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The Tropical Seasonal Forest
Tropical Dry Forest, Tropical Deciduous Forest, Savanna
If you want to see more high-quality pictures of organisms from the temperate rainforest and other biomes, click here!
If you want to know more about Marietta College's Biology and Environmental Science Program, click here!
|First, we need to distinguish between two closely related biomes, the tropical seasonal forest and the savanna. The tropical seasonal forest has more or less densely growing trees which lose their leaves during the dry season. The savanna is a grassland with individual trees or groups of trees dotting the landscape. If you look at the climate diagrams to the right, you will see that the temperature regime is the same for both; with average annual temperatures over 20° C. Rainfall can vary from less than 50cm/year to almost 300 cm/year. Savannas would occupy the dryer part of this range.
The figure to the left was taken at the Santa Rosa National Park in Costa Rica. This park has a typical tropical seasonal forest, and gets about 130 cm of rain per year. The rainfall is highly seasonal; with most of the rain falling in the months from May to November, May being both the end of the dry season and the wettest month overall, at least in the year pictured here. This strong seasonality of rainfall is characteristic of the tropical seasonal forest. During the rainy season(s), trees can easily maintain leaves and productivity is high. During the dry season(s), evaporation from the leaves is too high for the tree to sustain, so the leaves are dropped, much the way temperate deciduous forest plants lose their leaves in the winter.
Tropical seasonal forests and savannas are, as one might suspect, largely restricted to the tropics; actually a little further as most are found between 30° N and South latitudes. Much of Mexico falls into this biome, as does a stretch of forest down the west coast of Central America. South America has these biomes in the northeast, in a band across Brazil to Argentina, and a smaller band on the west coast. Africa has a large extent of tropical seasonal forests and savannas; a band runs through sub-saharan Africa and runs down the eastern coast with another band extending across the continent south of the tropical rainforest. There are extensive areas of these biomes in India, southeast Asia, and northern Australia as well.
Indio Desnuda, Bursera simarouba - Santa Rosa, Costa Rica
Acacia and Ants, Santa Rosa, Costa Rica
At Santa Rosa, one of the more noticeable trees at the end of the dry season was Indio Desnuda (the naked Indian), Bursera simarouba (above). This plant has a photosynthetic green bark that can carry on some photosynthesis even during the dry season when the leaves have dropped. Acacias (above right) are another important tree of this type of biome; they are found both in the new world and in Africa. The thorns deter many herbivores (but not giraffes); to increase the deterrent factor many species have hollow thorns which are home to colonies of ants which attack herbivores, insects, competing plants, and careless hikers.
I have no idea what the big tree to the right is, but we saw a number of them in Santa Rosa. They had leaves at the end of the dry season and were very big and very impressive.
Scorpion, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
White-throated Magpie-Jay (Calocitta formosa),
I do know what all of these are. Scorpions are predatory invertebrates that are part of many world ecosystems, particularly dry ones. For some reason they are not common in temperate areas and thus seem exotic to those of us who live in such climes. The two birds here are characteristic of the dry forests of Costa Rica. Like other jays, the Magpie-Jay caches food in the wet season for consumption in the dry season (see the article on scrub jays for a comparison). Because of the need to remember where all the food is, these birds are very smart. The large Crested Guan lends its name to a whole region of Costa Rica - Guanacaste.
The giraffe is perhaps the most characteristic animal of this biome from Africa. Uniquely suited to browse leaves from trees, they are found in the savannas and dry forests of Africa. Their long black tongues are so dexterous they can even remove leaves from thorny acacias.
A number of other African mammals make the dry forests and savannas home; in these pages most of them are covered with the grasslands. The white rhino here reminds us that animals often have little use for our boundaries be they political or theoretical.
Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens),
Southern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) - The Wilds, Ohio
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) - The Wilds, Ohio
Ecological Notes:
During the dry season the search for water is critical. Trees either have to have deep roots to underground sources of water, or they will have to shed their leaves to reduce their water loss until the rainy season comes. As in the temperate deciduous forest, the leaves laying on the forest floor will decompose and release their nutrients back to the soil, where the tree can use them once again. The decomposition will proceed rather rapidly in the hot, wet conditions of the rainy season.
Some trees flower just before the rains come; at this point the flowers really stand out and are sure to attract the attention of desperate pollinators. In the picture to the right, a Ctenosaur hangs out in an early flowering tree. Life is tough for vegetation-eating lizards at this time as well.
The honeybees shown below were visiting a basin of water catching some overflow from the laundry. They were gathering water, no doubt to take back to the hive. There the water would be spread around and allowed to evaporate, cooling the hive. Honeybees can store honey to get them through the dry season (they can survive winters in temperate climates with stored honey, after all), so it is no real problem for them to get through the dry months other than finding water for themselves and to cool the hive. Other insects, cut off from normal food supplies during the dry season, must go into a resting stage of some sort, many species spend the dry season as eggs.
Ctenosaur (Ctenosaura similis),
Honeybees (Apis mellifera), Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical dry forests are susceptible to all the usual threats. In the image to the right, you can see smoke in the distance. This means that someone is clearing forest for use as agricultural fields or pasture. Dry forests and savannas around the world are subject to this pressure, all the more so because many of the forests are located in countries with very high population growth rates, and thus increasing pressure to grow crops to feed the people. Also, in many areas wild animals are being chased out as herders use the land for their cattle and other domestic animals; often fences are put in place which prevent the wildlife from performing seasonal migrations or accessing critical water holes.
Another pressure put on dry forests is wood collecting. In many places wood is collected for use as building material, fuel, or as stock for making charcoal. This leads to deforestation as often the collecting proceeds faster than the trees are able to grow. The fuel is needed for simple things like cooking; in many places young children will walk miles each day to gather enough firewood for their mother to prepare a single meal. The industrialized world, with its vast use of fossil fuels (and waster thereof driving our SUV's) effectively prices poor Africans out of the fuel market. The price for a gallon of kerosene might exceed a poor person's monthly wage. The story is not all grim, however, many Africans are fighting back by planting trees. Read more about this response here!
Biological Field Station, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
In 2005, the Biology and Environmental Science Department at Marietta College made a trip to Costa Rica. While there, we stayed for several days at Santa Rosa National Park in the Guanacaste Province on the western (Pacific) coast. The native habitat in this area is dry forest, and it was all highly threatened until Costa Ricans, with the help of American biologist Daniel Janzen and others, began to work to protect this unique habitat. We stayed at the biological station in the park. The accommodations were comfortable dormitories as seen in the pictures above and right.
We were there at the very end of the dry season. The wildlife was easy to see with the leaves down. One of my favorites was this Roadside Hawk (below) which hunted near the station. In the image below you can see it has caught an anole; like other hawks they also eat small rodents and other small animals.
Roadside Hawk, Buteo magnirostris, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Roadside Hawk, Buteo magnirostris, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Ctenosaur (Ctenosaura similis), Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Blindsnake, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Ctenosaur (Ctenosaura similis), Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
There were a number of reptiles about. Most conspicuous were the ctenosaurs, a large iguana relative (they are sometimes called black iguanas). These lizards ranged in size up to about 4 feet long (the big guy at upper and below left). Most of the time we spotted them they were on the ground, but some were quick to climb the nearest tree (left). Apparently, however, they prefer to stay on the ground where they feed on vegetation and any small animals or insects they can catch. Another important food, particularly in the dry season, are the flowers and fruits of trees that bear them during the dry season (below).
The blindsnake we found was under the large tree pictured at the top of this page. It was crawling through the thin layer of leaf litter under the tree. These snakes feed on small invertebrates; some types of blindsnakes live in the nests of termites and ants and prey on them.
Ctenosaur (Ctenosaura similis), Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Ctenosaur (Ctenosaura similis), Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest Canopy, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Here are some pictures of the forest itself. As mentioned previously, we were there at the end of the dry season and most of the trees had lost their leaves, although here and there some trees had leaves. Whether they retained their leaves throughout the dry season or had recently grown them in anticipation of the rains I don't know. As you can see from the image above right, the canopy is very open at this time of year, but plants on the forest floor lack the water to take advantage of the sun; therefore the forest floor is relatively open. In some areas, as the picture below shows, grasses may grow during the rainy season, only to die back during the dry season. Also interesting is the twisted, gnarled appearance of many of the trees.
It should also be noted that this ecosystem is not maintained by fire. Many of the forest plants are extremely susceptible to fire, which does not appear to be a natural phenomenon here.
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Blue-crowned Motmot, Momotus momota,
Small Bird - Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Inca Dove, Columbina inca, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Again, this was a good place to see birds; it was much easier to see them here than it was in the rainforests we were in later in the trip. I don't know what the small bird above is, but it was busy working its way through a thicket of heavy brush. The Blue-crowned Motmot (above left) feeds on insects and small animals; you can compare it to the Rufous Motmot by clicking here.
The Inca Doves shown here have a strange pattern to their feathers; it almost gives the impression that they are wearing a pointed-on camouflage. They feed primarily on seeds .
The Crested Guan reminds one of a small turkey; they live in the treetops, however, where they feed on seeds and fruits. On the other hand, the Squirrel Cuckoo (below) feeds mainly on insects.
Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens),
Squirrel Cucko (Piaya cayana) - Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Agouti - Dasyprocta punctata - Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Variegated Squirrel, Sciurus variegatoides,
We saw a number of mammals at Santa Rosa, but many were difficult to photograph. Some members of the group saw a large wild cat of some type but were unable to photograph it in the twilight. I took a number of pictures of deer and coati that are obscured by the heavy underbrush.
We were able to see a number of species clearly, however. Agouti (above) were prevalent around the field station itself, and it was not unusual to come across them on a path. These rabbit-sized rodents feed mainly on nuts and fruits that fall to the ground; they can also cache food when it is abundant; this behavior probably serves them well in the dry season and also helps to disperse seeds. They also eat bananas, check out the movies below.
We saw two species of monkeys at Santa Rosa. A troop of Howler Monkeys moved into the large tree over the dining hall the same day we got there, and they remained for the rest of our stay. Among them was at least one baby (right). We could hear other howler monkey troops off in the distance. The monkeys did not like the sound of certain vehicles and the approach of those vehicles was certain to get those monkeys howling.
We saw our first Capuchin Monkeys on the road to Playa Nancite, a beach where the Santa Rosa National Park meets the Pacific Ocean. The open canopy of the dry forest was an ideal place to observe these small monkeys.
You can go to this page for links to movies of agoutis and howler monkeys.
Mantled Howler Monkey (Allouata palliata),
We saw a number of coati at Santa Rosa. These are relatives of the raccoon and share its omnivorous ways. The coatis at Santa Rosa always seemed to be obscured by brush, so I'm tossing in a photo from La Selva. Coatis can be found from far into South America all the way up to the southwestern United States.
Coati - (Nasua narica) - La Selva, Costa Rica
Capuchin Monkey (Cebus capucinus), Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Acacia and Ants, Santa Rosa, Costa Rica
Acacia and Ants, Santa Rosa, Costa Rica
One of the most interesting things to observe at Santa Rosa was the mutualistic relationship between Acacia Ants and the Acacia trees. You would think that the big thorns on the Acacia tree would deter most herbivores, but the Acacia is not satisfied with that. It turns out that the thorns are hollow and easily modified by the ants to serve as living chambers. To attract the ants, the Acacia trees also bear nectaries at the base of the leaves (above), these non-floral nectar sources feed and water the ants. When the leaves first form, beltian bodies, which are rich in protein, are formed as well to help feed the ants. In return, the ants defend the Acacia from large browsing herbivores and insect herbivores, clip off any vines that try to attach, and even kill any plants growing too close to the Acacia tree. More on Acacia Ants.
While most larger animals are attacked by the ants, some manage to make peace with them; several species of birds actually build their nests in the Acacia trees. The nests then receive the protection of the ants as well.
Bird's Nest in Acacia, Santa Rosa, Costa Rica
Ant at Acacia nectary , Santa Rosa, Costa Rica
Golden Carpenter Ant (Camponotus sericeiventris),
Golden Carpenter Ant (Camponotus sericeiventris),
Two other fascinating ants were apparent at Santa Rosa. It was hard to miss the large Golden Carpenter Ants found on many of the trees. These ants feed on decaying wood made more nutritious by the fungus growing in it.
Most amazing, however, were the Army Ants we encountered near a trail one day. This swarm was so large that the sound made by the millions of tiny feet as they moved through the leaves sounded like a light rain falling. You can see the swarm as a black blob in the photo to the right. Individual ants scurried along trails on the forest floor, these trails intertwined like someone's macramé project. Up close, one could pick out individual ants such as the soldier below right. The massive jaws help the soldiers defend the columns; they were also used by natives to hold wounds closed much the way surgeons use surgical staples. The worker ants, below, were bringing back an astounding assortment of invertebrates from the forest floor and from the small trees they scoured as well. Right-click to play the movie below.
This page has links to more army ant movies.
Army Ants, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Army Ants, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Army Ants, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Army Ants, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Indio Desnuda, Bursera simarouba - Santa Rosa, Costa Rica
Indio Desnuda, Bursera simarouba - Santa Rosa, Costa Rica
The "Naked Indian" tree is called by a number of other common names in relation to its unique, peeling bark. In Florida, this tree is called the "Gumbo-Limbo" or "Tourist Tree" (get it?). As mentioned above, some photosynthesis can take place in the green bark. The peeling may help prevent epiphytes, which would block sunlight, from becoming attached. When cut, a sap is extruded that apparently has medicinal purposes.
Below, an Acacia just getting its first leaves of the season looms in the foreground of an otherwise leafless forest; in the picture below left the accumulation of dried plant material illustrates how much fuel would be available if a fire started.
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Guanacaste Stick Insect, Calynda bicuspis,
Not all of the animals at Santa Rosa were easy to see. For instance, can you see the moth on the tree bark above? Likewise, stick insects were really tough to see given all the bare branches in the park. They further their camouflage by remaining motionless during the day, and feeding at night, when they are less likely to be seen.
Stepping away from Santa Rosa, we have the case of the giraffe. In most nature films you see the giraffes strolling across a grassland. They do that, particularly when migrating from one forest to another, following the rains. But, if you think about it, the grasslands just aren't the home of the giraffe - why grow that long neck to eat something on the ground? A giraffe's normal home is in the forest or savanna, and there the reticulated pattern of the giraffe's skin blends in. This effect is furthered when you consider that most predators of the giraffe do not have good color vision. In both pictures below you can see how the giraffe's pattern helps hide it; in the picture below left whole sections of the giraffes disappear into the cover.
Incidentally, the pictures below were made at The Wilds, a remarkable conservation facility built on reclaimed stripmine land in southeastern Ohio. Among the trees growing on the property are locusts, which seem to be an ecological stand in for the African Acacias that the giraffes normally feed on. The Wilds is one of the few places in North America where you can see giraffes eat naturally from a tree rather than from a basket up on a pole.
Guanacaste Stick Insect, Calynda bicuspis,
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) - The Wilds, Ohio
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) - The Wilds, Ohio
Scorpion, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Scorpion, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
We did see a number of scorpions in the park. The first one was found by one of the students on the window curtains over the bed in her room. Needless to say, this find was greeted with excitement by this crew of experienced biologists. I had taken an ultraviolet light along both to attract insects at night and to look for scorpions, as the fluoresce under ultraviolet radiation (above left). We saw a number of these creatures during our stay, and everybody eventually got to "pet the scorpion", which as you can see from the picture at lower left, is not an euphemism. We knew that we had real biologists on our hands when a few nights later we hear - coming from the women's dorm - "There's something crawling on my pillow - I hope it's just a cockroach" and when they would summon me by coming to the door and knocking and asking me to come get a scorpion in a calm voice, as if the toilet was plugged up or something. This after one of the group actually was stung by a scorpion drying off after a shower. That would be Will in the green shirt "petting the scorpion".
Petting the Scorpion, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Giant Toad, Bufo marinus, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tree Frog, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tree Frog, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
We saw a few amphibians even in the dry park - although most of them were clustered around the outdoor washbasins. The latter included 2 species? of tree frogs (above and left) which we haven't been able to identify yet.
Far easier to identify was the Marine Toad. These big toads are common in a lot of places. They are native to the new world tropics, but have been introduced far and wide, ostensibly to control pests. In terms of pest control they are really not that effective, and they are considered an invasive species themselves; preying on a wide variety of native species and outcompeting native amphibians. The very large parotid glands (behind the ears in this picture) carry more poison than the average toad; these toads can be fatal to dogs and native predators that attack the toads. To make matters worse, they are known to take food out of dog bowls, an activity sure to tick off any dog catching them at it.
Forest Transect, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
One of the class activities at Santa Rosa was taking a transect through the forest. The students measured the distances to the closest 4 trees at each of various random points along a line stretched through the forest. Later, they compared their finding to a similar transect done in the rainforest at La Selva. In the photo above, that would be Will who was "volunteered" by his peers to stretch the transect line into the forest on the theory that he wouldn't get stung twice in the same day.
Forest Transect, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Playa Naranjo, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Some more views of the tropical dry forest at the end of the dry season. Again, some of the trees did have leaves, and we were uncertain if they were put out in anticipation of the rains or if those trees had a water source deep down in the soil.
The water source for the green trees in the image to the left is not in question. Those are mangroves and other trees in a small estuary at Playa Naranjo on the coast.
In the photo below, the tropical dry forest has just received its first significant rainfall of the rainy season.
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Dry Forest, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
|In 2007, we arrived in Santa Rosa after the start of the rainy season. It was a different world, as these pictures attest.
Camouflaged moth, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
Can you see me now? Good.
You can read and see more about tropical dry forests here:
Trip to Playa Nancite, Santa Rosa National Park
If you want to see more high-quality pictures of organisms from the temperate rainforest and other biomes, click here!
If you want to know more about Marietta College's Biology and Environmental Science Program, click here!


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The Koch Brothers' Campaign Against EPA Climate Safeguards Is In Your Newspaper
Research ››› ››› DENISE ROBBINS
At least 16 U.S. newspapers have recently published op-eds by state officials of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the Koch brothers' political advocacy group, urging state legislatures to oppose the EPA's plan to address climate change by limiting carbon pollution from power plants. These newspapers have consistently failed to disclose the authors' oil industry ties, and the op-eds themselves "misleadingly" cite statistics on electricity prices from an industry-funded study, as a media fact-checker has explained.
Newspapers Publishing AFP Op-Eds Did Not Disclose Group's Ties To Fossil-Fuel Industry
At Least 16 Newspapers Have Published AFP Op-Eds Asking States To Fight Back Against EPA's Clean Power Plan. Nearly identical op-eds have been published in at least 16 newspapers across the country, each written by the Americans for Prosperity chapter director or deputy director in that state. The op-eds call for state legislatures to fight back against the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which would place the first-ever national limits on carbon pollution from power plants. Some of the recent AFP op-eds include headlines such as:
- "Arizona should fight useless coal regulations"
- "Protect taxpayers from EPA"
- "Protect power grid from EPA mandate"
- "State lawmakers should fight the EPA"
- "South Dakota's legislature should stop EPA"
- "Florida state lawmakers should fight EPA's dangerous economic plan"
- "Virginia state legislators should fight the EPA"
Authors Are Disclosed Only As State Officials Of AFP, With No Mention Of Oil Industry Ties. Among the newspapers examined that published an op-ed by an AFP state official, every newspaper except for one identified the author only as state director (or deputy state director) of Americans for Prosperity. The sole exception, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, identified the author as "the Texas state director of the conservative political action group Americans for Prosperity" (emphasis added). But no newspaper disclosed that Americans for Prosperity is run by the oil baron Koch brothers.
[Waycross Journal-Herald, 1/13/15, via Nexis; Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 1/9/15; News & Observer, 12/31/14, via Nexis; Wichita Eagle, 1/1/15; Lafayette Journal & Courier, 12/31/14; Evansville Courier & Press, 1/1/15; Tribune-Star, 1/7/15; Sun-Sentinel, 1/3/15; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/7/15; Pensacola News Journal, 1/20/15; Argus Leader, 1/20/15; Victoria Advocate, 1/16/15; Waco Tribune-Herald, 2/12/15; Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/2/15; Arizona Republic, 3/22/15]
Americans For Prosperity Is The Political Arm Of The Oil Billionaire Koch Brothers
Koch Brothers Co-Founded Group That Later Became Americans For Prosperity Foundation. The Koch brothers' company, Koch Industries, notes on its website that Charles and David Koch, along with two others, founded the Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation, which later became the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, and that the AFP Foundation created the 501(c)(4) organization Americans for Prosperity. Koch Industries also acknowledges on its website that Americans for Prosperity and Americans for Prosperity Foundation have "received monetary support from Koch companies, Charles Koch, David Koch, and/or the Koch foundations." [Koch Industries, accessed 3/25/15]
Politico: Americans For Prosperity Is "[T]he Koch Brothers' Main Political Arm." In reporting on Americans for Prosperity's political spending for the 2014 mid-term elections, Politico noted that Americans for Prosperity is the "Koch brothers' main political arm." [Politico, 5/9/14]
Koch Brothers Are Oil Industry Billionaires. The New Yorker reported, "With his brother Charles, who is seventy-four, David Koch owns virtually all of Koch Industries, a conglomerate, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, whose annual revenues are estimated to be a hundred billion dollars. The company has grown spectacularly since their father, Fred, died, in 1967, and the brothers took charge. The Kochs operate oil refineries in Alaska, Texas, and Minnesota, and control some four thousand miles of pipeline." [The New Yorker, 8/30/10]
Center For Public Integrity: "It's In The Kochs' Commercial Interest To Preserve America's Reliance On Carbon-Based Energy Sources." The Center for Public Integrity reported that oil is the "core of the Koch business empire," and that it is in their "commercial interest" to keep America dependent on carbon-based energy sources:
Oil is the core of the Koch business empire, and the company's lobbyists and officials have successfully fought to preserve the industry's tax breaks and credits, and to defeat attempts by Congress to regulate greenhouse gases.
It's in the Kochs' commercial interest to preserve America's reliance on carbon-based energy sources. Despite recent diversification, Koch remains a major petrochemical company with refineries in North Pole, Alaska; Corpus Christi, Texas; Rosemount, Minn., and Rotterdam in the Netherlands; an array of chemical plants; a coal subsidiary (the C. Reiss Coal Co.) and 4,000 miles of pipelines.
So it is not surprising that, when the Obama administration and the Democrats on Capitol Hill proposed to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases in recent years, Koch Industries responded with a fervent counteroffensive. [Center for Public Integrity, 4/6/11]
In 2009, AFP Was "Third Largest Recipient" Of Funding From Koch Foundations. A DeSmogBlog investigation of the funding behind AFP reported in 2009 that the group is the "third largest recipient of funding from the Koch Family Foundations," which is funded by Koch Industries. [DeSmogBlog, 2/26/09]
Media Professionals Have Expressed Concern Over Such Lack Of Disclosure
Media Professionals: Lack Of Disclosure A "Growing Problem In American Journalism." A petition signed in 2011 by over 50 individuals currently and formerly active in the media industry expressed concern about the "growing problem in American journalism" of media outlets publishing commentaries from industry-funded contributors without disclosing their special interest ties. From the letter:
There is a disturbing trend of special interests surreptitiously funding "experts" to push industry talking points in the nation's major media outlets. When these expert commentaries appear in media outlets, their special interest ties go unreported.
Unfortunately, when media outlets quote or publish op-eds from "bought and biased" pundits, the conflict of interest goes unmentioned.
[W]e believe media outlets have the responsibility to inform their readers of opinion writers' true ties and conflicts of interest. [True Ties, 10/6/11]
AFP Op-Eds Are Being "Misleading" By Citing Dubious Study To Attack Clean Power Plan
AFP Op-Eds Cite Industry-Funded Study To Claim Clean Power Plan Will Be Expensive For Consumers. Every op-ed Media Matters examined cited figures from a recent study carried out by NERA Economic Consulting to allege that the Clean Power Plan would increase electricity prices. For example, the op-ed published in the Arizona Republic stated: "According to a study from NERA Economic Consulting, Arizona families could see their electricity bills jump 13 percent every year from 2017 to 2031." The study was commissioned by fossil fuel interests including American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, and National Mining Association. [Arizona Republic, 3/22/15; NERA Economic Consulting, October 2014]
Washington Post "Fact Checker" Said It Is "Misleading" To Cite The NERA Study's Figures. When Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) cited the NERA study to claim that the Clean Power Plan "will result in double-digit electricity prices in 43 states," Washington Post's "Fact Checker" blog responded that Inhofe's claim was "misleading" because the study's numbers "are on the high end of a range of cost impacts, which are mere projections at this point." The "Fact Checker" noted that supporters of the Clean Power Plan say the NERA study "inflates the cost of energy efficiency programs" and "ignores long-term benefits of energy efficiency programs that ultimately could drive actual energy bills down." It concluded: "A lot of the costs can be driven down by state, local and regional policymakers, and some of them already are working with the EPA to figure out cost-effective plans." [Washington Post, 3/13/15]
Union Of Concerned Scientists: NERA "Falsely Inflates Costs." The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) stated that the NERA study "falsely inflates the cost" of the Clean Power Plan by "denying energy efficiency's proven ability to save consumers money." UCS went on to explain that the NERA study uses "a 2012 study that has been repeatedly discredited" to justify its inflated cost estimates. [Union of Concerned Scientists, 11/14/14]
EPA: Clean Power Plan Benefits Will Dwarf Costs. The EPA found that by 2030, the cost of complying with the Clean Power Plan will be $7.3-8.8 billion, whereas it will lead to climate and health benefits worth $55 to $93 billion. [EPA, accessed 3/25/15]
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Inclined Bang Wavy Party Long Synthetic Wig - Red Wine
Product Description
Inclined Bang Wavy Party Long Synthetic Wig
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3. The wig can be stored in the hairnet and plastic bag, or be put on the wig stand. But please note it should be placed in a cool dry airy place.
4. Due to the different resolution settings of the monitor, light, effect, or many other factors, the color that appears on your monitor may vary from the original color of the item you received.
5. There may be some other problems such as different hairstyle, strange smells or bad touch feeling etc. But don't worry that's a normal phenomenon; These problems may be caused by the transportation, temperature, workmanship or others. To solve these problems, you need to wash it first and then to manage it.
6. We can guarantee that the overall style displayed in the photography is accurate, however, there may be differences in how the style appears during wear. This depends on other physical variables, e.g. personal body size, body shape, limb proportion, height, etc.
7. There may be 1-3cm differ due to manual measurement. Please choose the right one according to your actual situation.
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Gary2013-06-27 09:31 #2Reply
I happened to have made an audio from iMovie several days ago. I hope my tips would be helpful.
First, create a project. Click on File and choose your wanted video in your folder. Before this step you should check whether your video format is compatible with iMovie. The formats that iMovie supports includes 3GP, MOV and MP4, M4V, H.264, AVCHD, DV.
Second, after you have imported your video to iMovie, hit on Share tab at the top of the window. Then you will find the drop-down list box, in which you could choose Export Using QuickTime.
Third, Rename your edited video and select the folder where you want to transfer your video to. Click on Export and choose Sound to AIFF. At last, hit on Export to extract audio from video in iMovie.
Jennifer2013-07-29 22:51 #4Reply
I think your problem lies in your video Format because AIFF files are often not compressed. So they are usually large and not easy to transfer. You'd better convert your files to other formats. Mp3 is the most popular audio format and it is compatible with iPhone player. I suggest you use a converter for mac to convert iMovie to mp3. Video Grabber is my recommended application for you. With it, you could try two different ways to convert your files.
Method 1: Try its Convert Video File function
1, Enter Video Grabber website and find Convert Video File service.
2, Click on Browse and choose the audio you have exported from iMovie, then select mp3 as your output format.
3, Click on Convert and your job could be done in a while.
Method 2: Choose Screen Recorder function.
1, Click on Start Recording, and the software interface will pop up.
2, Choose your output folder, and then hit Record at top right corner. Then find Only Audio at drop-down list. When you move your mouse on it, there will be audio format for you to choose.
3, Play your video in iMoive, the recorder could record any sound of it and produce an mp3 audio for you just as you like.
After all this done, you could channel it to your iTunes and send it to your iPhone.


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Atletico Madrid Home Soccer Jersey 18/19
This is the Atletico Madrid Home Football Shirt for the 18/19 season. Los Colchoneros make a bold change to their classic stripes, with a sharp gradient switching red to white for a dynamic look that stands out on the Atlético de Madrid 2018-19 Home Football Shirt.
SoccerLord provides this Cheap Atletico Madrid Home Football Shirt also known as the Cheap Atletico Madrid Home Soccer Jersey with the option to customise your football kit with the name and number of your favourite player including Antoine Griezmann, or even your own name.
Please note if you are choosing any patch such as the La Liga LFP, European Champions League patch or the Europa League Patch the patches will be stamped onto the shirt. If you don't want the patch stamping onto the shirt and want it simply putting in with the shirt please contact out help desk. The maximum length of a customised name is 10 characters, the maximum amount of numbers is 2, if you require specialised printing please contact our help desk. Please also note if you put the number beginning with "0" it will automatically be changed to just a single digit unless you contact the site and make special arrangements.
Atletico Madrid Home Football Shirt 18/19
> Atletico Madrid Home Football Shirt 2018 2019
> V Neck
> Short sleeves
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> Club crest
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> 100% Polyester
> Machine washable


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Inspired by Fleur's favourite getaway island, St Lucia, this stunning tropical print transports you to a place where you can relax and refresh. Let the sun beam down on you, as you lay under the swaying palm trees, along the sandy beaches of your favourite holiday destination. The beautiful digital print has been designed in studio using Fleur's holiday photos for a bespoke design. Choose from luxury biknis and swimsuits or beautiful printed silk kaftans.


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15.363 Strategic Decision Making in the Life Sciences
Class Info
Surveys key strategic decisions faced by managers, investors and scientists at each stage in the value chain of the life science industry. Aims to develop students' ability to understand and effectively assess these strategic challenges. Focuses on the biotech sector, with additional examples from the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Includes case studies, analytical models, and detailed quantitative analysis. Intended for students interested in building a life science company or working in the sector as a manager, consultant, analyst, or investor. Provides analytical background to the industry for biological and biomedical scientists, engineers and physicians with an interest in understanding the commercial dynamics of the life sciences or the commercial potential of their research.
This class has no prerequisites.
15.363 will not be offered this semester. It will be available in the Spring semester, and will be instructed by A. Zarur and J. Fleming.
Lecture occurs 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM on Wednesdays in E51-315.
This class counts for a total of 9 credits.
You can find more information at the 15.363 Class Site site.
MIT 15.363 Strategic Decision Making in the Life Sciences Related Textbooks
MIT 15.363 Strategic Decision Making in the Life Sciences On The Web
© Copyright 2015 Yasyf Mohamedali


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Premier Li Keqiang visited Guyuan and Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Feb 1 and 2, and extended New Year greetings to people of all ethnic groups on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.
Premier Li visited Banzigou, an impoverished village in Guyuan and promised more efforts to resettle the poverty-stricken villagers.
After more than an hour-long bumpy journey on a rugged mountain road, the Premier arrived at homes of local people and learned in detail about their minimum living allowances, reimbursement of medical bills and how long they have to walk to obtain drinking water.
The Premier had a cordial conversation with local people and the villagers expressed their wishes to relocate as soon as possible. Relocating impoverished people from bad natural conditions is an important way to alleviate poverty, said the premier. A better living place means better conditions for medical care and education, he added.
Premier Li noted that poverty alleviation will be a major task for the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period. Resolution should be made to eliminate poverty so as to make people in financial difficulties lead better-off lives, he said.
Due to water scarcity, Xihaigu area used to be a poverty-stricken region. The Premier climbed onto the Zhongzhuang reservoir despite the cold weather. He said that after construction, the reservoir will help solve the water shortage for 1.13 million people in the area, and it is not only livelihood projects but also development projects. He also said that quality should be the first priority of project construction and the local government should satisfy the demands of local people to drink clean water as soon as possible.
This will also promote local urbanization and development to make the Xihaigu area stand at the forefront of poverty alleviation, said the Premier.
With the Spring Festival approaching, Premier Li is concerned for people in difficulties. He visited a nursing home and learned about the situation of local senior citizens.
The Premier had a lunch of hot dumplings with the old, and put up a wall hanging with two Chinese characters indicating good fortune and longevity. He said that respecting the old is a good Chinese tradition and he wished them happiness and longevity as they contributed most of their lives to society. He also said that we should care and nurse them, so that they will no longer worry about the rest of their lives.
Premier Li also met with representatives of religious and ethnic groups at the Najiahu Mosque in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region. He said that the mosque represents the diversity and unity of China's different ethnic groups.
A harmonious family brings the prosperity of everything, said the Premier. He said he hopes religious people and groups will contribute more to ethnic unity, religious harmony and joint development.
After the inspection of the mosque, the premier visited a local market, and chatted with people who were shopping for Spring Festival.
He talked with vendors and grocery owners and not only learned about their business, but also extended good wishes to them.
At the Kocel Machinery Co Ltd in Yinchuan, Premier Li inspected both traditional and new 3D printing workshops.
After hearing that profits doubled this year through making new products, he said there is a huge space for new technologies to transform traditional industries.
The future of "Made in China 2025" is based on the Internet which not only can provide the best technological ideas to upgrade traditional industries but also offer the best way to integrate material, technology, modes and intellectuals, significantly improving efficiency and benefit, the premier said.
He also noted that efforts should be made in building a more open platform to embrace enterprises and scientific research institutions and form a place which is defined by build-up effect and innovation factory.
Premier Li also inspected an exhibition center on the "Smart Ningxia" initiative and extended his Spring Festival greetings to people of Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
He encouraged college students at the center to lay a solid academic foundation so that more innovative achievements will be made in the future.
At the citizen service hall in Yinchuan, Premier Li praised the city's administrative streamlining efforts of "one window, one stamp" and told accompanying officials that Yinchuan's efforts should be applied to in other places.
He stressed that satisfaction of people, convenience for businesses, and stimulation of social creativity are the standards to streamline administrative powers and offer optimized services.
The Premier praised the economic and social developments in Ningxia and hoped that Ningxia will be a frontrunner in promoting new driving-forces, strengthening national unity, and alleviating poverty.


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In The News
Sean O'Hare's Advice on Multiple Home Trust Beneficiaries
Sean O'Hare discusses what to do if there are more than two beneficiaries in a trust.
Sean O'Hare Shares Tax Tips for Freelancers
Sean O'Hare, CEO of Tax Debt Assistance, was quoted in PR Newswire's Journalist and Blogger Community Blog that shares useful tax tips for freelancers.
New England Tax Expert Discusses Business Fleets
CEO of Tax Debt Assistance, Sean O'Hare, shares information on how to expand business fleets in a Washington Post / General Motors video. Watch the animated video featuring him as a cartoon by clicking the "Read More" link below.
See All Hot Off The Press Stories »
Press Releases
Tax Resolution Expert Launches a Commercial Financial Advisory Company
New England Accounting and Tax Resolution expert, Sean O'Hare, launches O'Hare Associates Capital Solutions, a commercial financial advisory company.
Tax Expert Explains Business Vehicle Deductions in GM Video
Sean O'Hare, CPA and tax expert provides tax expertise to business owners on how they can increase their fleet vehicles with deductions from the IRS in a General Motors Fleet video
Read Press Release »View PDF »View Online »
August 2015 – New England's Go-To Tax Expert Has Four Books to Help Educate Business Owners
Sean O'Hare, New England Tax Expert wrote four books to empower business owners so they understand critical tax topics and tackle tough tax issues.
Read Press Release »View Online »


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Take Action!
Parent Legislative Action Committee
Oologah-Talala parents have the opportunity to become involved in shaping the laws that affect their children's education. The Parent Legislative Action Committee (PLAC) was established five years ago by a small group of parents whose children attended Jenks Public Schools. Since that time, the nonpartisan group has grown to include parents from several Tulsa area schools including Owasso, Union, Broken Arrow, Sapulpa, Sand Springs, and Oklahoma City area schools. "The goal of PLAC is to educate parents and state legislators on how laws affect pubic education," said Melissa Abdo, current PLAC President. "We work closely with school administrators and other experts in order to better understand our educational system and how we can improve it." Thank you and we look forward to working with you.
To find out more information about the group, send an e-mail to email@example.com
|Quick Links
|PLAC Meeting Schedule
|PLAC Facebook Link
|Tulsa Area PLAC Website
|Oklahoma State Department of Education
|Education Bill Tracking List
|Oklahoma State Legislature Website
|Oklahoma State Senate Legislators
|Oklahoma State House Legislators
|Find My Legislators
|How an Idea Becomes a Law
|Path of a New Law in Oklahoma
|Passage of a Bill


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Rhubarb Salad with Goat Cheese
Rhubarb is quite tart, so it should always be cooked with a sweetener -- in this recipe we roast it briefly with a touch of honey before tossing it with the rest of the salad ingredients.Source: Everyday Food, May 2009
Total Time Prep Servings
Cook's Notes
When shopping for rhubarb, look for thin, red, crisp stalks. Floppy stalks indicate the rhubarb was picked too long ago.
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justasmidgen9 JUN, 2013I loved this recipe and just changed up a few ingredients to make it my own.. I added Wild Black Walnuts, Hearts of Palm and Edible Pansies. Every spring I love to find a new recipe to become the "Feature" salad of that year and this is my choice this year! It's the prettiest salad I've ever made and the rhubarb is the best "surprise" ingredient! There are so many ways this salad can be changed up! Here's my link: http://justasmidgen.com/2013/06/09/wild-black-walnut-and-honeyed-rhubarb-salad/Reply
kgmom20 MAY, 2013I was looking for a way to use rhubarb in a savory dish. WOW! This salad is terrific, will definitely make this again. I added the juice that came out of the rhubarb when it was cooked to the salad dressing. Did not use a full pound of arugula.Reply
hinsdale26 JUN, 2011This salad packs a lot of flavor for so little preparation. Added a bit more goat cheese. Have used this recipe more than once. It is a nice way to satisfy a rhubarb lover.Reply
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The docs of
Seattle Grace Grey+Sloan Memorial jump into rescue and recovery mode this Thursday on Grey's Anatomy (9/8c/ABC) in a desperate effort to save one of their own — and we've got an exclusive first look at the quasi-intervention.
RELATED | Season Finale Scoopapalooza: More Than 100 Spoilers on Your Fave Series' Endgames, Including Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, The Good Wife, Glee and More!
Despite receiving the news that it was a defective surgical glove and not her own negligence that led to the deaths of three of her patients, Bailey is still careening toward a nervous breakdown.
A visit from her loving husband Ben (the returning Jason George) fails to turn her frown upside down (Clip No. 1). A dose of tough love from a fed-up Mer doesn't do the trick either (Clip No. 2). But what about an all-out sneak attack from Der, Mer, Cristina, Jackson, Cristina, Callie and Arizona? Surely that will work, right?
RELATED | Grey's Anatomy Finale Scoop: A [Spoiler]'s Coming
Press PLAY below to find out!Follow @MichaelAusiello


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By Mark Labbe Pilot Staff
Posted: 3/18/2016
WATERTOWN -- This year's Co-Workers in the Vineyard Conference, an annual conference sponsored by St. John's Seminary in Brighton, will give attendees the opportunity to attend panels and lectures by members of the Catholic media through its theme "The Pope Francis Effect and Media: Pastoral Applications for Evangelization and Discipleship," April 1.After beginning the day with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley and remarks offered by Father Robert Connors, pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Father Edward Riley, director of Pastoral Formation and Dean of Men at St. John's Seminary, and Dr. Aldona Lingertat, director of the Master of Arts in Ministry Program and vice president of Administration for the Theological Institute, attendees will be able to sit in on two keynote talks.Father Thomas Rosica and Sebastian Gomes, of Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation in Toronto, Canada, will give the first keynote together. Father Rosica is the CEO of Salt and Light, and Gomes is a producer.Father Robert Reed, president and CEO of iCatholic Media, Inc., the parent company of The CatholicTV, will give the second keynote.Three breakout sessions will be offered afterwards, and attendees will be able to choose one activity to participate in, such as a tour of CatholicTV, lunch, or a social media panel, during each session. Choices may be made upon registration for the conference.A panel discussion, called Media Resources for Spiritual Growth, and a closing prayer from Father Connors will bring the conference to a close at 3:00 p.m.More information on the conference, including the schedule and registration information is available at the St. John's Seminary website, www.sjs.edu.


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Ever since the movie version of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, elfs or elbs are hip mythical creatures. They are considered attractive and wise. At first glance you can make them out by their pointed ears. A young US American woman wanted to get even closer to her ideal character – at least on the outside – and had a body modification artist split her auricles, remove some of the cartilage and re-sew it. The effect: A young women with ears as pointed as an elf's.
Something else takes getting used to is the description of body modification – BodMod for short – a sociologists from New York endured at her explicit request: Against cash she found a surgeon who split her tongue from tip to base about five centimeters with a laser scalpel. Since the edges of the wound kept adhering, the surgery had to be repeated twice until the result was a permanent one. Today the woman is able to hold her cigarette with her split tongue.
Omnipresent wish for optimizing the body
From the point of view of Erich Kasten, Professor at the "Institut für Medizinische Psychologie" (institute of medical psychology) at the Magdeburg University, and author of the book "Body Modification", those changes of the body are just an extreme version of a behaviour each and everyone of us conducts on ourselves: Since primeval times humans change their outer appearance. Many people color their hair or the fingernails, pierced ears are nothing special for ages now. Both, men and women, go to body building studios and an increasing number of people are paying a fortune for esthetic surgery. Nearly every human being in the Western culture is aiming to optimize his or her body one or the other way.
Drawing a line turns out to be difficult
Those optimizations process off the BodMod scene on queer grounds: To come closer to the ideal measures 90-60-90, some women chose means seeming just as extreme as BodMod: Removal of the lowest rip for a slimmer waist, leg extensions by breaking bones followed by healing under tension, enormous breast augmentations – where are the boarders between esthetic surgeries and body modification? People changing their body by esthetic surgery want to adjust to a social ideal or hyper-ideal – often with the target to be more successful or to gain more recognition. On the other hand fans of the BodMod scene want to withdraw from social rules. Whoever insists on pointing out the superficial effects – let it be a surgically created perfect body of pointed ears – speaks with split tongues about the pros and cons of body modifications.
Physician or service provider?
The observations of the criminal biologist Mark Benecke in German cities bespeak that the subcultures are getting established in Central Europe as well. For the majority of the physicians, body modifications should be like a red rag to a bull. Accordingly fervently they keep pointing out the dangers: After subcutaneous implantations of material infections might occur which might lead to a complete loss of limbs. But it might merely be a matter of time until somebody will approach one or the other German physician with those seemingly weird requests for physical body changes – by piercings, cuttings, brandings and a multiplicity of other possibilities. Whatever gains ground in the medical landscape of Northern America, the trends and novelties appear with a delay of ten to fifteen years on the other side of the pond. Across the Atlantic some dentists have filed teeth to sharp predator's dentures on request – the customer is the king.
Should any of the local physicians ask themselves whether they would like to become medically educated service providers – we recommend reading the pleading of Professor Edmund Pellegrino of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO. Years ago, a discussion flared up among German physicians about the question whether physicians should offer piercings in their offices in order to provide their customers with better hygienic conditions than piercing studios. The discussion has outrun itself: The vast majority of people wanting a piercing prefer to go to a studio instead of the doctor's office – they think a professional piercer is more capable of correct piercing than a physician.
Whether or not the medical profession misses an apparently rather profitable business with BodMods due to this lack of trust is yet to be seen.


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Technical Information
|HB Essentials
|Guarantee Length
|5 Year
|Heat Output Watts (Delta T50)
|Heat Output BTU (Delta T50)
|Heat Output Watts (Delta T60)
|Heat Output BTU (Delta T60)
|Towel Rail Colour
|Towel Rail Finish
|Towel Rail Fuel Type
|Central Heating
|Towel Rail Height
|Towel Rail Pipe Centres
|Towel Rail Projection
|Towel Rail Size
|1800mm x 400mm
|Towel Rail Style
|Towel Rail Wall To Pipe Centres
|Towel Rail Width
|Supplied With:
|Towel Rail, Wall Brackets and Fixings
Product Certification
Product Description
Subtle sophistication is the phrase that best sums up the Zeno Chrome Curved towel rail - a shining example of premium quality bathroom accessories that give you the designer look without the high price tag. Gleaming chrome and a sweeping curve give these heated towel rails a contemporary look that is perfect for an ultra-modern bathroom. The flowing lines are also infinitely practical too, as they allow you to hang your towels up and heat them without taking up any additional space in what can sometimes be (quite literally) the 'smallest room in the house'.
A thick layer of chrome gives the best possible finish to these elegant rails, and they are guaranteed against flaking or cracking and polished to a stunning mirror finish. EN442 certification also means you can trust that the advertised heat output of the rail is exactly what you'll get. All Zeno products are CE approved, and these ultra-chick curved towel rails come in a full range of sizes to suit any space, from 600mm x 400mm to 1800mm x 600mm.
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When browsing products on our website, to the right of the image and above the add to basket button you will see three bold headers - Delivery, Availability and Delivery Time. Depending on the product you have selected, will depend on the information that is shown next to these headers. "Delivery" will always show as Free, although this may change when your delivery address is entered at the checkout (Mainland UK is Free). Availability is dependent on the manufacturers stock levels and the information shown can vary. Some items may say along the lines of "Out of stock - Order now to avoid disappointment", it may also give a date of when the item is expected to be back in stock, or it may advise you to call our customer services to find out. "Delivery Time" will show the delivery times for that product, for example - "Next Working Day" or "5 - 7 Working Days". Once you have added the item(s) to your shopping basket, you will also see the relevant delivery times above the products in your basket.
All of our delivery times are subject to availability. If a product is out of stock and there is a known restocking date, then this information is displayed. Occasionally an item may not have a restocking date yet, in this instance if you call us on 0203 319 6401 our team will work to find out an estimated restocking date for you. If you wish to reserve an out of stock item, you can do so by adding the item to basket and checking out in the normal way. We will then pre-allocate the incoming item(s) and dispatch them to you as soon as we have them.
The various delivery times are as follows:
Next Working Day:
If you have made your purchase before 1pm and "Next Working Day" is the allocated delivery time then you will receive your item on the next working day. If you have ordered your item on a Friday before 1pm, it will arrive on the Monday. If your order is placed on a Saturday or Sunday and "Next working day" is the specified delivery time, it will be processed first thing Monday morning for delivery to you on Tuesday. In addition, if you make a purchase on a bank holiday your item should arrive within two days of the bank holiday.
If "(1 Hour Delivery Slot)" is written next to "Next Working Day", this means that you will be given an hour-long window that your item should arrive within. This slot is decided by the courier and passed on to you via SMS (Text Message). If for any reason your allocated time slot does not suit you, you will have the option to request a more suitable time at this stage.
If "(Between 8am & 6pm)" is written next to "Next Working Day", this means that your item will arrive between 8am and 6pm the next working day (as long as you placed your order before 1pm). You will be notified by email at the time of dispatch that your order has left our warehouse and is on its way to you. At this stage we are unable to be any more specific with the time of delivery for items sent using this service, someone will be required to be in to accept the delivery so it can be checked over and signed for. If you have not received your item by 5pm on the day of delivery and have not received an update from a member of our customer service team, then we advise that you call us on 0203 319 6579.
2-3 Working Days:
If you have made your purchase before 1pm and "2-3 Working Days" is your automatically selected delivery time, you will receive your item within two working days of purchase. You will be notified by email at the time of dispatch that your goods have left our warehouse and are on their way to you, at this stage we cannot be any more specific with the time of delivery for items sent using this service. Someone will be required to be in to accept the delivery so it can be checked over and signed for.
5-7 Working Days:
If you have made your purchase before 1pm and "5-7 Working Days is your automatically selected delivery time, your item(s) will arrive between 5 and 7 days. We will update you with a specific delivery date as soon as we have one confirmed. You will be notified by email at the time of dispatch that your goods have left our warehouse and are on their way to you, at this stage we cannot be any more specific with the time of delivery for items sent using this service. Someone will be required to be in to accept for the delivery so it can be checked over and signed for.
International Deliveries:
We are happy to be able to offer delivery to anywhere in the world. However, this will of course, not be next day and may take a considerable amount of time depending on where you wish us to deliver your item(s). In addition, international delivery will also need to be arranged over the phone with a member of our customer services team before you can place your order.
Availability / Due Date:
You may find while browsing some of our products that next to "Availability:" a due date is specified. This date is the date that the items will be back in stock. You may still purchase the item, and it will be dispatched to you from us a short time after the due date, depending on the delivery time (one of the above) that has been allocated. You will be updated via email and over the phone throughout this process, but if you do have any queries regarding the arrival of your item, please contact a member of our customer services team on 0203 319 6579.
Group Delivery:
It is very important that all of our deliveries are checked by the customer and then signed for. Because of this, if you are buying more than one item from us, we try, where possible to group your items together to be delivered on the same day. When ordering your items, you will be given a delivery date (This will be the date of the item with the longest delivery time), if this day is not suitable for you and you would like to change the delivery to a later date, you can contact a member of our customer services team on 0203 319 6579 to discuss further. Please be aware that it will not be possible to rearrange the delivery for a day that is before the longest delivery date given to you on your Confirmation Email.
Free & Unlimited Returns:
It is of high importance to us that you are more than happy with your purchase and the service that you receive from The Bathroom Boutique. Therefore, to give you added peace of mind when making your purchase, in addition to our 100% Money Back Guarantee and outstanding product guarantees all of our products are covered by our Free & Unlimited returns policy.
What this means for you:
If your item is faulty or damaged all we ask is that you send us a photo of the problem for our records. We will then collect the item free of charge and replace it or refund you in full.
If you wish to return an item for any other reason, you may do so free of charge provided that it is returned in the original packaging and has not been fitted or used in any way.
To return your item, you can contact our customer service team in one of the following ways:
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We want your chosen item to be exactly as you expected so if your item is damaged, faulty or you have simply changed your mind, our customer service team is there do what they can to ensure you are happy with your purchase for many years to come.


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Yeah! A wedding freebie! Download this black and white polka dot personalized votive candle wrap for free! Compliments of Wasootch.
This black and white polka dot wedding votive candle wrap free printable even has text that you can personalize. You just edit the text on this polka dot votive candle wrap how ever you want (you can also change the font/font size/font color), then you print out however many you need, cut them out, and wrap them around a votive candle and secure them with double sided tape. Super simple DIY project.
Posted on May 15, 2013 4:39 pm by Wasootch
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A traveling cellular signal via a cell phone signal booster is a vital part of the mobile worker's arsenal.
A recent study predicted that by 2020, 73 percent of the U.S. workforce would be comprised of mobile workers – that's almost three quarters of working professionals! A day in the life of a mobile worker can be full of uncertainties. From hazards on the road to keeping in constant contact with colleagues, it can be quite challenging to be prepared for it all. Here's a list of must-haves to keep you running at maximum efficiency.
Stay Connected
Moto Z Force Droid. Inarguably, a mobile worker's most important piece of hardware is their cell phone/mobile device. As the lifeline for the mobile worker, their phone must be durable yet attractive, with a battery built to last. Motorola's Z Force Droid comes with a shatterproof display, is water-resistant and has up to 40 hours of battery life. Additionally, Motorola has snap-on phone attachments, known as Moto Mods, to transform your cell phone into a boombox or point-and-shoot camera.
Slack. When you're on the go, it can be a big challenge trying to respond to the barrage of emails. Conquer communication struggles by using Slack to quickly chat with team members. Combining the best of instant messengers, Slack integrates the most important work features like a file repository and easy search functions into the app for an ideal workplace collaboration.
Google Hangouts. The gold standard for video calls, Google Hangouts makes it simple to jump on a video conference call with multiple users. Available as both a desktop and mobile app, it ensures distance is not a barrier for face-to-face meetings.
Fusion2Go 2.0. Poor cellular service and dropped calls no longer have to be a pain point for the mobile worker. SureCall's in-vehicle cellular signal booster amplifies your cell phone signal to make sure you stay connected. Compatible with all carriers and easy to set up, the booster works with 3G and 4G LTE signals.
Remain Organized
Dropbox. Cloud storage is a brilliant way to keep all your documents in a secure location, especially while on the go and at the mercy of devices. Dropbox acts as a shared filing cabinet that makes it simple and easy for everyone to keep themselves organized.
Trello. Managing the progress of big projects has been a real struggle for the mobile worker who can't bring the large office whiteboard with them. This web-based project management application is redefining organization. The app acts as a mobile whiteboard. With Trello, users can arrange projects by person, phase or whatever system works best for you and your team. Trello's simple and intuitive design also allows users to get real perspective on what still needs to be accomplished.
I Done This. Touching base with your team on action items can be tricky, but having a collaborative to-do list keeps everyone on the same page. By tracking real-time updates and prioritization, I Done This lets you manage the day-to-day tasks and keeps teams focused on what's most pertinent.
MileBug. Expenses incurred while traveling can be cumbersome to keep track of. MileBug allows you to plug destination points into the GPS so it can track the mileage for you. It also keeps track of hotel, food and other expenses. When you're finished, the app generates a report for you to submit for reimbursement.
Hardware for your Hardware
iOttie Car Mount. The iOttie Car Mount keeps you hands-free and prevents you from scrambling for your cell phone when that important call comes in. Keep both hands on the wheel and your phone nestled securely in this mobile phone mount as you use it to navigate to your next meeting.
Speck Phone Case. Dropping your smartphone is always a gamble. As you retrieve it, you're apprehensive of whether or not the screen will be shattered. Put the odds in your favor by protecting your phone. Speck cell phone cases are engineered to withstand an impact, and there are plenty of fun designs to choose from.
Pelican HardBack Case. We often take advantage of our laptops, thinking they are resilient to rough handling. But laptops deserve the same care as mobile phones. Protect your laptop with a hardback laptop case, like Pelican. The heavy-duty HardBack laptop case manages a sleek and compact design so it doesn't add unnecessary bulk to your load, while also boosting features like being "crush resistant" and "watertight."
Be Prepared for Any Situation
Waze. This app changes the way you plan for a trip. Using the community of drivers, Waze brings real-time traffic updates to help find the best route to get where you're going. By planning your drive out, you won't need to call in to your meeting and let them know you'll be thirty minutes late because of unexpected traffic congestion.
Omni 20. You're halfway through your slideshow presentation with a client, when the low battery icon appears on your laptop. Instead of fumbling around looking for your cord and a power outlet, use your Omni 20 from Omnicharge. This portable power bank has an AC/DC output and two USB ports, giving you peace of mind for those energy emergencies.
GetReadyNow Road Grab & Go Pack. The weather forecast predicted sunshine all day, but now you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere during a blizzard. GetReadyNow's Road Grab & Go Pack contains all the emergency essentials you need to survive any faulty weather prediction. The best part is the clear plastic pack which stows conveniently under your seat so it doesn't clutter your vehicle.
Don't let your work and travel get the best of you. With these must-haves, you'll never have unexpected moments catch you off-guard again. Also remember to stay safe while driving and keep your eyes on the road, not on your work; keep your hands on the wheel, not on your cell phone. To learn more about how to maintain a consistent cell phone signal while traveling on the road, visit SureCall.com to learn about our full line of vehicle cell phone signal boosters.


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Edit: Why I'm NOT Moving to Canada
It appears during my last post I was a bit hasty in my stated desire to move to Canada. I've given the matter some thought and decided that I will remain in the US on a probationary period or until a better alternate destination is located. My reasons:
1. Canada is fucking cold. Not "hard nipples and runny nose" cold. No, it's "frozen boogers and brain freeze from the wind" cold…in April. I know there are some quite temperate areas but the whole place is north of New York. New York is cold as shit. I would have to move somewhere even colder than that. No dice.
2. There are entire places where people speak only French. I know. You know how embarrassing and frustrating it is when you go to McDonald's and ask for a biscuit and they give you a fucking cookie? I'll pass.
3. This is the big reason. Apparently Canada is Iraq. Seriously.
also this
This looks like Watts, but these scenes are from Vancouver after 1994 and 2011 losses in the NHL Finals. Hockey. When we lose in the playoffs we cry and blog about it. Canadians riot. And kill people. Canada is sounding less and less like the promised land and more like a land of crazy isolated billingual mutants who riot for sport. For all that I could just move to Oakland. At least it's not cold there.
Racism, you win again.
Comments2 Responses to "Edit: Why I'm NOT Moving to Canada"
JAPAN!!! try there…..


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Packed with wholegrain oats and available in classic biscuit shape or two flake varieties, Oatibix makes oats easy!
There's an incredible Summer of Sport to look forward to. So to help you get involved, there are millions of great sporting prizes to be won.


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God creation cause a cycle to balance the eco system in our world. How ever we should not be depend on it to make us grow since we also need to take care of itSo it still can help us. We should be like stewards as we will have peace among countries. You can also by doing the smallest things for gods creation. Dear god i hope you watch over us like how we did to your creation. Amen.
Journal 7 creation and steward ship


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German five-piece heavy doom rock formation DUST
was founded in October 1998 by Igor Popovic (dr.),
Kay Grossmann (g.) and Christoph "Heiland" Kröger (g.).
The line-up was completed by Olli Karic on vocals
and Thomas Kröger on bass, who was replaced by
Thomas "Doc" Pflug in Winter 2005.
Since January 2016 they play as a four-piece, cause Kay Grossman left the band.
The musical influences of the band are pretty versatile
and include a large spectrum reaching from
70´s Psychedelic Space Rock to Doom- and Death Metal
of the 80´s.
Some important bands for DUST are obviously:
Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Saint Vitus or Pentagram
but also acts like Celtic Frost, Entombed and Bathory.
Olympus Trip – 1998
Smell the burning (EP) – 2001
DUST s/t – 2002
Reblown (EP) – 2005
High Density Amplitude – 2006
Receive the Frequency – 2008
Distortion Empire – 2012


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Friday, 13 April 2018 14:49
To make sense of what is going on in the Middle Eastern region one needs to realize that there is an overall comprehensive colonial project for the whole area.
This project is the almost three thousand years old colonial dream of ancient Jewish elites to establish a Greater Israel in the heart of the old world; in Palestine, to become a destination for all the goyim rulers to kiss the shoes of and to blindly serve the "Chosen People".
Throughout history this Jewish elite had infiltrated empires starting with the Roman Empire all the way to present US, bribed their politicians, controlled their money through usury banking and high taxations, and led them to expensive devastated wars including WWI, WWII, and all the recent wars in the Middle East; Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Syria with Iran in the future.
Syria proved to be a special case. Despite the documented facts that Israel, US, UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar had created and armed many terrorist groups and shoved them into Syria to destroy this country, Syria, with the help of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, was able to defeat all these terrorist groups in a war that had lasted more than seven years. Nowadays Syria is expelling the remnants of the terrorist groups out of the country. The plan to destroy and to divide Syria is failing.
The Jewish controlled western countries, under the leadership of the US, are trying to use the chemical weapons card, as they did in 2003 against Iraq, to convince the UN to form a western coalition to attack Syria. Their first attempt in 2013 doomed to failure since there was no tangible evidence that Syria had used such weapons.
Syria had surrendered its stockpiles of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint mission led by the US and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which oversaw the destruction of this weaponry, unlike US, UK, France and Israel, who still have their chemical weapons and manufacturing labs.
Still these countries keep on trying to accuse Syrian government of chemical weapons attacks against its own people. To substantiate their accusations, they had shipped their own chemical weapons material and equipment to the terrorist groups and instructed them to use these weapons against civilians to implicate Syrian government. The Syrian forces discovered chemical weapons labs belonging to the terrorist groups in East Ghouta. These labs contained chemical weapons and materials and equipment produced in the US, UK, and Germany.
Last Sunday April 8th American president Donald Trump accused Syrian president Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on civilians; mostly women and children, in Douma near the capital Damascus, saying there will be a "big price to pay" Trump was responding to a "White Helmet" video showing children being treated due to alleged chemical weapon attack. One could easily tell that it was a fake video due to the fact that the children were treated only by water, and the treating team were handling the alleged victims without wearing any gear to protect them from chemicals. It is also absurd that these chemical weapons inflict only children and no adults. Besides, one would wonder why al-Assad would use chemical weapons when he defeated the terrorists, who entered into agreement to surrender their prisoners for allowing them to evacuate the area peacefully.
Russian inspectors did not find any trace of the alleged chemical weapons, and Syria agreed to open the area to international inspectors for further investigation. Similar to all videos produced by the White Helmet group this video was fake shot in the small town of Saqba in Eastern Ghouta under the control of the terrorist groups with well-trained child actors. This video shows how it is done.
Trump had also blamed Russian president Putin and Iran for allowing Syria to use chemical weapons. "President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing animal Assad. Big price to pay" he tweeted. Following world news, one notices here that there has been a smear campaign to demonize Russia, particularly Putin, implicating him with the use of chemical weapons in the assassination attempt against the Russian defector Sergey Skripal in London. The fact is that Skripal was smuggling British chemical weapons manufactured by Porton Down in Salisbury, UK, to Ukraine, and from there through Turkey to terrorist groups in East Ghouta.
Last week Russia and Syrian Arab Army (SAA) had announced the capture of British chemical weapon stockpiles in East Ghouta in a fortified operation room along with the capture of coalition command and chemical weapons facility with all personnel including British, American, Israeli and Saudi intelligence officers. Such capture could be used as evidence to expose the real perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks.
Initially reports indicated that between 15 – 20 missiles were fired at the base in an attempt to overload the Russian/Syrian defense system. Eight missiles were intercepted by Syrian defenses. Later Russia reported that only two Israeli fighters conducted the attack firing only eight missiles, five of which were intercepted. These conflicting reports may indicate an attempt to downplay the attack in an attempt to avoid escalation.
Urgent UN meetings failed to produce any results. The US failed to convince the UN to form a coalition to punish Syria for its alleged chemical attack, and Russia failed to get the UN to send international experts to investigate the alleged chemical attack. The US warned it will act (illegally) outside of the UN to form its own allies to punish Syria. It seems the US wants to go ahead with its plans to attack Syria under the pretense of the unproven alleged chemical attack similar to what they had done to Iraq in 2003.
Russia hastened to send more sophisticated weaponry, fighter planes, radars and missile systems to protect Syria. Russian and Syrian fighter planes are now conducting nonstop flights along Syria's Mediterranean coast very close to Israeli air space. Russia warned Israel, UK, France and US that its forces will shoot down striking missiles and destroy their launch pads.
Childishly and dangerously Trump tweeted his decision to hit Syria with missiles challenging Russia "to get ready" because American missiles "…will be coming, nice and new and smart".
Latest news confirms that Trump had deployed multiple Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers to the Mediterranean. They are the USS Donald Cook, the USS Carney, the USS Porter and the USS Laboon. Trump needs to remember, though, that in 2014 the Russian war planes were able to completely disable the USS Donald Cook using some new electronic weaponry, and it had to be towed away from the Crimean coast. There is a possibility that the other destroyers might face the same fate.
Trump also deployed two nuclear submarines; the USS Georgia and USS John Warner. These two submarines, with the other destroyers have a total of 406 Tomahawk cruise missiles. The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group; seven guided-missile destroyers, will follow to the Mediterranean. The US also has other warships already deployed in the Red Sea and in the Persian Gulf, plus the American military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and United Arab Emirate (UAE). All those make a lot of American military presence in the region.
All this power indicates that this time Trump is determined to hit Syria harder than his April 2017 attack when the US launched only 59 Tomahawk missiles on the Syrian Shayrat air base. Yet with the Russian warning Trump should expect some retaliation this time. This will open the doors of hell wide on the whole region and not just Syria.
Iran had warned Israel that the killing of seven Iranian advisors in the raid at T-4 base will not go unpunished. Also, any American led coalition attack against Syria/Russia will pose a threat to Iranian security, and Iran would join in the conflict as its right for self-defence. Iranians might hit the American bases in the Gulf if they pose a threat to them.
Although Israeli leaders might like to distance themselves and let the American coalition fight the war for Israel, yet they might find themselves forced to get involved especially when Hezbollah joins the war and starts raining missiles on Israel. Jordan may find itself in the middle of all this since it has American base in its northern border with Syria. Iraq may also join in to defend its southern borders.
Hell will definitely break lose in the whole region unless some sane American military high commanders restrain Trump's madness.
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ExposeKenosha is a local organization, led by Francisco Loyola, that promotes the arts within the local economy. As new editor, I am involved with many community projects that mainly involve the arts culture. I seek out and attend arts initiatives which help to boost the local arts culture and economy.
Kenosha Community Foundation
The Fine Art's Fund Executive Commitee works within the Kenosha Community Foundation. This committee seeks to encourage and enhance cultural life and public art in the Kenosha area through facilitation, recognition, and financial support.Currently I sit as an executive board member for the Fine Art's Fund.
Fusion – Kenosha Performing Arts Association
Fusion is an intimate performance place which facilitates artistic endeavors by local artists. Music, puppet shows, comedy nights, and art exhibitions fill up this venue. I volunteer my bartending and videography skills here as well as engaging with many artists during these monthly activities.
Get Behind The Arts Studio Tour
GBTA Studio Tour is an annual two day event, usually in the month of April, which allows anyone to come visit and get involved with the artists at their own individual studios. The tour is includes Kenosha and Racine artists and local performance venues. As Graphics Design Chair, I am in charge of creating the tour map and advertisements for this event.


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PG&E fined $8 million for flawed pipe inspections
California regulators levied an $8.1 million fine Tuesday against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for a contractor's botched inspections of more than 200 welds on natural gas pipelines from Petaluma to Lodi.
The contractor, TC Inspections Inc. of Rodeo, performed substandard inspections of 224 welds on a dozen pipelines during a testing and replacement program that PG&E began after the San Bruno explosion of 2010 that killed eight people, according to the state Public Utilities Commission.
The gas transmission lines run under cities including Oakland, El Cerrito, Livermore, Petaluma, Lodi and Manteca, and the Calaveras County hamlets of San Andreas and Valley Springs, the commission said.
PG&E discovered problems with the company's work when crews replaced a gas line in Brentwood. It found TC Inspections had performed substandard X-ray inspections on girth welds running under Fairview Avenue between Fairview Court and Balfour Road, the utilities commission said.
That line had not yet been put in service, so the commission's staff did not fine PG&E for the Brentwood problems. However, the other pipelines that TC Inspections had vouched for were in service.
PG&E is ultimately responsible for the pipes' condition, regardless of whether it delegated the inspection work to an outside contractor, the commission said in levying the $8.1 million fine.
None of the lines poses a public danger, said Sumeet Singh, the PG&E engineer who oversees the tracking and inspection of the company's pipelines.
"Right now, we are involved in excavation and reinspection of these lines out 0f the abundance of caution," Singh said. "In everything we have done, we have not identified a safety issue."
Federal and state rules require each new girth weld on an urban line to be X-rayed around its circumference. Instead of three X-ray images, TC Inspections performed only two, leaving part of each weld uninspected, PG&E officials acknowledged.
TC Inspections officials did not return a call Tuesday seeking comment.
Under commission rules, PG&E has 10 days to appeal the fine to the panel's five members, who are appointed by the governor. The company has not said whether it will do so.
PG&E is also facing a potential multimillion-dollar fine for being slow to report the discovery of records for a San Carlos pipeline that failed to note the presence of 1920s-era welds implicated in ruptures elsewhere.
The record-keeping problem was reminiscent of PG&E's flawed records on its San Bruno line. They inaccurately described the pipe as seamless, so PG&E didn't test the line for problems with seam welds. One such weld ruptured in September 2010 and caused the explosion.
The utilities commission is deciding whether to fine PG&E more than $2 billion for the disaster and problems that helped cause it.
Jaxon Van Derbeken is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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A few times recently i've needed to capture the output from an OS specific command in Java. It's not terribly difficult, but this little example may save you some time.
package test; import java.io.BufferedReader; import java.io.InputStreamReader; public class Main { private final static String COMMAND = "/usr/bin/uptime"; public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(COMMAND); BufferedReader stdout = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(process.getInputStream())); String line = ""; while ((line=stdout.readLine())!=null) { System.out.println(line); } process.waitFor(); // unlikely we'd ever wait as we've got EOF on stdout System.out.println("Exit code = "+process.exitValue()); } }
And here is the output as you would expect :
08:30:47 up 12 days, 23:53, 1 user, load average: 1.87, 1.99, 2.07 Exit code = 0


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Nobody stood in the Little Dragon's way as he hammered his way to the top. But when Bruce got there, he discovered that the room at the top could be a lonely one. As usual, however, Bruce Lee looked his problems straight in the eye.
'It's like I'm in gaol - I am like the monkey in the zoo, people looking at me and things like that. Basically I like the simple life and I like to joke a lot and all those things, but I cannot speak as freely as I could before because misinterpretation comes in and all kinds of things.'
'The biggest disadvantage of success is losing your privacy. It's ironic but we all strive to become wealthy and famous, but when you're there it's not all rosy.'
'There's hardly a place in Hong Kong where I can go to without being stared at or people asking for autographs. That's one reason I spend a lot of time at my house to do my work. Right now, my house and the office are the most peaceful places.'


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October 27, 2012
October 20, 2012
Hip Hip Hero!
From that old-school school teacher who keeps her students in line to that restaurant owner who gives free food to the homeless, who are some of your local "Everyday Superheroes"?
October 13, 2012
Happy B-day!
October 06, 2012
Words to Love & Loathe
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Arts & Culture
Review: Passion, precision and golden violins from NW Sinfonietta
If Saturday's Tacoma concert was a taste of the rest of the Northwest Sinfonietta's season, then audiences are in for a treat. It was a sophisticated, thoughtful, yet ultimately passionate treat. To a well-constructed program of Stravinsky, Schumann and double violin concertos by Bach and Ysaÿe, conductor David Lockington brought first precision, then passion, guiding a responsive orchestra and helping the co-concertmaster soloists Brittany Boulding and Denise Dillenbeck shine.
Lockington didn't choose an easy program. The British-American conductor, now in his second year as one of the Sinfonietta's three artistic partners, began with Stravinsky's evocative chamber concerto "Dumbarton Oaks" — an extremely difficult piece to hold together, with highly exposed parts. There were a few edgy moments in the swiftly-changing meters, but mostly the three violins, three violas, two cellos, two basses and single woodwinds dovetailed neatly under Lockington's ultra-precise beat, with light texture and luminous tone. Though the horns were weak, the bassoon gave a witty staccato, and the strings a chiffy articulation that perfectly suited this piece that begins like a Copland countryside and soon dives into complexities.
Boulding and Dillenbeck then took the solo spotlight, amicable rather than diva-ish. Perfectly unified in lyrical phrasing, they soared through Ysaÿe's double concerto "Amitié" with a tone that grew more golden (but which could have been stronger). Lush harmonies, swift turns, perfect handoffs — the one big thing missing was a sense of rubato, as Lockington still seemed in precise Stravinsky-mode.
Following that was Bach's famous double violin concerto, and here came the only real worry of the evening as the orchestra, Lockington and the soloists had three different ideas of the opening tempo. Luckily nothing fell apart, but an extra rehearsal was clearly needed. After things settled, Boulding (with a darker tone) and Dillenbeck (more silvery) danced and shone their way through the arpeggios and suspensions. And while the accompanying harpsichord was continuously late and heavy, and solo cello rather too lugubrious, guest principal bass Todd Gowers gave a real musicality to the continuo line.
After intermission came Schumann's "Rhenish" Symphony No. 3. Here Lockington brought out the big gestures and emotions, eliciting long phrases and dynamic details that brought the classical forms to life. (If only that passion had been there for the Ysaÿe.) Here the stars were the horns — fine calls in the first movement and that solo moment in the fifth that was just thrilling. Rustic second-beats in the country dance, solemn trombones ushering in the funereal fourth movement and a big overall resonance carried this symphony into an almost Elgar-like dimension, sweeping and nostalgic and finally triumphant with brass. An intelligent program exploring post-classical, pre-classical and neo-classical, played with finesse and style — exactly what the Sinfonietta is striving to achieve.
The Northwest Sinfonietta's next concert is "Barber and Mozart" Nov. 11-13. northwestsinfonietta.org.
Rosemary Ponnekanti: 253-597-8568, @rose_ponnekanti


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The Wishing Thread
A NoveleBook - 2013
From the critics
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Took me a bit to really get into this story but I finally did, and enjoyed it. It's a bit hard to tell when the story takes place as much seems quite old-fashioned but a bit is more contemporary. It is a slow read, but worth it.
This book was not what I was expecting. I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking about going in, a lot more about knitting, but this is a book about what ties people together, and I loved how the idea of knitting was tied into the story. This was definitely a beautiful story that had me tearing up at times, the emotions of the characters really come out. Van Allen shows readers that family will always be there for one another.
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