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St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - The St. Louis Rams are going to release cornerback Cortland Finnegan.
According to the Post-Dispatch on Wednesday, both head coach Jeff Fisher and team executive VP Kevin Demoff contacted Finnegan and told him that the move will be made.
Finnegan, for his part, released the following statement on his Twitter account: "St.Louis thank you for your letting me play for a classy franchise and coach fish nothing but love thank you all."
According to the paper, releasing the former Tennessee Titan will save the Rams $4 million in cap money for the upcoming season. Finnegan was due $6 million in base salary plus a $3 million signing bonus due by March 13, and would have counted $10 million against the salary cap, the paper revealed.
The Samford product, who signed a deal with St. Louis for five years at approximately $50 million in March of 2012, recorded only 27 tackles and one interception in seven games (five starts) last year. He picked up 101 tackles, three picks and one sack in 16 games two seasons ago in his first campaign with the Rams.


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Malcolm Park
STS 130 Space Shuttle Endeavour
The adventure of a lifetime: I discovered that viewing a launch was an amazing thing to do in November, 2008 when I watched the launch of STS 126 Endeavour from the shore of the Indian river in Titusville. At that moment, I vowed to come back and watch a launch from the closest location that I could. When STS130 tickets went on sale, I was right in there and got them online. I bought the maximum allowed - 6 - because I hoped that I could put a group together to go. I found 2 members of my astronomy club that took a pair, and a 3rd member of my club took his wife and young daughter separately. We were so lucky that the launch was only scrubbed the one day. I had to call in and take a day off work to stay for the Monday morning launch but I got some pictures and some memories! I understand the trials and tribulations of people that have endured scrub after scrub. There are no guarantees with this process, and its possible that many of the people that had planned to watch it Sunday morning could not take the Monday off work to try again. I'm very fortunate, and then at the end of the mission, after Endeavour had separated from ISS a beautiful Sunday morning flyby directly overhead on landing day, and I was able to catch these images.Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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Doorknobs May Be 'Reservoirs' for MRSA
September 19, 2011 (Chicago) — If a member of your household has a drug-resistant staph infection, be aware that doorknobs, light switches, and other seemingly harmless items may serve as reservoirs for the bacteria to multiply and spread.
People with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) who live in homes where such common items test positive for the same strain of MRSA are about five times more likely to spread the bacteria to another household member, a study of nearly 300 homes suggests.
Staph, including MRSA, is a common bug that lives on the skin or in the noses of about 40% of people without causing harm, says researcher Justin Knox, MPH, a PhD candidate in the department of epidemiology at Columbia University in New York City.
But previous research by the same group suggests that contamination of household items is associated with an increased risk of recurrent MRSA infections, Knox tells WebMD. "Environment appears to play a role in [MRSA spread]."
The study also showed that having a child age 5 or younger or having a pet in the home doubles the risk of transmitting staph to another household member.
Knox presented the findings here at the 51st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
MRSA on the Rise
A 2005 study showed that the annual rate of community-acquired MRSA infection — cases occurring in people with no recent hospital or nursing home stays — ranged from 18 cases per 100,000 people in Baltimore to 26 cases per 100,000 people in Atlanta.
Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in cases, and studies suggest that community-acquired infections are often contained within households, according to Knox's colleague, Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, MD, of Columbia University.
However, the source of these infections has been unclear.
So Knox and colleagues compared the households of 146 people who came to the hospital to be treated for community-acquired MRSA infections to a comparison group of households of 145 dental clinic patients.
Patients completed a questionnaire about themselves and household members. Also, nasal swabs were collected from consenting household members, and household items were swabbed. Swabs were cultured for staph bacteria.
Among the findings:
- 58% of household members of people with MRSA infections tested positive for staph vs. 37% of those in the other homes.
- Identical MRSA strains were found among two or more members of the household in 38% of "hospital-treated" households vs. 18% of the comparison households.
- Common household items tested positive for the same strain of MRSA as the patient in half of "hospital-treated" households vs. less than one-third of comparison households.
Minimizing Your Risk of MRSA
So what should you do to minimize the risk of MRSA spreading in your household?
- Practice good hand washing techniques, says Catherine Bennett, PhD, head of the School of Health and Social Development at the Deakin University Australia in Burwood, Victoria, Australia. She moderated the session at which the findings were presented.
- "Good hand washing techniques" mean means washing with soap and water for at least 15 seconds. Also, thoroughly wash your face.
- Always wash after playing with a pet.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers or wipes when washing isn't possible.
- Don't share towels, uniforms, or other items that come into contact with bare skin, the main entry point for MRSA.
- Keep cuts or broken skin clean and covered with dry bandages until healed.
- Clean shared sports equipment with antiseptic solution before each use. Or use a towel as a barrier between skin and equipment.
- Be on the lookout for infections. Early on, a staph infection resembles a spider bite (a red, irritated bump). Don't wait — have a nurse or doctor look at it.
- If you have an infection, don't try to squeeze out the pus. This only spreads germs on your skin.
- Always keep surfaces clean, particularly if someone has an active infection, Bennett tells WebMD.
- Whether to clean doorknobs, counters, and other potential sources of infection with bleach or antimicrobial agents is tricky, Bennett says. "You don't want to encourage resistance. So use them in moderation."
If you have a young child, make sure he or she follows these recommendations.
These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.
– 51st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Chicago, Sept. 17-20, 2011.
– Justin Knox, MPH, PhD candidate, department of epidemiology, Columbia University, New York City.
– Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, MD, division of infectious diseases, Columbia University, New York City.
– Catherine Bennett, PhD, head, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University Australia, Burwood, Victoria, Australia.
– Fridkin, S. New England Journal of Medicine, 2005; vol 352: pp 1436-1444.
– CDC web site.
Original Article Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/750168?src=nl_topic
Written by: Charlene Laino


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Application of gene therapy in neurosurgery: BMP gene therapy
Search Medline for
|April 23, 2004
Gene therapy techniques have the potential to treat numerous diseases, from cancer to diabetes. One promising application is the use of bone morphogenetic (BMP) gene therapy to induce bone formation. Our previous studies demonstrated that both direct and ex vivo BMP gene therapy have the capacity to initiate the normal endochondral pathway, leading to rapid mature bone formation. In our present study, clinical studies: computed tomography (CT) and radionuclide scintigraphic imaging was used to assess the morphologic and functional dynamics of bone formation induced by BMP gene therapy accurately and noninvasively.
Material and methods
Athymic nude rodents were treated with 1.25 x 1010 particles of adenovirus-BMP-2 (Ad-BMP-2) (treatment group) and adenovirus-β-Gal (control group). At various intervals after treatment, the animals underwent CT, planar digital radiography and planar radionuclide scintigraphic imaging.
Radionuclide scintigraphy clearly demonstrated active bone deposition that begun as early as 15 days after treatment and peaked at approximately 36 days, only at the Ad-BMP-2 injection sites. CT demonstrated ectopic bone induction over time at the Ad-BMP-2 treatment sites, in perfect correlation with the scintigraphic findings.
This study clearly illustrates that gene therapy -induced osteogenesis can be studied with multimodality clinical imaging and supports the use of these approaches in future preclinical and clinical studies.


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ZyXEL - P-660HW-T1 v2 (ZyXEL Firmware)
Port Forwarding Guide
For automatic port forwarding try Simple Port Forwarding
Step 1.
Some routers & modems work best with port forwarding if you have a static
local IP.
Manually set your network interface card ( NIC ) to use a static ip address.
You can also download my FREE Simple Static IP tool to set it for you.
Step 2.
Open your favorite web browser and input your routers ip address in the address bar.
Please note that you must have the http:// in order to connect to your router/modem properly.
Need help finding you router IP address? Click here
Step 3.
Enter the routers password here and click the Login button.
If you don't know it you can check our list of default router and modem password list here.
If you have changed it and don't remember it you may have to reset your device to factory default using the reset button on most routers.
At the next page click the "Go to Advanced Setup" link.
Step 4.
Once logged into your router click on the "Network" link at the left of the page.
After the page loads click the "NAT" link listed under "Network" on the left.
Step 5
Now click on the "Port Forwarding" tab at the top of the page.
After the page loads under the "Service Name" list select User Defined.
Step 6
Once the page loads check the "Active" box at the top.
Now for "Service Name" give your rule a name.
For "Start Port" enter the port you want to forward.
For "End Port" enter the port you want to forward
Example: Start: 2100 End: 2200 for a range, OR Start: 2100 End: 2100 for a single port.
For "Server IP Address" enter the IP of the computer you want to forward the port to.
Click the Apply button when you are finished.
Repeat Step 5 & 6 to add more rules.
All done!


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A jury has found mostly in favor of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in a historic lawsuit accusing one of Silicon Valley's best-known venture capital firms of sex discrimination.
The jury found against Ellen Pao on three out of four claims, including whether her gender was a factor in Kleiner Perkins's decision not to promote her, according to reporters tweeting from the courtroom Friday.
There was some confusion after the verdict was read, however, because the jury of six men and six women did not reach a sufficient majority on one question: whether Kleiner Perkins retaliated against Pao by terminating her employment after she complained that she was discriminated against.
Pao could still be eligible for damages based on that claim, a Wall Street Journal reporter tweeted.
At least nine of the 12 jurors need to agree on the claim, and only eight of them did so. So the judge sent them back to continue their deliberations, according to reporters in the courtroom.
Still, most of the verdict has gone against Pao, including her central claim that she was discriminated against based on her gender. The verdict will not be final until the jury decides on the claim of retaliation.
The jury has taken two days so far and had to answer more than a dozen separate questions on the verdict form. There was an audible gasp in the courtroom as the first "no" was read by the court clerk, reporters in the courtroom said.
The trial has gripped technology industry watchers for the past month, fueling the debate about gender discrimination in Silicon Valley and shining an often unflattering light on one of tech's oldest and most successful venture capital companies. Kleiner Perkins had a hand in the formation of Google, Twitter, Amazon.com, Uber and dozens of other high-flying technology companies.
Pao filed her lawsuit two years ago, alleging that she was a victim of sexual discrimination at the firm and that Kleiner Perkins retaliated against her when she complained about her treatment.
A former junior partner at the company, Pao said a pervasive culture of sexism prevented her from being promoted to senior partner, a role in which she would have made far more money.
Kleiner Perkins was run "like a boys club," Pao's lawyer reportedly told the jury in closing arguments this week, and "no woman was going to challenge them."'
But lawyers for Kleiner Perkins painted a very different picture, and one the jury believed. They portrayed Pao as a resentful, prickly employee who found it hard to get along with her coworkers. The real reason she wasn't promoted, the firm contended, is that she lacked the experience and the drive to be a top investor.
Pao was seeking up to $16 million in lost wages. Judge Harold Kahn of San Francisco Superior Court, where the case was heard, ruled this week that Pao would also be eligible for punitive damages if the jury concluded she was treated maliciously. That could have increased her damages by a further $144 million, USA Today reported.


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KABUL, Afghanistan – The number of militants killed in an attack by the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the U.S. military has risen to 94, an Afghan official said Saturday.
Ataullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor in Nangarhar, said the number of Islamic State group dead was up from the 36 reported a day earlier. A Ministry of Defense official had said Friday the number of dead could rise as officials assessed the bomb site in Achin district.
"Fortunately there is no report of civilians being killed in the attack," Khogyani said.
The U.S. attack on a tunnel complex in remote eastern Nangarhar province near the Pakistan border killed at least four IS group leaders, Khogyani said. He said a clearance operation to assess the site of the attack was continuing.
The strike using the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, was carried out Thursday against an Islamic State group tunnel complex carved into the mountains that Afghan forces had tried to assault repeatedly in recent weeks in fierce fighting in Nangarhar province.
The office of President Ashraf Ghani said Friday there was "close coordination" between the U.S. military and the Afghan government on the operation, and they were careful to prevent any civilian casualties.
The U.S. estimates 600-800 IS fighters are in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar. The U.S. has concentrated on fighting them while also supporting Afghan forces against the Taliban. The U.S. has more than 8,000 US troops in Afghanistan, training local forces and conducting counterterrorism operations.
Also on Saturday, Khogyani said a district leader and three others were wounded when their vehicle was targeted by a bomb. One of the wounded was Ghalib Mujahid, Bati Kot district chief, he said.
"The district chief and others are out of danger and are not in life-threatening condition," he said.
Last November, Mujahid was attacked by a sticky bomb attached to the vehicle and he was wounded and his driver was killed.


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I've just received permission from Bryan Blanchard, of the Pleasant Point Museum & Railway, to put his photos of trams at Ferrymead near Christchurch on the blog. Thanks, Bryan!
As always -- I welcome comments, additional information and corrections from tram enthusiasts. The more info, the better.
W2.224 which was part of the Melbourne fleet, not sure if it is the same tram, though.
Tram 152 & trailer - normally used in the city circle.
this site:
This is Brisbane's two-bogie drop-centre tram, although it has much in common with Sydney's toastrack L/P trams. The first to be introduced was No. 231 ...At first, despite their weight, the trams were equipped only with hand brakes; air brakes were a late refinement. Later, air brakes were fitted to hand-braked models in reverse order. This process got as far as tram No. 276 before it stopped.
Restored Christchurch No. 1.


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Throughout U.S. history there have been leaders, both Republicans and Democrats, who have supported the advancement of science and the protection of health and the environment and who have taken care to inform their policy decisions with the best scientific advice. After the midterm elections in November, it looked as though this tradition might take a backseat in the new Congress. For example, Representative-elect Jon Runyan, Republican of New Jersey, said in the aftermath of the election that to balance the federal budget one could cut "all the money we spend on frivolous research projects ... studying mating tendencies of fruit flies, stuff like that—is that really necessary?"
It is. The study of disease (for which fruit flies are essential tools), and scientific research in general, boosts economic growth, creates jobs and often ends up saving taxpayers money, as do improving infrastructure, supporting small farmers and promoting green energy. These are issues on which both parties could and should find common ground. Here is what we think should be top priorities of Congress and the Obama administration during the next two years.
Farm subsidies. The nation's agricultural policy is due for an update in 2012. This gives Congress an opportunity both to cut spending and to help the environment. Federal subsidies now mostly reward large farms for planting monocultures of corn, soybeans, wheat and rice. Much of that food goes to factory farms, where tightly packed animals provide a breeding ground for infectious diseases and produce vast quantities of waste that poses an environmental hazard. The current system devours fossil fuels, depletes the soil and pollutes waterways. It also makes high-sugar foods and beef artificially cheap, contributing to the obesity and diabetes epidemic. Through a transition in the way subsidies are allocated, the government should encourage a progressive return to sustainable, integrated farming, which alternates commodity crops with legumes and with grass for pasture.
Climate change. Opponents of proposals to cap carbon emissions argue that such measures would be a drag on the economy. But action on climate change is simple prudence. Doing nothing carries risks that outweigh the cost of phasing out emissions. Politicians should accept that calculation because the science that supports it is strong. They should also consider adopting sensible, market-friendly climate and energy measures. Options include the bipartisan "cap and dividend" bill proposed by Senator Susan M. Collins of Maine and Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington State—a revenue-neutral approach that would auction carbon permits and return the proceeds to taxpayers—and a low-carbon-electricity standard, which would give states more options for generating clean power.
Smoking. In 2004 the U.S. signed the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which encourages measures to reduce smoking. Seven years later the U.S. Senate has yet to ratify that document. It should. Despite a recent move to require more graphic warning labels, the U.S. is still one of only a handful of nations that are not required to adopt anti-smoking programs or counter the increased marketing of tobacco products in the developing world. Also, as Brianna Rego describes in this issue [see "Radioactive Smoke"], the Food and Drug Administration now has the authority to regulate tobacco and could begin to use it by making cigarettes free of highly toxic substances such as the radioactive isotope polonium 210.
Protecting the Internet. The monopoly power of Internet providers, reinforced by a regulatory quirk, is putting the democratizing and liberating effects of new media at risk. Nine years ago the Federal Communications Commission classified broadband Internet access as an "information service" rather than a "telecommunications service"—in effect, ruling that broadband was more akin to a single information source rather than an essential conduit through which the 21st century communicates. As a consequence, the agency lacks the authority to prevent Internet providers from screening what information we can or cannot access online. The FCC should reverse this decision and ensure the Internet stays free and open.


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Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps
By downloading from this page, the user agrees to the following terms and conditions. The State of California and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy of data or maps. The user will not seek to hold the State or the Department liable under any circumstances for any damages with respect to any claim by the user or any third party on account of or arising from the use of data or maps.
The user will cite the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as the original source of the maps, but will clearly denote cases where the original maps have been updated, modified, or in any way altered from the original condition. There are no restrictions on distribution of the maps by users. However, users are encouraged to refer others to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to acquire the maps, in case updated maps become available.
Due to the nature of this content, some users who require Assistive Technology may experience accessibility issues. If you experience any problems while trying to access this content please call 408.465.6172, or e-mail: email@example.com


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The first thing I'd like to do before I unlink my tether from the journalistic mother ship and float off into the blogosphere is to separate fact from fiction with a quick game of True or False.
True or false: Peter Schmuck has relocated into cyberspace and will no longer be the bright, insightful and wildly popular columnist we've come to love in the print edition of The Baltimore Sun.
False. I will continue to write two or more columns per week on a variety of subjects for both the print edition and the Web site.
True or false: Peter Schmuck's extensive experience covering the Orioles, Dodgers, Angels and the NFL makes him uniquely qualified to take you inside the Orioles clubhouse and the Ravens locker room.
True. It's either that or his slightly twisted view of the sports world.
True or false: Peter Schmuck will spend less time at sporting events and more time sequestered in his basement knocking out humorous and informative blog commentary.
False. I will actually spend more time at sporting events and team headquarters providing up-to-the-minute coverage of local and national sports.
True or false: Peter Schmuck once had his request for a vanity license plate bearing his surname rejected by the California Department of Motor Vehicles for being "obscene and offensive to public decency."
True. Yes, that really happened.
True or false: Peter Schmuck was a nationally ranked table tennis player as a teen.
True. My only sports claim to fame was being ranked 969th in the nation by the United States Table Tennis Association when I was 19. I believe there were about 975 ranked players at the time.
True or false: Peter Schmuck is an egomaniac who took up writing because he was never very good at anything.
False. I am an egomaniac who took up writing because they don't pay people to do anything else I'm any good at.
True or false: Peter Schmuck hates cats.
False. I actually like cats, in reasonable numbers. There is no good reason to have 117 cats unless you operate a licensed animal shelter.
True or false: Peter Schmuck is the only Peter Schmuck who will come up if you Google search "Peter Schmuck."
False. There is another Peter Schmuck who is an internationally recognized psychologist.
True or false: This Peter Schmuck could use an internationally recognized psychologist.
True. Enough said.
Check back here frequently for team updates, timely insights and touchy subjects. To quote the great actor Al Pacino, "I'm just getting warmed up!"


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Tell us what you think about Samsung GALAXY Note 5 32GB/64GB, share your opinion with other people. Please make sure that your review focus on Samsung GALAXY Note 5 32GB/64GB. All the reviews are moderated and will be reviewed within two business days. Inappropriate reviews will not be posted.
Have any question or inquire for Samsung GALAXY Note 5 32GB/64GB? Please contact Customer Service. (Our customer representative will get back shortly.)


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Crisis on world stage
Bush and global financial leaders vow to fight the growing financial meltdown.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- World leaders, warning of a global economic downturn, pledged Saturday to work together to find solutions to what is unfolding as the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
President Bush and finance officials from the Group of Seven, Group of 20 and the International Monetary Fund - gathering in the nation's capital - vowed vigilance in helping economies around the world on the road to recovery.
Concerns about the solvency of banks and financial institutions in recent weeks "had pushed the global financial system to the brink of systemic meltdown," said Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF managing director.
Strauss-Kahn said steps taken so far by the United States and European nations hadn't been fully effective and that more would be necessary in "the coming months."
For his part, President Bush did not announce any new actions to stem the financial panic gripping the world, but reiterated measures world leaders are taking to strengthen financial systems.
"We recognize that the turmoil in the financial markets is affecting all our citizens," Bush said early Saturday morning. "All of us recognize this is a serious global crisis that requires a serious global response for the good of our people."
Both Bush and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson spoke about the latest step being contemplated by the United States - injecting much-needed capital into banks.
"In recent weeks, financial market turmoil intensified throughout the world and credit markets froze, causing a chain reaction resulting in non-financial companies experiencing difficulty in financing normal business operations." Paulson told an IMF meeting.
The Bush administration is considering whether to use the authority granted in the $700 billion rescue plan enacted on Oct. 3 to take ownership stakes in financial institutions to stabilize and restore confidence in them.
Other countries are also taking action to inject liquidity, protect citizens' savings and strengthen financial institutions in their own nations, he said.
Finance leaders from the world's top economies, the Group of Seven, pledged Friday night to take steps to keep leading institutions afloat, unfreeze credit, ensure banks have enough capital to kick start lending and safeguard depositors' funds and restart the secondary markets for mortgages and other securitized assets.
Bush said that it is vital that countries work together so that their actions don't undermine others. He pointed to the emergency interest rate cut enacted this week as an example of a coordinated effort.
He plans to expand discussions beyond the G-7 ministers - representing the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan - to the leaders of the G-20 emerging market and industrialized nations.
"We're in this together, we'll come through this together," the president said.
But Bush warned that it will take time to see the results. So far, all the measures world leaders have taken have done little to calm jittery markets. "The benefits will not be realized overnight," he said.
Bush made a surprise visit Saturday at a G-20 meeting of finance ministers and central bankers.
Officials of the G-20 issued a statement late Saturday saying that the "global implications" of the crisis required international cooperation.
The G-20 is made up of rich and emerging nations that produce 90 percent of the world's economic output. The meeting in Washington came at Paulson's request. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was also in attendance.
The International Monetary Fund endorsed the G-7's commitment to do everything possible to jumpstart the world's economies.
The IMF's Monetary and Finance Committee said in a statement that it "recognizes that the depth and systemic nature of the crisis call for exceptional vigilance, coordination, and readiness to take bold action."
Strauss-Kahn of the IMF said the downturn could be worse than anticipated.
"The world economy is now entering a major slowdown as a result of the most severe shock to mature financial markets since the 1930s, adding to pressure on global economies from high prices for oil and other commodities," Strauss-Kahn said.
The International Monetary and Finance Committee - the steering arm of the IMF - began its 18th fall meeting Saturday. The 185-nation IMF was created in 1945 to coordinate international financial stability efforts, aiming to avoid financial collapses.
The World Bank, which is a similar organization with a slightly different mandate, also started its fall meeting Saturday. It focuses on longer-term aid for troubled countries, investing in such things as infrastructure development.
The meetings in Washington cap a week in which fear gripped financial markets worldwide. The Dow Jones industrial average had its worst week ever, falling just over 1,874 points, or 18%. Wall Street lost roughly $2.4 trillion in market value during the week, according to losses in the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000, the broadest measure of the market.
Since the mid-September collapse of Lehman Brothers sparked the latest chaos in the financial markets, Bush has repeatedly tried to reassure the Americans.
"We can solve this crisis - and we will," said Bush, in a speech at the White House Friday, his 27th commentary on the nation's financial health. "Here's what the American people need to know: The U.S. government is acting, and we will continue to act, to resolve this crisis and return stability to our markets," he said.
The government has started taking a number of steps to attack the crisis, Bush said Friday. These include helping homeowners to refinance into more affordable mortgages; cutting the target for the federal funds rate; unveiling a plan to support the market for commercial paper; and offering government insurance for money market mutual funds.
The plan will authorize the Treasury to buy bad mortgage-related investments from finance companies, unfreezing the credit markets by freeing up banks and finance firms to lend once again.
The CNN Wire reports were used in compiling this article.


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Nicaragua to vote on bills tightening Daniel Ortega's grip on security, media
Nicaragua's legislature votes today on three proposed laws that, critics say, would give President Daniel Ortega sweeping new authority to create a domestic spy network and censor the media.
| Managua, Nicaragua
A year-end blitz by President Daniel Ortega to reform Nicaragua's national security and defense policies could be a dangerous step toward militarizing the country and subverting its troubled democracy to the boot of military authority, analysts warn.
Critics claim the proposed National Defense Law, the National Security Law, and the Border Law – a legislative package scheduled for a vote today – would give Mr. Ortega sweeping new authority to create a domestic spy network, censor the media, confiscate land, and repress the opposition.
Sandinista lawmakers defend the new laws as necessary to combat emerging national security threats such as narco-trafficking and organized crime. The legislation also feeds on growing nationalism amid disputes with Costa Rica to the south, Honduras to the north, and Colombia in the Caribbean.
Roberto Cajina of the Latin American Network on Security and Defense, a group that seeks to preserve Latin American democracies from military encroachment, agrees with the Sandinistas that the three bills represent overdue legislation to define Nicaragua's defense and border policies. But he warns that they need to be a product of broad consultation and consensus and not rushed through parliament in the 11th hour.
Some fear the president, who's seeking reelection next year despite a constitutional ban prohibiting his candidacy, could use the laws to remain in power by force. "These laws would institutionalize Ortega's paranoia and authoritarian style of government," says constitutional law expert Gabriel Alvarez.
Ghosts of the 1980s
Ortega's proposed laws would give the president unchecked authority to declare martial law and launch "national mobilizations" in the name of defending Nicaragua's "established democratic order" against domestic and foreign threats. The legislation also calls for the creation of a new spy network under the umbrella of a "National Security System" comprised of "institutions specialized in intelligence and information" that will report directly to the president.
The Border Law, meanwhile, would give the Army administrative control of a 15-kilometer-wide border zone in which all property would be classified as "national terrain." The law would also create a new "Border Security Zone" within five kilometers of the frontiers, where all land would become "inalienable" state property.
Foreign investors fret that the border law could be confiscatory, and Nicaragua's native and ethnically-African population on the north Atlantic coast says the proposed legislation invokes ghosts of the 1980s.
"These laws revive the bad memories of (the) 'Red Christmas' campaign in 1981, when the Sandinista government – the same one that's in power now – used the same justifications of national defense and sovereignty to militarize the border and forcibly removed us from our communities," says Lottie Cunningham, a director of the Center for Justice and Human Rights for the Atlantic Coast, an advocacy group that focuses on the land rights of native people.
The Sandinistas' massacred Miskito communities living along the northern border in 1981 in a military operation aimed at preventing them from joining the US-backed Contra insurgents based in Honduras. Those killings and forced displacements led to the creation of the YATAMA movement, which opposed the Sandanista government. Miskito leaders today fear the proposed border and security laws will provide the Sandinistas with a similar pretext to snatch indigenous lands.
"This is the same thing that led us to war in the '80s," bellowed Miskito indigenous representative Salvador Fermín during a press conference Friday. "They are provoking war here and we don't want that!"
Democracy in checkmate
Lawyer and former Sandinista military colonel Victor Boitano says the defense-bill package is in line with militarization taking place in other leftist countries belonging to the Venezuelan-led Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA). Following last year's coup in Honduras and an alleged putsch-attempt earlier this year in Ecuador, the other ALBA leaders are trying to strengthen their platforms for political continuity by making the militaries partners in their project, Mr. Boitano says.
"ALBA needs military control to stay in power," says Boitano, a decorated graduate of the Cuban military academy in the 1980s and a fierce critic of Ortega. "I have no doubt that if these laws are passed, Nicaragua will become a different country – similar to what it was in the 1980s."
As one of the leaders of the Sandinista insurrection that overthrew the US-backed Somoza dynasty in 1979, Ortega quickly positioned himself as the leader of the new revolutionary government, first as head of the interim junta and then as president. After he was voted out of office in 1990, Ortega spent the next 16 years consolidating his personal control over the Sandinista National Liberation Front.
Since returning to the presidency in 2007, President Ortega has methodically extended his control over his party into the government. The president and his family now wield tight personal control over virtually every government ministry, institution, and agency. Political analyst Felix Madrigal says the defense-bill package that goes to a vote today would also give Ortega direct personal control over the Army, the media, and civil society.
International defense analysts are also concerned. Adam Isacson, senior associate for regional security for the Washington Office of Latin America (WOLA), a group that lobbies for democracy in Latin America, calls the Nicaraguan bills "poisonous" to military-civilian relations. He says Ortega "can't be given the benefit of the doubt."
"The last time Nicaragua had a personal army was under [former dictator] Anastasio Somoza, who ironically was overthrown by Ortega," Mr. Isacson says. "The two are starting to look more and more like each other."
Bills 'ensure peace and democratic order'
President Ortega quietly introduced the three bills to congress earlier this month and demanded they be approved "urgently." When opposition lawmakers asked for a week to read and analyze the three defense bills, Ortega lambasted them as "traitors."
Sandinista lawmakers insist the laws will not be used as instruments of repression or confiscation. They also dismiss claims that the proposed Law of National Defense, which establishes the "inalienable right and obligation of Nicaraguan citizens to participate actively and belligerently in national defense," would reestablish military conscription similar to the one that existed during the contra war in the 1980s.
Head Sandinista lawmaker Edwin Castro insists his party has "no intention to implement obligatory military service," which was banned in the 1996 Constitution. The Sandinistas say the defense bills are written in the spirit of ensuring "peace, security, and democratic order."
Opposition lawmaker Victor Hugo Tinoco, whose Sandinista Renovation Movement says it will vote against the bills today, agrees the laws are needed but worries about Ortega's urgency to pass them. "These are fundamental laws dealing with national security and the border; they have to be discussed and analyzed," Mr. Tinoco said.
Merry Christmas, from Daniel
The opposition Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC) was in meetings all last week with Sandinista lawmakers and military brass to rewrite the most worrisome articles of the bills. PLC lawmaker José Pallais says consensus has been reached to make "substantive changes" so that laws approved this week will be "totally different" from Ortega's original bills. The PLC and Sandinista lawmakers together represent the majority needed to approve the bills today.
But some analysts claim the PLC, which has long played the role of minority partner in Nicaragua's infamous political power-sharing pact ("el pacto"), is trying to sugarcoat a bitter legislative pill.
"This is Ortega's Christmas present to the Army," says retired Gen. Hugo Torres, who headed the military's intelligence department in the 1990s. "The bills give the Army too much power, more than normal."
Mr. Torres says Ortega is trying to turn back the clock on efforts to professionalize and institutionalize the Nicaraguan Army. "Ortega is advancing in his dictatorial project under the old system," the retired general said. "He didn't learn anything from the 1980s."


text:
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Sunday, January 08, 2017
Stephen Hawking turns 75. Congratulations! Here's what to celebrate.
Hawking became "officially famous" with his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time." Among physicists, however, he's more renowned for the singularity theorems. In his 1960s work together with Roger Penrose, Hawking proved that singularities form under quite general conditions in General Relativity, and they developed a mathematical framework to determine when these conditions are met.
Before Hawking and Penrose's work, physicists had hoped that the singularities which appeared in certain solutions to General Relativity were mathematical curiosities of little relevance for physical reality. But the two showed that this was not so, that, to the very contrary, it's hard to avoid singularities in General Relativity.
Only a year later, in 1974, Hawking published a seminal paper in which he demonstrates that black holes give off thermal radiation, now referred to as "Hawking radiation." This evaporation of black holes results in the black hole information loss paradox which is still unsolved today. Hawking's work demonstrated clearly that the combination of General Relativity with the quantum field theories of the standard model spells trouble. Like the singularity theorems, it's a result that doesn't merely indicate, but prove that we need a theory of quantum gravity in order to consistently describe nature.
While the 1974 paper was predated by Bekenstein's finding that black holes resemble thermodynamical systems, Hawking's derivation was the starting point for countless later revelations. Thanks to it, physicists understand today that black holes are a melting pot for many different fields of physics – besides general relativity and quantum field theory, there is thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, and quantum information and quantum gravity. Let's not forget astrophysics, and also mix in a good dose of philosophy. In 2017, "black hole physics" could be a subdiscipline in its own right – and maybe it should be. We owe much of this to Stephen Hawking.
In the 1980s, Hawking worked with Jim Hartle on the no-boundary proposal according to which our universe started in a time-less state. It's an appealing idea whose time hasn't yet come, but I believe this might change within the next decade or so.
After this, Hawking tries several times to solve the riddle of black hole information loss that he posed himself, most recently in early 2016. While his more recent work has been met with interest in the community, it hasn't been hugely impactful – it attracts significantly more attention by journalists than by physicists.
As a physicist myself, I frequently get questions about Stephen Hawking: "What's he doing these days?" – I don't know. "Have you ever met him?" – He slept right through it. "Do you also work on the stuff that he works on?" – I try to avoid it. "Will he win a Nobel Prize?" – Ah. Good question.
Hawking's shot at the Nobel Prize is the Hawking radiation. The astrophysical black holes which we can presently observe have a temperature way too small to be measured in the foreseeable future. But since the temperature increases for smaller mass, lighter black holes are hotter, and could allow us to measure Hawking radiation.
Black holes of sufficiently small masses could have formed from density fluctuations in the early universe and are therefore referred to as "primordial black holes." However, none of them have been seen, and we have tight observational constraints on their existence from a variety of data. It isn't yet entirely excluded that they are around, but I consider it extremely unlikely that we'll observe one of these within my lifetime.
For what the Nobel is concerned, this leaves the Hawking radiation in gravitational analogues. In this case, one uses a fluid to mimic a curved space-time background. The mathematical formulation of this system is (in certain approximations) identical to that of an actual black hole, and consequently the gravitational analogues should also emit Hawking radiation. Indeed, Jeff Steinhauer claims that he has measured this radiation.
At the time of writing, it's still somewhat controversial whether Steinhauer has measured what he thinks he has. But I have little doubt that sooner or later this will be settled – the math is clear: The radiation should be there. It might take some more experimental tinkering, but I'm confident sooner or later it'll be measured.
Sometimes I hear people complain: "But it's only an analogy." I don't understand this objection. Mathematically it's the same. That in the one case the background is an actually curved space-time and in the other case it's an effectively curved space-time created by a flowing fluid doesn't matter for the calculation. In either situation, measuring the radiation would demonstrate the effect is real.
However, I don't think that measuring Hawking radiation in an analogue gravity system would be sufficient to convince the Nobel committee Hawking deserves the prize. For that, the finding would have to have important implications beyond confirming a 40-years-old computation.
One way this could happen, for example, would be if the properties of such condensed matter systems could be exploited as quantum computers. This isn't as crazy as it sounds. Thanks to work built on Hawking's 1974 paper we know that black holes are both extremely good at storing information and extremely efficient at distributing it. If that could be exploited in quantum computing based on gravitational analogues, then I think Hawking would be in line for a Nobel. But that's a big "if." So don't bet on it.
Besides his scientific work, Hawking has been and still is a master of science communication. In 1988, "A Brief History of Time" was a daring book about abstract ideas in a fringe area of theoretical physics. Hawking, to everybody's surprise, proved that the public has an interest in esoteric problems like what happens if you fall into a black hole, what happed at the Big Bang, or whether god had any choice when he created the laws of nature.
Since 1988, the popular science landscape has changed dramatically. There are more books about theoretical physics than ever before and they are more widely read than ever before. I believe that Stephen Hawking played a big role in encouraging other scientists to write about their own research for the public. It certainly was an inspiration for me.
So, Happy Birthday, Stephen, and thank you.
44 comments:
I had the privilege to hear him give his talk "The Universe in a nutshell" in Seattle many years ago. It is something I tell my grandchildren about. I continue to be inspired by the man.ReplyDelete
A Brief History of Time got me into physics in the first place, it's one of those reads that has really shaped many of my decisions. :)ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
"our universe started in a time-less state. It's an appealing idea whose time hasn't yet come" Hmmmm!ReplyDelete
As a math graduate student at Princeton, I attended a Hawking lecture at the IAS. He was still speaking through an interpreter in those days. After the lecture, a young man asked a long and very technical question about something Hawking had said in his previous day's seminar. Hawking's answer: "I certainly didn't say anything about that today." The young man was Ed Witten. It was a memorable day!ReplyDelete
The problem with the black holes analogues is that we don't know if the mathematics is the same. We conjecture that the maths decribing the black holes is the same as our model, but unlike the model we can't experiment on a black hole to prove it.ReplyDelete
...Happy birthday, Stephen!
"experimental tinkering" Physics describes aspirin in deep. punctilious, universal ways that chemistry cannot. A physicist with a headache still needs a gram of chemistry. Art is elegant, craft builds the world.
Net matter versus antimatter is a good place for physics to begin rather than begin to patch a lomcovák.
You forgot to mention his triumph over the muscle degenerative disease he has fought over all those years since he was first diagnosed and doctors gave him a two year prognosis of the terminal illness.ReplyDelete
Excellent article, manages to be both clear and accurate. I would add only that the answer to the question "will hawking win a nobel" is that the question is irrelevant. Like any award, the Nobel in physics has certain criteria that are harder for some phyicists to satisfy than others. His accomplishments are secure and need no validation By yet more awards.ReplyDelete
No, you misunderstood this. We know the math is the same.
Happy birthday, StephenReplyDelete
Besides his scientific work, Hawking has been and still is a master of science communication. In 1988, "A Brief History of Time" was a daring book about abstract ideas in a fringe area of theoretical physics. Hawking, to everybody's surprise, proved that the public has an interest in esoteric problems like what happens if you fall into a black hole, what happed at the Big Bang, or whether god had any choice when he created the laws of nature.ReplyDelete
While the book (which I have and have read) was a bestseller, I think that there are many popular-science books covering the same territory which do it better. Also, not everyone who bought Hawking's book has read it. (To be sure, that might be true of Hawking and Ellis as well.)
Like John, I misunderstood this. Even when the analogous systems will be finally known to emit Hawking radiation: how will you "know" then that the emission process of Hawking radiation in BHs is described by the same mathematics? Do you have holes in your hands?ReplyDelete
(Haha, just a joke, that's how we used to say as kids.)
True, you believed for good reasons that it is even before the work on the analogous systems started. But how can experimental results on analogous systems strengthen this belief in any fundamental manner?
Please note that you have changed the question. You are asking how do I know that the (real) black hole radiation is described by the mathematics that Hawking used. I don't know. Nobody knows. That isn't the point. The point is that the mathematics that Hawking used to describe black holes is the same as that which applies to the fluid analogues. It's the same calculation (in certain approximations).
Having said that, there's no known reason why Hawking's calculation should not apply for real black holes. Indeed, it's exceedingly hard to get rid of it. Keep in mind that this calculation is done in the near horizon region, but that region can have vanishingly small space-time curvature. It can be as small as right here. We have tested both general relativity and quantum field theory at such small curvature to extremely high accuracy. It's hard to change anything about that without screwing up the success of our present theories. Best,
"No, you misunderstood this. We know the math is the same."
Perhaps it would help to try to define our terms more explicitly.
Do you mean that the appearance of Hawking radiation in the flowing-fluid analogy would constitute evidence that BH radiation occurs in the theory of GR? (I guess few people would contest that.)
But despite the extensive experimental evidence supporting GR in other situations not involving quantum phenomena, shouldn't we distinguish the above evidence from evidence for Hawking radiation from real black holes in nature? The radiation is a quantum phenomenon, and you stated "we need a theory of quantum gravity in order to consistently describe nature.
"Black holes of sufficiently small masses could have formed from density fluctuations in the early universe and are therefore referred to as "primordial black holes."
Does your qualification "sufficiently small masses" arise only within (some version of) the theory of inflation? (If so, which version?) As you may have noticed, Paul Frampton is enthusiastic about PBHs as dark matter, and stated in arXiv:1608.0509 that "The formation of PBHs with masses as large as Eq. (1) [10⁵ solar masses] and much larger is known to be mathematically possible during the radiation era." He likes PBHs as a possible explanation for the super-massive black holes at the centre of some galaxies [see Eq. (5)], which I seem to recall are not easily explained in the Concordance Model.
Thanks for the delightful blog article.
Sorry Bee, I read carelessly; "sufficiently small masses" obviously means only sufficiently small to evaporate rapidly enough to detect.ReplyDelete
Maurice has nicely summarised my point. Observing radiation from the analogue systems will be a great result and will certainly strongly suggest Hawking radiation exists. But then I'd guess most of us (including me) already believe Hawking radiation exists for the reasons you mention above.
I just don't think observing radiation in an analogue system would be the cue to hand out a Nobel prize.
"While the 1974 paper was predated by Bekenstein's finding that black holes resemble thermodynamical systems, Hawking's derivation was the starting point for countless later revelations. Thanks to it, physicists understand today that black holes are a melting pot for many different fields of physics – besides general relativity and quantum field theory, there is thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, and quantum information and quantum gravity."ReplyDelete
Quantum gravity or quantum mechanics in curved spacetime? :-)
Yes, you are both putting words into my mouth that I didn't use. Why not first try to understand what I said before complaining about it? I didn't say that measuring Hawking radiation in black hole analogues would show that real black holes emit radiation. Why would I say such a thing? What I said is that it would prove that the effect which Hawking calculated exists. As I've now repeated sufficiently often, it's the same calculation.
Neither did I say that observing the radiation in analogue systems would be sufficient for a Nobel Prize. Instead I said explicitly that it would not be sufficient. Maybe read it again before wasting more of my time. Best,
Not sure what you mean. It has arguably lead to a lot of effort to try and find a theory of quantum gravity that would solve the problem. A lot of papers on quantum gravity are actually about black hole evaporation.
My apologies. I've obviously offended you and I didn't mean to. I'm a long time reader of your blog and enjoyed reading this post. My comment wasn't meant as a contradiction or to imply that anything in your post was wrong. It was just, well, a comment.
I'm not offended. I'm tired of constantly having to repeat myself. Anyways, apology accepted :o)
Perhaps something interesting might be salvaged from this misunderstanding and wasted time.
Now we understand that you propose that the physical fluid analogue can prove that Hawking's mathematical theorem calculated in the context of GR (and QFT?) is correct. Perhaps one reason why some of us misunderstood you is that it seems highly unusual to resort to a physical analogue to prove a mathematical theorem.
− Why not use logic as mathematicians would? Where does this approach fail? I.e., ...
− What do you think the analogue experiment is really testing?
− Could the fluid analogue falsify the Hawking theory? You seemed to imply that if radiation is not seen in the fluid, the experiment might be wrong. Could one ever demonstrate that the experiment is correct, and a negative finding means the theorem is false? If not, why would one believe a positive finding? Has any confirmed expert in fluid dynamics approved the claims being made for the fluid model?
Bee, parenthetically, I believe from experience that one can save time by being a bit more explicit than one thinks is necessary. When some of us see "effect exists" in a physics context, we assume that a physical effect is meant, and to some of us, a physical effect is always in nature. So yes, we wondered "Why would you say such a thing?", and so we asked and wasted your time, which indeed is a pity. I hope I'm not in danger of wasting more.
I did not change the question I directly
responded to your statement "It is more than an analogy."
As to your bashing of John: If it really were
more than an analogy (it is not in our opinion) and if it were firmly established
I (and I guess u also John?) would think Hawking would
get his Noble prize.
That you think even this would not suffice doesn't invalidate
John's point.
John, u certainly did not insult Sabine
even if you had written something incorrect.
But Sabine offended you.
Or what else but an offence is: "stop wasting more of my time"?
I'll not fight with you over the use of the word 'analogy'. I have explained sufficiently often now what I mean.
You don't prove a mathematical theorem by making an observation. Hawking did a calculation that demonstrates particle production happens in certain background fields and the radiation has certain properties, is thermal and has correlations etc. You measure these particles, you know that the effect exists and the particles are like what Hawking predicted, that's what I'm saying. Whether that background field is a fluid or a black hole geometry doesn't make a difference for the math, hence showing that particles are produced with the specific properties that Hawking said they have demonstrates the effect indeed exists. This isn't mysterious: It's a prediction, you go and test it. I am merely saying that Hawking's prediction holds for analogue gravity systems.
Just because the long distance, classical, description is the same (analogous) does not imply that the leading quantum correction is the same. The leading correction to fluid dyanmics near your bath tub drain is not quantized water waves, it is quantum kinetics of atoms and molecules. The situation is only marginally better in BEC's. There are many classical and quantum corrections to classical fluid dynamics near a sonic horizon that are more important than analog Hawking radiation.ReplyDelete
Hawking may not have created a completely new field of science but rather worked in one. But most of the progress made in science and society in general was not made by the original innovations, but by their usage and improvement. And Hawking surely improved general relativity.ReplyDelete
So, happy birthday, Stephen Hawking.
In water the pertubations one uses aren't quantized, so there isn't strictly speaking a Hawking effect. Excuse me for being somewhat sketchy on that here, there are different types of analogue gravity systems, some quantized, some not, some using fluids, others solids. But yes, as I said, even with BECs the situation isn't clear and it'll take more time to sort out what exactly one is observing there.
"In the 1980s, Hawking worked with Jim Hartle on the no-boundary proposal according to which our universe started in a time-less state. "ReplyDelete
Hi Sabine,
Do you happen to have a link handy to a decent reference/paper on this subject? Sounds fascinating, would love to learn more.
Thanks Bee for reminding us that great visionaries still exist among us!ReplyDelete
ok, I'm not a theoretical or mathematical physicist, but when I read something like:ReplyDelete
"... with Roger Penrose, Hawking proved that singularities form under quite general conditions in General Relativity,...
Before Hawking and Penrose's work, physicists had hoped that the singularities which appeared in certain solutions to General Relativity were mathematical curiosities of little relevance for physical reality. But the two showed that this was not so ... "
It seems a singularity is still just an exercise in mathematical physics, a mathematical curiosity with no chance of any "physical reality" ever being observed, directly or indirectly.
Seems all we can ever observe are effects and events _outside_ the event horizon(s). What am I missing?
-- TomH
Hi Bee,ReplyDelete
Thanks for the great post. I was following the discussion above with Andy and Maurice and John and this is what continues to confuse me at least (maybe they had similar issues)
Let me illustrate my confusion with an analogy (um..)
Suppose I model the motion of a pendulum using Simple Harmonic Motion (that's like using QFT in curved space to model behaviour near the event horizon).
I use my model to derive a formula for the time period of the pendulum (that's prediction of Hawking radiation)
Then someone points out that SHM also describes the motion of a loaded spring (fluid analogy).
So I set up a loaded spring and measure its oscillation time period (that's what the fluid guys are doing)
Now suppose it turns out that the oscillation time for the spring matches my formula.
Does it prove:
- That SHM describes the motion of the spring ? Probably. But I wanted to describe the pendulum, not the spring !
- That my time period derivation is correct ? Very likely. But wouldn't I already know that if I had done the math right ?
Suppose the experiment contradicts my prediction. Does it prove:
- My math was wrong ? Could be, but maybe best to check the math itself ?
- That SHM doesn't describe the spring ? Probably. But is that a problem ? After all, I am interested in the pendulum, not the spring.
So, what exactly is gained/lost from the spring experiment ?
One case I can imagine is that:
- Maybe my time period derivation wasn't rigorous. I made some approximations, appeal to intuition and special cases, etc in the difficult bits.
- I am really very confident that my SHM model applies to the spring.
In that case, a positive result would show that my shaky derivation is indeed correct and I "got the essentials right". After that we bring in the mathematicians :)
Could that be some of the motivation here ? From the little I know QFT in curved space is not very rigorously founded.
Thanks in advance,
If your model correctly describes the observation, then it describes the observation. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I don't understand your problem. Sure, maybe you originally wanted to describe something else. So what?
The problem is with your sentence:
"But wouldn't I already know that if I had done the math right ?"
If that would make sense, then why are we doing any experiments for which we can calculate predictions? Answer: Because physics isn't math. Best,
1) "Sure maybe you wanted to describe something else, so what ?"
So everything. As far as I understand, mathematical modeling in physics only makes sense with respect to some system being modelled.
So "Is SHM a correct model of a pendulum ?" is a meaningful question.
But if I aimed to describe a pendulum and ended up describing a spring - I have achieved...what exactly ?
Shown that something in the world is described by SHM ? Okaay, but NOW so what ?
Have I shown that "SHM is correct" ? Its just a differential equation with a solution - how can it be wrong or correct?
2) "Why are we doing any experiments for which we can calculate predictions ?"
In order to test if a given mathematical model *correctly describes a particular physical system*.
That's why I can't see what follows from doing experiments for a *different physical system*
- If you just wanted to check the consistency or predictions of the model itself, then that's a purely mathematical question.
- If you wanted to check if the model describes System A, then checking it for System B doesn't answer your question.
Singularities were believed to appear in the math, but not in solutions than can occur under realistic circumstances. The singularity theorems proved that isn't so. Indeed, singularities can be formed under quite general, physically realistic, situations. To avoid them it's hence not enough to just believe they don't occur, one has to really modify the theory. Hence the relevance of Penrose and Hawking's work. Best,
Nice discussion! I do not see "the case you can imagine". Indeed the derivation of Hawking radiation is not completely rigorous.
See e.g. this paper from highly respected colleagues https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0408009
who conclude after a discussion of some deep conceptual issues involving ultra-high energies:
"However, we also demonstrate counter-examples, which do not appear to be unphysical or artificial, displaying strong deviations from Hawking's result. Therefore, whether real black holes emit Hawking radiation remains an open question and could give non-trivial information about Planckian physics."
But needless to say, seeing Hawking radiation in some analogous system would not clear up the above deep issues...
"It seems a singularity is still just an exercise in mathematical physics, a mathematical curiosity with no chance of any "physical reality" ever being observed, directly or indirectly.ReplyDelete
Seems all we can ever observe are effects and events _outside_ the event horizon(s). What am I missing?"
Following up Sabine's comment: You are confusing several things. First, there are singularities which are mathematical in the sense that they are an artifact of the coordinate system. In GR the best known one involves the Schwarzschild solution, but think of the north (or south) pole of the Earth: even though the distance of a degree of longitude goes to zero there, nothing strange happens physically. In fact, if you are near the pole, you don't want a map in polar coordinates, but probably cartesian coordinates with the pole at the centre. Second, Hawking and Penrose showed that GR leads to real singularities, not just coordinate singularities. Whether they actually exist physically (i.e. whether GR is still valid here) is a separate question. Third, even though we can't directly observe things beyond the horizon, that doesn't mean that we can't say anything about them.
Is a translation of the singularity theorems into plain language available somewhere?ReplyDelete
Ambi Valent,ReplyDelete
I hope Sabine doesn't mind the blatant publicising, but if you have questions about physics then the Physics Stack Exchange is a place where you can have real physicists answer your questions about physics. I won't add the link because I'm not sure about the rules on putting links in comments, but a quick Google will find the site.
The answer is that it isn't really possible to translate the singularity theorems into plain English, though we can give a feel for how they work.
"As far as I understand, mathematical modeling in physics only makes sense with respect to some system being modelled."
As I said, the fluid analogue is such a system.
You write
"If you wanted to check if the model describes System A, then checking it for System B doesn't answer your question."
That's right, as I have now said several times: You do not check the prediction on system B to see if it describes system A. You check the prediction on system B to see if it describes system B. I don't know why you think checking a prediction is interesting and should be done for system A but not for system B.
Look, just forget that Hawking ever said he does this calculation for black holes. Imagine he'd just have said you take a quantum field theory and put it on a background described so-and-so, then I predict there should be a radiation with properties so-and-so. That's what is being tested here. Best,
"Look, just forget that Hawking ever said he does this calculation for black holes. Imagine he'd just have said you take a quantum field theory and put it on a background described so-and-so, then I predict there should be a radiation with properties so-and-so. That's what is being tested here"ReplyDelete
Which brings me to a question I have also asked several times and you have ignored/dismissed:
Why does anything need to be *experimentally tested* here ??
To elaborate:
"Imagine he'd just have said you take a quantum field theory and put it on a background described so-and-so, then I predict there should be a radiation with properties so-and-so."
So I imagine that basically involves setting up a bunch of PDE's on some kind of manifold.
The "radiation with XYZ property" would then be a solution of those equations under some kind of boundary condition.
And this is my point - Everything so far is just mathematics, there is *absolutely nothing here which needs to be experimentally tested*.
If I have a system with two variables x, t satisfying dx/dt = x, do I need to then *empirically test* that x is exponential in t ?
Now suppose I have some physical system which I *believe* is described by the equations and yaay, the effect shows up.
That might be a little fun - like actually measuring angles of a triangle and adding them up to get 180 degrees.
But it tells me *absolutely nothing* about whether the radiation solution to my QFT model was correctly derived or not.
At best it confirms my model describes a certain system. At worst, my model doesn't really describe the system AND my radiation derivation was also wrong - we just got a happy cancellation ( I admit this is unlikely).
So, to summarize, my experiment really didn't add anything to my understanding of the model, UNLESS (and this is a question I asked in my first post):
My derivation of the radiation solution was mathematically suspect.
Maybe I could only derive the solution in a "close to linear case" or for small values of a parameter or for an infinitely distant observer and then I used heuristics, intuitive arguments etc to say the solution is always true.
In THIS case, I can see the value of doing the experiment - If I see the effect, it gives me confidence that my dodgy derivation was nevertheless correct and my intuition was justified.
So is THAT why people are excited about the fluid models and whether they really show a Hawking effect analogue?
Another possibility:
If I do repeated experiments with a fluid and they always match predictions from the QFT model, then I can do NEW experiments which don't correspond to anything which has been already derived mathematically. That might help me explore the model more.
And THEN if I am also independently confident that the QFT model applies to black holes, I could start thinking about the black hole equivalent of my new fluid experiment results.
Maybe that's another motivation ?
Anyway, that's all I had to say/ask on this.
I have already answered these questions, but it seems you didn't read my reply. I'll do it once again but I am already getting tired of this and have no interest in continuing this fruitless exchange.
You are asking "why does this have to be experimentally tested". Once again: It's a prediction for a physical system. You test it because that's how science works. You have a theory for a system, you calculate observables, you go and test the theory. No mathematical proof can demonstrate that your system is actually described by the theory.
You seem to have a difficulty understanding what's the difference between math and physics.
Having said that, of course the experiments always match predictions from the QFT model. What were you thinking, that it only works Wednesdays? Really I think you should first try to understand what you are talking about before insisting something I said is wrong. Best,
Pendulum equations can omit the bob (swing, but not in free fall), have mass (torsion, moment of inertia), have mass and weight (spring). Pendulum equations are empirically validated.ReplyDelete
Exact theory (math) is not applied theory (science). All quantum gravitations are empirically sterile. SUSY is sterile or fudged (e.g., proton decay and Super-Kamiokande). Something is fundamentally wrong (physics) though the math is rigorous, elegant, and profuse.
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About Closet FashionistaLoves to get bargains on clothes and is obsessed with Harry Potter and Disney. By day she is a freelance graphic and web designer. She also has a slight obsession with movies.
You can also find her on the web at her Harry Potter and Matthew Lewis fan sites.
22 comments:
I LOVE the Burberry Brit Fox sweater!! It needs to come into my closet.ReplyDelete
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These are all so cute!! I especially love the fox sweater and the angel wing sandals!ReplyDelete
I love the Miu Miu coat.ReplyDelete
the greek sandals are so awesome. oh my gosh, i want them.ReplyDelete
I love this list!! The Philip Lim bag and the ankle boots are somthing I would definitely drool over...and the owl hat?! Hello?! Just let me know when I can make that for you, girl!! hahaReplyDelete
that sweater is too cute for words!ReplyDelete
I'm still dreaming on the Pashli bag.ReplyDelete
way out of budget :(
Those sandals totally deserve to be in this gallery! They are fantastic!ReplyDelete
I'm also jealous of those leather pants...
I am pretty sure you'll get at least one thing from this list ;) I love the Philip Lim bag and the Miu Miu dress.ReplyDelete
I would easily be happy with adding all of these to my closet! such fab pieces!ReplyDelete
I think you should just get the burberry brit sweater and then let me borrow it :)ReplyDelete
I want the purse & boots!!ReplyDelete
xo Michelle
Fierce & Fashionable
I am dying over that sweater. How stinkin' cute!ReplyDelete
The fox sweater is so cute! Xo InnaReplyDelete
That Philip Lim bag is amazinggggReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 7, 2012 at 10:42 PM
Gahhhh, that Phillip Lim bag....to die for.ReplyDelete
Xo, Rachel
Glitzy Blues
Csn I has all these??? Please?! Love the owl hat. So funReplyDelete
So pretty! Want!ReplyDelete
ox from NYC!
That Philip Lim bag is so high on my wish list!ReplyDelete
That sweater is so cute!ReplyDelete
also, love the coat from Marni.
LOVE that fox sweater - so cute!ReplyDelete
The Other Side of Gray


text:
Join Barry as he breaks in to a secret laboratory to commandeer the experimental jetpacks from the clutches of science evildoers. After lift-off, simply touch the screen to ascend and release to descend, raining bullets, bubbles, rainbows and lasers downwards as you fly towards higher and higher scores!
You'll start off with the legendary Machine Gun Jetpack to scatter the evil scientists of Legitimate Research, but throughout each game you'll collect coins and complete missions to earn cash and buy new gear in The Stash! Pick your favorite jetpack, snazzy outfit and stock up on items then get back out there!
Get a boost of speed and power using the Lil' Stomper, Profit Bird and Crazy Freaking Teleporter, just a selection of the vehicles pickups available – all playable with one touch controls.
Stay alive, get funky and lose yourself in Jetpack Joyride. There's so much to see and do, all the time in the world and more than enough jetpacks! As always, Barry Steakfries will provide!


text:
Somalis In America Strive To Help Those Back Home
As drought engulfs the Horn of Africa, Somalia is among the hardest-hit nations because of the ongoing civil war there. With few international aid groups or media on the ground, many Somalis living in the large refugee community in Minneapolis feel they must be the voice for famine victims. After all, many say, they have their own memories of the hunger and violence they escaped.
Sultan Aliyoow is consumed by the suffering in his homeland. In this afternoon, he's going door to door to Somali-owned businesses in South Minneapolis.
"So we have Somali tribes that own businesses, and I've got to talk to all of them also, one by one," he says.
The Karmel Mall is a warren housing small merchants, travel agents, money transfers and tax offices. Shaking hands with everyone, Aliyoow reminds them to come to a weekend fundraiser.
Speaking in Somali, he urges them to call their relatives back home to check on how they're doing. Wiring money to Somalia is an expected part of life in this new immigrant community, but Aliyoow is imploring them to do more.
"Most [Somalians], they help their family, that's the reason the last 20 years we never had this kind of issue," he says. "But right now, there are some people, they don't have anybody in [or] out of the country. They don't have anybody who can help ... who's going to help those people?"
Many of the hardest-hit areas are controlled by al-Shabaab, an Islamic militant group the U.S. government considers a terrorist organization. In the past two years, prosecutors have charged 20 Minnesota Somalis as part of the FBI's investigation of alleged sources of material support to al-Shabaab.
One of the fears in the Somalia community is that money wired for famine relief could fall into the wrong hands.
To try to avoid that, they're forging partnerships with humanitarian groups.
Daniel Wordsworth heads the Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee. Two years ago, he was approached by local Somalis who wanted ARC to go into Somalia.
The U.N. World Food Program considers Somalia the most dangerous country in the world. And Wordsworth said he would go in — only with the help of local Somalis.
After two years of planning, Wordsworth says, ARC now has a Somali team working in Mogadishu.
"They have family members on the ground that they're talking to every single day, and many of these people have been here more than 10 years," Wordsworth says. "So they're trained doctors, they're trained engineers. They have skills that can be taken back to their country to make a difference."
And there's a feeling in this immigrant community that they must make a difference.
Fadumo Mohamed, 26, runs a home health-care business. She's haunted by thoughts of her elderly uncle, left alone in the drought.
"After a couple days they found him, and he was blind. He lost his sight — lack of water," she says. "And I'm like, every single time I'm showering and I have all this water around me, I just thank God for what we have here."
In a grocery store parking lot in south Minneapolis, Somali college students hold a fundraiser, offering car washes for $5. Ifrah Esse, 26, is one of the organizers. She graduated from the University of Minnesota and now works as an international sourcing specialist for Target.
"Twenty years ago, I was in a predicament where I was in a refugee camp," she says. "And no one could imagine that here today, being a college graduate and working, that that was me, 20 years ago. But I know. That was my reality. When I see pictures, when I see people starving, when I see people that have no hope — I can relate to that."
In this parking lot in Minneapolis, they earned $860 washing cars. The money went directly to the American Refugee Committee, to help those suffering from hunger in Mogadishu.
Copyright 2022 MPR News. To see more, visit MPR News.


text:
Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E),3 mins, 35 secs
Yeah, uh, dat gangsta shit!
Shout to my homies out west hoo-bangers!
Mack Deezy for Sheezy
All my niggas in the Bronx
Holdin' them corners down
Ya heard? Get it right!
Joe cracks back, been a long time comin'
No mean to disrespect but a lot of y'alls frontin'
Shook niggas, me and the Squad done took niggas
Flex drop bombs but you seem to overlook niggas
We the nicest in the game, even lifers know the name
Throwin' blows like Tyson when he rained
Fuck the ice in the range, I'm tryin' to get stocked
Generate mil's so I can buy back my old block
It's like the rap games far from the crack game
Niggas is mad lane, how come? They act tame
You can tell from my scars life is hard
Shot down in broad day life in front of my Mom's
And the feds never give up, they tryin' to kill us
I'm stressed drinkin' VSOP tearin' my liver
Livin' my life like I don't care I'm out to take the throne
My mom's in the window hopin' I'ma make it home
The streets is funny peeps'll kill you
Over piece of money, 'specially if you sleepin'
And don't keep it gully, I'm from the Bronx
Home of niggas that'll stomp you senseless
Don't resent this, I'm knowin' that you comprehend this
Its the wild life, niggas done lost they mind
Its the wild life, everybody wanna floss and shine
But could you blame them?
Niggas is brought up with anger
Pops in jail, Moms get tossed up on strangers
Yo it's the wild life
Where peeps takin' life for keeps
Yo it's the wild life
We all brawlin', fight to eat
The enemies and the D's lurk through N.Y.C
Some of them on they back lookin' up like "Yo, why me?"
I never really had a pops
But who the fucks to blame
He did 13, and wonder why the streets my name
And heat's my game, 'cause I'm the type
To leak your frame, give you a slap
With the cast, you can meet my pain
Defeat I bring, to the nicest rapper you know
I ain't a killer but I still might clap at you though
You for real here, niggas be followin' with steps
I made my own moves, so the tokers, could swallow they breath
Acknowledge the best, and do what I did
Like I'm blessed, 7 days in a coma
This is life after death
I'm in it to win, ya heard?
From beginning to end, you could get shot
Even though you once considered a friend
Sometimes my minds driven to win
Tryin' to scare society
But can't slip again 'cause my lil' man relyin' me
Everyday I put through a test
But still progress
I'm tryin' to climb hills
And tryin' to make me kill for less
Yo its the wild life
Where peeps takin' life for keeps
Yo its the wild life
We all brawlin', fight to eat
The enemies and the deeds lurk through N.Y.C
Some of them on they back lookin' up
Like yo, why me?
Yo its the wildlife
Straight kidnappin' and carjackin'
Yo its the wildlife
Nigga fuck scrappin', we all packin'
I'ma smash on anybody disrespectin' the turf
Straight to the dirt
We niggas known for puttin' in work
I make it all go down right
In front of your face
Another life goes to waste
For names sake of the paper chaser
It ain't safe here, the bright lights cablide you
Mix sedica, swallow you whole
They can't find you
Worst thing is walkin' these streets
I need clarity, peace and prosperity
Is never gon' see, so niggas with beef
Niggas bumpin' they gums and teeth
Straight to the police
Tryin' to plant us six feet deep
But I ain't goin' for that
My shit clap through your starter cap
Pull your socks back, we ain't runnin' from nothin'
Comin' from nothin', makes you struggle harder for somethin'
Shit is disgusting, you can even trust who you fuckin'
The wild life! Colder the nights
You niggas ain't nice, put yo money where yo mouth is
And roll the dice, puffin canibus and tiva
With the Don Cartagena, believe a nigga
When I say, don't make me have to spray ya
Yo its the wildlife
Straight kidnappin' and carjackin'
Yo its the wildlife
Nigga fuck scrappin', we all packin'
I'ma smash on anybody disrespectin' the turf
Straight to the dirt
We niggas known for puttin' in work
Written by HAYES, ISAAC / CARTAGENA, JOSEPH ANTHONY / JOINER, ALVIN N. / MOLLINGS, LEONARDO V. / MOLLINGS, JOHNNY DAVID / PEREZ, R.
Published by Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Provided By LyricFind Inc.


text:
You know all those videos of underclothed college students getting down and dirty on the beaches in Florida and Mexico? They got nothing on technology executives. This week brings two stories of high-tech head honchos behaving very very badly.
Let's start with Legos lover Thomas Langenbach, the Terror of Target.
[ Also on InfoWorld: Sounds like Cringely's come up with a couple more candidates for the Internet Hall of Shame. Who are your picks? | For a humorous take on the tech industry's shenanigans, subscribe to Robert X. Cringely's Notes from the Underground newsletter. | Get the latest insight on the tech news that matters from InfoWorld's Tech Watch blog. ]
Langenbach, a vice president at SAP's Palo Alto labs, was arrested and charged with illegally obtaining thousands of boxes of Legos from Target stores earlier this week. Yes, I said Legos -- the multicolored snap-together construction pieces.
Langenbach's grand criminal scheme: He allegedly printed bogus bar codes and slapped them over the real UPCs while inside the store. For example, instead of paying $279 for a Lego version of the Millennium Falcon from "Star Wars," Langenbach snuck his own label on the box and dropped just $49.
Granted, anyone who pays nearly $300 for a toy replica of Hans Solo's ride needs to get his head examined. It appears the same goes for Langenbach, who is charged with scamming Target stores out of more than 2,100 Legos sets, then selling the kits on eBay for roughly $30,000.
Langenbach got caught on tape buying the mismarked Legos, and he was arrested with fake bar codes in his car and a house full of Lego bricks. His eBay handle? Tomsbrickyard. I think Blockhead would have been more appropriate.
Have I mentioned the man is a VP at a multi-billion-dollar multinational, easily pulling down a mid-six-figure salary, not including stock options? Or that he owns a $2 million home?
What he also owns: a whole lot of crazy, yet Langenbach's story pales in the comparison to our second tale of execs gone wild.
John McAfee, founder of the antivirus software company that still bears his name, is on the lam in Belize after being accused by local authorities of running a meth lab. Gizmodo's Matt Honan has the story, and it's a doozy.
It seems that after selling off McAfee, the 66-year-old serial entrepreneur moved to Belize to start up a biopharm company to manufacture antibiotics. According to a May 2010 article in Fast Company, a series of civil lawsuits in which McAfee was the defendant may have also influenced his change of address.


text:
The PAFOP Foundation is a Non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It has been in existence since June 10, 2011. It has received tax-exempt status as a public charity from the Internal Revenue Service under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and therefore contributions as deductible for federal income tax purposes. The Foundation has a Board of Directors, some of whom are appointed by Pennsylvania State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police and some of whom are members of the general public. None of the Directors receive compensation for services rendered to the Foundation.
The Foundation's primary purpose is to:
(1) Assist the families of local lodges when law enforcement members are killed in the line of duty.
(2) Assist injured, disabled, sick or distressed law enforcement members.
(3) Assist retired and elderly law enforcement members.
(4) Create and/or maintain a State Memorial for officers killed in the line of duty.
To fulfill its purpose and to appeal for financial support from the general public, the Foundation has contracted with a professional fund raiser. Prior to doing so, the Foundation properly registered with Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a charitable organization authorized to raise funds from the public while contracting with the professional fundraiser as required by the Pennsylvania Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act.


text:
Patients facing planned surgery answered 36 per cent more questions about the procedure correctly if they watched an interactive multimedia presentation (IMP) rather than just talking to medical staff, according to research in the October issue of the urology journal BJUI.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne, Australia, randomised 40 patients due to undergo radical prostatectomy into two groups. The first group went through the standard surgery consent process, where staff explained the procedure verbally, and the second group watched the IMP.
Both sets of patients were then asked to answer 26 questions on the surgery they were due to undergo. 78 per cent of the IMP group achieved high test scores, compared with 57 per cent of the control group.
When they switched the two groups over, the control group's score went up by 11 per cent after the IMP, with the group who had originally seen the presentation showing no change.
"Our standard consent process comprised of patients receiving detailed information about the procedure from physicians and nurses, while the IMP provided consistent and animated information on the same topic" explains co-author Dr Nathan Lawrentschuk from the University's Department of Urology.
"The 51-slide IMP covered basic anatomy, how the prostate works and how the operation is carried out. It also outlined possible complications and provided postoperative information. 22 of the slides contained interactive questions that had to be answered correctly before the patient could move on to the next slide."
Patients completed the consent procedure about three-and-a-half weeks before their planned surgery. They had an average age of 61 and 70 per cent of the patients in both groups spoke English as their first language. Both groups had a similar education profile and the IMP only required minimal computer skills to complete.
The standard consent procedure lasted an average of 20 minutes and the IMP took an average of 18 minutes to complete. Most of the patients found the IMP easy to use and were satisfied with the information provided.
"Radical prostatectomy is a major procedure to remove the prostate gland and the cancer it contains" stresses Dr Lawrentschuk. "It is vital that patients facing major surgery are fully informed of the risks and benefits so that they can provide informed consent. But before they can do this, they must have a functional understanding of the information provided.
"We believe that using the IMP provides a better level of patient understanding than standard consent, by ensuring that the procedure and risks have been explained consistently and by actively testing the patient on the information they have received.
"It helps us to obtain ethical and legally informed consent, increase patient knowledge and reduce patient anxiety and potential dissatisfaction or legal consequences if the surgery is not as successful as anticipated.
"However, it is important to stress that patients using the IMP also had plenty of opportunities to raise any concerns they had about their procedure, and their general health, with medical staff during their pre-surgical assessment."
The authors point out that, although this particular IMP was developed for prostate cancer surgery, it has much wider potential and could be used by patients facing other kinds of surgery. Presentations could also be produced in a range of languages, with recorded voices replacing much of the text.
"Ultimately IMP might also be used for educating medical staff such as nurses, medical students and trainee surgeons" adds Dr Lawrentschuk.
Source: EurekAlert


text:
Hailed by Time magazine as perhaps "the most astounding design achievement of its era," Seaside is credited with founding a global town-planning movement known as New Urbanism.
Founded by Robert and Daryl Davis in 1981, Seaside's innovative small town design was carefully planned. With its nine unique beach pavilions, cobblestone streets, quaint cottages, white picket fences, and picture-perfect parks and storefronts, it's no wonder that The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey was filmed here. Indeed, as Newsweek once proclaimed:
"…with its cozy, narrow streets and its jumble of pastel-colored homes, Seaside is probably the most influential resort community since Versailles."
But in a town that Hollywood (and Southern Living) made famous, life here is very real, even though it often has a surreal quality.
You'll find kids walking to Seaside Neighborhood School, and the The Repertory Theatre, where actors are busy rehearsing for tonight's big show. Travel is by foot or bicycle. There's a town grocer (the famous Modica Market), a book and record store (Sundog Books and Central Square Records), charming art and jewelery galleries, cafes, toy shops, clothing boutiques, a weekly farmer's market, outdoor concerts, movies under the stars … It's the way life should be.
Somehow, here, 30A's stunning beaches are almost secondary to the blissfully simple lifestyle that permeates the town of Seaside.
No trip to South Walton is complete with hearing the daily sunset bell at Bud and Alley's, and be sure to sample a fresh strawberry or peach mojito on the porch at Great Southern Cafe.
In January 2018, The town of Seaside collaborated with world-renowned street artist Andrew Pisacane, known as Gaia, in paying tribute to America's greatest historian and educator of art and architecture, Vincent Scully.
The wall-sized mural is open for public viewing at Seaside's purple wall at 25 Central Square.
Seaside Honors Vincent Scully with Tribute Mural
???? something BIG ???? is happening in Seaside – New Town, Old Ways … CHECK THIS OUT‼ … For more info, visit: http://bit.ly/2naEkDD
(thanks to Fletcher at Isacks Imagery for the aerial footage!)
Posted by 30A on Thursday, 25 January 2018


text:
Pasquale Bruni Giardini Segreti Ring
A Pasquale Bruni 18 karat white gold and diamond ring from the Giardini Segreti collection. Total Diamond Weight: 4.03 carats.
Product Details
|Giardini Segreti Ring
|Stock Number
Pasquale Bruni has been creating, for two generations, stunning jewelry for women all over the world. Every creation is a blend of the nobility of metal with the richness of the gemstones, each piece made by hand in a workshop in the heart of Italy, where every day he brings his craft, spirit of independence and experience to the study and development of collections Made in Italy. The work he performs is the expression of a "Vera Passione", a true passion which anyone wearing Pasquale Bruni's jewellery can feel.
Creating a company recognized worldwide for the excellence of its craftsmanship and unique design; since 1976, Pasquale Bruni has epitomised quality, along with his daughter Eugenia, Creative Director of the brand since 2001 and his son Daniele, now the CEO of Pasquale Bruni USA.
Nature is a source of inspiration and women its true muses. The creations reflect a love of freedom and the freedom of women. Jewelry of dynamism, expression and passion takes shape, revealing a constant desire to experiment. What comes across is a desire to imbue the jewelry with a soul, so that the soul is truly visible.


text:
Aug 22, 2011
They have a beautiful home there and a spectacular garden. My brother in law is the ultimate caretaker and there is not a weed to be found anywhere. No spent flower is around for long before his clippers get them.
The birds love the garden and many visit in the trees and many sip from the flowers. What a banquet they have to choose from.
Enough words. I know you will enjoy it as much as I always do.
I am linking to:
Outdoor Wednesday
13 comments:
paradise indeed! How beautiful...obviously he loves tening his gardens *sigh*ReplyDelete
Wonderful flowers, I love beautiful gardens and this one is definitely one of them! :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 23, 2011 at 12:29 AM
Beautiful garden. Hope you had fun!!ReplyDelete
This is so beautiful...ReplyDelete
I saw something the other day that made me think of you.... Don't shake your family tree too hard cause the nuts will fall out....
Just beautiful:@)ReplyDelete
Wow - as good as a visit to Butchart or Minter Gardens.!ReplyDelete
What a GORGEOUS yard! Wow!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 24, 2011 at 3:46 AM
Gorgeous photos Lori. I remember how beautiful the gardens are in B.C.ReplyDelete
What a gorgeous garden Lori. Cudos to the brother in law. VReplyDelete
Gorgeous Lori !!! Thanks For Sharing...DeeDee :) :)ReplyDelete
Amazing! What a feast for the eyes! Thanks for sharing it with us.ReplyDelete
Beautiful! Everything looks so lush and green, a true labor of love!ReplyDelete
GEEZ... that is gorgeous.ReplyDelete
I am pea green with envy over that garden, AND that husband.
Wherever do you go to buy a husband who will take care of a garden? I clearly went to the wrong clearance centers 33 years ago ....
My hubs is allergic to all things garden-wise.
He breaks out in lazy.
It's 1:30 in the morning here -- can't sleep -- in the middle of the hurricane and just having SUCH a good time. :-P
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate every one of them and respond to all.