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New London building department says plans in place to prevent another stairway collapse
New London — The death of a 32-year-old Uncasville man who fell to the ground during the collapse of a porch stairway on Monday has led to what the city's building department says is a plan to ensure structural stability of stairways throughout the Nutmeg Woods apartment complex.
Jonathan Deptulski died after sustaining severe head trauma from the collapse, which occurred between the second and third floors of the 23 Hawthorne Drive North apartment building. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has yet to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The collapse prompted building officials to temporarily condemn the outside stairway leading to four apartments, three of which were occupied. Tenants were relocated to a hotel by the American Red Cross, where they were likely to remain again on Tuesday night while repairs are underway, according to Nutmeg Woods property manager Karen Norton.
On Tuesday, the building department met with representatives from Nutmeg Woods and a structural engineer to come up with a plan to fix the collapsed stairs and "to ascertain if there are other significant problems that would warrant immediate attention throughout the remainder of the complex," according to a written statement from Building Official Kirk Kripas.
A representative from the city's building department was not available to explain whether or not any problems were found during Tuesday's inspections.
"Nutmeg Woods staff is currently making the repairs according to the requirements of the structural engineer," Kripas said in the statement. "City building inspectors and fire prevention personnel have been working with all involved to ensure the safety of all the residents of Nutmeg Woods."
Norton, the property manager, said staff is fully cooperating with inspectors, who could be seen at the apartment complex throughout the day Tuesday walking porch to porch.
"This was a tragedy and we're all affected by it," said an emotional Norton. "Our sincerest condolences go to the family and friends of the deceased. Our main concern right now is the safety of our residents."
Deptulski's family could not be reached Tuesday evening.
Stair failure was third in three years at New London complex


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Is this land made for you and me?
It sounds like Representative Cliff Stearns (R-FL) isn't singing along to the tune that our nation's public lands should be shared by all. Instead, he believes that right now we should sell our national parks to help raise revenues.
At a recent town hall meeting, Stearns said the following:
"I got attacked in a previous town meeting for not supporting another national park in this country, a 200-mile trailway. And I told the man that we don't need more national parks in this country, we need to actually sell off some of our national parks."
Stearns went on to say that we should be doing whatever any normal family would be doing--instead of asking Uncle Joe for a loan, we should be selling our Cadillacs.
In 2011, Florida's 11 Cadillacs--oops, national parks--saw more than 10 million visitors and in 2010 generated than $580 million in tourism revenue. Even if you don't share a concern for the environment or have an appreciation for natural beauty, don't the economic benefits speak for themselves?
Stearns' sentiments have been shared by Republican candidate for president Rick Santorum, who told people in Idaho, "We need to get [public land] back into the hands of the states and even to the private sector. And we can make money doing it, we can make money doing it by selling it."
Speaking of quotes from Republicans about national parks, guess which well-known Republican politician said the following: "The establishment of the National Park Service is justified by considerations of good administration, of the value of natural beauty as a National asset, and of the effectiveness of outdoor life and recreation in the production of good citizenship." Give up? That would be Teddy Roosevelt, speaking in 1912.
Granted, the current Republican party looks much different than Roosevelt's Republican party of 100 years ago, but maybe today's generation can look back and gain some insight from a fellow party member.
As Roosevelt also said, "There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children's children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred."

subset: commoncrawl


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By Ben Blanchard and Benjamin Kang Lim
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party will only be able to mark its 100th birthday in eight years time if officials can learn from the selfless sages of the past, party chief Xi Jinping said in remarks published on Sunday, taking another swipe at corruption.
Xi, who will take over the reins of state power from outgoing President Hu Jintao at this month's annual full session of parliament, has made fighting pervasive graft a central theme since assuming the top job in the party and military in November.
The Communist Party marks the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2021, one year before the second of Xi's two five-year term ends and he steps down as party chief.
"Only if the capabilities of all party members unceasingly continue to strengthen, can the goal of 'two 100 years' and 'the dream' of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people be realized," Xi said in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of the Central Party School, which trains rising officials.
"Two 100 years" refers to both the party and the People's Republic of China lasting at least a century each.
The People's Republic turns 100 in 2049. The Communists swept to power and founded the republic in 1949 after winning a civil war and forcing Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang, or Nationalist, troops to flee to Taiwan, which Beijing still claims as its own.
The concept of "two 100 years" has been alluded to in state media over the past few weeks, but this is the first time Xi explicitly mentioned it in his speech on Friday, which was carried in whole by the People's Daily, the party mouthpiece.
Xi has warned in the past that corruption threatens the party's very survival and launched a campaign to prevent waste and graft. He also banned the 2.3 million-strong People's Liberation Army from binge drinking and told it to be combat- ready.
The Chinese leader peppered his latest speech with references to aphorisms from virtuous officials and philosophers from ancient China, including Confucian philosopher Mencius (372 to 289 BC) and Zhuge Liang (181 to 234 AD), a statesman and strategist lauded to this day for his wisdom and devotion to his monarch.
"Leaders and officials must study China's fine traditional culture ... which contains extensive knowledge and profound scholarship," Xi said.
"Spare no effort in the performance of one's duty until the end of one's days ... I will do whatever it takes to serve my country even at the cost of my own life, regardless of fortune or misfortune to myself," he added, quoting two classical texts.
But party members must also not forget the teachings of Karl Marx and late Chairman Mao Zedong, Xi said.
Stability and survival remain the Communist Party's watchwords as the world's second-largest economy grapples with an upsurge of protests and social tensions over growing inequality, environmental degradation and graft.
Ensuring the party makes it to its 100th anniversary and does not go down as just a footnote in China's long history is one of Xi's key challenges.
"Even the Nationalist Party is over 100 years," one source with ties to China's leadership told Reuters, referring to Taiwan's ruling party and onetime rival to the Communists in running all of China which was founded in 1912.
"If the Communist Party cannot reach 100, it would only be a dot in China's 5,000-year history," the source said, requesting anonymity to avoid any repercussions.
"The Communist Party turning 100 will be Xi's most important (set) event during his 10-year rule."
(Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)


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Over here at Brandish, we're going a bit batsh*t crazy waiting for The Dark Knight Rises to come out. Hitting UK cinemas this Friday, it's set to be the movie of the summer, as director Christopher Nolan draws his epic superhero trilogy to its conclusion.
So we couldn't have been happier then to see one of our favourite London-based boutiques, Lazy Oaf, getting in on the silver-screen fun with their own caped-crusader Batman-themed collection. Taking its inspiration directly from the pages of the Golden Age-era comic books, the collection uses repeat print patterns across shirts, t-shirts and sweatshirts, with the men's range starting at £38 and going up to £80. There's a Bat-logo rucksack available too, for when a utility belt just isn't enough to carry all your gadgets with.
Also, if you've got a lady-friend who's also partial to a bit comic book fun, jeepers! Lazy Oaf have got a cracking collection of Batman-themed gear for the fairer sex too. It almost makes comic-book geekery look sexy, seriously!
Click here to check out the range.


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Solid pitching and little or no offense added up to a dismal homestand for the Colorado Rockies.
The pattern repeated itself when CC Sabathia and five relievers held Colorado to four hits as the New York Yankees beat the Rockies 3-1 on Thursday in a game that was delayed more than two hours by rain.
Robinson Cano supplied the Yankees' offensive punch with a pair of hits, including a solo homer in the fifth inning. His infield single in the third was his 1,500th hit and the Yankees took two of three from Colorado, which completed a 2-4 homestand.
"Our pitching was outstanding. Offense was definitely subpar. Not acceptable," manager Walt Weiss said.
Rockies pitchers limited the Yankees to six runs in the interleague series but only managed to come away with a win in the opener, when Colorado beat New York 2-0.
A frustrating seventh inning, when the Rockies got three of their four hits, epitomized their recent struggles on offense. Wilin Rosario singled to start the inning but reliever Adam Warren (1-0) got Nolan Arenado to ground into a double play.
Jordan Pacheco and Josh Rutledge followed with singles and Warren was relieved by David Robertson, who struck out pinch-hitter Todd Helton.
"With runners in scoring position, we didn't swing the bat as well as we'd like," Helton said. "But that's kind of the nature of the beast. You just kind of keep your head up, keep the same approach and when the situation arises (again), don't put too much pressure on ourselves to get that hit. Just let it happen."
Weather remained an issue throughout the series.
A steady rain delayed the first pitch by 8 minutes. The grounds crew constantly dumped diamond dry on the infield between innings to keep the surface playable. In the fourth, another thunderstorm rumbled through the city and halted the game for 1:59.
The break meant the end of the day for Sabathia, who allowed one run and one hit in four innings. He threw 51 pitches, breaking a string of 13 straight starts in which he reached the 100-pitch plateau.
But a stream of relievers picked up where Sabathia left off. Warren picked up his first big league win by getting five outs after the rain delay. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth to remain perfect in 13 save chances.
Jeff Francis (1-3) threw four innings for the Rockies and gave up two runs before rain forced the umpires to signal for the tarp. The lefty didn't return when play was resumed.
Vernon Wells had an RBI single in the first for New York and Chris Stewart drove in another run on a sacrifice fly.
Like Sabathia, Francis was putting together a solid outing when the weather delay forced an early exit for him.
"It's hard to get frustrated with the weather. You just have no control over that. It's the same for both teams. Something happens and you try to make the best of it," Francis said.
Though it was cut short, Francis seemed generally satisfied with his performance.
"I executed some good pitches, but it's four innings," he said. "It's not really a long time to get a judgment. They did a good of manufacturing the run in the fourth off the leadoff double. A broken-bat single scores a run in the first. They're a good team, but we expected more out of ourselves in this series."
Troy Tulowitzki was back in the lineup after missing the previous two days with soreness in his legs. He wasn't in his customary cleanup spot but hit No. 3 in the order as Weiss elected to flip-flop the All-Star shortstop and Carlos Gonzalez against the left-handed Sabathia.
Tulowitzki was 1 for 3 with a walk, while Gonzalez wound up 0 for 3 and struck out twice. Gonzalez drove in the Rockies' lone run with a sacrifice fly in the first.
NOTES: The Rockies now embark on a six-game road swing, with RHP Jon Garland (2-2) pitching Friday in St. Louis. ... Weiss was asked if he thought Rivera's strike zone seemed to expand in the ninth on Wednesday. "I'm not allowed to comment on those things, am I?" Weiss said. "I'm a little green in this position, but I'm smart enough to know that one."


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DALLAS (AP) — Union Pacific says it's adjusting the timing of the West Texas railroad crossing signal where a collision last month killed four military veterans riding in a parade.
Company spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza-Williams said Friday that the railroad will "improve buffer time" at the signal in Midland "over and above" federal regulations.
The four veterans were on a float struck by a train going 62 mph.
The National Transportation Safety Board has said the signal activated 20 seconds before the train's arrival, the minimum standard under federal regulations, and that the driver ventured onto the track prematurely.
Espinoza-Williams says the company tested the signal and decided to make the unspecified time adjustment to "further ensure" it's in compliance.
Texas Department of Transportation records indicate the crossing was designed for a 30-second warning.


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Eco Kids Camp
Taking place every Friday in the summer – includes lunch.
Friday 7th August 2015 11am – 3pm price £15.00.
Kitchen School is excited to be hosting a series of Eco Kids Camps this Summer at The Kitchen Garden (Edible Eastside) for children. The camp is open to all children from 7 to 15 years.
It is an introduction to ecology, gardening, farming, wild plants and cookery. Children will be based at our site in Digbeth and will be working with us for the day on all aspects of running a food growing garden. All students will be taught about urban ecology, wildlife, composting and growing. They will cook their own lunch using our own garden grown ingredients using the earth oven or our outdoor stoves.
All of our staff are trained in working with children and managing ecology projects. Parents are more than welcome to stay and join us or feel free to have some time off and leave your children with us!
Date(s) - 07/08/2015
11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Bookings are closed for this event.


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Form and function - this changes everything! Vollrath's Super Pan 3® system changes everything. For starters, the patented angled ramp lets you simply pull-up, creating enough room to lift the pan out of the well. No more tongs or spoons that cause marred edges. The stainless steel pans can nest together. Each has a beautiful frame that enhances the presentation of whatever is served. And of course, you'll find reinforced corners and anti-jamming for each stacking. All pans meet gastronorm (EN 631-1) standards for worldwide use.This Third Size Steam Table Pan is great for buffet food tables. The pan has flattened pan edges to prevent bending and provides a wider grasp when removing the pan from the hot steam table. The coved corners stop the spilling and mess when pouring. The hotel pan is constructed of sturdy 22 gauge (.8 mm) 300 series stainless steel construction. The patented angled ramp allows you to pull-and-lift the pan with ease. The built-in anti-jam stacking lugs allow for separating and drying pans without any hassle. The reinforced spouted-shape corners add strength where your pan gets the most abuse in the kitchen. The steam table pan's integral frame enhances food presentation. This perforated pan's 1/4" holes drain quickly", but sized to retain most foods. It is ideal for steaming foods or draining away fats, juices or moisture. For this 4" depth pan", the drain holes are located on the bottom and sides.
Want to compare pricing?Get quotes from multiple suppliers


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Cleaning and maintaining your firearm, questions, answers and how to's.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


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Read the original article in the Statesman Journal here.
Updated research from geologists at Portland State University revealed in late January that Silverton has high levels of radon, which sparked a run on test kits at a local hardware store.
Employees at Ace Hardware in Silverton said they quickly sold out of the few radon testing kits they keep in stock Jan. 25, the day after the PSU findings were publicized.
"It's not something we stock a tremendous amount of, but they went quickly this morning," said employee Al Homrighaus. "We'll order heavier than we have in the past because of the new report and the way (testing kits) went out the door."
The store received another shipment of test kits Jan. 28 and sold out the same day, said Jose Orozco, another employee at Ace Hardware. Orozco added that the store has had to order more test kits from Colorado because the closest distribution center in Moxee, Wash., had run out of stock.
The PSU study also showed moderate to high levels of radon in other parts of the Mid-Valley, with high readings in Aurora, Dallas, Turner, West Salem and parts of South Salem.
Radon is an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas commonly found in both outdoor and indoor air, but exposure to high radon levels is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
According to data compiled by PSU geology professor Scott Burns and five of his students, about 55 percent of all the homes tested in the 97381 ZIP code reported more than 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of radon. The EPA considers radon levels beyond 4 pCi/L unsafe and recommends mitigation for homes that have such levels.
On average, only one of every eight homes tested for radon in the United States reports high radon levels. The average for Oregon is one in 15; in Portland it's one in four.
Burns said radon "hotspots" like the one in Silverton are caused by higher concentrations of naturally-occuring uranium, the decay of which produces radon, in highly porous soil or along geologic features that allow the gas to rise into the air. It was likely, he said, that small faults in the bedrock beneath Silverton were allowing more radon to rise to the surface.
"I think every house in (Silverton) should be tested," Burns said. "The good news is that the cost to mitigate is not that high — anywhere from $500 to $2,000, and $2,000 is for a pretty big house."
Brett Sherry, the Oregon Health Authority's radon program coordinator, said high radon levels can be fixed and are no cause for panic, but he also cautioned that because radon levels fluctuate and are affected by multiple factors, even identically built houses right next to each other could have different radon levels.
"Our point is that every home needs to be tested, regardless of where they're located," Sherry said.
In response to media reports on PSU's findings, Silverton City Manager Bob Willoughby contacted the Oregon Health Authority for more information on radon and testing kits, and forwarded its response to members of the city council and city staff, stating that he intended to test his own home for radon levels.
Gerald Fisher, the city's public works director, said that to his knowledge, no radon tests had ever been conducted on city-owned buildings like City Hall and the Silverton Community Center, nor did his department plan to run such tests in the future.


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Exploring Arjuna's Heart Health Benefits
By Michael A. Smith, MDArjuna is a long, slender tree native to central India.
Its leaves have a synergistic relationship with the Paphia moth, which produces tassar silk for threads used in clothes and other types of garments.
But Arjuna does something else besides providing expensive silk that you may be pretty interested in hearing about.
Arjuna has actually been found to have cardiotonic properties — meaning it can help strengthen, tone and protect heart muscle.1
This is great news for people suffering from heart attacks or congested heart failure and anyone interested in preserving their heart function for living a healthier, longer life.
Arjuna Enhances Heart Muscle ToneWhen Arjuna bark is developed into an extract and ingested it provides anti-inflammatory and cardiotoning compounds.
These compounds, called glycosides, improve the heart's "squeezing" action and increase the amount of blood flow to your body. Again, this is an important effect for people with weak hearts.
Experimental studies have revealed that the glycosides can exert significant inotropic effects — that is to say it can strengthen heart muscle contractions.
The glycosides from Arjuna also have a hypotensive effect, increasing coronary artery flow and protecting the heart muscle against damage from low blood flow and low oxygen levels.2
Arjuna Helps Prevent Heart Cell DamageWe believe that a healthy endothelium and myocardium (heart muscle) are two important things for a healthy cardiovascular system.
The endothelium is comprised of cells that line the inside of arteries. They produce nitric oxide which is essential to maintaining healthy blood pressure and arterial plasticity — that is the ability of an artery to respond to changes in blood flow and blood pressure.
The endothelium and myocardium are susceptible to low levels of oxygen and can become damaged and even die when this happens, as with a heart attack.
When a heart attack was induced in rats using a drug called isoproterenol, the level of endothelial and heart muscle damage was minimized with co-administration of Arjuna.3
But believe it or not, more damage can occur when blood flow and oxygen levels are restored to normal. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) are damaging oxidative compounds that rise significantly when blood flow and oxygen are reintroduced.
This is when the endothelium and myocardium can really take a deadly hit. Doctors give this deadly process a name: Myocardial reperfusion injury.
Arjuna prevented reperfusion injury by activating the rat's internal antioxidants. So as oxygen re-enters the heart muscle, it can protect itself with help from Arjuna by activating antioxidants like glutathione and super oxide dismutase.3,4
The Bottom LineThis has important implications for people suffering from heart attacks and reperfusion injury. We definitely think that human clinical studies are needed to further analyze Arjuna's potential lifesaving effects.
Of course, a comprehensive program that includes diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes should be the primary target for supporting your cardiovascular health.
However, if you're looking for added protection and unique cardiotonic support for a strong and healthy heart, you may want to consider adding Arjuna to your daily supplement regimen.
Pretty interesting, isn't it?
- Altern Med Rev. 1999 Dec;4(6):436-7.
- J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Nov 1;114(2):114-29.
- Life Sci. 2003 Oct 10;73(21):2727-39.
- J Ethnopharmacol. 2001 May;75(2-3):197-201.


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Philippine college delegation to visit UH
Media AdvisoryUniversity of Hawaiʻi
Dir of Communications, External Affairs and University Relations
The University of Hawai'i will be hosting the presidents of 15 State Colleges from the Philippines between May 20 - 24. The educational leaders will be the guests of honor at a reception on Monday, May 20th at 5 p.m. in the Bachman Hall Lobby at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
The college presidents will be taking part in an executive course in Education Management and Leadership, where they will explore executive management skills and a range of topics from research to academic-industry partnerships to community service and extension, and educational quality assurance to national and international standards.
They will learn from the experiences of foreign partner universities, including the University of Hawai'i.
The program selected the UH as a learning site because of the strength of the system's approach to higher education and the key strengths of the university. The Philippine leaders are interested in the UH's contribution to Hawai'i's economy; research; how the UH improved delivery and access to education throughout the state; marine and agriculture programs; community college innovation; and international programs.
The Filipino delegation will visit the UH System, UH Mānoa, UH West O'ahu, Kapi'olani Community College and Windward Community College. The delegation has also requested site visits to a marine biology research center, the East-West Center and the Philippine Consulate.
In addition to Hawai'i, other sites selected for foreign experiential learning include New Zealand (dairy farming), Singapore (world class education hub), Thailand, and Australia, according to the program coordinator.
The program is part of a strategy being implemented by the Philippines Development Academy and the Commission on Higher Education. It aims to develop and enhance leadership and management skills of senior executives and middle managers of the 110 state universities and colleges (SUCs) throughout the Philippines.
Leaders will return to the Philippines and contribute to strategic action plans related to educational improvements.


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HBO Developing Comedy From Issa Rae
And Larry Wilmore.
HBO is developing a comedy for The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl creator and star Issa Rae. According to Deadline, Rae has teamed up with Larry Wilmore to cowrite a series about "the awkward experiences and racy tribulations of a modern day African-American woman," which Rae would also star in. She was working on a comedy for Shonda Rhimes as recently as a few months ago, too, so in a perfect world we are approaching the Issa Rae Era of TV Domination.


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Crypto," to use the all-purpose abbreviation for cryptography, cryptoanalysis, and cryptology, is cool. Just plain cool. My biggest regret in life is that I never took a math class past Algebra II, so I really don't know jack about the mathematical foundations of intense crypto systems. But boy, do I respect those who do.
If you're a person who finds crypto textbooks really boring yet wants to understand this whole crypto bit in the broad sense, go read Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. Sure, it's more than 900 pages of quasi-fiction, but it manages to tell a fascinating story while giving an incredible amount of insight into modern cryptography.
In this tutorial, you'll learn something or another about the common, Web-based uses for the following basic encryption techniques
Asymmetric key-based algorithms. This method uses one key to encrypt data and a different key to decrypt the same data. You have likely heard of this technique; it is sometimes called public key/private key encryption, or something to that effect.
Symmetric key-based algorithms, or block-and-stream ciphers. Using these cipher types, your data is separated into chunks, and those chunks are encrypted and decrypted based on a specific key. Stream ciphers are used more predominantly than block ciphers, as the chunks are encrypted on a bit-by-bit basis This process is much smaller and faster than encrypting larger (block) chunks of data.
Hashing, or creating a digital summary of a string or file. This is the most common way to store passwords on a system, as the passwords aren't really what's stored, just a hash that can't be decrypted.
The basic idea of key-based cryptography is that you take a chunk of data (plain text) and scramble it up (ciphertext) so that the original information is hidden beneath a level of encryption. In theory, only the person (or machine) doing the scrambling and the recipient of the ciphertext knows how to decrypt (unscramble) it, because it will have been encrypted using an agreed-upon set of keys or a specific cipher and passphrase (key).
This key-based method of cryptography is common, wherein the key in question is only known to the persons or machines doing the encrypting and decrypting. Think of it like a car key. The owner of the car has the key, obviously. When the owner walks away from the car, she locks it and keeps the key safely secured. No one can get into or use the car without some sort of "brute force."
The responsibility of protecting the key rests solely with the owner of the car. If the owner puts a set of keys in one of those magnetized key holders underneath the car, that's a very loose method of security. If the owner keeps the key with her at all times, even showering with it on a chain around her neck, that's a pretty good level of key security.
But say the owner's friend needs to borrow the car, so the owner passes along an extra set of keys for the friend to use. Both people can now drive the car, but the security of the key itself is compromised because someone else has it. If the friend makes copies of the key (for other people to use when the owner is out of town, say), the level of security becomes even more diluted. Eventually, the original lock-and-key security will be lost entirely, and in order to recover it, the owner will have to have new locks put on the car and new keys made.
Keys used in encrypted communications have the same problems as conventional keys: They can be lost, stolen, even bought and sold. And some can be discovered by crackers through a method called "social engineering."
Crackers don't necessarily use a serious amount of CPU cycles to crack a cipher. Most of the time, they just ask for the password from an unsuspecting technician. Or maybe they call up your receptionist "just to chat" and glean a tidbit or two of crucial information. You'd be surprised at how often this occurs.
Sometimes crackers play on the notion that most people choose passwords that are easy to crack, like any word found in a dictionary. Words like "hopscotch," "meteor," or "porcupine" may seem like nice, hard-to-guess and easy-to-remember non sequiturs, but they're all bad passwords because most password-cracking software cycles through a dictionary. If your password is anywhere in that dictionary, then say bye-bye to your sensitive data. Better passwords are alphanumeric and nonsensical, such as "1Am*Sh$b" or "BA8Hw2Lq."
There are methods of cryptography that don't rely on keys at all, but even those aren't foolproof. If the decryption program is essentially the key itself, then the machine becomes one big, concrete representation of the key, which can be stolen. For example, take the infamous Enigma machine. This machine was used by the Germans in World War II to encrypt and decrypt secret messages. Although it looked like a typewriter on steroids, the Enigma machine was not built to type plain text. Based on a complex series of settings, wheels, and rotors, the typed text was skewed ever so slightly, so as to produce the encrypted data. In this instance, the machine was the key; it proved to be a very valuable piece of equipment, especially in the hands of the Allies.
Taking all of this into consideration social engineering, careless people holding keys, encryption embedded into machines themselves you may wonder if your sensitive data is really safe. If you keep your systems locked down, keep your private keys private, don't use an Enigma machine, and don't give your root password to your receptionist, your data is probably pretty safe. The techniques outlined in this tutorial will assist you as you attempt to reach a comfortable level of security, but be advised that these few Web-based tricks only scratch the surface of data encryption and security.
In public-key cryptography, a user has a pair of keys: public and private. As their names suggest, the private key is kept private, while the public key is distributed to other users. The owner of the private key never, ever shares the private key with anyone. A second, public key is distributed to other users. The public and private keys of a particular user are related via complex mathematical structures in such a way that inexorably links one key with the other. This relationship is crucial to making public/private key-based encryption work, as you will soon see.
The public key is used as the basis for encrypting a message, while the private key is necessary for the recipient to decrypt the encrypted message. Only the bearer of the private key can decrypt the message. Even the person who did the encrypting cannot decrypt the message he just encrypted, because he does not hold the private key.
OK ... let's try this again:
Suppose that Joe User has a public key and a private key. Jane User also has a public key and a private key. Joe and Jane want to send encrypted messages to each other, so they exchange public keys. Now Joe has his own private key and Jane's public key. Jane has her own private key, and Joe's public key.
Keys are kept on key rings: One ring is for private keys and another is for public keys. They are not unlike real key rings that hold your car, house, and other keys together. On Joe's public key ring, he has Jane's public key. On Jane's public key ring, she has Joe's public key. Both Joe and Jane also have private key rings, that hold only their own private keys. Their private key rings should only ever hold their own private keys.
When Joe wants to send an encrypted message to Jane, he uses his encryption software to scramble the message based on Jane's public key. Jane receives the message, then uses her encryption software and her private key to decrypt it. Only Jane will be able to decrypt a message that has been encrypted by someone using her public key.
In the early 1990s, Phil Zimmerman developed PGP, or Pretty Good Privacy, which quickly became a very popular piece of software for email and file encryption using public and private keys. Due to the United States' export regulations and the import regulations of other countries regarding encryption algorithms, however, the OpenPGP standard was developed, and the GnuPG software was built around it. Unlike PGP software, GnuPG does not use patented or restricted encryption algorithms, and thus, it has become a popular alternative to PGP.
Although US export laws were recently modified, both PGP and GnuPG will likely continue to co-exist in the developer community. In the next section, you'll learn to use either PGP or GnuPG with PHP to encrypt and send messages, so now is a good time to decide which you'd like to use. Here are some basic differences:
To use PGP commercially, you must pay a fee, while GnuPG is free for all types of uses.
GnuPG is primarily Unix-based, although a Windows version does exist. PGP has versions for Unix, Windows, and even the Mac.
Both PGP and GnuPG have some restrictions or warnings regarding export and distribution, although this problem hits PGP users harder than GnuPG.
Both PGP and GnuPG are easy to install and subsequently use, but PGP has an extensive built-in GUI.
Take a look at both Web sites (www.pgp.com and www.gnupg.org) and decide for yourself. After determining which encryption software you want to use, follow the steps outlined in either of the following sections to learn how to set up PGP or GNUPG on your Web server and on your personal system, so you can use PHP to invoke the encryption and send your Web-based order forms and whatnot to yourself as encrypted messages.
Source :http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/...tutorial1.html


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Art to Buy for Children's Rooms
Artsy Specialist
Pacific Northwest artist Christopher Boffoli combines miniature, hand-painted figurines from Germany with staged arrangements of food and beverages to create clever photographic vignettes. Inspired by an unusual combination of magazine food photography and the 18th century fable "Gulliver's Travels," Boffoli explores how inverting the proportions of people and their surroundings create unexpected points of interest. These creative scenes evoke an uncanny, albeit theatrically portrayed, likeness to the world at large. Boffoli also uses language to enhance the photographic narratives by selecting tongue-in-cheek titles that draw on old adages, colloquial sayings, and witty repartees, adding another level of interest to the work.
Inspired by childhood stories and his experience as a food writer, Christopher Boffoli crafts imaginative uses for food items. His photographs play with ideas of scale, placing Lilliputian dolls sourced from Europe in culinary environs. In Harry's Secret, for example, a tiny figurine is submerged in the highly detailed crevices of a croissant, while another holding a shovel looms over it. The image suggests a murder has taken place, and the croissant takes on grave overtones. "In the context of my work, I thought the concept was a great foil for the way our American penchant for massive portion sizes has the potential to transform something that nurtures us into something that does us harm," Boffoli has said. He photographs all of his work against bright, monochromatic backgrounds, using real food as his subjects, which he views as a corrective against the highly doctored and often-artificial food used in advertising and culinary magazines.
American, b. 1969, Worcester, Massachusetts, based in Seattle, Washington
Art to Buy for Children's Rooms
Artsy Specialist
These Artists Are Tackling Big Issues through Tiny Works of Art
Artsy Editorial


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A special meeting of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Polar Bear Specialist Group took place 24–28 October 2012 in Oslo, Norway with the purpose of discussing how the group can best address and respond to the many issues currently affecting polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and their conservation.
At the meeting, the group reinforced its role and commitment to providing the most rigorous and thorough science on polar bears, including policy and management decisions. As a result, they revised the guidelines of the group; updated the mission, objectives and membership terms; and added a variety of sub-committees to the structure. This information will soon be made available on the IUCN SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group website.
The group also discussed the next steps for updating status tables on its website which show the different size and trends of Polar Bear sub-populations. The listing of the Polar Bear as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, which was last assessed in 2008 and is scheduled for re-assessment in the next few years was also discussed.
Additionally, the US proposal to transfer the Polar Bear from Appendix II to Appendix I for the 16th Conference of the Parties meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was addressed - members of the group will be providing the most current science for the IUCN / TRAFFIC Analyses of the Proposals to CITES CoP16 project.
Ways to communicate Polar Bear information was also discussed by the Specialist Group, including the new "State of the Polar Bear" interactive map that allows visitors to explore the current population, habitats and threats to polar bears. The highly-skilled and motivated experts in the IUCN SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group are positive about continuing to support polar bear conservation on behalf of IUCN after being able to renew its focus and relevant approaches at this meeting.
Related links:


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Los Altos Townhomes for Rent
Searching for Los Altos townhomes for rent, discover how easy it is to locate the right place with our hourly updated rental listings. We cover the entire Los Altos rental housing market as well as California rental markets. Narrow your Los Altos townhouse search by area, price, zip code, number of bedrooms, pets or any amenity.
Additionally you get access to current Los Altos townhome rental rates, move-in specials, and open houses. View virtual tours, multiple photos, floor plans, all before you start driving around visiting townhouses for rent. We provide you with interactive maps, turn by turn driving directions, and schools information for Los Altos.
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Bulletproof your immune system with these expert tips.
Have a case of the sniffles? Your workouts may be to blame. Though moderate exercise can bolster a person's immune system, intense or prolonged efforts can have the opposite effect. When training volume increases, many triathletes find they are more susceptible to illness.
"High physiologic and mental stress are associated with an increased incidence of acute respiratory illness," says Dr. David Nieman, Professor and Director of the Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University. "That stress is associated with immune dysfunction."
Sleep disruption, overtraining, high mental stress, poor diet and lax hygiene practices can contribute to a weakened immune system, knocking even the strongest athletes into bed with illness. Bulletproof your immune system with these expert tips.
Eat Right
A good diet can keep illness at bay, even when immunity is low.
"In our research, we have shown that the single most important dietary habit to prevent illness is eating at least three servings of fruit each day," says Dr. Nieman. "Fruit contains high levels of flavonoid that exert anti-pathogenic influences."
As a general rule of thumb, more colorful fruits tend to pack the biggest nutritional punch. Look for purple, blue, red and orange hues in the produce section of the supermarket, and eat fruits in their natural, raw state (in other words, blueberries are great—blueberry pie, not so much).
Vegetables are also of importance, with greens topping the list. In a study published in the journal Nature Immunology, cruciferous greens such as broccoli and kale help the body produce immune cells that protect the body from infection.


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A report from Yahoo! sports yesterday said Eagles coaches have interest in Plaxico Burress and Albert Haynesworth. We wrote a brief picking up that piece of news for today's paper and online because we figured it would be of interest, but didn't write much more because any moves for those players, and particularly Haynesworth, is still a long way away and the feeling here is that there are still long odds that either players ends up in green.
The Yahoo! report cited an unnamed Eagles source who described the thinking of Andy Reid and defensive line coach Jim Washburn. I've got no reason to doubt the quotes or that Washburn would love to be reunited with Haynesworth, who he coached to great success in Tennessee.
But there are big questions about the Eagles acquiring either man.
Start with Burress. His situation has been covered by me and many others on this site, so let's go with a quick summary: the Eagles are deep at receiver, scored a ton of points last season, were a touch above average in offensive red zone efficiency, and have no idea yet what Plax can so after two years on the shelf. In other words, they have much more pressing needs and other teams more desperate for receiver help are more are likely to offer the free agent a better deal.
Haynesworth is more intriguing, because the Eagles badly need a disruptive presence on the line and he has history with Washburn. Still, he's under contract for now. For the Eagles to get him via trade they would have to absorb a fat, uh, contract for a guy who turns 30 on Friday and who, while quite talented, showed questionable effort on the field and found trouble off it.
If the 'Skins decide to deal him, I doubt they'd want to see him reunited with his old position coach on a division rival.
Maybe Washington can't trade Haynesworth and just cuts him. At this point, no one knows if that's where this is actually going. If it did happen, the Eagles would have to compete with contract offers from other teams. He would fit into their 4-3 scheme and it makes sense that he might make Washburn happy. But to the Eagles' top decision makers – including Joe Banner, Howie Roseman and Andy Reid – effort and hustle are critical qualities. When invest big in a player, "love of the game" is always one of the first phrases out of their mouths. They'll take draft picks completely off their board based on poor work ethic or attitude problems.
Haynesworth has shown both. Also, it's worth noting that while Washburn seems to have a desire for the defensive tackle, the trifecta of top decision makers mentioned above has been very quiet about their potential targets. Those are the guys who will have to sign off on any move. Roseman was interviewed in the Yahoo! article and wouldn't comment on specific players. The same has been true for me every time I've spoken with Roseman this offseason.
Obviously, we can't rule anything out. The Eagles are not afraid to take chances and they always do their due diligence on all the options. I think all the talk from Banner, Roseman, Reid and even owner Jeffrey Lurie about making a big splash in the free agency and trade market is genuine. And yes, Washburn's tie to Haynesworth is important.
Every position coach would love to have as many weapons as he can handle. But there's a difference between one coach's desire and the team's executives taking action.


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Kevin Pangos went to the sideline after getting hit in the head, his 3-point duel with Travis Bader and Gonzaga's game against Oakland in doubt.
He came back to make sure both turned out fine.
Pangos scored 21 points to help the No. 15 Bulldogs to an 82-67 victory over short-handed Oakland on Sunday night.
Pangos made a steal, leading to a momentum-changing dunk by Sam Dower, got hit in the head and had to briefly leave the game with 17 minutes remaining.
He came back in and sank two 3-pointers to push the Gonzaga lead to 56-47.
"I just got kneed in the head and was in pain for a little bit," Pangos said. "It kind of woke me up, I guess."
He made five 3-pointers to match Bader, the 2012-13 NCAA leader in 3-point makes. Both were 6 of 13 overall and 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Both teams made 11 shots from behind the arc.
Dower added 15 points, Gary Bell Jr. scored 14 and Przemek Karnowski had 12 for Gonzaga (3-0).
Bader scored 22 for Oakland (0-4), Tommy McCune had 17, and Mitch Baenziger added 11 before fouling out with 3 minutes left. Oakland only had eight players because Dante Williams and Duke Mondy were suspended and sent back to Michigan.
Mitch Baenziger made Oakland's fourth 3-pointer of the second half to trim the lead to 63-55 with 7:28 left. But consecutive 3s by Pangos and Drew Barham put Gonzaga up 69-55 before Bader answered with his fifth make from behind the arc.
"I feel like I probably ran off a thousand screens tonight," Bell said of guarding Bader. "I played him as tough as I could."
The first half was close throughout, with Gonzaga's largest lead at 12 points. In Gonzaga's previous two games, the Bulldogs led by 21 points in each game at halftime.
"That was good for us," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "That's a really tough, hard-nosed team. ...They pushed us and challenged us and our guys responded and kept their composure and ended up getting it done."
Knotted at 6, Gonzaga nailed three straight 3-pointers in 65 seconds to take an early 15-9 lead. In its last game against Colorado State, Gonzaga made 14 shots from behind the arc — eight by Bell.
Pangos made two free throws after McCune was whistled for a technical foul for hanging on the rim. Karnowski made two more from the line on Gonzaga's ensuing possession to extend its lead to 21-13.
Oakland would not go away.
McCune's 3-pointer and his assist to Ralph Hill for a dunk cut the deficit to 23-18 with under 9 minutes to go. Bader's 3-pointer, the third straight Oakland make from behind the arc, made it 34-27 with 4 minutes remaining. Bader made three of Oakland's final four shots of the first half, all 3-pointers, and the Grizzlies trailed 39-30 at halftime.
With only three players on its bench, Oakland played a zone defense for much of the game.
"That's what we wanted (zone) but we couldn't just fall in love with the 3," Bell said. "We weren't making them like we were last game."
Mondy, who led the NCAA in steals (100) last season, and Williams have been suspended by the team after being arrested last Thursday in Southern California. Prosecutors declined to press charges because of a lack of evidence. A woman alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by the two men. The school it would conduct an internal investigation.
It was game four of a seven-game road swing for Oakland. The Grizzlies' first home game is against Rochester College on Nov. 30th. Oakland faced its third ranked team in four games after falling earlier in the month to No. 12 North Carolina, No. 24 UCLA, and Cal from the Pac-12. The Grizzlies still have to face Indiana and No. 2 Michigan State in December.
"We put this gauntlet schedule in front of us and we had an incident," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "I think this team has come together, we are going to get by it, through it, and I think this team is going to have a very special year."
Kampe is in his 30th season at the helm of Oakland, the third-longest tenure behind Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski. Few has been at Gonzaga for 25 years.
Gonzaga has only lost once in the month of November at the McCarthey Athletic Center, against San Diego State on Nov. 16, 2010.


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Evelyn Hofferber, 86 - October 21, 2009
Evelyn M. Hofferber, 86, of Lexington died Monday, Oct. 19, at Plum Creek Care Center in Lexington.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the First United Methodist Church in Lexington with the Rev. Todd Karges, the Rev. Stephanie Anthony and Andrew Kitzing officiating.
Burial will be held prior to the Memorial Service at Greenwood Cemetery at Lexington.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 4-6 p.m. at the Reynolds-Love Funeral Home in Lexington.
Hofferber was born May 12, 1923, at Overton to John and Nellie (Reynolds) Wissbaum.
She was a 1941 graduate of Lexington High School and went on to further her education at the University of Nebraska. After college she moved to Grand Island to work at the munitions plant and then moved to Denver for a short time.
Upon her return to Nebraska, she was united in marriage to William G. Hofferber on March 16, 1949 at Lincoln. Three daughters were blessed to this marriage—Linda, Janet and Lori.
Hofferber did not work outside the home until her youngest daughter went to college. She then worked for Westside Care Home and the Lexington Public Schools in the dietary departments.
She was a member of the First United Methodist Church where she was active in United Methodist Women, taught Sunday school and was active in circle. She was also active in 4-H when the girls were younger and the Golden Hours Extension Club.
Hofferber was always active and very social, the family said. She enjoyed quilting, reading, traveling, playing cards, crossword puzzles, and playing Scrabble. An excellent cook, Evelyn and Bill's home was the hub of many family gatherings and she would beat the socks off anyone playing cards, according to the family.
She was preceded in death by: her parents; husband, Bill; two brothers-in-law, Joe Baradics and Jay Smith; and sister-in-law Gladys Smith.
Survivors include her daughters—Linda (Don) Anthony of Lexington, Janet (Norman) Nott of Grand Island and Lori (Kim) Kitzing of Gothenburg; nine grandchildren—Phillip (Stephanie) Anthony of Hudson, WI; Kirsten (Andy) Trachsel of Athens, OH; David Anthony of Lincoln; Christine Nott of Omaha; Kyle Nott of Cairo; Kari (Cory) Williams of Boston, MA; Andrew (fiancé Lori Lepelletier) Kitzing of Berkeley, CA; Amy Kitzing of Marysville, KS; and Adam Kitzing of Lincoln; three great-grandchildren—Karoline and William Anthony of Hudson, WI, and Andersen Trachsel of Athens, OH; sister-in-law Dorothy Baradics of Clearwater, FL.
Memorials are suggested to the First United Methodist Church or the Dawson County 4-H Foundation.
Reynolds-Love Funeral Home in Lexington is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be directed to: reynoldslovefuneralhome.com.
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Dropped Out: Kim Kardashian Calls Kanye West The Best Artist Of The Decade And Gets SLANDERED!
- By Bossip Staff
1 of 15
Kim Kardashian Celebrates 'College Dropout'
Today is the 10th anniversary of Kanye West's College Dropout so you know that Kim Kardashian was ready to support her man. She sent this Instagram message congratulating her boo thang.
Naturally, Twitter showed no mercy on Kim and her congratulations. Things got ugly really fast.


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Pickup Truck Taken from Near Cass Home
Investigators Looking for Answers
Pickup Truck Taken from Near Cass Home
Investigators Looking for Answers
Investigators trying to determine what caused the death of an 11-year-old New Hampshire girl have taken away a silver pickup truck that had been parked near her home.
On Wednesday morning, investigators were focusing their attention on the Stewartstown home of Celina Cass.
The girl had been missing for a week before her body was found Monday in the Connecticut River. An autopsy didn't immediately provide the cause and manner of death, which is being treated as suspicious.
Meanwhile, Jeanine Brady, a family friend and the employer of Celina's mother, says the girl's body has been turned over to the family and a service is being planned. Brady won't say where or when the service would be held. She says it will be private.


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R0 Rockbox Theme: lebellium Samsung-like
Here is the 1st RB theme dedicated to the R0 (of course the themes for Toshiba Gigabeat/Sansa Fuze+ also work on R0 since it's the same screen resolution)
v 0.82:
This theme is inspired from the R0 now playing screen that I like pretty much. I just changed and added some things that I really miss in the official firmware.
So you'll find like on the now playing screen from the official firmware:
-Big album art
-Random picture when no album art
-Volume graphic bar
What's more here:
- Thicker progress bar (7px height vs 3px in the official firmware)
- File codec and bitrate
- Numeric volume
- 12 OR 24hrs clock
- Playlist position
- Mini-player while navigating in the menus
- Album year
- Accurate colored battery indicator
Known issues:
- it's possible the album art only displays in the mini-player and not on the while playing screen after installing this theme. I guess that's partly due to the RB theme engine limitations. It can't load properly complex codes like mine.
However, initializing the database seems to fix this issue, then the album art displays properly.
You can download it here http://themes.rockbox.org/index.php?themeid=1806 or in attachment.
Version 1.67 - March, 28th 2013
- Fix battery indicator code
- FM radio: Fix signal strength code
- Code cleanup
Version 1.65 - March, 14th 2013
- Enable the graphical volume bar in the menus for targets with dedicated volume buttons (Fuze+ for example)
- Mini-player: Display first and second directory from end of file path if no artist and album id3tags
- Add recording icon
- FM radio: Re-enable RDS text scrolling
- Code cleanup
Version 1.60 - November, 20th 2012
- FM radio: New signal strength icons
- While Playing Screen: Display first and second directory from end of file path if no artist and album id3tags
- While Playing Screen: Add scrolling for longer File Codecs (ex: AAC-HE)
- Add numeric battery indicator that displays in Stop, Pause and FM modes. In "Play" status the playlist position displays instead
- Theme files renamed from "lebellium Samsung-like" to "lebellium_Samsung-like"
- Code cleanup
- Remove useless spaces from various icons to save some bytes
Version 1.50 - March, 25th 2012
- The UI (menu) viewport finally displays full screen when the mini-player is OFF! (code rewrite to include the latest skins engine improvements)
- Flashing battery indicator when low battery
- Doesn't display repeat/shuffle mode indicators as well as the playlist position in the menus status bar in recording and FM radio modes.
- FM radio: stereo icon redesigned
- FM radio: displays the preset name in scan mode too (if no RDS data)
- FM radio: doesn't display "searching..." if the tuner is not tuned but the RDS name or preset name is displayed
- FM radio: displays flashing "No Preset" instead of "/0" if preset mode enabled while there is no preset.
Version 1.01 - January, 8th 2012
- Fix this coding mistake: the battery indicator doesn't show up when battery is full
Version 1.00 - December, 11th 2011
- First release on http://themes.rockbox.org/
- Uses the new default rockbox icons
- Changes the background color of the status bar viewports so that it doesn't look too ugly when using the text_viewer for example
- Enlarges the menu viewport by 5px
- Enlarges the clock viewport by 2px so that time display is not cut off anymore
- Enlarges the mini-player viewport by 4px
Version 0.91 - December, 4th 2011
- FM UI added
- FM radio added to mini-player
- Font change (Nimbus replaced by DroidSans-Bold)
- Adds "dB" after the numeric volume when repeat mode is OFF
- Resizes the height of the volume bar so that it doesn't cut the characters from the artist name and file bitrate
Version 0.82 - November, 11th 2011
- First public release
Your feedbacks are welcomed
I'm French^^ *GenerationMP3 Samsung Moderator*
Last edited by lebellium; 03-28-2013 at 06:01 PM.
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Happy Birthday to Professor Stephen Hawking, who today celebrates his 70th birthday!
Hawking made a surprise appearance in the spring of 2003 on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brian'. Jim Carrey asked him if he would take part in a comedy sketch for the show. Hawking accepted and taped webcam footage. On the show, Carrey began discussing cosmology, and on cue Hawking called him on a cellphone, admonishing Carrey not to bother because "their pea brains cannot possible grasp the concept." He soon after excused himself, saying that he had to go because he was watching Carrey's movie "Dumb and Dumber", and "marveling at the pure genius of it." Hawking later hosted Jim at his home in Cambridge.


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Who'da thunk it?
Young buyers may love Camaros and Mustangs, but when it comes to smaller cars, American brands have traditionally played second best to imports.
But the Chevrolet Spark minicar is proving much more successful, bucking all the trends. It's even stealing plenty of buyers off its rivals.
The clue is in the age of many Spark buyers–almost a third are under 35. While their parents may not have been keen on American small cars, Generation Y 'Millenial' buyers have it way better–and Spark sales are igniting.
Chevy's survey also suggests that nearly 54 percent of Spark sales are the all-important 'conquest sales'. That means buyers are defecting from other brands to buy the Spark–and more than a fifth of Spark buyers are coming from an import brand.
Over half of Sparks are bought by women, while nearly a quarter of buyers are choosing the spicy Salsa Red you see in the image above–the same color as our recent test car.
In that test, the Spark achieved some impressive gas mileage figures too, against its EPA-rated 34 mpg combined.
While a small gas tank hampered range, we saw economy of over 35 mpg in a mix of freeway, town and country routes. As driving gets ever more expensive, the appeal of a small, fuel-efficient model is growing–particularly for younger buyers.
Fuel economy and price to value are proving the two most important purchasing factors for early Spark buyers–and we can see plenty more following in their footsteps. Indeed, the Spark has been selling well since its early months.
Over 12,000 have been sold in the U.S. since last summer. As availability expands into all 50 states, that should improve further.
This article originally appeared at Green Car Reports.


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Oct 10, 2010 at 6:07 am
South Bend, eh? I'll bet you may have seen a Studebaker or two going around the proving grounds? I'm also a yankee transplant. Moved to SC from LaPorte. Welcome to the site, Sue!
Oct 9, 2010 at 8:35 am
Hello! nice car you have
Oct 5, 2010 at 7:14 am
This site is Awesome! I'm so glad I found it.


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If you like our themes, please don't forget to rate it. This helps us a lot
Template ID : OPC060145
Bag Shop Opencart Template is designed for bag, fashion and clothes store. Bag Shop Opencart Template is looking great with colors. All sub pages are customized. It is very nice with its clean and professional look.
- OpenCart Version 1.5.6.x, 184.108.40.206, 18.104.22.168, 188.8.131.52, 22.214.171.124, 220.127.116.11, 2.2.0.x, 2.3.0.x
- HTML5 and CSS3
- Fully RESPONSIVE Theme
- Using Google Fonts
- Support Multiple Language
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- Full PSD files supplied
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- Well-structured and commented code for easy customization
- Full user guide documentation to help you installing and utilizing the theme
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10 Jan 2014
Initial Release


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The Connell Life Skills and Livestock Center at Boysville, 8555 E. Loop 1604 in Converse, will be the site of a multi-county beef cattle field day on May 5.
The 2007 Bexar/Guadalupe/Comal County Beef Cattle Field Day, presented by Texas Cooperative Extension, will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m.
The cost of the event is $10, which includes registration and lunch.
Three continuing education units will be offered: two general units and one unit in laws and regulations.
Program topics will include pasture management, beef cattle nutrient requirements and drought feeding strategies, economics of hay production, pesticide laws and regulations, and cattle market trends.
"This field day will give those in the beef cattle industry a good look at many important issues and challenges they face as producers," said Jerry Warren, Extension agent for agriculture in Bexar County. "With the difficulties producers have – such as what happens to cattle production during times of drought – it pays for them to learn all they can about the factors affecting their industry. At this field day, attendees will be exposed to a lot of information and many strategies they can apply to their own operations."
For more information and reservations, call Annette Pawelek at the Extension office in Bexar County, 210-467-6575. The deadline is May 2.


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National Foster Care Month
Will you join us in prayer?
Imagine all your belongings in a single trash bag. Imagine not knowing where you will lay your head tomorrow night. This is the life of some children living in foster care.
May is National Foster Care Month. God's heart breaks for the over 400,000 children and youth living in foster care. We urge you to commit time in May for praying for these precious lives that matter most to the One who created them. A vigil isn't really about candles or staying up late or a big special event. Instead, it's about concentrated, heartfelt prayer. It's a chance to petition God to move in our world.
To help walk you through various prayer points, we're excited to offer you a free downloadable prayer guide. You could even pray for a different focus each week of May. We encourage you to use this prayer guide personally or with friends or family.
Thank you in advance for spending time in prayer on behalf of the least of these.


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USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the availability of more than $18 million in grants to help train, educate and enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP).
"Beginning farmers and ranchers are critical to creating rural prosperity in the United States, but they face unique challenges and require education and assistance to ensure their profitability and sustainability," said Roger Beachy, NIFA director. "These grants will provide training the America's next generation of farmers and ranchers need to succeed."
BFRDP is an education, training, technical assistance and outreach program designed to help U.S. farmers and ranchers – specifically those who have been farming or ranching for 10 years or less. NIFA will make grants available to organizations to design programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers. Project results are expected to be disseminated widely to all farmers. Proposals are due April 6, and applications are available at www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/beginningfarmerandrancher.cfm.
This is the second year of the program, established by the Section 7410 of the 2008 farm bill. The program will also make $18 million in awards available in fiscal years 2011 and 2012. In FY 2009, BFRDP made 29 awards for approximately $17 million.
Priority will be given to projects that are partnerships and collaborations led by or including nongovernmental and community-based organizations with expertise in new agricultural producer training and outreach. All applicants are required to provide funds or in-kind support from non-federal sources in an amount that is at least equal to 25 percent of the federal funds requested.
In fiscal year 2010, only standard projects and a few educational enhancement teams will be funded. All projects will be limited to three years. Budget requests in the proposals must not exceed $250,000 per year. For standard projects, NIFA is looking for proposals in these areas:
• Mentoring, apprenticeships and internships
• Resources and referrals
• Assisting beginning farmers or ranchers in acquiring land from retiring farmers and ranchers
• Innovative farm and ranch transfer strategies
• Entrepreneurship and business training
• Model land leasing contracts
• Financial management training
• Whole farm planning
• Conservation assistance
• Risk management education
• Diversification and marketing strategies
• Curriculum development
• Understanding the impact of concentration and globalization
• Basic livestock and crop farming practices
• Acquisition and management of agricultural credit
• Environmental compliance
• Information processing
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. More information is at: www.nifa.usda.gov.


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Hartsville, S.C. – With a 41 point second half come back, the Coker Lady Cobras brought home their first win of the season on Tuesday night, defeating Morris College, 76-63. The win improves Coker to 1-1 on the year, while Morris evens their record at 3-3.
The Hornets came out firing and used the inside presence of Erica Wilkerson to rack up some easy points and take as much as a ten point lead in the first half. Then in the final three minutes, Lotta Aaltonen (Rauma, Finland) and Heidi Rienstra (Brockville Ontario) combined for 11 points to bring the Lady Cobras to within just a point as they entered halftime.
In the second half, Coker returned right where they left off at the end of the first, as Aaltonen and fellow countryman, Henna Koponen (Vantaa, Finland) turned up the heat and the defense, leading Coker as they shot 54.8 percent from the floor, while holding the Hornets to just 33.3 percent.
Koponen finished the game with 20 points, as the Lady Cobras leading scorer, while Aaltonen had 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. Senior Jessica Hayes (Beaufort, SC) chipped in 11 points and team leading seven rebounds, with Megan Thomas (Cresskill, NJ) dishing out six assists.
For Morris, Wilkerson was the leading point getter with 22 points, while Tyneshia Eaddy had double-double, netting 15 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.
The Lady Cobras return to the floor on Saturday, Nov. 22, as they travel to Charleston, SC, to face their second of three Division I schools this season. Coker will face Charleston Southern at 5:30 p.m.


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What to CookAmanda & Merrill
Beet Greens and Beet Pickles
- Amanda
Thrifty in the kitchen. Generous at the table. That would be the cooking mantra I grew up with.
If you bought beets, you'd use both the tops and the roots. Here I'd like to share two beet recipes my mother and grandmother have been making this summer. When I was visiting my mother in Florida, she whipped up a batch of gingered beet pickles every couple of days, and served them with sandwiches at lunch, and on burger night. They come from Matt Lee and Ted Lee's latest book The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern.
My grandmother, who also makes the Lee Bros. pickles, steams beet greens in water and dresses them with a little balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. The sour cream dressing is one she makes for salads. I combined the two. Because isn't that what's supposed to happen to family recipes?
Warm Beet Greens with Sour Cream Dressing
Adapted from Helen Getz, my grandmother
Serves 2 to 4
- 1/2 cup sour cream (not lowfat)
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Greens from 2 bunches (8 to 10) medium beets, trimmed and washed
See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.
Adapted from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern by Matt Lee and Ted Lee
Makes 1 quart
- One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch thick disks
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/4 pound beets, peeled and very thinly sliced (using a mandoline, if you have one)
See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.
At my grandmother's table with my husband, kids, and sister, Rhonda. My mother, in the kitchen of our old house.


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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Romanian committee investigating crimes committed in the name of communism has asked the general prosecutor to bring charges of aggravated murder against a prison commander for the deaths of six political prisoners.
From 1956 to 1963, Lt. Col. Alexandru Visinescu, now 87, ran the notorious Ramnicu Sarat prison where Romania's pre-communist political leaders were incarcerated.
Andrei Muraru, head of the institute investigating communist crimes, said prisoners died from beatings, hunger, a lack of medical treatment and exposure to cold. It plans to hand a total of 35 files to prosecutors.
Visinescu, speaking to journalists near his Bucharest home Tuesday, rejected the claims and said he was only doing his job. He cursed and took a swipe at a cameraman.
Romania had 617,000 political prisoners. One-fifth of them died.


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Save on your favorite Icom Amateur radios from April 1st thru June 30th 2018.
Purchases must be made at an Authorized Icom Dealer.
The IC-2730A provides VHF/VHF, UHF/UHF simultaneous receive
capability as well as VHF/UHF receive. Main dials, volume, squelch
knobs and primal buttons are symmetrically laid out for each band.
The display size of the IC-2730A is 1.5 times larger its predecessor, the IC-2720H. Frequency display and channel names are larger, and
the white backlight provides higher contrast.
The combination of the optional
MBF-1 suction cup mounting base
and MBA-5 controller bracket provides
easy tilt and swivel adjustments.
The large suction cup can
be mounted on flat surfaces and
can be removed easily.
The IC-2730A employs a durable PA module
and delivers 50 watts of high power operation
on both VHF and UHF bands.
The CTCSS and DTCS tones are built-in
for quiet stand-by and repeater access. The
split tone function allows you to set CTCSS/
DTCS tones separately for repeater uplink
and downlink on a per channel basis.
With the optional MBA-4 combination bracket,
the controller can be attached to the main
unit. The microphone jacks are mounted on
both the controller and main unit.
The IC-2730A covers 118174 and 375
550MHz. You will be able to listen to aviation,
marine, weather channels and other utility
*1 Guaranteed range, 144148, 430450MHz, *2 144148, 430440MHz
10°C to +60°C; 14°F to +140°F
Frequency stability
±3ppm (10°C
to +60°)
Power supply requirement:
1.8A/1.2A (Max. audio/Stand-by)
TPE version
All stated specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation.
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