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For anyone who has been a victim of fraudulent credit charges, you know what a hassle it can be to get those charges removed (assuming you even noticed them in the first place). Even though we are protected by federal law for any charge fraud beyond the first $50, there may be various forms to fill out with the card issuer, and then you may need to get a new credit card number, which means redoing the information with any sites or vendors who have your credit card information on file.
Now there is a new breed of credit cards coming soon from MasterCard and Dynamics (in partnership with Visa) that use electronic chips to make your card more secure, even if they fall into the wrong hands, and offer more convenient rewards options.
A Card With a Display and Buttons
In Singapore, Mastercard recently unveiled a new interactive payment card that looks almost like a regular credit or debit card except it has a small LCD display and tiny touch-sensitive buttons. In the future the card could display "credit balance, loyalty or reward points, recent transactions, and other interactive information," said the company, in a statement (PDF).
The real value, however, is that it provides extra security for "card-not-present transactions" when people buy things online or over the telephone. That's because the card generates unique one-time passwords that you use to give your bank confidence that it's really you making a purchase.
It goes live in January 2013 for all Standard Chartered Online Banking or Breeze Mobile Banking users "for higher-risk transactions such as payments or transfers above a certain amount, adding third party payees, or changing personal details," Mastercard says.
Credit Cards with Rewritable Magnetic Stripes
Dynamics makes several types of programmable credit cards that can do everything from increasing security to customizing your rewards options thanks to a programmable magnetic stripe that can be rewritten with each transaction.
The cards work with payment readers already in stores and are the same width as a regular credit card but squeeze more than 70 electrical components into them. They also include a battery that will last for three years.
The company makes several different kinds of cards. One asks you to enter a code onto it and if you input the correct one, it will display the credit card number and write account data to the stripe for a certain amount of time. When the time's up, the number and data are erased so if someone else gets a hold of your card they can't use it. Some Dynamics cards also generate one-time passcodes.
Another is a smart card and payment system called ePlate that gives you rewards from third parties who make a small profit when you buy things.
These third parties–a menagerie of people, groups and causes including best-selling authors, games, charitable causes and more—track your purchases through "experience apps" that you install on the card via your smartphone, tablet or computer.
You can pick two apps, each of which is linked to one of two buttons on the card. Before making a purchase you touch whichever button you want to associate with your purchase.
For instance, with one button you might associate your purchases with the shopping game Black Friday. For every two dollars you spend using the card you earn one game credit. Game credits can then be used on things like game powerups or more energy inside the game.
On the other button you might enable an experience app from best-selling author Warren Adler, which lets you earn one of his 29 e-books for every $400 you spend using the ePlate system. Get all 29 e-books and he'll send you a signed copy of his paper book, "The War of the Roses."
The annual percentage rate for ePlate ranges from 14% to 18%, depending on your credit score, and there's an annual fee of $99.
Check out the full lineup of Dynamics' high tech payment cards. And here's video of Dynamics CEO Jeff Mullen explaining how some of them work.


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Albuquerque today ranks as New Mexico's largest city. With more than half a million residents, this beautiful Southwestern metropolis in the Rio Grande River Valley has become a popular tourist destination during recent years. The city welcomes an ethnically diverse population, which includes a Hispanic majority and a significant White minority. Sprawling Albuquerque serves as the seat of Bernalillo County. It covers over 180 square miles in area.
If you relocate to this vibrant New Mexico city, you'll discover employment opportunities provided by a variety of industries. Retail, high-tech, education, construction, manufacturing, service businesses, medicine and the military all employ significant numbers of people. New residents appreciate knowing the air quality in the city proves worse than in many other communities in New Mexico. However, the semi-arid climate offers an impressive average of 278 sunny days annually. Although subject to occasional snowfalls, this part of New Mexico generally experiences mild winters with fewer than three days of freezing weather annually. During summer temperatures rise significantly; average temperatures hover in the 90 degree Fahrenheit range during the two hottest months of the year, and occasionally exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Its climate draws many people to Albuquerque. The community hosts a renowned international hot air balloon festival every October, a colorful event which appeals to tourists from around the world. Other popular attractions include over 200 municipal parks scattered across the city and the historic Old Town Plaza downtown. The Plaza displays some outstanding examples of Southwestern architecture, such as the Casa Armijo. Some people move here simply to enjoy the city's distinctive Southwestern culture.
You'll discover the cost of living a bit steeper in Albuquerque than in other areas of New Mexico. Yet prices here remain far lower than in cities of comparable size in most other regions of the United States. Current real estate sales prices vary widely. In general, renters pay higher rents for houses than apartments in Albuquerque. Residents enjoy a reliable roadway and transportation network, plus available bus and taxi service, and ridesharing. Commuter rail serves several outlying suburbs and the city of Santa Fe.
With many charming neighborhoods here, discover the best places to live in Albuquerque easily using the convenient search filters above. Identify the best places in Albuquerque for entertainment, shopping and other recreational activities. You can search for the best places to live in Albuquerque easily: simply indicate a search radius and the population size, your available budget, and other key metrics (such as weather, education, crime, or the cost of living).

subset: commoncrawl


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Massive Quake Strikes Philippines Region
An earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck off the Philippines on Friday destroying roads and bridges and sending people fleeing to higher ground in fear of a tsunami.
The quake was centered off the east coast, 91 miles off the town of Guiuan in Samar province at a depth of about 20 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for much of the region, but later scaled it back leaving it in place for the Philippines and Indonesia.
"People are fleeing to higher ground," Samar congressman, Ben Evardone, told local radio.
A disaster agency official said residents in the area should get to higher ground immediately.
"Strong earthquake here in Taft, Eastern Samar! And it lasted very long too!" Evardone said by text message earlier. He said the quake had destroyed some roads and bridges.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
A radio reporter in Leyte province, near Samar, said people had run out of their homes when the quake struck. "It felt like we were being rocked," he said.
The tsunami warning was initially issued for the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea and other islands in the Pacific including the U.S. state of Hawaii.
The region has been hit by devastating quakes in the past decade. At least 230,000 people in 13 Indian Ocean countries were killed in a quake and tsunami off Indonesia in 2004.
Last year, an earthquake and tsunami off Japan's northeastern coast killed about 20,000 people and triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years after waves battered a nuclear power station.


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Shoe-Fitting Insights From The 50 Best Running Stores
A few store owners share the processes they put the customer through to achieve the proper fit.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
A few store owners share the processes they put the customer through to achieve the proper fit.
Specialty running store owners pride themselves on finding shoes to fit every foot. They use a variety of techniques, some of which include the latest in digital technology, others are more akin to the old-fashioned notion of pinching the toe of the shoe to ensure there is ample room for your foot. We asked the owners of some of the 50 Best Running Stores about the most important part of the fit process in their stores. Here, a few store owners share the processes they put the customer through to achieve the proper fit.
Eric Johnson, Ultramax, Columbia, Mo.
"We operate based upon science rather than assumptions or preconceived notions. We have completely disregarded pronation as a method to determine the right shoe and we feel this sets us apart from most outlets that our customers can purchase shoes. Our fit process involves a detailed history, foot exam, strength tests and a video gait analysis. We find the video gait analysis most useful in troubleshooting injuries and making technique suggestions."
Kirsten Pond, Dick Pond Athletics, Schaumburg, Ill.
"Footwear fitting is an art as much as a science. Without establishing a rapport with the customer, there is no foundation of trust, concern and expertise on which to build the rest of the fitting experience. Without establishing a dialogue with the customer and giving permission for feedback, no amount of objective measurement/analysis can bring the fitting to a mutually satisfactory conclusion."
Carol Owen, Fleet Feet Sports, Davis Calif.
"No treadmills for us—our customers run on the sidewalk to test the shoes. We're kind of old school, no frills and whistles, but we're really good at what we do."
Brendan Barett, Sayville Running Company, Sayville, N.Y.
"The more knowledgeable the sales associate, the more likely they are to provide options tailored to the needs or preferences of the customer. A good comfort level with everything on the shoe wall enables an associate to find niche models that turn a good fit into a great one."
RELATED: How Often Should I Replace My Running Shoes?
Owen Shott, Jacksonville Running Company, Jacksonville, Fla.
"We believe the video analysis is the most important part of the fit process. We believe you need to catch the foot and body in motion and under weighted pressure. We also always measure both feet because they can be different and they can change."
Mel Diab, Running for Kicks, Palos Heights, Ill.
"We believe running shoes should feel comfortable from the moment they are slipped onto a customer's foot. Should a customer experience any tightness or discomfort while run-testing a shoe, we discourage the purchase. Our staff would never tell a customer to break a shoe in."
Greg Scott, Natural Strides Running, Woodstock, Ga.
"The most important piece is their foot shape. Every human foot is truly unique, so to find a shoe that matches their unique foot shape, we look at a customer's feet without socks and with their toes spread out. Then we find as many shoes as possible that match that shape. After that it is completely up to the customer and their comfort in the shoes while running. We believe that the shoe should do nothing 'for' the customer, with the exception of providing surface protection. As such, we always find out what specific shoe the customer has been running in so that we can recommend a safe and gradual transition (into an unstructured shoe) as necessary."
Eric Bartlett, The Run Around, Joplin, Mo.
"We map the foot to get arch type, size, shape, and key pressure points using a digital foot scanner. This allows us to make sure the foot can sit secure in the shoe and can properly operate. This is always the first step in our fit process. The number one issue we come across is footwear sizing. People are generally in a half to full size shoe too small, which does not allow the foot to properly operate.
RELATED: Sneak Peek: 2014 Running Shoes
Blaine Lewis, Fleet Feet Sports, Roanoke, Va.
"The most important part of our fit process is the customer interview. In order to properly fit someone we get to know the customer and find out what their goals are, what injuries they may or may not have had, and what products they have been using."
Matt Helbig, Big River Running, St. Louis
"The most important part to our fit process is the education we provide to our customers. When a customer is being fitted for shoes, we talk them through the entire process. We explain what we are doing, what we are looking for, how different shoes are designed to address their specific needs and how going through the steps of our fit process will help them choose the right shoe for their individual gait, desired usage and fitness goals."
Mike Shuman, Shu's Idaho Running Co, Boise, Idaho
"We want to know what type of surface they run on, whether trail, road or treadmill. We ask various questions to get to know the customer and their running habits. While asking questions, we measure and run them through our 3D Foot Print system, which helps us determine what their feet do when standing and in motion. This process helps us to determine what type of shoe they need. Once that process is done, we then bring out a variety of shoes, explaining to the customer what to feel for to determine if the shoe does or doesn't work for them."
Garry Gribble, Garry Gribble Running Sports, Kansas City, Mo.
"In a friendly manner, we cover the five W's—who, where, why, when and what. The five W's help to best determine the runner's needs and begin the fitting process."
RELATED: The 50 Best Running Stores In America
Eric Ade, Three Rivers Running Company, Fort Wayne, Ind.
"For first-time customers in our store who have having running- or walking-related injuries, we always have them run or walk on the treadmill and record about 30-45 seconds of video on our iPad. We review this video to analyze the customer's general biomechanics and help narrow down possible footwear choices."
Rich Wills, FITNiche Lakeland, Fla.
"By far, the most important part of our fit process is getting to know and understand the customer—their goals, current and future training regimens, aches and injuries they've had and successes and failures they've had. And even though we have a fairly regimented fit process, the most important part after we've 'gaited' them; it's the assessment of how each shoe fits, feels, looks to our eyes as they walk away from us and what the customer's feet think of each shoe."
This article first appeared on Competitor.com.
Follow Triathlete on Twitter @Triathletemag for inspiration, new workout ideas, gear reviews from our editors and more.


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February 02, 2004
Steve, Don't Eat It! -- 1991 Urkel-Os
Years ago, my friend Lisa gave me an autographed box of Urkel-O's cereal. It is signed: "To Steve -- God Bless, Jaleel White." I don't know, but if I were God, I'm not sure I'd listen to Urkel. In fact, I think my Godly response might be something like, "Hey, fuck you, Urkel. Don't tell me who to bless."
Incidentally, I'm not the "Steve" it was signed for. Lisa found the box in a collectibles store, but that's okay. I don't mind being a second-hand Steve.
I had always been a little creeped out that the cereal was still in the box since 1991. But the Urkel-Os are now 14 years old, and I am no longer creeped out. I'm psyched, because I realized what I have in my possession is not just a box of old cereal (and possibly some larvae), but a chance to taste history.
This particular box of Urkel-O's is unique because it's some kind of weird sales sample, and has "marketing features and benefits" on the back. One of the "features" is actually listed as: Fun, circle-shaped product. I had no idea circles were so fun. At least now I know what to get the kids next Christmas. A fucking circle.
I'd also like to point out, that the cereal itself doesn't have a single thing to do with Urkel. It's just strawberry and banana flavored rings. If there was an episode where Urkel lost his virginity to a strawberry flavored ring, I missed it.
You'd think for a celebrity tie-in, they'd at least make half an effort to actually "tie" it in to something. Even if they just connected the loops together, I'd buy that they were supposed to be Urkel's glasses.
In fact, C3PO's cereal would have been a better Urkel-O's -- look at 'em. Come to think of it, what the hell were C3P0's supposed to be anyway? His eyes? That there is some jedi bullshit.
Well, it's cereal time, and I'm gonna go eat me a big ol' bowl of 1991...
I'm a little freaked out. Should I call the Pope? This is a miracle, right? I mean, I used to think the idea of suspended animation and cryogenics was pretty cool, but the hell with that. If I die, don't freeze my brain -- just bury me in a box of Urkel-O's. Apparently it has the ability to stop time.
And what's even more ridiculous is the milk I used was only 2 days past the expiration date, and it tasted funkier than the cereal. (Which, by the way, was only 4,380 days past its expiration date.)
My wife doesn't like it when I eat potentially life-threatening stuff. I don't know what her problem is. Maybe she's just afraid to raise our children alone. What a baby. When I told her that the cereal was still good, she was amazed for a moment and then she said, "Good. Now you can throw it away."
Throw it away?! She's a loon. I told her I'm putting it right back in the box so I can try eating it again in six years when it turns 20.
It looks like this episode of Steve, Don't Eat It has a happy ending. Although, I am glad Urkel signed the box "God Bless." I may need it in heaven tonight, after I die from strawberry-flavored maggots hatching in my rectum.
(All Steve, Don't Eat It's can be found here.)
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Glass Shop: Flameworking classes available *To Be Scheduled*
April 17, 2024
Technocopia's Glass Shop:
Flameworking classes are
**available to be scheduled**
with The Glass Shop's Steward and Instructor, Molly Jackson.
Examples of weekday class times:
10:30 am – 1:30 pm
2:00 – 5:00 pm
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Contact us for weekend availability.
*Other days and times can be scheduled upon request.
Class price: $120
Registration via EventBrite link we will send to you.
We offer:
-Artisan Workshops: project-based class experiences for members and the public. One-day or multi-week classes available.
-Skill-Building Courses: one-day or multi-week classes focusing on learning flameworking skills. Open to members and the public.
-Tool Trainings: shop certification
for Technocopia members only.
Contact us through the website for more information and to register.
About the Instructor:
Molly Jackson is Technocopia's Glass Shop creator, shop steward, primary glass artist, tool trainer and class instructor (since 2015).
She studied flameworking for five plus years (1995-2001) at The Worcester Center for Crafts under Sally Prasch. She started teaching flameworking in 2003. As well as Technocopia, Molly has taught at The Worcester Center for Crafts and Snow Farm. Since 2003 her glass jewelry has been featured in international and domestic magazines (Vogues, Women's Wear Daily, Harper's Bazaar, Glass Quarterly, Modern Bride and many more), runways from Manhattan's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week to Osaka, Japan, celebrities (Britney Spears, Ozzy Osborn and more) and sold in boutiques around the globe. 2015 brought her into a new venture of glass sculpture and installations. Most recently her pieces were accepted into the "Now! New Works, New Artists" exhibit.


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Improve the quality of the education of Albemarle County Public Schools - Repeal Semesterized Instruction
The undersigned citizens of Albemarle County request that the School Board of Albemarle County Public Schools repeal the practice of semesterized instruction for core academic subjects, namely English, science, history, math, and foreign language effective for the school year 2011 - 2012.
Substantial and qualitative academic research has demonstrated that, contrary to the claims made by the administration, semesterized instruction compromises students' ability to learn, diminishes teachers' ability to instruct, and jeopardizes students' college opportunities.
The County's much vaunted goal of world-class education will not be achieved by implementing a policy that has been demonstrably unsuccessful and which has been rescinded in other jurisdictions. Our community does not support a school system that sacrifices the quality of the instruction students receive, and we shall not waver in our determination to see this issue through.
CASE - Citizens of Albemarle Supporting Education - Our mission is to repeal the practice of compressing year-long courses into a one semester format because it is detrimental to our children's educational experience.
CASE (Citizens of Albemarle Supporting Education) has two exciting announcements:
First, this Thursday, October 28, at the end of the regularly scheduled work session of the Albemarle County School Board, CASE will hand board members the recently completed report "Semesterized Instruction of Core Academic Subjects in U.S. High Schools." The report will then be distributed extensively to education leaders throughout our community and to local media. It will also be available for download on the CASE website: www.albemarlecase.com. We urge you to take a look: this report clearly demonstrates that semesterization approach does not work in any subject for any student. Public comments will start at 8:30 pm. People are welcome to attend and no other comments or speakers are necessary at this time.
Second, the school board has agreed to hold a special work session with us on Tuesday, November 16. PLEASE SAVE THE DATE. The purpose of this session will be to discuss with board members the very troubling findings in the report. This will be our best opportunity to make our case against this policy to the entire school board and to have a frank exchange with them. Stay tuned for details on the session's format, but for now PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND. There is great strength in our numbers! We hope to pack the meeting room with all of us who care so deeply about the education of our children. We have a unique opportunity to bring the issues to the table and engage the School Board to discuss the rationale for implementing semesterized instruction, and your presence is crucial!


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IT/IQ Tech Recruiters is seeking a Technical Project Manager to join our client in Edmonton, AB.
Why work with our client?
About Us
IT/IQ Tech Recruiters provides contract and permanent IT recruitment services to employers across Canada. We have a specialized approach to recruiting, segmenting our recruitment teams into specialty practice areas focusing on Development, PMO, Infrastructure and BI/CRM/ERP skill sets.
This approach enables our recruiters to become specialists; they know the market and work hard to understand each candidates' capabilities, goals, career ambitions and quickly present them with the best possible opportunities. We are committed to helping candidates develop their careers and to helping our clients grow their business and complete important projects successfully.


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Improving employee engagement is not simply about improving productivity — although organizations with a high level of engagement do report 22% higher productivity, according to a new meta-analysis of 1.4 million employees conducted by the Gallup Organization.
In addition, strong employee engagement promotes a variety of outcomes that are good for employees and customers. For instance, highly engaged organizations have double the rate of success of lower engaged organizations. Comparing top-quartile companies to bottom-quartile companies, the engagement factor becomes very noticeable. For example, top-quartile firms have lower absenteeism and turnover. Specifically, high-turnover organizations report 25% lower turnover, and low-turnover organizations report 65% lower turnover. Engagement also improves quality of work and health. For example, higher scoring business units report 48% fewer safety incidents; 41% fewer patient safety incidents; and41% fewer quality incidents (defects).
While people define engagement in various ways, I prefer a plain and simple definition: People want to come to work, understand their jobs, and know how their work contributes to the success of the organization.
Jim Harter Ph.D., a chief scientist at Gallup Research explained what engaged employees do differently in an email interview: "Engaged employees are more attentive and vigilant. They look out for the needs of their coworkers and the overall enterprise, because they personally 'own' the result of their work and that of the organization."
Harter, who has co-authored over 1,000 articles on the topic as well as two bestsellers, also says engaged employees "continuously recreate jobs so that each person has a chance to do what they do best." Engaged employees "listen to the opinions of people close to the action (close to actual safety issues and quality or defect issues), and help people see the connection between their everyday work and the larger purpose or mission of the organization." When engaged employee do this they create a virtuous circle where communication and collaboration nurture engagement and vice versa.
Considering the benefits, why do companies still struggle to foster engagement? Harter writes, "Many organizations measure either the wrong things, or too many things, or don't make the data intuitively actionable. Many don't make engagement a part of their overall strategy, or clarify why employee engagement is important, or provide quality education to help managers know what to do with the results, and in what order."
So where do you begin if you're committed to improving engagement — but feel intimidated by that laundry list of pitfalls? One way to simplify it is to focus on purpose. Communicate the purpose of the organization, and how employees' individual purposes fit into that purpose. When employees "clearly know their role, have what they need to fulfill their role, and can see the connection between their role and the overall organizational purpose," says Harter, that's the recipe for creating greater levels of engagement.


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Double Eagle Ranch and Bueno Suerte Equine's MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone), a New Mexico-based gelding who lost his first two starts this year in the Borderland Derby and Sunland Derby, rallied from last to win the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby (G1). And it wasn't even close. The top Kentucky Derby jockey this century, Calvin Borel, got to the rail after the break and stuck -- nobody saves ground better than the Cajun.
Borel knew the inside was best and was in no hurry after being squeezed at the start, and Mine That Bird dropped out of it early on, trailing as much as six lengths behind the next-to-place runner. He entered the far turn with a lot of ground to make up, but the Kentucky-bred kicked it in like he was shot out of a rocket.
Mine That Bird was the only horse to finish strongly, registering a 113 BRIS Late Pace number, and it was really something to see Borel work his magic. He skillfully negotiated Mine That Bird around a rival approaching the top of the stretch and then quickly darted back to the rail, rapidly reeling the leaders in with every stride, but there didn't appear to be any place to go nearing the quarter-pole, with pacesetter JOIN IN THE DANCE (Sky Mesa) racing along the inside. Borel has no fear, though, and squeezed the diminutive Mine That Bird through tight quarters, skimming the rail in classic Borel style.
The race was over in the blink of an eye as Mine That Bird kicked clear, and the Canadian champion earned an outstanding 110 Speed figure for the 6 3/4-length decision. His final time of 2:02.66 is good.
Borel won his second Derby in the last three years, and he finished third in 2008. He captured Friday's Kentucky Oaks (G1) by 20 1/4 lengths with Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro). The 42-year-old journeyman was one of the weekend's biggest stars.
There were troubled trips to go around. FRIESAN FIRE (A.P. Indy) grabbed a quarter and was bleeding after being hit hard out of the gate, essentially just galloping home under Gabriel Saez. DUNKIRK (Unbridled's Song) stumbled a couple of jumps after the break, but that wasn't as much of a factor as Edgar Prado's guidance -- he was rushing the gray colt forward like he was aboard a front runner and got his mount slammed around for no reason approaching the first turn. Prado could have taken a lesson from Borel.
Mine That Bird closed from far back, but the front runners still ran well. Second-placer PIONEEROF THE NILE (Empire Maker) enjoyed a terrific trip under Garrett Gomez, closely tracking Join in the Dance from the start, and looked like a winner approaching the stretch. Fourth-placer PAPA CLEM (Smart Strike) was forwardly placed, stalking in fourth most of the way with Rafael Bejarano, and just missed third by a head. Join in the Dance turned in a respectable effort, much better than expected from the maiden winner, and led the way into the stretch. He weakened only to seventh.
MUSKET MAN (Yonaguska) was farther back during the early stages following a bad start but still raced within striking range under Eibar Coa. They took the overland route to reach contention turning for home and wound up only a nose back of Pioneerof the Nile in third. Bred to be a six-furlong specialist, Musket Man is as hard-hitting as they come.
The defections of Quality Road (Elusive Quality) and I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even) hurt the depth of the field, and the Derby was held over a sloppy track. Most people will label Mine That Bird's victory as a complete fluke, an impossible winner who will be up the track two weeks later in the Preakness S. (G1). But that's horse racing; 50-1 upsets happen. Mine That Bird was the best horse on Saturday, and I give credit to Chip Woolley for a great training performance -- he had the former $9,500 yearling ready for the race of his life.


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WASHINGTON — Legislators on Capitol Hill vowed Friday to resist a recommendation from the Pentagon to close unneeded military bases around the country as a way to save money, saying communities could not afford it and defense budget cuts could be made elsewhere.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said proposing domestic base closures was "dangerous." Many legislators said they wouldn't support closing any U.S. bases unless the military looks first at Europe, where the Army plans to draw down two combat brigades by 2015. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said earlier this week that he wouldn't support closing domestic bases before U.S. bases in Europe were shuttered.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said many installations overseas are "relics of the Cold War."
As the Pentagon tries to trim its spending after a decade of war, its proposal to close or realign bases appeared also to be in part a political move to shift some of the more difficult budget decisions onto Congress, lawmakers and experts said. Some legislators questioned what was behind the announcement.
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said he would ask Pentagon officials if the request was an attempt to gain leverage over Congress in order to forestall automatic defense spending cuts that would be triggered starting next year under a new federal budget law.
"All that's going to do is get a lot of the members very upset at them, this kind of political gamesmanship," Begich said. "I hope that's not the strategy."
Under pressure from Congress to cut its budget, the Pentagon on Thursday introduced what it called its most ambitious cost-saving effort in a decade. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta dropped an acronym that always produces intense emotions: BRAC, for Base Realignment and Closure. That's the labored and often costly process of closing or shrinking unneeded military bases.
"We have no choice" because of cost-cutting demands from Congress, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told PBS's "NewsHour."
But in the past, BRAC hasn't always proven to be a cost-saving measure. The last round of closures, in 2005, cost billions in closing facilities and transferring people and weapons. It also created confusion as some bases made the initial cut, only to be spared later.
By suggesting it start another round of closures, the Pentagon put Congress on the defensive to explain what it was doing to save money other than demanding the Pentagon make cuts, said Lawrence Korb, a budget expert at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning Washington think tank. At the same time, Korb argued, it distracts Congress from pursuing other cuts to popular weapons systems, military personnel and even pensions.
"It's a sideshow to the main budget," Korb said. "It's very clever" of the Pentagon.
If Congress authorized the process, the Pentagon would issue a list of recommended closures to an independent commission appointed by the president. That commission would present a final list to the president and Congress for approval. Panetta said Thursday that process should begin "as soon as possible."
Korb said it was unlikely that Congress would approve starting the process in an election year. Even if it did, it would take at least two years, he said, before the military would begin considering closing bases. Any recommendations could take as long as six years to implement.
Pentagon officials described BRAC as the responsible thing to do given their plans to shrink the size of the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force. But officials didn't include possible savings from BRAC in its budget proposal, which they said would save $487 billion over 10 years.
What the Pentagon called cuts, however, actually are reductions in future spending growth. Its base budget request calls for an increase of $36 billion over the next five years, or on average 2 percent growth every year.
To be sure, the Pentagon believes there will be some base closures and shrinking installations. Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, said Friday that the Air Force could eliminate some bases because it has shrunk its fleet by hundreds of aircraft since 2005 and plans to cut 10,000 personnel in the next five years.
Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the Army chief of staff, said that given the scheduled reduction in the size of the Army from 562,000 troops to 490,000 by 2017, some of its bases may get smaller as well. Both officials declined to offer specific bases that could be targeted.
"We'll have to do some minor things, I think, probably, as we go through BRAC," Odierno said. "But I think, for the most part, we have established our installations."
The Marines are slated to shrink forces over five years by 20,000, leaving a force of 182,000, but Marine officials told McClatchy that there were no plans to alter or close bases.
It was unclear Friday whether the Navy would reduce personnel. Carter, the defense undersecretary, referred in his PBS interview to a smaller Navy, but didn't specify whether he meant the number of people or the size of its fleet.
While the Pentagon decision may have been politically savvy, it doesn't come without a cost to communities who fear that bases that provide jobs could be affected during tough economic times, Korb said.
"You shouldn't be upsetting people unless you plan to do it," Korb said.
Communities already are mobilizing in places such as South Carolina, which has an unemployment rate of 9.5 percent. The economic impact of military installations in the state is more than $13 billion, said Ike McLeese, president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce in the state's capital.
He said that the cities of Columbia, Charleston, Sumter and Beaufort are preparing to defend their bases, which include two Air Force bases.
"All of us are on alert and ready to be in the business of advocating," he said. He added that the state's Republican governor, Nikki Haley, "is now focused on this issue, energized."
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The Coronation Stone is one of the most important relics of the British Empire. According to legend, the Stone was transported from the Holy Land to Ireland, taken to Scotland and in 1296 captured by King Edward I of England. From that time the Stone stayed in Westminster Abbey in London until November 15, 1996. At that time the Stone was brought back to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.
The Coronation Stone has many names. It is called 'the Royal seat of Marble', 'the Pharaoh's Stone', 'the Stone of Celebrated Memory', 'the Stone of Scotland', 'the Regal Stone', 'the Stone of Scone', 'Jacob's Pillow' and the name by which it was known in Gaelic – the 'Lia Fail' – translated as the 'Stone of Destiny'.
On Christmas Day, 1950, four Scottish students heisted the Stone from under the Coronation Throne in Westminster Abbey, dumped it in the trunk of their car, and drove off with it. About four months later the rock was recovered but many people believe this stone is a copy of the original stone. If this is true the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1952 was an illegal coronation.
An eyewitness description of the 'Stone of Destiny' was made by an Englishman, Walter de Hemingford, who attended the coronation of John Baliol in 1292 A.D. He depicted it as "Concavus quidem ad modum rotundae cathedrae confectus", i.e. "hollowed and made in the form of a round chair".
The 14th century English 'Chronicles of Melsa' also describe the Stone of Scone as being "hollowed out, and partly fashioned in the form of a round chair". The coronation stone in Edinburgh Castle does not fit this description.
What was the original meaning of the Stone of Destiny?
The name 'The Stone of Destiny' is an English translation of the Gaelic words 'Lia', a great stone, and 'Fail', meaning fatal; hence 'fate'. However, the 'Lia Fail' was originally known to the Irish as the 'Lia Faileas". Faileas doesn't mean fate at all, but rather spectral, or spiritual shadow.
The Spiritual Shadow is a major theme in many old religions. The Egyptians believed that a human being consisted of five separate parts or elements. Those were the body itself ("ha'), the personality of the person ('ba'), the life force of the person ('ka'), the name of the person ('ren'), and, most significantly from our point of view, the shadow of the person.
The shadow of the body was considered an important and integral part of an individual and its name, according to Egyptologists, was the 'shut'. The Egyptian aim was to keep the shadow alive after death to make it possible to travel space/time. The Lia Faileas was an instrument to travel time/space or in current terminology, a portal.
What is the Lia Faileas?
Irish legends inform us that the Lia Faileas was one of the four great treasures given to the Celts by the De Danaan, a mythical god-like people of early Ireland; the other three treasures being an invincible sword (the Sword of Nuada), a fiery spear red with blood (the Spear of Destiny) and a cauldron of plenty (The Cauldron of Dagda) from the fabled cities of Gorias, Finias and Murias respectively.
The Lia Faileas, exclusively for use in the coronation of kings, was gifted from the city of Faileas, which means 'the Place of Shadow'.
The Tuatha de Danaan also called The Danu came from the "Land of Youth", called Tír na nÓg in Irish Gaelic. Tír na nÓg was situated in some distant land, possibly an island or group of islands. Tír na nÓg may have something to do with Mu.
What is Jacob's Pillar?
The Story of Jacob's Pillar starts in Genesis.
Genesis 28:11 "And he (Jacob) lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put [them for] his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
He dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it And, behold, the "I AM" stood above it, and said, I [am] the "I AM" God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed (Jacob's) shall be as "the dust of the earth", and thou shalt spread abroad to the West, and to the East, and to the North, and to the South: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I [am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] where thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of.
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the "I AM" is in this place; and I knew [it] not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but the house of God, and this [is] the gate of heaven.
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the Stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel (House of God): but the name of that city [was called] Luz at the first.
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the "I AM" be my God: And this Stone, which I have set [for] a pillar, shall be God's house (Bethel): and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee".
Jacob takes the Stone with him to Egypt and passes the Stone to Joseph (Gen 49:24). The Stone is (Num 14:33) taken over by Moses when the Exodus takes place and brought to Canaan (1413 BC). It is moved to Shechem. Many Kings are crowned at the Stone (Abimelech, Rehoboham, Joash). Later the Stone is brought to Jerusalem.
Upon the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, (2 Maccabees 2: 4-8) Jeremiah takes the Ark, the Tabernacle and the Stone and hides them in a cave on Mount Nebo. Later he flees with the royal princesses to Egypt and finally to Ireland.
The ancient Irish records record the coming of "the Great Prophet," "Brugh" his scribe (Baruch), and the daughter of a "Egyptian" king (Tea Tepi), about 583 B.C.
The Princess marries the Zarahite King, Eochaidh II. The Stone is kept at the capital city of Tara for some three centuries, and all the kings, descendants of Eochaidh and Tea Tephi, are crowned on it.
About 350 B.C., it was sent to Scotland for the coronation of Fergus, King of Scots, who was a descendant of the Milesian kings of Ireland. It remained in Scotland, and all Scottish kings were crowned on it, until 1297 A.D. when King Edward I of England invaded Scotland and captured the Stone and placed it in Westminster Abbey.
The Story of Jacob's Pillow has a huge impact. If it is true the royal bloodline of Abraham and the major relics of his tribe (The Stone, the Ark, the Tabernacle) are taken to Ireland (Tara) and later moved to other places (perhaps Scotland (Scotia, Scone), England). The Stone of Destiny that is now placed in Edinburgh Castle is certainly not Jacob's Pillar and certainly not Lia Faileas. The last one may be buried in Tara. It is not sure that Jacob's Pillar is the same stone as the Lia Faileas. The Lia Faileas seems to be a lot older.
Let's continue with the investigation.
The history of Ireland starts with a tribe known as the Picti (Painted People). They brought iron forging skills to Scotland and the north-east of Ireland in the seventh century BCE. The Picti were followed by Celtic Tribes from Belgium, France and Spain. The mythical Milesians are commonly accepted as the historical Celtic Gaels and therewith the ancestors of all the Irish.
Who are the Milesians?
The legend of the Milesians begins in the Holy Land at the time of the Tower of Babel. One man, Fenius or Feinas, sent scholars over the world to learn all the languages. He handpicked the best language and named it Goidelic, the precursor of Gaelic. The next step was to assign land to the Goidelic speaking tribe. Years passed and Fenius' son, Neil or Niul, got married with Scota, the daughter of the pharaoh.
There is some evidence that Scota is the daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten named Meritaten. The name scota was original written as sceadu which has a lot in common with the Egyptian word shut, the Shadow. Scota is not the name of the Princess but the name of the attribute, the "stone of destiny" or the "portal".
Scota gave birth to a boy named Gaedhael or Gadheal Glas. One day Gaedhael was bitten by a snake and he went to Moses for relief. Moses prayed to God and touched the bite with his staff. Miraculously the bite healed and Moses gave Gaedhael his staff stating God commands and I command that this boy's descendants will live in a land free from snakes.
Moses was the principal advisor of Pharaoh Akhenaten. There is lot of evidence that the religion that was created by Moses is the same religion Akhenaten wanted to create in Egypt.
Generations passed until Sru, a successor of Gaedhael, and his tribe was forced to leave Egypt. Their first stop was Crete, like Ireland an island without snakes. They tried to settle on Crete, but after five generations of war they moved on and went to the Iberian Peninsula, nowadays Spain and Portugal.
Breogán, a descendant of Gaedhael, decided to build a tower on the northern coast of the peninsula. One day his son, Ith, climbed the tower and spotted a strip of land on the horizon. They decided to move to this place by boat. One the major inhabitants of the fleet was an Egyptian Princess also named Scota.
There is much evidence that the Tower was built in Gibraltar. This fits with the idea that the origins of the Irish are the Celtic Gaels who came from Spain. The "second" Scota is the same person who was named Tea Tepi in the story of Jacob's Pillar. There is very strong evidence that "Egyptians" lived in Tara.
When the fleet arrived at what they called Innis Fail, translated as Island of Promise or Island of Destiny, they ran into the Thuata de Danaan. After many battles an agreement was reached.
The Milesians were allowed to occupy Éire and they allowed the Tuatha de Danaan to live underground in Sidh or Sidhe, invisible places of Tír na nÓg, Land of the Young, to bring their magical powers to perfection and to serve the ordinary mortal people. From that moment on the Milesians and consequently the Irish in the mortal world are honoring the immortal half-gods and fairy-folks of Tír na nÓg.
If the legend of The Milesians is true the Milesians, the Irish, are the descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, the House of Joseph. The Irish are the chosen people who have to fulfil the old prophesies in the Bible. Some people in Ireland believe this is the case. Many other ethnic groups in the World claim the same.
It is very clear that many old legends are mixed up. To find the "truth" we have to have a look at where the original legends came from.
Where do the Milesians come from?According to legend the Milesians originated in Scytia. The "Scytians" are Iranian-speaking peoples who ranged across the Eurasian steppes during the first millennium B.C.E. They were celebrated for their hoards of exquisitely carved golden art in the animal style, their superb horsemanship, their elaborate armor and excellent metal weaponry, their skill as archers, their bravery and strength, and their nomadism. They lived all across Central Asia to the borders of China. The Scyths were known by many names such as the Sarmatians and the Alans (From Iran, Aryan).
From archeological, artistic, historical, and linguistic evidence, we know that these northern Iranian peoples had a European appearance and that they were often blond-haired and blue-eyed.
The Sarmatians and the Alans wandered to Europe and came into contact, and eventually in conflict, with the Romans. In 175 AC they were defeated by the forces of Marcus Aurelius after which 5,500 of them were sent to Britain to defend the Hadrian's Wall. The overwhelming majority of them never returned to their homeland. They are probably the originators of many Iranian Stories and Legends.
There is much more evidence that shows that a major part of the Irish Myths are really Iranian Myths that were taken to Ireland by the Sarmatians and the Alans. These myths include the Magical Caudron, The Magical Swords and The Sword in the Stone (Arthur & Mozes).
Who are the Druids?
The Sarmatians and Alans were assisted by Magicians, the Druids. The Druids were first recorded in the Aristotelian work "Magicus" (200 B.C.) in which they are termed "druidae". The origin of the word is unknown but it could mean "Immersed in knowledge" (dru-wid). The term "Magi" or 'Magoi', means 'bearers of the gift'.
At this moment we would call these special gifts para-normal abilities. Druids or Magi (The Iranian term), were able to Travel Time/Space, Explain Dreams, Foretell the Future, Heal the Sick, Communicate with the Dead and Read the Soul.
The Tools of the Magi are well known. They used a Sword (to Paint a Circle of Protection), a Wand (representing Growth), wore a special Cap (The Phrygian Cap), used a Caldron (representing the Heart), Incantations and a Mirror (the symbol of Wisdom, Reflection). The magical tools are still visible in the Symbols of the Playing Cards (Swords, Cups (Caldron), Wands. Pentacle (The Ring of Protection)).
The magi served in the courts of the Chinese Emperor, and studied alongside the priests, priestesses and philosophers of Greece (Pythagoras, Plato), Rome, India and Egypt. They influenced the Templar Knights and were the cause of the Age of Chivalry (Amor) and ultimately the production of the Grail legends.
The origin of the Iranian Magi (or the Chaldees, servants of God) can be traced back to the Old Testament. The Magi are the descendants of Arpachsad, son of Shem, son of Noah, the Archfather of Abraham.
What is the knowlegde of Druids?
The knowledge of the Magi was taken over by the Essenes. When they were converted to Christianity they became Manichaeans. In the Islamic religion they became the Sufists and later in France they came back as the Cathars. When they were Jewish they were called Kabbalists. Wherever they went to escape the violence of their many persecutors the magian Christians were progressively exterminated.
What is the Stone of Destiny?
Esoteric or Hermetic texts contain many Levels. The Universe consists of many Levels. Every time when a Level is mastered a new Level shows itself.
The Stone of Destiny is an object of the Material Level. The Druids and Magi knew that this level was totally unimportant. The "real" Universe was covered by a veil and this veil only showed the Material Part.
The Magic Caldron or the Grail was a symbol of the Heart and the Wand was a symbol of the Tree of Knowledge. They did not need tools to look behind the Veil. They used their special Gift.
They knew that the Shadow was the complement of their Male or Female part. The Shadow has to be mastered to find Total Integration. This is also the aim of the practice of Alchemy (The Rubedo, Reddening). The integration of the Shadow also happened to Jacob when he wrestled with the Angel (Elokim, The Unknown, the Unconsciousness) who dislocated his hip and gave him the name Israel, the Integration of Esau and Jacob (The Good and the Bad).
The Stone is the symbol of the Foundation (Yesod), the Sexual Energy also called the Kundalini, that has to be transformed into Spiritual Energy (The Astral Light, Chi or Prana). The White Astral Light (The Rainbow) is the Energy that is given by Al-What-Is, the I AM WHAT I AM, to the Magus/Druid to Heal, Hear, Know and See when they have realized the final Connection to the One.
I hope you understand where the Thuata De Danaan (Danan, Danu, Anu (Heaven)) came from. They are the Spirits that live in the OtherWorld, the World of Shadows, The Promised Land, Heaven, The Garden of Eden, MU. They are the Gardians of Nature and are still protecting Mother Earth.
About the Egyptian Stone of Destiny
About the Relationship between Iranian and Celtic Myths
About the Relationship between Iranian and Celtic Myths
About the Sarmartians and the legend of King Arthur


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Care Bears always strive to entertain the kids with their products and give them a reason to smile. Who can stop them from doing that, if they can come up with products like this one? This particular product from the Care Bears is Care Bears Slumber Bag. This product is really a very pleasing as well as useful and meant for the kids specially.
Care Bears Slumber Bags is a blue colored big bag with soft and warm tricot liner. It can prove to be very useful during the travel, slumber Parties and naptime. This indoor sleeping bag measures 30" x 54", when zipped. The bag also includes a self repairing zipper in the sides as well as at the bottom of the bag.
The product also consists of some excellent graphics to make it more attractive. A big Care Bear appears on the cover of the bag along with several other bears made to sprinkle with stars. They say good night all over the bag and try giving your child a wonderful sleep in it.
You can take this bag home and can give your child a place to sleep with soft and warmth.


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A week at camp is about…
- Friends – A great place to meet new friends, or to bring friends along for a great week away.
- Fun – A large variety of exciting activities are part of each week of camp.
- Faith – Age-appropriate interactive Bible-based sessions each day are an integral part of camp and are often mentioned as a highlight of the week by campers.
CYC camps are designed to build confidence, self-esteem and teamwork amongst the campers – as well as being fun! So if you're looking for fun filled school holiday activities & camps for yourself or your kids, its hard to go past CYC. Since 1950 CYC has been running safe, affordable and fun filled school holiday programs for campers aged 8 to 20. With over 40 exciting school holiday camps and events to choose from, there's something to suit every family.
Visit www.holidaycamps.org.au to find out more about CYC and it's upcoming events and programs, as well as our online enquiry & booking service.


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August 16, 2005, - 3:16 pm
Sleeping With The Enemy: Sex & The City's Kim Cattrall
By Debbie Schlussel
In Touch Magazine reports that "Sex & The City's" aging Kim Cattrall, 48, is now "dating" (euphemism) actor Alexander Siddig, who played 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in "The Hamburg Cell" and one of Saladin's soldiers in the pro-Islamist "" (which bombed in the theaters, earlier this summer).
But, sometimes, life imitates art. Siddig's real name is Siddig El Fadil, and he has ties to the terror-sponsor government of Sudan (on the State Department Terrorist List). Siddig's uncle, Sadiq Al-Mahdi, is a former Sudan Prime Minister, who helped oversee the wholesale Muslim torturous slaughter of Sudan's Black Christians. Al-Mahdi is president of the Sudan's Islamist Umma party and Imam of Sudan's extremist Al-Ansar religious group. These groups made Bin Laden a welcome resident of the Sudan, from which he planned the bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa.
Siddig not only won't denounce his terrorist uncle, he's proud of him and put him in his Hollywood bio.
Of course, the mindless In Touch Magazine doesn't tell you any of this. All the mag does is gush how both Cattrall and Siddig had roles on Star Trek. Big deal. Then it tells us how "sexy" this nephew of a terrorist leader is and describes "their obvious chemistry" as "electric." I'd say it's more like, "explosive," as in the explosions of two embassies filled with innocent Americans, Kenyans, and Tanzanians–all planned in Sudan by Bin Laden.
Kim Cattrall, sleeping with the enemy.
Tags: actor, Alexander Siddig, bin Laden, Department of State, East Africa, Infidel gym, Islamist Umma, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Kim Cattrall, Kim Cattrall By Debbie Schlussel, Kingdom of Heaven, President, Prime Minister, Sadiq Al-Mahdi, Sudan, Sudan's Islamist Umma party, United States


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WASHINGTON — Deflecting criticism about a perceived lack of diversity in his second-term Cabinet, President Barack Obama on Monday urged Americans not to rush to judgment about who he will appoint to replace departing members of his team.
In a declaration tinged with the rhetoric of his re-election campaign, Obama asserted: "We're not going backwards, we're going forward."
Scrutiny has been mounting over the number of women and minorities that will surround the nation's first black president in his second term. Cabinet members who are departing at the end of his first term — including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — are being replaced largely by white males. But in the final White House news conference of his first term, Obama brushed off that criticism, asking for critics to hold their tongues until the remaining vacancies have been filled.
"I'm very proud that in the first four years, we had as diverse, if not a more diverse, White House and a Cabinet than any in history," Obama said. "I intended to continue that, because it turns out when you look for the very best people, given the incredible diversity of this country, you're going to end up with a diverse staff."
Running through a list of high-profile positions filled by women during his first term — such as Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius — Obama said women comprised 50 percent of his White House staff during his first four years, not to mention the two women he nominated to fill Supreme Court vacancies.
Still, Obama's appeal for patience was unlikely to quell the concerns of members of his own party who have publicly fretted whether Obama's Cabinet and the tight cadre of advisers who will have his ear over the next four years will end up almost entirely male and white, in stark contrast to the diverse coalition of women, Hispanics and minorities that helped give Obama a second term.
"It's as embarrassing as hell," Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., one of the longest-serving African-American members of Congress, said last week.
Obama nominated Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry to replace Clinton at the State Department after U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, who is black, asked for her name to be removed from consideration. Republicans had blasted Rice over her initial comments about the attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, who is Hispanic, stepped down last week, adding to a list of departures that includes EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who is black. Obama has not yet announced who he will nominate to fill those roles. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is staying for Obama's second term.
The president has announced his picks to fill two other top jobs, nominating former Sen. Chuck Hagel to run the Defense Department and Obama's chief of staff, Jack Lew, to serve as treasury secretary. The two leading candidates to replace Lew at the White House are both male.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Eric Holder, who is black, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, who is of Japanese-American descent, will stay on, a White House official said last week. A spokesman for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday that he too will keep his job in Obama's second term.
An Education Department official also said Secretary Arne Duncan would remain in President Barack Obama's Cabinet into a second term. That official disclosed the decision on the condition of anonymity because a public announcement had not been made.
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Each of the mini onigiri is filled with chopped umeboshi (pickled plum). The slim bento box contains one ebi fry, two wieners, half a boiled egg, four cocktail shrimps, three blanched carrot flowers, two cherry tomatoes and a slice of tamagoyaki.
Cute Animals Bento
Each of the mini onigiri is filled with chopped umeboshi (pickled plum). The slim bento box contains one ebi fry, two wieners, half a boiled egg, four cocktail shrimps, three blanched carrot flowers, two cherry tomatoes and a slice of tamagoyaki.
25 comments:
sooooo cute!!! I love these minis bentos!!!ReplyDelete
So cute animals. Your creativity is simply superb.ReplyDelete
Hamaree Rasoi
wow..they look cuteReplyDelete
Love all the animals and once again, I would like to say, you are super creative!ReplyDelete
Aww. I love them all! :DReplyDelete
Hey that is so cute! I was just wondering, did you change camera? Your new pictures recently don't look as nice and high quality as your older photos...ReplyDelete
@ Yuuki - no, I didn't change the camera. I'll blame the weather instead ;-), it's hard to get nice shots when it's dark and gloomy everyday - I guess I need to improve my photo editing skills :-) and for the time being I'm just hoping for spring to come soon.ReplyDelete
Can't wait for your tutorial, Sin... :)ReplyDelete
Wooowww.... they are so cute! But I want the chick and bunny please... They are my most favorite ^^. Btw, CG, I have posted the prize; they are gorgeous! ^^. Thank you.....ReplyDelete
I'm drooling, I'm drooling.......... usually I'm not too tempted to eat charaben (I have an aversion for food that's been touched a lot) but your bentos always look so clean! And bite-sized onigiri with fillings... hmmm...ReplyDelete
Cocktail shrimps are an excellent idea btw, I think I'll get some next time I make a cold rice-based bento.
@ Journal Mummy Yenny - Stay tunes, Yen :).ReplyDelete
@ Tatabonita - I've seen them....!!! How pretty:)! I am so happy that the packet has arrived safely there, have fun with them :)!
@ Mehblog - Thanks, Tze :). Like you, I actually also have a real aversion to food which has been touched a lot - even with my own hands...! When I looked at charaben photos in the past, I always thought that I wouldn't want to eat something like those, but now that I've started making charaben myself, I've come to realise that those cute characters made out of rice or cheese don't actually come in contact with my bare hands that much. I always thought that those charaben artists used their bare hands to create cute shaped rice, but in reality we always use plastic wrap to shape them and a lot of the food pieces are transferred into the bento box with chopsticks. At least I try not to touch the food too much or in the end my bento will end up in the bin ;).
These are sooooo adorable! Love these cute faces. I wish I have artistic sense like you do! My baby girl would really appreciate such a cute lunch box! :)ReplyDelete
CG, your bentos are getting cuter and cuter! Where do you take your patience from?ReplyDelete
- Anonymous1 February 2012 at 15:24
They are so cute. Like a zoo, right?ReplyDelete
I always want to try making bento.
CUTEEE~~ thanks :)
omg...cuteness overload *explodes*ReplyDelete
So much patient to do all the cute characters in this bento! Salute to you ... two thumbs up (^.^)ReplyDelete
Oh! These are so cute...I do not get tired to look at them :)ReplyDelete
Look forward to the tutorial...hope you are having a fantastic week!
These look very cute!ReplyDelete
This must have taken you AGES! Do you ever feel said seeing it all eaten at the end? If I slaved for a couple of hours on something so detailed I'd feel like I was eating an old friend :DReplyDelete
So cute! I love making little animals like these for my bentos. ^^ReplyDelete
A-mazing!!!! I look forward to seeing the tutorial. You say easy, but I bet it will take me hours. ;-)ReplyDelete
Oh of course, I also totally forgot about the tweezers that sometimes come with cutters! Since bento has to stay fresh for a while it makes sense people would pay attention to hygiene...duh. >_<ReplyDelete
I think I was just traumatised by having decorated cakes with marzipan figurines with a friend who always has sweaty hands. I could hardly eat from the cake she made for me. ;_;
@ Everyone - Thank you :)!!ReplyDelete
@ Charles - I get used to it, so I am not sad anymore, at least I have the photos for memories, hehe ;).
@ Tze - Totally understand what you mean...!! I'd have a hard time eating marzipan/fondant figurines made by another person (even by myself...).When I make something with fondant I only use it for deco purpose only, I don't like the taste of fondat (or even marzipan) either - too sweet for me!! I am also somebody who spread sushi rice with a spoon/rice paddle instead of my hands - I also always appreciate sushi chefs who wear gloves when they make sushi (even though I know this doesn't really make things cleaner - it's pure psychological...;))!!
- Anonymous11 February 2012 at 05:02
Thank you a lot for sharing this with all folks you actually recognize what you are talking about! Bookmarked. Kindly also talk over with my web site =). We may have a hyperlink exchange agreement between us!ReplyDelete
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- Anonymous13 February 2012 at 03:39
I will immediately grasp your rss as I can't in finding your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please allow me know in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.ReplyDelete
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SAP has fixed two flaws in a mobile medical app, one of which could have allowed an attacker to upload fake patient data.
The issues were found in SAP's Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Unwired, which stores clinical data about patients including lab results and images, said Alexander Polyakov, CTO of ERPScan, a company based in Palo Alto, California, that specializes in enterprise application security.
Researchers with ERPScan found a local SQL injection flaw that could allow other applications on a mobile device to get access to an EMR Unwired database. That's not supposed to happen, as mobile applications are usually sandboxed to prevent other applications from accessing their data.
"For example, you can upload malware to the phone, and this malware will be able to get access to this embedded database of this health care application," Polyakov said in a phone interview.
They also found another issue in EMR Unwired where an attacker could tamper with a configuration file and then change medical records stored on the server, according to an ERPScan advisory.
"You can send fake information about the medical records, so you can imagine what can be done after that," Polyakov said. "You can say, 'This patient is not ill'."
SAP fixed both of the issues about a month ago, Polyakov said.
The German software giant also fixed another flaw about a week ago found by ERPScan researchers, which affected its Mobile Device Management software, a mobile client that allows access to the company's other business applications.
The issue was a server-side buffer overflow that could cause a denial-of-service attack, according to an advisory. That may not seem serious, but that server software accepts supply-chain reports from the field and is also used by executives to get access to business-critical data, Polyakov said.
"If you can disable the mobile server for at least an hour, the supply chain of the company can be stopped, so you can imagine how bad it can be for a company," Polyakov said.
The vulnerability is not remotely exploitable, so an attacker would need to have access to a SAP Mobile Device Management client, he said. But that would be accessible from inside the company and possibly from third-parties, he added.


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Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Did I Say 32 Cores? How about 64?
Greg Smith mentioned to me yesterday that he's seen that kink between 16 and 32 cores on other tests that have nothing to do with PostgreSQL, such as STREAM, and that he believes it has to do with Linux's scheduler behavior.
For the curious, this machine is running Linux 3.2. Previous benchmarking efforts on a different 64-core server running an earlier version of PostgreSQL 9.2devel and an older Linux kernel were not a success, but the lseek scalability changes in 3.2 seem to have made a big difference, and the newer PostgreSQL code has some changes that mitigate ProcArrayLock contention.
26 comments:
- email@example.com 03, 2012 12:29 PM
Good news. Great work RobertReplyDelete
great stuff :)ReplyDelete
It sounds like you attribute the big performance jump in 9.2 vs. 9.1 mostly to Linux's changes. Is that correct, or did I misunderstand?ReplyDelete
Joshua: No, I'm saying that to get good performance on a 64-core server, you're going to need PostgreSQL >= 9.2 *and* Linux >= 3.2. Most of the changes are actually on the PostgreSQL side, but the lseek scaling stuff in the Linux kernel was important, too.ReplyDeleteReplies
Robert, can you comment on whether such improvements will be seen on Solaris 10 or not ? Any guesses , ideas ?Delete
I use postgres 8.3 and it probably scales uptil 16-cores on solaris 10. If postgres 9.3 can push it up to 32 cores, I might as well switch to that.
Thanks for this post.
Thanks for this great post.Delete
Can you comment on whether PostgresSQL >= 9.2 would scale as it does on linux >= 3.2 on solaris 10 ? I use postgres 8.3.7 on solaris 10, which in my experience, scales uptil 16 cores. If PostgresQL >= 9.2 scales as well as you've shown on solaris 10, I might as well switch to that.
Thomas, I have not tested on Solaris 10. It should be better than 8.3, but I don't know by how much.Delete
Hmm, makes me wonder how FreeBSD scales with this.ReplyDeleteReplies
I think FreeBSD is still working on resolving some issues in the virtual memory subsystem that prevent it from scaling well at higher core counts. However, I'm hopeful that we'll see some positive news on that front later this year.Delete
- andyzwebApril 03, 2012 2:31 PM
do you have results for a 3.0 or a 2.6 kernel?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 03, 2012 4:44 PM
Yeah, definately need to test with FreeBSD.ReplyDelete
Permission to use your graphs in an upcoming 9.2 presentation?
Josh, you're welcome to use them, with attribution.ReplyDelete
Hello Robert,ReplyDelete
You are lucky to have access to a 64-Core server!
Looking at your graph, PG serves 30k requests/sec. at concurrency 6.
At this concurrency, on a mere 6-Core CPU, G-WAN (our Web application server with C, C++, D, Objective-C and Java scripts) is processing:
Type of Request 6 Clients 1,000 Clients
-------------------- ------------------ ------------------
100-byte static file ...... 250k requests/sec. 720k requests/sec.
dynamic 100-year Loan ..... 150k requests/sec. 160k requests/sec.
Scaling vertically is mandatory in a world of multi-Core CPUs - but performing vertically makes vertical scalability fly (much higher).
I would be very willing to make tests with you about how G-WAN and PG can bring this game a step higher (contact me at my first name @trustleap.com).
- AnonymousApril 04, 2012 5:04 AM
Related benchmarks: http://www.osnews.com/story/25334/DragonFly_BSD_MP_Performance_Significantly_Improved — but Linux was faster anywayReplyDelete
I'm not certain, but I believe each AMD 6272 processor has 16 cores. If so, the title of the chart probably should read "4 x 16-core AMD 6272 processors".ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 05, 2012 11:38 PM
What about FreeBSS performance scalability? Is it linear as well?
Can you publish the raw numbers for TPS vs # Clients? Something looks strange between 20 and 36 clients for the PG 9.2 Current curve.ReplyDeleteReplies
nclients pg91 pg92develDelete
1 5126.256565 5606.254711
2 9875.569885 10024.552448
4 18770.215456 20058.372291
8 38556.199226 42486.574505
12 53542.256900 62905.209873
16 64716.084974 83002.638514
20 71026.444659 98034.531842
24 74377.904306 115449.670165
28 74436.084120 133433.767200
32 72830.033132 173886.541815
36 70592.447148 228249.257321
40 68150.060935 255120.364728
44 65814.140755 277912.139404
48 63792.179169 297396.741853
52 62674.478417 312949.733691
56 60771.345728 327812.113433
60 59543.504487 340869.668340
64 57924.077125 354613.280879
68 56070.311028 357854.846415
72 55275.496822 358128.415224
80 52899.178807 357011.082207
- AnonymousApril 25, 2012 6:03 AM
Oracle migration to EDB using EDB studio tool seems fine, but all data types seems not supported, is there a plan to incoperate that too in future ? so that we can simply do Oracle migration easilyReplyDeleteReplies
Please use http://forums.enterprisedb.com/forums/list.page for support on EnterpriseDB products and services, or consult your account manager for pricing and product plans. Unfortunately, I'm not able to comment on those issues here.Delete
- AnonymousApril 25, 2012 10:08 AM
so cool!ReplyDelete
I have a 64-core freebsd server and would be willing to run the test suite on it.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 28, 2012 1:35 AM
Go for it Reed, i'm sure many await your results!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 08, 2012 11:31 AM
Hi Pierre Gauthier,ReplyDelete
Show us the code!
Hi RobertReplyDelete
I know this post is a year old now - however I have at my disposal at 64 core IBM Power server running Linux. Would be more than happy (and interested) to see how performance compares on Power architecture - also happy to collaborate if there's anything I can use this server to help with.
Many thanks,


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Eno is an antacid produced by GlaxoSmithKline. It's globally distributed, mainly across South America, India, and the Middle East, and it's available as sachets and tablets in both Lemon and an ambiguous "Regular" flavor.
Ogilvy & Mather produced a stunning print advertisement for the company, featuring a gun made of food. Quite an improvement over Eno's commercial from the 80s, although if the packets made me seem as effervescent as the actor, perhaps I'd take some on my down days.
via Coloribus


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Thursday, November 25th
12 Noon to 7 PM
Choose either our Five-Course Menu ($88) or our Six-Course Tasting Menu ($105).
Both will be infused with hints of holiday fare, including Local Wild Heritage Turkey.
Each couple will receive a "left over" turkey sandwich to take home after dinner!
Call now to make a reservation! (540) 837-1375


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ABC News – by ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press
Sushi restaurateur Kiyoshi Kimura paid 7.36 million yen (about $70,000) for a 507-pound (230-kilogram) bluefin tuna in the year's celebratory first auction at Tokyo's Tsukiji market on Sunday, just 5 percent of what he paid a year earlier despite signs that the species is in serious decline.
Kimura's record winning bid last year of 154.4 million yen for a 222-kilogram (489-pound) fish drew complaints that prices had soared way out of line, even for an auction that has always drawn high bids. Kimura also set the previous record of 56.4 million yen at the 2012 auction.
The high prices don't necessarily reflect exceptionally high fish quality.
"I'm glad that the congratulatory price for this year's bid went back to being reasonable," said Kimura, whose Kiyomura Co. operates the popular Sushi-Zanmai restaurant chain.
Environmentalists say growing worldwide consumption of bluefin tuna is leading to its depletion, and that those in charge of managing fisheries for the species are failing to take responsible action to protect it.
Japanese eat about 80 percent of all bluefin tuna caught worldwide, though demand is growing as others acquire a taste for the tender, pink and red flesh of the torpedo-shaped speedsters of the sea.
Stocks of all three bluefin species — the Pacific, Southern and Atlantic — have fallen over the past 15 years amid overfishing. Stocks of bluefin caught in the Atlantic and Mediterranean plunged by 60 percent between 1997 and 2007 due to rampant, often illegal, overfishing and lax quotas. Although there has been some improvement in recent years, experts say the outlook for the species is still fragile.
According to a stock assessment released last year by the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean, the bluefin tuna population is at less than 4 percent of its unfished size.
"The population has effectively been decimated," said Amanda Nickson, director for global tuna conservation for The Pew Environment Group. "Over 90 percent of bluefin tuna are caught before they reach reproductive age. You have to wonder if this remotely sustainable."
So far, governments and management bodies have failed to take measures to protect the species that reflect the seriousness of its decline, she said.
There were 1,729 tuna sold in Sunday's first auction for 2014, according to data from the city government, down from 2,419 last year. The 32,000 yen ($305) per kilogram paid for the top fish this year compares with 700,000 yen per kilogram last year.
Prices for bluefin tuna imported from other regions are much lower. A 189-kilogram (417-pound) farmed tuna imported from Spain sold for 662,000 yen (about $6,400) on Sunday, or 3,500 yen ($34) per kilogram, compared with a price of 4,800 yen ($46) a kilogram for the same type of fish sold at last year's first auction.
"You have to wonder what the last fish is going to cost," Nickson said.
Associated Press writer Miki Toda contributed to this report.


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UnNews:Living creatures found to be bad for other living creatures
|This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-picosecond misinformation.
|UnNews Audio (file info)
|Listen to this story!
21 December 2009
In a shocking new report from scientist Pamela Lillian Isley, it has been found that living creatures are actually bad for other living creatures, and the Earth which we
invade inhabit. The study has found that every living creature creates CO2, a greenhouse gas, which kills our nurturing planet. Each creature's carbon footprint (or paw print, if you will) has an effect on our Mother Earth, and it is killing her. Dogs, for instance, eat things. The things that they eat probably ate plants, or ate things that ate plants. This means that dogs are killing the Earth. Plus, dogs also create feces, which has HUGE amounts of CO2. So not only do dogs eat things, but they also poop after doing so. As such dogs are one of the most dangerous creatures to inhabit the Earth today.
Dr. Isley was also shocked to find out that there are other creatures on this planet that cause damage to it. It is said that cats, who most think are just harmless sleepers, are in fact plotting to destroy us all. While cats, like dogs, eat things, and poop, they have decided that it is not okay to poop outside, but instead have to use a special substance known as "kitty litter" to do their business. This kitty litter is oftentimes created by killing things like trees, barley, and various plants, and processing them into a crystal-like substance. So, not only do cats force themselves to eat the Earth, and poop, but they also poop on the same parts of the Earth that they eat. While this has not been found to actually harm the Earth in any way, it is said to be very degrading.
The study did not find that only typical "household pets" are killing our Mother. Even things like fish are found to be hurting the precious Earth. The Earth has been able to create a magical thing known as "water" which it nicely donates to the fish as a house. Have these fish given thanks to Earth for this? Have they kept their rented homes clean? No! Dr. Isley's study finds that the water is actually the most dangerous place to live in the world. Murder rates are up 6% just this last year. Gangs of fish (going by their street term "schools") roam freely in the water. Oftentimes these gangs are based purely on the species involved, and its racial lines. As such, most of the murders found in the water can very easily be classified as "hate crimes." However, these fish do not stop there. Reports show that oftentimes, following the murder of a fish, the murdering fish proceeds to cannibalize itself on the dead. A more gruesome outcome, I shudder to fantasize about. And then, just like all the other living creatures that are attacking their homes, these fish go right ahead and poop! Right inside the water that Mother Earth has so kindly rented out to them. The nerve!
Dr. Isley's report however, does not stop there. It finds that, in fact, the most harmful living creature to us all, is actually man ourselves. Not only do we do all of the other things already mentioned above, but we also take plants, and burn them. We take the lush, beautiful Earth that we all love and cherish, and we eat its plants, and we burn it. While many humans are unaware that they are hostiles in the battle against Earth, they would undoubtedly refuse to stop eating, breathing and pooping even if it were for something as important as saving Mother Earth and its inhabitants. The laziness found within these humans is plainly despicable. Humans do have one saving grace according to Dr. Isley though. We often kill other living creatures, and that, Dr. Isley says, is the only way to go about saving every living thing on this planet. Through the unbridled killing of every living creature that parasitically destroys the Earth, we may be able to save it. Now, Dr. Isley is clear in saying that killing yourself should be the last option. Instead, you should go out and kill others who are less willing to perform this task on behalf of saving our world. Killing the animals that desecrate on our home should come next, and then killing yourself. Without this necessary task of killing everything that breathes, nothing is safe from the destruction that we living creatures are causing.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Isabelle Toussaint and Jurgen Hecker "Polluting pets: the devastating impact of man's best friend" AFP, Decmber 20, 2009
- Various "Kitty litter" Wikipedia, 2009


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The Truth About Donors Eggs 5 Myths Debunked
If you've been thinking of becoming an egg donor or using donated eggs to have a child, you've probably come across a lot of conflicting information.
It is important to understand the process and to know what to expect when it comes to such important decisions.
Let's remove some popular misconceptions so you can be armed with the right information.
Myth 1: It is very painful and uncomfortable to donate eggs.
During the preparation period before the egg donation takes place, the donor must inject the follicle stimulating hormone.
There are several side effects, including headaches, stomach aches, and symptoms like cold. The majority of the time, this effect is mild and short-lived.
Regarding the actual procedure where eggs are taken, no surgical incisions, rarely take longer than 15 minutes, and the donor is slightly sedated.
Like hormones, women report only mild side effects. If you get over-the-counter pain medication at the pharmacy, you should feel fine.
Here's the point: there are some mild side effects you can experience as a donor, but most women report little pain.
Myth 2: Donating eggs will hurt my fertility. The Truth About Donors Eggs 5 Myths Debunked
There are some common misconceptions that contribute to this myth.
One is that donating eggs will spend your egg supply.
Women are born with hundreds of thousands of eggs. During the donation procedure, the number of harvested eggs is the amount produced naturally during ovulation.
What does this mean? That is, you will only donate the numbers that will be lost that month alone.
Another misconception is that the hormones you drink can hurt your fertility.
This is also wrong: the hormones you consume as donors are similar to your natural hormones, and will not cause infertility.
Myth 3: Donating eggs is very detrimental to my health.
There are claims that donating eggs can cause breast or ovarian cancer.
But according to a recent study, there is no conclusive evidence that egg donations cause cancer. The Truth About Donors Eggs 5 Myths Debunked
Myth 4: Anyone can be an egg donor, even someone who is uneducated or ill.
Donors go through the screening process to become donors and ensure donated eggs are of good quality.
Some common requirements for donors are:
Must have a high school diploma or equivalent
Have a body mass index lower than 29
Being in your 20s
Have good physical and mental health
It is non-smokers who do not use drugs
Depending on the clinic, there may be other requirements related to family and family history of cancer, heart disease, and psychiatric conditions.
Myth 5: The egg donor only wants money.
Although there is a financial component to being an egg donor, money is not the only motivator.
Many people consider donating eggs so they can help the infertile to start a family. It can be very satisfying to help someone in need of having a child.


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Empathy Heals:
Patients whose doctors show concern recover from colds faster
It feels good when someone pays attention to our concerns and our feelings—and it turns out such empathy is good for our health, too. Researchers at the University Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health report in Family Medicine that patients of doctors who expressed such concern had a cold for one day fewer than patients whose physicians focused on just the facts. In randomized controlled trials the colds of patients assigned to empathetic doctors lasted an average of seven days; those with low empathy docs endured an extra day of cold misery. The doctors' empathy also boosted the patients' immune systems. There was a direct relation between a physician's empathy level and his or her patient's level of IL-8, a chemical that summons immune system cells to fight microbial bad guys.
Related Disorders
Insomnia and depression may arise from common genes
Sleepless nights may be genetically linked to depression, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania and Virginia Commonwealth University. In a study of twins, researchers found that genetically identical twins who suffered from insomnia were significantly more likely than nonidentical twins to also suffer from depression. The two disorders have been linked before, but the role of genetics has not been clear. The new study indicates that insomnia and depression have overlapping genes, and the next step is to pinpoint those genes through DNA analysis. Possible contenders are the genes related to the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, which are involved in both the sleep-wake cycle and mood regulation.
Why the #$%! Do We Swear?
Expletives may not only be an expression of agony but also a means to alleviate it
Editor's Note: This story was originally posted on scientificamerican.com, click here for full text of this article.


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The most massive faraway cluster of galaxies has been found, thanks to a fortuitous astrophysical alignment that helped astronomers detect the mammoth grouping.
The galaxy cluster, named IDCS J1426.5+3508, is located a staggering 10 billion light-years away from Earth, and researchers spotted the behemoth because its gravitational field is so strong that it is warping the light coming from a galaxy behind it. Galaxy clusters are the most massive structures in our universe, and are made up of hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity.
"When I first saw it, I kept staring at it, thinking it would go away," study lead author Anthony Gonzalez, an astronomer at the University of Florida in Gainesville, said in a statement. "The galaxy behind the cluster is a typical run-of-the-mill galaxy with a lot of young stars, but the galaxy cluster in front of it is a whopper for that range. However, it's really the way that the two systems are lined up that makes the occurrence truly remarkable."
This fluke alignment created what's called a gravitational lens, which occurs when a massive object, such as a black hole or galaxy cluster, lies directly between an observer (or telescope), and a more distant target in the background.
The powerful gravitational force of the object in the foreground warps the light being emitted by the more distant target, bending and twisting it on its path to the telescope.
Gravitational lensing from the faraway galaxy has never been observed behind a cluster at such an enormous distance, the researchers said.
Since this galaxy cluster is so distant — 10 billion light-years away — it existed when the universe was only one-quarter of its present age. The universe is estimated to be roughly 13.7 billion years old. Current theories for how the universe evolved suggest that relatively few of these galaxy clusters were present when the universe was in its infancy, the researchers said. [The Universe: Big Bang to Now in 10 Easy Steps]
Still, finding this galaxy cluster represents a serendipitous astrophysical discovery in itself, since the astronomers were scanning only a small 9-square degree section of the sky. For comparison, if you extend your arm in front of you and hold up your index finger, you will be covering approximately 1 square degree of the sky with your finger, Gonzalez explained.
"So finding a massive cluster at that range that is also gravitationally lensing is a real long shot, even if you were looking at the whole sky," he said.
The astronomers originally found the galaxy cluster using NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope, but evidence of the gravitational lensing was seen in images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2010.
To follow up on this find, and to narrow down the cluster's mass and distance, the researchers used data from the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) radio telescope in the Inyo Mountains in California, and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in space.
The discovery of a massive galaxy cluster at such a great distance, in a limited field of observation, could indicate that current models of clusters in the early universe may need to be reworked, Gonzalez said. But right now, it is too soon to tell.
"We just don't know," Gonzalez said. "We need to find more clusters at this range so that we can get more data. So far we only have one example to study."
The study's detailed findings are published in the July 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
Follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+.


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So I'm leaving for Chicago tomorrow.
Just staying over for one night, and then back to NYC tomorrow.
But I'm going because my dad is receiving an award…the Man of the Year Award, from an international organization, so I'm going there to sit in the audience and cheer him on.
So dad, if you're reading this (and I know you are!) congratulations! You have always been the man of the year in my eyes. And I thank you for all the selfless ways you've given to your family throughout your life, each and everyday.
I've spent a good deal of time here, in Ohio during the holidays, thinking about my future. About whether I should continue to live in NYC, where I've been building my life for the last seven years, or if I should move back to Ohio and "settle down."
And no surprise here, that I've talked myself around in a circle to the point of dizziness. But I'm just always struck by how easily I can be reminded here, of that dark part of my life, when I was battling anorexia in high school and early college.
That memory creates a huge shadow that follows me around here. It's why I moved in NYC in the first place: to start fresh and create a new life as the healed young woman I am.
But this past Sunday at church, I had a really, just awful experience. Since I have been back in Ohio, we've been going to a new parish downtown where my brother and sister-in-law attend. It's beautiful, there's an amazing choir, and it's where my miracle took place.
But last Sunday, we went back to our local parish. The one I went to during my illness in high school.
And let me tell you, I was just attacked, spiritually, the whole time I was there.
I remember back during my disease that I would just loathe going to Mass, simply because it meant that I had to sit still for an hour. Which was a death-sentence for me, because stillness meant I wasn't burning calories.
I can remember as clear as day, the racing thoughts that harangued my brain, as I would violently bounce my legs in an effort to appease my exercise addiction.
And the people at church all knew what I was going through. It was no secret – I was wearing my illness on my skeletal body. But there would be whispers and judgmental looks from some. Feigned concern that masked their ugly gossip, slaughtering me and my family's reputation.
And still to this day, there are wonderful people who still TEN YEARS LATER go: Oh, I'm so glad you're doing so well. Or my favorite, You look so healthy now.
Yeah, thanks.
The social ineptness is just astounding.
But sitting there in the pews on Sunday, all of that just hit me right in the face. It was like I walked into a brick wall and there was Satan, standing over me, and jeering at me while I was down.
And it completely rocked me. Truly. I couldn't shake the feeling of anger and disgust and remorse and judgment and inadequacy for the rest of the day. I was a different person. I was mean. I was short. I was picking fights with my parents for no good reason.
And my dad just pulled me aside as hot tears were streaming down my face in a fit of anxious rage, and he looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Don't let the devil get to you."
I know this is a bit of a heavy topic, but he really is on the prowl, and will use any foothold we give him to worm his way back into our lives and wreak havoc.
I ended up taking a walk alone that afternoon to walk it off. Listened to some music and let the endorphins work their magic. I tried to pray, but truthfully I couldn't come up with the words other than, O God.
That afternoon served as a reminder that I am not invincible. Sure, I was coming off of an incredible stretch of time here at home with my friends and family and even someone kind-of interesting, but the devil can even find us on the mountaintop and kick us down to the dust.
Doesn't matter how strong your recovery is or how impenetrable your fortress.
My dad knew what was going on. He called it out. And instilled in me the belief that I could resist and turn things around.
But there's something to be said about protecting your heart and your mind from situations or places that will make you susceptible to attacks.
Case in point: when I stay at my parents' house in Ohio, I don't sleep in my old bedroom. I just can't. I feel incredibly attacked, seeing my high school memorabilia and things and pictures that remind me of that dark time in my life.
It looks like my home parish is one of those places too. Which is a real pity.
And honestly gives me grave pause as I have been prayerfully considering the possibility of moving home for good this summer.
But then maybe that's the doubt he was trying to stir up by attacking me in that way.
I don't know. A lot to consider. A lot to pray about.
But the most important thing to remember is that Jesus conquers all. There is no match for our King.
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text:
Notable NYC: 4/29–5/5
Saturday 4/29: Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day! Celebrations are happening at Greenlight Bookstore, Community Bookstore, Astoria Bookshop, and BookCulture. Queens Literary Festival. LIC Landing, 2 p.m., free. Juliet Escoria, Precious Okoyomon, David Eye, and Cecilia Pavon with Jacob Steinberg read poetry. Berl's Poetry Shop, 3 p.m., free. Brandon Brown and Cat Tyc join Segue Series. Zinc […]...more