text:
Hyundai is really stepping up its game
these days with fuel efficient vehicles like the 2011
Sonata family and the 2011
Elantra. Likewise, Hyundai is looking to make waves with its Kia
brand as well. Kia today unveiled its 2011
Optima Hybrid which will join a field of competitors that include
the Ford
Fusion Hybrid and the Toyota
Camry Hybrid.
The Kia Optima Hybrid uses the same
powertrain as its platform-mate, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. As a
result, the vehicle features a 166hp 2.4-liter gasoline engine which
is used in conjunction with a 40hp electric motor. The electric motor
is fed by a 96-pound lithium-ion battery pack which is mounted in the
rear of the vehicle.
Thanks to its hybrid powertrain, the
relatively lightweight (at 3,490 pounds) Optima Hybrid is expected to
achieve EPA numbers of 36 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.
This compares favorably to the Fusion hybrid which is rated at 41/36
and the Camry Hybrid which is rated at 31/35."Kia Motors is aggressively expanding its green car investments and R&D in much the same way we committed ourselves to the quality and design innovations over the last decade that have fueled our dramatic brand transformation," said Kia VP of Marketing Michael Sprague. "By adding our first-ever hybrid in the U.S. to the Optima lineup we are providing consumers with three powerful and fuel-efficient powertrain choices, and continuing Kia's philosophy of offering stylish, value-packed vehicles with outstanding fuel efficiency."
There is currently no pricing available
for the KIA Optima Hybrid, but the vehicle is expected to be released
sometime next year.


text:
State of Affairs: Rhode Island Credit Unions Flounder
Despite shedding jobs, cutting pay, trimming benefits, curbing services and expanding the tax base, the state of Rhode Island is in deep financial trouble, and credit unions there are doing their best to stay afloat.
Rhode Island's credit unions reported a soggy 38 basis points worth of profit during first-quarter 2012, according to the NCUA's Quarterly U.S. Map Review, well below the national ROA average of 86 basis points. But in spite of the gloomy outlook, things aren't completely underwater in the Ocean State.
"We have a lot of challenges in this state," said Karl Kozak, president/CEO of the $1.3 billion Pawtucket Credit Union in Pawtucket, R.I. "Tough times are still in our face, but we have a good charter and we've had some positive growth this year. We're hopeful."
With an ROA of 0.70% as of June 30, Kozak is steering his credit union forward and opening new branches, two in 2011 and one more this year. Surprisingly, with the state's unemployment rate at 10.7%, PCU hasn't had any layoffs ever, and the credit union was recently awarded first place, for the second consecutive year, in the Providence Business News best places to work in Rhode Island survey. "This program is the gold standard for recognizing businesses that value their employees," Kozak said. "In our 85-year history, there's never been a layoff. We continue to expand and that has a lot to do with our employees. Our employees are our most valuable asset."
Pawtucket's delinquency rates have improved from 0.14% as of June 30, 2011 to 0.05% one year later. The credit union also boasts a 12-month loan growth of 3.97% as of June 30, mostly as a result of positive real estate lending, commercial lending and indirect boat lending, Kozak said.
"I don't have a magic bullet, but we have a strong collection department and a strong loan and share ratio," Kozak said. "We're going to find ways to get through this."
Charge-offs among Rhode Island's federally insured credit unions was 0.46% as of June 30, well below the national average of 0.75%. Delinquencies are below national averages, with Rhode Island reporting 0.92% of total loans delinquent as of June 30 compared to 1.2% nationally, according to the NCUA's latest statistics. That's heartening news because the smallest state in the country is still struggling big time with the highest foreclosure rate in New England.
During the 12-months ended July 31, Rhode Island reported 2,664 foreclosures, according to CoreLogic, the Santa Ana, Calif.-based real estate data firm. Rhode Island's foreclosure inventory was 2.9% during July, compared with 3.2% in July 2011.
Turning Rhode Island's economy around, erasing the state's rating as a bad place to do business, and finding innovative methods to attract job creators to this New England state is going to take time.
"Rhode Island continues to struggle with one of the most challenging economic climates we have ever faced," said Gov. Lincoln Chafee. "Rhode Islanders are hurting, struggling to make ends meet. We knew, however, that problems decades in the making would not be solved overnight."
Although Rhode Island continues to face daunting challenges, the governor said he is confident the state's our ability to make the right decisions, no matter how difficult. We want to make forward looking investments that will bring about a brighter future for our great state," he said.
For the $1.3 billion Navigant Credit Union, an ROA of 0.34% does not exactly spell recovery. Contributing to a low ROA is Navigant's loans-to-assets ratio, which at 65% as of June 30 is lower than the state average of nearly 69% but higher than the peer average of 59%.
"Navigant has a larger investment portfolio, and this results in lower income," said Navigant President/CEO Gary Furtado. "Navigant prides itself on its high-touch personal service model, which translates into a higher cost structure."
Delinquencies rates have gone up since last year, from 0.95% as of June 30, 2011 to 1.03% one year later, but Furtado said that on the positive side, Navigant doesn't have any sub-prime loans on its books.
"We were not adversely affected at the beginning of the recession. Rhode Island has had, and continues to have, a very high unemployment rate of roughly 12%," he said. "The prolonged unemployment is now affecting our members and their ability to repay."
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin last month announced a $1.6 million grant that will help prevent or delay foreclosure on an estimated 1,800 homes in the state.
The grant for Rhode Island Legal Services came from the state's portion of a national mortgage settlement between five of the nation's largest mortgage providers and attorneys general nationwide. Rhode Island Legal Services can assist homeowners facing foreclosure in bankruptcy court, provide housing and foreclosure prevention counseling, negotiate with lenders on loan modifications and file lawsuits against predatory lenders.
Kilmartin said the money is essential because many Rhode Islanders cannot afford to hire a private attorney to help them fight foreclosure. He said more grants from Rhode Island's $8.9 million portion of the national settlement will soon be announced.
Recovery in the housing market would mean good news for Navigant's real estate loan portfolio, which is performing well and contributed to the credit unions 14% loan growth figure last year. Furtado said his credit union has always been a very active real estate lender.
"In this low interest environment, real estate loans, including first mortgages, home equities and lines of credit, continue to be strong," he said. Commercial mortgage loans are also strong, he said.
Keeping with a philosophy of returning value to members, Navigant maintains competitive rates and low fees, with fee income that is much lower than peers, Furtado added.
We've skated through the foreclosure crisis and we've only had 12 foreclosures out of an $800 million portfolio," he said. "In this economy, I would have to say we've done very well."
Navigant has been a state chartered community based financial institution since its inception in 1915 and brands itself as a community banking partner. Furtado said the credit union has been active in and supportive of all the communities in which it serves.
In spite of the economy, Navigant's strong financial position has supported a growth strategy that includes adding new branches and employees over the last several years. Furtado said he plans to continue to experience strong membership growth, deposit growth and loan growth.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sodium Phosphate Bowel Cleanser/ACE Inhibitors; ARBs Interactions
This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.
Medical warning:
Serious. These medicines may interact and cause very harmful effects. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.
How the interaction occurs:
When sodium phosphate is used to cleanse the bowel (generally done before certain medical procedures such as a colonoscopy) and you are taking an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) Inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), it may increase your risk of kidney damage.
What might happen:
You may develop a condition called acute phosphate nephropathy, which may decrease your kidney function. Symptoms include malaise, lethargy, drowsiness, decreased urine production, and swelling of the ankles, feet, and legs.
What you should do about this interaction:
Make sure your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) know that you are taking these medicines together. Prior to using sodium phosphate to prepare for your procedure, let your doctor know if you have a history of kidney problems; have used a laxative for constipation in the previous week; use diuretics, ACE inhibitors or ARBs (medicines for blood pressure), or NSAIDs; or have active colitis or delayed bowel emptying. Drink lots of clear liquids before, during, and after your procedure. After your procedure, let your doctor know if you develop malaise, lethargy, drowsiness, decreased urine production, and swelling of the ankles, feet, and legs.Your healthcare professionals may already be aware of this interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.
- 1.Anonymous. Food and Drug Administration Science Background Paper: Acute Phosphate Nephropathy and Renal Failure Associated With the Use of Oral Sodium Phosphate Bowel Cleansing Products. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/drugs/drugsafety/postmarketdrugsafetyinformat ionforpatientsandproviders/ucm161579.pdf Downloaded December 15, 2008..
- 2.Anonymous. Information for Healthcare Professionals: Oral Sodium Phosphate (OSP) Products for Bowel Cleansing (marketed as Visicol and OsmoPrep, and oral sodium phosphate products available without a prescription). Available at: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPati entsandProviders/ucm126084.htm Accessed December 15, 2008..
- 3.Anonymous. Oral Sodium Phosphate (OSP) Actions. Questions and Answers. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPati entsandProviders/ucm103383.htm Accessed December 15, 2008..
- 4.Barclay RL, Depew WT, Vanner SJ. Carbohydrate-electrolyte rehydration protects against intravascular volume contraction during colonic cleansing with orally administered sodium phosphate. Gastrointest Endosc 2002 Nov; 56(5):633-8.
- 5.Tjandra JJ, Tagkalidis P. Carbohydrate-electrolyte (E-Lyte) solution enhances bowel preparation with oral fleet phospho-soda. Dis Colon Rectum 2004 Jul;47(7):1181-6.
- 6.Brunelli SM, Lewis JD, Gupta M, Latif SM, Weiner MG, Feldman HI. Risk of kidney injury following oral phosphosoda bowel preparations. J Am Soc Nephrol 2007 Dec;18(12):3199-205.
- 7.Markowitz GS, Stokes MB, Radhakrishnan J, D'Agati VD. Acute phosphate nephropathy following oral sodium phosphate bowel purgative: an underrecognized cause of chronic renal failure. J Am Soc Nephrol 2005 Nov; 16(11):3389-96.
- 8.USFood and Drug Administration. FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA warns of possible harm from exceeding recommended dose of over-the-counter sodium phosphate products to treat constipation. available at: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm380757.htm January 8, 2014.


text:
continually try to fight counterfeit and pirated material, but often fall short
of successfully making a difference in stopping this billion-dollar industry.
Counterfeiters are willing to steal anything from cash and tech products to
gas, oil and cigarettes that consumers are mistakenly purchasing under the
misconception of receiving real products.
Investigators in China are looking into a counterfeit Apple store that closely
mimics a legitimate Apple store in other parts of the world. The store is
located in Kunming and isn't identified as an authorized Apple retailer, and
police investigators visited the store. From blogger photos and on-site
investigation, even the employees wore identical Apple employee t-shirts you'd
see in any other Apple store.
Ironically, the demand for counterfeit goods could generate larger business revenue for Apple,
if the company wants to promote legal products. A real iPad 2 can be
purchased for up to $499, and in other parts of China can reach almost $600 in
price, with counterfeiters able to draw in shoppers by offering lower-cost
Other tech companies have adjusted price scales depending how prevalent pirated
and stolen property is in China and other parts of the world, while also
creating anti-counterfeit investigation teams.
Although it would seem unbelievable, similar faked stores have opened to sell
counterfeit clothing and other consumer goods -- both inside China's borders,
and across the world, including into the United States.
Consumers often ignore counterfeiting as solely a corporate problem, but
companies warn everyone plays a role. When shoppers head into
neighborhoods to purchase fake handbags or movies, they understand it's a faked
product; however, consumers purchasing counterfeit goods are being deceived
into thinking it's a legitimate product.
Anti-counterfeit efforts have greatly increased by US federal authorities and
across the world -- and it's not just the Chinese government that has to face
this growing problem. Authorities have discovered counterfeit goods can
be significantly more profitable than drugs, with higher profit value and lower
risk of jail time when caught.
A recent counterfeit smuggling ring based in China was busted making more than 11 million fake cigarettes with an
estimated street value of almost $5M. These cigarettes were aimed for the
UK market, but increasing tobacco tax in the United States also makes it a
lucrative market for fake cigarettes.
Furthermore, counterfeit issues also plague medical patients trying to purchase
real medications that are brought in from Mexico, South America, and other
parts of the world. Another recent epidemic includes fake consumer
electronics that lead to hardware failure and electrical fires. US
investigators are most worried about these types of products being sold over
the Internet, brought into the country, and otherwise hitting the streets due
to public safety issues.
Companies from multiple industries plan to battle counterfeit goods, and
actively assist police and federal authorities, as billions of dollars are up
for grabs by sometimes clever criminals. These companies also are trying
to launch education efforts to help consumers to pay attention to the products
they purchase, and where these items are reportedly coming from.


text:
Colorado continues to lag behind the national average in per pupil education funding, according to updated figures released last month.
The numbers aren't current - they are based on 2009-10 data - but are the most recent available for comparing all 50 states.
In 2010, educating the average public school student in Colorado cost upwards of $9,300 a year. The national average, by comparison, was approximately $11,800. The figures again put Colorado in the lower tier - 42nd out of 50 states and the District of Columbia. Vermont spent the most, at about $19,000. Utah, meanwhile, is the most frugal, doling out just $7,000 per pupil.
The updated statistics were part of Quality Counts 2013, a report issued by the national publication Education Week.
The funding gap has grown over the last decade. In 2003, Colorado trailed the national average by only $550. As of 2010, the disparity had widened to $2,500.
Among its Mountain West and Great Plains neighbors, Colorado spends less than New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana and Wyoming. On the other hand, it outspends Arizona, Nevada and Utah - all of which are in the bottom five.
Education Week's numbers differ from those of the U.S. Census Bureau because they account for the comparable wage index, a measure of regional variation in labor and operating costs.
The census from 2010 showed that Colorado spent $8,853 - 40th in the nation - compared to a national average of $10,615. These numbers did not include any cost adjustments.
In the two years following 2009-10, education funds were slashed even further before stabilizing this year.
K-12 education represents the single biggest line item in Colorado's General Fund budget. Of the $5.3 billion it is spending on public schools in fiscal year 2012-13, almost two-thirds comes from state income and sales taxes. The rest is derived from local property taxes, and a small percentage from vehicle registration taxes. The federal government pitches in money as well.
When that $5.3 billion is averaged between Colorado's 850,000 plus students, it amounts to $6,474 per pupil. But all districts aren't treated equally. Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 is receiving $6,138 this year, according to chief financial officer Melissa Brunner. The base minimum the state must contribute is $5,843. Low property values in Montezuma County, in turn, limit the amount of cash available to supplement state funding, said superintendent Alex Carter. He added that Telluride School District R-1, where he previously worked, had a per pupil expenditure of about $9,800.
In some states, court rulings have mandated that legislatures increase education spending. Wyoming, for example, placed low on the funding list until a state Supreme Court decision in 1995 catapulted it into the top echelon. It now spends a full $9,500 more per pupil than Colorado, by Quality Counts' numbers.
Colorado has a similar case progressing through the court system: Lobato v. Colorado, first filed in 2005. In Dec. 2011, the Denver District Court ruled that Colorado's model for financing education was unconstitutional. Judge Sheila Rappaport deemed the level of funding inadequate to provide a "thorough and uniform" public school education - as the constitution requires - and to implement the state's standards-based curriculum.
But judicial and public opinion seem to be at odds.
Just a month prior, Colorado voters rejected, by a 2-1 margin, a ballot measure that would have raised taxes to boost education funding by $3 billion. The Taxpayer's Bill of Rights amendment, enshrined in the Colorado constitution since 1993, prohibits any tax increase without voter approval.
Subpar funding has many ramifications for students, according to Tracie Rainey, executive director of the Colorado School Finance Project.
"Class sizes are larger. We have more school districts on a four-day week than any other state. There are fewer course offerings outside core subjects. (Districts) are unable to change the academic calendar to expand class time," she said. "Our teacher salaries are about 10 percent below the national average when adjusted for cost-of-living, making it harder to attract and retain the best and brightest."
Access across districts to updated textbooks and broadband connectivity can also be inconsistent, she added.
For all the K-12 funding constraints, Colorado adults are among the country's most educated. The state ranks behind only Massachusetts and Maryland for percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher, at 36.7 percent, according to the financial news website 24/7 Wall St.
Carter believes K-12 education, at current funding levels, isn't preparing students well enough for Colorado's cerebral workforce.
"Colorado is a net importer of intellectual capital. Look at Denver - it's full of transplants," he said. "If Colorado parents really want our children to be competitive in the future, we will have to take a serious look at how we fund our public schools."


text:
Capital Punishment in the United States, 1973-2003 (ICPSR 4404)
Principal Investigator(s): United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics
This data collection provides annual data on prisoners under a sentence of death and prisoners whose offense sentences were commuted or vacated during the period 1973-2003. Information is supplied for basic sociodemographic characteristics such as age, sex, education, and state of incarceration. Criminal history data include prior felony convictions for criminal homicide and legal status at the time of the capital offense. Additional information is available for inmates removed from death row by year-end 2003 and for inmates who were executed.
Access Notes
One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions ; consult the restrictions note to learn more. You can apply online for access to the restricted-use data. A login is required to apply.
Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.
Any public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
This dataset is maintained and distributed by the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD), the criminal justice archive within ICPSR. NACJD is primarily sponsored by three agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice: the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Study Description
United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Capital Punishment in the United States, 1973-2003. ICPSR04404-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2008-11-04. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04404.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04404.v1
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: capital punishment, commuted sentences, criminal histories, death row inmates, demographic characteristics, executions, felony offenses, prison inmates, sentencing, states (USA)
Geographic Coverage: United States
- 1973--2003
- 2003
Universe: All inmates on death row since 1972 in the United States.
The inmate identification numbers were assigned by the Bureau of the Census and have no purpose outside this data collection.
official prison records
Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 2006-03-17
- 2008-11-04 Minor edits were made to the metadata.
- 2008-10-27 All parts are being moved to restricted access and will be available only using the restricted access procedures.
Related Publications
Export Options: RIS/EndNote
Export Options: RIS/EndNote
Metadata Exports
- Citations exports are provided above.
Export Study-level metadata (does not include variable-level metadata)
If you're looking for collection-level metadata rather than an individual metadata record, please visit our Metadata Records page.


text:
Welcome to 3PeasPrints!
This fairy birthday invitation card design is customized with your information and e-mailed to you as a jpeg so that you can have it printed any way you'd like! In fact you can even choose your little fairy's hair color!
-How it Works-
1. CHOOSE and PURCHASE your favorite design.
Visit my shop to see all my designs http://3PeasPrints.etsy.com (contact me first if you would like a custom design)
Email your size choice 4x6 or 5x7, fairy hair color, & ALL wording/details to threepeasprints [!at] yahoo.com. Please put your Etsy user name in the subject of the email. Fonts and font color can also be changed to make exactly what you want it to look like.
Once I receive your cleared payment & custom info, I will work on your design and email you a proof within 24-48 hrs. I will make revisions until you're completely satisfied
Once the proof is approved I will send you a high resolution image to print anywhere you would like.
It's as easy as that!
COORDINATING ITEMS are also available and include: Party Circles, Favor Tags, Invites, Banners, Napkin Rings, Candy Bar Wraps, & Water Bottle Wraps!
Designer Credit: Kay Miller Designs
Please convo me if you have any questions. Thanks for visiting my shop!
***If you want to save time I also offer printing services (5x7 only). Take a look at the printing section of my shop for prices. https://www.etsy.com/shop/3PeasPrints?section_id=13241211
Please contact me to find out when this item will be ready to ship.
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Request a cancellation within: 3 hours of purchase
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
I will only use your shipping and billing address, and contact information


text:
Hello,Thank you for contacting us with regard to the name in your GoogleProfile. It looks like you have deleted your Google Profile, and thus weare unable to take further action on your request for us to review thename in your profile.Sincerely,RickyThe Google Profiles Support Team
Dear Google, I would like to bring to your attention a few things before I disconnect permanently from all of your services.On July 15 2011 you turned off my entire Google account. You had absolutely no reason to do this, despite your automated message telling me your system "perceived a violation." I did not violate any Terms of Service, either Google's or account specific ToS, and your refusal to provide me with any proof otherwise makes me absolutely certain of this. And I would like to bring to your attention how much damage your carelessness has done.My Google account was tied to nearly every product Google has developed, meaning that I lost everything in those accounts as well. I was also in the process of consolidating everything into my one Google account. (…)
Hi everyone,We've seen some complaints regarding profile suspensions, and I want to let you know how to solve this problem. Typically this problem occurs when you edit your name in a way that we no longer accept. In these situations, you may find that your name requires review to confirm that it complies with our Community Standards:When creating or updating your Google Profile, you may find that your entered name requires review to confirm that it complies with our Community Standards:1) You'll be prompted to request a review during the sign-up flow, this will lead to it being reviewed by our team. 2) After 24 hours, your profile will either be live or require further appeal.3) To request further appeal, click on the link to our appeal form from your Google Profile. Here, you can provide additional information to support the claim that you are using a name in compliance with our policy. 4) Once you file the second appeal your profile will be handled via 1-to-1 communication with Google.To ensure the success of your appeal, please make sure you are adhering to our Community Standards:


text:
Webcasts of hearings
Association of citizens "Radko" and Paunkovski v. "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (no. 74651/01)
Chamber hearing - 19 June 2008
Webcasts by State
The interpretation of the Court's public hearings serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech is authentic. No liability shall be incurred by the interpreter in the exercise of his/her function.
Webcast Help
Please note:
- The webcasts of morning hearings will be available from 2.30pm the same day
- Some documents may only be available in one language


text:
Intel Corp.'s (INTC)
was quick to brag on dramatic process improvements that would propel its Atom
chips to new levels of performance during its keynote at Computex 2011 in Taiwan. The
company says it will leverage its die shrink lead on Core brand CPUs to push
yearly die shrinks for Atom over the next couple years, hitting the 14 nm node a couple years
before ARM manufacturers. And it says it will deploy its new tri-gate
transistors at the Atom's 22 nm node in 2013.
I. Intel Oak Trail Gets Tested
By the looks of early testing, Intel desperately
needs all the help it can get. A dual core Z6xx series atom chip running
on the company's new Oak Trail chipset was shown
off in a prototype design by Taiwan's Compal Electronics.
The prototype packed two CPU cores, running at 1.5
GHz. It also packed an Intel GMA600 GPU, which is essentially a
rebranded PowerVR SGX535.
The new tablet was running Google Inc.'s (GOOG)
popular Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" operating system, the second
most used tablet OS in the world behind Apple, Inc.'s (AAPL)
iOS (found on the iPad and iPad 2).
In a limited set of tests, Tweakers.net,
a Dutch hardware site benchmarked [translated] the new platform and compared it to
rivals currently on the market with similarly clocked dual-core CPUs. The
picture wasn't pretty for Intel.
II. Slow
In the Caffeine 3 benchmark, the Oak
Trail prototype scored a dismal 1562 points, well behind the Asus
Eee Transformer Pad (Tegra 2 based; 6246 points) and the Samsung 10.1v
Galaxy Tab (Hummingbird Gen. 2; 7194 points). This was significant as
Caffeine measures Java performance -- the language most Android apps are
written in. As such, the benchmark provides a key indicator of how fast
apps will run on the tablet -- in Intel's case "very slow".
That result was confirmed by the
Linpack benchmark, which gave a result at 9.4 MFLOPs, versus 36 MFLOPS for
the Tegra 2. Similarly the Quadrant benchmark gave a score of 1978, at
the very bottom of the 2,000 to 2,500 that Android tablets regularly score.
Some Android Phones even score 2,000+.
While these numbers aren't necessarily a bad thing
for all apps (some of which are less demanding), it may mean that on
Intel-based Android tablets you'll have to forgo highly demanding apps like the
early crop of 3D shooter titles.
The Oak Trail tablet did show some promise,
posting the best score (1500 ms) in the Sunspider benchmark, a full 376 ms
faster than the fastest ARM-based Android, the Asus Eee Transformer Pad.
In other words, while Intel's platform may come up short in apps, it
looks like it will handle the internet pretty well.
III. Hot
Unfortunately, two critical performance measures
-- Flash performance and battery life -- were not tested.
The site did evaluate Oak
Trail's temperature performance, writing [translated]:
The settings menu of the x86 port also showed how hot the Intel
CPU in the tablet. In this model ranged between 60 and 65 degrees [Celsius],
and that was quite obvious. The tablet on the outside felt warm, much warmer
than previous Honeycomb Tablets we owned had.
Unfortunately the site did not produce any
quantitative numbers to back its claims. However, if the CPU is truly reaching 140-149 °F, that's a major issue as, at that
temperature, heat conduction could make holding the case very uncomfortable (particularly given the tight casing in modern ultra-slender tablets).
IV. Hope for Intel?
There's hope on both the performance and
temperature front for Intel. It's thought that a major part of the gap in
app performance may be due to optimizations in Android for the ARM
architecture. If Intel pushes hard enough, it may be able to get similar
optimizations for x86 worked in.
The temperature is intimately tied to usage and
clock speed, so there's no way of necessarily escaping that during times of
heavy use. However, Intel could always solve this problem by putting a
small fan in its tablets. While that might produce a "fatter"
less seemly tablet, it would at least spare the user from discomfort.
And in the long term, the die shrink in Q4 2011 to
32 nm should reduce chip temperatures.
The early numbers do indicate, though, that Oak
Trail and Atom-powered Android is a work in progress -- a picture that
stands in sharp contrast to Intel's promise that Oak
Trail would trash
ARM designs in performance. Once we get numbers on battery life we
should be able to see exactly how far behind the platform is.
The Tegra 2 is a dual-core Android by
American-based NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA).
The processors are overclocked to around 1.5 GHz, in typical builds.


text:
typhon is a slim and themeable OpenGL-based frontend, dashboard, and program launcher. It's meant to be easily used on Linux HTPCs, but also works on standard desktops or as netbook launcher. It has picture support for background, icons, stencils, and preview pictures. There's also an optional auto-screenshot mode that creates a preview picture of the launched app after a user-configured time. It also has a built-in OpenGL ffmpeg video player, which can be used to video preview programs and emulators/ROMs or simply to watch some movies. The video and everything else can be rotated into any direction and the position can be saved. Everything can be configured by the user, including colors, whole color themes, font, font size (any TTF font will do), optional sound effects, optional 3d icons (using glut), and background and preview pictures. Already installed screensavers can also be used as backgrounds using compositing and transparency.
Viable is a plugin for the Eclipse environment that provides an interface as similar to vi (specifically Vim) as possible while maintaining access to all the powerful features of Eclipse. It supports visual block mode, common normal mode actions, command line mode (including command line history), "window" splits and management, regular expression search and replacement, and external filters and commands.
Emma the Emulator is a generic 16-bit CPU emulator written as an educational tool. It supports a basic instruction set, has two registers and a program counter pointing to a heap structure which can be resized at compile time, and has a basic stack (not linked to the heap in any way), a flag register, and an internal "error number" for debugging purposes. There is also a "debug" mode which adds a lot of runtime debugging information and causes the program to sleep for 1 second between operations.
OpenSAND, formerly known as Platine, is a user-friendly and efficient tool to emulate satellite communication systems, mainly DVB-RCS - DVB-S2. It provides a suitable and simple means for performance evaluation and innovative access and network techniques validation. Its ability to interconnect real equipments with real applications provides excellent demonstration means.
Software to build and execute shell command lines from standard input in parallel.
An XFCE4 desktop system built on uClibc.


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You can ferment it in bacteria. You can
subject it to outlandish temperatures and pressures. But however
you produce biofuel, one thing is constant -- you need a supply of carbon, the "feedstock".
I. Switchgrass ==
Environmental Threat?
One leading candidate for widespread use as a biofuel feedstock is
switchgrass. Fast-growing and hardy, switchgrass quickly produces a great
deal of biomass. But a new study by the University of Illinois reveals a potential downside -- switchgrass' growth comes at the
cost of soil moisture.
Switchgrass is apparently so effective at sucking water out of the ground
that it could cause adverse affects to other human crops, as well as local
ecosystems. Praveen
Kumar, the Lovell Professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of
Illinois states, "While we are looking for solutions for energy through
bioenergy crops, dependence on water gets ignored, and water can be a
significant limiting factor. There are many countries around the world
that are looking into biofuel energy, but if they are adopting these (large
grasses) into their regular policy, then they need to take into account the
considerations for the associated demand for water."
The study examined transpiration -- the loss of water through plant
pores. Ultimately switchgrass and another fast growing
grass, Miscanthus, transpire at a higher rate than corn (the most widely used
ethanol biofuel crop) and thus pull water from the soil at a faster rate.
This dries the soil and increases humidity.
The researchers also used a predictive model to study what would happen
if the predictions of global warming were realized. What they found was that while higher carbon
dioxide levels decreased the transpiration rate by allowing the plant to open
its pores to the air less frequently, higher temperatures negated this affect
by increasing the rate of water loss while the pores were open. Overall,
the predicted affect was even higher rates of water loss.
Regardless of whether the warming scenario occurs, however, the study
raises concerns for the viability of switchgrass and Miscanthus as biofuel
feedstocks, particularly in drought-prone regions.
The study was published [abstract] in the peer-reviewed journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences).
Of course, the pro-corn, anti-grass bent should be taken with a grain of
salt. The University of Illinois has a long-standing relationship with the corn ethanol community, which would be displaced in a
move to switchgrass cellulosic ethanol. While this particular study was
funded by a National Science Foundation grant, given the overall financial situation, it's possible that
researchers at the University of Illinois could feel incentivized to find
downsides of switchgrass and the upsides of corn.
II. Algae Could be the Cream
of the Crop
That said, the University of Illinois, in a separate study, is promoting
a fascinating biofuel alternative to both corn ethanol and switchgrass -- seaweed. Recent efforts by the U.S. Marine Corps have heated up interested in algae- and
seaweed-based biofuels.
The new study looks at how to speed up the slow process of fermenting red
seaweed biomass to produce biofuel. Currently Saccharomyces cerevisiae -- commonly named yeast -- is
the leading candidate for fermentation as it has genes which code for proteins
capable of digesting both galactose and glucose -- the two primary sugars in
red seaweed. However, wild-variety yeast "eats" glucose before
it will eat galactose, making the fermentation process slow, and thus,
ultimately, more expensive.
By introducing a new sugar transporter and enzyme that breaks down
cellobiose at the intracellular level via a bit of gene splicing, the team was
able to create a strain of yeast that simultaneously digests galactose and
glucose, cutting the production time of red seaweed-derived biofuel in half.
Yong-Su Jin, an assistant professor of microbial
genomics, compared the development "to a person taking first a bite of a
cheeseburger, then a bite of pickle. The process that uses the new strain puts
the pickle in the cheeseburger sandwich so both foods are consumed at the same
Professor Jin says that the pre-treatment process to break down seaweed
into cellobiose -- glucose pairs -- and galactose is considerably less toxic
than many of the potential processes to break down cellulose from terrestrial
crops. Furthermore, he says that red seaweed has several other advantage
as well, including its higher biomass-per-unit-area density, its higher rate of
carbon fixation than terrestrial biofuels crops, and its ability to grow in the
sea, thus escaping land-space constraints.
The researcher selected the red variety (Gelidium amansii) of seaweed
as it's a fast-growing variety found in abundance in one very space-constrained
region -- Southeast Asia.
The study on the work was published [abstract]
in the peer-reviewed journal Applied and Environmental
Microbiology. The study follows work earlier this year
published [abstract] in PNAS,
which saw Professor Jin's team introduce pathways for simultaneous digesting of
xylose -- another plant sugar -- and cellobiose into a yeast strain.
Together the studies paint an interesting picture.
Switchgrass is potentially undesirable in arid regions and in
space-confined regions. However, many of these same regions border the
So for regions like the Southeastern United
States, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Japan, growing biofuels in the sea
might be the wisest approach of all.


text:
Episode 1
Anthropology 101
Jeff discovers that his rejection of Britta has made her a star on campus.
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During their second year at Greendale Community College, the study group deals with the unraveling of Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta's (Gillian Jacobs) turbulent romance and Chang's (Ken Jeong) maniacal efforts to be included in the group.
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Anthropology 101
Jeff discovers that his rejection of Britta has made her a star on campus.
Accounting for Lawyers
An old friend from Jeff's past appears unexpectedly,
The Psychology of Letting Go
The death of his mom provokes a fierce debate about Pierce's religious beliefs.
Basic Rocket Science
Greendale Community College joins the space race.
Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples
Shirley and Abed quarrel over a film while Pierce joins a gang of elderly rebels
Dean Pelton's army surplus party food sparks an outbreak of zombie-ism.
Aerodynamics of Gender
Jeff and Troy stumble onto a groundskeeper's secret paradise.
Cooperative Calligraphy
Annie's missing pen leads to friction within the group.
Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design
Abed and Troy use a dorm sleepover to build an elaborate blanket fort.
Mixology Certification
Troy's friends help him celebrate his 21.
Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas
Everyone is launched into a holiday clay-mation fantasy world.
Asian Population Studies
Annie's latest crush has Jeff reeling as Shirley unveils some stunning news.
Celebrity Pharmacology 212
Jeff's texting prank places Britta in an awkward situation with her nephew.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
When everyone on campus makes fun of Fat Neil, Jeff decides to do something.
Early 21st Century Romanticism
Valentine's Day finds Troy and Abed competing for the attention.
Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking
Pierce summons the study group to the hospital.
Intro to Political Science
Vice President Joe Biden's visit exposes the lack of a student government.
Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy
Britta learns that her new best friend is a ruthless criminal.
Critical Film Studies
Jeff's tries to run a "Pulp Fiction"-themed surprise party for Abed.
Competitive Wine Tasting
Troy invents a childhood trauma to impress Britta.
Paradigms of Human Memory
The study group begin reminiscing about their favorite times together.
Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts
Shirley goes into labor one month ahead of schedule.
A Fistful of Paintballs
Another end-of-the-year paintball war.
For a Few Paintballs More
The paintball war is revealed to be a City College plan to destroy the school.
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text:
The Radeon 4850 features a 625 MHz core clock and GDDR3 clock in excess of 2000MHz.
Corporate documentation explains that the 480 stream processors on the RV770
processor offer considerable enhancements over the 320 stream processors found
in the RV670 core, though AMD memos reveal little about how this is
The RV770 includes all the bells and whistles of the RV670 launched in November
2007: Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.0, and DirectX 10.1. The only major
extension addition appears to be the addition of "Game Physics
processing" -- indicating a potential platform for AMD's
recent partnership with Havok.
The new Radeon lacks GDDR5 memory, promised
by an AMD announcement just weeks ago. Although the RV770 does support
GDDR5 memory, this initial launch consists exclusively of GDDR3
components. AMD documentation hints at the launch of a Radeon 4870 later
this summer, but it offered no comment on when it will eventually ship a GDDR5
If Radeon 4850 sounds familiar, that's because it is. The RV770-based
FireStream 9250, just
announced a few days ago, broke the 1 teraflops barrier using the same
graphics core. However, this paper-launched workstation card will retail
for more than $900 when it finally hits store shelves. The mainstream
Radeon 4850 offerings will ship and launch on the same day next week.
AMD partners claim the new card will not compete against the $600
GTX 200 just announced yesterday. Instead, AMD pits the Radeon 4850 against
the recently re-priced NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX. Distributors claim the
4850 will see prices as low as $199 at launch -- well under the $299
MSRP for GeForce 9800 GTX. More expensive versions of RV770 will
feature HDMI, audio pass-through and possibly the fabled Qimonda GDDR5 memory.
Specifications from Diamond Multimedia marketing material claim the new Radeon
will require a 450 Watt power supply for single card support; or 550 Watt power
for CrossFire mode.
Update 06/09/2008: As of this morning, AMD has lifted the embargo on its 4850 graphics cards. AMD's newest documentation claims the RV770 processor contains 800 shaders, but the card is not expected to show up on store shelves before the planned June 25 launch date.


text:
WOCCU Expands Its Global Reach
Just like the 14,000 member credit unions it supports, the World Council of Credit Unions in Madison, Wis., must intermittently reevaluate its structure and programs in order to best meet the needs of those it serves. In September 2011, 22-year WOCCU veteran Brian Branch became president/CEO when Peter Crear retired, and the global trade association and development agency underwent a reorganization, naming five priorities for its teams: membership expansion, deepening of global advocacy, project development, credit union network building, and international training and education.
Branch lists compliance burdens, multiple banking channel implementation and effective product branding as some of the primary challenges WOCCU is helping credit unions address worldwide. Using technology to help bring credit union services to rural areas and low-income consumers is another priority for WOCCU, he said.
In recent interviews with Credit Union Times, Branch, as well as Michael Edwards, chief counsel and vice president for advocacy and government affairs for WOCCU, and Victor Miguel Corro, vice president for WOCCU's Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, explained WOCCU's latest projects and biggest challenges as they relate to the organization's five key priorities.
The first of WOCCU's five priorities is to add more groups to its network, and in the past year, WOCCU has welcomed the Central Association of Savings and Credit Associations in Moldava, the Federacion Nacional de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Credito Financieras in Colombia, the Liberia Credit Union National Association, the Credit Union Direct Corp. in Ontario, Calif., CUSSCO Ltd. in Scotland and COOMEVA in Colombia.
Branch said WOCCU has expanded its capacity to identify and monitor key strategic issues, trends, challenges and best practices for its member groups and communicates this information to member groups through a Web-based clearinghouse and issue-specific webinars and workshops.
In the past year, member requests have centered on the Basel III regulatory standard and alternative capital models, collaborative business models, innovative technology and mobile delivery of financial services, messaging and branding, member business lending, membership growth, and fee income controls and mergers, Branch noted.
Heavy involvement in regulations that affect the credit union industry worldwide is another priority for WOCCU, and the organization works on issues from both ends–by influencing decision-makers within governments and helping credit unions understand and stay compliant with recently imposed regulations.
Branch said WOCCU's current regulatory activities include engaging the Financial Action Task Force, International Accounting Standards Board, Bank for International Settlements, European Union, Group of Twenty, the IRS and the CFPB in policy discussions, as well as supporting credit union representation in Brussels, Belgium via the European Network of Credit Unions.
"We identify the upcoming policy standards from these bodies, advance this information and analysis to our members, collect input from our members and communicate with these bodies on how specific standards will impact credit unions," Branch said.
Edwards, who joined WOCCU in January 2012 after spending seven years in CUNA's legal department, has been traveling regularly this year for various advocacy projects, including to Madrid, Spain, to make recommendations to the Financial Action Task Force on anti-money laundering standards and to Dublin, Ireland to voice opinions on a proposed law that prohibits certain individuals from becoming credit union directors.
"Compliance burdens are a common challenge for credit unions, especially if they have few resources," Edwards said. "We want to make sure boards are knowledgeable of the issues and develop guidance for credit unions. For example, loan-loss accounting doesn't happen the right way in a lot of countries, and that leads to inaccurate accounting and other problems. It's important for credit unions to have public trust and a level of supervision in place."
WOCCU's projects typically entail helping credit unions around the world strengthen their management, introduce downstream projects and reach marginal populations, Branch said. While WOCCU is rarely involved in launching new credit unions, it's currently doing so in Afghanistan. Branch said after the fall of the Taliban, government officials in Afghanistan invited WOCCU to set up credit unions and design Islamic banking products. The country now has around 98,000 credit union members, and WOCCU even helped get some women elected to the credit unions' boards.
"We found that the credit union model fit well in Afghanistan, because it's community-driven," Branch said.
In order to expand their reach and meet consumer demands for multiple banking channels, credit unions must invest in new technology, even if they have few resources, Branch pointed out. To solve this dilemma, WOCCU is helping credit unions pool their resources to create national networks, establish collaborative business systems and develop mobile technology. For example, the organization is working with credit unions and associations in a number of countries to build electronic credit union networks, providing technical assistance for savings and credit products that target low-income communities, and working with local telephone companies to develop mobile banking solutions.
Branch said while utilizing collaborative technology solutions is a great option for credit unions with few resources, it's important for them to display individualism in their branding efforts to stay competitive. WOCCU is currently helping to facilitate 53 British credit unions' conversion onto a data processing system through a collaborative platform that also allows each credit union to maintain a distinctive online look.
"The recent drive for giving credit unions the ability to provide technology solutions that can bring their services to rural and low-income communities has been very exciting," he said.
Corro, a native of Panama who has been with WOCCU for 14 years, leads the organization's training and education efforts, through which credit union professionals around the world learn from one another to enrich their own programs at home. He's currently focusing on three initiatives: the international partnership program, a peer-to-peer collaboration program that unites credit unions from different countries; customized international training, which brings together credit unions that do not have established international partnerships; and the international credit union leadership program, an internship program funded by the U.S. Department of State that temporarily places young professionals in credit unions overseas.
"Credit unions are always ready to open their doors and show their peers how to do things," Corro said.
Two of the biggest challenges Corro said he faces in WOCCU's training and education department are persuading credit unions to invest in education programs and finding young people to participate in the programs.
"My job is to convince people to go and see what other credit unions are doing, because when they do, they learn at least one thing," he said. "We also want to engage young people, because they have fresh ideas. We want to them to be enthused, and stay in the credit union industry and make careers out of it."
Branch concluded that going into his second year as CEO, WOCCU will continue focusing on the past year's priorities as well as on acquiring donor funding for projects.
"We want to build that World Council sense of community and help credit unions connect with one another," he said. "A lot of that is in messaging, branding and expressing what we have to offer to consumers."


text:
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