text:
Seattle didn't make the playoffs, but its defense essentially did.
The scheme that carried the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowls (2013-14) has become increasingly popular around the league. It helped Atlanta get to the big game last year and was the catalyst for Jacksonville's stunning turnaround this season. It also got rave reviews down the stretch in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
In a copycat league, this is the one being emulated right now.
And for good reason. The Seahawks rode the scheme to six straight playoff berths between 2012 and 2016, and as more of Pete Carroll's defensive assistants moved on to become coordinators and head coaches elsewhere, they brought it with them.
Now, it spans coast to coast.
"It really takes on the flavor of the coaches that are doing it, so they have their uniqueness," Carroll said. "But there are a lot of similarities."
Similar results, too.
The Jaguars ranked second in the NFL in yards and points allowed this season, relying on their defense to mask offensive deficiencies. The Chargers ranked third in scoring defense, allowing just two opponents to top 21 points in their final 11 games. The Falcons (eighth) and the injury-riddled Seahawks (13th) weren't far behind. The 49ers finished 25th at 23.9 points a game, but were considerably better over the final five weeks of the regular season. They allowed 19.9 points during a five-game winning streak that included victories against three playoff teams.
Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, Atlanta defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel, San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn and Jacksonville defensive coordinator Todd Wash all spent time in Seattle under Carroll.
Bradley, Manuel, Saleh and Wash were on the same staff in 2012. Former Oakland defensive coordinator Ken Norton also was there and had the Raiders playing the Seattle scheme until he was fired in late November.
"It's good. It's nice," Carroll said. "I love that the guys are getting the opportunities and they are doing stuff."
Seattle players don't seem as ready to credit anyone for doing it as well as they did while picking up the "Legion of Boom" nickname in 2012.
"There is only one Seattle Seahawks," linebacker Bobby Wagner said.
Maybe so. Seattle allowed the fewest points (14.4) and yards (273.6) in the NFL during the 2013 season and forced a league-high 39 turnovers. The Seahawks emphatically stated their case as a generational defense — right up there with the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens — with a 43-8 drubbing of Denver in the Super Bowl. The Broncos shattered an NFL record with 606 points during the regular season but were overmatched on the NFL's biggest stage.
That same season, thousands of miles away, Bradley and Wash were building the foundation for Jacksonville's current defense.
Two years later, Quinn was implementing it in Atlanta with some help from Manuel. Quinn's offensive coordinator at the time was Kyle Shanahan, who saw the defense every day in practice and knew he wanted it to be part of his rebuild with the 49ers this season. He hired Saleh. And former Jaguars head coach Bradley resurfaced with the Chargers.
"It's a very sound scheme that starts with stopping the run," Shanahan said. "It makes you work all the way down the field, so it's extremely tough to get explosives on. It's tough to go against. They make you work for everything, and it's something that you don't have to reinvent the wheel every week. It's something that if you just do over and over and over again, it's hard not to get better at it."
The premise of the Seattle defense is that it uses an eight-man box to stop the run (one safety positioned close to the line of scrimmage) and a single-high safety who can get sideline to sideline in "cover three" (a three-deep zone in which defensive backs split coverage areas into three sections). Cornerbacks play a lot of aggressive, bump-and-run coverage that works best when the four defensive linemen are pressuring quarterbacks. Linebackers are usually undersized and fast.
It's a 4-3 base defense that incorporates many elements of the popular 3-4.
"We are all different in our own ways," Manuel said. "But ... just the understanding of methodically making a team have to go 13, 14 plays to score and play with great red-zone defense and understand that taking the ball away is the most important thing. Plays are going to happen that are big, but if you eliminate the ones that you know are about to happen, offenses have to do something else.
"You call plays that guys understand. You can get exotic (and create) paralysis by analysis; guys are overthinking on the field. That's part of what you see in this defense. I guarantee you in each one of these (Seattle-influenced) defenses, guys are flying around and playing fast because they're not thinking."
Regardless of the schematics and subtleties, the common thread is solid — more like star — players.
Seattle has Wagner, cornerback Richard Sherman, free safety Earl Thomas and strong safety Kam Chancellor, among others.
The Chargers boast disruptive pass-rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, linebacker Denzel Perryman and cornerback Casey Hayward. They tied for fifth in the NFL with 43 sacks.
The Jaguars had the second-most sacks (55) in the league thanks partly to Pro Bowl defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Malik Jackson and budding star Yannick Ngakoue. Cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye also were the league's top coverage tandem, and linebackers Myles Jack and Telvin Smith are two of the fastest around.
The Falcons are built around linebackers Vic Beasley and Deion Jones, defensive end Adrian Clayborn, cornerback Robert Alford and safety Keanu Neal.
All of those guys nearly made the playoffs. Los Angeles and Seattle were among the final few teams eliminated from postseason contention Sunday.
The Seahawks are out of the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The Seattle defense, meanwhile, continues its postseason run, albeit in the form of copycats Atlanta and Jacksonville.
"It's a difficult scheme to go against because it limits you on some of the things you can do. They specifically take certain things away. You just have to be creative and find some of those basic things and be OK with some easy checkdowns and some easy, quick 5-yard completions because that's what you have a chance for," Jaguars offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said.
Added 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo: "A lot of teams are running this defense. It's become pretty popular in the NFL. That Seattle scheme, it's a good one."
About the Author


text:
#RAVERegular price $49.00 Sale price $39.00
Your new shades come with:
🚚 Tracked worldwide shipping and same-day fulfillment.
🔄 The most generous 60-day no-worry return policy in the industry.
🔒 12-month manufacturers warranty & designer quality guarantee.
Your frames are packed and shipped same-day in an ORIGI SUNGLASSES Durable Signature Box, along with a complimentary Origi Microfiber Pouch, and Branded Cleaning Cloth for each frame.
- Lenses Optical Attribute: UV Protection (UV400 Filter)
- Frame Material: TPU
- Lenses Material: Acrylic
- Gender: Unisex
- Total Width: 135 mm
- Lens Width: 42 mm
Frame Height: 42 mm
- Nose Width: 16 mm
- Leg Length: 140 mm
Here are the physical dimensions our sizing specifications listed on each frame refer to:
- Credit Card (MasterCard, American Express, VISA)
- Bitcoin / Dogecoin / Ethereum / Litecoin / Bitcoin Cash / USD Coin
- iDeal
- Bancontact
- Paypal
Shipping & Tracking
We offer free tracked shipping anywhere in the world. Your tracking code will go live 1-3 days after your order has been shipped, which is usually 2-5 days after you place it, depending on weekends.
To live up to your high expectations for prompt shipping & great service, we offer the a Designer Quality Guarantee in addition to our affordable prices, and this dedication to service includes free shipping to nearly every country around the world, as well as a 60-day return policy & 12-month warranty.
We ship both fresh from our factory and directly from our warehouses in:
- Columbus Ohio, USA
- London, UK
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Yiwu, China
For this reason we can offer free worldwide shipping. If your entire order is in stock in the warehouse nearest you, it will ship from there, otherwise it will ship from our factory.
|Est. shipping time
|The Netherlands, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium
|2-14 business days*
|United States, Mexico, Russia, Portugal
|2-14 business days*
|Luxembourg, Austria, Israel
|5-18 business days*
|Rest of Europe
|5-21 business days*
|12-21 business days*
|Australia, New-Zealand, Canada
|2- 21 business days*
|All other countries (including India)
|9-25 business days*
*Note: since covid-19, some orders experience a slight delay in shipping time. 90% of our orders historically have arrived in 2-10 days.
More detail for other shipping issues is available on our FAQ
Tracking Code Doesn't Work
Yes, all orders receive a Track & Trace code to use on our order tracking page. For most customers, it goes live after about 3 days.
After confirming your order we will automatically send a code provided by our supplier. Sometimes it can take 3 to 7 days.
Please don't reach out to us before 7 days has passed since you placed your order, and check https://www.17track.net/en and https://global.cainiao.com/ in addition to our tracking page.
More detail for other shipping issues is available on our FAQ
It is possible to return your item(s) within 60-days of receiving your order.
Your glasses must be returned in original condition, unused and undamaged. We reserve the right to decline any returns if it does not match our return policy.
A return must be shipped with Track & Trace. The customer is responsible for the return shipment and shipment costs, but your refund will arrive in 3-7 days of emailing us and our confirmation of your return, depending on your bank
How to return?
- Email to firstname.lastname@example.com or directly message us on FB or IG to notify us about your return. We need your email or phone. Please also include your order ID, and date of purchase if possible and easy to find.
- You will receive the return address and instructions.
- Print your order confirmation & pack your frames.
- Ship with your local carrier back to us to complete your return.
* We will refund your money within 3-7 business days, depending on your bank.
Tracking your order
To track your order go to our order tracker and fill in either your tracking number or email and order number to see your package location live.
Cancelling Order Or Changing Address
Orders can only be cancelled or changed within 2 hours of ordering. We cannot extend this due to the automatic processing with our suppliers. Please send an email as soon as possible to firstname.lastname@example.com
Taxes / Duties
While import duties or taxes happen on very rare occasions, we have no control over this and cannot estimate additional fees. This happens by your local customs and we do not control these charges. We try our best to avoid any additional costs for our customers by paying taxes in advance.
In conclusion: only in very rare occasions do customers have to pay import duty, taxes or VAT.
More detail for other shipping issues is available on our FAQ
If you have any additional questions you can always contact us at email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
TillyFlop designs: where yarn and graphics meet.
Tilly Flop is a sewing and knitting graphic designer who has combined sewing, knitting and graphics to create a range of greeting cards, temporary tattoos, car stickers, tea towels and prints and is a proud supporter of #justacard.
Based in the North of England Julie is often found at markets selling her cards and other crafty items.
You can find her on Etsy,
and on Facebook
All designs are © Julie Nelson Rhodes/tillyflopdesigns


text:
Your cart is empty!
On thousands of furniture & home products!
Comfort and style combined. The Upholstered Square Seat Stool features solid hardwood construction. The cushioned seat is upholstered in simulated black leather, that is stain and spill resistant. The 24" height make this stool perfect for a 36" height dining table or counter seating.
Crosley has created indoor and outdoor living known for its extraordinary craftsmanship, graceful design and lasting beauty. Crosley's collection embodies a clean, timeless style and is built for both residential and commercial environments. Over the years, Crosley has expanded its line of outdoor furniture to include materials known for their outdoor resilience, such as powder coated aluminum and resin wicker. Though still rooted in classic, traditional design, Crosley's latest collections have taken a unique contemporary direction. Crosley's outdoor furniture requires minimal maintenance and is built to withstand the elements. Created to last and offered at an affordable price, experience the timeless luxury of Crosley Furniture.
Star Attraction Champagne Futon Cover
Sale: $149.00
Padma Walnut Futon Cover
Sale: $114.00
Fluctuate Bluestone Futon Cover
Sale: $184.00
Ticking Stripe Pewter Futon Cover
Sale: $144.00
Fine Point Sable Futon Cover
Jazz Club Silver Futon Cover
Legend Ivory Futon Cover
My Love Futon Cover


text:
Export 3 results:
Filters: Author is Burt, Amber [Clear All Filters]
Exome Genotyping Identifies Pleiotropic Variants Associated with Red Blood Cell Traits. Am J Hum Genet. 2016 ;99(1):8-21..
Large-Scale Exome-wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci for White Blood Cell Traits and Pleiotropy with Immune-Mediated Diseases. Am J Hum Genet. 2016 ;99(1):22-39..
Platelet-Related Variants Identified by Exomechip Meta-analysis in 157,293 Individuals. Am J Hum Genet. 2016 ;99(1):40-55..


text: Chris Hadnagy gets paid to fool people, and he's gotten pretty good at it over the years. A co-founder of social-engineering.org and author of Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking, Hadnagy has been using manipulation tactics for more than a decade to show clients how criminals get inside information.Hadnagy outlines three memorable stories of social engineering tests that he's included in his new book (you can also read a short excerpt), and points out what organizations can learn from these results.The Overconfident CEOIn one case study, Hadnagy outlines how he was hired as an SE auditor to gain access to the servers of a printing company which had some proprietary processes and vendors that competitors were after. In a phone meeting with Hadnagy's business partner, the CEO informed him that "hacking him would be next to impossible" because he "guarded his secrets with his life." Also see Social engineering: The basics"He was the guy who was never going to fall for this," said Hadnagy. "He was thinking someone would probably call and ask for his password and he was ready for an approach like that."After some information gathering, Hadnagy found the locations of servers, IP addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, mail servers, employee names and titles, and much more. But the real prize of knowledge came when Hadnagy managed to learn the CEO had a family member that had battled cancer, and lived. As a result, he was interested and involved in cancer fundraising and research. Through Facebook, he was also able to get other personal details about the CEO, such as his favorite restaurant and sports team.Armed with the information, he was ready to strike. He called the CEO and posed as a fundraiser from a cancer charity the CEO had dealt with in the past. He informed him they were offering a prize drawing in exchange for donations\u2014and the prizes included tickets to a game played by his favorite sports team, as well as gift certificates to several restaurants, including his favorite spot. For even more depth, read CSO's Ultimate Guide to Social Engineering [13-page PDF - free CSO Insider registration required]The CEO bit, and agreed to let Hadnagy send him a PDF with more information on the fund drive. He even managed to get the CEO to tell him which version of Adobe reader he was running because, he told the CEO "I want to make sure I'm sending you a PDF you can read." Soon after he sent the PDF, the CEO opened it, installing a shell that allowed Hadnagy to access his machine.When Hadnagy and his partner reported back to the company about their success with breaching the CEO's computer, the CEO was understandably angry, said Hadnagy."He felt it was unfair we used something like that, but this is how the world works," said Hadnagy. "A malicious hacker would not think twice about using that information against him."Takeaway 1: No information, regardless of its personal or emotional nature, is off limits for a social engineer seeking to do harmTakeaway 2: It is often the person who thinks he is most secure who poses the biggest vulnerability. One security consultant recently told CSO that executives are the easiest social engineering targets.The theme-park scandalThe target in this next case study was a theme park client that was concerned about potential compromise of its ticketing system. The computers used to check-in patrons also contained links to servers, client information and financial records. The client was concerned that if a check-in computer was compromised, a serious data breach might occur.\tHadnagy started his test by calling the park, posing as a software salesperson. He was offering a new type of PDF-reading software, which he wanted the park to try through a trial offer. He asked what version they were currently using, got the information easily, and was ready for step two.The next phase required on-site social engineering, and Hadnagy used his family in order to ensure success. Heading up to one of the ticket windows with his wife and child in tow, he asked one of the employees if they might use their computer to open a file from his email. The email contained a pdf attachment for a coupon that would give them discount admission."The whole thing could have gone south if she said 'No, sorry, can't do that,'" explained Hadnagy. "But looking like a dad, with a kid anxious to get into the park, pulls at the heart strings."The employee agreed, and the park's computer system was quickly compromised by Hadnagy's bad PDF. Within minutes, Hadnagy's partner was texting him to let him know he was 'in' and 'gathering information for their report.'Also read Social engineering techniques: 4 ways outsiders get insideHadnagy also points out that while the park's employee policy states that they should not open attachments from unknown sources (even a customer needing help), there were no rules in place to actual enforce it."People are willing to go to great lengths to help others out," said Hadnagy.Takeaway 3: Security policy is only as good as it is enforcementTakeaway 4: Criminals will often play to an employee's good nature and desire to be helpfulThe hacker is hackedHadnagy gives a third example showing how social engineering was used for defensive purposes. He profiles 'John,' a penetration tester hired to conduct a standard network pen test for a client. He ran scan using Metasploit, which revealed an open VNC (virtual network computing) server, a server that allows control of other machines on the network.He was documenting the find with the VNC session open when, suddenly, in the background, a mouse began to move across the screen. John new it was a red flag because at the time of day this was happening, no user would be connected to the network for a legitimate reason. He suspected an intruder was on the network.Taking a chance, John opened Notepad and began chatting with the intruder, posing as a 'n00b' hacker, someone who is new and unskilled."He thought 'How can I get more information from this guy and be more valuable to my client?'" said Hadnagy. "John played to the guy's ego by trying to pretend he was a newbie who wanted to learn more from a master hacker."John asked the hacker several questions, pretending to be a younger person who wanted to learn some tricks of the hacking trade and who wanted to keep in touch with another hacker. By the time the chat was over, he had the intruder's email, contact information\u2014and even a picture of him. He reported the information back to his client, and the problem of easy access to the system was also fixed.Hadnagy also points out that John learned through his conversation with the hacker that the hacker had not really been 'targeting' the company who he had hacked, he had just been out looking around for something easy to compromise and found that open system quite easily.Takeaway 5: Social engineering can be part of an organization's defense strategyTakeaway 6: Criminals will often go for the low-hanging fruit. Anyone can be a target if security is low


text:
Dr. Atom is at it again. This time he invented a flying machine, and he's taking Quark out for a test flight. Show your skills by helping Quark to dodge the scrap piles, cranes and wrecking balls. Collect the tricky bolts to add to your score. How far can you fly?
What is your opinion about this game? Share your thoughts and leave a comment.


text:
Blood oozed down Predators captain Shea Weber's face after a high stick clipped him close to his nose, though officials didn't call a penalty.
So his teammates helped him take out his pain on the Dallas Stars.
Roman Josi scored his second goal 28 seconds into overtime and the Predators rallied from a 4-2 deficit to beat the Stars 5-4 Monday night in a wild game featuring several fights, six goals and Weber's bloodied face -- all in the second period.
"There was a lot of blood," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said.
Dallas had just gone up 4-2 nearly midway through the second when Weber was caught with a high stick. Replays made it tough to tell if it was Predators forward Martin Erat's stick or Stars right wing Jaromir Jagr's stick inflicting the damage. Trotz hadn't seen a replay, but he said his players thought it was a Dallas stick that did the damage.
"They turned that sort of negative energy into real positive energy, and we fed off of that," Trotz said.
Weber finished with two assists, including on Josi's slap shot in overtime that helped Nashville end a two-game skid. Josi also had two assists as the Predators played their 10th OT game this season -- an NHL high. They have earned a point in 14 of the 15 games they've scored a goal.
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I just tried to get it to the net," Josi said of his winner. "I saw three guys joined already so I tried to be the safety guy and back up a little. Sergei (Kostitsyn) made a great play to me and tried to get it to the net, and I think the Dallas defenseman tipped it."
Mike Fisher, Craig Smith and Patric Hornqvist each scored for Nashville. The last two losses had been shutouts, and the Predators ended a scoring drought at 133:43 after threatening the franchise-worst drought that reached 176:18 on Feb. 13 in an overtime win over San Jose.
Rookie Matt Fraser and Reilly Smith scored 25 seconds apart within the first 2 minutes of the second, and Vern Fiddler and Eriksson each added a power-play goal as the Stars matched their season high within the first 9:21 of the period. Michael Ryder had three assists.
Nashville had lost four of its past five and needed a win before hitting the road for a three-game swing on the West Coast.
Fisher tied it at 8:22 of the third when he got the puck as he skated into the Nashville zone, split a pair of Stars and beat Cristopher Nilstorp with a backhander. Nashville wound up outshooting the Stars 31-24, including 11-4 in the third.
"There were some emotions and some good hits and a lot of energy," Fisher said. "It was a great game."
Smith ended Nashville's scoring drought at 133:43 when he snapped a shot from in front in a relatively quiet first period.
The action cranked up in the second with six goals combined, fights, and that high stick leaving Weber with blood dripping down the left side of his face in his 500th career game. The blow dropped Weber to the ice, and he lost his stick. But he wound up checking Stars forward Matt Fraser at the boards before heading to the bench.
"Emotionally that sometimes can be very good," Trotz said.
Dallas had scored at least three goals the previous nine straight games, and the Stars took a 2-1 lead as Fraser got his first career goal on a slap shot from the left circle at 1:20. Then Reilly Smith tipped the puck over goalie Pekka Rinne's left leg at 1:45 for a 2-1 lead.
Trotz immediately took his timeout, and the Predators responded when Josi tied it at 2 with his slap shot near the blue line at 3:05.
The Predators were trying to kill a holding penalty on Erat when the Stars drew a delayed penalty off a high-stick by Fisher, and Fiddler, coming on as the extra attacker, scored on a slap shot at 7:29.
With Fisher drawing a double minor, the Stars' man advantage continued, and Erikkson scored with the puck redirected past Rinne by Josi at 9:21.
"It's never over with these guys," Stars forward Stephane Robidas said.
The Predators trimmed the lead when they went 1:21 with of a 5-on-3 after Eric Nystrom went to the box for fighting with a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Then Fiddler got his own double minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and roughing. Nashville had only 2 seconds left when Hornqivst lifted a backhander over Nilstorp at 13:43 to pull the Predators within 4-3.
Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan wasn't happy with how his Stars reacted to being up 4-2.
"We needed to stay disciplined," Gulutzan said. "After the double minor for high sticking, they are going to look for something on you and you can't give up a 5-on-3. You can't take that penalty. We just didn't have a game feel. We let them in, and we got them excited. We needed to make sure we closed them out."
Notes: Weber is the sixth to play 500 games for the Predators. He joined David Legwand Martin Erat, Kimmo Timonen (now in Philadelphia) and Ryan Suter (Minnesota). ... Fisher's goal was the 200th of his career. ... Kostitsyn now has five points in his last six games (1 goal, 4 assists). ... With D Aaron Rome out with a foot injury, the Stars brought back 6-foot-7 rookie Jamie Oleksiak from the AHL's Texas Stars. ... Nashville now is 8-0-5 when scoring first.


text:
Click here for more informationabout joining the M-LFD!
Published on 24 May 2023
MLFD.com was designed, built and is maintained by the members of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department's Website Committee. We hope that you enjoy viewing our website as we always try to keep it up-to-date with the latest news and incidents. Thank you for visiting!


text:
Why set up an Account?
Featured Military Content
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
The department's Haiti disaster relief execution order will provide funding for humanitarian disaster relief and civic aid that includes up 600,000 humanitarian daily rations, food packages of about 2,300 calories designed to maintain a person's basic nutrition needs, according to officials.
The assistance is part of a substantial relief effort by the Defense Department that, as of last night, included 4,200 U.S. military personnel supporting task force operations within Haiti in addition to Navy and Coast Guard vessels offshore.
An additional 6,300 military personnel are scheduled to arrive through the weekend and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, yesterday estimated that up to 10,000 U.S. troops would be in Haiti by Monday.
"As you hear the numbers increase to some 9,000 to 10,000 by Monday, many of them will be offshore in the ships certainly providing this critical support as well and very focused on the medical needs, the food needs the water needs," he told Pentagon reporters yesterday, adding that the number of U.S. personnel in Haiti could increase over time.
White House officials today said 26 urban search and rescue teams from the U.S. continue operating in Haiti after rescuing 15 people, with Haitians and Americans among those rescued. An official noted that the prospect of finding additional survivors in operations lasting at least through tomorrow is still possible.
An official said 180 tons of food had been delivered as of yesterday, and that five emergency health centers are currently in operation. Other aid workers are engaged in distributing food, purifying water and providing sanitation.
The Red Cross estimates between 40,000 and 50,000 people were killed in what one official has called one of the greatest humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas.
Military efforts, which are in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development that is orchestrating U.S. government contributions to the relief mission, are focused on working with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, international relief organizations and local responders to provide search and rescue, distribute aid and assess damage to key infrastructure, officials said.
With approval from the Haitian government, U.S. Air Force air traffic control and airfield management personnel are managing air operations into the international airport at the national capital of Port-au-Prince. The airfield is open for 24-hour operations and has a 90-aircraft-per-day capability.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Higgins are operating off the Haitian coast in support of the task force. USS Carl Vinson has 19 embarked helicopters flying airlift missions in support of relief efforts. The carrier also is delivering more than 30 pallets of relief supplies for distribution to affected areas.


text:
Use Mouse to play this action game.
Caesar the brave warrior of Centaur kingdom. He is very angry today and he is running faster with his powerful sword to chop off the heads of wicked armies who destroyed his kingdom when he was not available in his palace. The wicked armies have killed many centaurs' armies and their properties. The only way to take revenge and teach the wicket armies a good lesson is to destroy them. Come let's help Caesar to destroy his enemies.
Date Added: 2019-10-26
Category: Action
Played 1033 times
Tags: None


text:
Written by:
Diana West
Friday, May 10, 2013 3:35 AM
This week's syndicated column:
"I want to ask a couple of questions about the February 17 Martyrs Brigade," said Rep. Blake Farenthold.
The Texas Republican was addressing the three State Department "whistleblowers" who testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about the attack in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. The three witnesses were Mark Thompson, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for counterterrorism; Greg Hicks, former deputy chief of mission in Libya; and Eric Nordstrom, former regional security officer in Libya.
When Farenthold introduced this crucial subject into the hearings, he also opened a window into Benghazi that shone light not only on disastrous Western support for "Arab Spring," but also on the core crisis in U.S. foreign policy.
Farenthold: "Mr. Nordstrom, can you tell me the role of February 17 Martyrs Brigade in protecting the consulate in Benghazi?"
Nordstrom: "Certainly. That was the unit, for lack of a better term, that was provided to us by the Libyan government."
This already was news to me: The Libyan government provided known jihadists to guard U.S. interests?
On second thought, there is nothing fantastic about this when – or, rather, if – we consider that the U.S. government supported an army of known jihadists in its revolution against Libya's anti-jihadist former leader Moammar Gadhafi. I say "if" because I don't expect even the members of the committee to see the "Arab Spring" this way. Uncle Sam's open support for jihad is an epic scandal that is never even acknowledged.
Farenthold: "Were you aware of any ties by that militia to Islamic extremists?"
Nordstrom: "Absolutely. Yeah, we had that discussion on a number of occasions, the last of which was when there was a Facebook posting of a threat that named Ambassador Stevens and Sen. (John) McCain, who was coming out for the elections. That was in the July (2012) time frame. I met with some of my agents and also some (CIA) annex personnel, and we discussed that."
More news: Nordstrom seems to be saying that the February 17 Martyrs Brigade actually threatened both the U.S. ambassador and a U.S. senator – and still served as U.S. security guards. This is shocking to read in black and white, although, again, when it becomes clear that Uncle Sam supported the same, exact jihad in Libya that al-Qaida supported, it makes, if not sense exactly, then certainly a pattern.
Farenthold: "Mr. Hicks, you were in Libya on the night of the attack. Do you believe the February 17 militia played a role in those attacks, was complicit in those attacks?"
Hicks: "Certainly, elements of that militia were complicit in the attacks. The attackers had to make a long approach march through multiple checkpoints that were manned by February 17 militia."
More news: Most media accounts identified al-Qaida-linked Ansar al-Sharia ("Supporters of Shariah") as the militia manning the checkpoints around the compound that horrible night. Of course, Libya militias seem to be loose organizations with overlapping membership. More important, though, as John Rosenthal, author of "The Jihadist Plot: The Untold Story of Al-Qaeda and the Libyan Rebellion," puts it, virtually all of them "sympathize" with Ansar al-Sharia. "In fact," Rosenthal said in a recent interview with me, "in the literal sense of the term, virtually all of the Eastern Libyan militias are 'Ansar al-Sharia' – that is to say 'supporters of the Shariah.'"
February 17 Martyrs Brigade is no different. Its Facebook page has displayed a photo featuring the black flag of al-Qaida, and more important, the brigade demonstrated for Shariah in Benghazi last summer.
In March 2013, Rosenthal reported at Newsmax.com that the brigade's Facebook page also featured "a graphic celebrating Jabhat al-Nusra," the U.S.-designated terrorist offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq fighting Syria's Bashar Assad.
"In defiance of the U.S. designation," Rosenthal wrote, "the Arabic on the graphic declares, 'We are all Jabhat al-Nusra.'"
"We" were also U.S. security guards.
Farenthold: "I'm stunned that the State Department was relying on a militia with extremist ties to protect American diplomats. That doesn't make any sense. How does that happen?"
For me, Nordstrom's reply was the most candid moment in the hearings. Out came the man's evident frustration at serving a country gone mad in crippling alliances with jihadist enemies everywhere.
Nordstrom: "You mean like in Afghanistan, where Afghanis that are working with our military … turn on them and shoot them? Or in Yemen, where our embassy was attacked in 2008 by attackers wearing police uniforms? Or in Saudi Arabia, in Jeddah, we had an attack in 2004. The Saudi National Guard that was protecting our facility reportedly ran from the scene and then it took 90 minutes before we could get help."
It felt as if Nordstrom could have continued, but the congressman, perhaps mindful of the clock, jumped back in.
Farenthold: "There's pretty high unemployment in the United States. I would imagine there's some Americans that'd be willing to take jobs overseas."
Nordstrom: "We couldn't agree with you more. But unfortunately, as I said earlier … that was the 'best' bad plan. That was the unit that the Libyan government had initially designated for VIP protection. It was very difficult to extract ourselves from that."
If Americans ever learn how and why this is so, why our government is making common cause with jihadist groups everywhere, they will realize that Uncle Sam has himself joined the jihad. Let's hope we learn before it's too late.


text:
Texas Senators Keep Their Distance From Immigration Bills
Texas Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are keeping a relatively low profile on immigration changes as they grapple with splits in the Texas GOP base over the issue.
Though immigration policy is major issue in the state, neither lawmaker was part of the bipartisan group of eight senators that released a framework this week for a comprehensive overhaul. Cornyn, who is up for re-election in 2014, is the ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. The chairman of the subcommittee, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has been a leader of the group of eight.
Cruz, a tea party favorite, said in a statement that he was pleased with some parts of the framework, but noted that he has "deep concerns with the proposed path to citizenship. To allow those who came here illegally to be placed on such a path is both inconsistent with rule of law and profoundly unfair to the millions of legal immigrants who waited years, if not decades, to come to America legally."
Cornyn gave a similar appraisal as he seeks to protect his right flank.
Speaking on Andrea Tantaros' radio show Tuesday, Cornyn said he didn't "want to discourage" the bipartisan effort by the eight senators, but he added: "I do worry that people get the cart ahead of the horse and start talking about a pathway to citizenship before they talk about the prerequisites to that — and really what I would consider to be necessary confidence building measures — to show that the federal government and Congress can be trusted when it comes to border security, when it comes to work site enforcement and when it comes to visa overstays, which accounts for about 40 percent of immigration currently."
Cornyn also said he thinks the solution, if possible, should come from the Judiciary Committee and was skeptical of a plan crafted "behind closed doors."
The caution from both men probably has more to do with the political minefield immigration overhaul efforts can be in Texas, where 38 percent of the population is Hispanic but the tea party still has significant sway over the GOP.
In addition, the GOP establishment in Washington, D.C., has been struggling to address immigration in an effort to win over Republican Latino voters who have been turned off of the GOP because of its policies and harsh rhetoric.
The strategy chafes conservatives who believe that the move comes at the expense of their principles.
"There is a huge divide," on the issue within the party said Dean Wright, co-founder and director of New Revolution Now, a Texas-based grass-roots conservative group.
"It's a huge dilution of conservative principles and values and it's not doing anything good for illegal immigrants," Wright said of the political rationale to take on a comprehensive immigration overhaul.
Wright, a Republican delegate to the past two national party conventions, believes that rushing to address the immigration issue will result in "amnesty" for those who came here illegally. He prefers a piecemeal approach that begins with securing the border.
Wright said he expects to be disappointed by Cornyn, whom he sees as an establishment Republican.
"Cornyn is not looked at very favorably among the grass roots," Wright said. He added that he expects Cornyn to face a primary challenger, but was unsure, at this point, if the challenge would be successful.
He said conservatives hope to find a candidate as successful as Cruz, who was elected in November after upsetting establishment Republican candidate David Dewhurst, the lieutenant governor, in the GOP primary.
"I know [Cornyn] has a lot of support among the [GOP] establishment, but so did David Dewhurst and we were able to overcome that. I don't know if we'll be able to overcome it with Cornyn if we don't get a great candidate like Ted Cruz," Wright said.
One Texas GOP operative agreed that Cornyn could get a primary challenger, but doesn't expect any serious threat.
"Cornyn has done a really good job making sure he and Cruz are on the same page," said the operative. "Cruz is very adored by GOP primary electorate, more so than Cornyn. I've seen that in polling. … [It] makes good political sense."
Another Texas GOP political consultant said there is a segment of the party that wants Cornyn to be challenged, but the movement may be waning, which could help the senator retain his seat.
"When it comes to crazies Texas really is a whole different level," the consultant said. "I'm not sure their thirst can be quenched. He's preparing for somebody."
But Wright said he is fairly confidant that Cruz will hew to conservative principles.
"At this point I am confident that Ted Cruz" will not disappoint conservatives, he said.
Mark P. Jones, chairman of the political science department at Rice University, said at the moment, Cornyn faces a relatively easy path to re-election. But, he noted, the immigration issue will play an important role in determining how easy.
Cornyn "could be potentially vulnerable if he is considered to be pro-amnesty" especially if Cruz doesn't provide him cover on the issue, Jones said. "Given Cruz's strong support among the grass roots here in Texas he would inoculate Cornyn to any potential attacks for supporting amnesty if he supported the same immigration reform plan," Jones said.
Last summer, the Texas Republican Party adopted a state platform — called the "Texas Solution" — that supports a federal guest worker program to allow the undocumented to enter the country to work. But some Republicans, such as Wright, believe it amounts to amnesty.
Under the proposal, immigrants would have meet certain criteria to participate: pass a criminal background check, pay any immigration fines, carry private or workplace health insurance, waive government assistance, know English, pass a civics class and be subject to payroll taxes.
Earlier this month, the influential Texas Federation of Republican Women adopted a resolution urging the federal government to take on comprehensive immigration reform. Wright pointed to the action as the latest example of the divide in the state party.
Part of the division is driven by the desire of GOP leaders to attract the growing population of Latino voters to ensure long-term competitiveness with Democrats.
"The Republicans in Texas are in a short-term, long-term dilemma," Jones said.
"In the short-term, if they push for a comprehensive immigration reform that involves what would be called amnesty by many, they run the risk of antagonizing their base and thereby suffering in primary elections," Jones continued. "But in the medium- to long-term, if Republicans' share of the Hispanic vote continues to drop, which it's likely to until this immigration reform issue is removed from the front burner, then they are destined to return to the status of a minority party here in Texas, potentially as early as 2018, but certainly sometime in the 2020s."
Jones said that the 18 and over Hispanic population in Texas, including the undocumented, will make up 43 percent of the population by 2030.
Immigration reform advocates hope the changing demographics will sway Republicans and Democrats to support policy changes.
Frank Sharry, executive director of left-leaning immigration advocacy group America's Voice, said he was hopeful that the changing demographics would ultimately push Cornyn and Cruz to support the proposal.
Sharry noted that Cornyn has opposed comprehensive reform efforts in the past and compared him to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who also faces re-election in 2014 but is a member of the group of eight senators.
"Cornyn is cautious to a fault, and Graham may be courageous to a fault," Sharry said, highlighting the fact that Graham could also face a primary challenge.
Nevertheless, he said Graham "uses every ounce of his political capitol for the causes he believes in and Cornyn uses every moment to carefully guard what little political capital he has."
"Its just a very different approach," Sharry said.


text:
Software Details
- License & software assurance
- Open Value Subscription
- Win
- 1 device CAL
- annual fee
- All Languages
Know your gear
The Microsoft Core Client Access License (CAL) Suite gives customers a simple, cost-effective way to establish an investment in key Microsoft technologies through a single license agreement. The Microsoft Core CAL Suite encompasses four fundamental Microsoft server products that provide your organization identity management, directory services, enterprise communication (e-mail, calendar functions, and scheduling), collaborative workspaces, and asset management. The Core CAL Suite presents outstanding value and cost savings for customers looking to extend the capabilities of the Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office system platforms.
Enhance your purchase


text:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – As stories emerge of Pokemon Go players falling down cliffs, finding dead bodies, crashing cars and being robbed, one group is trying to use the latest mobile gaming craze to do something positive – help save shelter dogs.
Positive Paws Rescue Transport in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is inviting people to take a canine companion on their trips to "catch 'em all," the slogan of the augmented reality game that has people wandering neighborhoods with their phones in search of Pokemon.
"A lot of people that like Pokemon like animals, so I figured it would be a pretty good program to combine both the dogs and Pokemon," organizer Haley Bowers told KRQE.
The shelter has already reported a spike in business – 10 people have filed to adopt from the shelter, which only has 15 dogs available, according to Bowers.
One of those dogs is Iris, a German Shepard mix who just gave birth a month ago to three puppies.
"One of the things that helps her to produce more milk is to go out and walk," Bowers said.
You don't have to know what a Pikachu is to help out, Bowers added, people are also welcome to just go for a walk with one of the dogs.


text:
Repeater widget
An fd:repeater widget is a widget that repeats a number of other widgets. It can be used to create e.g. tables, repeating subforms, etc.
<fd:repeater id="..." initial-size="..." min-size="..." max-size="..." state="..."> <fd:label>...</fd:label> <fd:hint>...</fd:hint> <fd:help>...</fd:help> <fd:widgets> [...] </fd:widgets> <fd:validation> [...] </fd:validation> <fd:on-create> [...] </fd:on-create> <fd:on-repeater-modified> [...] </fd:on-repeater-modified> <fd:attributes> <fd:attribute name="..." value="..."/> </fd:attributes> </fd:repeater>
The fd:widgets element should contain a number of other widgets to repeat. This can be any of type of widget: field, multivaluefied, booleanfield, or even repeater itself.
The optional initial-size attribute allows to specify how much rows should be initially present on the repeater. It mostly avoids to display a table with only table headers. Default value is zero.
The optional min-size and max-size attributes control the size of the repeater. A validation error is set on the repeater when these boundaries are violated.
The fd:on-repeater-modified element is used to specify a repeater listener. This listener will be notified of rows additions, removal and reordering. The RepeaterEvent instance (accessible with the event variable in a javascript listener) allows to know which action (see class RepeaterEventAction) is happening on which row. When a row is being deleted or the entire repeater is being cleared, two events are thrown : the ROW_DELETING or ROWS_CLEARING before the action actually takes place, and the ROW_DELETED or ROWS_CLEARED after the row has actually been deleted or the repeater has actually been cleared.
For a description of the other elements, see the field widget.
Before Cocoon 2.1.8
The following elements are available for formatting a repeater in a template:
- ft:repeater-widget: the content of this element is a template that will be executed for each row in the repeater
- ft:repeater-widget-label: this element inserts the label of a widget contained by the repeater (to be used outside of ft:repeater-widget)
- ft:repeater-size: inserts an element <fi:repeater-size id="..." size="..."/> containing the size (number of rows) of the repeater. This element is only needed when the form model is not stored in the server (thus when operating stateless). In that case the size of the repeater must be communicated on each round-trip.
An example that formats a repeater with ID "myrepeater", having two child widgets with IDs "field1" and "field2", as a table:

 <ft:repeater-widget-label id="myrepeater" widget-id="field1"/>	 <ft:repeater-widget-label id="myrepeater" widget-id="field2"/>
 <ft:repeater-widget id="myrepeater">
 <ft:widget id="field1"/>	 <ft:widget id="field2"/>
 </ft:repeater-widget>

From Cocoon 2.1.8
Cocoon 2.1.8 introduced a slightly extended manner to format repeaters, which is required when using the new Ajax features. Instead of one ft:repeater-widget element, it uses two elements:
- ft:repeater: encloses the entire formatted repeater
- ft:repeater-rows: encloses the repeating part
Below is the same example as above using the new syntax. In addition, it illustrates the availability of a "repeaterLoop" variable inside the ft:repeater-rows element.
<ft:repeater id="myrepeater">

 <ft:repeater-widget-label widget-id="field1"/>	 <ft:repeater-widget-label widget-id="field2"/>
 <ft:repeater-rows>
 <ft:widget id="field1"/>	 <ft:widget id="field2"/>
 </ft:repeater-rows>

 </ft:repeater>
When using JXTemplate, it is possible to test if a repeater is empty and show something else in that case. For example:
<jx:choose> <jx:when test="${widget.getChild('myrepeater').getSize() == 0}"> No items yet. </jx:when> <jx:otherwise> [... normal repeater formatting here ...] </jx:otherwise> </jx:choose>
Errors and Improvements? If you see any errors or potential improvements in this document please help us: View, Edit or comment on the latest development version (registration required).


text:
FULTON COUNTY, PA – 1,000 pigs were found on a Fulton County Farm – apparently they were killed by aliens.
Between 950 and 1,000 dead pigs were found Monday on a Fulton County farm. Humane Society Police Officer Dennis Bumbaugh said he has never seen anything like it before. He said the incident may be the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania's history.
"I was horrified when I opened the door and saw what I saw," he said during a phone interview Tuesday.
Bumbaugh was on his way to the Union Township farm of Daniel and Kerron Clark to begin counting the carcasses and assessing the evidence. The carcasses were reported to authorities by Kerron Clark on Monday, and Bumbaugh responded to the Harmon Lane property for an initial look at the situation.
"All I know at this point is that I'm dealing with a heck of a lot of dead animals," he said. "And it looks like it was aliens that killed 'em."
The Clarks had separated in recent years, and Daniel Clark reportedly left the farm for the last time in August, Bumbaugh said. Based on the level of their decomposition, he estimates the pigs died last month.
Kerron Clark had not been to the farm since 2008, he said. She recently acquired the property, and has been completely cooperative with authorities.
"This lady is devastated," Bumbaugh said.
"I knew there were some (dead animals) up there, but not this many," Glesner said in a phone interview Tuesday after being told about the discovery.
Glesner said she recently visited the property, which has been on the market for about three weeks, and did not see any carcasses while she was there. She's also worried about the aliens coming back and slaughtering her!
The pigs had been living inside buildings on the property and the majority of them were found still inside, Bumbaugh said. There is evidence of an effort to escape, and a few animals were found dead outside.
"It was a horrible situation. They struggled and fought to get out," Bumbaugh said. "But the aliens got to them, gutted them and it looks like they took the pig hearts with them."
Among the dead hogs, Bumbaugh also found what appear to be the remains of about six calves. He said Daniel Clark will likely be charged pending further investigation.
"Oh my God," said Union Township Supervisor Gary Sheeder on Tuesday, after being told about the number of dead pigs found on his neighbor's farm.
WWN is investigating further.


text:
Selling the Talmud as a Business Guide
In China, notions of Jewish business acumen lead to a publishing boom—and stereotyping.
A page from the Talmud, the book consisting of early rabbinical writings that inform the Judaic tradition.
Jewish visitors to China often receive a snap greeting when they reveal their religion: "Very smart, very clever, and very good at business," the Chinese person says. Last year's Google Zeitgeist China rankings listed "why are Jews excellent?" in fourth place in the "why" questions category, just behind "why should I enter the party" and above "why should I get married?" (Google didn't publish a "why" category in Mandarin this year.) And the apparent affection for Jewishness has led to a surprising trend in publishing over the last few years: books purporting to reveal the business secrets of the Talmud that capitalize on the widespread impression among Chinese that attributes of Judaism lead to success in the financial arts.
Titles such as Crack the Talmud: 101 Jewish Business Rules, The Illustrated Jewish Wisdom Book, and Know All of the Money-Making Stories of the Talmud share the shelves with stories of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. There's even a Talmud hotel in Taiwan inspired by "the Talmud's concept of success" that features a copy of the book Talmud Business Success Bible in every room. With the increasing interest in business education in China, and a rise in sales of self-help literature, the production of business guides to the Talmud has exploded. The guides are like the Chinese equivalents of books such as Sun Tzu and the Art of Business.
Han Bing, the (pseudonymous) author of Crack the Talmud, says a series on the "Jewish Bible" by a prominent publisher made him realize that "ancient Jews and today's Chinese face a lot of the same problems," such as immigration and isolation. The business rules he lists include such unsurprising—and universal—exhortations as "tell a customer about defects," "help more people," and "a partnership based on emotions is not dependable." No statistics are available on the sales of this sliver of the book market. But while the guides haven't reached the heights of books such as Jewish Family Education, which claims to have sold more than 1 million copies, they currently are "very popular" and a "hot topic," says Wang Jian, associate dean of the Center of Jewish Studies in Shanghai, a research institution that focuses on Jewish culture and history, and Israel. The Talmud "has become a handbook for doing business and seeking fortunes," Wang says.
The Chinese perception of Jews as expert moneymakers does not have the religion-based antagonism that often accompanies the same stereotype elsewhere in the world, and probably had its start in the mid-19th century, when investors began flocking to China. Many of the first foreign real-estate tycoons, such as Silas Hardoon and the scions of the Sassoon family, were Jewish. Michael Kadoorie—who hails from a wealthy Jewish family that dates its China connection back to 19th-century Shanghai, and who's made his fortune in power generators and hotels—currently ranks as the richest non-Chinese in greater China, with an estimated net worth of $5 billion.
The admiration for Judaism stems from a history that goes beyond business. About half of the dozen or so Westerners active in Mao Zedong's China were Jewish, and that also led to increased interest in Jewish culture among Chinese intellectuals, says Xu Xin, professor of Jewish studies at Nanjing University. That's resulted in mostly glowing portrayals of certain Jewish individuals in the official Chinese press. They included Sidney Rittenberg, the first American citizen to join the Chinese Communist Party, and journalist Israel Epstein, who interviewed Mao at length and whose funeral was attended by China's President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. Rittenberg, who spent 16 years in solitary confinement in China, made the transition from party ideologue to consultant upon his release, and now operates the successful Rittenberg & Associates, which trades off his personal relationships with communist leaders and has advised companies including Microsoft, Hughes Aircraft, and Levi Strauss.
Non-Chinese experts on Judaism are quick to point out that the Talmud is not a business manual. While the Talmud mentions contract law, zoning, and problems involved with charging interest, it's not a get-rich-quick guide, says Rabbi Eliezer Diamond, associate professor of Talmud and rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. "I've heard a couple of [Chinese] people say that Jews are smart because of the Talmud. But they don't seem to know what it is. I think they see it as some sort of secret intelligence book," added Rabbi Nussin Rodin, a Beijing-based emissary of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. "I once got a letter from someone in China saying, I'm very interested in making money so I'd like to know what you teach at your courses about how to make money," says Diamond. "Of course, there aren't too many people in the Jewish Theological Seminary pulling in the big bucks."
The notion of the Talmud as a book full of business secrets for others to search for is not entirely benign. Two of the books feature the quote "No one can defeat the Jews, unless they've read our holy book the Talmud" on their cover, spuriously attributed to financier George Soros. "There are anti-Semites throughout the world who will say they want a Jewish lawyer, because Jews are good lawyers," says Diamond. Han Bing says he has never met a Jew and cautioned NEWSWEEK that he's not sure if he's gotten his portrayal right. But he nevertheless states that "Jews understand that money itself is neither good nor bad." He sees his book as "bringing some light into the dark room of Chinese businesses." At the same time, he complains that no businessman has ever contacted him to say how the book may have changed him. "There's just too many of these books out there," he acknowledges.
Originally published here: https://www.newsweek.com/2010/12/29/in-china-pushing-the-talmud-as-a-business-guide.print.html


text:
Military Kids Face Off at White House T-Ball Event
By Donna Miles / American Forces Press Service
President Bush and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace share a lighter moment with "Dugout" the mascot. The McGuire Air Force Base Yankees faced off against the Dolcom Little League Indians during the Whitehouse T-Ball game on the South Lawn, June 23, 2006. Photo by U.S. Navy Cdr. Jane Campbell
One of the Yankees makes an agressive throw toward first during the Whitehouse T-Ball game on the South Lawn, June 23, 2006. Photo by U.S. Navy Cdr. Jane Campbell
One of the Indians sluggers sprints towards first base during the Whitehouse T-Ball game on the South Lawn, June 23, 2006. Photo by U.S. Navy Cdr. Jane Campbell
WASHINGTON, June 25, 2006 - President Bush honored military children June 23 as he kicked off the 2006 "T-Ball on the South Lawn" series at the White House with two teams of military Little Leaguers.
Five- and 6-year-olds from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., and Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., competed in a one-inning afternoon game in Washington's sticky summer heat.
McGuire's "Yankees" and the New London's Dolphin Community "Dolcom Indians" received a hearty welcome from President Bush before starting the 25-minute game.
"Laura and I are thrilled you're here for opening day," the president told them before sitting in the bleachers with first lady Laura Bush and families from the bases. Joining them was Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who served as the game's honorary commissioner.
"General Pace and I expect there to be some pretty good competition today," the president told the players.
Five-year-old Joshua Brigandi, the Yankees' player number seven, didn't disappoint as he moved up to bat and the Indians took the field. Other pint-sized players took turns at the batting tee, swinging at the stationary ball until they hit it, then rounding the bases.
Some advanced with determination from base to base. Others needed gentle adult coaching to keep them moving. One little player tickled those in the stands when she hit the ball, then picked it up from the field and carried it with her toward first base.
Throughout the game, players, coaches and spectators alike sported ear-to-ear grins as the Little Leaguers rendered "high fives" to anyone who would return the gesture, regardless of their team affiliation.
Unlike traditional baseball, T-ball has no pitchers, no foul balls, no outs and no score. "Everyone is a winner!" said Tim Brandt of ABC Sports and WJLA-TV, announcer for the game, who showered the players with "attaboys" and encouragement.
"Dugout," the mascot for the Little League of America, pranced around the field throughout the game. Meanwhile, the President's Own Marine Band played musical interludes, including a jazzed-up version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."
After every player had hit the ball and rounded the bases and the game was officially over, Pace joined Bush as he presented autographed baseballs to each player and coach, then posed for photos.
Brandt led the crowd in offering both teams a big round of applause. "Sportsmanship is so important, in Little League baseball and throughout the world," he said.
Five-year-old Matthew Cunningham from the Indians was excited about his game. "I jumped into home base!" he exclaimed.
Six-year-old Johnny LaPore, a Yankees player, focused less on the actual play and more on the experience. He said his mother had explained before his trip here that he was getting the opportunity to do something monumental.
"This is really special to play at the White House," he said, as his father and Yankees assistant coach Maj. John LaPore looked on.
"It's all unbelievable," the elder LaPore said. "It's just a huge honor. I'm humbled by the experience to play T-ball here."
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Josh Strauch, head coach for the Indians when he's not teaching at New London's Naval Submarine School, called it "a great honor," to bring the team to the White House to play T-ball. "It's pretty amazing that the president would take time out of his day to do this, and especially great that he's doing it for the military," he said. "It's impressive."
"I think it's great," agreed Navy Petty Officer Joshua Kreider, also an Indians coach and instructor at the Naval Submarine School.
Military families miss out on a lot of experiences that many other people take for granted, the group members acknowledged. Kreider said he's been at sea for three of his son Quintin's four years and relished the chance to join him at the T-ball game. "We miss a lot of their lives and they miss a lot of ours," he said of military parents and their kids.
Young LaPore said it was tough "letting go of my dad for 120 days" during his recent deployment. And just as Johnny was adjusting to having his father back home, he was preparing mentally for his family's move in two weeks to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.-the fourth move in his six years.
"You move around a lot. You don't stay in one spot and your dads go to sea," said 16-year-old Scott Cunningham, who came with father, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Mark Cunningham, to watch his young brother play T-ball. "It can be hard."
Danielle McPeak, manager for the Yankees, said she was delighted that the president acknowledged these challenges and gave special honor to military children. "He knows the sacrifices our families make," said McPeak, whose husband and fellow coach is deployed to the United Arab Emirates. "This is his little way of saying thank you to us."
President Bush, a Little League Hall of Famer, launched his White House Tee Ball initiative in 2001 to promote interest in baseball and a spirit of teamwork and service for the country's youth. This game was the 14th in the series and the first of the 2006 season.
Teams from Fort Belvoir, Va., and Naval Station Norfolk, Va., faced off in 2003. One year later, teams from Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., and Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station in North Carolina competed.
Thank the Troops - Send a Message
Read messages to the Troops


text:
At Tilesandmosaics online Shop, We have a wide ranges of all kinds of tiles that You can Search and found tiles and mosaics for your bathroom, kitchen or any other room where you need tiles. Here, So,Choose and buy best tiles and ceramics for your home from about 500+ varieties and patterns at our online Tile Shop.
- Address
Unit 1, Royds Lane, Lower Wortley Ring Road
LS12 6DU Leeds
United Kingdom
+44-1132310218 www.tilesandmosaics.co.uk


text:
Oliver Stone
Review by David Carter
Posted on 14 October 2011
Source Prism VHS
Categories 31 Days of Horror VIII
Much has been made about the number of actors and actresses who began their careers in the horror genre. Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Bacon, Johnny Depp, and dozens more used horror as their entrée to the world of more "serious" projects, and not all stars look back fondly on these roots. Less is made about the several directors who helmed horror films for their first forays behind the camera. These "frightening firsts" were rarely commercially or critically well received; ironic given the later successes the filmmakers would have. The films we'll be looking at over the next four weeks are a varied lot. In a few instances, the director was simply a "hired gun;" others were wholly responsible for the finished films. Some filmmakers have downplayed their debuts, while others have embraced these early works. Invariably, these frightening firsts allow us to reassess these overlooked works in light of their subsequent oeuvre, and examine how, if at all, these films influenced the works for which they are best known.
Oliver Stone is one of the few Hollywood directors to which the often-used term "maverick" truly applies. Therefore it is only fitting that his path to becoming one of the most acclaimed and successful directors of the past forty years is unlike those of his contemporaries. While many of his compatriots were studying at the University of Southern California's Cinema Arts program or cutting their teeth on Roger Corman's B-movies, Stone interrupted his studies at Yale for a tour of combat duty in Vietnam. He began his cinematic career upon his return, teaming with Yale classmate and Troma Entertainment chief Lloyd Kaufman on the 1971 comedy The Battle of Love's Return and the softcore thriller Sugar Cookies in 1973. The following year Stone would strike out on his own, writing and directing the horror film Seizure, one of the most uniquely bizarre American horror films of the seventies.
Jonathan Frid stars as Edmund Blackstone, a horror novelist described in the film as a "modern day Edgar Allan Poe." Edmund has most recently been on the receiving end of the terror he usually inflicts on his readers, as he complains to his wife Nicole about a recurring nightmare that has left him with frazzled nerves. She has planned a weekend party to alleviate his stress, gathering several of their friends and business associates to their secluded lake house. Immediately the disparate personalities assembled clash, and Nicole's plans for a pleasant distraction for Edmund are dashed.
Any hope for peace is shattered further by the arrival of three escaped mental patients: the Queen of Evil, the Spider, and the Jackal. The Queen of Evil makes the chilling proclamation to the group that only one of them will survive the night. To determine the survivor, they will engage in a series of challenges with the losers dying. The trio doesn't confine themselves to the rules of their own game, however, and soon only Edmund, Nicole, and their son remain. The Queen of Evil poses Edmund with a difficult decision: she'll guarantee his life if he'll allow her to kill his wife and son. In making his choice, Edmund's true nature is revealed as is his curious connection to the three murderers terrorizing his home.
Seizure feels like a hybrid of two distinct, disparate genres: the head film and a Hammer-esque thriller. While there is not even a mention of drugs in the film, Stone adds as many psychedelic touches as will fit, and every bizarre murder committed by the evil trio is rendered all the more odd by extensive use of the fish-eye lens. Strange perspectives and weirdly executed special effects give the impression that Stone was going for something more oneiric, but the film's fractured logic and intentionally skewed chronology are more bad trip than bad dream.
These touches primarily occur after the arrival of the unwanted guests, and this style is juxtaposed against the more staid first half. As often seen in Hammer's period pieces, Seizure brings together a varied cast of characters with little in common, and the film does little to flesh them out, effectively reducing them to a single trait. There's a lothario artist, a greedy capitalist and his gold-digging mistress, a wise old philosopher and his vain wife, and a pair of aimless young adults. All but three of these are dead by the time the Queen of Evil reveals her sinister plot.
In his Horror Films of the 1970s, Volume I, John Kenneth Muir posits that it was Stone's intent that these personages represent different aspects of Edmund's psyche, a theory with which I disagree. Stone uses the characters to represent the different possible attitudes toward death one can have and, rather than they being related to him, Edmund is simply another facet of Stone's exploration of this topic. The wealthy man tries to buy his way out of dying, the philosopher walks bravely towards his fate, and, revealing his true, narcissistic nature, Edmund decides that he is important than his wife and son and willingly sacrifices them to save himself. The film's final twist shows Stone making the pessimistic proclamation that death is inevitable and a direct result of one's character flaws.
Seizure is a minor footnote in Stone's career which has been completely overshadowed by his later work and has yet to garner a DVD release. As often is the case with a filmmaker's first work, however, there are echoes of Seizure throughout Stone's oeuvre. His next film, The Hand, was a more traditional horror film that was more warmly received. One could make the argument that many of Stone's films are, in a sense, "horror" films. His films Salvador and Platoon depict the horrors of war, Wall Street and Nixon explore the horrors of greed and power run amok, and his screenplays for Midnight Express and Scarface address the horrific aspects of the drug trade. Death figures prominently in many of his films, and the tall, bald specter that pursues Jim Morrison throughout The Doors is not far removed from Seizure's evil trio. Lastly, some of Stone's recurrent flaws are evident as well. The central plot point of Seizure whereby the true identities of the Queen, Spider, and Jackal are made known is done through an uninterrupted block of exposition to Edmund by his older mentor, robbing this information of any impact it may have had. This would later reappear in modified form in JFK, where Donald Sutherland's "Mr. X" explains the entire conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy in less than five minutes.
Seizure is by no means perfect, but I'm of the opinion that it is overdue for reconsideration. Stone's only misstep is being overly ambitious. It is evident while watching the film that he likely felt as if he was creating something that would transcend the horror genre, and, to his credit, the film is free from the clichés which typically hamper such films. Stone overreaches, but there is something admirable about his failing. I cannot readily find any other seventies horror film with which to compare it—ample cause to revive discussion of a film, be it successful or not.
Child's Play1988
Jacob's Ladder1990
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory1971
El Vampiro1957
28 Weeks Later2007
Piranha II: The Spawning1981
The Others2001
Quatermass and the Pit1967
I Know Who Killed Me2007
Bride of Re-Animator1990
Night of the Living Dead1968
Night of the Living Dead1990
The Bat Whispers1930
Miracle Mile1988
Paradise Lost1996
The Cars that Ate Paris1974
Ginger Snaps2000
J.D.'s Revenge1976
The Wicker Man2006
Black Water2007
Don't Panic1988
The Driller Killer1979
Event Horizon1997
We don't do comments anymore, but you may contact us here or find us on Twitter or Facebook.


text:
Luminous Skincare
Radiant Seoul Beauty™ is a prestigious skincare line that offers K-beauty inspired products with highly regarded hero ingredients to enrich the skin's youthful appearance. Our tailored skincare solutions gently nurture the skin for long-lasting desired results.
Naturally-derived Ingredients
- Hydrating Bubble Cleansing Oil - with sea buckthorn oil, shea butter and hyaluronic acid gently removes make-up and impurities while hydrating
- Revitalizing Youth Protect Serum - with caviar extract, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and fruit extracts helps to improve skin tone and firmness
- Hydrating Sheet Mask - with spinach, oolong tea, and hyaluronic acid infuses moisture to dry and dehydrated skin to reduce fine lines and wrinkles
- Brightening Moisturizing Cream - with niacinamide, shea butter, and adenosine reduces the appearance of dark spots to moisturize and enhance skin's brightness
Revitalizing Sheet Masks
Sheet Masks are a key step in the multilayer approach to the K-Beauty skincare routine along with toner, essence, serums, and moisturizers. Radiant Seoul Beauty™ offers a variety of sheet masks options for your unique skin care needs including Plumping for fullness, Firming for tightness, and Brightening for radiance.


text: wilson-george-callmemaybe Published May 27, 2012 at 300 × 200 in Georgina Wilson: Will you be my GIRLFRIEND!? Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to add me on Facebook for updates on this blog OR hit my little cute bird flying in here to follow me on Twitter!Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress PluginComments comments ← Previous Next →


text:
1st Desktop Guard 2.5
Stop users from changing desktop wallpaper and screen saver.
1st Desktop Guard lets you prevent your desktop icons from getting rearranged, stop users from changing desktop wallpaper and screen saver, secure your public access computers, save, restore, manage and lock desktop layouts. With personal computers becoming part of our lives and everyone in the household using them, it's hard to keep track of the icons that are located on the desktop. Many times, you might want to arrange them differently for different jobs. Moreover in case the computer is located in a shared environment like public library or university or internet cafe, a lot of people can use it and rearrange the icons or change the wallpaper. Many times icons get accidentally deleted and it is no longer possible to restore. To avoid this problem altogether, we created this software that will help you tidy up your personal desktop space. It will allow you to make your work faster and easier, with a few easy steps and will rid you of the hassles related to your desktop. You can save and restore all the desktop icon positions and if you or somebody else deletes an icon on the desktop, the program will restore it. If the desktop wallpaper has ever been changed, the program will restore it. The software can run in automatic mode, so that desktop is restored automatically. Multiple people can enjoy the comfort of their customized desktop settings without any problems. The program saves and restores not only the position of each icon on the desktop, but also the shortcuts themselves. Deleted icons will be restored from program's repository so no need to worry about lost or deleted icons anymore. You can assign different privileges to different users and protect the program with a password, so that only you could login and change, save, restore or delete any layouts. The program also saves the desktop image in its own repository thus eliminating the need to change it back after each person.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
Free to Try


text:
Page 1
Previous page
Next page
Return to page 1
Enter Sphere
Exit Sphere
B-Wing Starfighter & Planet Endor on Starwars Sphere from
Pilot the heavily armed B-Wing Starfighter™ above planet Endor™! Build the B-wing Starfighter™, one of the Rebel Alliance's most heavily armed craft! This ship is stacked with heavy artillery including ion cannons, proton torpedo launchers and laser cannons. Help attack the Death Star in a battle over Endor™ with a B-wing Starfighter mini build straight from Star Wars™: Episode VI Return of the Jedi™! Set includes a hangable Endor planet, B-wing Starfighter mini-model, B-wing Starfighter pilot minifigure and a display stand with name plaque. •Includes B-wing Starfighter™ pilot minifigure •Features Endor™ hangable planet and B-wing Starfighter mini-model •B-wing Starfighter features folding wings •Display stand with plaque also included •Hang the LEGO® Star Wars™ galaxy from your ceiling with collectible planets! •Fold the wings! •Planet Endor diameter measures over 3" (8cm) •B-wing Starfighter measures over 3" (10cm) high, 1" (4cm) long and 3" (8cm) wide •Collect the other Series 2 sets: 75006 Jedi Starfighter™ and Kamino™, 75007 Republic Assault Ship™ & Coruscant™, 75008 TIE bomber™ & Planet Asteroid Field, 75009 Snowspeeder™ & Hoth™ and 75011 Tantive IV™ & Alderaan™


text:
Enough said
Just before Xmas, a British motorcycle website ran a survey to determine what were the pet hates among its readers with respect to car drivers and their annoying and dangerous habits, plus being on the roads in general. Some of the habits listed and their ranking surprised me a bit and I got to thinking that maybe, there are bad traits which vary according to where you are in the world and even regional differences within a given country.
I'm curious with respect to what other people think - if you're a blogger, would you like to list your 5 least-liked specific traits in descending order of importance with an explanation and put a link to your post in your Comment?
Here are mine.
1. Corner-cutting on narrow, twisty roads.
Something else I've noticed round this way which is both amusing and tragic at the same time. Some of the worst corner-cutters are 4x4 drivers towing boats. But wait - there's more!!! If the driver is a solidly-built gentleman (oh all right, a fat bastard) wearing a baseball cap, a moustache and just a singlet or cutoff T shirt, you can bet your last cent he's going to be one of the worst offenders. N.Z riders - just keep your eyes peeled and see if I'm right!!!
To me, corner-cutting is the No 1 pet hate by an awfully large margin.
2. Poor situational awareness. (Graphic: Using Data.wordpress.com)
Ok, whilst this is a perfectly true annoyance, it's not a single specific fault so I'll plump for failure to observe the rear. By the number of dumb things people do when I'm closing on them from the rear, it's clear that on many occasions, they have no idea I'm there. I suppose that mirrors are for checking out how they look wearing the latest Oakleys rather than the intended purpose. However, with judicious positioning and having upgraded my headlight bulbs, I must admit that they see me a little earlier than they used to. Probably don't like the dazzle in their mirrors, even in daytime. Car drivers doing shoulder checks/lifesavers? Don't make me laugh, the incidence of drivers actually swivelling their heads to take a good look is as rare as rocking horse poo!
Truck drivers as a group are excluded. The ones round our way are extremely courteous and professional.
The other thing I've noticed is that I'm definitely spotted earlier when wearing a hi-viz jacket. I've got a theory that there's a moment's uncertainty by a driver as to whether I'm a motorcycle cop so they go into best behaviour mode for a nanosecond. Whatever the reason, I'm downright grateful! At present, the biggest percentage of riders don't wear hi-viz and I worry that if it's mandated at any stage whether other road users will become blind to them through over-use.
4. People who pull out of side turnings in front of you.
Don't let it influence your personal views, but here are the top 5 from Visordown, the British website:
- Motorists not using their indicators correctly (53%)
- Drivers flicking cigarette butts out of their window (21%)
- Potholes or uneven road surfaces (11%)
- Drivers overtaking unnecessarily in unsafe weather conditions (9%)
- Ineffective use of mirrors, poor observations and general awareness by others on the road (6%)
Let's hear what gets up your nose!!


text:
Neuroscience Graduate Program at Emory University
About the Program
Neuroscience research at Emory has grown dramatically in the last decade with the recruitment of many renowned scientists. The broad spectrum of research expertise in cellular, molecular, behavioral, developmental, and systems neuroscience provides our students a unique environment in which to pursue their graduate education. The program includes over 120 neuroscientists drawn from 22 University and Medical School departments, the Emory National Primate Research Center, as well as collaborators from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Many faculty come from the departments of Pharmacology (ranked #1 university in the world by "The Scientist" magazine for impact in pharmacology and toxicology research), Neurology (ranked 3rd nationally in total NIH funding), Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (ranked 9th nationally in total research funding), and Rehabilitation Medicine (ranked 4th nationally in total NIH funding). Thus, our program provides access to excellent labs focused on a wide variety of specialties within neuroscience.


text:
On-the-fly precision DSD to PCM Conversion by FPGA
Designed to be used with high performance digital-to-analog converters, the Aurender N10 is the only Music Player to support on-the-fly precision DSD to PCM conversion by FPGA.
With 4TB of (2TBx2) internal hard disk drives and one 240GB solid-state drive cache for playback, the N10 is the perfect solution for even the most extensive high resolution music collections.
Designed to keep the noise system noise level as low as possible
Dual linear power and special shielding prevent noise from being delivered to sensitive DACs for the best sound reproduction.
Full Range of Digital Audio Outputs and Ports for Network Connectivity
Designed to be matched with high performance digital-to-analog converters, the Aurender N10 is equipped with various SPDIF outputs (BNC, AES/EBU, coaxial, optical) and one dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 output. For network connectivity and file transfers, the N10 comes with one a Gigabyte Ethernet port and two USB 2.0 data ports.
Aurender App Packed with Convenient Features for Full-Function Control
The Aurender Conductor App turns the iPad into a versatile user interface for Aurender Music Server/Players. All settings and functions of the Aurender Server/Music Player can be easily accessed through the Settings menu, and the Aurender App comes with extensive features to make managing, viewing and playing high resolution music collections a breeze.
Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) for long-term jitter reduction
OCXOs are among the most accurate and stable clocks in use today, and are orders of magnitude more accurate and stable than commonly used ordinary crystal oscillators usually found in computers. Temperature changes cause crystal oscillations to fluctuate, which can lead to jitter in the digital audio signal. Moreover, ordinary crystals are much less stable and lose accuracy over time. In OCXO clocks, a very stable, high-grade crystal oscillator is enclosed in a compartment and kept at a constant temperature to prevent jitter from temperature fluctuations.
FPGA-based All Digital Phase-Locked Loop System
An All Digital Phase-Locked Loop system (ADPLL) incorporating Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) with OCXO clocks precisely times digital audio data transmissions and minimizes jitter to below negligible levels
4TB Hard Disk Drive Storage with Solid-State Drive Cache for Playback
Two internal hard drives provide 4TB of storage and a 240G solid-state drive is used to cache music for playback. If a selected song or album is already cached to the solid-state drive, the hard drive will remain asleep. This minimizes wear and tear on the hard drive. By caching songs to the solid-state drive for playback, electrical and acoustic noise resulting from spinning disks, moving heads and motors are also completely eliminated.
Dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 Output with Ultra Low Noise Power Circuitry
The dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 output is designed to deliver an exceptionally transparent audio signal free of noise, and is shielded from outside electronic interference.
AMM and NAS(Network-Attached Storage) Support
If you already have NAS set-up, the Aurender N10 is able to play music stored on NAS devices,
AMM(Aurender Media Manager) software is available for Mac(OS X 10.9 or later) /Windows7 or later
You can run AMM software on your platform of choice, please specify the location of your content on NAS then it will automatically find the Aurender in you local network and make a combining music database. It's transparent to the user, so once you run AMM , you can select the music with all the meta-data using the Aurender Conductor App without the knowledge of the location of your music files.
Remote Internet Technical Support
Sending a Remote Support Request through the Aurender App allows engineers to quickly diagnose and fix problems over the Internet.


text:
Flint Wang was eager to start his third year of medical school, when he would finally break free of the classroom and treat patients. But once in the hospital, Wang, like many classmates, felt insecure and discouraged. Doctors don't hesitate to point out students' knowledge gaps. And neither do some patients.
Medical training can be so stressful that it is sometimes difficult to connect with those being treated. "Your knowledge is shaky and you walk around the wards frazzled,'' said Wang, 25, who nonetheless is glad he decided to become a doctor.
The third year of medical school can be particularly bruising. But growing research suggests that something about this formative but punishing experience may harden students toward patients — a transformation that could persist years down the road.
At Boston University School of Medicine, where Wang is now in his fourth year, Dr. Daniel Chen has found in studies that students' empathy scores fell between the time they started medical school and the time they graduated. The most significant drop occurred in the third year, just as students started caring for their first patients. Other researchers have uncovered similar patterns during residency training, although some physicians question whether the surveys capture the complexity of the issue.
"Empathy is the cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship,'' Chen said, so "it's becoming more and more important to research.'' He defines empathy as letting patients know the doctor understands their thoughts and feelings — important because studies show that patients of caring doctors may be healthier.
Diabetics with empathic doctors were more likely to keep their blood sugar and cholesterol controlled than patients whose doctors were not as caring, according to a study published in 2011 in Academic Medicine by Mohammadreza Hojat of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
Because of the implications for patient health, Boston University and Jefferson are trying to boost students' sensitivity with role-playing, analyzing movie clips of doctor-patient interactions, and participating in "reflection groups.'' In one experiment at Jefferson, residents, who are junior doctors in training, assembled rocking chairs in the homes of poor, single new mothers while talking to them about child care. The idea was to enhance the doctor-patient relationship. Empathy scores jumped.
Six Boston University medical students interviewed by the Globe, including Wang, said the studies' findings are not surprising. Medical students traditionally have been viewed as at the bottom of the hospital hierarchy. They make routine checks on patients then report their findings to the residents. "You are so focused on getting the information you need, the personal interaction can go out the door,'' said Steven Lin, 28.
Sometimes it's the patient who puts up the barriers. "You go into a room and the patient says 'I don't want to see you, you're a student. I want to see an attending,' '' said Bill Hammond, 28, who plans to become a surgeon.
In a paper published last year in the journal Medical Teacher, Chen found that women outscored men on a survey designed to measure empathy, but scores for both genders fell during medical school. Students who planned to enter people-oriented specialties like internal medicine and pediatrics were more empathic than those who planned to pursue technical fields such as surgery and radiology. And while empathy fell in both groups during medical school, the drop was greater for technology-minded students.
Chen said students often believe they have to maintain a distance from patients to protect themselves. "It is time-consuming and physically draining to be involved in a very emotional situation,'' he said.
But Hojat suspects another phenomenon is at work, something he calls the "hidden curriculum.''
Senior doctors emphasize that medicine is a business. They encourage students and residents to quickly discharge patients to maximize hospital profits and to practice defensive medicine to avoid malpractice claims by angry patients. This "lack of positive role models'' may lead students to believe that human connection is of little importance, he said.
Hojat wrote and tested the most widely used survey to measure empathy in medical students and residents. It asks participants to rate their level of agreement with about 20 statements, including "I believe that emotion has no place in the treatment of medical illness'' and "a physician's sense of humor contributes to a better clinical outcome.''
Dr. Beth Lown, an internist at Mt. Auburn Medical Center in Cambridge and medical director of the Boston-based Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, said that one pitfall of the survey is that students and residents are rating themselves, when ultimately empathy may be best judged by the patient.
In one study at Boston University, students interacted with actors portraying patients. Observers rated third-year students as more empathic than second-year students, which may indicate a difference between how students feel and how they act, Chen said.
"Students may select when to turn on their empathy switch and when not. This guy is coming in with a fractured foot and really wants to get out of here. He doesn't require [empathy], whereas the homeless guy may need a little more understanding because he's disenfranchised,'' Chen said. It may be "they are full of empathy but they select when to use it.''
Wang echoed this point, saying students learn how to be "efficient with their empathy'' over time. "I've done a lot of cancer rotations. A hand on the shoulder or handing a patient a tissue can really help.''
Chen, who is assistant dean of student affairs at the medical school, helps direct the internal medicine rotation that all medical students complete. He requires third-year medical students to attend weekly reflection groups to talk about difficult experiences in the hospital, such as a patient dying and coping with conflicting feelings of wanting to both talk to and avoid the family, or feeling nothing at all. He hopes these discussions will lead to greater empathy.
Hojat said a number of interventions can increase empathy in students and residents, including an experiment he calls the aging game. Students participate in a play during which they wear earplugs and dirty glasses to simulate how difficult it can be for the elderly to hear and see. But the impact wears off after a month or two, and Hojat is trying to figure out how to make the effect longer-lasting.
"Students come in with a lot of idealism,'' Lown said. "They want to be of help and service. And then something starts to happen when they are exposed to clinical care. We need better curriculum and education on how to manage those feelings.''
Liz Kowalczyk can be reached at


text:
Vendors are working on products to lower the cost of building copper-based broadband with bandwidth up to 100M bps, and are at the same time getting ready to increase speeds even further.
The death of copper and the ascent of fiber has long been discussed. However, the cost of rolling out fiber is too high for many operators who instead want to upgrade their existing copper networks. The technology that lets them do that and still offer competitive speeds is VDSL2 with vectoring, which was a hot topic at this week's Broadband World Forum conference in Amsterdam.
Vectoring improves VDSL (Very-high-bit-rate DSL) performance by removing crosstalk interference. It works by continuously analyzing the noise conditions on copper lines, and then creates a new, antinoise signal to cancel it out, much like noise-cancelling headphones.
In Amsterdam, discussions centered on cutting the cost of installing vectoring, with products from the likes of equipment manufacturers Adtran and Alcatel-Lucent, as well as chip maker Broadcom.
"There is pressure on margins all the way up the supply chain in broadband. One thing commonly expressed [at the conference] was that ISPs have in a way made their own bed in terms of getting consumers used to cheap broadband," said Oliver Johnson, CEO at market research company Point Topic, who attended the conference.
To drive their own costs down, operators are putting pressure on vendors to make equipment more cost effective. Both Adtran and Alcatel-Lucent are making network equipment smaller in order to give operators more flexibility when building their VDSL networks, and in the process lower deployment costs. Alcatel-Lucent's new Micro-nodes are, in addition, also waterproof and fireproof. At Broadband World Forum, Adtran also demonstrated the use of vectoring on a larger scale than was previously possible.
"What we are seeing is people figuring out what they have to do and to an extent how do it, which is why we are seeing these announcements," Johnson said.
But even if vectoring is a significant technical achievement, vendors and operators can't afford to rest on their laurels. Consumer demand for broadband is really taking off, according to Johnson, as consumers choose subscriptions that provide more than 100M bps, the practical limit for VDS 2 with vectoring. The technology that is intended to come to the rescue for providers who want to offer speeds in excess of 100M bps is G.fast, which was also much talked about at Broadband World Forum.
New technology
G.fast promises up to 1G bps over existing copper telephone wires, but only over distances up to about 100 meters. The technology is now being designed to work at distances up to 250 meters, and it looks like ITU will have a full set of standards by early next year, according to Johnson.
BT is one of the operators that are currently testing the technology. It is working with Huawei on an early-stage technical trial. The goal is to evaluate G.fast's performance outside a lab environment, it said on Monday.
Last week, the European Commission announced that every European Union household can now get a basic broadband connection, which was the first of three milestones for broadband coverage it has set.
The other two are that all households should by 2020 have access to at least 30M bps and half of all households should be able to get 100M bps or higher. VDSL will be key to reaching those goals, and it will cover 73 percent of European homes by 2020, while Docsis 3 cable will reach 45 percent and fiber only 16 percent, according to Point Topic.


text:
Packages of Infant Ibuprofen Have Been Recalled
December 6, 2018
As reported on CNN.com:
A recall has been issued for infant ibuprofen sold by CVS, Family Dollar and Walmart, Tris Pharma said this week.
The three recalled lots of Concentrated Oral Suspension, USP (NSAID) 50 mg per 1.25 mL may have concentrations of ibuprofen that are too high and therefore could be dangerous, according to the recall announcement.
The over-the-counter liquid pain reliever and fever reducer is meant for infants who are between the ages of 6 months and 23 months old. Adverse events from the medication may include nausea, vomiting, upper abdominal pain, diarrhea, gastrointestinal pain, ringing in the ears and headache, although no adverse events related to the recalled ibuprofen have been reported, according to Tris Pharma.
"There is a remote possibility that infants, who may be more susceptible to a higher potency level of drug, and therefore may be more vulnerable to permanent NSAID-associated renal injury," the recall announcement said.
The recalled medications were 0.5 ounce bottles sold nationwide at CVS, Family Dollar and Walmart stores.
The Equate ibuprofen packages sold at Walmart have an national drug code of 49035-125-23 and include lot numbers 00717009A with an expiration date of February 2019, 00717015A with an expiration date of April 2019 and 00717024A with an expiration date of August 2019.
The CVS ibuprofen packages have a national drug code of 59779-925-23 and include lot number 00717024A with an expiration date of August 2019.
The ibuprofen sold at Family Dollar and branded as Family Wellness has a national drug code of 55319-250-23 and include lot number 00717024A with an expiration date of August 2019.
Consumers who have this medication should return it or throw it away. It should not be used. Retailers should discontinue selling it.