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Cohen and Juda P.A.
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Looking For a {keyword} in , {keyword} Who Will Represent Its Clients In an Aggressive Manner? The Law Offices of Cohen & Juda are Dedicated to Rrepresenting Victims Who Have Suffered Injuries or Death.
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Discover how Hands for Children is helping disabled children feel at home with dynamic lighting
Discover how Hands for Children is helping disabled children feel at home with dynamic lighting
for children with severe disabilities in Hamburg. The whole family can spend a few days here and experience a real sense of well-being. Modern LED lighting from Philips contributes to this by ensuring an attractive ambiance."
- Steffen Schumann, Vorstand Hände für Kinder e. V.
Kupferhof is a forward-thinking facility for children with severe disabilities. Owned by charity Hände für Kinder e. V. ("Hands for Children"), it gives short-term stays to children so their families can recharge their batteries. Philips was asked to bring pleasing yet practical lighting to the building.
The Kupferhof care home was taking a modern approach to its facilities. With a focus on intensive, compassionate in-patient care, everything had to be designed to make each child's stay as pleasant as possible. That meant creating an environment that could adapt to the patient's individual needs and improve their wellbeing.
We got to work on a unique lighting concept. Large luminous panels were added to the corridors, brightening them up with child-friendly color motifs that change continuously. In patient rooms, indirect lighting above the windows produces a pleasant daylight effect, and decorative lamps and nightlights evoke positive emotions. The LED lighting in the bedrooms is also physiologically effective, helping to support the sleep-wake rhythm through the 'myBuddy' table lamps.
A wide selection of lamps and luminaires has been used throughout the rest of the building, bringing a pleasant and welcoming ambience to every room. The fire safety requirements were met by installing FP-secure in the corridors, a system that combines protective ceiling materials and high-performance Philips luminaires.
The custom-made system represents a pioneering sustainable lighting concept for the care sector. Not only is it helping to keep children safe and happy, but energy-efficient LEDs keep costs low too.
Bergmannsheil Buer Clinic
Bergmannsheil Buer Clinic, healthcare lighting, pleasant lighting for patients and staff
Asklepios Clinic
Find out how healthcare lighting is helping Asklepios Barmbek to provide 24 hour care
Altona Children's hospital
Find out how healthcare lighting is improving comfort in Altona Children's hospital, Germany.
DiVoCare center
Find out how DiVoCare is reducing patient anxiety through examination room lighting
Lindehof Health Center
Find out how light is helping staff to stay alert at Lindehof Health Centre
Birmingham Children's Hospital
Find out how hospital lighting is helping to reduce anxiety at Birmingham Children's Hospital, UK

subset: commoncrawl


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People who suffer from breathing disorders such as sleep apnea are usually at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. But an intriguing new study from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology scientists suggests that some heart attack patients with these conditions may actually benefit from mild to moderate sleep-disordered breathing.
"Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Acute Myocardial Infarction and Sleep-disordered Breathing" is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (vol 1. 187, no1)
Apnea and other types of sleep-disordered breathing can boost the numbers and functions of rare cells that help to repair and build new blood vessels, according to the Technion's Dr. Lena Lavie and her colleagues. They say the findings could help predict which patients are at a greater health risk after a heart attack, and may even suggest ways to rebuild damaged heart tissue.
Sleep-disordered breathing is characterized by cycles of apnea-induced hypoxia, where the sleeper experiences a temporary drop in oxygen levels. It occurs in about 5 to 10% of the general adult population, but is extremely common in patients with cardiovascular diseases — somewhere between 40-60%. Many studies have shown that sleep apnea is a risk factor for everything from high blood pressure to chronic heart failure, Lavie noted. Earlier studies by the Technion scientists suggest apnea increases oxygen-related stress and inflammation in the heart and blood vessels.
The scientists' study could help resolve a puzzling medical issue. If sleep disordered breathing is associated with cardiovascular disease, why is it that people who suffer from breathing disorders in sleep seem to do as well as healthy sleepers after a heart attack?
Lavie, along with researchers Dr. Slava Berger, Prof. Doron Aronson and Prof. Peretz Lavie, looked for clues to this puzzle in 40 male patients — a mix of healthy sleepers and those with sleep disordered breathing, who had had a heart attack just a few days earlier.
Blood samples drawn from these patients revealed that the sleep disordered breathing patients had markedly higher levels of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which give rise to new blood vessels and repair the injured heart, than the healthy sleepers. They also had higher levels of other growth-promoting proteins and immune cells that stimulate blood vessel production.
The Technion researchers were able to trigger a similar increase in vessel-building activity in vascular cells taken from a second set of twelve healthy men and women, by withholding oxygen from the cells for short periods. "Indeed, our results point at the possibility that inducing mild-moderate intermittent hypoxia may have beneficial effects," Lena Lavie said.
In an accompanying editorial in the journal (vol 187 p5-7), Dr. Leila Kheirandish-Gozal of the University of Chicago and Prof. Ramon Farré of the Universidad de Barcelona said the Technion study moves toward reconciling the ideas that apnea can stress the heart but also "pre-condition" it for repair.
Patients with sleep-disordered breathing, they noted "are essentially better prepared to harness the recruitment of EPCs when [a heart attack] comes knock at the door."
"Heart attack is a potent stimulus for EPC mobilization," said Aronson, who is also affiliated with RAMBAM Medical Center. He also explained that the cells move from bone marrow to the heart to repair damaged tissue after a heart attack.
"The field of cell-based cardiac repair has struggled to find the best approach to enhance recruitment of EPCs to the heart following myocardial infarction," said Aronson. The Technion findings, he said, suggest that intermittent periods of oxygen deprivation in heart attack patients "provides a simple and powerful means to boost EPC mobilization."
"It should be further investigated if inducing intermittent hypoxia immediately after a heart attack, in patients without sleep disordered breathing, will also have such an effect," Lena Lavie said.
The researchers would like to test this possibility in animal studies, as well as expand their studies of the underlying mechanisms that activate EPCs and other vessel-building factors.
Sources: American Technion Society


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The killing of Marius the giraffe at a zoo in Copenhagen surprised many people around the world — and shocked quite a few — but it was no isolated incident. Also put down by European zoos in the name of genetic diversity in recent years: Zebra, antelopes, bison, pygmy hippos, and tiny Red River hog piglets.
Although zoo officials may not publicize the fact, culling is often a normal part of a zoo's breeding program and conservation efforts. But as those breeding programs become more successful — especially with popular animals like giraffes — euthanasia is also becoming more controversial.
"As a conservation organization, we realize that there's a crisis in the natural world, and that we have an obligation to protect species in the wild from human actions," says David Williams-Mitchell, communications and membership manager for the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). "One of the ways we do that is through breeding programs. But we have limited space within EAZA to carry out that, and we need to prioritize animals that can contribute to future of the species."
The killing of animals under the protection of zoos is the ironic price of success: a zoo whose breeding program manages to produce enough healthy offspring may find itself having to put down some of those individuals in order to make room for species in greater danger of extinction. Zoos, after all, only have so much space. "You have to understand that zoos today are in a position to go deeper into conservation," says Friederike von Houwald, curator of Switzerland's Zoo Basel. "We can very precisely identify not just an entire species, but a particular line of species that needs protection."
Marius was not from one of those lines and that sealed his fate. But he is hardly alone. Although considered a last resort ("we don't do it even once a year," says von Houwald of her zoo), euthanasia is a regular tool for biodiversity and population management in many European zoos. In the past few years, river hog piglets, pygmy hippos, tigers, antelopes, bison, and zebra have all been put down in European zoos for biodiversity reasons. Although EAZA has figures from recent years, it does not release them because of their sensitivity. "We're not ashamed of euthanizing animals," says Williams-Mitchell. "But we don't want to publicize it either."
Although Marius was the first giraffe to be put down at the Copenhagen zoo, members of other much-loved species have been euthanized. In the spring of 2012, the zoo put down, via lethal injection, two leopard cubs whose genetics were over-represented. "We cull antelopes and wild boar at the zoo every year for the same reason," says Bengt Holst, the zoo's scientific director. "I don't understand the outrage."
But as breeding programs meet ever greater success, outrage is increasingly the reaction to these policies, especially when the animal being put down is popular or especially adorable. In 2010, the decision by officials at Edinburgh zoo to put down two hog piglets named Sammi and Becca sparked protests. That same year, a court in Germany ruled that the Magdeburg zoo director and three workers were guilty of violating animal rights law for putting down three tiger cubs. Marius' death also provoked ire from animal rights organizations and social media exploded in rage and sadness, as people around the world criticized the zoo for callously disregarding the animal's welfare. Nearly 30,000 people signed an online petition asking that the young giraffe's life be spared.
Yet zoo experts maintain that euthanasia — even of a healthy animal — is frequently the most responsible course. Neutering and contraception prevent the animal from performing behaviors that are critical to its sense of well-being — namely reproduction and parenting. And even separating males and females for a length of time can have unpredictable outcomes: rhinos who have been prevented from mating for a few years have not been able to reproduce once the males and females were reunited.
Other alternatives are similarly problematic. "Releasing a giraffe that had spent his entire life in captivity into the wild would have been a death sentence," says Williams-Mitchell. "It may sound counter-intuitive; why not let the giraffe take its chances? But it seems needlessly cruel to ship an animal thousands of miles, only to release it to what is the same outcome it would have at home."
Nor does space in another zoo necessarily equal a solution. In Marius' case, one of the zoos that offered was rejected because, as a member of EAZA, it faced the same genetic over-representation as Copenhagen. Another was not an EAZA member, which is a problem in its own right: there was no guarantee that the new zoo complies with animal welfare standards. That same problem applies to individuals who have offered to help, including the anonymous person who offered 50,000 euros for Marius.
"We had the same thing happen with one of our zebras a few years ago that we planned to euthanize because of overrepresentation," says von Houwald. "Someone wrote to say, 'I can take the zebra because I have room in my horse stable. But as a zoo you have a huge responsibility to make sure this living creature is properly cared for. A zebra isn't the same as a horse."
That zebra, like Marius, became lion food. Another thing many people don't realize about zoos: most euthanize animals regularly for meat to feed their carnivores.
One of the things distinguished Marius' case was the Copenhagen zoo's openness about it. Although the giraffe was anesthetized and shot in a private area of the zoo, his autopsy was held outdoors, in an area specially opened for visitors who wished to observe the procedure. Although some critics saw this as further evidence of a lack of empathy, the zoo itself has said it was important to opt for transparency.
That's a sentiment with which EAZA agrees. "[The euthanasia] is a reminder of the cost of human actions," says Williams-Mitchell. "The reason that zoos have to protect species in the first place is only partly due to poaching and illegal trade. It is also because of climate change and the wholesale pillaging of these animals' natural habitat. Until people start to take responsibility for their actions and their lifestyle decisions, scientists who want to protect animals like Marius will continue to have to make hard decisions."
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33 Middle School Vocabulary Words Adults Still Get Wrong
Think you have a strong vocabulary? See how many of these common 8th grade reading words you can recognize when some of history's greatest authors use them.
12 Things Only Full-Fledged Bookworms Will Understand
Forgetting to eat, counting down the days until the next release, having a crush on a fictional character—it's all just...


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As a software company mixed with industrial automation & energy management background, Enerwise Solutions aims to simplify industrial solutions to a more user friendly product by "finding simplicity"
We combine these relatively difficult to understand core industrial components into a device designed for easy to understand, easy to use and easy to configure. Programming a custom SCADA application has never been easier!
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Enerwise R&D team releases v307 With SCADA real-time monitoring heatmap function and customizable SVG Shape Overlay
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American Physical Society Sites|APS|Journals|Physics Magazine
- American Physical Society Sites
- Publications
- Meetings & Events
- Programs
- Membership
- Policy & Advocacy
- Careers In Physics
- Newsroom
- About APS
- Become a Member
"For their contribution to a comprehensive classification of topological defects in condensed matter phases with broken symmetry, culminating in the prediction of half-quantum vortices in superfluid He-3 and related systems."Background:
V. Mineev graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1969. He defended his PhD Thesis (1974) and Doctor of Science Degree (1983) in Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics. Moscow, Soviet Union.
During 1992-1999 V. P. Mineev was Vice-director of the Landau Institute and at the same time Professor and Head of Chair « Problems of Theoretical Physics » in Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Since 1999 till the present time he is Senior Researcher in Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Grenoble, France. V. P. Mineev is recipient of L. D. Landau prize of Russian Academy of Sciences (together with G. E. Volovik, 1992). He is author of books « Topologically Stable Defects and Solitons in Ordered Media » (1998) and « Introduction to Unconventional Superconductivity » (in co-authorship with K. V. Samokhin, 1999). V. P. Mineev is Member of APS.
Main directions of the scientific activity at present are related with unconventional superconductivity in ferromagnetic compounds and noncentrosymmetric metals.
Leonid Glazman, Chair; M.C. Marchetti; D. Fisher; S. Coppersmith; C. Batista


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♥ Store in a cool place, not in direct sunlight Ingredients: Coconut oil, bees wax, organic shea butter, organic cocoa butter, tocopherol (vitamin e), fragrance.


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ACMT student honored by Google, Facebook
First-year student Josip Franjković honored by Google and Facebook
First-year student Josip Franjković, an information technology major at RIT's American College of Management and Technology in Zagreb, Croatia, is the recipient of awards from Google and Facebook for discovering security errors. He won multiple prizes and his name can be found on the Google Hall of Fame and Facebook's Whitehat lists.
Google and Facebook both have reward programs for individuals who find errors in their systems. Started in 2010, Google's Vulnerability Reward Program aims to increase the safety of its products. Google rewards individuals who find errors in the security systems and lists their name in the Hall of Fame. Facebook launched a similar rewards program for improved security in 2011.
The reward programs of both companies are intended to motivate users who have knowledge of Internet security to report any bugs that they find in the systems instead of exploiting them and selling them to third party sites, as this could have dangerous consequences such as the theft of the personal information of the websites' users.
"My hobbies are the Internet and the security of Web applications, and I wish to work in that area in the future," says Franjković. "I often compete in competitions with my international team of five members where such knowledge is demanded."
To avoid legal issues, he advises that users seek a website's permission before searching it for security flaws.
Franjković submitted three errors to Google that he discovered in the XSS, or cross-site scripting. For Facebook, he helped to point out a bug in the website's caching system. Google and Facebook have awarded him more than $4,000 for his discoveries.
Internet security in Croatia is a concern of Franjković's. "I hope to one day be employed in the security sector," he says. "Currently, I'm planning to start a business with a few colleagues from college that will offer the possibility to test websites, find bugs in security systems and aid in the development of websites."
About ACMT
Established in 1995, the American College of Management and Technology is the only educational institution in Croatia granting two diplomas—a Croatian degree and an American degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. With campuses in Dubrovnik and Zagreb, RIT/ACMT attracts students from all over Croatia and around the world. Currently, 30 percent of the student body is international students, with more than 70 students each year coming from RIT's main campus to study at ACMT.


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Some love Mickey—Mouse that is. Others worship Mickey—as in Mantle. But to make a profit off of your passion, you have to know what you're doing.
Irwin Kishner, head of the Sports and Entertainment practice at Herrick, Feinstein LLP in New York, says, "there are two types of memorabilia purchasers."
The first is someone who collects for nostalgia reasons—like baseballs signed by childhood heroes; the second is an investor or wealthy individual who has a more substantial collection.
The memorabilia market is vast in what is considered collectible, the venues for buying and selling, and the total dollar value. The largest markets are sports and entertainment, and the most popular trading is done through auction houses, specialty dealers, andinternet outlets like eBay . Because memorabilia is not traded on an organized, formal exchange, it's hard to pin down the exact size of the business but it is certainly a multi-billion-dollar one.
If you're considering bumping your collection up a notch, or adding memorabilia to your investment portfolio, here are eight rules to keep in mind:
1. Don't fall in love with your investments.
Brandon Steiner, Founder and CEO of Steiner Sports Marketing, says memorabilia is often a feel good purchase. "You can't have any emotional connection with this stuff," Steiner says. To a collector, Steiner says, "Buy from your heart. Buy something you love and assume that it is not going to go up in value." To an investor, his advice: "Don't do what I just said."
2. Go with the tried and true.
The big names in sports, entertainment or historical memorabilia—Babe Ruth, George Washington and Frank Sinatra—will increase in value over time.
3. The law of supply and demand is in effect.
If there is a limited number of a particular item, it will be worth more. For example, there will never be a new photograph taken of Abraham Lincoln.
Steiner says he made an investment in Hank Aaron for a couple of reasons: his legacy as a great homerun hitter would not change and he was getting older. Therefore, demand would remain, but supply would decrease over time.
4. To get top dollar on an item, it has to be "pristine" or museum quality.
Allan Cutrow, a Partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP in Los Angeles who specializes in estate planning for collectors, says "the average good collection is only 10 to 20 percent museum quality. The other 80 percent are a bunch of items that can be difficult to put in place or sell."
Kishner estimated the worth of his own baseball card collection to be in the tens of thousands of dollars. "But I got an off the cuff reaction of a thousand or two," he says. "Pristine is truly pristine. To the naked eye I thought these were pretty good."
5. The market is fragmented.
Activity is not limited to big auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's. Though big-ticket items often come through those firms, there are also specialty dealers and auction houses. You can also buy and sell on eBay.
6. No matter whom you deal with, make sure they are reputable.
Kishner says, "it's easy to have frauds, particularly when you have signatures involved which are easily replicable." He says, "it's worth it to deal with an expert." They do the research for you and they know what they are looking for.
7. Prices fluctuate.
The value of memorabilia moves up and down with prices in general. And, with the economy in recession, prices have fallen. But Steiner and Kishner agree that there are other factors that also affect the price of a given item. For example, if a player wins a championship, a signed photo will go up in value. It is also estimated that Michael Jackson memorabilia went up about 40 percent in value in the days following his death.
8. There's no explaining taste.
Don't buy stuff thinking that you are going to leave it for your kids, Steiner says. Chances are they are not going to feel the same, and when you die they are going to sell it. If you do plan to pass your collection on, make sure the recipient wants the stuff or knows what to do with it. Cutrow says that your estate plan should include specific instructions for your designated estate representative regarding what to do with your collection.
The memorabilia market is not only vast, it is also dynamic and sometimes unpredictable. Diamonds are forever, but the same can't be said of cultural icons.
(Editor's Note: This article was originally published in September 2009.)


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In the late 1960s and early '70s, a serial killer known only as the Zodiac took the lives of at least five people in northern California.
The killer, who never was found or identified by authorities, taunted police by sending letters to the press in the Bay Area. Some of the letters included cryptograms. Several of the cryptograms never were solved, although some people have claimed to have figured them out.
To this day, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery and the cryptograms an unsolved puzzle.
One Gloversville resident, however, claims he's solved the Zodiac Killer's code. Daryll Lathers created a chart that he says can be used to translate the characters and symbols in one of the killer's cryptograms.
Lathers is so confident in his work, he purchased display advertisements in the San Francisco Chronicle to promote his solution.
"Zodiac's 340 symbol code solved," the ad states. "Copies available! Call Daryll Lathers (518) 773-3263."
Lathers translates the cipher text into plain text and then rearranges the text to form sentences. Some of his translations include:
"The city will hold Zodiac's seven slaves near RKO's film drop outside its barn."
"Killing man is the most dangerous game of all."
"Tired of making bombs in the cellar."
"I will kill a total of seven girls in S.F."
"You have to be very careful how you translate," said Lathers, 74, a retired mechanical engineer who used to work in Rochester.
Lathers claims the Zodiac Killer was a paranoid schizophrenic, making his 340-character code difficult to decipher.
The code, Lathers says, is made up of a series of letters in the English alphabet, Greek symbols, backward letters and shapes.
"If the guy is nuts, you have to think like he thinks," said Lathers, who added that having knowledge of the San Francisco area helps crack the code. Lathers claims many of the messages include references to local landmarks.
The Zodiac claimed nearly 40 murders in letters to newspapers, but police confirmed only seven victims, two of whom survived, according to published reports. The victims were:
David Arthur Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16, were shot and killed on Dec. 20, 1968, in Benicia, Calif.
Michael Renault Mageau, 19, and Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin, 22, were shot on July 4, 1969, in the parking lot of Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, Calif. Mageau survived the attack, but Ferrin died.
Bryan Calvin Hartnell, 20, and Cecelia Ann Shepard, 22, were stabbed on Sept. 27, 1969, in Napa County. Hartnell survived eight stab wounds, but Shepard died.
Paul Lee Stine, 29, was shot and killed on October 11, 1969, in the Presidio Heights neighborhood in San Francisco.
Lathers said since a single code could have multiple meanings, he sifted through the messages to determine what was junk and what was part of the real message.
According to Lathers, the Zodiac's messages include a threat to kill seven women.
Lathers also claims the 1930s film "The Most Dangerous Game" is a central piece of evidence to the case. He claims the Zodiac was inspired by the film.
Lathers said in 2008, he was walking through a store when he saw DVDs about the Zodiac Killer on sale. He bought them and became interested in the code. He then began to try to translate it.
"I did a sloppy job of it four years ago," he admitted, saying he had little success at the beginning. Around last September, he tried again and made sense of the code bit by bit, he said.
He said he put a lot of time into the effort.
"A person who is working would have a very hard time to do it," Lathers said jokingly.
According to Lathers, he submitted several pieces of his code and how he broke it to the Vallejo Police Department in California but never received a response.
John C. Linn, who lives in San Bruno, Calif., worked with Lathers on breaking the code, assisting him over the phone.
"I went through it and it made complete sense," Linn said.
Linn, an amateur investigator, said he worked with the San Francisco Police Department on the case years ago. According to Linn, the FBI and San Francisco Police Department hired code breakers to work on the case and try to crack the code.
Linn summed up the code-breaking process for the Zodiac code as "replacing and adding, replacing and adding, until it makes sense."
According to Linn, Lathers' answers fit perfectly.
"It applies to every piece," Linn said.
Websites are devoted to the Zodiac Killer and the ciphers he sent.
Postings on one site, Zodiackillerciphers.com, finds fault with Lathers' interpretation of the code.
"It's an interesting attempt, but unfortunately, this solution has several major problems with it," the posting says. "The use of anagrams allows many possible solutions and interpretations; 51 out of the 63 different symbols of the cipher text are allowed to have more than one plain text letter assignment. … With so much freedom, you can overcome the constraints of the cipher text and produce numerous coherent messages.
"With so many possibilities, we cannot be certain any of them is a better guess over any other," the posting states. … "Anagramming the plain text gives you a very large canvas of words to work with.
"This is not to say that anagramming is not useful or valid for code breaking. Indeed, when solving transposition ciphers which rearrange plain text into chunks of gibberish, looking for anagrams of certain words can help unlock the transposition scheme. But in those cases, the rearrangements are subjected to an orderly scheme, rather than to the whims of the code breaker. The same is true of polyalphabetic ciphers that assign more than one plain-text letter to a given cipher symbol. These, too, are subjected to orderly schemes," the posting states.
Calls seeking comment for this story from the San Francisco Police Department, the Vallejo Police Department in Vallejo, Calif., and the San Francisco Chronicle were not returned.


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|Kwon, Soon
|BROWN, ALLAN - North Carolina State University
|Hu, Jinguo
|McGee, Rebecca
|WATT, CHASITY - Washington State University
|Kisha, Theodore
|TIMMERMAN-VAUGHAN, GAIL - New Zealand Institute For Crop & Food Research
|Grusak, Michael
|MCPHEE, KEVIN - North Dakota State University
|Coyne, Clarice - Clare
Submitted to: Genes and Genomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2012
Publication Date: 5/20/2012
Citation: Kwon, S.J., Brown, A.F., Hu, J., Mcgee, R.J., Watt, C., Kisha, T.J., Timmerman-Vaughan, G., Grusak, M.A., Mcphee, K., Coyne, C.J. 2012. Genetic diversity, population structure and genome-wide marker-trait association analysis of the USDA pea (Pisum sativum L.) core collection. Genes and Genomics. 10.1007/s13258-011-0213-z.
Interpretive Summary: In this study, the USDA pea core collection was analyzed to unravel marker-traits association to generate useful information for pea improvement. This core collection, containing 285 accessions with diverse phenotypic and geographic origins, was characterized with 137 DNA-based markers of different types and evaluated for twelve seed nutrient concentrations, six disease/pest resistance scores, and 31 morphological/agronomic traits. We investigated the genetic diversity and the population structure using 137 polymorphic DNA markers and analyzed associations between individual markers and each of the 49 quantitative/qualitative traits. Fifteen pairs of associations were at the significant levels of P= 0.01 when tested using all three different statistical models. This is the first report of genetic structure and association study of a global pea core collection. The reported information of marker-traits associations is useful to breeders to implement marker-assisted selection, which will expedite the process of breeding superior pea cultivars.
Technical Abstract: Genetic diversity, population structure and genome-wide marker-trait association analysis was conducted for the USDA pea (Pisum sativum L.) core collection. The core collection contained 285 accessions with diverse phenotypes and geographic origins. The 137 DNA markers included 102 polymorphic fragments amplified by 15 microsatellite primer pairs, 36 RAPD loci and one SCAR (sequence characterized amplified region) marker. The 49 phenotypic traits fall into the categories of seed macro- and micro-nutrients, disease resistance, agronomic traits and seed characteristics. Genetic diversity, population structure and marker-trait association were analyzed with the software packages PowerMarker, STUCTURE and TASSEL, respectively. A great amount of variation was revealed by the DNA markers at the molecular level. Identified were three sub-populations that constituted 56.1%, 13.0% and 30.9%, respectively, of the USDA Pisum core collection. The first sub-population is comprised of all cultivated pea varieties and landraces; the second of wild P. sativum ssp. elatius and abyssinicum and the accessions from the Asian highland (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, China and Nepal); while the third is an admixture containing alleles from the first and second sub-populations. This structure was achieved using a stringent cutoff point of 15% admixture (q-value 85%) of the collection. Significant marker-trait associations were identified among certain markers with eight mineral nutrient concentrations in seed and other important phenotypic traits. Fifteen pairs of associations were at the significant levels of P= 0.01 when tested using the three statistical models. These markers will be useful in marker-assisted selection to breed pea cultivars with desirable agronomic traits and end-user qualities.


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Wednesday, December 1, 2010
What's On TV? Listings for Christmas Flicks
I have a slew of Christmas movies on DVD, but there are some that I have to wait to watch on TV. I find TV Guide's listings difficult to scroll through, and T somehow manages to toss the Sunday paper's television guide before I can check it out.
I found a great website a few years ago that gives a pretty complete list of just about every Christmas classic out there and the days/times/channels they are playing it. This is NOT a sponsored post; but I like the nice, precise way that Chiff.com has everything spelled out for me. If you're looking for a great listing of what will be playing this month, check it out!
I thought it might be fun to revive the Dishing It! party and give it a holiday theme. If you come back on the 12th, I'll have a fun little Christmas survey for you to copy and answer to join the party. I love finding out more about other bloggers, and I can't believe we haven't done this since August!
The party will run from Wednesday, December 15th, through Friday, December 17th.
For now, I'll leave you with a clip from one of my all-time favorites. How could Ralphie's quest for the ultimate Christmas gift (a Red Rider bb gun) not make you laugh?
**Come back tomorrow for a GIVEAWAY from my Blessings Unlimited shop!
11 comments:
I was just looking at the movie schedule for ABC Family in the back of one of my magazines:) I'm going to set my DVR to record a few for the boys to watch when school gets out!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 1, 2010 at 8:34 AM
YAY!!! I've missed Dishing it! Can't wait to party :-) I agree that A Christmas Story is by far the best Christmas movie ever, we always watch the 24 hour marathon on PBS. Haha, love it! :-)ReplyDelete
Oh, I am so excited! I've missed your parties! WOO HOO! I am a Christmas movie junkie too! Loooove them! I watch them over and over and over.ReplyDelete
I love A Christmas Story. If you ever find yourself up in Cleveland, Ohio you can tour the house they used in the movie. Across the street they converted an old house into a rockin' gift shop! I can't wait to get a leg lamp to display in my front window... My Mom and brother both put one up every year! Nothing says Merry Christmas like "electric sex gleaming in the window"! :)ReplyDelete
Thanks for the link!!! I am a huge fan of some of the oldies too! I love Holiday Inn and White Christmas!!! Some of the newer ones are special as well. I haven't found the oldies though so I am SO excited about checking out this new source of info!ReplyDelete
Blessings to you!
Mary Joy
good to know for when the girls are asking for a Christmas showReplyDelete
Ooo, thanks! I was just thinking that I need to scroll through the DVR guide and set it to record Christmas shows. This will be helpful.ReplyDelete
Love A Christmas Story! We use the word "fra-gee-lay" around here.
Yeah! I'm looking forward to your "Dishing It" party!ReplyDelete
A few girls in my homeroom this morning were telling me how much they enjoy the old Christmas shows. A few especially love Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I like that one, too.
Christmas Story is definitely our family favorite. If you have the ABC family channel they are having a different Christmas movie every night. Tonight I'm watching the Grinch with my 7 year oldReplyDelete
What a great post! Thanks for the info!! "Fra-jee-lay--it must be Italian" is one of my all-time favorite movie quotations! Oh, I love Christmas movies!!ReplyDelete
My poor kids probably think "fra-jee-lay" is how you really say it because I say that all the time. HA! That's one of my favorite Christmas movies plus It's a Wonderful Life and Christmas Vacation. Last year was the first year my kids watched Christmas Vacation, we were all dying laughing together.ReplyDelete
I love to hear your feedback! Please feel free to leave comments...just don't send me spam asking me to buy stuff off your website! I've got three kids and no money to purchase your magic weight-loss pill or bust enhancement, or whatever else you might be selling. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you! :)
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A scientist at Rochester Institute of Technology has expanded the Hubble Space Telescope's capability without the need for new instruments or billions of dollars.
Dan Batcheldor and his team improved the calibration of Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer to enable high-precision polarimetry. Scientists like Batcheldor use this observational technique to read scattered light when investigating active galactic nuclei and for identifying proto-planets around very young stars.
The findings of the nine-orbit calibration plan, funded by the Space Telescope Science Institute, were published in the February issue of Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
"Polarimetry is really quite a powerful tool in astronomy because it can essentially see around corners by the way light is reflecting," says Batcheldor, associate research scientist in RIT's Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science. "When you do polarimetry what you are essentially looking through is a set of polaroid sunglasses. What a polaroid does is it makes you see only light aligned in a certain way."
Scientists use polarimetry to see around clouds of dust and gas obscuring the centers of active galactic nuclei (where supermassive black holes live) and the potential planet-forming disks around young stars. The scattering material acts like a mirror, allowing scientists to look into the center of these astronomical objects.
"Most of the light that comes from an object is unpolarized," Batcheldor explains. "And you've got to filter out all that light just to see polarized light itself. And so now Hubble can do this even if only one percent of the light is polarized."
Batcheldor did not initially set out to fine-tune the telescope. Limitations caused by the previous calibration stalled his investigation of active galactic nuclei and needed to be fixed before he could continue his research.
Recalibrating the Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer was what Batcheldor describes as something of a "nightmare." His team devised a program that could choreograph three different filtered observations of a single star at different orientations and switch between cameras within 45-minute fly-bys. "Essentially, we made Hubble chop all over the sky very quickly to get these observations," he says.
Scientists at the Space Telescope Science Institute verified the calibration plan would work and gathered the observations over 12 months.
"We've been able to take an existing camera and carefully plan some observations, which have allowed us to enable a new type of science to be done without having to go up to the telescope to put a new instrument in," Batcheldor says. "So for a very small cost, we've been able to expand the science that the Hubble Space Telescope can do."
The improved polarimetric capability of Hubble is independent of the final servicing mission of the telescope scheduled to take place in May. This effort will install two new cameras, fix two existing cameras and replace the gyroscopes that determine the orientation of the telescope.
Batcheldor's team included RIT physics professors David Axon and Andrew Robinson, as well as Glenn Schneider and Gary Schmidt from the University of Arizona, Dean Hines from Space Science Institute, Bill Sparks from the Space Telescope Science Institute and Clive Tadhunter from the University of Sheffield.
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific


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WILLIAM PACKER - neac, HON. rba
Incident I
2021, oil on board, 22.5 x 30cm | £1,200
Incident II
2021, oil on card, 21 x 29cm | £1,200
Two Girls
c1970, oil on board, 25 x 41cm | £1,600
An Anthology
1970, oil on board, 83 x 91cm | £4,500
Nieges D'Antan
2021, oil on board, 61 x 76cm | £3,500
Self-Portrait with Mug
2008, oil on linen, 76 x 61cm | £4,000
Lockdown Self-Portrait
2020, 46 x 38cm | £2,200
For last 20 years William has focused on still life painting. He likes to work in natural light although the painting and composition can change radically during the process (of reconciling space, form and light on to the two dimensional surface of the canvas) so the finished image is not always quite what it seems to be.
William also produces collages which hark back to his early Pop-Art days, torn and cut paper scraps arbitrarily cropped and fraught with surrealist possibility when brought together. They have much in common with the paintings in terms of formal composition and structure with their strong vertical/horizontal emphasis and blocks and strips of colour.
Trained at Wimbledon School of Art
Group shows include the Royal Academy at intervals since 1963, the Bradford Open; Flowers Gallery; Annely; Juda Fine Art; Russell Gallery; Camden Art Centre; NEAC; Pastel Society; RP; RBA; Discerning Eye; Cadogan Contemporary; New Grafton Gallery; the Lynn Painter-Stainers Exhibition.
One-man shows at Piers Feetham Gallery 1996; 2001; 2004; 2009; 2014, 2018
Two and Three-man shows at Cadogan Contemporary, Piers Feetham, The Chapel Row Gallery (variously with Giles Auty, William Feaver and Ian Potts).
Works owned by the National Portrait Gallery, Sheffield City Art Galleries and many private collectors.
Art critic with the Financial Times 1974-2004. Innumerable introductions to exhibition catalogues, newspapers, journals and magazines. Served on many exhibition and competition selection panels from the NPG Portrait Award, Crafts Council Awards to the Hunting Art Prizes.
Curated numerous shows including The British Art Show I (Arts Council) 1979, Elizabeth Blackadder Retrospective (Scottish Arts Council) 1981, a Critic's Choice for the Lemon Street Gallery, Truro, 2006.
Books include The Art of Vogue Covers (Octopus) 1980, Fashion Drawing in Vogue (Thames & Hudson) 1983, Henry Moore (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) 1985, Sarah Raphael (Unicorn) 2013


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CAD Manager-Protect Your Files30 Jun, 2006 By: Robert Green
Five security tools safeguard intellectual property
Your company pours thousands of hours of intellectual resources into designs that ultimately take final form as a CAD file. Given the money, effort and time that go into making a CAD file, it stands to reason that protecting them should be a high priority for your company. And because you're the CAD manager, it also stands to reason that finding workable ways to protect those CAD files will be your responsibility, right?
In this article
This month, I'll pass along information about software security tools that can help you control your files along with methods you can use to mitigate risks and preserve your ability to enforce intellectual property rights. In a digital world where the difference between security and intellectual property theft is a single file copy, you can't afford to ignore this responsibility.
Understanding the Risk
In the past, human intelligence that produced designs was captured in calculations documented on notepads and graph paper while the drawings that reflected that design went on paper. The paper drawings contained the minimum dimensional knowledge required to build an object but contained precious little detail about the design. In today's digital world, where machines, buildings, dams and land designs are modeled in software and are therefore captured digitally, losing a file is a lot more dangerous than losing a blueprint.
Software Tool 1: Your Network
The first software utility you should exploit to secure your design files is the network operating system that controls your in-house network. By diligently setting up your network permissions, you can prevent unauthorized access to important files by all but the trusted individuals working on the data. Although you may not think of your network as a software tool, you should because it's your primary line of defense.
Make sure you're secure by discussing with your IT department the following network considerations:
Set up secure logins, create proper permissions, keep passwords secure and don't overuse read-only type permissions. No surprises in this list, except that so many companies ignore these parameters! Remember that anyone who can view a CAD file can copy it to his or her personal hard drive, so don't trust simple read-only permissions to secure your data.
Secure any FTP/Internet sites you use to span wide areas. It amazes me how far companies will go to secure their networks, yet they let people maintain unsecured FTP drop boxes or download pages on Internet-accessible servers. If someone from your company can download a file without permission, so can someone from outside!
If only trusted people can find your CAD files, the chance for theft, and therefore the level of effort you spend to thwart it, drops dramatically.
Software Tool 2: Neutral Formats
Another way to protect the native value of your CAD models and drawings is simply to not share native versions of your files in the first place, right? If you never send anyone an AutoCAD DWG file, no one can recycle the information. The same goes for SolidWorks, Inventor, MicroStation and any other CAD format. So in cases where you're obliged to send the digital equivalent of a blueprint, use a neutral file format that has a free reader or viewer available. Here's a list of the prominent industry solutions along with some pros and cons for each.
Adobe PDF. Adobe PDF offers universal acceptance, easy printing and a free viewer, but you typically need the $299 Acrobat Pro version to create PDF files. The latest release of AutoCAD has 2D PDF print capability, but that won't help users with older versions of AutoCAD or those using non-Autodesk products.
Autodesk DWF. Autodesk DWF is Autodesk-centric, controls CAD entities using a CAD-like interface (think layers, plotting setups, views, etc.), is easy to print, has a free viewer available and produces files free of charge from any Autodesk application, yet the non-CAD world is largely unaware of DWF. If you upgrade to DWF Composer for $199, you also can create markup sets that correlate back to AutoCAD's sheet set functionality.
SolidWorks eDrawings. With basically the same advantages and drawbacks as DWF, eDrawings is tailored to the SolidWorks CAD environment. In later releases, eDrawings also embraced support for the DWG file format, which makes eDrawings a logical choice for mixed SolidWorks and AutoCAD environments.
Software Tool 3: PKZIP
We've all used PKZIP to compress CAD files into sets, but do you routinely use the password capabilities PKZIP brings to the table? By using password protection for any ZIP files you e-mail or place on FTP sites and then guarding the passwords, you'll get an extra layer of free security. And by using ZIP password encoding in combination with neutral formats such as PDF, you'll gain real security on the cheap.
Software Tool 4: Content Management Utilities
In the past few years, applications that secure data—CAD and neutral files alike—have become more available, if not popular. Although none of the applications I'm going to mention offers security for all file types, each one offers some insight into how digital file security might look in the near future. By looking at the Internet resources I've provided, you can access white papers, sample downloads and examine a variety of interesting resources about digital file security to gauge what's out there, how much it costs and how easy or complex it is to implement.
Adobe's LiveCycle Policy Server. If you use Adobe PDF files to transmit information, Policy Server is worth a look. By installing a Policy Server within your organization, you can set up policies to control how, or even if, a remote reader of a PDF file can see the file. All sorts of security policy gradations are possible, from a finite number of file opens to a time-based period of access to no access at all. Right now Policy Server is a slam dunk for non-CAD file security, but CAD file support has been lagging. Recently Adobe acquired NavisWare to beef up its support of Microsoft Office and Dassault CAD files in Policy Server, but the technology is still in the beta stage as of this writing. Whether direct support of Autodesk products is forthcoming is unknown at this time.
Pinion Software's Desktop Packager and Receiver. Along the same lines as Adobe's Policy Server, Desktop Packager and Receiver comes to your desktop at a lower price. Pinion's software provides protection for popular neutral formats such as PDF, DWF and eDrawings so that nobody who receives the files can access them without using the intelligent Receiver module to gain access to the protected content. Think of the Packager as Acrobat Pro and Receiver as Acrobat Reader and you'll have a pretty good picture of how it all works. An Enterprise Packager module runs in almost exactly the same manner as Adobe's Policy Server if you want to deploy Pinion's security solution throughout your CAD enterprise. See review in this issue for more details.
CADLock's CADVault. CADVault takes a different path than Adobe or Pinion in that it's an AutoCAD-specific application that encodes the actual DWG file you send and then uses an object-enabler module to allow decoding of the DWG by the recipient. Running under AutoCAD's command and control permits CADVault to secure portions of a drawing, say just certain layers, while enabling the user to add content to the drawing on layers that aren't protected. CADVault may be AutoCAD specific, but it offers a glimpse of what content management software could offer within the CAD interface.
Software Tool 5: Your Lawyer
OK, I admit that a lawyer isn't a software tool, but we've still got to cover this topic. No matter what you do to thwart electronic theft, you can't guarantee that everything will always go as planned. And no matter how much you trust the other parties working with your drawings, you don't know that they'll follow your procedures. The issue becomes whether you can enforce your intellectual property rights if and when an infraction occurs. To enforce your rights, you need to have contracts in place that allow you legal recourse in the event of a violation.
Although writing contracts for these sorts of scenarios typically isn't within the CAD manager's purview, you are the most knowledgeable resource in your company, so you'll need to be involved in helping your project management and legal teams write a solid contract. A good contractual agreement will include, at minimum, the following components:
Non-copy/disclose. The recipient will not copy or disclose the information you send him or her.
Password security. The recipient will keep all passwords secure and follow all procedures regarding access to your FTP or EDM systems.
Disposal of information. The recipient will shred any written information supplied and delete any digital information after transmitting it to you.
Copyrights. The recipient agrees not to reuse any portions of your digital work product in any future projects without your written consent.
Security Wrap-Up
Although the past year or so has brought some strides made in CAD file security, there's still no bulletproof solution that works for all software platforms or scenarios. Therefore, I encourage all CAD managers to investigate and implement digital security procedures using a broad spectrum of software tools, including old-school tools such as passwords, neutral formats, contracts and diligent follow-through.
Make no mistake—if you don't secure your CAD files, you're just asking to have your company's intellectual property stolen. So make sure your CAD file security plan is up to snuff and that your management team understands how critical this topic is before you have a problem.
Robert Green performs CAD programming and consulting throughout the United States and Canada. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com.
About the Author: Robert Green
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If you've been following Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, then you know that this family—the women of which are comfortable enough to fart and weigh themselves on national TV—is not easily shamed. In fact, their warts-and-all pride—which embraces anatomical abnormalities—is probably the clan's most defining, and redeeming, trait. But it turns out that there's one aspect of her life that embarrassed Mama so much that she wouldn't even share it with her family, let alone cameras. Until last night's episode, of course.
Some years ago, while working in a factory, Mama's foot was injured and left deformed after it was run over by a forklift. She has since been "very protective" of her feet. She wears socks at all times, and even her partner Sugar Bear has not seen what the family refers to as the "forklift foot." Earlier this season, when Mama took the girls to get pedicures, her feet remained covered, and the nail technician painted toenails on top of her socks.
There are a lot of things that are "different" about this family, but forklift foot is definitely the weirdest. It's not the actual forklift foot that is bizarre, but rather, that it doesn't fit into Mama's elastic definition of beauty. ("Pretty comes in all sizes," she tells her daughters.) She has shown us her neck crust and "vajiggle-jaggle" and literally farts in every single episode. If she doesn't think twice about sharing any of that with the audience, then what the fuck is going on under those socks that is too embarrassing for her?
On last night's episode, Mama and the girls had a "final weigh-in" for their weight-loss challenge. (It wasn't explained why this was their "final" weigh-in. This was not the season finale, nor were any of them close to their goal weights after only a few weeks on non-diets.) They weren't that successful with the weight loss—and Pumpkin actually gained weight—but they still went to a water park as a reward.
Mama walked around the park, and went on some water rides, in socks. Not aqua-socks. Regular socks. Finally, at Pumpkin's insistence, Mama revealed her forklift foot. It wasn't that bad. In fact, from afar, it was difficult to tell which one was messed up. But upon closer look, it was obvious that the deformed toe was the one with the bugs swarming around it. Why were there bugs swarming around it? We might never know.


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TACONY, PA – At a recent campaign stop in northeast Philadelphia, Governor Sarah Palin used her spiritual powers to heal a young child. Four-month-old Nathaniel Dockman, the son of Tracy and Joe, had a fever for nearly a week before being taken to a McCain rally for treatment.
The cause of the fever is unknown, though experts suspect either witchcraft or the flu. Nathaniel's parents said they did not consult a doctor, as they are Christian Scientists and do not believe in medical treatment.
Tracy told reporters, "It's just a miracle. Nathaniel will survive because of this amazing woman. We considered taking Nathaniel to Michael Cera, but we had no way of finding him."
While Michael Cera's powers are born out of his self-deprecating humor, Palin's healing ability seems to draw strength from her small-town values and 'you betcha' mentality.
Joe just smiled and explained, "We don't know where she gets it from. All we know is that Sarah was the right choice for our child, and will be the right choice for our country."


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Colorway - Skyline (Medium grey with blue speckles)
Soft Sock
Fingering Weight
75% Fine Superwash Merino Wool/25% Nylon
463 Yards, 100 Grams
Squish DK
DK Weight
100% Superwash Merino Wool
250 Yards, 115 Grams
This yarn has been dyed using professional acid dyes and has been set during dyeing to reduce bleeding. Great care has been taken to ensure your yarn will not bleed, but it is recommended that you hand wash this yarn separately the first time after knitting to be cautious, especially for darker or more saturated red and blue shades.
I try to capture the colors of my yarns as best I can but unfortunately there are always differences due to monitor configuration. Please keep this in mind when ordering.
All yarn comes from a pet-friendly, smoke-free environment.


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The Financial Accounting Foundation Appoints David E. Sundstrom to the GASB
Norwalk, CT, May 21, 2009—The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) today announced that David E. Sundstrom, Auditor-Controller for Orange County, California, has been named to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The appointment was made by the FAF Board of Trustees, which oversees the activities of the GASB and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).
John J. Brennan, FAF Chairman, stated "On behalf of the FAF Board of Trustees, I am pleased to welcome David Sundstrom to the GASB. During his distinguished career in public sector finance and auditing, David has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving citizens through transparency in financial reporting, making him an outstanding addition to the Board."
Robert Attmore, Chairman of the GASB, added, "David Sundstrom is an accomplished professional who brings a thorough understanding of the financial and operational workings of government that will benefit the GASB. On behalf of my GASB colleagues, we look forward to having David as a member of the GASB team, and we expect to benefit greatly from his knowledge, breadth of government experience, and strong interest in public accountability and fiscal responsibility."
Following Orange County's bankruptcy in 1995, Mr. Sundstrom joined the county as its Director of Internal Audit and helped lead the county's recovery. He was then elected as the county Auditor-Controller in June 1998. He was University Auditor for the California State University System from 1989 to 1996, and was Campus Audit Manager for the University of California-Davis from 1980 to 1989. He is also a member of numerous professional and community organizations, including the California State Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Government Finance Officers Association. Mr. Sundstrom received his M.B.A. in Finance-Accounting and Management Information Systems from the University of California-Davis, and his B.A. in Management from Sonoma State University.
Mr. Sundstrom begins his term on the GASB effective July 1, 2009, when he will become one of six part-time members serving on the seven-member Board. His term extends until June 30, 2014. He succeeds Richard C. Tracy, the retired Director of Audits for the City of Portland, Oregon, who concludes his second term on the GASB on June 30, 2009.
About the Financial Accounting Foundation
The FAF is responsible for the oversight, administration, and finances of both the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and its counterpart for state and local government, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The Foundation is also responsible for selecting the members of both Boards and their respective Advisory Councils.
About the Governmental Accounting Standards Board
The GASB is the independent, not-for-profit organization formed in 1984 that establishes and improves financial accounting and reporting standards for state and local governments. Its members are drawn from the Board's diverse constituency, including preparers and auditors of government financial statements, users of those statements, and members of the academic community. More information about the GASB can be found at its website www.gasb.org.


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Someone from the site SolarContact reached out to me recently regarding some interesting solar posts they had published on their blog. Below is one of them, reposted in full. For more, check out the SolarContact blog:
Two years ago solar installers walked away from the job of developing a one-of-a-kind solar structure believing it to be infeasible to install solar panels on a triangular-shaped building. Now that building, located in the heart of Brooklyn, is set to open this fall and to serve as a pillar of groundbreaking green urban design.
Net-Zero Energy
The five-story Brooklyn building, also known as the Delta project, is set to be one of New York City's greenest structures. The complex will be a symbol for net-zero energy construction whereby the building itself will generate more solar power than it uses. The nearly 80 solar panels situated on two of the building's three sides and hanging above windows like awnings will produce 12 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, roughly 25 percent more than the building will use. As NYC's first net-zero solar structure, the Delta will act as a showcase for cutting-edge green building practices and is expected to have great impact on net-zero energy construction in compact urban areas nationwide.
Visit the Delta Project
The solar complex, costing upwards of $700,000, is located on the corner of Hamilton Avenue and 9th Street in Brooklyn's trendy Carroll Gardens neighborhood. When it opens, the Delta will be home to a bed and breakfast, will host a Philly cheesesteak shop, and will offer educational tours and seminars on green technologies for architects, developers, designers, and students.
The design of the Delta not only includes the installation of solar panels but also sun-deflecting red bricks made from recycled glass and cement that cover the building's front face. Behind the bricks are then layers of cinder blocks and insulation that help to conserve cool air in summer and heat in winter. Thick walls and tightly sealed windows and doors are also used in the construction and add to the building's energy conservation capabilities as they keep out heat and cold. In addition, 40 energy-saving LED light bulbs provide light to the building, a roof-mounted cylindrical wind turbine supplies some of its power, and a solar hot water system offers a green alternative to its hot water supply.
Looking Forward
While the Delta complex cost about 25 percent more to build than a normal structure of a similar size, the energy savings from the green technologies could make up the difference in three and a half years. Also, the bulk of the cost of materials, including the solar panels and mounting hardware, will be covered by a combination of city, state, and federal incentives. The Delta project not only defies previous notions of solar building and design, it is sure to redefine the limits of urban design for years to come.
(Photo: Voltaic Solaire)
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A delightful excursion through the Yiddish language, the culture it defines and serves, and the fine art of complaint
Throughout history, Jews around the world have had plenty of reasons to lament. And for a thousand years, they've had the perfect language for it. Rich in color, expressiveness, and complexity, Yiddish has proven incredibly useful and durable. Its wonderful phrases and idioms impeccably reflect the mind-set that has enabled the Jews of Europe to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution . . . and enables them to kvetch about it!
Michael Wex—professor, scholar, translator, novelist, and performer—takes a serious yet unceasingly fun and funny look at this remarkable kvetch-full tongue that has both shaped and has been shaped by those who speak it. Featuring chapters on curse words, food, sex, and even death, he allows his lively wit and scholarship to roam freely from Sholem Aleichem to Chaucer to Elvis.
Perhaps only a khokhem be-layle (a fool, literally a "sage at night," when there's no one around to see) would care to pass up this endearing and enriching treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history, and folklore—an intriguing appreciation of a unique and enduring language and an equally fascinating culture.
Paperback 2006
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Based on Nicholas Pileggi's real life true crime book on minor criminal Henry Hill, Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas marks the last great film for the director and for most of the high caliber talent on both sides of the camera. Spanning three decades, this epic is the ultimate and maybe final word on the world of organized crime. These guys don't seem to be as politically connected as the Corleones of The Godfather or even the Jersey gangsters of The Sopranos (which carries many crossover cast members), they are a petty crime crew of thieves and are willing to use extreme violence to protect their interests and egos. However as the culture of the '70s takes root in their old-world existence, though warned by their highest authority, Pauley (Paul Sorvino), not to get involved with drugs, they eventually lead to Henry's downfall. It's an amazing journey made more amazing by the brilliant filmmaking style of director Scorsese working at the peak of his creative powers.
Like a life in crime itself the film sucks you in, showing you the highlights then becoming increasingly dangerous, and eventually you're searching for a way out. As far back as Henry can remember he wanted to be a gangster. The young Irish-Italian kid gets a job working for the mob at their cabstand. They take him under their wing, teaching him the ways of a criminal, as well as the philosophy (most importantly "never rat on your friends"). With an unhappy home life, the gangsters make Henry feel a part of something bigger than him. Eventually he grows up to be played by the actor, Ray Liotta. Coming off of strong good guy and bad guy performances in Field Of Dreams and Something Wild, Liotta proves to be ingenious casting by Scorsese. Though handsome and charming in a rogue way he's an offbeat leading man who brings a lot of danger to every role (peaking as the aging, corrupt cop in Narc). As an adult Henry becomes a part of the crew led by Jimmy The Gent (Robert De Niro) and his psychotic nephew, Tommy (Joe Pesci, brilliant in an Oscar winning performance). The film follows their ever-escalating crime schemes peaking with a famous Air France robbery.Continue Reading


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The European Commission has referred Slovakia to the EU's Court of Justice for refusing to pay an old-age benefit, a so called Christmas allowance, to pensioners living in other EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland in breach of its obligations under EU law on social security coordination. Under EU law, entitlement to an old-age benefit cannot be conditional on a pensioner living in another Member State where he or she claims the benefit. This rule enables pensioners to move to another Member State when they retire whilst retaining their pension.
Slovak legislation provides that all persons who receive a statutory pension, or pensions below 60 % of average wages in Slovakia, are entitled to a Christmas allowance ('vianočný príspevok'). However, this benefit is not provided to pensioners living outside Slovakia. As a consequence, pensioners receiving Slovak statutory pensions who live in another Member State are at a disadvantage compared to pensioners who have not left Slovakia. As the purpose of the Christmas bonus is to compensate for increased living costs incurred by pensioners, the allowance qualifies as an old-age benefit under EU social security coordination rules as interpreted by the EU's Court of Justice.


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TrustAfrica, an African foundation, mobilised experts in the mining field to contribute to the debates on Illicit Financial Flows in the mining sector at the First African Mining Forum organised by the African Union.
The report of the South African President's Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture was released to the public on 28 July 2019 and is being reviewed by the cabinet. The important question is whether this report offers a vision and recommendations that can address the land issue in South Africa.
An investigation has found out that the 13 November 2018 attack on Lasalin was government-orchestrated and was executed by the police in collaboration with criminal elements.
As Russia prepares to strengthen its overall corporate economic profile during the African leaders' summit, policy experts are questioning bilateral agreements that were signed, many of them largely remained unimplemented, at least, for the past decade with various African countries.
Amidst all wrangling and shenanigans going on in South Africa, I read that Singapore was ranked the world's most competitive economy in world. The first question that came to mind was how did a small island state measuring about one third the size of eThekwini Municipality become the most successful economy globally? I was truly astounded.
For the Nigerian Left, the strongest lesson of what may now be called Nigeria's #RevolutionNow—that is, the 5 August mass protests organised by some young fragments of the movement—may be formulated as a warning.
Lamola's decision: Is South Africa promoting the rule of law or pleasing the Greeks and Trojans at the same time?
To halt the decision to extradite Mozambique's former Finance minister, Manuel Chang, could be a test case for President Ramaphosa's long-term ability to bring about real change in South Africa's regional relations by potentially making it a good example for the fight against corruption.
This article recounts a major war crime committed against the people of Sudan in August 1998. Reflecting on the rationale and unfolding of this crime, it examines the veracity of the official claims, the reactions and implications of the deed. The importance of remembering our past in an accurate and unbiased manner is underscored.
Food & Health
A recent conference in South Africa raised issues on whether universal healthcare should be a private or state-driven endeavour.
The author, a public servant in the Department of Health of South Africa, offers an analytical view of the country's current state of the health sector, especially in rural areas of South Africa.
What kind of a moron appoints Robert Mugabe as goodwill ambassador for health? That is what the new Ethiopian-born Director General of the World Health Organization did – sparking global consternation. The appointment, now reversed, underlines one fact: Tedros Adhanom lacks what it takes to head even a village clinic.
Activists from anti-capitalist militant organizations in North Africa met in Tunis on 4th and 5th July 2017 to set up the North African Network for Food Sovereignty. The network is a unifying structure for struggles in the region and will be involved in local, continental and international mobilisation.
Land Rights & Environment
Farmers of Shashe, a village in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe, are becoming an African inspiration for agroecology and emancipation.
The report of the South African President's Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture was released to the public on 28 July 2019 and is being reviewed by the cabinet. The important question is whether this report offers a vision and recommendations that can address the land issue in South Africa.
In this interview, conducted in March 2019 by Farooque Chowdhury, Magdoff discusses the problems caused by capitalist agriculture in rural Venezuela.
The discovery of oil off the coastal waters of Guyana occasioned widespread speculation the small South American nation was in for a boom that could fund development efforts. However, that optimism may need to be tempered if details of the deal between the Georgetown government and the oil giants are any indication of things to come.
This paper discusses the crisis facing South Africa's state-owned company Eskom and its general relationship to people's struggle and the pursuit for energy alternatives.