically voting yes for traditional marriage is what it is. The very first part of it is easy to understand. The second part is what kind of confuses people."
The amendment reads, "Are you in favor of amending the Kentucky Constitution to provide that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be a marriage in Kentucky, and that legal status identical to or similar to marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized?"
But other people besides gay and lesbian couples will also be affected by the amendment.
Zach Vincent is against the amendment. He says, "I feel that conservatives are using the gay and lesbian issue to get the amendment passed. People don't understand; not only will it affect gay and lesbian couples, it will affect all unmarried couples in Kentucky."
Meaning any unmarried couple could not make life-saving medical decisions, have access to healthcare, have insurance, or cope with end of life issues if the amendment is passed. But those in favor of the amendment say redefining marriage as same-sex marriage could lead to complications in society.
Mike Wilson says, "It's going to increase Social Security benefits (going out to partners it normally would not) putting a strain on the Social Security system."


text:
Please enter a maximum of 5 recipients. Use ; to separate more than one email address.
| HP News
INEOS will imminently restart its Grangemouth refining and petrochemical complex in Scotland after local trade union Unite agreed to the company's survival plan.
INEOS will reopen its Grangemouth refining and petrochemical complex in Scotland
after local trade union Unite agreed to the company's survival
plan, reports said on Friday.
Unite agreed to terms
including no strikes for three years, a move to a modern
pension scheme, a pay freeze for three years, and several
changes to on-site union agreements, including no full-time
union convenors.
INEOS said it will reopen its petrochemicals business with
immediate effect while also restarting the oil refinery.
The site had been taken offline in anticipation of a 48-hour
walkout beginning October 20. However, INEOS decided to keep
the complex shut down after an insufficient number of
Grangemouth workers voted in favor of the survival plan.
The updated pensions agreement means that pensions will be
built up over the course of an employees career, instead
of being determined by salary at retirement.
The survival plan also calls for £300m of investment
towards the site upgrades, including the building of a gas
terminal to bring in shale gas-derived ethane from the US.
"This is a victory for common sense," said Jim Ratcliffe,
chairman of INEOS Group. "Unite advised employees to reject
change and vote for closure. Thank goodness people finally came
to their senses. Grangemouth now has a great future."
The petrochemicals complex is
wholly-owned by INEOS, while the oil refinery is joint-owned by INEOS and
All comments are subject to editorial review.
All fields are compulsory.
Sign-up for the Free Daily HP Enewsletter!
A searchable database of project activity in the global hydrocarbon processing industry
Engineers and designers are highly skilled individuals. Forcing them to enter design changes using tables, forms and spreadsheets is unproductive and uneconomical, and it increases the likelihood of human error—this is the way that most instrumentation software systems currently work. For too long, software vendors have denied engineers and designers the simple practicality of a graphical visual engineering interface with "drag and drop" capability and inbuilt intelligence, ensuring changes are automatically replicated into all the associated data and databases.
Is 2016 the peak for US gasoline demand?
Too soon to tell
July 2016


text:
Witch Hazel is a drug store staple with a host of therapeutic properties. One of them, the soothing of sunburns, might come in handy if you fail to slather on the sunscreen this weekend.
Photo by Lady-bug.
Derived from the witch-hazel shrub, pictured here, witch hazel extract is an inexpensive fix for a variety of ailments. You can use witch hazel for everything from soothing razor burn to reducing swelling and bruising, as the Wised Bread blog notes:
Since healing damaged skin is one of witch hazel's specialties, and a sunburn is a type of skin inflammation, it's ideal for treating this too (despite swelling not being obvious). Treating sunburn with witch hazel will lessen healing time and possibly prevent the infamous skin peeling and flaking.
For more ways you can use witch hazel to sooth your bumps and bruise check out the full list below. If you have your own favored healing tonic to share, sound off in the comments.


text:
Nascar's Leaky Fuel Tank
As Sunday's Season Finale Looms, Sponsors and Fans Grow Scarcer; Tweets From the Track
Martinsville, Va.
The speedway here is racing's answer to Wrigley Field, a tricky little track that was so popular a few years ago the owners moved a nearby railroad to make room for more seats.
They still haven't built them, though.
Nascar, the nation's richest and most popular form of motorports, has experienced a fall-off so steep in recent years that the roaring ambitions of the past have been throttled down. Rather than adding that extra capacity, Martinsville Speedway has gone in the other direction: It got rid of thousands of existing seats instead.
On a recent crisp October day, there were wide stretches of empty bleachers here. There were no fans at the t-shirt trucks, no lines to buy beer. Exacerbating the general sense of boredom, the race was won by Jimmie Johnson, a driver who is widely regarded to be better at winning championships (five out of the last six) than he is at projecting charisma.
After a prolonged skid that many blame on the economy, this was the year Nascar had hoped to bounce back. Then again, so was last year. Now, careening into this Sunday's championship showdown, the last race of the season, Nascar's losing streak is looking more serious. Fans, viewers and sponsors seem to be continuing a multi-year defection to other sports. Suddenly it's possible to imagine the once-rocketing sport sputtering toward a halt.
"We're just sort of keeping our head above water," said Richard Petty, a team owner and the most decorated driver in the sport's history. "We feel if we can survive, we'll have a base to build on, but something's got to happen in the next couple of seasons."
Sponsors are fleeing. An iconic sponsor, Dodge, is leaving at the end of the season. Office Depot ODP -1.42 % is dropping defending champion Tony Stewart and even Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting a bit of a brush off from Diet Mountain Dew, which is dialing back the number of races it participates in. Long-time sponsors like UPS, Home Depot HD 0.20 % and Aflac AFL -1.42 % have pulled back from Nascar. "We are leaving the sport," Office Depot spokeswoman Mindy Kramer said. "It's sad, but it is what it is."
As a result, even top tier teams are struggling, with Roush Fenway Racing cutting back its fleet for lack of support.
The worry among insiders is that Nascar may have experienced its heyday in the early 2000s, the way men's tennis did in the 80s and Indy car racing did in the 70s. In a bid to grow roots beyond the South, Nascar a decade ago expanded aggressively, lengthening the season and opening new tracks. But no sooner did Nascar move races to California and Kansas than fan enthusiasm cooled, even at classic tracks such as Martinsville.
There's hope, however, and just now it's spelled Keselowski. A wild finish at Sunday's race near Phoenix propelled 28-year-old Brad Keselowski past the 37-year-old Johnson heading into Sunday's championship race in Homestead, Fla. The sport's quest for younger fans might gain a boost if the championship goes to Keselowski, a driver known for tweeting on the track. By comparison, said one expert, a Johnson comeback would be akin to a San Antonio Spurs championship. "When the San Antonio Spurs are in the NBA finals, the ratings are lower. They just are," said Stephen Master, Nielsen's head of sports.
Nascar is bullish on a five-year rebuilding plan that begins in 2013. It focuses on recruiting younger and more diverse fans, improving the competition on the track and updating the experience in the stands—from allowing credit cards at concessions to having things to do if fans get restless. Steve Phelps, Nascar's marketing chief, said the "whole ecosystem" from teams to sponsors to track owners agrees on the approach, a rarity in a fragmented sport. "You can feel the excitement and optimism," Phelps said.
Nascar had an average of 7.3 million viewers for its first 16 races this season on broadcast TV, according to Nielsen Co. That's down 21% from its high watermark, an average of 9.2 million viewers for its 27 races on broadcast TV in 2005.
Attendance is also down. The September race at the Talladega Superspeedway was a widely lamented 88,000 fans, declining steadily from capacity crowds of 160,000 in the mid-2000s. But Nascar venues are gigantic. This year's sold-out Super Bowl in Indianapolis had an attendance below 70,000.
"Has there been a reset?" Phelps says. "Yes. But the reset's still incredibly strong."
Nascar's saving grace may be the DVR. Games and races are some of the only shows people want to watch live, making them increasingly valuable to advertisers. In a September investors' presentation, the International Speedway Corp. ISCA -1.29 % , which owns more than half of Nascar's racetracks, described sports as TV's "least time-shifted genre" and said 42% of households have DVRs, up from 3% in 2006.
It's against this backdrop that Nascar is negotiating its broadcast rights. Those rights have become by far the biggest chunk of revenue at International Speedway, which is publicly traded but controlled by the France family, which also runs Nascar. Nascar recently signed an eight-year extension of its agreement with Fox Sports for the races of the first third of the Nascar season. Nascar begins negotiations for the rights for the rest of the season next summer.
It's difficult to compare rights deals in pro sports, because of varying durations of seasons and contracts, the shifting priorities of broadcasters and the staggered way rights come available. But Morningstar analyst Jaime Katz said the $2.4 billion deal with Fox Sports is "pretty decent," enough to ensure that Nascar has steady cash flow for the foreseeable future.
Still, ticket and concession revenue has fallen 43% at ISC in the past five years. "We want to grow that back," said John Saunders, ISC president.
Nascar's average fan is a blue-collar white man around 50 years old who has been hurt disproportionately by the economic downturn. He can't easily afford the ticket, which hovers around $80 (down from $90) at ISC's 13 tracks. He can't afford the gas, since the average fan lives 115 miles from the nearest track.
As Nascar gets safer, its halo of danger has faded somewhat. Drivers use a homogenized "Car of Tomorrow," with aerodynamics that make passing tougher and mechanicals that leave less room for personalization. Nascar historian Dan Pierce points out that stock-car racing has moved away from the time when the cars on the track were cars you could buy—and the cars are less relatable. "It was so much a part of growing up, out there in the yard, working on a car on a Saturday afternoon," Pierce said. "Now it's all computers."
Nevertheless, the sport sometimes seems resistant to evolving too much: it fined Keselowski $25,000 late Monday for having a cell phone in his car that he'd used for tweeting during a break in Sunday's action.
Pierce, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, said he's dubious about Nascar's promise to change. This is the first year he's skipped going to a race since 1994. "It's like, who are you going to believe, this TV contract or the empty seats?"
Write to Valerie Bauerlein at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced funding for two rural telecommunications companies that will expand broadband service in rural Nebraska and Montana. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. Today's announcement is one part of the Department's efforts to strengthen the rural economy.
In Nebraska, Hartington Telecommunications Co., Inc, an RUS borrower since 1956, will use a $5.265 million loan to replace copper cable with Fiber-to-the-Home technology to serve customers with a state-of-the-art telecommunications system. The new system will require replacing rural drops with fiber cables and installing new optical interfaces at each subscriber location. A large number of digital loop carrier (DLC) sites will be retired or converted into optical nodes, increasing system reliability due to a reduction in grid powered sites. The company has had previous RUS loans totaling more than $8 million.
InterBel Telephone Cooperative, Inc., in Montana, will receive a $20.8 million loan to complete a Fiber-to-the-Premises network to help meet future growth requirements. USDA funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan agreement.
"These loans will provide the necessary telecommunications infrastructure essential for rural economic development," Vilsack said. "Broadband offers rural communities greater access to educational, health care, business and social services and opens the door to increased global competition. As part of President Obama's goal to improve infrastructure, we continue to fund projects that expand broadband service in rural areas."
Today's funding announcement will provide more than $26 million from USDA's Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency, to install fiber networks to improve telecommunications services in these areas.
President Obama's plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President's leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA's investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values. President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack are committed to a smarter use of Federal resources to foster sustainable economic prosperity and ensure the government is a strong partner for businesses, entrepreneurs and working families in rural communities.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, has a portfolio of programs designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
With a vote of 4-1 the Bowling Green City Commission approved Planning and Zoning's ruling that 603 Old Morgantown Road is now allowed to become a business.
This didn't come without lengthy discussion about issues of what the business could be, and how much traffic it could bring.
"The applicant indicated it would be a grocery store which was a low traffic generator, and they did legislate out all of these items here including a gas station. So, we're not going to have a convenience store, unless it was one that didn't sell gas," said Steve Hunter, BG Planning and Zoning Commission.
The commission had to find something wrong with Planning and Zoning's ruling to then have it's own hearing to listen to the evidence, something they voted not to do.
While it was said it would be a grocery store, residents were still concerned with what might become of the lot.
One concerned resident near the area asked if the property would become a used car lot.
Mark Alcott who is representing the applicants known as Salkic, who are local business owners, said the car lot issue is one thing they wouldn't concede.
"The only thing not agreed to was to put a binding element of no used cars. Everything else that was asked for was put into binding elements that night," said attorney Mark Alcott.
Alcott said he and residents did agree on several other issues which included hours of operation.
Commissioner Slim Nash also brought up the fact the area is mainly residential.
"The immediate area surrounding this particular piece of property is residential, is there a compelling need to rezone the property, meaning can this property be successfully used within its current multi-family zoning classification," said Nash.
Nonetheless, there will be no hearing done by the commission as they saw Planning and Zoning's decision as final.
This was the first reading of this ordinance that was actually tabled at the last City Commission meeting in October.
It will likely come up for a second reading at the meeting later this month.


text:
In computer science, you should have a username or a user name or a user-name and a password to be able to log into the system.
Which one is the correct spelling?
In computer science, you should have a username or a user name or a user-name and a password to be able to log into the system.
Which one is the correct spelling?
The OED gives 'username' and has three citations, from 1971, 1997 and 2007, in support.
The correct spelling in this case is username.
Obligatory Google Ngram:
In case the link breaks again: username is much more common these days; user-name is not used at all.
I've seen both "username" and "user name" used widely. Both are acceptable. As far as I know, techies mostly prefer "username". "User-name" just seems awkward.
Like most things in language, it depends upon context.
If you are writing a journal for a computer science publication, username is acceptable.
If you are writing the user's manual or labeling a field, I would use "user name" since the users may or may not be well versed in computer science, and it just feels less complex.
In terms of computer science , username is mostly used as a standard. I have always used that.
The O.E.D. often defines words merely because they're commonly used, regardless of their correctness. (For example, I don't consider "LOL" or "ginormous" to be words.)
I realize that it is often used to describe "the thing you type in with your password," but that is more correctly called the user ID since it is not the actual name of the user.
In my opinion, it's a compound noun and the correct spelling is "user name" as in "the name of the user." Just because we can delete the space between two words doesn't mean we should, although plenty of compound nouns do. Language evolves, of course, and it's just as likely that we're in the middle of this word's evolution. In a few years, I may change my mind and edit this entry.
From the software-development perspective, username and userName are used the most. Username is used in the user interface and userName with an uppercase N is used in the code.
In computer terminology use the word "username" and/or "filename", always. For variable/class names in computer coding also use "username/Username" and/or "filename/Filename" and never "userName/UserName" and/or "fileName/FileName".
Thank you for your interest in this question.
Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?