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Despite our successes at describing the inner workings of the universe (Higgs, anyone?), there are still some gaping holes in our knowledge. Where's our Grand Unified Theory or our Theory of Everything? And why is Einstein's General Relativity still at odds with Quantum Mechanics? Why should we want to unify them anyway?
In this week's "Ask a Physicist," we'll find out.
Top image: NASA.
Virtually everything we know about the laws of physics falls into one of two piles. In one, there's quantum mechanics, from which we've developed the "Standard Model," including all of the fundamental particles we've yet detected, and three of the four interactions: electromagnetism, and the weak and strong nuclear forces.
In the other pile, there's Einstein's theory of General Relativity, which describes the fourth force, gravity, and gives us black holes, the expansion of the universe, and the potential for time travel.
Can they coexist peacefully? Reader Tony Lund puts it rather succinctly when he asks:
We've all been told that Einstein's Theory of GR doesn't work with Quantum Mechanics. Why? Where exactly does the theory break down?
I should warn you in advance that we don't ultimately know how Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity will be combined into a theory of "quantum gravity." And although there are some good ideas that I might be persuaded to write about in a future column, for today, I'm going to focus on why we need a theory of Quantum Gravity in the first place.
The Two Domains
Quantum Mechanics and Relativity typically operate on vastly different scales. Quantum mechanics, for instance, was unknown to science for so long because it normally becomes important only on the scales of atoms. If you're clever, you can imagine scenarios where quantum mechanics governs the destiny of a cat, but that tends to be a stretch.
Relativity, on the other hand, tends to be important in strong gravitational fields. Time, for instance, gets slowed near the surface of the earth compared to far away; light gets bent around clusters of galaxies. These effects can be largely ignored unless you're talking about the surfaces of neutron stars and the like. In other words, General Relativity typically kicks on on large-ish scales, from stars all the way on up to the entire universe.
But there are some very interesting corners of spacetime where General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics collide.
Black holes tend to be pretty good astrophysical laboratories, in large part because they are both small, and have extremely strong gravitational fields. Indeed, the first attempts to successfully combine both gravitational and quantum effects occur on the edges of black holes, the famous Hawking Radiation, which will ultimately (in quadrillions of years) evaporate even the biggest black holes and lead inevitably to the heat death of the universe.
Outside, we do okay. As we move further and further in to the centers of black holes, however, we have less and less of an idea how physics really works.
Once you drop something below the event horizon of a black hole, not only can it never escape, but it will be drawn inexorably inward. The upshot of that is that in a world where gravity is the only (or at the most important) game in town, everything you throw into a black hole will ultimately end up confined to a literal point – the so-called "singularity." The instant of the big bang has the same sort of problem: incredibly high density (so strong gravity) confined to a very small space – in the first instant, presumably infinitesimally small.
We've never seen a so-called "naked singularity" directly (and there's good reason to suppose that we never will), which is unfortunate from the perspective of understanding them, but rather fortunate from the perspective of not being ripped apart by the gravitational tidal forces.
The picture from general relativity is that the cores of black holes have literally zero radius, but quantum mechanics says something entirely different. In quantum mechanics, there's an "Uncertainty Principle" which says, among much else, that you can't ever determine the exact position of anything. In practice this means that even things that we call "particles" can't be arbitrarily small. According to quantum mechanics, no matter how hard you try, a mass as large as our sun can't ever be confined to a region smaller than about 10^-73 m.
Insanely small, but not zero.
If this were the only collision between quantum mechanics and gravity (and I suspect it's one a lot of io9 readers were already aware of), I could forgive you for being underwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem.
But the real conflicts between quantum mechanics and relativity run even deeper than a space of 10^-73 m.
Classical and Quantum Theories
General relativity is what's known as a classical field theory, which describes the universe as a continuous distribution of numbers – exact numbers, if you had the tools precise enough to measure them – that can tell you all about the curvature of spacetime everywhere and everywhen. The curvature, in turn, is described completely and exactly by the distribution and motion of mass and energy. As John Wheeler famously put it:
Mass tells space-time how to curve, and space-time tells mass how to move.
But quantum theories are totally different. In quantum theories, particles interact by sending particles between them. Electricity, for instance, sends photons between charged particles, the strong force uses gluons, and the weak force uses the W and Z bosons.
We don't even need to dive into a black hole to see the conflict between classical and quantum theories. Consider the famous "double-slit experiment." This involves shooting a beam of electrons (or photons, or any other particles) through a screen with two small slits etched out. Because of quantum uncertainty, there is no way to figure out which slit a particular electron travels through: An electron literally travels through both slits at once. This, in and of itself, is kind of nuts, but in the context of gravity, it gets even stranger. If the electron goes through one slit it presumably creates a very slightly different gravitational field than if it goes through the other.
How does it know?
It gets even stranger when you realize that according to Wheeler's delayed choice experiment it's possible to set up the experiment so that after you've already run the experiment, you can retroactively observe the system and force the electron to travel through one slit or another (though you can't choose which). Crazy, no?
Put another way, the world of gravity is supposed to be entirely deterministic, but quantum mechanics is anything but.
Gravity is Special
There's an even deeper issue: unlike with, say, electricity which only affects charged particles, gravity seems to affect everything. All forms of mass and energy respond to gravity and create gravitational fields, and unlike with electricity, there aren't negative masses to cancel out the positive ones.
We can imagine a quantum theory of gravity, at least in principle. Like with the other forces, there would be a mediator particle, proactively called the graviton, which would carry the signal.
We could even imagine probing smaller and smaller scales, and seeing more and more virtual gravitons being sent between particles. The problem is that on smaller scales, there are higher and higher energies. The nucleus of an atom requires much more of a punch to break apart than peeling an electron off the outside, for instance.
On the smallest scales, the swarm of insanely high energy virtual gravitons would produce an incredible energy density, and that's where we really run into problems. Gravity is supposed to see all forms of energy, but here we are generating an infinite amount of highly energetic particles which in turn generates a huge gravitational field. Maybe you see the difficulty. At the end of the day, every calculation involves a whole bunch of infinities flying around.
In electromagnetism and the other quantum interactions, calculations get severely confusing at a very small scale known as the "Planck Length," around 10^-35 m – far smaller than an atom. I am required by long tradition to point out that we have no freakin' clue how physics is supposed to work on scales smaller than the Planck Length. On those scales, quantum mechanics says that miniscule black holes can pop into and out of existence through sheer randomness, suggesting spacetime itself gets pockmarked if you look at it too closely.
We try to avoid these collisions of theories through a process known as "Renormalization" (thrown in as fan service for the experts). Renormalization is simply a fancy way of saying that we only do the calculation down to a certain scale and then stop. It gets rid of the infinities in most theories, and allows us to carry on with our lives. Since most forces only involve taking differences between two energies, it doesn't really matter if you add or subtract a constant to all of your numbers (even, ostensibly, if the constant you're adding is infinity). The differences work out fine.
Not everyone is so sanguine with this. The great Richard Feynman noted:
The shell game that we play . . . is technically called 'renormalization'. But no matter how clever the word, it is still what I would call a dippy process! Having to resort to such hocus-pocus has prevented us from proving that the theory of quantum electrodynamics is mathematically self-consistent. It's surprising that the theory still hasn't been proved self-consistent one way or the other by now; I suspect that renormalization is not mathematically legitimate.
Those objections aside, things get even worse when we talk about gravity. The thing is, because (unlike with electromagnetism) gravity affects all particles, those infinite energies mean different curvature. Renormalization doesn't even seem to be an option for gravity. We can't make the infinities go away.
What we do know
So we don't have a theory of quantum gravity, but we have some idea of what a successful theory must be like. For instance, there needs to be a graviton, and because gravity seems to be able to extend over all space, the graviton (like the photon) needs to be massless. Massive mediators (like the W and Z bosons) can only operate over a very short range.
But there's more (although it's a little more technical so the squeamish may want to turn away). It turns out that there is a unique relationship between classical and quantum theories. For instance, electromagnetism is generated by electric charges and currents. The sources are described mathematically by a vector, and it turns out that vectors produce spin-1 mediator particles. It turns out that mediators with odd spin produce forces in which like particles repel. And indeed, two electrons will repel one another.
General relativity, on the other hand, is known as a "tensor theory" because there are all sorts of sources related to the pressure and flow and density of an energy distribution. The quantum versions of tensor theories have spin-2 mediator particles. So whatever else, the graviton will be spin-2. And, you guessed it, even spin mediators attract like particles. And lo and behold! Like particles do attract gravitationally!
So yay! We know a little something about what gravitons must be like. But as for all of those infinities, damned if we really have any idea.
Dave Goldberg is a Physics Professor at Drexel University. His newest book, The Universe in the Rearview Mirror is here! You should definitely become a fan on facebook, follow him on twitter, or better yet, send a question about the universe.


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1. Micro Pies: These are the cutest little desserts perfectly sized to end a meal on a sweet note without an overindulgence. The bakery Cutie Pie That! in Pasadena, Calif. uses organic and locally grown ingredients, has vegan and gluten-free varieties, and bakes up four-inch ($6) artisanal pies perfect for sharing, in seasonally rotating flavors. Grammy's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie was a delight, full of fresh berries and tart rhubarb. Summer Breeze Blueberry Pie was bursting with fat blueberries, Summer Dreamin' Cherry Pie was sweet and tart, just like a good cherry pie should be. An Apple Lollipie ($3) was a coveted treat (cake pops are so 9 months ago), with my son winning the coin-toss to see who got it. We had to tackle him for a bite! The pies are not overly sweet, with a good crust that is reminiscent of pastry. Hmmm….breakfast pie anyone? Cutie Pie That! micro pies can currently be found at seven Los Angeles area farmers markets, or ordered online. Pie lovers, 'ten hut!
2. Ask Dr. Potato: Why are your potatoes green, and other perplexing potato problems? Ask Dr. Potato. If you have a question he hasn't answered, ask it and he will get right on it!
3. Gojee: I'm proud to be a new contributor to Gojee.com, the new-ish online recipe hub that connects cooks of all levels with hand-selected recipes from the best food bloggers out there. You can hone in on a particular dish, search by your craving or ingredient, or find inspiration by clicking through up-close pages of delicious photos. And important in today's food landscape, you can also input your dislikes or allergies and Gojee will make sure to suggest recipes without these ingredients.
4. Toasted Marshmallow Krispy Treats: The latest Internet meme sounds like the most delicious thing EVER!
5. Smart talk: If you haven't seen this TEDx talk by Robyn O'Brien, you must clear 18 minutes in your day, sit here quietly and watch it. It's a really important, very powerful, personal message about our food system in the U.S.
6. Fleur de Tiare Jam: Deeply perfumed, honey-like and tasting of the tropics, this artisanal jam is made from just two ingredients — Tiare Tahiti flower petals and sugar. Tiara Tahiti, white with a delicate fragrance, is often called the Tahitian gardenia, and is the national flower of French Polynesia. The taste is unique and exotic and deeply sweet, the color and texture a golden brown honey with flower petals in it. We slathered it on toast, French toast, waffles and pancakes. It is fabulous stirred into plain yogurt or as a flavoring for a yogurt smoothie, or a hint of French Polynesia in a cocktail. I'm also dreaming of it with a little mild flavored cheese, so the special flavor of the preserves takes the spotlight. It is imported by David Brown of Sherman Oaks, Calif., and you can buy it from the website. The cost is $20, which includes shipping within California. This would make a fantastic gift for the foodie who thinks s/he has tasted everything!
7. Julia's Child: A Novel: This fast, amusing read by Sarah Pinneo follows Julia, a "mompreneur," as she navigates the treacherous culinary waters when her company, Julia's Child, peddles organic toddler meals to overwrought, anxious, entitled mommies. Actually, Gentle Lentil and Give Peas a Chance sound delicious to me! There are enough fun references to make any modern parent nod wisely, as Julia attempts to hurdle the obstacles on her way to capitalist nirvana (aka the shelves of Whole Foods). Warning: parents, you may see yourself in this book!
8. Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes: I cannot even begin to tell you how many nights I have relied upon these to save dinner. Here's the recipe: Open the bag, rinse them off, plop in a microwave-safe container with a lid, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with whatever herb and salt mix you like, and microcook on high for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to rest for a minute or two while you finish preparing the rest of dinner, and you are done. Serves 4, and trust me, all of your table-mates will go sniffing around for seconds. Creamy tasting with a tender skin, these are potato perfection.
9. Coconut Mango Oat Muffins: These are great little muffins with a tropical flavor. I made a few changes — used a muffin-top pan (all of the top, none of the muffin stump), and only had sweetened shredded coconut, so that's what I used. Oh, and I subbed Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean. Very good!
10. California pan: I want this cast iron frying pan in the shape of California! I do, I do!
11. Kale Gummy Worms: Five words — best use of kale, EVER, according to kids! See all the photos for Kale Gummy Worms and get the recipe on the Cut `n Clean Greens Facebook page.
12. Orange Bundt Cake: From Judy at the blog Two Broads Abroad, this is a quiet, delightful, heirloom mom cake, perfect with tea or for dessert with fruit. It's a buttermilk pound cake, so it has a very tender crumb, and a delicate orange taste, barely a hint. Make it! I used 3 tablespoons orange juice instead of her 2, and next time I might be tempted to use the zest of 2 oranges instead of just one. But these are only personal whims. The most important thing is to make this cake! I'll wait…have you turned on the oven yet?
Disclosure: Products for review were sent by Cute Pie That!, Fleur de Tiare Jam, "Julia's Child: A Novel," and Melissa's Produce.

subset: commoncrawl


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About WakeMed:
Serving the community since 1961, WakeMed Health & Hospitals is a nationally recognized, private, not-for-profit health care organization founded and based in Raleigh, N.C. The largest health system in Wake County, WakeMed exists to improve the health and well-being of our community by providing outstanding, compassionate, patient- and family-centered care to all. The 919-bed system comprises a network of facilities throughout the Triangle area, delivering health and wellness services that bring added value to the communities we serve. WakeMed is a leader in cardiac and vascular care, women's and children's services, emergency medicine and trauma care, physical rehabilitation, orthopaedics and neurosciences. Specialty facilities include the WakeMed Heart Center, Children's Hospital, Women's Pavilion and Birthplace, Rehabilitation Hospital, Adult and Children's Emergency Departments and a Level 1 Trauma Center. WakeMed's team of more than 9,400 employees, 2,000 volunteers, 1,300 affiliated physicians, and the more than 300 physicians employed by WakeMed Physician Practices use the most advanced technologies along with the best minds and the biggest hearts to ensure the finest quality in health care and community health. For more information, visit www.wakemed.org.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, WakeMed provides an inclusive work environment that
promotes the valuing of differences, respect for people and cooperativeness among our diverse
workforce. WakeMed does not discriminate against any employee or applicant in any terms or
conditions of employment. All applicants/employees are considered for employment, transfer,
promotion or training without regard to race, religion, color, gender, gender identity/expression,
genetics, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, national origin, disability or veteran status.
Position Information:
The Clinical Nurse is responsible for providing total comprehensive nursing to patients and their families through the implementation of a plan of care. The plan is based upon the patient's developmental and health care needs identified through the assessment of the patient's physical, psychological, socioeconomic status, and physician orders regarding care, treatment, and education. The Clinical Nurse understands the needs of the organization and supports the mission, values, and management of patient care services. The Clinical Nurse actively supports and incorporates ANA Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice, North Carolina Board of Nursing Practice Act, WakeMed's Division of Nursing Professional Practice model, and WakeMed's Patient & Family Centered Care (PFCC) model. The four key concepts of PFCC are: Dignity and Respect = Listen to and honor patient and family perspectives and choices; Information Sharing = Communicate and share complete and unbiased information with patients and families in ways that are affirming and useful; Participation = Patients and families are encouraged and supported in participating in care and decision-making at the level they choose; Collaboration = Patients and families and the Clinical Nurse collaborate in the delivery of care.
Experience Requirements:
1 Year Clinical - Critical Care (ICU/CCU) Required - Or Clinical - Emergency/Trauma Required - Or 3 Years Nursing - Related Area Required
Education Required:
Graduate Nursing Required - Or College Courses Nursing Required - With Required Licensure/Certification - And Bachelor's Degree Nursing Preferred
Licensure/Certification Requirements:
Registered Nurse Required
Hours of Work:
Weekend Requirements:
Every Weekend
Call Requirements:
as needed


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Carnival Vista deck 11 plan (Panorama-Cabins-Kids)
Deck layout and review
Review of Carnival Vista deck 11 (Panorama-Cabins-Kids)
Sundeck (sunbathing area with loungers) also has Band Stand for daily live performances.
Camp Ocean is the ship's kids complex providing supervised by counselors age-appropriate activities and themed entertainment for 3 age groups – 2-5 yo (Penguins), 6-8 yo (Stingrays), 9-11 yo (Sharks). Each group has its own room and dedicated staff. Operational hours (may vary due to Carnival cruise itineraries) are – seadays (10 am - 1 pm, 2-5 pm, 7-10 pm) and portdays (port arrival time until 2 pm, and 2-10 pm).
- Youth staff is international, professional, CPR-certified. Staffing depends on the ship's current cruise itinerary and season. All children must constantly wear their muster station wristbands (available here or at Guest Services). In cases of emergency, parents must collect their kid's lifejacket from their cabin (when picking up their own).
- Camp Ocean provides supervised dinners for kids every evening (between 6-6:45 pm – time may vary due to itinerary) excepting the first evening. Kids-only dinners (chaperoned) take place in the Lido buffet restaurant. Among the menu choices are mac and cheese, pizza, burgers, hot dogs, fries, fish sticks, chicken nuggets, spaghetti and meatballs, vegetables, fruits, Jell-O.
- Carnival Cruise Lines Camp Ocean youth program is complimentary and offers over 200 marine-themed activities. The programming also includes family afternoons (when parents can play with their kids) and a family day with group activities, like face painting and family scavenger hunts (parents and kids receive cameras and search for things hidden in various places throughout the ship).
Camp Ocean PENGUINS (2-5 yo) arts-crafts, Penguin Palooza (costume making, parades), music/singalongs, aerobics, sculpturing, face painting, T-shirt decorating, bingo (candy prizes), story time (reading), Dr Seuss, Mr Potato Head, Playstation gaming, dance parties, indoor ball games, movie nights, "Owl Jams" themed parties (10 pm - 12-midnight /fees apply).
Camp Ocean STINGRAYS (6-8 yo) PlayStation-Nintendo games, arts-crafts, Pirate Game Night, Memory Game, face painting, T-shirt decorating, sports contests, music time, bingo (prizes), Superheroes, "Fun Til' One" themed parties (10 pm - 1 am /fees apply).
Camp Ocean SHARKS (9-11 yo) PlayStation-Nintendo games, music trivia, arts-crafts, T-shirt decorating, design your own cruise ship, scavenger hunts, origami, bingo (prizes), dance parties, outdoor sports competitions, Fun At Sea themed parties (10 pm - 1 am /fees apply).
Camp Ocean NIGHT OWLS (babysitting of kids 6 months to 11 yo) is available each evening between 10 pm – 1 am (no in-cabin babysitting). The service is at fee $6,75 per kid per hour (plus 15% gratuity, no discounts). Fees are paid via the S&S card (ship account /no cash) and due upon pick-up. Any kid left past 1 am is charged double and forfeits babysitting privileges for the remainder of the cruise. The service offers slumber party activities (movies, toys, board games, video games, arts-crafts) and includes room-service snacks. Babysitting of infants (babies under 2 yo) on portdays begins 15 min before first shore excursion/tour until 12 noon (or from 1 to 5 pm on port arrivals after 12 noon) and on seadays from 8 to 10 am. Kids don't have to be potty-trained (parents provide diapers/toiletries).
Carnival's Camp Ocean themed programming on select nights offers additional parties (surcharged $13 per kid plus 15% gratuity). These are "Owl Jams" (2-11 yo, 10 pm - 12-midnight /challenges, hide and seek, music), "Fun Til One" (6-8 yo, 10 pm - 1 am /video gaming, dancing, singing) and "Fun At Sea" (9-11 yo, 10 pm - 1 am /video gaming, sports events, pizza). Snacks and beverages are included.
For Carnival Camp Ocean participants only (kids under 5 and kids with special needs/allergies) are provided complimentary beepers, cell phones and phone chargers. At fee can be rented baby strollers (single and double) – 5-day+ itineraries ($30 full cruise) and 3-4-day itineraries ($8 per day).
Carnival Vista's kids complex also has Party Reef (lounge area), Creative Cove (dedicated room for kids arts-crafts-workshops), Dr Seuss Bookville (kids library) and an Outdoor Playground.
Creative Cove is a dedicated room for kids arts-crafts and workshops. The Beary Cuddly Workshop is a build-your-own-stuffed-animal activity where kids can make and take home a stuffed toy (teddy, bear, dog, lion, koala). This workshop is for-fee (prices start from $20 depending on selected outfits/accouterments). A portion of these sales goes to St Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis TN). The "Build-A-Bear Workshop at Sea" is a themed activity via an exclusive partnership with the toy company. Like at its stores on land, the Carnival's cruise ship workshop allows children to create and dress their own toy bears using a variety of materials, outfits and accessories, including toy shoes/sneakers, all kinds of suits, hats, sunglasses. Each bear also has its own voice (kids record the voices themselves).
Dr Seuss Bookville (themed library) is a family reading/play room featuring iconic decor (with brightly colored furniture), all Dr Seuss books (over 40 titles in several languages) available for reading, themed board games and activities.
Ji Ji Asian Kitchen restaurant is complimentary for lunch (stir-fry favorites) and at surcharge for dinner ($15 adults, %5 kids 11 and under /reservations recommended). The menu includes Asian cuisine dishes (from China, Mongolia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines) among which appetizers and soups (pork belly, Nanjing-style duck, chicken rolls), entrees (peppered beef, short rib, Kung Pao Chicken, shrimp, stewed pork), sides (noodles, steamed/fried rice, broccoli, potato fries, eggplant), desserts (creme brulee, caramelized crepes, fried wontons) and beverages (soda and alcohol drinks at bar prices /incl Kirin beer).
Cucina del Capitano (menu, 117 seats) is an Italian Trattoria restaurant open for lunch (complimentary) and dinner (surcharge/a la carte). For Lunch, the restaurant operates as a complimentary waiter-served Pasta Bar. Lunch menu includes made-to-order pastas (Linquini, Penne, Farfalle), sauces (Red Clam, Pomodoro, Bolognese, Alfredo), toppings (grilled chicken, Italian sausage, garlic shrimp, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, arugula), also meat lasagna, Caesar salad, bread. For Dinner, the restaurant is reservations-only, at surcharge ($15 for adults, $5 for kids 11 and under) and with a la carte menu. Dinner menu includes antipasti, arancini, parmigiana, calamari, meatballs, salads (Caprese, Caesar, Di Rucola), pastas, lasagna, spaghetti, grilled salmon, sides, red/white wines (by the glass and bottle), Italian beers (Peroni, Moretti), cocktails, specialty waters, desserts (tiramisu cake, cannoli, apple tart), specialty coffees, after dinner liqueurs. The kids menu for dinner offers meatball spaghetti, fried chicken tenders, fish fingers, mac-n-cheese, cannoli. The specialty dining experience includes waiters dancing and singing Italian favorites.
Panorama Deck cruise cabins from 11201 to 11287, all of which are located forward and in Cloud 9 Spa categories - Inside (4I, 4S-Interior), Oceanview (6S), Balcony (8G, 8P), Suites (SS).


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With the end of 2012 approaching, we here at NAHB's Eye on Housing thought we would take a look at the updates that attracted the most readers over the last year. In November, we took a look at multigenerational households.
A recent Census report highlights a component of pent-up housing demand – the rise of multigenerational households.
Data from the 2009 – 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) reported that 4.3 million households were multigenerational, or 5.6% of the total of 76.4 million family households with more than one person. This count represents a significant increase in the share of multigenerational households from 3.7% of total family households in 2000 and 4.0% of total family households in 2010.
The ACS defines multigenerational households as families with three or more generations. Some 64.6% of multigenerational households included a householder, a child of the householder and the grandchild of the householder. Households comprised of the householder with a parent (or parent-in-law) of the householder and child of the householder were a 33.7% share of total multigenerational households. Only 1.7% of multigenerational households were comprised of the householder plus a parent (or parent-in-law), child and grandchild of the householder.
The Census report indicates a higher share of such households in the American South and the West, with multigenerational household rates of 6.0% and 6.7% respectively. The shares are 4.2% in the Midwest and 5.5% in the Northeast . This is somewhat consistent with a previous look at households containing non-relatives.
The Census reported a higher share of multigenerational Hispanic, African American and Asian households, with multigenerational family household shares of 10.3%, 9.5% and 9.4% respectively. These shares compare to 3.7% for Non-Hispanic Whites. The Census data suggest expectations that in many areas of the country, the non-majority population will drive future household formations and home purchases, with a particular need to accommodate larger, multigenerational families.
An interesting long-term research question, and one that builders must address in terms of servicing housing demand, is the extent to which these trends represent temporary effects from the Great Recession or long-term changes associated with a changing national population.


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President Barack Obama is expected to endorse changes to the way the government collects millions of Americans' phone records for possible future surveillance, but he'll leave many of the specific adjustments for Congress to sort out, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the White House intelligence review.
That move would thrust much of the decision-making on Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act toward a branch of government that is deeply divided over the future of the surveillance apparatus and in no hurry to settle their differences and quickly enact broad changes. Among the key decisions Obama is expected to leave to Congress is whether the National Security Agency should continue hold the trove of phone records or move the data to the phone companies or another third party.
In a highly anticipated speech Friday, Obama is also expected to announce broader oversight of the process that helps determine which foreign leaders the U.S. government monitors. And he's likely to back increased privacy protections for foreign citizens, a step aimed at soothing international anger over U.S. surveillance programs.
The speech marks the culmination of a monthslong review sparked by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden, who leaked a trove of classified documents about the secret surveillance programs last year.
In another revelation about NSA activities, The New York Times reported Tuesday that the agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world -- but not in the United States -- that allows the U.S. to conduct surveillance on those machines.
The NSA calls the effort an "active defense" and has used the technology to monitor units of China's Army, the Russian military, drug cartels, trade institutions inside the European Union, and sometime U.S. partners against terrorism like Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan, the Times reported.
White House officials on Tuesday cautioned that the review Obama has been conducting is not complete and that the president could make additional decisions in the coming days. Obama is reviewing more than 40 recommendations from a presidential commission.
The U.S. judiciary threw cold water on one proposal Obama has indicated he supports: putting an independent privacy advocate on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which currently hears only from the government. Speaking for the entire judiciary, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates said Tuesday that appointing an independent advocate to the secret court is unnecessary and possibly counterproductive.
Officials familiar with the White House review say the panel's recommendation to strip the NSA of its authority to hold Americans' phone records has proven difficult for Obama. The panel proposed moving the records to the phone companies or another third party and requiring the NSA to get separate authority from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court each time it wants to access the data.
Obama has suggested he is open to moving the data out of the NSA. But officials say he is unlikely to announce specific entities he believes should hold the records in the future, in part because telephone companies have balked at the proposal to bring the data back under their control. They're worried about their exposure to lawsuits and the price tag if the U.S. government asks them to hold information about customers for longer than they already do.
Some lawmakers are pushing for Obama to get specific in his recommendations about the future of the bulk collections.
"It would be useful to set a timeline for the restructuring of the metadata program," said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. "But I would not make the reforms reliant in all cases on congressional action."
Many privacy advocates support requiring Congress to codify any changes to Section 215, arguing that legislation is the only way to ensure they last beyond Obama's presidency. And two phone executives said the cellular industry has told the government it would only accept changes to its role in the programs if they were legally required to do so.
The executives spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the private discussions with the government. The U.S. officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the White House review by name.
Section 215 has been one of the most controversial aspects of the Patriot Act, which passed shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and increased the government's surveillance powers. Congress reauthorized the law in 2011.
The section became known as the "library records provision" because it allowed the government to seize a wide range of documents, including library records. It requires the government to show that there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that the records are relevant to an investigation intended to "protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities."
Last month, a federal judge declared the program is probably unconstitutional and said there is little evidence it had thwarted any terror plot. The Justice Department has staunchly defended Section 215, saying it was narrowly written and has safeguarded liberties.


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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld a state law imposing a $250,000 cap on damages that can be awarded for pain and suffering in personal injury lawsuits.
The court ruled Friday against Eudora resident Amy Miller, who challenged the 1988 law imposing the cap on non-economic damages. Miller sued her doctor for removing the wrong ovary from her during surgery in 2002.
Business and medical groups had urged the court to uphold the law, saying it keeps insurance premiums affordable. Miller's attorneys had argued that the cap violated the Kansas Constitution's guarantees of a right to trial by jury.
The court said setting limits is a policy issue for the Legislature to settle.
A Douglas County jury awarded Miller nearly $760,000 in damages in 2006, but the award was reduced.


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CFI at Accion, Citi, and Visa Inc. Launch Financial Inclusion 2020 to Accelerate Universal Financial Access
Monday, January 28, 2013
WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion, together with Citi (NYSE: C) and Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), today announced the launch of the Financial Inclusion 2020 campaign (FI2020). FI2020 is focused on the acceleration of financial inclusion by uniting the private sector, governments, NGOs, and other relevant parties to develop and advance a comprehensive strategy to achieve this aim.
"Over two billion people worldwide lack access to basic financial services, missing out on opportunities to contribute to their countries' growth," said Elisabeth Rhyne , Managing Director of the Center for Financial Inclusion. "The goal of financial inclusion is to provide access to a range of quality financial services at affordable prices, delivered with convenience and dignity, while ensuring the right tools and protections are in place. This can change the course of an individual's, family's, or community's future and build stronger and more resilient economies."
Using the year 2020 as a focal point to galvanize action, FI2020 aims to realize full financial inclusion by widening responsible access to credit, payment tools, savings and insurance.
"Expanding financial inclusion is both a development imperative for underserved communities and a forward-thinking approach to unlocking the economic potential of new markets," said Pamela Flaherty , President & CEO of the Citi Foundation and Director of Corporate Citizenship at Citi. "Citi is pleased to take a leadership role in joining the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion and Visa to convene longtime partners and invite new stakeholders to work together to create universal access to quality financial services and drive sustained economic growth."
In early 2011, the Center for Financial Inclusion conducted a survey of more than 300 industry experts around the globe and across a range of stakeholders, resulting in the publication of Opportunities and Obstacles to Financial Inclusion. Building on those expert recommendations, FI2020 is now working with more than fifty partners to develop a Roadmap to Financial Inclusion. As part of this process, five multi-stakeholder working groups are already developing the campaign's framework around the following themes:
- Clients and Products, chaired by Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), focuses on deepening our understanding of client needs and translating that knowledge into practice while expanding the range of financial services available to underserved markets.
- Technology, chaired by Visa, analyzes the potential of new technology-intensive channels to reach new customers, lower operating costs, increase security, and diversify financial products available to low-income clients.
- Financial Capability, chaired by Citi, focuses on empowering clients to know their rights as consumers, and to have the skills, attitudes, aspirations, and confidence to exercise those rights.
- Client Protection, chaired by the Smart Campaign, outlines steps to deepen the implementation of client protection measures for the benefit of clients and stability of markets.
- Credit Reporting, chaired by International Finance Corporation (IFC), promotes extending credit reporting systems in order to expand access for new clients while managing risk for financial institutions.
"We know full financial inclusion is achievable if the private sector, governments and civil society work together," said Bill Gajda , Head of Global Mobile Product, Visa. "Innovations such as mobile money will allow us to reach everyone, everywhere with financial services. Achieving full financial inclusion will not only improve the lives of billions of people, it will drive economic growth, accelerate women's empowerment and remove a major obstacle in the fight against global poverty. The time is right for this initiative, and Visa is proud to join with Citi and the Center for Financial Inclusion in support of FI2020."
A Roadmap to Financial Inclusion will be presented at the Financial Inclusion 2020 Global Forum to be held on October 28-30, 2013 in London. The Global Forum will be one of many ways in which FI2020 will engage a diverse group of actors who can advance the agenda, inspire investment in invisible markets, place client perspectives at the center of the discussion, and work in partnership across sectors, through coordinated and collaborative actions that will impact the lives of financially excluded individuals worldwide.
"Our vision is to build a financially inclusive world where everyone has access to financial tools that can improve their lives," said Michael Schlein , President and CEO of Accion. "To do so, we need to expand the conversation to include a wider range of partners. If we can get a broader group of stakeholders to see themselves as part of the movement to build economic opportunity for all, this will be the moment when financial inclusion begins to be a reality."
About the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion
The Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion (CFI) was launched in 2008 to help bring about the conditions to achieve full financial inclusion around the world. Constructing a financial inclusion sector that reaches everyone with quality services will require the combined efforts of many actors. CFI contributes to full inclusion by collaborating with sector participants to tackle challenges beyond the scope of any one actor, using a toolkit that moves from thought leadership to action.
FI2020 aims to build a movement that mobilizes stakeholders around the globe to achieve full inclusion using the year 2020 as a focal point to galvanize action. The campaign engages diverse players who can expand financial inclusion through two initiatives: the research project Mapping the Invisible Market and aRoadmap to Financial Inclusion which will be carried out through a consultative process leading to a global forum in 2013, with the ultimate goal to advance the agenda through coordinated, effective, collaborative actions to be undertaken by global partners, both public and private.
About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citigroup provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.
Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi
About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 24,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit corporate.visa.com.
SOURCE Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion
Source: Press Release (link opens in a new window)
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Chilling Effects: NSA Surveillance Drives U.S. Writers to Self-Censor
In the human rights and free expression communities, it is a widely shared assumption that the explosive growth and proliferating uses of surveillance technologies must be harmful—to intellectual freedom, to creativity, and to social discourse. But how exactly do we know, and how can we demonstrate, that pervasive surveillance is harming freedom of expression and creative freedom?
In October 2013, PEN partnered with independent researchers at the FDR Group to conduct a survey of over 520 American writers to better understand the specific ways in which awareness of far-reaching surveillance programs influences writers' thinking, research, and writing. The results of this survey—the beginning of a broader investigation into the harms of surveillance—substantiate PEN's concerns: writers are not only overwhelmingly worried about government surveillance, but are engaging in self-censorship as a result.
Expert Contact
Summer Lopez
Senior Director for Free Expression Programs
Contact »


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Clockwork Skies digital planetarium show free to download and use
5 March 2010
Participants of the Spring 2010 Blender Production Workshop were set a challenging task: develop their own skills by creating an immersive fulldome planetarium show under very strict time limits. The result is the entertaining yet informative show Clockwork Skies.
This show was built by four students, in eight hours, after only 16 hours of instruction. The show and its source are available to the world under the Creative Commons Attribution License, and the script is also online.
For more information, as well as to see the show and obtain the files, please visit: http://community.weber.edu/planetarium/ceres/default.html
Search IYA2009 Updates
National Nodes: 148
Organisational Nodes: 40
Organisational Associates:33
National Websites: 111
Cornerstone Projects: 12
Special Task Groups: 11
Special Projects:16
Official Products:8
Media Partners:22


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A delightful display of roses that will certainly make their heart skip a beat! Send the most amazing surprise of flowers and chocolates to make their celebration even more fabulous!
This arrangement contains the following flowers:
- Orange roses
Next day delivery is available for orders placed before 4 pm.
Guard Petals:
Roses are delivered with their guard petals which may be not as colourful as the inner ones. Our florists leave naturally grown outer petals to ensure inner petals will be protected during the shipping. Once the roses are received, the guard petals can be unpeeled and the arrangement can be displayed.
Presented in a luxurious box for maximum impact when your gift is delivered.
My wife is over the moon with this gift. The roses were so impressive and stately! To be honest, I've never order flowers online before, so was a little bit hesitant to ok the delivery. I chose same day flower delivery. As the weather was a bit off that day, I really did not think the flowers would get there on time...but they did! So happy, I really recommend this florist to anyone considering sending floral gifts for Valentine's Day.
The flowers used by Handy Flowers are so fresh and vibrant, I love how they make such an impact.
I received the flowers yesterday. All of the roses were placed safely in the box and formed a gorgeous circle. My wife is sure to fall in love with them, thank you dear florist!
First class service from start to finish. I really appreciated the timely morning delivery!
Thanks for the fresh flowers and chocolates.Good service.
Wonderful box of flowers. Trust me when I say it - your significant other will definitely love it! (like mine did) 5 stars for the service.
Freshly cut flowers! Prompt delivery and good communication.
Chose these flowers for my lovely lady. She was totally in love with them.
Received this flower box as a gift for Valentine's Day and the flowers looked spectacular. They are still fresh and I guess they will stay fresh at least a week more. Say thank you to your florists from me!!!
Beautiful, hand-selected flowers arranged with great care and precision. Simply marvelous!


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With the dust settling after the first contested World Bank Presidential selection process, this blog will be bowing out. We hope we've added some transparency to a pretty intransparent process, and will definitely be back next time to demand more change, share ideas and open space for public debate.
The final word goes to the G24 group of developing countries at the World Bank. This is from the communiqué they issued last Friday:
We recognize that for the first time in the history of the World Bank there was an open process for the selection of the President that involved a debate on the priorities and the future of the institution.
Future selection processes must build on this process, but must be transparent and truly merit-based.


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A break from drizzle coming Sunday, as the East preps for destruction
Lots of rain in the forecast, but a surprising break is coming on Sunday - at least if you're north of the Tacoma area.
"A weak warm front is moving in ... and [Saturday] another warm front, a little stronger comes in, probably after breakfast time," says KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass, a professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington.
Then, there will be a break on Sunday, before yet another warm front hits, says Mass.
"I think it'll actually be a pretty decent day, with temperatures getting up into the mid-50s," he says.
Back to rain by Monday ... and Halloween is still too far out to say for sure.
Even if it's raining, at least it's mild. The mega-storm approaching the East Coast is "the real deal," says Mass.
"The storm we are going to see next week is going to be more 'perfect' than 'the perfect storm'" made famous by the film and book of that title, he says. Everything is lining up for it to hit the coastlines of Maryland, New Jersey and New York.
Mass says the storm is likely to be enormous and devastating. On his blog, he concludes:
"By the way, what other famous storm started as a tropical storm, headed out to sea and then turned westward towards New England at almost exactly the same time of the year? Answer: The 1991 Halloween Storm....a.k.a. the Perfect Storm of book and movie fame. "So what do you come away with from all this? First, you know what it is like to be a meteorologist in a real-world, very serious situation. There is the potential for substantial loss of life, damage, and disruption. Large costs to protect assets. What would you recommend? This is why meteorologists make the big bucks (right!).
Do you have a weather question? Cliff Mass and Keith Seinfeld occasionally answer reader questions on the air. Share yours at the bottom of our Questions page (you can click on Discussion and see the "newest").
The weekly KPLU feature "Weather with Cliff Mass" airs every Friday at 9 a.m. immediately following BirdNote, and repeats twice on Friday afternoons during All Things Considered. The feature is hosted by KPLU's Science and Health reporter Keith Seinfeld. Cliff Mass is a University of Washington Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, a renowned Seattle weather prognosticator, and a popular weather blogger. You can also subscribe to a podcast of "Weather with Cliff Mass" shows.


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Pandora trouble for Siri . . more to follow:
Rob Cox talking about SYNC (sounds like a guy who could be asshole-buddies with Tyler; same inane talking points)
$12 vs FREE
Siri has suite of content advantage
eh Feh!
guy's got nuthin . . big waste of my time
mentions Pandora is free but you have to listen to commercials . . I can do that now on terrestrial with no streaming charges
says Siri is safe for now but in 2 years or so they may want to get into this business but right now they don't have the money . . what a frickin ass-clown
says the stock is expensive at 13X . . . Feh!
I guess Rob Cox doesn't know that EBITDA is growing at compound rate of 24% per annum
Siri hits a 52 week high and CNAB puts on the full-court smear!
First David Fibber
Then Erin Burnett
Then back to Fibber
Title of the segment called "Sirius Trouble"
tease to commercial was (paraphrasing here) "will free digital music spell trouble for $12/month subscription services like Sirius XM"
nobody is listening to you Fibber
and you can broadcast Erin Burnett from Hong Kong, Kuwait, Iraq or Mars . . I don't care what the backdrop . . . she is still an empty-headed boob and Kathy Lee Gifford wannabe
Pandora exists for one reason and one reason only . . to be SOLD-OFF . . and CASHED-OUT/MONETIZED!
That is the only way to monetize the platform . . someone with more-money-than-brains buys it out as a FREE ADD-ON SERVICE to another existing PROFITABLE business model as a loss-leader . . . it is NOT a standalone business
What you are seeing now is THE PANDORA PUMP! Build brand awareness - take it to market - cash it out - retire to private Island.
This is the biggest PUMP-JOB I have seen since HD RADIO (remember that?). Pandora is attempting to create PRE-SALE VISIBILITY by attaching itself to the most visible name in Radio, Sirius XM and the media shills are falling right in line.
And I guess Slacker is no threat to Pandora? or any of the other 1,000's of free internet music providers on-line . . ooh-fah.
P.T. Barnum has nothing on Tim Westergren!
As Tyler Savery once warned me . . "Think deeper man"
In case anyone has questions for Rob Cox:
Send Rob an email and ask him if a "13 Multiple" is the same for a company gowing EBITDA at an annual rate of 6-7% as it is for a company growing EBITDA at an annual rate of 24%
Send Rob an email an ask him if Slacker poses any threat to Pandora
Send Rob an email and ask him to explain the value difference between (10) $1 Bills and (1) $10 Bill
Send Rob an email and ask him to explain the difference between a "registered-user," a verified "Listener" and an SEC documented "subscriber"
"Arts & Crafts Matter but Commerce Matters" Mel Karmazin, October 1, 2010.


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Walking through the Boston Nature Center's butterfly garden, 11-year-old Elijah Moran can identify an eastern tiger swallowtail, a viceroy, and all of the plants the insects flit among. What's missing is Elijah's favorite butterfly: the monarch.
"I like them because of their cool designs on their wings, and its name — like it's regal, king of the butterflies," the Dorchester boy said.
Naturalists across the continent are noticing, and worrying about, the same phenomenon. The monarch butterfly, with its orange patterned wings, a design even noninsect enthusiasts can recognize, is dwindling.
Scientists say the exact cause for the monarch's decline is hard to pin down, but it probably stems from unfriendly weather patterns caused by climate change, as well as overdevelopment of the butterfly's natural habitat, including the destruction of milkweed, the only plant on which females lay their eggs.
"Monarch butterflies are symbolic of what's happening on a larger scale," said Chip Taylor, an insect ecologist at the University of Kansas who runs the butterfly conservation and monitoring organization Monarch Watch. He said butterflies are part of a complicated ecosystem, and a ripple in their world affects everything around them: birds, other insects, flowers.
"We have to keep the connections going, and monarch butterflies tell us we're not doing a good job of that," he said.
The annual count of butterflies in their winter habitat in Mexico showed a 59 percent decline in the population from between December 2011 and December 2012.
It is normal for insect populations to fluctuate because of weather and other conditions, Taylor said. Monarchs depend on a "Goldilocks-type of ecology," he said, and a too-hot summer or too-cold winter can affect their migration.
But the monarch's decline has continued since the late 1990s. The population peaked in 1996-97, at nearly 18 times what it is today.
Monarch butterflies are unique because of their migration. Each fall, hundreds of millions make their way from the Eastern United States and Canada to the mountains of central Mexico, where they pass the winter. New generations of monarchs return north between April and June. But along the way, naturalists say, it is increasingly difficult for the insects to find milkweed.
"They literally are putting all their eggs in one basket," said Wayne Petersen, an ornithologist and bug specialist with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, which owns the Boston Nature Center.
Petersen said species that historically survive are those that can develop a Plan B for survival. Monarchs do not have that yet, he said. They count on their migration to survive cold winters.
Even in the nature center's small ,1,680-square-foot butterfly garden in Mattapan, where there is plenty of milkweed, the monarchs are nowhere to be found.
Naturalist Andrew MacBlaine says he has seen just one monarch in the garden all summer. Last summer they were "all over the place," he said.
For the population to recover, Taylor says monarchs need their habitat back.
Gardens can grow anywhere, even in the middle of the city, says Julie Brandlen, the sanctuary director at the Boston Nature Center. She recommends planting Joe Pye flower to provide monarchs with nectar, butterfly bush and marigolds to attract the insects with lively colors, and the all-important milkweed to create an environment for butterflies to stop and breed.
Preschool teacher Karen First is a volunteer gardener at the nature center and has created her own butterfly garden at home in Roslindale to breed monarchs. Last year, about 50 hatched. This summer she found only two eggs. For her, losing monarchs means losing "this amazing story of migration that connects three countries."
"It's one of the world's most magnificent phenomenons," Taylor said of the migration. Witnesses to it can stand in areas of 20 acres with millions of monarch butterflies surrounding them, brushing through their hair and past their cheeks.
"It can be a mystical experience, a spiritual experience," he said. "It represents the struggle for life."
Sanjena Sathian can be reached at email@example.com or on on Twitter @sasathian.
Correction: Because of an editing error, the kind of plant a butterfly was feeding on was misidentified in an earlier caption with this story. The eastern tiger swallowtail was shown feasting on a butterfly bush.


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Brothel Owner Wins County Commissioner Election
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep, with congratulations to Lance Gilman. He's a newly elected member of the county commission in Storey County, Nevada. Mr. Gilman is a business owner, who won 62 percent of the vote. But as he takes office, Gilman is unlikely to be one of those people who disparages politics by, say, comparing it to a brothel, because Gilman runs a legal brothel, one of the most famous in the country: Nevada's Mustang Ranch. You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Modern detached villa currently under construction in the countryside, a few minutes from Alfeizerao and just a short drive from the beach town of Sao Martinho do Porto.
This is the last available villa in an exclusive development of four, in a peaceful/private location with lovely views over the countryside.
The accommodation comprises an open plan kitchen and living room, 3 double bedrooms, with fitted wardrobes and one with en suite bathroom, and dressing room. There is also a family bathroom with bath tub.
Extras include solar hot water, double glazing and pre installation for air conditioning.
Outside there is a car port and covered terraces, ideal for al fresco dining.
A swimming pool can be added for an additional 25,000 euros.
The villa will be ready at the end of 2023.
Good local amenities are close by and the larger towns of Caldas da Rainha and Alcobaca are both within easy reach. Lisbon and the airport are within an hour's drive.
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
Built area: 245 square metres
Plot size: 541 square metres
Ref: AV2224
Buy Portugal has over 15 years' experience in the Portuguese property market. We operate completely independently of any owner or developer and do not charge clients a fee.
At Buy Portugal we work on your behalf, helping you identify properties that match your requirement and arrange for you to visit them.
We pride ourselves on the highest levels of service.
See All 14 Photos
The Silver Coast is located under an hour's drive north from the country's capital, Lisbon.
It remains one of the country's most beautiful regions offering a wealth of charming coastal towns and villages across a breath taking coastline that runs approximately 150 Km up towards the fishing town of Nazare.
An authentic slice of Portugal that has remained traditional, visitors and settlers arrive on the Silver Coast in search of the 'real Portugal'.
Flying into Lisbon from the UK will take around 2.5 hours then it's a pleasant drive (less than an hour) to the Silver Coast.
If driving isn't an option, there is a good hourly bus service from Sete Rios station or you could hop a taxi.
The silver coast offers a combination of both the Mediterranean and Atlantic climate, this means that winters in the Silver Coast are mild and summers are dry and hot.
Winters see an average temperature of 17°C, while summers offer a comfortable 27°C day time average.
Either way, you can expect to enjoy almost 275 days of sun shine each year.
Obidos - A picturesque gem on the Silver Coast. The white washed houses and cobble stoned streets will take you back in time and provide the perfect setting for a leisurely walk admiring Obidos.
Each year Obidos' castle grounds play host to several events including the Chocolate Festival, Medieval Fair, Opera Festival and Christmas Village.
Foz do Arelho – The point where Obidos Lagoon encounters the Atlantic Ocean. The beach here is a natural wonder and on one side offers the crystal blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and to the other, picturesque, tranquil waters of the Obidos Lagoon.
The Lagoon is ideal for kids and a variety of water sports, they are even said to have therapeutic properties.
Alcobaca - Explore the stunning architecture of the monastery founded in 1153 by the first Portuguese King- Afonso Henriques, another of the seven wonders of this amazing country.
As well as offering a flavour of real Portugal, property prices on the Silver Coast are typically up to 30 percent lower than in the Algarve.
If you want to immerse yourself in authentic Portugal, the Silver Coast offers quaint towns and villages where people actually speak Portuguese rather than English.
There are properties to suit most budgets ranging from large country homes and contemporary villas, good size family villas with swimming pools to small holiday homes and apartments. As well as properties, plots of land for development are available across the Silver Coast.
Some of the most popular locations to buy property on the Silver Coast include Foz do Arelho, Sao Martinho do Porto and Nadadouro, Obidos and Nazare.


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According to a post on Facebook's security blog, a bug in the company's friend recommendation system exposed the contact information of some six million users to others. The bug has been present for about a year, but the company only found out about it in the last 24 hours. The affected users will be notified by email. The company says there's no evidence the bug was exploited maliciously.
The bug exists in the Facebook system that tries to match the contact info of people you know with the contact information of user accounts on Facebook. You've probably used a tool like this on Facebook or some other service: upload your email address book and Facebook will try to match you up with people you know.
Unfortunately, some of the information used to make friend recommendations was recorded in data archives, and if you used the Download Your Information tool, you might have found email addresses or phone numbers for people with which you have some kind of connection.
Because of the bug, some of the information used to make friend recommendations and reduce the number of invitations we send was inadvertently stored in association with people's contact information as part of their account on Facebook. As a result, if a person went to download an archive of their Facebook account through our Download Your Information (DYI) tool, they may have been provided with additional email addresses or telephone numbers for their contacts or people with whom they have some connection. This contact information was provided by other people on Facebook and was not necessarily accurate, but was inadvertently included with the contacts of the person using the DYI tool.
The bug was reported using the company's White Hat program for external security researchers. Facebook has disabled the download tool.
Luckily, it sounds like this bug didn't leave user info flapping in the wind or anything, but it's an important reminder that your info is never really secure online. [Facebook via TechCrunch]


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A study looks at the association between chronic kidney disease and UTIs in cats.
Why they did it
The authors of this study sought to determine the prevalence and associated clinical signs in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) found to have a positive urine culture results. In addition, researchers also aimed to determine risk factors for positive urine culture results as well as the associations between a positive urine culture result and disease severity.
What they did
Researchers prospectively performed 134 urine cultures in 86 cats with a new or previous diagnosis of CKD between November 1, 1999, and December 31, 2003. CKD was categorized according to International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) guidelines.
Urine cultures were submitted regardless of the presence of clinical signs (i.e. stranguria, hematuria, and pollakiuria), and enrolled cats were followed through May 31, 2009. A serum creatinine concentration was measured either at the time of the first urine culture (if all culture results were negative) or at the time of the first positive urine culture result.
What they found
Researchers found that 29%(25/86) of cats with CKD had a positive culture result at some point during the study and that most of these (18/25) were occult infections. The median age of the cats was 13 years, and most had IRIS stage 2 or 3 CKD. The researchers found no association between an occult positive urine culture result and disease severity. Among the five cats with two or more positive urine culture results, the median age was 16 years and all were female.
Most of the positive urine culture results (87%) had an active urine sediment, and Escherichia coli was the most common organism cultured. The researchers found that female cats with CKD had a twofold increased risk for an occult positive urine culture result for each 1-year increase in age. The creatinine concentration was associated with survival for the first 200 days after enrollment, with every 10-µmol/L (0.1-mg/dl) increase corresponding to a 3% increase in the risk of death.
The researchers acknowledge that the lack of a consistent plan to repeat urine cultures on all cats—particularly for those with negative urine culture results—may have resulted in a substantial number of occult urinary tract infections (UTIs) going undiagnosed. Optimal treatment of occult UTIs in this population was not determined.
Take-home message
Among cats with CKD, there was no association found between occult UTI and survival, and cats with occult UTIs were more likely to be older and female. The serum creatinine concentration was predictive of survival only within the first six to seven months, and there was no association between the presence of a UTI and the severity of azotemia.
White JD, Stevenson M, Malik R, et al. Urinary tract infections in cats with chronic kidney disease. J Feline Med Surg 2013;15(6):459-465.
Link to article: http://jfm.sagepub.com/content/15/6/459.abstract
Jennifer L. Garcia, DVM, DACVIM, is a veterinary internal medicine specialist at Sugarland Veterinary Specialists in Houston, Texas.


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December 26
By Marsh Chapel
Our lesson from Holy Scripture emphasizes two basic Christmas teachings. The first is the reminder of life as a journey and of faith as spiritual itinerancy. Joseph dispatches the Magi, who themselves go home by another way, and then flees for a time to Egypt, only later to return Nazareth. The birth of Jesus occasions a journey of faith.
The second reminder to us is of the God who keeps promises. Three separate events are said to transpire (flight to Egypt, slaughter of children, return to Nazareth), all in fulfillment of prophecy. While Hosea spoke of Israel, Matthew claims his words for Jesus. While Jeremiah spoke of exile to Babylon, Matthew claims his words for Herod. While Isaiah speaks of a messianic King, Matthew claims his words for the son of Mary. The birth of Jesus marks the protection of a divine promise.
We may want to pause just for a moment to reflect upon the glad tidings of great joy.
To do so, we need to clear away the straw and brush of some stress.
As the pastor responded, when asked by his civic club to speak about the miracle of Christmas, and the mystery of the Nativity, "Why certainly. It would be my pressure…I mean pleasure".
There is much pleasure coming to this Nativity. But there is pressure as well.
You may consider the strange chaos of this season, for a moment of limited peace this morning. You may wonder about the stress of the holidays. Why so stressful? Their mixture of high expectation and low experience? Their year end blizzard of financial and social obligations? Their sudden reconfluence of families and generations? Their odd rhythms and paces? The rude manger? The journey to Egypt? Whence the stress?
Our ancient Scriptures suggest another source of our anxiety, at Nativity, if we have such on this very day of peace. It is this. Christmas places us unmistakably before the presence of the Holy, of all that is Holy, at Nativity. The pressing of this moment, our stress, comes from our vague premonition of the divine, of our sense of the Holy. It is an awesome and startling moment to find yourself in the presence of all that is Holy. Joseph can tell us, as he races toward Egypt. Do you feel today the presence of the Holy One?
The ancient Israelites would understand, and recall our need to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.
The prophet Isaiah would understand, and recite again his vision of the temple, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, heaven and earth are full of God's glory".
The virgin Mary would understand, singing, "My soul does magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior".
The apostle Paul would understand and record, "It is the God who said 'Let light shine out of darkness' who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
The evangelist John would understand, and teach, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the word was God."
Every mystic and part-mystic from Dionysius the Aereopagite, to Amoun of Nitria, to Santa Teresa of Avila, to Howard Thurman would understand, and affirm, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom".
Rudolph Otto said it for his generation, "the mysterium tremendum et fascinans". The sudden sense of God, present.
And you? And me? And we?
To be alive at Christmas, in life's journey and under the promises of God, is to reckon with the Holy. Hence our stress.
Before all that is Holy, then, a question, a question of soul inevitably arises. Hence our stress.
How am I living?
Have I asked too little of myself or too much of myself? Or have I asked too much for myself or too little for myself? The awesome wonder of Nativity provokes a mortal question: "Have you asked enough of yourself, and have you asked enough for yourself?"
In the presence of all that is Holy, we can come clean… Thou before whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit that we may more fully love thee and more worthily magnify thy Holy name…
Some of us ask too much of ourselves. We work 80 hours when 60 would be better, wrap 10 gifts when 4 would suffice, do 100% of our relational work and 30% of every one else's. You ask too much of yourself.
Some of us ask too little of ourselves. We pass through life unaware of the bruising our narcissism inflicts on others. We do not pray in the morning, or worship on Sunday. We have not climbed the front step of faith which is tithing, nor knocked on the front door of faith which is giving away annually 10% of what we earn, nor entered the front room of faith which is discovering the joy of a tenth given. We do not keep full faith with our partners, spouses, friends. You ask too little of yourself.
Some of us ask too much for ourselves. So we create a world that is post-Christian . A world of pervasive materialism, preemptive war, limited literacy, flat spirituality, inherited entitlement, shallow sexuality, Machiavellian leadership, computerized e-buse, and disrespect for elders. We crowd the malls at 7am on the day after Christmas, hungry for a sacrament in consumption that merely consumes the consumer. You ask too much for yourself.
Some of us ask too little for ourselves. The Christmas vision of peace gets dim. The reality of love is blurred. The singing moments of joy are lost in the shuffle. We forget who we are meant to be. Are we lovers anymore? You ask too little for yourself.
How will any of us ever get this balance right? Before all that is Holy?
You know, we will never get it right.
Not fully.
A person who lives in isolation, neither giving nor receiving, may ask too little of himself.
A young woman struggling with issues of identity and behavior may ask too little for herself.
A young man raised in a morally heightened atmosphere, where expectations are very high, may ask too much of himself.
A woman at midlife, who has enjoyed much, too much pleasantry, may ask too little of herself.
A man, who has worked hard, and also was well placed in life, may ask too little of himself.
It is the conscience, of course, at Nativity, that place us, creation and conscience, before the Holy.
Nor is there one, even one, among us who has fully balanced, rightly balanced, the question of what we ask of ourselves with what we ask for ourselves.
Some of us this morning need to lean back and ask a little less of ourselves. Some of us this morning need to lean forward and ask a little more of ourselves.
While we do, though, while we engage again the balances of spirit, perhaps we could remember the good news of the Nativity. This news of glad tidings and great joy is a matter of full health and salvation for you, and trusting this gospel with life, your life, is a matter of life and death.
You see, if there were no pardon or peace in the universe, then we would have to get everything exactly right, or we would be doomed. If grace were like Newton's gravity, and once you fell you kept on falling without pardon or peace, we would be doomed. If grace were like Marx's history, and "moved with iron necessity toward inevitable results", we would be doomed. If there were never any forgiveness available, before all that is Holy, we w
ould never be able to be at peace, or to act with grace, or to live any other than fear ridden, guilt obsessed, self centered lives. Hell. What a life that would be.
This is why John Wesley asked his one question. Do you know God to be a pardoning God? Not, do you believe, only, or hope, only, or feel, only, but do you know…
He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free.
At Nativity, at Christmas, before the Holy, we are set free from…well?…you name it…that regret for… that word unfitly spoken, that event not foreseen and not forestalled, that deed you wish you could revisit, that memory from an autumn morning, or a midnight dream—they all engulf, and overwhelm, unless…
Dearest friend, the Holy Child of Bethlehem is God's own pardon, God's own peace, God's own love to embrace you whether you lean backward or forward or both. As Howard Thurman, a some time mystic wrote,
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.
We should not let the beauty of Thurman's poetry obscure the wisdom of this theology. His great poem is about Nativity not morality. The work, here, is God's. The work of finding, healing, feeding, releasing, rebuilding, bringing peace and music to the heart…this is the work of Grace, born in Bethelem of Judea in the days of Herod the King. The work is work done in Jesus the Christ. Oh, we may help, like at Christmas the 3 year old helps his mother to set the table. He drops the fork, and breaks the cup, and spills the water. She is grateful for his help, and help he should. But she it is who has the meal in hand. The feast is prepared, the table is spread. A word of grace is said. Kitchen, and dining room, and table are all prepared.
Sursum Corda. Lift up your hearts. Hear the gospel:
You are forgiven. You are accepted. You are healed. You are loved.
Mild he lays his glory by
Born that we no more may die
Born to raise us from the earth
Born to give us second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king.
Dean of Marsh Chapel


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After surgery, you'll be taken to a recovery area. Later, you may be moved to a regular hospital room. Here's what to expect.
You'll be in a recovery area or the ICU (intensive care unit) for the first few hours after surgery. Any anesthesia you had will wear off quickly. Try not to move your head. It's normal to feel some pain near the incision. But medicine will help you feel better. You'll also have an IV (intravenous) catheter to give you fluids. Your blood pressure, breathing, and other vital signs will be closely watched. Your loved ones may be able to visit with you soon. The medical staff will watch your mental state closely to make sure there are no changes.
You may be moved to another hospital room within a few hours. If your blood pressure and your heart rate are normal, you will go to a regular room. If your doctor has concerns about your blood pressure and heart rate being too low or too high, you may need to spend some time in the ICU. Expect to be up and walking within 24 hours if you have no complications. If you had a drain, it will be removed by a doctor or nurse the day after surgery. Most people spend at least 1 night in the hospital. You can go home when your doctor says it's OK. Have an adult family member or friend drive you home.


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Note: Before we join the new group of students training for the 2012 Micronesia Expedition we will catch up with several of the USC scientific divers and see what they have been working on over the past year.
The fish was coming straight at me. The 100-lb sea bass slammed me against the rock wall, bit my lip, and knocked out my regulator. My mouth filled with water and I fumbled to grab my regulator. I quickly got it back into my mouth and sucked in a breath of air. I steadied my breathing and calmly went back to feeding the fish. On the other side of the plexiglass window, the audience was filled with smiling children and their parents. I smiled too. It was just another Saturday volunteering at the Aquarium.
Almost a year ago, I took a tour of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA as part of the USC Dornsife Guam and Palau Problems without Passports class. We were shown the dive locker and spoke with three dive volunteers who had just gotten out of the largest exhibit. I asked if I could dive at the aquarium, and the Dive Safety Officer told me that the aquarium always wanted volunteers who could do research diving and encouraged me to apply.
We received AAUS (American Academy of Underwater Sciences) certification through the Guam and Palau class so we conduct research underwater. I applied to volunteer at the aquarium the week we were back in the United States.
I was soon sitting in the aquarium's classroom reciting the mission statement of the Aquarium of the Pacific with twenty other new volunteers: "To instill a sense of wonder, respect and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems." I thought about what I had felt while diving in Micronesia, and comparing the relatively barren reefs in Guam to the more fecund dive sites in Palau. Palau's marine ecosystems are partially protected because of people's sense of wonder – or at least tourists' sense of wonder. Dive tourism and ecotourism are major contributors to the Palauan economy. Guam's marine ecosystems are being destroyed because that widely felt sense of wonder is not widely accompanied by a sense of respect or stewardship.
At the aquarium, whether I'm giving a presentation or feeding fish or just cleaning the plexiglass, I feel responsible for making people feel respect and stewardship for the organisms that entertain them in the tanks. At the Aquarium, conservation is a constant topic of discussion; each underwater presentation includes tips for helping protect the ecosystem represented in the exhibit.
I am able to share my experiences traveling with Problems without Passports during presentations in the exhibit modeled after a Palauan reef, and in the Catalina exhibit modeled after a site just around the corner from the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center where we learned science diving.
The Aquarium hosted a "Marine Parks Day", and I gave a special presentation about Marine Protected Areas. Even little things, like promoting the "two finger touch" in the ray pool because "one finger pokes and three fingers pinch," seem to make people feel more responsible for the wellbeing of the animals.
I thought of my work at the aquarium recently at an interview when I was asked how I could possibly be content to commit to staying in one place for so long to complete medical school after traveling so frequently throughout my four years in college. I told him that the research I did abroad was important, but that it's important to me now to use those experiences to help my own community. Volunteering at the aquarium is a way that I continue the work I started last summer in Guam and Palau.
Editor's note: Scientific Research Diving at USC Dornsife is offered as part of an experiential summer program offered to undergraduate students of the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. This course takes place on location at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island and throughout Micronesia. Students investigate important environmental issues such as ecologically sustainable development, fisheries management, protected-area planning and assessment, and human health issues. During the course of the program, the student team will dive and collect data to support conservation and management strategies to protect the fragile coral reefs of Guam and Palau in Micronesia.
Instructors for the course include Jim Haw, Director of the Environmental Studies Program in USC Dornsife, Environmental Studies Lecturer Dave Ginsburg, SCUBA instructor and volunteer in the USC Scientific Diving Program Tom Carr and USC Dive Safety Officer Gerry Smith of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies
Previously in this series:
Catching Up with Scientific Diving at USC Dornsife: Surfgrass Monitoring at Catalina
Catching up with Scientific Diving at USC Dornsife: The Robot Submarine


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Video capture devices confuse the hell out of me. For years I've wanted a hardware solution for PC video capture, perhaps something I could also hook a game console up to, but after a string of ill-informed purchases and a box full of cards that didn't do what I wanted them to do, I settled on a resource-hogging software solution instead.
What I needed was a piece of hardware I could plug in and a button I could press. That's exactly what AverMedia's Live Gamer HD offers—recording or streaming 1080p HD game video at the press of a button.
Inside the $199.99 Live Gamer HD box is a small PCI Express card, a DVI to HDMI adapter, HDMI and HDMI to DVI cables, an audio cable and the wholly optional but immensely helpful Hot Button.
The Hot Button is particularly useful because it flashes red when recording or streaming is underway. A long-time user of FRAPS capture software, I can't tell you how many times I got my hotkey presses mixed up and wound up recording the exact opposite of what I wanted to, filling up my hard drive with raw footage. Having a flashing red light on your desk would likely also be helpful in more intimate situations.
Installing the Live Gamer HD is relatively simple, as long as one understands the ins-and-outs of ins-and-outs. To capture from a PC, one must run a cable from the video card into the Live Gamer. The card acts as a pass-through to the monitor—it just hijacks the video data along the way. Audio is passed through in a similar manner. Connecting a game console works much the same—HDMI in, HDMI out.
Once the hardware is installed it's time to fire up RECentral, an immensely user-friendly piece of software easy enough for a boneheaded newbie like myself to use. In fact there's a Newbie setting that's pre-configured to record 1080p video at 30 frames-per-second. Amateur and Pro settings offer advanced control of recording options, with the ability to save profiles and load them when needed. You can even hook up your mic and talk over the video, as I did with World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria.
After everything's set up, it's just a quick smack of the button and you're capturing.
Here's one of the first videos I captured, wandering through Guild Wars 2. I wish I could show you the raw footage, but you wouldn't all fit in my living room.
The Live Gamer HD features a built-in H.264 video encoder, creating high-quality video on-the-fly while keeping the sucking of system resources to a bare minimum, two things the software solutions I've used in the past do not do. Hitting the record hotkey for FRAPS is an instant resource hit and frame rate drop, and the video is huge—we're talking in the gigabytes for a couple of minutes. The Live Gamer HD on default settings outputs video that's not much more that 100MB a minute, if that.
The end product is gorgeous, even more so if you don't mind dropping down to 720p, where the Live Gamer HD starts recording at 60 frames-per-second. Even though YouTube won't do 60 FPS the difference is noticeable.
Nestled inside the RECentral software is the ability to stream footage directly from the Live Gamer HD as well. All it took was an account at Twitch.TV. The software logged me in and started the show with a single button press. I'd always imagined it was more complicated than that. Now I feel silly.
All-in-all my time with the Live Gamer HD was largely enjoyable and mildly eye-opening. I did have to juggle video cards about—my current system only has two PCI-E slots and I was dual-wielding NVIDIA GTX 660 TIs—and since this is a pass-through solution there's no option to hide the mouse cursor, which seems to tick off some people. Otherwise an overall positive experience.
I was looking for a simple solution to HD video capture, and I found it in the AverMedia Live Gamer HD. Long may its glowing red button save me from accidentally broadcasting marital relations to the gaming public.
The AverMedia Live Gamer HD is available at Amazon for $199.99.


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If you are a business owner, then you know that today's companies operate on a global market. As a result, it is often necessary for places of business to have their own individual computer networks as a way of being able to communicate and do business with the rest of the world and not just a global market. However, one of the threats that this push for computer network access at workplaces has led to is that of hacking and information theft. Read more »
Where to Find Reliable Security Experts in the Global Market
Who Can You Trust to Care for the Security of Your Computer Network?
If you run a business, regardless of how big or small, then there is a pretty good chance that you have some kind of computer network set up at your place of business so that employees can get their work done as efficiently as possible. At the same time, however, it is important to realize that there are all kinds of malicious hackers out there, which is why having a safe and secure computer network is more important than ever. After all, the last thing that you want is for somebody outside of your company to Read more »
Top Reasons That Network Security Matters in Today's Global Market
Network security is an important matter to many businesses. You should have a computer systems expert working on your team if you own a large company. Network security issues can be serious and cost the company a lot of money. Choose a security professional who has experience using a variety of software programs. You may want to consider hiring a system's analyst for more complicated computer system issues. Your computer professional should monitor your company's website to ensure it works properly. Security issues can happen at any time and cause you to Read more »
Why Be Concerned About the Security of Your Computer Network in a Global Market?
Ensuring that your computer network is secure in a global market is vitally important. There are a myriad of opportunities for someone to hack into your computer network and steal valuable information. This can have an extremely detrimental effect on your well-being, from your financial status to your reputation. The consequences can be extremely damaging, and can affect you as an individual as well as the business that you are working for.
People hack into computer networks every Read more »
Ways the Global Market Has Changed Security Services for Computer Networks
Ways the Global Market Has Changed Security Services for Computer Networks
What Was The Motive For Changing Security Measures For Global Markets?
One of the most imminent threats of terrorism is called Internet or computer terrorism. What this means exactly is that global terrorists will target computer networks with the intention of disrupting, vandalizing, stealing or destroying information and resources. On the one hand, this form of terrorism is linked with high security risks and forms of Internet hacking. Global governments are concerned about this issue because it affects electronic systems throughout the world.The full explanation can be found at http://www.businessinsider.com/massive-government-spying-is-inevitable-2013-6 More specifically, this affects nuclear facilities, Fort Worth ADT, penitentiaries, financial systems and confidential government files. However, there has been an increase of global recruitment of anti-hacker programs. More students are being hand-picked by governments around the world for combating global computer terrorism.
How Has Internet And Computer Terrorism Affected Different Countries Around The World?
In this sense, the global markets have tightened their security measures in a much more drastic fashion. We are also seeing a rise of government positions that are offered to people who are exceptionally skilled at cracking hacker-codes and other potential threats to high-level security information around the entire world.


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Harbaugh coy about identity of emergency quarterback
Plenty of NFL teams carry only two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Through two-plus years in the league, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh hadn't been one of them.
But with receiver Michael Crabtree back, a roster spot was needed. Harbaugh sacrificed his No. 3 quarterback, McCleod Bethel-Thompson.
So with Bethel-Thompson now on the practice squad and ineligible to serve as the third option on game day, what will Harbaugh do at the emergency quarterback position?
"That's a good question," Harbaugh told reporters on Friday.
Harbaugh then admitted that receiver Anquan Boldin played quarterback in high school. So will Boldin be the emergency quarterback?
"We'll let you know if we're in that position," Harbaugh said.
For many of the teams that carry only two quarterbacks, the reasoning is simple. If they get down to the third quarterback during a game, they're pretty much screwed anyway.
If the Niners lose Colin Kaepernick and Colt McCoy on Sunday, they'll be pretty much screwed anyway. But it'll be interesting to see who takes the snaps.
Maybe Harbaugh will.


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A Mother's Story — What Parents Need to Know About Trafficking
Danielle was 17 years old, a freshman at Northeastern University, when she met the trafficker who forced her into two years of sex slavery. Her mother Jamie spoke with UNICEF USA about the factors that made her daughter vulnerable — and what parents need to know about trafficking in the United States.
Describe your relationship with Danielle at the time she went off to college.
Jamie Chesman: We definitely had some mother-daughter angst. She didn't always give me a lot of information about her life or interests. I think that a lot of our daughters feel like they're ready before they're ready — she definitely felt that way. We dropped her off, carloads full of things from Bed Bath and Beyond, bedspreads and books. I think she was ready to test herself and see what was going to happen.
Life was never the same after that. It didn't take very long for the streets to swallow her up.
Whether it was just that she was vulnerable or looked very young … I think she looked like a person that somebody could get over on easily, and she was tricked.
Jamie Chesman appears in the End Trafficking project's video, "A Mother's Story":
How did the deception occur?
Chesman: Someone made an introduction. She was invited to a party, and when she went, nobody was there, only this one guy answered the door.
He said she must be confused or it's a different day, but I'm about to go out for dinner — why don't you come and join me.
He made it seem really innocent, off the cuff, and she went.
The next day or two, there was lots of attention — would you like one of these or have you ever tried that before — just a nice guy being thoughtful and nice.
What kind of person was he?
Chesman: What I know is that he was a lot older — maybe twenty years — that he came across as being sincere and nice, and what could be bad? Not threatening, not frightening, no yelling and screaming, just interest and curiosity and conversation, and she went with it.
And how long did it take until your daughter, basically, disappeared?
Chesman: She started college in September and was out of touch with me by December or January.
Danielle Douglas, shown here in high school, was 17 years old and a freshman at Northeastern University when she met the trafficker who would force her into two years of sexual exploitation. Photo courtesy of Jamie Chesman.
And what was she doing?
Chesman: Working eighteen hours a day. Sometimes she was on the street, waiting for somebody to show up on the corner. Other times she was on call for various escort service companies, and she would go to the places she was told.
What kept her there? How did he hold on to her?
Chesman: The fear of violence, the fear of being killed. If she got out of line, she would be slapped across the face or thrown across a room or strangled.
People think: Why not just leave, walk out the door and go? But the fear that a pimp puts in a trafficked kid is unbelievable. Danielle was sure that he would come after her and kill her.
Tell me about the process of recovery.
Chesman: Surviving the sex trade doesn't happen quickly. It takes the patience of your family. It's traumatic, it's sad, it's a heartbreak. Finding a way to survive, and in my daughter's case, to survive and tell, has been a long hard process.
It comes in baby steps; it took four or five years for her to really begin to emerge again as the person she had been as a child, to believe in herself and to even consider talking about this out loud.
For me there is a deep sadness that really won't ever stop. To see your baby live through this, to know that this happened, and I couldn't make it go away.
What would you tell other parents about trafficking?
Chesman: That it can happen to kids with good upbringings with nothing bad going on in the household. That it can happen in suburbia to your kid too.
Are there warning signs?
Chesman: Yes — your child isn't talking to you or your child is angry at you, but those are also the same signs that adolescents in any circumstance are going to demonstrate.
I'm not an expert. I don't want to throw out a list you might find in a psychology book, but looking back, there was a sense of tension that I wasn't able to bridge. I couldn't bridge the gap to convince my own child that she had my full attention and love all the time.
Why did you and your daughter decide to speak out?
Chesman: For her it's, I'm sure, a way to heal. For me, it's a way to stand proudly behind her and let other people know that I'm not ashamed of her, that this happened and she was victimized and it isn't her fault. I am so proud of her for what she is doing now.
We need to stand strong and tell people that this is going on in our own neighborhoods, tell people to take notice and make this stop.
Click here to read more about how to end child trafficking.