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A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
Cheaper 'Gene Panel' Screening May Reveal Cancer Risks
Study suggests this as alternative to whole genome sequencingMonday, April 14, 2014
MONDAY, April 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new study found that 10 percent of women with a personal or family history of breast or other cancers had at least one gene mutation that would lead their doctors to recommend changes in their routine care, including increased cancer screening.
These women did not have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations that are strongly associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. However, they had mutations in other genes known to be linked with cancer, the Stanford University School of Medicine team said.
For the study, the researchers used what is called a multiple-gene panel -- rather than whole genome sequencing -- to sequence specific genes more quickly and cheaply. Whole genome sequencing is a laboratory process that involves "reading" all the characteristics of your DNA.
"Although whole-genome sequencing can clearly be useful under the right conditions, it may be premature to consider doing on everyone," study senior author Dr. James Ford, director of Stanford's clinical cancer genetics program, said in a university news release.
The researchers analyzed blood samples collected from 198 women who were part of the clinical cancer genetics program between 2002 and 2012. Of those women, 57 had BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations and 14 had mutations in 42 other genes associated with cancer.
Of those 14 women, 11 could be reached by telephone and 10 of them agreed to a follow-up appointment with a genetic counselor and a cancer specialist to discuss their test results. One woman had died since giving her blood sample, but her family members also accepted counseling.
Six of the women were advised to have annual breast MRIs and six were told to have regular screenings for gastrointestinal cancers. Some of the women were given more than one recommendation, according to the study published April 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"Gene panels offer a middle ground between sequencing just a single gene like BRCA1 that we are certain is involved in disease risk, and sequencing every gene in the genome," said Ford, an associate professor of medicine and of genetics. "It's a focused approach that should allow us to capture the most relevant information."
However, more research is needed before gene-panel screenings could become routine, the researchers said.
SOURCE: Stanford University, news release, April 14, 2014
Copyright (c) 2014 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
- More Health News on:
- Cancer
- Genes and Gene Therapy
- Women's Health


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CDL A Route Delivery Driver Dallas TX
Company Description
Performance Foodservice, PFG's broadline distributor, maintains a unique relationship with a variety of local customers, including independent restaurants and hotels, healthcare facilities, schools, and quick-service eateries. A team of sales reps, chefs, consultants and other experts builds close relationships with each customer, providing advice on improving operations, menu development, product selection and operational strategies. The Performance Foodservice team delivers delicious food, but also goes above and beyond to help independent restaurant owners achieve their dreams.
Job Description
Up to $88K+ yearly after completion of training period
& $10,000 Sign on Bonus!!
Terms apply
Schedule: Monday-Saturday 1-5am dispatch
Position Summary:
A Delivery Driver is responsible for driving a tractor trailer or straight truck intrastate and/or interstate on local, over-the-road (OTR), shuttle, and/or overnight routes to deliver and unload various food and food related products to customers. All routes are expected to be completed safely in accordance with all Company policies and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. The driver communicates and interacts with customers, vendors and co-workers professionally ensuring all services and duties are executed in accordance with preferred work methods and customer service practices.
Position Responsibilities may include, but not limited to:
- Perform all required safety checks (i.e. pre/post trip) including inspections of tractor/truck and trailer according to Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations; inspect tractor/truck and trailer to insure they meet company safety standards and take appropriate action as needed. Report all safety issues and/or repairs required.
- Follow all DOT regulations and company safe driving guidelines and policies. Immediately report any and all safety hazards.
- Inspect trailer for properly loaded and secured freight. Perform count check of items and check customer invoices of products that have been loaded. Check and complete in an accurate and in legible fashion all required paperwork associated with freight.
- Drive to and deliver customer orders according to predetermined route delivery schedule.
- Unload products from the trailer, transport items into designated customer storage areas. Perform damage control checks on items, scanning and contact supervisor about removing orders according to company policy. Verify delivery of items with customer and obtain proper signatures. Collect money (cash or checks) where required. Load customer returns on to trailer and secure trailer doors.
- Ensure that tractor, trailer and freight are appropriately locked and/or secured at all times.
- Unload damaged goods and customer returns and bring to the driver check-in and complete necessary paperwork. Unload all equipment, materials and remove trash from trailers as required.
- Perform general housekeeping duties in tractor, loading dock area and keep trailers clear and clean as required.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Performance Foodservice Benefits Include:
- Health Benefits start Day One!
- Company Matched 401k
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Generous Paid Time Off
- Education Assistance
- Purchasing Perks
- Unlimited Growth Opportunities and More!
Required Experience
12 months of commercial driving experience
Required Qualifications
• High school diploma/GED or state approved equivalent
• Valid CDL A
• Must be 21 years of age
• Meet all State licensing and/or certification requirements (where applicable)
• Clean Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) for past 3 years
• Pass post offer drug test and criminal background check
• Pass road test
• Attains or has valid current DOT Health Card and/or able to secure new DOT Health Card
• Able to hand-lift and utilize two-wheeler, lift gate and/or other equipment to move and/or stack product cases/freight of varying size and weight throughout shift; product generally ranges from between 10-35 pounds and up to between approximately 60 and 90 pounds, depending on the location
• Internal applicants must meet requirements outlined in the PFG Entry Level Driver Trainee or Dock to Driver Training Program
Preferred Qualifications
• 1+ years of commercial driving experience
• Foodservice distribution industry experience
• Onboard computer and electronic log system experience (i.e. PeopleNet)
• Hand-held point of delivery scanning system experience (i.e. POD)
• Customer service related work experience
EEO Statement
Performance Food Group and/or its subsidiaries (individually or collectively, the "Company") provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all applicants and employees, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations. Please click on the following links to review: (1) our EEO Policy; (2) the "EEO is the Law" poster and supplement; and (3) the Pay Transparency Policy Statement.

subset: commoncrawl


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Scout/HowTo/3.9/Add an icon
|Wiki Home
|Download • Git
|Forums • Blog • Twitter • G+
Add the Icon File to the Project
In the Client Plug-In (e.g.
org.eclipse.scout.helloworld.client) add the icon file to the
resources/icons folder.
Scout supports many different picture formats. You can e.g. use a PNG file that has a size of 16*16 pixels.
Link your File to the ApplicationOpen the Icons class in the Shared Plug-In (e.g.
org.eclipse.scout.helloworld.shared.Icons) and add a new line like this:
public static final String UserHome = "home_red";
- The name of the constant is the name that you will use in your application. (e.g. UserHome)
- The value is the name of your file without the extension. (e.g. home_red.png)
Use your iconWhen you need to provide an Icon you can now use the Icons class. For example:
@Override protected String getConfiguredIconId() { return Icons.UserHome; }
import org.eclipse.scout.helloworld.shared.Icons;
It is also available in the icon chooser field in order to configure quickly your UI.
Eclipse Scout supports sub-icons for some states. Sub-icons are defined with their suffix:
_open: for expanded / collapsed node-state (for example for pages in the page tree).
_rollover: for hoover effect on buttons (e.g. ToolButton)
_selected: for pressed-state on buttons (e.g. ToolButton with toggle action)
_disabled: for disabled icons
If no such icons are provided for the given state, the fallback icon without suffix is used instead. For disabled state, the icon is simply greyed out if missing.
Providing an IconProviderService
Normally an internal icon service provider is used to resolve images and icons in your client. However, if you explicitely provide a CustomIconProviderService as described in the how-to Display_images_in_a_table_page, this new service will replace the internal service. This means, that the above mechanism to show icons will no longer work, because the CustomIconProviderService will be used, which will not find those icons.
The solution to this problem is to add another IconProviderService to resovle these icons.
Create a new class ClientIconProviderService in your client plugin:
package org.eclipse.minicrm.client.services; import org.eclipse.minicrm.client.Activator; import org.eclipse.scout.rt.client.services.common.icon.IconProviderService; import org.eclipse.scout.rt.client.services.common.icon.IconSpec; public class ClientIconProviderService extends IconProviderService { public ClientIconProviderService() { setHostBundle(Activator.getDefault().getBundle()); } @Override public int getRanking() { return -20; } @Override public IconSpec getIconSpec(String iconName) { IconSpec result = super.getIconSpec(iconName); return result; } }
In your client's plugin.xml add the following code (the same place where you already added the CustomIconProviderService):
<service factory="org.eclipse.scout.rt.client.services.ClientServiceFactory" class="org.eclipse.minicrm.client.services.ClientIconProviderService" session="org.eclipse.minicrm.client.ClientSession"> </service>
You should now be able to use both the custom icons described above as well as the table icons described in the linked how-to.


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A dreadful murder and kidnapping has occurred in the Rue Morgue and only you can solve the dark crime! Follow the clues to find the killer and the missing family. Become the apprentice of the famed C. Auguste Dupin and solve the devious puzzles to find the hidden clues that will lead you to the monstrous murderer. Based on Edgar Allan Poe's most acclaimed murder mystery, Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's Murder in the Rue Morgue is a fantastic Hidden Object game full of suspense and excitement.
|System Requirements:
|CPU: 1.0 GHz
Memory: 512
OS: Windows XP/Vista


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These thoughts were passed along to me from a friend's spouse. If he posts them himself I'll link. Till then, I thought it important to share this insight now, early in the debate:"The NRA is not stupid. They are trying to re-frame the gun debate and tangle everyone up in an issue that is ridiculous. "Instead of focusing on "How can we prevent assault weapons from falling into the hands of lunatics," they want the question to be "How can we arm the schools.""A vigorous debate about arming the schools is a good way to prevent a REAL debate and action on the more central issue at hand: limiting access to weapons of war. This is exactly the fight that the NRA wants since its really a diversion that they hope occupies us for 6 months, after which it will be much easier to stop gun legislation from passing."
. . . a random tumble through interstitial space.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Alaska becoming a swing state? Not so fast, Mr. Silver
I took mild issue with Nate Silver on Twitter yesterday about his article "Alaska: Future Swing State?" I said it was "proof that Silver is better with numbers than analysis."
Ted Cuzillo (@datadoodle) asked what I'd have said if I was his editor and promised him more than 140 characters in reply. Here goes:
First, I'm a longtime Nate Silver fan. We were practicing data-driven journalism in Alaska in the 1980s (check this Time Magazine piece). I made myself look smart in 2008 by paying attention to him earlier than most folks, was one of the few who recognized him before his first talk at the TED Active gathering a year later, and I won bets based on his projections this year. (I'm retired now and Margaret Sullivan can't tell me who to bet with).
My complaint with his Alaska post boils down to this: it has the feel of something written quickly to meet a deadline without much thought. It takes a couple of interesting facts—Obama lost Alaska by less in 2012 than 2008, and many of its immigrants come from states far bluer than Alaska—and spins them into a conclusion that doesn't make sense even with its classic question mark headline. It's a nice contrararian twist, but nobody I know who follows Alaska politics gives it much credence.
Of course, future is a big word, so I won't argue Alaska won't be a swing state sometime in the future. But I will argue that it won't be soon. I'd be willing to bet Texas is in play before that.
I grew up in Anchorage and practiced journalism there for 25 years. Much of that time the state really was in play, electing a moderate and environmentalist Republican governor over a gung-ho developer and turning the State House into a frat party filled with dissident, under-30 Democrats. But those days are long gone.
I was in Juneau the weekend McCain named her to the ticket and talked for days with Alaska politicos about the stunning news. I was back for two weeks this year in April on a book tour (Write Hard, Die Free, since you asked) and heard from folks from Fairbanks to Juneau about where Alaska is heading.
The truth is, the current governor is far more conservative and pro-oil than Sarah Palin, though perhaps not as nutty. (Hard to tell; his nickname is Capt. Zero). He's worked tirelessly to return billions of tax dollars collected from oil companies, thwarted only by a bipartisan coalition controlling the State Senate.
As of the last election, that coalition is gone. Voters sent pure, pro-oil Republicans to Juneau instead.
I've argued Alaska has become a classic oil colony, at least as enthralled as Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma, and there's voter behavior continues to demonstrate that. The fact that oil revenues fund an endowment paying Alaskans $1,000-2,000 per person each year looms over the state's political landscape like Denali.
Nate's most persuasive arugment is really just an undeveloped notion: that because many immigrants come from more liberal states (California and Washington mainly) those new arrivals will probably make the state more liberal. But that assumes facts not in evidence, namely that the people who leave California for Alaska are as liberal as the people who stay in the sunshine. Could they instead be people for whom California has become too liberal, refugees from the welfare state?
I don't know. Neither does Nate.
Anyhow, this is much more ado than the subject deserves. I didn't intend to make a big deal out of it. But I promised to expand on my snap Twitter opinion, and now I have.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Manifestations of Nate Silver's analytical journalism in the 1980s
With all the Nate Silver inspired debates about analytical journalism going on, I can't resist referring to the work Richard Mauer, Larry Makinson and others did at the Anchorage Daily News in the 1980s-1990s.
Using a Macintosh 512 and Fourth Dimension database software, we computerized all state campaign donation records long before the State of Alaska had done so. We kept databases of sources. We put the headlines, front page and classifieds online with a BBS system long before the World Wide Web was born.
Not suprisingly, this is noted in my book, Write Hard, Die Free.
See story below for some early recognition from Time magazine


text:
Browse Newsroom
- 8 results found
- (-) Near East
- (-) Denmark
- (-) Multilateral Engagement
- Clear all
May 8, 2023
AIM for Climate Summit Opens with Global Food Systems Innovation and Climate-Smart Agriculture Initiatives
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, co-host for the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate Summit, today announced during the Summit's opening plenary that AIM for Climate partners from around the globe are increasing investment in, and support for, climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation.
February 21, 2022
U.S. Advances Innovation at Inaugural AIM for Climate Ministerial
At the first AIM for Climate ministerial meeting in Dubai, Secretary Vilsack called on AIM for Climate partners to continue on their ambitious path towards addressing global climate change and hunger challenges.
February 14, 2022
Sec. Vilsack to Lead Trade Mission, Hold Events on Climate Change in UAE
From February 18-22, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to lead a U.S. Department of Agriculture trade mission and hold events focused on the United States' commitment to working with international partners to combat climate change.
Throughout 2021, FAS was proud to support USDA's efforts to create more and better markets for U.S. agriculture, to address the climate crisis, and to promote nutrition and food security.
April 23, 2021
Launching Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate
The Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate will increase and accelerate global innovation research and development on agriculture and food systems in support of climate action.
December 20, 2013
Growing Markets Around the World for America's Agricultural Productivity
Contact: USDA Office of Communications, (202) 720-4623 December 20, 2013 -- Yesterday, Agriculture Under Secretary Michael Scuse joined Tim Hamilton, executive director of Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast, as well as Dave Ramirez of Ohio...
February 1, 2013
USDA Preserves $4 Billion in Agricultural Exports in 2012 by Knocking Down Barriers to Trade
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2013 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today highlighted how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) resolved dozens of export issues in 2012, freeing up an estimated $4 billion in U.S. agricultural and forestry exports and...
June 17, 2011
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Leads U.S. Delegation to G-20 Summit of Agricultural Ministers
Contact: USDA Office of Communications (202) 720-4623 WASHINGTON, June 17, 2011 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will lead the U.S. government's delegation to the G-20 Summit of Agricultural Ministers in Paris on June 22 and 23. The focus of the...


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As you can see from the image above, the BSNYC/RTMS Fat Cyclist Knuckle Tattoo Tribute Contest has heated up and is yielding some stunning submissions. In fact, some of them have rendered me more slack-jawed than Martha Stewart after a 90-minute "hike" around Great Head. However, incredible imagery doesn't only come in the form of contest submissions. Here is a photograph that has absolutely nothing to do with the contest, but which is awe-inspiring nonetheless:
The above photo was taken by a reader and comes from the wilds of Canada (actually, the area could be perfectly civilized for all I know, but I just think every part of Canada is "the wilds"--except for the French-speaking parts, which are "Les Sauvages") and as you can see it depicts an actual AYHSMB recumbent. While the AYHSMB rallying cry does have its origins in the fixed-gear "culture," it has subsequently been adopted by the recumbent community as well, since recumbent riders arguably receive more derision than fixed-gear freestylers, off-road unicyclists, freeriders, and men who don't bother to lift the toilet seat before urinating when they visit people's houses combined. Also, it's certainly more fitting, since the recumbent position is far more conducive to receiving testilingus from "haters" than perhaps any other style of cycling.
Speaking of rallying cries, I recently discovered a phrase that could serve as an appealing alternative to AYHSMB, which is "Do Not Put Anything In My Flower Box:"
First of all, unlike AYHSMB, this phrase can be used unironically by those without testicles. Secondly, whereas AYHSMB is confrontational and implies physical contact with your adversary, DNPAIMFB simply calls for your adversary to steer clear of you altogether. Lastly, while ball-sucking is completely lacking in subtlety, putting something in someone's flower box is about as gentle (and fragrant) a metaphor for coitus as any I've ever heard.
The truth is that the world of cycling can be an overly masculine one: too many balls, not enough flower boxes. Take for example the new Gary Fisher road bike, which features a downtube that is "the largest that Fisher or Trek has ever created:"
Honestly, is this really a selling point? Just how large does a downtube need to be? Can you mount twin water bottle cages side by side? Still, many riders will doubtless be seduced by the notion of having a huge downtube swinging back and forth between their legs when they're out of the saddle in that "town line sprint" they're always referring to in the bicycle reviews.
Of course, a great big swollen downtube is worthless if it's not jammed into a "beefy" bottom bracket, so Trek/Fisher have wisely leapfrogged "beefy" and gone right to "robust:"
While crabon fiber is certainly a good material for building race bikes, it also has a dangerous downside. No, I'm not talking about the fact that it can break--after all, steel can break too. I'm talking about something even more dangerous, which is its ability to be molded into all sorts of crazy shapes. This allows bike designers to make all their most engorged phallic visions into reality. If road bikes keep swelling up this way one day you're going to go to Interbike and see a big carbon fiber penis with wheels--though arguably that's what a faired recumbent is already. Maybe that's where all this is going. Once the big bike companies have us all riding bloated bikes, it probably won't be that hard for them to convince us to lie down on them too. It's a recumbent conspiracy, and its insidiousness is matched only by its dorkiness.
That said, The Great Trek Bicycle Making Company and Gary Fisher deserve credit for the "Race Utility" concept, since in addition to making a giant downtube and bottom bracket junction they also took advantage of the opportunity to build some tire clearance and fender mounts into the frame. It's good to see that it's not all about getting us to collectively mount their huge downtube; at least they're offering some practicality, too, and I was genuinely pleased to see it. Still, I think it is important to be wary of "beefy bottom bracket" marketing, since a pair of fender mounts or a few more millimeters of tire clearance will improve the quality of your ride far more than some extra downtube girth or bottom bracket robustitude. In fact, this is a perfect opportunity to try out a new phrase:
Speaking of reviews of bikes with beefy bottom brackets, you may recall that not too long ago I reviewed a Look 566 road bike. Well, I noticed recently that no less a cycling publication than Cyclingnews recently reviewed the very same bike:
Not only that, but they pointed out pretty much the same thing I did, which is that if you're going to build a road bike that "does it all" you might as well include some versatility (or "Race Utility" in Trekspeak) too. Here's what Cyclingnews had to say:
We would have expected a bit more clearance for chubbier, sportive-friendly tyres (25s or maybe even 28s) and single mudguard eyelets also wouldn't hurt – performance is never compromised with slightly larger tyres, and the likelihood of a 566 Origin owner doing a wet brevet/grand fondo/sportive is high.
Of course, they also couched this criticism in the conclusion that the bike is "lively, quick and light for how its specced." (Saying something is "light for how its specced" is kind of like giving someone a discount by charging them 100 cents instead of a dollar; the bike weighs what it weighs, no more and no less.) Furthermore, the reviewer was somehow able to discern that the "squared and twisted chainstays stiffen the ride and soften the bumps." I'm not sure how you'd know that without trying another Look 566 with round and straight chainstays, but then again I'm not a real bike reviewer. Amazingly, though, this has not prevented someone else from sending me a road bike to evaluate, and I plan to "drop" a review in the not-too-distant future. Here's a preview of the bottom bracket shell, in case you're interested:
"Sutured" is the new "robust."
Meanwhile, fashionmonger Marc Jacobs is skipping over beefy bottom brackets and instead harnessing the awesome marketing power of p-fars. Here is the current window display at his store on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village:
It would appear then that he is moving away from the knuckle tattoo, which I saw recently adorning the Marc Jacobs bag of one fixed-gear rider not too long ago:
Yes, in order to truly understand what's hip you've got to "take it to the streets." And one thing that's certainly not going out of style in New York City is expensive yet poorly-locked track bikes. A reader recently sent me this photo, which depicts a Vivalo that is simply an unbolted wheel away from becoming someone else's:
Basically, the owner is saying, "Help yourself to my bike, but just leave me the front wheel." I realize many people are drawn to track bikes for their air of "urban cool," but maybe they should acquire the street smarts first, then get the fixie.
Another thing that's "blowing up" right now is TWS, or "Texting While Salmoning:"
As well as the triple trends of "vintage" road bikes, skater helmets, and white tires, manifest here on a single bike:
Really "feeling" the tricoloreway. Here's another "vintage" bike, though this one's day-glo:
That's a horse of a different colorway.


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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved an overhaul to its Lifeline program, which subsidizes telephone service for poor people, with the goals of saving money and allowing the subsidy to go toward broadband service.
The FCC on Tuesday voted to make several changes to the program, including the launch of a US$25 million pilot program to use Lifeline for broadband. The pilot program will solicit proposals from broadband providers starting this year, the FCC said. Under the changes approved by the commission, recipients of Lifeline subsidies could use the money for bundled services, including voice and broadband packages.
In addition, the FCC set a 2012 savings target of $200 million for the program, which costs about $2.1 billion a year, and the commission will create a national Lifeline database to prevent multiple telecom carriers from receiving program support for the same consumer. Critics of the program have complained that there's significant abuse, with recipients getting subsidies for multiple phone and mobile lines.
The FCC will also create an eligible database, using government data, focused on verifying recipients' initial and ongoing eligibility for the program. The database should reduce the potential for fraud and cut red tape for both recipients and carriers, the FCC said.
Commissioners set a goal of saving up to $2 billion over the next three years, but Commissioner Robert McDowell, a Republican, said he doubted the FCC can achieve that goal. McDowell questioned the "assumptions and models" FCC staff used to predict the savings.
Nevertheless, McDowell voted to approve the changes. The changes will help Lifeline better fulfill its purpose of helping low-income U.S. residents stay connected, he said.
"Today the Federal Communications Commission is making the most fundamental, constructive and radical changes to the Lifeline program since its inception," he said. "We are infusing it with fiscal discipline for the first time."
Lifeline provides a subsidy of up to $10 per month. The program is funded through the Universal Service Fund tax on telephone and mobile carriers, which pass the costs on to customers.
U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat, praised the FCC's changes to the program, including the efforts to cut costs. The FCC has also "recognized with these reforms that broadband is an essential communications tool for all Americans," she said in a statement.
Carrier CenturyLink and broadband advocacy group the Benton Foundation also applauded the changes. The changes will modernize Lifeline by adding broadband to the services covered, said Amina Fazlullah, Benton's policy counsel.
"At a time of nationwide economic stress, when a number of families are facing unemployment and homelessness, Lifeline ensures that these families are able to maintain a connection to potential employers, educational resources, government services and health care providers," she said.
Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantGross. Grant's e-mail address is firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Today is the Feast of All Souls, when Christians traditionally pray for the dead, that they may have eternal rest.
The early Church testifies to belief in purgatory, in both its literary and archeological remains. Many Christians commissioned gravestones with epitaphs begging prayers for their souls. The apocrypha sketch out the doctrine, and the Fathers expound it. The existence of purgatory is implicit in both the Old Testament and the New (including the Gospels). The early Church kept many graveside traditions that, in effect, made a habit of prayer for the dead. It was customary to mark the anniversary of a dead person's passing (three days, one week, one year) with the celebration of the Mass. In the fourth century, St. Monica urged her priest-son Augustine to remember her soul in prayer when he said Mass. And, like a good boy, he did. "If we had no care for the dead," Augustine said, "we would not be in the habit of praying for them." Augustine held that there are "temporary punishments after death." There is remedial pain as the soul undergoes its purification and preparation for heaven. St. Gregory the Great emphasized that this doctrine was not optional.
The earliest records in the paper trail are not to be missed, for they're the most poetic. And you'll find a sampling online here.
The best book on the subject is, without a doubt, Purgatory, by Michael Taylor, S.J. It presents the scriptural, patristic, and theological evidence in an accessible readable form. It's a friendly treatment, good for handing to a skeptical friend.
"He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin" (2 Maccabees 12:43-45). "It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins" (2 Maccabees 12:46, Vulgate).


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Air Jordan 4 Retro Oreo (2015)
Michael Jordan wore the first pair of Air Jordans during an NBA match in 1985 when he had just started playing for the Chicago Bulls and his greatest successes still lay far ahead of him. The sneakers were designed by Peter Moore and the rest is history. The pair auctioned at Sotheby's were custom-made for 'His Airness' in sizes 48 and 49.
- Brand:Air Jordan
- Model:Air Jordan 4
Guaranteed 100% Authentic
We only accept items that are 100% authentic. All items must first be checked carefully.


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Iron Mountain Studios
Brigham Young University BYU Cougars Metal Wall Art
Created not only to be a beautiful, but a functional piece of art! This gorgeous Brigham Young University BYU Cougars Metal Wall Art piece will adorn any wall you place it on. Sure to be a conversation piece, but also a practical application in any home. Each piece is hand textured, and torched to create a radiant appearance. A durable powder coat is applied to protect and compliment this artwork.
Note: Each piece is hand textured and colored, so there will be variation from piece to piece.
Officially Licensed
Product Size: 17" x 17.5"
4.0 lbs
24 x 18 x 1
12 gauge mild steel


text:
Despite early signs that Google+ could go the way of Google's numerous failed attempts at social media, Web analytics tracker Experian Hitwise calculates that the network saw its traffic increase by 55 percent in December, reports Harrison Weber at The Next Web. By Experian's count, Google+ enjoyed more than 49 million unique US visitors during the month.
The jump in traffic should come as no surprise; late last month, Ancestry.com founder Paul Allen, who has kept a close watch on Google+ stats since its launch this past summer, estimates that Google+ now has more than 62 million users as of December 25. If the site can continue its current growth rate of 625,000 new users per day, Allen predicts the number of Google+ users could reach more than 100 million by the end of February, and over 400 million by the end of this year.
Unlike Facebook or Twitter, Google+ benefits from its widespread integration across Google's other properties. The recent surge in traffic follows further incorporation with Google Reader and Gmail, which likely played a role in the visitor surge.
Of course, Google+ continues to wallow in the shadow of Facebook, which has made significant traffic gains over the past two years. According to Nielsen, Facebook is, on average, only about 16,000 monthly visits behind Google.com, with 137,644 unique US visitors per month, which makes it the second most-visited website in the world.
Google has so far remained mum on its Google+ traffic numbers, so all of these stats should remain in the realm of estimation. But the writing is apparently on the wall: Google+ isn't going anywhere but up anytime soon.
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
More from Digital Trends
Warning: Facebook Lists aren't as private as you think
Come one, come all: Google+ officially opens up for business
Facebook officially unveils Lists revamp


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Title 46.2. Motor Vehicles
Chapter 8. Regulation of Traffic
§ 46.2-869. Improper driving; penalty.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this article, upon the trial of any person charged with reckless driving where the degree of culpability is slight, the court in its discretion may find the accused not guilty of reckless driving but guilty of improper driving. However, an attorney for the Commonwealth may reduce a charge of reckless driving to improper driving at any time prior to the court's decision and shall notify the court of such change. Improper driving shall be punishable as a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $500.
1966, c. 511, § 46.1-192.2; 1972, c. 278; 1989, c. 727; 1990, c. 770; 2000, c. 340.


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RTW TM3 TouchMonitor Now Shipping Worldwide
Affordable, Compact Addition to TouchMonitor Range Supports Compliant Loudness Metering
LAS VEGAS, APRIL 16, 2012 — RTW, a leading vendor of visual audio meters for professional broadcast, production, post production and quality control, is pleased to announce that it is now shipping worldwide the new TM3 TouchMonitor. The TM3 is the latest introduction in the company's successful range of products marking the next generation in compliant professional audio signal metering, which will all be on display at the RTW booth (C1844) during NAB 2012.
The TM3 includes features of the larger TM7 and TM9 TouchMonitor versions and is controlled using a touch-sensitive display. With its budget-friendly base price, a 4.3-inch touch screen and stylish exterior allowing for horizontal and vertical placement, the TM3 is a highly appealing, compact solution ideal for editorial offices, edit suites and small control rooms.
"The TM3 has received such wonderful feedback thus far and there have already been a large number of units sold in advance, so we are thrilled to begin shipment," says Andreas Tweitmann, CEO, RTW. "It was important to us to provide the broadcast community with a range of solutions that will help them meet CALM Act compliance standards by the end of this year. The timing of the TM3's shipment could not be better."
Featuring PPM and true-peak instruments, the TM3 offers comprehensive loudness metering in compliance with all globally relevant standards, including EBU R128, ITU BS.1770-2/1771, ATSC A/85 and ARIB. Instruments include single-channel and summing bar graphs, an LRA instrument and numerical displays. The basic version handles analog and digital stereo audio, while the 5.1 option adds the support of six-channel digital input.
Full technical details about the TM3 and all of RTW's products can be found at www.rtw.de.
About RTW
RTW, based in Cologne (Germany), has more than 40 years of experience in designing, producing, and marketing advanced recording-studio systems. The company focuses its business on professional audio signal metering tools that are in use in the leading recording studios as well as by radio and TV broadcasters worldwide. The current product portfolio highlights the TouchMonitor range, a new series of tools for visual signal analysis and comprehensive loudness metering. The TouchMonitor combines the highest of flexibility and modularity with an intuitive user interface and touchscreen-based multichannel-analysis features, integrating exceptional surround-signal visualization using the unique and groundbreaking Surround Sound Analyzer. The high-end SurroundControl series of products with fully fledged loudness measuring combines the convenient metering options of the RTW surround display devices and the control functions of an eight-channel monitoring controller.
For more information, visit www.rtw.de or www.facebook.com/rtw.de, or call +49 (0) 221 709130.
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text: Uli Kunkel 4 Posted October 26, 2013 Ive had some recent experience with the RX100M2, and I'd like to share my experiences!Great camera, this one. So tiny and great image quality. It is quick to focus and the images look pretty sharp!Unfortunately, the biggest problem for me (and this one could completely kill it for use underwater in my book) is the exposure simulation or live view that is built in to the camera. This shows the user a simulation of the actual image that would be produced from the aperature, shutter, and ISO settings.Underwater, the problem is that when you dont have any ambient light you dont see ANYTHING but a black screen on the LCD after you focus. This even happens if you use the fill flash mode. The camera will cut to a black LCD with a half press of the shutter. BIG PROBLEM! I have been searching for a way to turn it off, but it doesnt appear there is a way??? You are stuck with it!The Mk2 has a neat little feature that would be great when taking macro shots- you can actually magnify the image to make sure the important bits are in focus. But when you activate this feature, it just zooms in on a black screen. Hardly what I would call useful in practice.Even with a focus light- in the day time it is almost impossible to see what you are focusing on unless you are in a situation with LOTS of ambient light, and arent using a strobe to light the scene.I havent had much problem with this on land, which is why it is so frustrating. If I had known about it before hand I would never have bought the thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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"Presto is a great little engine. It's small, fast, flexible and standards compliant while at the same time handling real-world web sites. It has allowed us to port Opera to just about any platform you can imagine. (...) It was always a goal to be compatible with the real web while also supporting and promoting open standards. That turns out to be a bit of a challenge when you are faced with a web that is not as open as one might have wanted. Add to that the fact that it is constantly changing and that you don't get site compatibility for free (which some browsers are fortunate enough to do), and it ends up taking up a lot of resources - resources that could have been spent on innovation and polish instead," explains an Opera employee.
The problem with Opera is that it has a low market share on the desktop (about 1-2%) and not many web developers bother to test their sites in Opera. Google's sites have always had issues in Opera and most Google web apps don't officially support Opera (check the system requirements for Google Drive). Gmail's help center actually mentions that "We don't test Opera, but believe it works with all of Gmail's features." Probably Google doesn't want to allocate resources for testing sites in a desktop browser that's not popular, but it has a completely different rendering engine.
In a perfect world, browsers and sites would just follow the standards and everything would work well, but it takes time to create the standards and browsers implement their own version in the meanwhile. Not to mention that browsers have all kinds of quirks.
Google launched Chrome in 2008 and one of the reasons why it chose WebKit was that "we knew we didn't want to create yet another rendering engine. After all, web developers already have enough to worry about when it comes to making sure that all users can access their web pages and web applications."
WebKit started in 2001 as an Apple fork of KDE's KHTML engine, it was used to build Safari, a few years later it was open sourced and Nokia ported WebKit to Symbian. WebKit is now the most popular mobile rendering engine, since it powers Safari Mobile and all iOS browsers (other than thin clients like Opera Mini), Android's stock browser, Chrome for Android and many other mobile browsers. WebKit's combined market share is now more than 40%, according to StatCounter and Wikimedia's stats.


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This sign was by the baggage claim at the Pasco airport. It is actually the only picture that I took during my interview. There wasn't really much to see in Pasco and Richland and I was focused on the interview the next day.
The drive to Olympic Mountains National Park
olympic peninsularoad
The drive to Olympic Mountains National Park. After a few days in Olympia I had to get out. The park was about a 1.5 hour drive. I managed to get out between rainstorms
olympic peninsulasummer
The drive to Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park. Starting on the on the trail to Lena Lake. I got a late start, so I only had time to do three miles in and back.
olympic peninsulaforesthikesummer
Olympic National Park. Lots of water, good for ferns.
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park. Just amazingly lush.
Olympic National Park. I was trying to get a shot of the mountain in the distance, but the trees were so dense that it fooled the auto-focus on my camera.
Olympic National Park. Top of a cascade
olympic peninsulaforesthikewaterfallsummer
Olympic National Park. Many of the trees were 4-5 stories high.
Olympic National Park. Lots of moss everywhere.
Olympic National Park. Cascade
Olympic National Park. Lena Lake. I love this shot.
olympic peninsulaforesthikelakesummer
Olympic National Park. Another good shot.
Olympic National Park. Finally I get a mountain in the shot, but just.
Olympic National Park. Road by the trail head.
Olympia. After my interview I decided to take some R&R in Olympia. I like to think of this town as "Cambridge, MA on dope." Things were almost too laid back for my tastes, but it was a good place to unwind for a few days.
Olympia. Just a park.
Olympia. Town hall
Olympia. Capitol building in the distance.
Olympia. Tidal pool memorial.
Port Olympia
Olympia. I just thought the name was funny.
Olympia. Yes, this is a liberal town.
Garden at the University of Washington
Garden at the University of Washington. The bust to the right is Greig.
Pike's Place Market
View from the very good lunch stand I ate at in Pike's Place Market.
Nice restaurant in Pier 57 on Alaska Way right by the harbor
Dinner for three.
Nick, Claire and their stash.


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Dear Constituent--
The coronavirus pandemic is developing very quickly, and I know many people have questions and concerns. I will try to answer some of them below.
These are incredibly stressful times for all Michiganders. I am working, along with my staff, around the clock, seven days a week to answer your questions, provide community resources and provide up-to-date, accurate information. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office anytime by calling (810) 238-8627.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has updated the epidemic order that restricts social gatherings and other group activities. Indoor activities where Michiganders can remain masked, including in-person learning at high schools, indoor entertainment venues and indoor group exercise and non-contact sports are allowed. Restaurants and bars are now allowed to reopen at 50% capacity (up to 100 people) with safeguards in place beginning March 5, 2021 through April 19, 2021. The order also increases gathering and capacity limits and allows for expanded visitation at residential care facilities. More information can be found here.
The IRS has announced that the 2021 tax filing season will open on February 12. The IRS is encouraging individuals to file electronically to speed up their refunds.
In the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Congress approved $600 Economic Income Payments for eligible indviduals and children. The IRS has begun issuing these payments through direct deposit, paper checks or debit cards. Information on these payments, including eligibility, changing your personal information with the IRS or claiming an unreceived or less than expected amount can be found here. To check the status of your payment, use the Get My Payment portal on the IRS.gov website.
Michigan has started paying out the federal supplemental $300 per week unemployment benefit, which was established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. All Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claimants can now reopen or certify their claims. These individuals may receive an additional 11 weeks of benefits, payable retroactively for the weeks ending January 2, 2021 through March 13, 2021. More information can be found here.
U.S. Small Business Administration will restart the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) this week for new borrowers and previous, eligible borrowers. More information can be found here.
On January 21, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education under the Biden administration extended its pause in federal student loan interest accrual and payment collections through September 30, 2021. Borrowers can find more information on the U.S. Department of Education's website.
Governor Whitmer announced the state was in phase 1b of the coronavirus vaccination distribution. Those who are currently eligible for the vaccine include: health care works, long term care residents and staff, Michiganders age 65 and older, frontline essential workers, teachers, childcare providers, and congregate care facilities.
More information about the coronavirus vaccine and Michigan's vaccine distribution plan can be found here and answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.
Michigan local health departments will schedule coronavirus vaccinations. You can figure out the name of the local health department for your county using this map. A list of the local health departments in Michigan's fifth district include:
Arenac County -- (989) 773-5921
Bay County -- (989) 308-1828, Leave a voicemail with your name, age, phone number
Genesee County -- (810) 257-3612
Valley Area on Aging -- (810) 239-7671
Iosco County -- (989) 345-5020
Saginaw County -- (989) 758-3800
Tuscola County -- (989) 673-8114
On December 21, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which includes a nearly $1 trillion emergency relief package to support American workers, families and small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. More information can be found here.
On October 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an updated version The Heroes Act. These new provisions are essential to supporting our schools, small businesses, restaurants, performance spaces, airline workers and others. More information can be found here.
On August 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Delivering for America Act, to fund the U.S. Postal Service and prohibit changes to operations until the pandemic has ended. More information can be found here.
On May 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Heroes Act. The Heroes Act includes a number of key policies I have advocated for, including additional direct payments to families and seniors, expanding unemployment insurance, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, and funding to prevent water shutoffs. More information can be found here.
On May 15, I introduced a bipartisan bill, The Recharge and Empower Local Innovation and Entrepreneurs Fund for Main Street Act (RELIEF for Main Street Act), with Reps. Evans (D-PA), Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Upton (R-MI). The bill creates a $50.5 billion Small Business Local Relief Program to provide direct federal support to cities, counties and states in order to seed and scale local relief funds and target small businesses with 20 employees or fewer, or with 50 employees or fewer located in low-income neighborhoods. More information can be found here.
Congress also passed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, The CARES Act, Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act to help families and health care facilities respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Governor has expanded testing opportunities for Michiganders to access testing in their own backyards. More information can be found here.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a website and app with a coronavirus screening tool and resources to help people protect their health. The website can be found here and the app can be accessed here.
The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) provided additional guidance to workers and employers who may be affected COVID-19. Michiganders who were on unemployment, went back to work, and are now temporarily unemployed again due to COVID-19 can reopen their claim online. More information can be found here.
UIA is now offering telephone appointments for customers with specific claim issues. By scheduling a phone appointment, customers will be able to get assistance with issues at their convenience. Phone appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. -- 4:25 p.m. More information can be found here.
On May 1, I introduced The Strengthening UI for COVID Impacted Workers and Students Act to expand unemployment insurance for American workers, which was included in The Heroes Act. For more information, visit here.
Unemployment Insurance Benefits: Individuals should apply online at www.Michigan.gov/UIA or call 866-500-0017 and are encouraged to follow a filing schedule based on last name and use off-peak times (8 p.m. -- 8 a.m). The UIA offers resources to help workers resolve online technical issues with their account. More information can be found here.
Governor Whitmer created the Eviction Diversion Program, which outlines a process for renters to get fast rental assistance or establish a manageable payment plan to help them stay in their homes. The program also includes assistance to landlords. More information can be found here.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have a website to help renters and homeowners understand their housing assistance options. This includes information on mortgage and rental relief as well as resources for additional help that may be needed. More information, including step by step videos, can be found here.
Congress extended the CDC moratorium on evictions of renters based on non-payment of rent through January 31, 2021. For individuals that have questions on how this moratorium works or how they can access help, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has put together an overview of the order here, while Michigan Legal Help has more tools and information here.
The SBA has put out a step by step guide for businesses with a PPP loan on how to apply for loan forgiveness. More information can be found here.
The Governor announced low-income residents, seniors, schools and homeless shelters will benefit from the MI Mask Aid partnership that is part of the Mask Up Michigan Campaign. More information can be found here.
Personal Protective Equipment: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has launched a platform to help re-opening businesses acquire PPE. More information can be found here.
Michigan's Virtual Food Bank: Seniors in need of food support can sign up for assistance, including meal delivery, delivery of non-perishable food items, and daily wellness-check calls, through the MDHHS coronavirus website, or by contacting their local Area Agency on Aging. More information on the virtual food bank can be found here.
Flint Cares Help Centers: The city of Flint is offering resources and services including bottled water and food assistance. Services will continue to be provided from two semi-trailers staged in church parking lots across the city to distribute items directly to cars as residents drive through. For more information please call 810-410-2020 or visit here.


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text:
FREE PREVIEW HERE (Caverns of Chaos)
An overview of the most infamous port of the Crimson Sea. This large port features many docks, dozens of ships and boats, shipyards, inns, shops and many warehouses containing all sorts of goods and pirate loot. In the middle of the bay, a small rock accessible only by a single pier sports a black wood small keep: the house of the pirate lord Karnak. The Black Leviathan is the galleon of Karnak, easily spotted near the keep.
This blueprint contains six adjoining maps (25,5 x 22 inches) forming the whole pirate bay, plus an overview map.
If you wish to purchase all the Crimson Sea products at once plus some nice extras you can head to the Crimson Sea - Virtual Boxed Set©
Crimson Port overview
Crimson Port Southwest
• Rule the Dungeon.
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• Buttons for printing only blue maps or black and white maps
WARNING: you must use Adobe Acrobat 6+ in order to use all the features of this product
Welcome to Øone's Blueprints!
The Blueprints product line offers you old-fashioned blue printed maps for using in your adventures and campaigns. For each map you get a blueprint version and a standard black and white version. The maps are all vector-based so you will get maximum print resolution. Despite their old fashioned appearance each map offers you a degree of customization, using the pdf technology at its best. A button (which will not be printed) on each map allows you to turn on and off the grid, eliminate the room numbers, get the walls filled, don't show doors and furniture and many other options, depending on the kind of map.
Each product features a classic fantasy adventure location: a dungeon, a keep, a temple complex, a thieves guild and so on. You can use these map as reference to build your own adventures or simply take them at hand in case your players go in an unexpected direction during the campaign.
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i didn't complain a bit when you decided to rain on my wedding day, but *this* has got to stop!
(i'm trying to build a house here!)
Sounds like you need a little personal vaycay to AZ!ReplyDelete
Now I feel kinda wimpy for complaining about highs in the low 60's a week ago - I think you just illustrated all the reasons why I moved to Florida!
Hopefully some warmth & sunshine are headed your way soon.
Spot on with this write-up, I seriously believe this site needs much more attention.
I'll probably be back again to read through more, thanks for the information!
Feel free to visit my web blog ... swollen foot Ankle
It was 76 in GA today. Felt like early summer. All of my Utah FB friends are sharing your same feelings. :(ReplyDelete
As an Australian reading your blog, who has never experienced falling snow, I think your house looks absolutely beautiful buried in snow! I can however understand your annoyance! Good luck and keep warm! :)ReplyDelete
OMG! That's a lot of snow! Well I cant be an objective commenter here, as we rarely see snow in my town and when we do, we really go out and celebrate it (even if it's only a few snowflakes!). Hope that mother nature hears your prayers! :)ReplyDelete


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Disabled Claim 'Dancing' Is Doggone Unfriendly
Two physically disabled people are suing "Dancing with the Stars," claiming the show's studio is so disabled-unfriendly a cameraman threatened to run over a service dog.
Robert Carr and Arnie Pike claim in a new lawsuit they went to CBS Television City in L.A. last March to watch the show. Carr is a double amputee who is confined to a wheelchair. Arnie Pike is a quadriplegic who also requires a wheelchair.
The men claim they arrived with two companions and a service dog and were forced to watch as the majority of the audience was let in ahead of them.
The suit claims the studio has no "designated accessible seating for persons with disabilities." They claim the staff has "a policy of placing disabled persons where they cannot be seen by the camera or the public."
According to the suit, Pike was placed behind several rows of seats where he could not even see the action on the stage. The worst slight of all -- allegedly -- "his service dog was placed in the aisle where the camera man threatened to run over the dog."
The suit -- which also lists CBS as a defendant -- claims "Dancing" violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and asks for an order forcing the show to institute disabled-friendly policies. The plaintiffs also want damages.


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Sunday 3 March 8pm
Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin
Join us on International Ear and Sound Day for three unique live performances in the Boys School at Smock Alley Theatre, each featuring a collaboration by a poet and a sound artist.
Scheduled as part of the Collaborations Festival 2013, this show will include experimental sound performances by poets Kit Fryatt, Annemarie Ni Churreáin, Christodoulos Makris, and sound artists Elizabeth Hilliard, Ed Devane, Keith Lindsay.
Entrance €5 (Tickets available on the door)
More Info email@example.com/ 0871252184


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Civil liberties group accuses FBI of misusing new authorities
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government legal opinions that interpret the powers that the FBI has to conduct surveillance should be declassified and released to the public, a civil liberties group said. In a report set for release on Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union said the proliferation of secret legal interpretations threatened the rights of U.S. citizens to be free from warrantless government searches. The ACLU launched the criticism just as new FBI Director James Comey settled in at the bureau charged with preventing militant attacks and investigating major U.S. crimes. The report listed numerous complaints against the expansion of the FBI's authority during the 12 years since the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. "There is already substantial evidence that the FBI has gravely misused its new authorities and capabilities," the report said. The ACLU gave an advance copy to Reuters. An FBI spokesman said the bureau had not read the report and would not comment until it had. Law enforcement officials have repeatedly said that their programs, including surveillance operations, comply with federal law and are essential to preventing attacks on U.S. citizens. Among the legal opinions the ACLU wants to see are those that interpret Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the provision used to justify the massive database of telephone call records revealed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, and a Justice Department legal opinion from 2010 about the FBI's power to obtain electronic communications records. Snowden's leaks of secret documents to newspapers sparked a worldwide debate beginning in June about the U.S. government's surveillance capabilities and led some U.S. lawmakers to consider reining in the FBI and other agencies. (Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Howard Goller and Cynthia Osterman)


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Friday, 7 December 2007
Shop Assistants "Safety Net" (unreleased rough mix for single) (53rd & 3rd, 1985)
As it says in the blog post, this version of "Safety Net", without doubt the highpoint of the Shop Assistants short career, was the rough mix, and not the eventual version that was released. The comparisons between the two versions are pronounced: the stereo separation is greater, the vocals are higher in the mix....but at the end of the day, the most obvious difference is the lack of guitar. By the time it was finally released, David Keegan had quite literally COVERED the song in waves of squalling guitar. To be honest, it's those waves of nose-bleed guitars that give the actual single it's thrilling power, but it's really interesting to hear how it was initially recorded. Hearing this rough mix again, after so many years, still sends a chill up my spine.
I got this tape on a Saturday afternoon, in October 1985, the day after "Safety net" was recorded, and later on that Saturday evening, we watched the band open their set at Moray House in Edinburgh with it. I've posted that live version as well, plus the second song in the set "All That Ever Mattered", with Alex giving me a little shout out at the start :)
Shop Assistants "Safety Net" (Rough Mix) (mp3)
Shop Assistants "Safety Net/All That Ever Mattered" (Live at Moray House College, Edinburgh, October 1985) (mp3)
10 comments:
- JamesTrash said...
The Shoppies were brilliant, weren't they. "Safety Net" might just be my favourite record from the 80's (mood depending). Thanks for letting us hear this rough mix.
I actually just ripped a Shop Assistants flexi from '85 a few days ago, but I'm leaning towards blogging the other song by the Chesterfields.
- 8 December 2007 at 18:52
I just discovered your blog - it looks great! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease can I beg you to re-upload these two Shop Assistants mp3s and the JAMC/ICA one????!!!!
- 4 January 2008 at 17:05
Iain ,can i also ask you to please re-upload these two tracks.
In late 1985 i was 15 years old and bored with chart music so i decided to give a listen to some fella called John Peel , he played Safety Net and my world became full of weird & wonderful music.
Their only album is a joy to listen to, long overdue for a CD reissue in my opinion.
- 5 January 2008 at 11:04
- Fruitier Than Thou said...
I was a great fan of the SHOPPIES .. They used to do a great version of SUZI QUATRO's "What A Way To Die" which somehow always made me think of SCREAMING LORD SUTCH!! I'm sure I have some tapes of those old RATT gigs. I'll have to dig them out.
Did you ever make it the "Magical Mystery Twang" day in Brighton ...... THE SHOP ASSISTANTS, THE JUNE BRIDES, 10 MILLION QUENTINS & THE CHESTERFIELDS? I remember that being a fine way to spend a cold December sunday...Albeit eventually in a very low ceiling bowling alley in a big old pub in Templecombe.
- 7 January 2008 at 23:33
- Iain Baker said...
Ooops, went on Holiday and let my Fileden account slide, it's all sorted now, so the Shoppies downloads should be working fine....any problems, let me know :)
And yes, one of these days i'll put the JAMC gig up again, it's the one thing I get sked for more than any other....
- 11 January 2008 at 17:05
Thanks a million!
(the earlier Anoymous requester)
- 13 January 2008 at 15:29
- Joe said...
I hate to bother but you couldnt re-up? perrrrty pweeese!?
- 28 August 2008 at 15:29
- mike said...
Re-uploads of those two Shop Assistants items and the JaMC ICA early gig would be greatly +++ appreciated. I found your blog only a few days ago and would really love to hear those gems. I'll keep checking back here in hopes...
- 22 March 2011 at 21:15
- Holly said...
Oh dear, a reup of the Safety Net demo w/b most appreciated if you ever are so inclined... thank you.
- 14 October 2012 at 00:51
- AuthorUnknown4K said...
Hi, could you re-upload those two songs, please?
I feel like if I would find a treasure, but with nothing inside.
It is almost imposible to find that rare version of "Safety Net". I have one version I downloaded a couple years ago (on 320 kbps), but when I listen to it, it sounds lower.
Thank you.
- 6 April 2015 at 12:56


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7 Steps to Stress-Free Holiday Spending
Do you usually end up in credit card debt after the holidays? If so, then make a vow right now that this will be the year you change history. It won't be easy, but you really can get through the holidays without buying stuff you can't afford. How? By following this simple, 7-step plan to a debt-free holiday season.
Step #1: Create a holiday budget
This absolutely has to be your first step. Take a cold, hard look at your finances, and decide how much you can spend this season. Don't think about what the kids have asked for; just look at the amount of money you have available. Write that number down. Every decision you make will be based on this number.
Don't forget to include some of the holiday events that drain your budget while you're not paying attention. Are you hosting Christmas dinner this year? The cost has to come out of your budget. Do you take a bottle of wine as a hostess gift when you go to your neighbor's annual holiday bash? Even if you take cheap wine, deduct it from the budget.
Step #2: Make a gift list
Decide exactly how you'll distribute your budgeted money. How much will you spend on Dad this year? If you have kids, pick the budget for their gifts. This step takes a little time because you'll find you have to try out different amounts for different people until you're happy with what you've allocated to each one.
Now, this is also the time to get creative. Instead of buying a gift, can you have a cookie exchange with your sister? Now, this can get into some sensitive issues because some families don't want to change a thing during the holidays. But if your relatives are open to a less expensive alternative, give it a try.
Step #3: Check your reward points
Do this before you pick out specific gifts for those on your list. If you don't have a rewards credit card, you still might be able to get discounts on merchandise through your card issuer's online shopping portal. Your goal is to make sure you take advantage of your card's rewards to help you stay under budget. If you find that you can get a gift card for your niece to her favorite store, then write down the name of the gift and the amount on your list.
If you've exhausted the possibilities of saving money with rewards, then decide what item you'll buy for each person. Now, you're ready to research.Step #4: Research online for best prices
Look at each item on your list and Google it. You'll get an idea of where the best prices are and you might even save money by going ahead and buying the item online. A big advantage to online shopping is that you don't have to worry about resisting the shiny trinkets next to the cash register. The extras you buy on impulse can add up to be real budget busters.
Step #5: Track your expenses
There are a lot of ways to do this without driving yourself crazy. If you use online money management software like Mint, you can check your spending daily to see where you stand. Or simply keep all receipts in an envelope and keep a running total every day. The goal is to know where you stand with your budget. This also allows for a little creative maneuvering. Let's say the gift you decided to buy for your brother had just been put on sale and you saved $20. You can apply that $20 to buy a gift for someone you left off your list. Or better yet, save it.
If you simply can't help it and plan to revolve a balance for a few months, try to use a card with a zero percent APR introductory offer. Or use your credit card with the best rewards. Note this on your list so you don't forget to cash in on it. Don't plan to carry a balance, though, if you're not sure you can pay it off quickly. If you have to revolve for more than a couple of months, you should reduce your holiday budget. Remember, your goal is to be debt-free when the last gift is unwrapped.
Step #6: Don't go crazy at after-holiday sales
You made it this far. Don't blow it now by thinking of how much money you'll "save" on items on sale. If your budget is used up and you don't trust yourself to stop spending, take all of your credit cards out of your wallet until the holiday sales are over.
Step #7: Reward yourself!
You weren't expecting this, were you? We all need a reward for a job well done. If you manage to stay on your budget, you deserve to get yourself a holiday gift. Take the reward points you racked up while buying gifts for others and cash it in on a gift for yourself.
By Beverly Blair Harzog
Original Article: 7 Steps to Stress-free Holiday Spending
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Tom Fleming (bassist) from DiS-favourites Wild Beasts walks us through their forthcoming album...
The more I read this back, the more it feels like I've insulted my children, but I shall write this in the hope that I write something that gives an idea of what we hear when we listen to Smother today. The album was made very much on instinct, and these assessments are very much after the event, but here we go.
Lion's Share
This began life as a much fuller arrangement, one that was a sort of amalgamation of all the things that might be called our signifiers. Naturally, upon realising this, we sickened ourselves and set about changing it. This was really built in the studio from start to finish, the only things kept from the first tentative version being Hayden's original melody and the chord sequence. My part is one, unchanging chord.
Bed of Nails
One of the first we wrote, in a demo session that predated the album by about 8 months. Almost all of the sounds on this track are so-called "real" instruments, treated and filtered to sound unfamiliar. This is a playful song, and if I may, a bit of a disco banger, or at least as close to one as we dared. Frankenstein, Hamlet, Hamburg. Also worth mentioning that the synth used on this track was then to die immediately after, and this is its only legacy.
The intention with this was for it to sound as if it were played once, which it more or less was. Written in an hour or so one evening with what was to hand (a £20 guitar and a laptop mic) and dependent upon feel. We're big RnB listeners to be honest, and this was played as slow as we dared. Originally called "Inner Fires", we wanted something more definite. It's a song for someone doing profound things just by existing and getting on with their life, a portrait of many friends.
Loop the Loop
Us sort of putting into practice all the things we learned from making the other two records. Most of the tracks were pieced together gradually, this one was written in the Nashville style, all of us in a room together, listening to each other in real time, led by Hayden's guitar line. Lexxx did a wonderful post-production job on this, making our voices into insect choirs and the like. The keyboard is a £50 schoolroom Yamaha.
A short song about selfishness. Chris plays his drums like a leviathan, and we prefer to hide under our professors desks, covering him in pads and arpeggiators. One of the snare sounds is 12-ton forge hammer, recorded to floppy disk 20 years ago, and another is a bike chain on a bongo. It seemed fussy to put anything much over those three bass notes, so we really didn't.
Supposed to be a miniature epic, a Springsteen song on Coltrane chords. There were two pianos, a good one and a bad one. We of course chose the bad one, you can hear it grunting and fussing throughout. It was first a song about fear - "don't open that door", but flipping that into something positive opened up the whole song and led it to be what it is. Cixous - "If you forget to love me for even an instant, my life would be instantly obliterated like a dream". I'm not claiming we've given it that heaviness, but we're aware that exists.
Initially Hayden's laptop piece, this was a really early signpost to what the album was going to be, all synthetic bass and cave reverbs. We added a crappy xylophone and every bass instrument we could find. This was always supposed to be the first single, we think it's a calling card of the album. We are of course aware of the other "Albatross" in pop music, but this is now the real one.
Reach a Bit Further
Truly written in 20 minutes, what you hear is Benny looping himself on guitar, Chris looping a phrase of his drums, and Hayden and I singing lyrics as we dreamt them up. We sang this boy band style, which we have always flirted with. Another early demo signpost, featuring more synths which died after the event. I'm very proud of the directness of this one.
I'd half expected to lose the heart to put this on the album, as it is quite raw. I suppose it was also true that the realisation we could do this was an important part of making this album. Originally a piano song, the Eureka moment of putting an old sampler in its place must not be underestimated. It also represents perfectly the DIY approach of Richard Formby to electronica; let's MAKE something, you know? Featuring teaspoon and Woolworth's toys.
End Come too Soon
Where we stitched together all the Reich repetitions, the Ronnie harmonies and the Oneohtrix swells that we had been doing for the weeks in our industrial basement. We were persuaded into keeping this to seven minutes, when we play it live it will be somewhere between seven and seventy. We were thinking MBV's holocaust section, but gentler, and rising. I had just seen Swans, and got "For Bunita Marcus", so we've got acquainted with having patience, but this has as much to do with the Cocteau Twins. It is a joy to play.
Don't recognise it. Gone.
Smother will be released via Domino on 9th May 2011. Wild Beasts play Sheffield City Hall's Grand Ballroom with Perfume Genius and Summer Camp for DiS Events on Saturday 14th May 2011.


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In each round of the game, players take turns divvying up shares of Loot to gain Rum, Relics, Objects, and Pirates. In some rounds, when ships are flying close together, they will also clash in a Boarding action, using the effects of any Pirates they picked up to gain Doubloons and plunder Loot.
On your turn, take the first of the three shares of Loot on the table, and look at it secretly. You must decide to either take all the cards in the Share then add the top card from the deck face-down to this Loot space, or to leave the Share and look at the next one. If you choose to do the latter, add the top card from the deck to the Share you declined (or a Doubloon, if there's already three cards), thus increasing its value for the next player. If no shares interest you, blindly take the top card of the deck.
The card backs give you a hint about what's in the next Shares: Pirates to board other ships, legendary Relics to collect, Rum to be scored at the end of the game, and Items with permanent, immediate, or secret effects.
Every 4 or 5 rounds (depending on the number of players), Boarding action will occur! Add the strength of your Captain and your Pirates, apply any bonuses or penalties, and face your two neighbors! For each victory, your Pirates will gain Doubloons or steal some Loot! After the fight, all Pirates are discarded.
The game ends after 12 (or 15) rounds. Players then add the value of their Doubloons and their Loot cards to determine who's the winner.
- Sea of Clouds
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- Море Облаков


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The OFR Annual Report: Connectivity, Contagion and Risk
In my last article, I summarized what the recently-released annual report from the Office of Financial Research (OFR) had to say on the stability of our financial system. I described the development of a Financial Stability Monitor that tracks five categories of financial system distress using a mix of economic indicators, market indexes and calculated measurements. The last category, contagion risk, is defined as "the vulnerability of the financial system to sudden shocks that may spread through seemingly unrelated parts of the financial system."
In the report, the OFR spends some time addressing contagion in financial networks. It is the interconnectedness of the financial system, coupled with the effects of leverage, that allow negative shocks (such as sudden drops in asset price) to be amplified in the system and result in contagion. They describe a network model which contains a set of institutions as the network "nodes" and their payment obligations as the "links" or interconnections. The example that they provide for sake of illustration includes a mortgage company, a broker-dealer, a money-center bank and a regional bank, along with non-financial players such as depositors and intermediaries.
The simple example included in the report demonstrates that depending on leverage, the degree of connectivity of the institutions, and the size of the shock (drop in asset value) the outcome can be either a relatively small systemwide loss in value or one in which "a modest write-down in the assets of one node can trigger a cascade of defaults throughout the network" with a "total loss in value ... substantially greater than the amount of the initial default."
The OFR acknowledges that it is not possible to develop a network model of our financial system that adequately reflects the interactions among all of the players. However, they are developing several methods to characterize contagion and loss amplification without such detailed knowledge. The first, "node depth," gauges the extent to which initial losses at a given node are amplified as they course through the system. (As you might imagine, in the simple model the mortgage company has the greatest node depth because it is highly leveraged and deeply interconnected.) The second metric is financial connectivity, the degree to which a financial institution is obligated to other institutions as compared to their outside obligations. An estimate of systemic financial connectivity is provided by looking at liabilities which are likely held by other financial institutions, both on and off balance sheet.
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Financial connectivity of the 50 largest U.S. banks
At the same time that they put forward the results of their research, the OFR is quick to call attention to its limitations as well. The network models are being extended to cover factors that may contribute to contagion such as default costs, "fire sales" and mark-to-market losses. More critically, there is a "data gap in financial stability monitoring" with the statement that "Financial regulators do not have, even at an aggregate level, comprehensive measures of what fraction of liabilities of financial institutions are obligations to other financial institutions." If you accept (as I do) that interconnectedness is one of the keys to understanding the vulnerability of our complex financial system, this may give you pause.
In the next article about the OFR's report, I will conclude this three-part series with the OFR's progress and outlook on promoting data standards. Jennifer L. Costley, Ph.D. is a scientifically-trained technologist with broad multidisciplinary experience in enterprise architecture, software development, line management and infrastructure operations, primarily (although not exclusively) in capital markets. She is also a ... View Full Bio


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Prof Michel Chossudovsky
"Our defensive power has been created on the basis of our defensive strategy and the presumption ruling our defensive strategy is that we will enter an massive battle with a US-led coalition." Brigadier General Hossein Salami, IRGC Deputy Commander, September 2012)
* * *
Both the US and Israel have threatened to implement a preemptive first strike attack against Iran, the consequences of which would be devastating.
Responding to these ongoing threats, Iran's Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) General Amir Ali Hajizadeh has warned that a US-Israeli military attack against Iran could lead to the outbreak of a Third World War. He also intimated that Israel cannot launch a war without the green-light from the US.
If such a war were to be launched, according to General Hajizadeh, a scenario of uncontrolled military escalation is likely to occur. If attacked, Iran would retaliate against both Israeli and US targets including US military facilities in neighboring countries (ie. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gulf States):
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force General Amir Ali Hajizadeh warned the US and the Zionist regime [Israel] that an attack on Iran will likely trigger World War III.
Speaking to the Arabic news network, Al-Alam on Sunday, General Hajizadeh said the US and the Israeli regime may not enter war with Iran "independent from each other, meaning that either one of these two starts the war, it will be joined by the other one".
"We see the US and the Zionist regime standing fully on the side of each other and we cannot imagine the Zionist regime initiating a war without the US backup. Due to the same reason, if a war breaks out, we will definitely wage battle on both sides and will definitely be engaged with the US bases," he said.
"In case such conditions arise, a series of incidents will take place which will not be controllable and manageable and such a war might turn into a third world war. That means, certain countries may enter the war for or against Iran," added the general.
The IRGC commander warned that in case such war is waged on Iran, the US bases in "those countries around us and inside the neighboring countries will be targeted and they will even be threatened by the nations of these very states". (Fars News Agency, September 23, 2012, emphasis added)
The World is at a dangerous crossroads. The statement of General Hajizadeh must be taken seriously.
Active war preparations against Iran have been ongoing for the last eight years. Since 2005, the US and its allies, including America's NATO partners and Israel, have been involved in the extensive deployment and stockpiling of advanced weapons systems. The air defense systems of the US, NATO member countries and Israel are fully integrated. Israel cannot act without the support of its allies.
This is a coordinated endeavor of the Pentagon, NATO and Israel's Defense Force (IDF) directed against Iran. Several non-NATO partner countries including the frontline Arab states (members of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative) are also involved.
Media Disinformation
Public opinion, swayed by media hype is tacitly supportive, indifferent or ignorant as to the likely impacts of what is upheld as an ad hoc "punitive" operation directed against Iran's nuclear facilities rather than an all out war.
The war on Iran is presented to public opinion as an issue among others. It is not viewed as a threat to humanity. Quite the opposite: it is viewed as a humanitarian endeavor.
The Western media is beating the drums of war. The purpose is to tacitly instil, through repeated media reports, ad nauseam, within people's inner consciousness, the notion that the Iranian threat is real and that the Islamic Republic should be "taken out".
Iran has significant military capabilities. The fact that an attack on Iran could lead to retaliation and escalation which could potentially unleash a "global war" is not a matter of concern.
While the Islamic Republic does not constitute a threat to the security of Israel, Iran's military brass has emphasized that in the case of an attack on Iran, retaliation against Israel is contemplated, with potentially devastating consequences:
On Saturday, IRGC's top Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said an enemy invasion of Iran is possible, but such a war would put an end to the life of the Zionist regime of Israel.
"War may break out, but if Zionists [Israeli government] start something, that will be the point of their annihilation and the endpoint of their story," he added.
Jafari, meantime, underlined that "no one dares to wage an extensive ground assault on Iran".
The General said if the enemy were wise, there wouldn't be any problem, "but the problem is that there is no guarantee for this rationality and we should be prepared too.
Later yesterday, his deputy, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, cautioned that any possible attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime would provide an opportunity for Tehran to wipe the regime off the earth.
"If the Zionists embark on attacking Iran, it will provide a historical opportunity for the Islamic Revolution to wipe them off the world's geographical history," Salami said on Saturday night on the state-run TV.
"We are now through with concerns about the Zionist regime's threats," he said, adding that Israel has bitter memories of its last-decade wars with the regional allies of the Islamic Republic, including Hezbollah and Hamas Movement.
"(Given the above-mentioned failures) how does it (the Zionist regime) want to be a threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran?" Salami asked.
He, meantime, underlined Iran's preparedness to confront any aggression against the country, and said, "Our defensive power has been created on the basis of our defensive strategy and the presumption ruling our defensive strategy is that we will enter an massive battle with a US-led coalition."
On Friday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Seyed Hassan Firouzabadi also warned that Tehran would reciprocate any aggression against the country with an "immediate" and "non-stop" response, stressed.
"We do not feel threatened by the boastful remarks of Zionist leaders, because they are creatures with deep fright who continue crying out since they know that Iran's response to threats will be readymade, immediate and non-stop," Major General Firouzabadi told reporters on the sidelines of September 21 military parades marking the anniversary of the Week of Sacred Defense here in Tehran on Friday morning.
"The Zionist regime officials have declared in their (military) estimates that military operations against Iran neither can be done by Israel nor is useful for them," he added.
He also stated that Iran's armed forces today are unpredictable and their strategy and actions cannot be foreseen by the enemies.
The Sacred Defense Week, commemorating Iranians' sacrifices during the 8 years of Iraqi imposed war on Iran in 1980s, started on Friday with nationwide parades by various units of the Islamic Republic Army, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Basij (volunteer) forces in Southern Tehran. (Fars News Agency, September 23, 2012, emphasis added)
Reverse the Tide of War
We call upon our readers to spread the message far and wide.
We call upon people across the land, in America, Western Europe, Israel, Turkey and around the world to rise up against this military project, against their governments which are supportive of military action against Iran, against the media which serves to camouflage the devastating implications of a war against Iran.
The people of Israel are largely united against Prime Minister Netanyahu's resolve to attack Iran.
A protocol of non-aggression should be reached between Israel and Iran.