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As a primary care physician practicing in Portland, Oregon, I've experienced firsthand the problems that our health care system creates for patients and doctors—especially in a traditional clinic setting.
During a three-and-a-half hour period (a half day), I'd go straight from visit to visit without checking my computer to review notes from incoming phone calls, incoming lab results or patient email messages. Although each visit was scheduled to be about 20 minutes long, they'd inevitably take longer—after seeing ten patients, I'd be running over an hour behind. Then I'd sit down at my desk to review calls, emails and lab results, as well as finish visit notes for everyone that I saw.
Want More?
How My Disease Is Bankrupting My Family
By the end of the day, I often felt like I'd been hit by a truck. And worse than that, I felt like I needed to apologize constantly for inadequately meeting the needs of patients.
I'm not the only physician who feels this way: In 2010, a group of doctors in Philadelphia published a study that described their work in the New England Journal of Medicine. On average, the doctors in that practice took 24 phone calls per day; wrote 17 emails a day; processed 12 prescriptions per day (not including those made during visits) and reviewed 20 lab reports, 11 imaging reports and 14 consultation reports from specialists each day. This was all in addition to a full day of patient visits.
RELATED: 13 Signs You're Too Busy
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the United States has a shortage in the primary care workforce—as well as a shortage of primary care doctors in training. At the same time, as the Affordable Care Act is implemented and more people have access to health care, demand for primary care will only increase.
Why Are Doctors So Rushed These Days?
Most doctors in the U.S. are paid on a fee-for-service basis either by insurers, Medicare or Medicaid, which means that they receive payment only for face-to-face visits. This poses a challenge for three reasons:


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Step'n Out: A Multisite Trial of Collaborative Behavioral Management for Drug-Involved Parolees
Recruitment status was: Recruiting
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Condition | Intervention |
Substance-Related Disorders |
Behavioral: Collaborative Behavioral Management Procedure: Integrated parole and outpatient addiction treatment |
Study Type: | Interventional |
Study Design: | Allocation: Randomized Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment Masking: Open Label Primary Purpose: Treatment |
Official Title: | Step'n Out: A Multisite Trial of Collaborative Behavioral Management for Drug-Involved Parolees |
- Rearrest
- Drug use
Estimated Enrollment: | 420 |
Study Start Date: | February 2005 |
Estimated Study Completion Date: | August 2007 |
The target population consists of male and female parolees with a history of substance abuse treatment who are at moderate-to-high-risk of recidivism. They will recruited from in the criminal justice system and/or transitional residential drug treatment within one or two months of release or at the time they first report for parole supervision.
Participants from six states (KY, OR, RI, CT, VA, DE) will be randomized into the Step'n Out condition (integration of community supervision and addiction treatment with behavioral management) or a comparison condition including traditional community supervision and addiction treatment. Research interviews at baseline, and 3 and 9 months after release from confinement will assess study participants' outcomes.
The Step'n Out intervention will produce significantly better outcomes than the standard referral condition with respect to: recidivism rates (revocation, rearrest on a new charge, reconviction, reincarceration), as assessed 3 and 9 months after the end of the intervention; treatment participation (i.e., proportion of planned sessions attended, proportion of planned days retained in treatment, type of discharge [successful completion, transfer to another program, elopement, administrative discharge, return to custody], as assessed after the end of the intervention; self-reported drug use, criminal activity, and psychosocial functioning, as assessed 3 and 12 months after the end of the intervention; cost-effectiveness; collaboration between the supervision officer and treatment counselor ; and therapeutic alliance with the clients.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Senior) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- be at least 18 years old and speak English;
- have probable drug dependence immediately prior to incarceration as determined by a score of 3 or higher on the TCU Drug Screen II;
- be at moderate-to-high-risk of drug relapse and/or recidivism as determined by a Lifestyle Criminality Screening Form (LCSF) score of 7 or greater, or a history of 2 or greater prior treatments for drug-related problems or drug-related convictions;
- must have substance use treatment as a mandated or recommended condition of parole.
Exclusion Criteria:
- psychotic features;
- parole or probation conditions that prohibit them from participating in the protocol.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00302575
Contact: Peter D Friedmann, MD, MPH | 401-444-3347 | email@example.com | |
Contact: Kristina Richards, MA | 401-444-5838 | email@example.com |
United States, California | |
University of California, Los Angeles | Recruiting |
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90025 | |
Contact: William Burdon, PhD 310-445-0874 ext 333 email@example.com | |
Contact: Carter Bartee, BA 503-241-7145 firstname.lastname@example.com | |
Principal Investigator: Michael Prendergast, PhD | |
United States, Connecticut | |
Connecticut Deptartment of Mental Health & Addiction Services | Recruiting |
Hartford, Connecticut, United States, 06134 | |
Contact: Eleni Rodis 860-418-6663 email@example.com | |
Principal Investigator: Linda K Frisman, PhD | |
United States, Delaware | |
University of Delaware | Recruiting |
Newark, Delaware, United States, 19716 | |
Contact: Daniel J O'Connell, PhD 302-831-4649 email@example.com | |
Principal Investigator: Steven S. Martin, PhD | |
United States, Kentucky | |
University of Kentucky | Not yet recruiting |
Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40536 | |
Contact: Conrad J Wong, PhD 859-323-6774 firstname.lastname@example.com | |
Principal Investigator: Carl G Leukefeld, DSW | |
United States, Virginia | |
Virginia Commonwealth University | Not yet recruiting |
Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23284 | |
Contact: Anne G Rhodes, MA 804-827-1160 firstname.lastname@example.com | |
Contact: Melinda Gales (804) 628-0646 firstname.lastname@example.com | |
Principal Investigator: Faye S Taxman, PhD |
Principal Investigator: | Peter D Friedmann, MD, MPH | Rhode Island Hospital |
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00302575 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
1U01DA016191 ( US NIH Grant/Contract Award Number ) |
Study First Received: | March 13, 2006 |
Last Updated: | January 10, 2017 |
Keywords provided by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA):
Substance-Related Disorders Prisoners |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Substance-Related Disorders Chemically-Induced Disorders Mental Disorders |
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on March 30, 2017

subset: commoncrawl


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Brookhaven National Laboratory's Office of Technology Commercialization and Partnerships manages and advances the commercialization of cutting-edge discoveries and technologies by fostering collaborations with industry through licensing and sponsored research.
Brookhaven's state of the art facilities are available to industry for research and development in such diverse fields as biology and medicine, chemistry and environmental sciences, physics and material science.
Learn more...Brookhaven National Laboratory encourages the spirit of entrepreneurship and actively promotes the formation of start-up companies around technologies developed here. We grant licenses and take equity in new ventures arising from our discoveries. We seek funding from credible, experienced investors for developing the intellectual assets as they make their way toward the marketplace.
Learn more...Have you discovered or invented something as a BNL researcher? Protect your discovery by filing a Record of Invention form. The form alerts both BNL and the Department of Energy to new discoveries and enables a patent application to be filed to claim them.
The Office of Technology Commericalization and Partnerships helps BNL inventors protect and commercialize their inventions and can help you secure external sources of research funding.
Learn more...Brookhaven's Technology Transfer Ombuds Office is an independent, impartial entity available to assist in resolving technology commercialization and partnership issues informally. If you'd like to communicate issue or concern about Brookhaven's technology transfer activities, please contact Technology Transfer Ombudsman, Kevin Fox at 631-344-6185.
Technology Commercialization and Partnerships is part of Brookhaven's Strategic Partnerships Office.


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Lawyer: Ex-NFL Star Aaron Hernandez, Now In Prison, Is Low On CashFormer NFL player and convicted killer Aaron Hernandez is running out of money after hiring a platoon of lawyers for all his criminal cases, his attorney said.
Aaron Hernandez Appeals Murder Conviction, Accuses Jury Of 'Guesswork'The appeal filed this week says "no reasonable jury" could have found the former Patriots star guilty of killing Odin Lloyd in June 2013 and cites insufficient evidence for a conviction.
Aaron Hernandez Facing More Legal Troubles After Murder ConvictionThe former New England Patriots star is also is charged in a 2012 double killing in Boston.
Aaron Hernandez Guilty: Ex-NFL Star Gets Life In Murder CaseAfter hearing his fate, Hernandez, his eyes red, mouthed to his mother and fiancee: "Be strong. Be strong."
No Verdict On Day 6 Of Deliberations In Aaron Hernandez CaseThere is still no verdict in the murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez after six days of deliberations.
Aaron Hernandez Jury Resumes Deliberations For Fifth DayJurors deciding whether to convict former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez of murder went back to work Monday for a fifth day of deliberations.
No Verdict After 4 Days Of Deliberations In Aaron Hernandez TrialJurors in the murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez have completed a fourth day of deliberations with no verdict.
TV Cameraman Banned From Aaron Hernandez Murder TrialA cameraman for a Boston TV station has been banned from the murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez for following jurors.
Jury Ends Second Day Of Deliberations In Aaron Hernandez TrialA jury ended deliberations for a second day Wednesday in the murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, who is charged in the shooting death of another man.
Defense Attorney: Ex-Patriots Star Aaron Hernandez Witnessed KillingA lawyer for Aaron Hernandez acknowledged for the first time that his client was at the scene of a killing and saw it happen, but he described Hernandez to jurors as a kid who simply did not know what to do.
Prosecution Rests In Aaron Hernandez Murder TrialProsecutors called 131 witnesses since testimony began Jan. 29, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft: Aaron Hernandez Told Me He Was InnocentNew England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft testified Tuesday that his former star tight end Aaron Hernandez told him he was innocent when asked if he was involved in a June 2013 killing.


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University of North Dakota Neon Clock
Our neon-accented Logo Clocks are the perfect way to show your school pride. Chrome casing and a team specific neon ring accent a custom printed clock face, lit up by an brilliant white, inner neon ring. Neon ring is easily turned on and off with a pull chain on the bottom of the clock, saving you the hassle of plugging it in and unplugging it. Accurate quartz movement is powered by a single, AA battery (not included). Whether purchasing as a gift for a recent grad, sports superfan, or for yourself, you can take satisfaction knowing you're buying a clock that is proudly made by the Holland Bar Stool Company, Holland, MI.
Materials: | Metal/Plastic | |
Listing: | Made in USA | |
Warranty: | 1 year warranty | |
Application: | Residential | |
Game Room Decor Category With this filtering tool you are able to see all the décor the same category and type so you can quickly find the peice of decor that you are looking for. | Game Room Decor Category: | Clock, Neon Light |
Game Room Decor Theme: | College Teams, Sports | |
Team/School These filters allow you to narrow down the results by a specific professional team or for collegiate athletics - by specific schools. | Team/School: | University of North Dakota |
Time Display: | Analog | |
Wall Clock Features Clocks can come with several different features, including Digital, Key Wound, and others. Use this filter to narrow down the type of products in your search results. | Wall Clock Features: | Quartz Movement |
Wall Clock Number Type Use this filter to narrow down your search results to the type of product with a certain number type. | Wall Clock Number Type: | No Numbers |
Wall Clock Theme Narrow down your results by the theme you may want your clock to have. We offer clocks with several different themes, including Classic, Sports, and others. Use this filter to narrow down the type of products in your search results | Wall Clock Theme: | Sports |
BackToFront: | 3 inches |
Diameter: | 15 inches |
Weight: | 5lbs |
Mfr Part #: | |
Sku: | |
Group #: | 1474923 |
Category: | Wall Clocks - 739 |
Style: | Sports - 292 |
Sales Rank: | 1000000 |


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A lift
Cecil P. Whitt 12/22/2011 12:38:02 AM
A marvelous image, C. #1431806Jeff Robinson 12/22/2011 3:16:23 AM
This is Fantastic Jüri! #9881975Bonnie C. Lackey 12/22/2011 8:12:40 AM
Out of this world!!! #9882348Jyri Vissak 12/22/2011 12:23:26 PM
Thanks a lot. #9882612Ann Coates 1/24/2012 4:42:31 PM
Congratulations on your fantastic finalist Juri. #9940883The Judges at BetterPhoto.com 1/24/2012 6:38:58 PM
Very dramatic #9942138The Judges at BetterPhoto.com 1/24/2012 9:03:26 PM
wow, what is this and where in prague? #9942939Usman M. Bajwa 1/24/2012 10:56:37 PM
Terrific pov and find, Juri. CONGRATZ on the Finalist badge and good luck!!!UB. #9943228
Bojan Bencic 1/25/2012 2:41:20 AM
Fantastic photo, Jüri. Congratulations on your finalist! #9943662John Rivera 1/25/2012 4:05:39 AM
Wonderful image! Congratulations on your finalist! #9943913Nancyj E. Hovey 1/25/2012 6:55:31 AM
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N SLiz blahh 1/25/2012 2:36:17 PM
Congrats on your awesome winner! #9945687Susan D. Royce 1/25/2012 5:38:59 PM
Amazing, futuristic image, Juri. Congrats!! #9946402Peggy Pfister 1/25/2012 5:45:40 PM
Fantastic photo! Congratulations on the win! #9946424Usman M. Bajwa 1/25/2012 9:33:02 PM
HUGE CONGRATZ on your beautiful Gold Winner, Juri!!!UB. #9946924
Jyri Vissak 1/26/2012 3:01:33 AM
Thanks a lot. #9947239Bojan Bencic 1/26/2012 3:23:31 AM
Well done, Jüri. Congratulations on your win! #9947320Michael G. Marshall 1/26/2012 9:50:02 AM
Wonderful winning image, Juri! It's spectacular! Congratulations! #9948079Jyri Vissak 1/26/2012 12:36:39 PM
Thanks a lot. #9948393Larry L. Redmon 1/26/2012 8:33:21 PM
Very nice! Congratulations! #9949178Mary K. Robison 1/27/2012 4:16:01 AM
Outstanding capture, Juri ~Ann Coates 1/27/2012 12:16:41 PM
Huge congratulations on your Gold. #9950774Merna L. Nobile 1/30/2012 10:54:38 AM
You can feel it in the air, the anticipation of waiting for the awards to arrive. The talent that is on display for all to see and share is amazing. Congratulations to all the January, 2012 winners. Merna
David M. Montero 1/31/2012 5:52:59 PM
Great POV Jüri. Congratulations on your win!!! #9958115Jyri Vissak 2/20/2012 5:05:24 AM
Thanks a lot. #9991713Avril Young 9/24/2012 12:59:49 AM
sorry just saw this now...simply awesome...congratulations! #10334987I made this photo two days ago in Prague. I didn't use any image tricks.
Exif: F Number: 3.5, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/30 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 3200, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 21.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 7D
Uploaded on 12/21/2011 11:58:11 PM
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Jyri Vissak. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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New liberal attack on Chris Christie: He's a racist or something
posted at 5:57 pm on March 15, 2013 by Allahpundit
Via Sonny Bunch, this is so achingly stupid and disingenuous that I feel like it's an insult to the reader's intelligence to explain why. But it's a slow news day — that's why HuffPo is running it, after all — so let me try. Have you ever heard someone use the word "boy" as an exclamation, to add emphasis? If you haven't, it means one of two things. Either you're under the age of, say, five years old or you didn't read this post from this morning, when I used the word that way myself. Christie used it that way too when a heckler at a recent town hall shouted that New Jersey needs to fix its public schools. Fixing public schools is what Christie's all about; that's why he battles the teachers' union and that's why he helped promote "Waiting for Superman." Boy oh boy oh boy, does he want to fix those public schools. Just one hitch: The heckler at the town hall was black. So when Christie said "boy," Democrats pounced. Watch below at 1:55. Which explanation is more likely, do you suppose? That a modern politician would insult a black constituent by calling him "boy," in full view of rolling cameras and a crowded church no less? Or that he meant it as an exclamation? That 74 percent approval rating isn't going to deflate without some help, you know.
But wait. We're not done.
At the same event, Christie referred to Democratic Speaker Sheila Oliver only by her race and gender, prompting the pastor at the church to demand an apology.
"I was and am saddened by the governor's blatant attack [on the speaker]," said Kenneth Clayton, pastor of St. Luke Baptist Church in Paterson, according to the Associated Press. "The words that the governor chose to use in speaking of Oliver, while not even respecting her enough to call her by name, defy his earlier assertion that political leaders, himself included, need to learn to respect all views and work together."
That's weird. Why would Christie make an issue of the Speaker's race and sex? Let's see if we can find a fuller transcript:
Christie told the town hall audience he strongly supports a bill creating a trial voucher program for students to attend private and parochial schools, but "we have an African-American female speaker of the Assembly … who refuses to let people vote on this bill."
Christie also said: "Why is it taking a Republican governor from the suburbs to stand up and fight the teachers union and the urban political machine to say, 'Hey, I want to give your children a shot?' Let me tell you what that is, that's the worst kind of discrimination from my perspective."
The town hall was being held at a black Baptist church. He was speaking to a mixed-race audience. His office prefers to use terms like "children in urban centers" but Christie's point, very clearly, was that the allegedly racist Republicans are trying to create better educational opportunities for black students in particular by building a voucher program. And, irony of ironies, it's an "African-American female speaker" who's blocking their path. If Democrats don't like the idea of a politician suggesting, however innocently, that one's race should influence one's policy preferences, that's a new one on me: They've always been big, big fans of that logic in the past. But enough of this nonsense. Read this for a taste of pushback from Christie's camp.
Incidentally, a Reuters poll today shows that Christie leads both Biden and Cuomo in hypothetical 2016 match-ups. (Against Hillary … not so much.) No wonder the smears are starting early.
Watch Christie Discusses Education Issues at Paterson Town Hall on PBS. See more from NJToday.
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San Francisco deploys an army of "trained witnesses" to hinder ICE operations


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In the Patagonia and the Santa Rita mountains, home to rare birds such as the spotted owl and the Apache Goshawk—and a place where large numbers of jaguars were once killed by hunters—conservationists and ranchers have joined together to fight a proposed open-pit copper mine. "This is a critical area of potential prey base for the jaguar," McCain says. Unlike ranching, which does not have much impact on wildlife when carried out responsibly, mining is noisy, industrial work that can frighten off animals and alter an entire landscape. Many conservationists hope that if McCain can succeed in documenting a jaguar in these mountains, it will provide a basis to stop the mining.
So far, McCain has photographed plenty of bears and mountain lions, coatis and gray fox. But no jaguar has crossed his viewfinders in the Patagonias. McCain did, however, find some claw scrapes that he doesn't think were made by a mountain lion. "I suspect that there's one out here," McCain says. But he needs proof. Eventually, he hopes DNA analysis of scat or hair samples collected in the field will confirm his hunch.
Ultimately, the fate of the jaguar in the United States is bound to its fate in Mexico. And there the cat is in trouble. Killing jaguars is illegal in Mexico, but the law is not well enforced. The jaguar population in Sonora, home of the confirmed breeding population closest to the border, is estimated to be no more than 150 individuals. Conservationists say they have reports of as many as 30 jaguars killed in Sonora within the past five years.
A number of U.S. conservation groups have stepped in to try to save the Sonoran jaguars, with the hope that a healthy population there will eventually spread into the United States. In 2003, the Tucson-based Northern Jaguar Project helped the Mexican conservation group Naturalia purchase Rancho Los Pavos, a 10,000-acre spread near the junction of the Aros and Bavispe rivers, to serve as a jaguar reserve. Now the Northern Jaguar Project is trying to raise $1.7 million to purchase an adjacent 35,000-acre ranch. The project, along with Defenders of Wildlife, has also launched an innovative program in which it provides trail cameras to Mexican ranchers and pays them for photographs of wild cats: $300 for a jaguar, $150 for an ocelot and $100 for a mountain lion—all significant sums in impoverished Sonora. The idea is to give ranchers a financial incentive to let rare predators live on their land.
Some biologists, however, think that maintaining the Sonoran population will hardly ensure the jaguar's return to the United States. "You can sit around and wait for a female to show up from 120 miles away, but it is a pretty outside chance," says Arizona State University's David Brown. "If you are really serious about managing the jaguar population, you have to introduce a female or two and see what happens." Though conservation groups such as Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity support the idea, state and federal authorities have so far refused to consider a reintroduction.
In the meantime, conservationists in the United States have been working to protect those jaguars that do make it over the border. In an effort to get ranchers to view the cats as less of a threat, the Malpai Borderlands Group has pledged to reimburse them for any livestock the animals kill. The group made the first such payment—$500—to a rancher who lost a calf earlier this year. Ranchers are also being encouraged to use simple techniques—such as birthing all their cows at the same time and keeping calves away from areas where predators are known to be active—to minimize losses. In July, Arizona congressman Raúl Grijalva introduced a bill to set aside 83,400 acres of mountains and rolling grassland northwest of Nogales as the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Area. The land would be off-limits to mining, development and recreational use by motorized vehicles.
Eco-friendly tourism may help, as well. The town of Ruby, located between Nogales and Arivaca, is a remnant of Arizona's mining past. Despite attempts to reclaim its sandy, white mine tailings and a brief stint as a hippie colony in the late 1960s, Ruby functions today only as a ghost town frequented by occasional tourists. Howard Frederick, an animal nutritionist whose family owns Ruby, plans to turn the place into a biological reserve. And he is excited that McCain and Childs have documented the jaguar in the surrounding canyons. "If they wanted to make Ruby a home, that would be great," Frederick says.
One night back at the remote ranch house that McCain uses as a field base, he lectures on the borderland jaguars to members of the socially prestigious Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee. The group consists mostly of city slickers, but they are clearly captivated by his presentation. After McCain concludes, several people approach him and offer to work as volunteers for the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project. One man asks why Arizona Game and Fish has not done more to publicize the presence of the cat. "It's just amazing to think this animal is out there," he tells McCain.
That seems to be the way it goes with the jaguar. To a lot of people, the idea that such a majestic and mysterious creature stalks the high desert touches something primal within, inspiring an appreciation for all that is still wild and unfettered by man. And if the jaguar disappears again, a victim of development or mining or a belief that a wall can prevent supply from meeting demand, then it won't be just the great spotted cat that suffers. For with the jaguar will go another piece of what little remains of the untamed soul of the American West.
Writer Jeremy Kahn, based in New Delhi, India, reports frequently on the environment, politics and foreign affairs.


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It's Time To See Colorado Gold
Information About Colorado's Fall Color 2010
It looks like we should see our peak color pretty much on schedule this year. The best color over the northern mountains should be from September 20th to the 30th. The central mountains will be about five days behind, with the southern mountain areas rounding out the last days of the month and the first ten days of October.Perhaps the most appealing part of autumn is the gold found in the mountains each year. Not the gold sought by prospectors over a century ago, but rather the gilded glory of Colorado's famous aspen trees. The decrease in sunlight switches off the mechanism in the leaves that creates chlorophyll - the green color in the leaf. As the green fades, the gold color dominates until dying leaf flutters to the ground. The best years for aspen viewing are those with well-timed rains and no major fall storms. A too dry summer will send the leaves falling quickly, while a wet summer tends to make them darken to brown or black. The most brilliant display of aspen occurs when we have a mild late summer and periodic gentle rain, combined with a dry September that includes few big windstorms or early snows.Usually the first signs of aspen gold begin in mid to late August over the higher forests of central and northern Colorado. By the second and third week of September, many aspen groves are well worth a day's drive. Usually the peak time to view aspen is around the last weekend of September. After that, early snows will knock down the leaves and others drop away by themselves. Aspen color does not vary nearly as much as the rich reds and purple leaves of the Midwest and East, but there is something about gold leaves against a backdrop of rich evergreen and deep blue sky that makes our fall mountains special indeed!Nothing says "autumn" in Colorado quite like the sight of a mountainside covered in the stunning leafy gold of aspen trees. Colorado's famous high country aspen reliably turn gold from the second week of September through the first week of October. Populus tremuloides - or the quaking aspen - can be found in all eleven of Colorado's national forests and their autumn fireworks are worth the drive.Aspen naturally propagate in areas where hardier trees have been damaged or destroyed. This was the case in Colorado, where the slender trees grew in after logging stripped trees from mountain areas. Characterized by their elaborate root systems, aspen reproduce by sending up suckers from the roots to create "clone" stands of trees. These clones, connected underground at the root, are genetically identical to the mother tree. The identical nature of a clone stand is most obvious in springs, when each tree in the stand leafs at the same time, and in fall, when each tree turns the same shade of gold.Historically, native tribes used the aspen bark to make medicinal teas to alleviate fever. The inner bark was sometimes eaten raw in the spring, and the outer bark occasionally produces a powder that was used as a sunscreen. Aspen is a favorite of Colorado wildlife too. Beaver use aspen for food and building; elk, moose, and deer eat the twigs and foliage. Other names for quaking aspen are golden aspen, mountain aspen, popple, poplar and trembling poplar.Despite Coloradans' affinity for aspen, these delicate trees are not highly recommended for residential landscaping, especially at lower elevations of the state. Aspen as susceptible to many diseases, their convoluted root systems often grow into sewage drainage systems, and they generally last no longer than about 10 years out of their native habitat.
And for a listing of the the great places to view the aspen gold, check out my list of favorite drives to see fall colors.
Information about our aspen leaves will help you plan your trip. It truly is a wonderful way to spend a day -- when the aspens are in their full glory!


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Union College presents Freedom Writers' Erin Gruwell
Erin Gruwell, co-author of The Freedom Writers, will be speaking at 8:30 p.m., Nov. 13, at the Seventh-day Adventist College View Church, 4801 Prescott Ave., Lincoln, Neb. Gruwell, the inspiration for the motion picture Freedom Writers, will present "Becoming a Catalyst for Change."
Linda Becker, vice president for Student Services at Union College, organized the guest event. "The Leadership Certification Program is a new program that gets students excited about leadership. We've begun an annual leadership symposium that allows our students to hear influential speakers, like Erin Gruwell," Becker explained. "The speakers talk about how to think differently, how to bring fresh thought. They bring new perspectives to strident situations."
Becker said the off-campus advisory for the leadership program had heard Gruwell speak at a separate occasion. An advisory member, Deane Finnegan, said Gruwell was energetic and enthusiastic. "Finnegan gave an excellent recommendation for Gruwell," Becker said.
Students on campus are interested in hearing her speak. "I am impressed that Erin Gruwell is coming to speak here. She made such a difference in her students' lives; she had to have, they made a movie about her!" said junior marketing major Brenda Beenken. "I'm looking forward to hearing about her experience, both the challenges and the high points."
"It's great to hear people speak about how they have had an impact on the world," said Bryan Pool, senior international rescue and relief major. "I'm looking forward to seeing the movie to have a little bit of background on her."
Background on Erin Gruwell
Erin Gruwell has earned an award-winning reputation for her steadfast commitment to the future of education. Her impact as a change agent runs deep. So deep, in fact, that her story attracted Hollywood's attention. In January 2007, Paramount Pictures released Freedom Writers, starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as Erin. The film is based on The Freedom Writers Diary, The New York Times bestseller that chronicled Gruwell's extraordinary journey with 150 high school students who had been written off by the education system.
By fostering an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, she transformed her students' lives. She encouraged them to re-think rigid beliefs about themselves and others, reconsider daily decisions, and ultimately re-chart their futures. With her support, they chose to forego teenage pregnancy, drugs, and violence to become aspiring college students, published writers, and citizens for change. They dubbed themselves "The Freedom Writers," in homage to civil rights activists The Freedom Riders, and published a book.
Inspired by Anne Frank, Gruwell and her students captured their collective journey in The Freedom Writers Diary. Through poignant student entries and her narrative text, the book records their eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. In early 2007, Teach with Your Heart, Gruwell's powerful memoir and call to arms was published.
While she has been credited with giving her students a second chance, it was perhaps she who changed the most during her tenure at Wilson High School. She decided to channel her classroom experiences toward a broader cause, and today her impact as a teacher extends well beyond Room 203. She founded the Freedom Writers Foundation where she currently teaches teachers around the country how to implement her innovative lesson plans into their own classrooms. Recently, her teaching methods from her time in Room 203 have been published in the Freedom Writers Diary Teacher's Guide. Proceeds from the sale of all books directly fund the Freedom Writers Foundation.
Gruwell and her students have appeared on numerous television shows, including Oprah, Prime Time Live with Connie Chung, The View, and Good Morning America, to name a few. Their story has earned them dozens of awards, including the Spirit of Anne Frank Award.


text: Hearing that you have prostate cancer, or even that you may have it, is very scary. But this disease, in many cases, is curable. Even if you have advanced cancer that's spread beyond the prostate, many treatments help extend your life for years. You need good information to help you with the decisions that lie ahead, and this book provides you with this information.Prostate Cancer For Dummies can help you ifYou have prostate cancer (or you think that you have it), or someone close to you has it.You want information on treatments for prostate cancer as you form a treatment plan with your doctor.You are curious about alternative therapies for prostate cancer.You want to know what actions you can take over the long-term to continue to fight your prostate cancer.Prostate Cancer For Dummies explains the key issues and problems that are associated with prostate cancer, and assures you that although the initial impact of being diagnosed is devastating, you can take action to extend your life.You don't have to read this book from the first page straight on through, although you can. You may want to read the first chapter and then move to the chapters that affect you the most. In Prostate Cancer For Dummies, you'll gain insight intoDiscovering the key symptoms of prostate cancerRecognizing the risk factors, and who's most likely to have prostate cancerGetting a diagnosis, and what's involvedGetting well again, and how you can work with your doctor to come up with a plan to cope with your cancerChanging your lifestyle to decrease your risk of a recurrenceCoping with the aftermath, from temporary to permanent side effectsHandling work and family, and how to help others understand what you're going throughIt's extremely hard to hear from your doctor that you or a loved one has prostate cancer. But after you recover from the initial shock of diagnosis, you need to educate yourself, and, with the help of your physician, make a plan for getting the best treatment possible. Prostate Cancer For Dummies will help you achieve these goals and encourage you to maintain your commitment to managing your health.


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Harner, T. and Bartkow, M. E. and Holoubek, I. and Klanova, J. and Wania, F. and Gioia, R. and Moeckel, Claudia and Sweetman, Andrew J. and Jones, Kevin C. (2006) Passive air sampling for persistent organic pollutants: Introductory remarks to the special issue. Environmental Pollution, 144 (2). pp. 361-364. ISSN 0269-7491
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
There have been a number of developments in the need, design and use of passive air samplers (PAS) for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This article is the first in a Special Issue of the journal to review these developments and some of the data arising from them. We explain the need and benefit of developing PAS for POPs, the different approaches that can be used, and highlight future developments and needs. The context, needs and state-of-the-art of passive air sampling techniques for atmospheric persistent organic pollutants are discussed.
Item Type: | Article |
Journal or Publication Title: | Environmental Pollution |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | Passive air sampling ; Persistent organic pollutants ; Pesticides |
Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences |
Departments: | Faculty of Science and Technology > Lancaster Environment Centre |
ID Code: | 8609 |
Deposited By: | Ms Margaret Calder |
Deposited On: | 01 May 2008 09:55 |
Refereed?: | Yes |
Published?: | Published |
Last Modified: | 29 Mar 2017 03:40 |
Identification Number: | |
URI: | http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/8609 |
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BackupBuddy Remote Destinations: Dropbox
From IThemes Codex
Dropbox.com is a popular online storage provider offering 2 GB of free storage. Premium upgrades are available. BackupBuddy estimates you will be able to transfer backups up to 96 MB with your current memory limit of 256 MB. Additionally, Dropbox limits API uploads to 150MB max.
For more information, visit:
Adding Dropbox as a Remote Destination
- Once on the Remote Destinations page, click the +Add New button to add your Dropbox destination.
In the Add New Destination window, add the following information:
- Click the Connect to Dropbox & Authorize button below.
- In the new window that opens, login to Dropbox.com if prompted and click Allow.
- Return to this window and click the Yes, I've Authorized BackupBuddy with Dropbox button below.
- Bucket name - [Example: wordpress_backups] - This bucket will be created for you automatically if it does not already exist. Bucket names must be globally unique amongst all Amazon S3 users.
- Configure the destination and click the +Add Destination button.
- Encrypt connection - [Default: enabled] - When enabled, all transfers will be encrypted with SSL encryption. Please note that encryption introduces overhead and may slow down the transfer. If Amazon S3 sends are failing try disabling this feature to speed up the process. Note that 32-bit servers cannot encrypt transfers of 2GB or larger with SSL, causing large file transfers to fail.
- Once you've entered all of your settings, you'll want to test your settings before adding the destination.
- Your new location will now show on the Remote Destinations page in BackupBuddy. If you need to change your settings, click the gear symbol to the right of the destination.


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One of the Most Disruptive Technologies: Electronic Cigarettes
What if there was a way for billions of people around the world to live a healthier and longer life?
Health. It's the single most important aspect of our lives.
Yet we consume mass amounts of toxins and poisons everyday.
All of these things, in a warped sense of reality, bring pleasure to our lives – yet destroys it at the same time.
But what if there was a way to consume alcohol without the toxic affects?
What if there was a way to eat processed foods without all of the cancer-causing effects?
What if there was a way to smoke cigarettes without the 7000 plus chemicals infused into a smoker's body every time he takes a puff?
We would live longer. We would be healthier. And we would get to spend more of our lives, enjoying our lives.
One of the Most Disruptive Sectors
You Haven't Even Heard Of
I am about to introduce you to the story of an extremely successful man who wanted to make a difference when he watched his father die from smoking.
This is a story of his quest into one of the most disruptive, profitable, and fastest growing sectors in the world.
And it's something you've probably begun to see everywhere, yet you don't even notice it – especially from an investment standpoint.
This new revolution is so disruptive that even tech moguls like millionaire Sean Parker of Napster and Facebook fame, Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel, and music superstars like Bruno Mars, have invested millions into the sector.
I am not talking just a few million. Earlier this year, one private company in this sector raised $75 million.
This profitable new sector is revolutionizing something that has remained relatively unchanged for the last few centuries.
It will do what LED has done for television.
It will do what Tesla has done for electric cars.
It will do what 3D printing is doing for printers.
It will do what energy drinks have done for the beverage industry.
And more importantly, it could potentially prolong the lives of millions.
Electronic Cigarettes
That's right. I am talking about something that looks like a cigarette, smokes like one, and even feels like one.
Over the last few hundred years, cigarettes have only gotten worse. Tobacco companies have added more chemicals as the years have gone by, and more chemicals means more harm.
Cigarettes contain over 7000* chemicals including:
- Carbon Monoxide (found in car exhaust)
- Arsenic (rat poison)
- Ammonia (found in window cleaner)
- Acetone (found in nail polish remover)
- Hydrogen Cyanide (gas chamber poison)
- Napthalene (found in mothballs)
- Sulphur Compounds (found in matches)
- Lead
- Formaldehyde (used as embalming fluid)
- Butane (lighter fluid)
- Benzene (an industrial solvent, refined from crude oil)
- Cadmium (used in batteries)
- Formaldehyde (used in mortuaries and paint manufacturing)
- Polonium-210 (a highly radioactive element)
- Chromium (used to manufacture dye, paints and alloys)
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (a group of dangerous DNA-damaging chemicals)
- Nitrosamines (another group of DNA-damaging chemicals)
- Acrolein (formerly used as a chemical weapon)
You get the point…
*Cigarette smoke may actually contain between 10,000 and 100,000 chemicals, but only about 7,000 have been identified.
Via lung.ca:
"When you smoke, all of these chemicals mix together and form a sticky tar. The tar sticks to the cilia (tiny hairs) that line the insides of your lungs. The cilia help to clean out dirt and germs from your lungs. If the cilia are covered in tar, they can't do their job properly, and germs, chemicals and dirt can stay in your lungs and cause diseases."
While society is embracing change toward healthier lifestyles, through the removal of trans fats and such, the tobacco industry is the one industry that has actually gotten worse over the years.
Until now.
What if there was a way to smoke a cigarette without 7000 chemicals or the tar that sticks to your cilia?
There is. It's an electronic cigarette.
An electronic cigarette has roughly four chemicals:
Nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, and flavorings.
And the water vapour that causes the smoke has between 10-20 chemicals.
I am not a doctor. I am not a chemist. But what I do know are numbers. And clearly, less is better.
Four chemicals vs. 7000 plus…take your pick.
A Real Cigarette Replacement?
First of all, there hasn't been enough research to prove that it's a better alternative to smoking cigarettes. Nor is there enough proof that it will prolong lives. Those are just my opinions.
While electronic cigarettes have been around for some time, it's far too young in its infancy to make such claims.
And you can bet it will be under major scrutiny, just as energy drinks have been.
However, when you compare traditional cigarettes with electronic cigarettes or "e-cigs", the differences are remarkable.
Many who switched from traditional cigarettes to electronic cigarettes quickly notice a drastic change in respiratory benefit.
That's at least double the success rate of any kind of smoking cessation device, such as nicotine gum or patches.
I am 100% against smoking.
If I had a choice, I would ban smoking completely. I am speaking directly from personal experience – one that's almost identical to the man I am about to introduce.
But I have to face reality.
The Reality of Smoking
In 2011, 19% of all Americans were smokers.
According to the World Health Organization,"Tobacco caused 100 million deaths in the 20th century. If current trends continue, it may cause one billion deaths in the 21st century. Unchecked, tobacco-related deaths will increase to more than eight million per year by 2030."
Sadly, the reality is that tobacco usage is not slowing down.
Every day 4,000 young Americans under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette; 1,000 of them become new daily cigarette smokers.
And once they start, they can't stop – even if they want to.
Approximately 69% of adult smokers want to quit completely, and approximately 52% of smokers attempted to quit in 2010.
The majority of smokers wanting to quit have tried gums and other products to help. But most smokers say they "need" the action of smoking, and need to "feel" the smoke going down into their lungs in order to stop the cravings.
That's why an electronic cigarette is the most disruptive technology in the tobacco product space. It looks, feels, tastes and smokes like a traditional cigarette, but without the smoke, chemicals, and tar.
There's no smoke, just water vapour.
And no smoke means there's also no second-hand smoke.
No Second-Hand Smoke
I am angered when I take my 9-year-old son to the movies and there's a group of people smoking outside the front doors that we have to walk through.
Second-hand smoke causes serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer. In infants, it causes sudden death. In pregnant women, it causes low birth weight.
Here are more facts:
- Almost half of children regularly breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke in public places.
- Over 40% of children have at least one smoking parent.
- Second-hand smoke causes more than 600,000 premature deaths per year.
- In 2004, children accounted for 28% of the deaths attributable to second-hand smoke.
No child should have to breathe in second-hand smoke.
There's no second hand smoke with ecigs.
Small, But Growing Fast
Since current world production of cigarettes is estimated to be a whopping 5.5 trillion cigarettes per year, that's a lot of potential.
What started out as a trend about ten years ago is now well on it's way to becoming a staple consumer product.
This sector is growing so fast that even experts have revised their estimates this year on numerous occasions.
Earlier this year, it was estimated that the sales of ecigs would be around $1 billion.
In September, Bloomberg pegged sales at $2 billion:
It's no wonder why big tobacco firms are beginning to invest millions of dollars in the technology, while swallowing up the little ecig guys in the process.
Lorillard, one of the world's biggest tobacco distributors acquired blu ecigs last year for $135M – blu only had revenues (not earnings) of $40M.
They also just bought U.K-based SKYCIG in October for 30 million pounds (about $49 million), with incentive to offer an additional 30 million pounds ($49 million) more in 2016 if the company meets certain financial performance benchmarks.
Just a few months ago, Dragonite International Limited sold its E-Vapor Business for $75 million to Fontem Ventures B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco Group plc. (ITG), another major tobacco powerhouse (Davidoff, JSP, etc.)
Acquisitions in this space have been on fire in the last few months. Over the next year, there's going to be an incredible M&A surge in this sector as Big Tobacco continues to pursue the new ecig revolution.
Change or Die
The tobacco sector hasn't changed in hundreds – if not thousands – of years.
The world is looking for a healthier alternative and society is beginning to outcast smokers.
If Big Tobacco doesn't move forward with this shift, they're going to end up like traditional phone book companies who didn't latch onto the internet revolution, or end up like Blockbuster, who didn't latch onto the convenience of streaming video.
The Opportunity
Here's the problem. There really isn't a great way for investors to play in this sector. The leading ecig companies are private, or already owned by big tobacco firms.
Unless you have Sean Parker and Peter Thiel-type money, or have access to private funds, there really isn't much to choose from.
There are a number of ecig makers springing up all over the place. There are even a few penny stocks floating around looking to take advantage of the booming marketplace.
But the majority of them will fail because it's a big boys field, and Big Tobacco is already attempting to control the sector.
Right now, there are only two pure-play electronic cigarette companies that is publicly traded.
But there's only one that's worth a look.
This small company has big company potential written all over it.
More specifically – and more importantly – the man behind the helm has experience in growing companies fast.
He's a specialist when it comes to growth, helping build some of the biggest companies in the world.
I think its extremely important to know the man behind this company, before you learn about the company itself.
The First Introduction
Early summer, I was introduced to Brent Willis and his team for my premium Letter, Investment Diary.
Brent presented me with the opportunity to invest in his newly formed Company, as part of a small invite-only investor presentation road show.
I was lucky to get the invite.
Behind closed doors, Brent and his team talked about the electric cigarette opportunity – which I already knew was massive.
I had been briefed prior to the meeting on Brent's vast and successful resume, but I wanted to know more. More specifically, I wanted to know why someone in his position would want to run such a small company.
Furthermore, he didn't need my money. I could smell this from a mile a way.
At our round-table, closed-door meeting, I asked Brent to elaborate on his resume. He smiled, but simply replied, "I am lucky to have been a part of many success stories."
That was it.
Are you kidding me?!? That was all I got?!?
With that reply, I remained skeptical (that's my job). Why on earth is he here raising such a small amount of money, when he could likely find millions elsewhere?
I wasn't going to let that go.
So I asked, as politely as I could, "If you've got all these relationships and have done so well, why don't you just skip the line and get these big name distributors to put your product on their shelf."
He responded, as politely as he could, "The distribution world, like everything, relies on relationships. If you want to succeed, you have to build your relationship from the ground up. If you skip the hard working guys on the ground, you're essentially insulting them and their livelihood. However, if you build the relationships by not going through the backdoor, your products will be much more successful."
In a world where everyone takes a shortcut, that made a lot of sense. I stopped pushing.
As the meeting drew to a conclusion, I was excited. These guys had a great team, a great product, and a vast network. I could tell these guys were going to make a big splash in the sector.
As we were leaving, I shook Brent's hand and thanked him for his presentation. As I walked away, he leaned over and jokingly whispered in my ear, "If all else fails, I can always go straight to the top."
I couldn't help but smirk.
Since I didn't get his detailed resume in the meeting, I dug deeper myself
When I did, I began to realize why he brushed off his resume. If we focused on it, we would've been there all day.
This guy's resume is stacked.
Meet Brent Willis
When Brent graduated high school, he had the choice of going to MIT, a world-renowned university, or US Military Academy at West Point.
To challenge himself, he decided to go to West Point – on a full scholarship.
After he graduated, he began his career as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army where he spent four years serving his country.
He immediately became the commanding officer of a company in the 1st Calvary Division and was responsible for more than 200 soldiers in combat deployment.
That's leadership.
Following deployment, he attended the Nuclear Biological and Chemical Warfare School, and then the US Army Officers Advanced Course.
This guy was so good at what he did that he was hand-selected to be the only Future Concepts Officer for Air Defense at the Pentagon. Here, he worked on prestigious projects as Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) and numerous other compartmentalized (black ops) programs including the Army Robotics Initiatives and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle initiatives.
He authored the Counter-Air Concept to change the role of Air Defense, which was later adopted as doctrine.
He's received numerous decorations: two Meritorious Service Medals, two Army Commendation Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Airborne Parachutist badge during his military career; he was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain – generally considered to be the highest rank a soldier can achieve while remaining in the field.
Once Brent left the army, his drive for success didn't stop. It seems this guy just conquers, moves on to the next challenge, and conquers again.
Following the US Army Brent entered the commercial sector, where he started working at Kraft Inc., while attending the University of Chicago MBA program (graduating top of his class, of course.)
At Kraft Foods, Inc., Brent managed a number of Kraft's brands, developed Category Management in the US, led numerous acquisitions and joint ventures in Japan, Korea, Indonesia and others, and launched the Kraft Brand in China.
After conquering Kraft, Brent served as a President in Latin America for The Coca Cola Company where he led his Division to the #2 ranking worldwide of all Coca Cola Company operating units and led the largest turnaround in Company history.
After conquering Coca Cola, he became the CEO of Cott Corporation, now the world's largest retailer brand beverage company, where he played a pivotal role in the company's turnaround.
He left Cott to become the Global CCO, President, and on the Board of Management for InBev – a major beer distributor.
At InBev, he developed and implemented the strategy, the top line growth initiatives and the acquisitions that led the Company to share price appreciation of more than 400% and transformation into the world's largest beer company.
During his time, he helped the Company lead 39 acquisitions in 36 months.
He was the guy that actually named InBev, InBev.
InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch in 2008 to become the world's largest beer distributor. You may know the Company for its famous brands such as Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Beck's, Brahma, and Alexander Keith's.
Brent remained with the Company for a brief time, serving on the Board of Directors for the newly formed company, AmBev (NYSE: ABEV). AmBev is worth nearly $70 billion today
After his many successes, Brent wanted to do something different – to make an impact.
It's Personal
Brent could remember his dad smoking 3 packs a day and always smelling like cigarettes. His father's excessive smoking led to lung cancer, which then spread to brain cancer, and then spread to cancer throughout his body.
He was with his father the day he died and he remembered that even as his father was dying, he had to have one last cigarette.
Brent made the commitment that if there was anything that he could do, he was going to make a difference.
Smoking is extremely harmful – not just to smokers, but their family and friends. I lost my father the same way Brent did.
I want to emphasize this because its one of the main reasons why I think Brent will take his new company to the next level.
Throughout Brent's whole life, he has been successful.
This time it's personal.
Victory Electronic Cigarettes
US Symbol: ECIG
Victory Electronic Cigarettes (ECIG) is one of only two pure-play electronic cigarette companies that are publicly traded.
Victory Electronic Cigarettes (ECIG) began in late 2010, initially as an online company. This year, under the leadership of Brent Willis, the Company launched its first expansion to retail which has been met with unprecedented success and consumer response.
The Company is showing a striking resemblance to blu electronic cigarettes, which was acquired for $135 million, at four times revenue. Blu was created in 2009, initially as an online company. Two years later, it went from online sales to retail sales, secured one major account with Walgreens, and was acquired by Lorillard when it hit revenues of $40 million.
Victory is just beginning to hit retail shelves after two years of online sales.
That means sales will likely increase very quickly – especially with Brent at the helm leading major distribution agreements around the world.
Acquire and Conquer
Brent is going to grow Victory Electronic Cigarettes (ECIG) exponentially by using his acquisition skill sets, while signing deals with distributors all over the world.
The Company just announced revenues of $0.83 million last quarter, with gross margins at approximately 44%.
That doesn't sound like much, but this is where the Company is about to turn the corner.
None of the revenues in their recent financial statement include shipments to newly gained international or US national accounts.
Last month, Brent signed a comprehensive distribution agreement spanning Central America with Quipo S.A. de C.V. and entered into a major distribution agreement with one of the largest distributors to the convenience store industry in the US, serving nearly 30,000 retail stores.
Victory has just begun to distribute product through CST Brands, a leading national convenience retailer with over 1,900 locations.
When these distribution agreements unfold, sales for Victory could soar dramatically.
Brent's also told me he's in talks with many others, but couldn't disclose the details.
Forward Momentum
I expect Brent to go non-stop . He led 39 acquisitions in 36 months to create the world's largest beer company.
If he can do even a small fraction for Victory, what he did for the Army, Kraft, Coca Cola, Cott, and Anheuser-Busch InBev, he's going to make a lot of people a lot of money.
The tobacco industry is a $720 billion market. Ecigs is expected to overtake traditional tobacco sales and has far greater margins for retailers.
Since there are only two pure-play ecig companies, Victory is the one company that I will be watching very closely.
I think the stock is expensive at these levels as a result of what appears to be a really small float with and it seems that no one wants to sell stock. Keep this in mind because that means we can see big price action swings.
The current valuation is huge, but so are companies in the 3D printing space, which trade at ridiculous multiples.
3D Systems Corp. (DDD), the leader in the 3D printing space, currently trades at more than a 163.16 P/E. That means investors are paying $163 for every dollar that the Company earns.
I believe the ecig revolution will revolutionize the tobacco industry, just as 3D printing is revolutionizing the printing space.
I'd like to see Victory do a big raise and go for a NASDAQ listing in conjunction with that raise – that way, we'll see better liquidity and easier access to their stock.
For more information, see the interviews with Brent Willis below, or visit them here to learn more.
Victory is not an advertiser, I do not own options in the Company, and the views here are completely my own. However, I have placed money into Victory with friends, family, and introduced the deal to subscribers of my other newsletter, investmentdiary.com, at a very early stage and at a much cheaper valuation. There is a one-year hold for the stock placed. As such, I am biased.
The Equedia Letter


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The Jel responsible for this remix is of the production duo Jel & Odd Nosdam, who did all the great beats for Serengeti's latest release, the Kenny Dennis EP. Here, his production skills work to morph Sleigh Bells' "Comeback Kid" single, off the February-released Reign of Terror.
Jel kind of understates the song in general, but really keeps Alexis Krauss' singing in the back of the mix. Fortunately this works, since all of the music is somewhat compressed into itself. The result is basically a wonderful torrent of melodic combat. You can check the remix out below.
Four Tet - "Jupiters" | Ab-Soul "ILLuminate" F. Kendrick Lamar |


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Indications for Use: Skin irritations, headache, indigestion, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea and sinus congestion from shellfish and seafood.
Adrenalinum, Belladona, Bromium, Carbo an, Colchicum, Colocynthis, Histaminum, Hydrastis, Kali carb, Lycopodium, Merc sol, Pulsatilla, Urtica urens 12X,24X,LM1 Other: Seafood Allergen Mix 13X,16X,19X,34X.
Before initial dose, depress pump 4-5 times or until primed. Hold close to mouth and spray 1 dose directly in mouth 2 to 6 times daily until symptoms improve.
External Use : (when appropriate) Simply spray on affected areas 2 to 6 times daily until symptoms improve.
If symptoms persist or worsen, seek advice of physician. If pregnant or nursing, take only on advice of physician. Keep out of reach of children. Tamper resistant for your protection. Use only if safety seal is intact.


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Nov. 21 Webinar – Healthy Community Design
Join County Health Rankings on November 21 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 pm CST for a webinar on Healthy Community Design, featuring Arthur Wendel, M.D., Team Lead for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Community Design Initiative.
Visit http://ow.ly/7lhHP for more information and to register. [County Health Rankings E-News]


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The Luxury Visionaries 2016
What's new? This is the East End sequel to the Soho hit restaurant La Bodega Negra; you know, the candlelit Mexican taqueria disguised as a sex shop that even after a year you can't get a table at for love nor money? Casa Negra expands on the theme, with a ground floor restaurant and a nightclub below, The Casa Playroom.
Behind the scenes: Like LBN it's a NY-LON co-production between Will Ricker of Ricker Restaurants and Serge Becker, the Vietnamese-Swiss art director turned Manhattan nightlife impresario who's a wizard at creating destinations that guarantee nocturnal escapism. His string of New York hits include, amongst others, the infamous Box NYC, Joe's Pub and the Bowery Bar.
The concept: Apparently Becker's inspiration was "A Mexican family settles in to an old British townhouse". Hence the blue and white china, old English rugs, Victorian paintings and chandeliers combined with Mexican beer-branded fold-out chairs and menus featuring Frida Kahlo and sombrero-donning Chihuahuas. It's heartwarming and fun with a distinctly cool downtown Manhattan vibe, though signifiers such as the strings of primary-coloured light bulbs and loud music hint at a more strident party spirit.
What's cooking? Chef Brad Mcdonald hails from Michelin-starred kitchens such as Noma and Per Se, and has taken Mexican street food into haute territory. Nachos and refried beans are replaced by fresh dishes with punchy flavours. The Flor de Calabaza taco – courgette, courgette flower, clotted cream and oregano – is delicate and delicious; the Queso Asado, caramelised Chihuahua cheese, sweetcorn and Mexican salsa is also recommended.
Signature dish: Pollo Dorado con Chilito, spicy fried chicken. Thrice cooked, the batter is golden, crunchy, fiery and balanced well by a cool cabbage and carrot slaw.
Best for: A night out with friends.


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Jack Johnson, OutKast, Foo Fighters To Headline Firefly Festival OutKast, the Foo Fighters and Jack Johnson will be headlining this year's Firefly Music Festival lineup in Delaware.
Stars Sing Along To Lumineers
Bonnie Raitt Wins 10th GRAMMY
Katy Perry & John Mayer Wear Matching White To Clive Davis' Pre-GRAMMY Party
REWIND: Picking The Best New Artist
Jack White, The Lumineers, Ed Sheeran And Elton John Added To GRAMMY Line-Up
Celebrate The 2013 GRAMMY Nominees With Upcoming Album
The Lumineers Shocked By GRAMMY Noms"We had no idea. We found out we were going two days before we even went," the band said.
More Artists Join GRAMMY Nominations ConcertThe Lumineers, Janelle Monáe, Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town and Chris Young join tonight's show in Nashville.


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The Pacific Coast Highway—Without the Traffic
Even the famed Pacific Coast Highway has a road less traveled: the wild miles north of San Francisco.
To call Point Arena a town is a bit of an overstatement. It's basically a single strip consisting of not much more than a co-op grocery, homemade-jam stand, and historic theater. We find the real entertainment just up the hill: a 110-acre park where zebras and antelope roam. Owned by a couple dedicated to giving displaced African animals a better life than the zoo, the B. Bryan Preserve also has a three-room inn. You can take a guided tour or stay the night, like we do, to wander on your own (130 Riverside Dr., bbryanpreserve.com, from $135, including a 1.5-hour walking tour of the park). That evening, we have our pick of tables on the deck at the Pier Chowder House & Tap Room, where we eat fish tacos made with cod caught off the very pier we're gazing at.
Day 3: Point Arena to Fort Bragg, 45 miles
In Mendocino, we stop for an early lunch of chicken focaccia sandwiches in the garden at Moosse Café, which is filled with elderly women with wide-brimmed hats and lap puppies (90 Kasten St., 707/937-4323, chicken focaccia $13) . It comes as a surprise, then, when we get to Fort Bragg's Piaci Pub & Pizzeria, 20 minutes north, and discover a different world entirely (120 W. Redwood Ave., Fort Bragg, 707/961-1133, pies from $9.25). Scruffy, friendly locals squeeze into overstuffed booths—not a designer dog in sight. A teacher sitting near us puts it best: "Mendocino is for celebrities and older second-home owners—the Murder, She Wrote crowd," he says, referring to the Angela Lansbury TV show partly filmed in Mendocino.
Home to monster trucks and mattress stores, Fort Bragg isn't exactly the land of flowery B&Bs. But on the street-lamp-lined side streets, there is a thriving small-town scene with live-music cafes, chic boutiques, an outstanding greasy spoon (Eggheads, inexplicably decked out in all things Wizard of Oz), and a trio of indie bookstores (326 N. Main St., 707/964-5005, Dungeness crab omelet $16).
But it's the easy access to the pristine, rugged coast that's the main draw for visitors, namely MacKerricher State Park, just outside of town. We arrive in the afternoon to a nearly empty stretch of sand, with waves raging every which way. The only other visitors are a family of sea lions sunning themselves and a few folks on horseback. Nearby, our room at the Beachcomber Motel is basic but squeaky clean, with front-row views of the Pacific (1111 N. Main St., thebeachcombermotel.com, from $99). Stuffed with pesto-spinach pizza from Piaci, we pick up the three-mile paved path right outside our room's sliding-glass door. We detour into the bluff through a carpet of long grasses, and the wind is fierce and salty. No wonder the cypress trees permanently lean in a horizontal slant. White caps crash against the rocks below. The sun slips into the horizon, and a man taking photographs turns into a silhouette. And we otherwise have the coast all to ourselves. Again.
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When Christy Tyler Photography sent this pretty in pink soiree our way, we knew it was something special. Aside from our favorite hue, the day boasts a love that is the signature of every SMP wedding. Beautiful and warm, the love took center stage.
From the stunning bride… When Dan and I first started planning our wedding, we quickly figured out what was most important to us: to be surrounded by our family and friends and to be able to treat our guests to a memorable night. The first one was easy. Our wedding party included our siblings, brother and sister-in-laws, cousins, friends and Dans two nieces. Although it was the size of a small army, it was an amazing feeling to have such a special group of people standing by our sides on such an important day.
When we started looking for the perfect reception venue, one thing we knew was that we didn't want our guests to have to travel too far from the ceremony to the reception. We would be married in my church so that definitely helped us narrow our search for a venue pretty easily. When we first walked in to Independence Grove, we knew that would be it. Not only was it a five-minute drive from the church, but it also had the elegant, comfortable feeling we were looking for.
After discovering that the floor to ceiling windows in the reception space would be lined with candles, the rest of our design elements really just fell in to place. We wanted a simple, yet romantic feeling so candles were going to be paramount and adding mercury glass to pick up the reflection of the candlelight was a no-brainer.
The florist created centerpieces that were chic and coordinated with all of our bouquets, and the bakery kept things simple with our four-tier stucco-style cake. Our guests raved about their meal and the flash mob our families coordinated was the perfect way to kick off our reception.
Our wedding day was more than we could have ever dreamed. It encompassed everything we were hoping for and was the perfect combination of elegance and fun (with a lot of emphasis on the fun!).
Photography: Christy Tyler Photography | Videography: Kevin Wagan Video | Flowers: Pollys Petals and Particulars | Invitations: Belletristics | Church: Holy Cross Lutheran Church | Reception Venue: Independence Grove | Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale | Makeup: Faces by Deanna | Hair: Touche Salon | DJ: Elite DJs | Bride's Dress: Brides by Demetrios | Groom/Groomsmen Wear: Men's Wearhouse


text:
Afghans burn the U.S. flag in Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday during a protest against an Internet video mocking the Prophet Muhammad that many fear could further aggravate Afghan-U.S. relations. The video has sparked protests throughout the Muslim world and the Afghan government blocked the YouTube site that hosts the video and its parent company, Google Inc., over the weekend in a move to prevent violent protests.
SAN FRANCISCO — For Google last week, the decision was clear. An anti-Islamic video that provoked violence worldwide was not hate speech under its rules because it did not specifically incite violence against Muslims, even if it mocked their faith.
The White House wasn't so sure, and it asked Google to reconsider the determination, a request the company rebuffed.
Although the administration's request was unusual, for Google, it represented the kind of delicate balancing act that Internet companies confront every day.
These companies, which include communications media like Facebook and Twitter, write their own edicts about what kind of expression is allowed, things as diverse as pointed political criticism, nudity and notions as murky as hate speech. And their employees work around the clock to check when users run afoul of their rules.
Google is not the only Internet company to grapple in recent days with questions involving the anti-Islamic video. Facebook on Friday confirmed that it had blocked links to the video in Pakistan, where it violates the country's blasphemy law. A spokeswoman said Facebook had also removed a post that contained a threat to a U.S. ambassador, after receiving a report from the State Department; Facebook has declined to say which country the ambassador worked with.
''Because these speech platforms are so important, the decisions they take become jurisprudence," said Andrew McLaughlin, who has worked for both Google and the White House.
Most vexing among those decisions are ones that involve whether a form of expression is hate speech. There is no universally accepted definition of hate speech, legal experts say. And countries, including democratic ones, have widely divergent legal approaches to regulating speech they consider to be offensive or inflammatory.
Europe bans neo-Nazi speech, for instance, but courts there have also banned material that offends the religious sensibilities of one group or another. Indian law frowns on speech that could threaten public order. Turkey can shut down a website that insults its founding president, Kemal Ataturk. Like the countries, the Internet companies have their own positions, which give them wide latitude on how to interpret expression in different countries.
Although Google says the anti-Islamic video, a trailer for a supposed film called "Innocence of Muslims," was not hate speech, it did violate another one of the company's rules — offending cultural sensitivities. On those grounds, Google restricted access to it in Libya and Egypt.
Free speech absolutists say all expression, no matter how despicable, should be allowed online. Others say Internet companies, like governments, should be flexible enough to exercise restraint under exceptional circumstances, especially when lives are at stake.
At any rate, as Mark L. Movsesian, a law professor at St. John's University, pointed out, any effort to ban hateful or offensive speech worldwide would be virtually impossible, if not counterproductive.
"The regimes are so different, it's very, very difficult to come up with one answer — unless you ban everything," he said.
Google's fine parsing led to a debate in the blogosphere about whether the video constituted hateful or offensive speech.
Peter J. Spiro, a law professor at Temple University, said Google was justified in restricting access to the video in certain places, if for no other reason than to stanch the violence.
"Maybe the hate speech/offensive speech distinction can be elided by the smart folks in Google's foreign ministry," Spiro wrote on the blog Opinio Juris. "If material is literally setting off global firestorms through its dissemination online, Google will strategically pull the plug."
Every company, in order to do business globally, makes a point of obeying the laws of every country in which it operates. Google has already said that it took down links to the incendiary video in India and Indonesia, because it violates local statutes.
But even as a company sets its own rules, capriciously sometimes and without the due process that binds most countries, legal experts say they must be flexible to strike the right balance between democratic values and law.
"Companies are benevolent rulers trying to approximate the kinds of decisions they think would be respectful of free speech as a value and also human safety," said Jonathan Zittrain, a law professor at Harvard.
Unlike Google, Twitter does not explicitly address the issue of hate speech, but it says in its rule book that "users are allowed to post content, including potentially inflammatory content, provided they do not violate the Twitter Terms of Service and Rules." Those include a prohibition against "direct, specific threats of violence against others."
That wide margin for speech sometimes lands Twitter in feuds with governments and lobby groups. Twitter was pressed this summer to take down several accounts that the government of India considered offensive. Company executives agreed to remove only those that blatantly impersonated others; impersonation violates company rules, unless the user makes it clear that it is satirical.
Facebook has some of the strictest rules in the industry. Terrorist organizations are not permitted on the social network, according to the company's terms of service. In recent years, the company has repeatedly shut down fan pages set up by Hezbollah.
In a statement after the killings of U.S. Embassy employees in Libya, the company said, "Facebook's policy prohibits content that threatens or organizes violence, or praises violent organizations."
Facebook also explicitly prohibits what it calls "hate speech," which it defines as attacking a person. In addition, it allows users to report content they find objectionable, which Facebook employees then vet. Facebook's algorithms also pick up certain words that are then sent to human inspectors to review; the company declined to provide details on what kinds of words set off that kind of review.
Nudity is forbidden on Facebook, too. This year, that policy snared the social network into a controversy over photographs of breast-feeding women. Facebook pages were set up by groups that objected to the company's ban on pictures of exposed breasts, and "nurse-ins" were organized, calling on women to breast-feed outside Facebook offices worldwide.
The company said that sharing breast-feeding photos was fine, but that "photos that show a fully exposed breast where the child is not actively engaged in nursing do violate Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities."
Just this month, a New Yorker cartoon tripped over Facebook's rules on exposed breasts. On its Facebook page, the magazine displayed a cartoon that contained the topless figures of a man and women. The illustration was removed for violating Facebook's naked breast decree.
Facebook soon corrected itself. With "hundreds of thousands" of reported complaints each week, the company said, sometimes it makes a mistake.


text:
Package: gitolite (2.3-1)
Links for gitolite
Debian Resources:
Download Source Package gitolite:
External Resources:
- Homepage [github.com]
Similar packages:
SSH-based gatekeeper for git repositories
Gitolite is an SSH-based gatekeeper providing access control for a server that hosts many git repositories. Without gitolite, each developer needing to push to one of the repositories hosted would need a user account on that server; gitolite lets you do that just using SSH public keys tied to a single, common, user that hosts all the repositories.
Gitolite can restrict who can read (clone/fetch) from or write (push) to a repository, and who can push to what branch or tag - an important issue in corporate environments. Other features include:
* access control by branch-name or by modified file/directory; * per-developer "personal namespace" prefixes; * simple but powerful configuration file syntax (with validation); * config files (and authority for maintaining them) can be split; * easy integration with gitweb; * comprehensive logging; * easy migration from gitosis.
Other Packages Related to gitolite
- dep: adduser
- add and remove users and groups
- dep: debconf (>= 0.5)
- Debian configuration management system
- or debconf-2.0
- virtual package provided by cdebconf, cdebconf-udeb, debconf
- dep: openssh-server
- secure shell (SSH) server, for secure access from remote machines
- dep: perl (>= 5.6.0-16)
- Larry Wall's Practical Extraction and Report Language
- sug: git-daemon-run
- fast, scalable, distributed revision control system (git-daemon service)
- sug: gitweb
- fast, scalable, distributed revision control system (web interface)
Download gitolite
Architecture | Package Size | Installed Size | Files |
all | 247.6 kB | 539.0 kB | [list of files] |


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I'm not even comparing Glasslip to current animes, the execution is just appealing to me. Scene transition doesn't make sense, and the only vibe I got off it is that it's going to another teenage love/angst show.
Do agree with Guilty Crown. I didn't jump aboard the hype train when it was announced but 1st episode hooked me into following the series. Then it went the way of Valverave, downhill, crushing my dreams and expectations. The twist was exceedingly petty to me, silly and again, teenage angst. I do wish animes would stop using it as a scapegoat for overall plot, just because it worked for Code Geass doesn't mean they have to use it every damn time. Geezus
Which I'm prefectly fine with. At worst, it's just another one of these shows. Thankfully, I have good tolerance for them.
At best, it could be the next Ano Hana and I'll be crying at the end..... doubt it though.
It can't have gone Valvrave. Valvrave went FULL guilty Crown is what you mean haha. You can't go Valvrave because Valvrave is based on going full Guilty Crown. The chicken or the egg? Which came first? In this case so far, Guilty Crown
The review got it all right. Pretty much every character was shallow, didn't learn anything, AND every female was overtly sexualized for no apparent reason apart from fanservice in selling DVD/Blu Rays.
Very few series have been able to top Code Geass in terms of twist and plot execution. The ones that have, were made 2006 and pre. One of them being Legend of the Galactic Heros. Quite possibly the best anime ever created for those that like AAA anime.
Seriously. That series, is one of the best series Anime has under its belt.


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INTERCO anyone?
Hey guys, im getting my lift done this week sometimes and im looking for an All Terrain tire. Im not so crazy about the style/white lettering of the BFG A/T...so i think i've found a nice alternative.
The Interco TrXus STS All-Terrain TrXus MT / STS :: Interco Tire Does anyone run these tires? What are your pros/cons on them? do they last a good while? im gonna be doing a little off-roading but more wet/street terrain. Im gonna go with the 33x12.50 15LT with a 4" ProComp lift. All the reviews i've found on the net were all thumbs up as a decent all terrain tire. Plus, personally i think it is a much more agressive looking tire than the BFG A/T. Your opinions are much appreciated. Cheers, Reclaimer |
Wait I am a little confused, you're switching tires because of the style and color of the lettering? Just run black side out... Sorry, never ran interco, but most of my buddies have. They wear QUICK. They are a great off-road tire, but street wise you won't get nearly what you would with something such as a bfg a/t or nitto terra grappler. Even the BFG Mud Terrain KM1 wears great and very aggressie. Now there is three tires that I have ran and gotten 50k out of all with tread left to spare. You may have some good luck w/ interco. Just rotate them every two-three thousand miles.
1. i would def not consider these all terrains
2. they are decent tires 3. they wear very quickly 4 idk if you care but they are quite noisy... |
Just get some damn Boggers and be done!! I did...HA HA HA!!!
I've had the trxus MT (mud terrains shown at the top of that linked page). They were great and I kept them till they were almost bald. they held up very well considering they are a radial tire and my trail runs are in the sharp rocks mostly. If those all terrains are as strong as the MTs then I'd recommend them. the mud terrains were difficult to ballance though but was worth it. I still run INTERCO tires now but only the bias variety (TSL SX). |
I not sure about the STS but I run the Trxus M/T and they ARE not loud. They are surprisingly quieter then the BFG all terrains I had before. I thought they were going to be louder but are not. Can barely heard them.
I've got the M/T's too and they have been pretty good tires. Great in rain. I liked them in the rocks a lot because they are pretty sticky but I deff. chewed them up a bit. Very tough side walls but if you are on rocks it may tear the lugs up a bit. Im not so worried about that but just a thought. Id assume the STS would be a fairly decent tire as well but no personal experience myself.
Pirate4x4.com - The largest off roading website in the world. but basically, bias tires are tougher/stronger/stiffer. The sidewalls are as tough as the tread area and you don't have to worry about cutting a sidewall on a tree stump or sharp rock like you would with a radial tire. because bias are tougher and stronger than a radial, they don't flex as well and you need to run even lower tire pressures than you would with a radial. I can go down to 4 psi in my bias tires and you'd hardly notice any sidewall bulge at all. Doing that with a radial tire and it would look almost flat. So bead locks are nice to have with bias tires. They are my next mod after the wheelbase stretch. Bias tires wear out MUCH quicker than a radial too. Which is why you don't see them often on daily drivers. I used them on my daily driver though because I didn't want a flat tire when I'd go wheeeling on the weekends and 'm too lazy to change out street tire radials for bias tires every Friday night. I'm okay with the fast wear though because I know I'm not going to get a flat. Puncturing a sidewall every weekend got old super fast. Now my jeep is just a weekend warrior and I've got a normal car for daily driving. |
Generally speaking, the average bias ply tire is tougher than the average radial ply tire but there are exceptions to that with several radial tires including the BFG Krawler and Goodyear MT/R. If you want a really tough tire that is also going to be driven on the street, I'd definitely avoid a bias tire and go for a radial. And I'll agree that from what I have seen, Interco's tires wear too quickly for much street use and I wouldn't even consider one of them. If I ever get rich, I'll upgrade from my current radial GY MT/Rs to the radial BFG Krawler. :)
I agrere, for most people I'd recommend radials.
Above 10 psi the MTRs seem to do okay because they don't get pinched between the rim and rocks. I usually run between 5 and 7 psi so they weren't working for me. I've punctured 4 MTRs within a year of wheeling (one cut sidewall required 7 plugs). Thats when I had enough of radials and went bias. In the year and a half of wheeling with bias tires (bias claws and now bias TSL/SX) I've not punctured a single tire (knock on wood). And I don't carry a spare anymore either. I carry a good tire plug kit in its place. I've only used the plugs on other guys MTRs (three and counting) either way there is a compromise... for me it was either fixing flats every weekend with radials or replacing bald tires every six months with the bias tires. I felt better knowing when I was going to need to replace a bald bias tire vs a surpise cut sidewall in a radial on a tricky obsticle. I do like the BFG krawlers but red label only and only if I were to trailer my jeep everywhere because they are a super sticky compound that wears out twice as fast as a bias. I'd stay away from the regular blue label krawlers. They don't seem to stick very well to rocks (hard rubber compound so they last a long time) and they are expensive. My next set of tires will probably be Maxxis Creepies. A nice sticky tire that I can still drive to the trails on weekends. very expensive though. |
Ygohome, I've never aired my MT/Rs down to anything but 7 to 8 psi without problems aside from one cut sidewall on my first set of them. I will admit that since I had left my spare in camp that particular day (was doing Sledgehammer in JV), it took 30+ tire plugs to get it to hold air so I could make it back to camp. That was a bad/expensive day in JV, I also busted a front inner and outer axleshaft. :)
Yep if not far more than 30 plugs. It's a good thing I had recently bought a big box of them at Pep Boys. As I'd stuff them in, they'd congeal together and a couple times as I was trying to fill the tire with air, I'd get a big bubble from all the tire plug glue. Several "wads" of tire plugs got blown out into the sand as I'd try to refill it which is why I went through so many. It was a 3-corner tear, about 2" on a side. I have a photo of that tire plug mess somewhere at home. The tire dealer, Evans Tires here in the San Diego area, almost didn't cover it even though I had bought their "all hazards" warranty. 3-4 days of arguing and they finally covered it. Buy your tires from Discount Tires, they are good about this kind of problem if you buy their warranty and is why I bought my second set of MT/Rs from them. :)
Ive been running my first set of trxus mts for almost 3 years now. they have worn well. great traction on and off (especially in the snow compared to a MTR) no sidewall issues with me aired down to 10 to 15psi. no chunking or slashing from spinning in the rocks either.
My ONLY issue is the damn balancing. Interco's quality control sucks the big one. but once you do get them balanced they perform great. Im not a JV wheeler but i run all the trails in big bear and surrounding area all the time. I always rotate my tires and have them balanced every few months with proper PSI all the time. |
you can turn the bfg at's around to avoid the white lettering... there your beat all terrain out there
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I take a pretty hard line against celebrities — or anyone, for that matter — making light of rape, so you might be surprised to find that I'm not immediately against Charlize Theron's use of the word to describe what it feels like when the media intrudes on your life.
She made the statement during a conversation with Sky News in promotion of her new movie A Million Ways To Die In The West. The interviewer was reading out headlines that come up when you Google her name, and Charlize said that she avoids searching her name because of the feelings it provokes in her:
"I don't [Google myself] — that's my saving grace. When you start living in that world, and doing that, you start feeling raped."
The interviewer gives her an opportunity to walk back her answer by saying, "That — that strong?", but she doesn't take it, instead responding:
"Well, when it comes to your son and your private life…maybe that's just me. Some people might relish in all of that stuff. But there are certain things in my life that I think of as very sacred, and I'm very protective over them."
If you're feeling offended right now, you're not wrong. Any reaction to Charlize's statement is valid, because rape is a very strong word to use. But sometimes it can be a knee-jerk reaction to assume it's being misused, and we have to be careful with that. Myself as much as anyone.
I stand behind the fact that Jennifer Lawrence should not have so flippantly referred to her 'rape scream' when excitedly greeting Alfonso Cuaron at a party, but for me this is a more nuanced situation. In that case, I believe that Jennifer intended to shock by using the wrong word for the situation, while in Charlize's case, I believe she intended to shock by using the right word.
First of all, it's important to understand that although it's primarily (and most strongly) associated with nonconsensual sexual intercourse, the word 'rape' has secondary meanings as well, namely:
an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation
And when we're talking about the word 'raped', the potential meanings expand even further to contain:
to seize, take, or carry off by force.
Once you have those definitions in mind, consider the fact that the articles that Charlize is talking about aren't your standard missive critiquing her performance in a movie or recapping what she wore to an award show.
Because Charlize is a celebrity, some of her rights and expectations of privacy have been seized — or plundered, despoiled, violated, or abused — by the media. Every facet of her life is considered up for grabs, so you can look at pictures of her son and rant about his adoption (even leaking details, if you're that kind of judge and you're in the mood) or the color of his skin, speculate on the causes for the end of her nine-year relationship with Stuart Townsend, clamor for the end of her relationship with Sean Penn (as I have, loudly), rehash the murder of her verbally abusive, alcoholic father at the hands of her terrified mother in 1991, admire her body, discuss what you'd do if you ever had Charlize naked in a room, and, if you're dedicated enough to your cause, probably find her phone number, home address, and potentially hack into her computer or voicemail. Information that you might not have on your closest friend, strangers have access to about Charlize, and there's nothing she can do about it.
Only if someone steps over the line into printing something that is patently untrue or actually threatening bodily harm can Charlize take the step of pursuing legal action. Her rights have been carried away with her celebrity, and her life has been stripped bare under the gaze of the media. I've never experienced it myself, but just writing this piece and realizing how many pieces of information and photos are out there, I'm overcome with a pervasive feeling of a powerlessness and helplessness on Charlize's behalf. I can't imagine what that feels like, but I can understand, if not appreciate, her choice of words.
…or, who knows, she might have been being just as glib as Jennifer Lawrence and Kristen Stewart before her, and this whole exploration has been an exercise in futility. All I know is that it feels different to me.
(Photo: WENN.com)


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Market Snapshot: | |||||
Last |
Week Chg |
Week %Chg |
S&P 500 Index |
1690.50 |
-1.25 |
-.07% |
Dow Jones Industrials |
15072.58 |
-185.96 |
-1.21% |
NASDAQ Composite |
3807.75 |
+26.16 |
+.06% |
Value Line Arithmetic Index |
4028.97 |
+9.98 |
+.24% |
Minor Cycle* (Short-term trend lasting days to a few weeks) Negative |
Intermediate Cycle* (Medium trend lasting weeks to several months) Neutral |
Major Cycle* (Long-term trend lasting several months to years) Positive |
*Cycle status is based on S&P 500
The two-tiered stock market, at least as measured by recent blue chip action in the S&P 500 and Dow 30 relative to the less blue NASDAQ Composite, Value Line index, and Russell 2000 shares, continued last week. While the S&P and Dow posted net losses and even dipped to new short-term lows, COMPX, VALUSA, and TFY perked to new highs mid-week and were net positive over the five-day period.
On the indicator front, our Daily Most Actives Advance/Decline Line (MAAD), while backing off from its September 18 short to intermediate-term high, was last only 22 positive issues from equaling its mid-September peak At the same time, Daily MAAD remains above an uptrend line stretching back to November 2012 and Weekly MAAD last week equaled a new high made the week of September 20. In a word, MAAD continues to confirm the positive action that has occurred in the lesser blues over the past several weeks while continuing to suggest there is still hope for the bullish point-of-view so long as the indicator does not initiate any negative divergences in the face of higher prices, and so long as it remains in the uptrend that is now nearly a year old.
Market Overview – What We Know:
- Major indexes closed mixed last week with bluer chip S&P 500 and Dow 30 negative with lesser blue NASDAQ Composite, Value Line index, and Russell 2000 all net positive after reaching new highs during week.
- Overall Market volume rose 4%.
- Short-term trend in S&P 500 remains negative. For bellwether to take on more positive tone it must rally above upper edge of 10-Day Price Channel (1704.24 through Monday). Intermediate Cycle remains positive until lower edge of 10-Week Price Channel (1650.48 through October 11) is breached.
- Our short-term volatility indicator (VBVI) was last toward "Neutral" (50%) after correcting "Overbought" excesses that developed into mid-September short-term highs. Weekly VBVI remains positive, but vulnerable, at 99%.
- Daily MAAD hit new short-term low last Monday, but recovered slightly over remainder of week, despite new short-term lows in S&P and Dow 30. Indicator remains above longer-term uptrend line stretching back to November 2012 intermediate-term lows. On week, 10 issues were positive, 8 negative, and 2 unchanged. Weekly MAAD equaled new high reached week of September 20. Daily MAAD Ratio was near "Neutral" at .96 with Weekly Ratio marginally overheated at 1.44.
- Daily CPFL sank to new short to intermediate-term low last Thursday. Despite Oversold conditions in both Daily and Weekly CPFL Ratios (.72 and .44, respectively), indicator remains below uptrend line begun October 2011. That line was penetrated on downside during first week of September to underscore disenchantment with market by options players.
What we're also seeing in addition to the easier to spot market clues are short-term readings ranging from "Neutral" (Momentum and VBVI, our VIX-based volatility indicator) to "Oversold" (Daily MAAD and some price-based Trading Oscillators). VBVI in particular has corrected recent "Overbought" conditions back to "Neutral" levels. That same neutrality coincided with two of the six short-term lows (February and April 2013) that developed in the intermediate-term advance underway since last November. We're wondering if current action could be the third such event since Weekly VBVI remains positive, as has been the case since early July.


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How Dark is Too Dark?
January 6th, 2011 by Rosa
Via the Kitchn, here's a Wall Street Journal piece that wonders if cacao percentages have gotten too high to be tolerable.
I've tried a few 100% cacao bars and generally find them inedible. In fact, I like to finish my chocolate tastings on a 100% bar, just to underscore that higher doesn't necessarily mean tastier.
On the other hand, Michel Cluizel's Cacaoforte truffle, made from his 99% cacao, is one of my favorites. I'm sure the addition of cream helps.
This entry was posted onThursday, January 6th, 2011 at 8:00 am and is filed under review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.