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Sheets of Cheap Carbon Nanotubes Now a Reality
Jason Mick
March 3, 2008 12:33 PM
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No shadows and mirrors -- a Nanocomp employee poses next to a 3x6 ft sample mesh composed of randomly overlapping millimeter long carbon nanotubes.
(Source: Nanocomp Technologies)
The birthplace of the nanotube sheets is Nanocomp's high-tech tube-processing "Big Box", which can churn out a full-sized sheet per day.
(Source: Nanocomp Technologies)
Company makes 3x6 ft carbon nanotube sheets, 100 sq. ft. sheets by the end of the summer; possible uses include consumer electronics, aircraft, and spacecraft
Carbon nanotubes
are like a materials scientists' dream come true --
superior heat
electrical conduction
high strength to weight ratio
, and flame resistance orders of magnitude higher than many commonly used materials.
However, in the past, while these tiny tube-molecules composed carbon atoms were raved about by researchers, plans for practical applications remained largely in the realm of fantasy. The chief problem was the
"nano" part of the nanotubes
-- these tiny tubes would need to be scaled to visible-sized pieces of material in order to be utilized in many practical devices. Such scaling had enjoyed little previous success, and was seen as a major roadblock to putting the ubiquitous nanotubes to work.
Now a
breakthrough from Nanocomp Technologies
, a New Hampshire startup, promises to provide sheets composed of carbon nanotubes on an unprecedented scale. Using nanotubes measuring in the tens of nanometers, Nanocomp produces sheets of carbon nanotubes measuring 3 by 6 feet. Better yet, by the end of the summer the company is promising slabs of 100 square feet or more.
Nanocomp says that the days of waiting for nanotubes materials to be manufactured on a usable scale are over. The company is taking production seriously, and is not looking to remain in the realm of pure research. Says CEO and co-founder of Nanocomp, Peter Antoinette, "From the get-go, we wanted to build something that would be manufacturable. We're out to make value-added components out of that material."
The hardest part about making nanotube materials is growing long enough tubes. Nanocomp makes a powder of tubes that are approximately 1 mm, a relatively long length. In a highly secretive process Nanocomp takes a carbon source such as ethanol or methanol, heats it and flows it past a nanoparticle catalyst, which experts speculate to possibly be an oxide of nickel, cobalt or iron. The carbon molecules react with the catalyst, powered by the heat, forming a nanotube. The size of the catalyst correlates to the size of the nanotube formed.
The big hurdle was maintaining a large enough catalyst, keeping it stable enough for millimeter long tubes to grow. Antoinette says that in order to achieve this, Nanocomp uses an advanced computer controlling 30 different parameters in the process, including temperature, temperature gradient, gas flow rates, and the chemical composition of the mix. Using this precision control, researchers can both control the desired tube length and select from single-walled or multi-walled tubes. Mr. Antoinette states, "We can dial it in."
The resulting nanotubes are arranged randomly overlapping into the large final sheets. To give an idea of the sheet's strength, it has a tensile strength of 200 to 500 megapascals -- aluminum has a strength of approximately 500 megapascals. Better yet, if Nanocomp moves from a random alignment to an organized alignment, the nanotube material could have a tensile strength as high as 1,200 megapascals.
Antoinette comments that Nanocomp is heavily marketing the material to consumer electronics manufacturers and is receiving substantial interest. In cell phone handsets, the material could help to provide protection against stray signals, thanks to its superior
shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI)
. This could yield clearer sound and reception. Also under consideration is the the use of the material
in PDAs
and laptops. The material would provide such portable electronics with both heat dissipation from their chipsets and processors and EMI shielding from unwanted signals, via its randomly aligned nanotubes. Better yet, smaller strips of
aligned nanotubes
could act as powerful antennas, grabbing wireless signals for superior network reception and transmission.
Nanocomp wants to eventually use the material in composites similar to the carbon-composite used to build the new Boeing 787 jets. Current composites can't conduct electricity making them vulnerable to lightning strikes. Nanotube composites could safely channel strikes to harmless locations, protecting the aircraft's electronics. As an added benefit, current could be run through the nanotubes to heat up the aircraft body, and provide additional de-icing capabilities.
Antoinette points out that most of aerospace industry still uses pure copper wire for its conductors -- virtually the same copper wire used since the 1850s. His company's nanotubes could replace this material with better conducting nanotubes, which weigh a mere 20 percent as a much as the copper wiring per volume. Antoinette adds, "Copper wire is still the conductor of all our satellites, all our aircraft."
He points out that a current 747 jet has two tons of copper wire aboard -- a weight cost that could be cut in half by the use of nanotubes. He says, "you're talking literally millions of dollars of savings in fuel costs over the life of an airplane."
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are, needless to say, very excited about the potential for the new large scale material. They have already qualified Nanocomp as a vendor and are currently receiving and testing samples of the material from Nanocomp. In hopes of meeting these and other industry leaders demands, after the 100 sq. ft. samples are complete, Nanocomp plans on focusing its efforts on having a pilot-plant running by 2010, with full scale production by 2012.
David Lashmore, Nanocomp co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, pioneered the material assembly process. The other co-founder was Robert Dean, a former engineering professor at Dartmouth who started Synergy Innovations, a high-tech incubator in Lebanon, NH. The pair joined with Antoinette to start up the exciting new firm. They've received a $2.5M USD contract from the U.S. Army and a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the Air Force. They are currently raising additional private financing. To protect itself legally, Nanocomp has signed a non-exclusive license with IBM for IBM's single-wall nanotube process. With 16 of its own patents, Nanocomp looks to safeguard its own prospects as well.
"When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." -- Sony BMG attorney Jennifer Pariser
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text: Those interested in finding out more about the Catholic faith are invited to attend an inquiry session beginning on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 11:50 a.m. (following the 10:30 a.m. Mass) in the St. Margaret Mary church parish office at 28 E. Montezuma Ave. Enter the parish center from the parking lot side. The sessions will continue at the same time and place every Sunday in September. For more information, contact Kevin or Judy at the parish office at 565-7308.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Japanese Grand Prix - FP2
Hamilton praises 'awesome' MP4-27
- Race:
- Japanese Grand Prix
- Drivers:
- Lewis Hamilton
- Teams:
- McLaren
Lewis Hamilton said that the McLaren MP4-27 "will be the best car I'll probably have for a while" at Suzuka after two competitive practice sessions on Friday.
At the first race following confirmation of his move to Mercedes at the end of the season, Hamilton was second quickest in both practice sessions ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. Hamilton said that the car felt "awesome" but that he's wary of the threat from Red Bull having been beaten by Mark Webber in FP2.
"I think this will be the best car I'll probably have for a while here," Hamilton said. "It's definitely better here than it's ever been but it's still pretty close to the Red Bulls particularly, but it feels awesome. The lap that I did felt pretty good, but again it can always be better. Tomorrow's going to be interesting with the Red Bull's which - as I said - are very, very quick with their long runs as well so the race looks like it's with them."
Despite winning in Italy and being poised for victory in Singapore, Hamilton added that he hoped his performances would improve even further now he had made a decision about his future.
"I hope it's even better than now. Today's been a stress-free day, it's just been really about focusing on the car, trying to really improve, making sure that we make the right turns set-up wise; I love it. I love driving the car and there's nowhere else I'd rather be."


text:
News & Events
For the Media
Clarkson University Psychology Professor's Study Featured in Science News Article on Scoring Streaks
The results of a new study by Clarkson University Psychology Professor Andreas K. Wilke and his collaborators Benjamin Scheibehenne (University of Basel, Switzerland) and Peter Todd (Indiana University, Bloomington) have been featured in an article in the February 12 issue of Science News, the award-winning biweekly national news magazine.
The feature article, "In the Zone," examines lines of research into how evolution may have trained the mind to see scoring streaks -- even where they don't exist.
Detecting contingencies and patterns in one's environment is an important aspect of adaptive behavior. When predicting the next outcome in a sequence of events, people often appear to expect streaky patterns, such as that sport players can develop a "hot hand," even if the sequence is actually random.
This expectation, referred to as "positive recency," can be adaptive in environments characterized by resources that are clustered across space or time (e.g., food, animals, water sources, etc.). But how strong is this disposition towards positive recency?
The results of the new study by Wilke and his collaborators suggests that people have a strong prior or default expectation that sequences of events in their environment are positively autocorrelated, even when tested in the context of a computerized gambling task in which they had to predict the outcomes of two slot machines.
The effects were strong enough to even lead subjects to prefer random sequences over alternating ones that they could have better predicted, and ultimately could have earned money with. Subjects' prior expectations appeared difficult to overcome, even with repeated feedback and the opportunity for direct comparison between sequences of different slot machines.
The Science News article that examines this line of research can be found at http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/69243/title/In_the_Zone .
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in six alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.


text:
DescriptionProprietary brand of highly regarded blended Scotch whisky, available in different grades, based on age and places of distillation and aging. These are distinguished by label color: red, black, gold and blue.
FlavorScotch whisky
AvailabilityGenerally available. Produced and sold in Scotland. Distributed world-wide.
SubstituteOther blended Scotch whisky
Usage examplesThis ingredient appears in 4 recipes in CocktailDB.
|Bobby Burns
|Kilmarnock Johnnie
|Puat's Delight
|Spider's Web


text:
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Tour with Your Tot - 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Caregivers with small children ages 0-18 months can take guided public tours of the Nasher Museum's exhibitions. Tours are offered Thursdays at 11 AM. Tours last approximately 30 minutes. No reservations necessary. Children must be in a carrier or a stroller during the guided tour. Adults pay $5 museum admission. Museum members and tots are free.


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SNOW HILL – The planned consolidation of the three Worcester County departments governing planning and development in the county is complete, staff reported to the Worcester County Commissioners last week.
In recent weeks, the county has kept quiet on many of the details on how those three departments have been folded into one.
In June, in a telephone interview, county administrator Gerry Mason said that Department of Comprehensive Planning Director Sandy Coyman would become planning manager, and Environmental Programs Department Director Bob Mitchell would become environmental programs administrator.
A new customer service section, comprised of two current employees, was also created.
Eleven employees were laid off as a result of the consolidation decision, made on May 26 after the county had balanced the fiscal year 2010 budget.
The four commissioners who voted for the consolidation and layoffs said they made the move to save money and that the bust in the building industry meant some positions were no longer necessary.
"We didn't lose a beat," said Ed Tudor, director of the unnamed consolidated department, who takes over that position after heading the Development Review and Permitting department.
The comprehensive planning department staff and environmental programs employees have been entirely relocated into the offices of the Department of Development Review and Permitting, Tudor reported at last week's meeting.
Plans to discuss the reorganization as well as a new name for the consolidated departments during the June 16 commissioners meeting were set aside that day. According to Commissioner Virgil Shockley, the item was pulled because Commission President Louise Gulyas was on vacation that week and the vote would have been tied three to three with no tie-breaker.
Gulyas originally voted for the consolidation, but later said in public that she had changed her mind and wanted to call the matter back. She has not spoken officially on her views since.
The June 16 public meeting packet, released the afternoon before on the county website, included a memorandum featuring an organizational chart and the new name, but that memorandum was pulled from the printed press packet the morning of the meeting, once the County Commissioners decided not to discuss it.
The memorandum on the consolidated departments was also taken off the Internet sometime between the afternoon of Monday, June 15 and the afternoon of Tuesday, June 16.
The issue of the organization and the name for the consolidated departments was not discussed at the July 7 commission meeting because Commissioner Bobby Cowger was absent, said county spokesperson Kim Moses, and the commissioners did not want to proceed without all seven elected officials.
Cowger was a strong proponent of the three into one department consolidation at the May 26 budget work session, when the matter was approved 4 to 3 in a closed session.
When asked at the July 7 commissioner meeting when the public would be allowed to see how the new department was reorganized, the County Commissioners had no answer.
Gulyas said they would look into it. When asked if there was a timeline on when more information on the consolidation of the three departments would be made available, Gulyas replied with a flat, "no."


text:
Empowering deserving military families with educational support and opportunities.
Will some of the icon models not look that good with shorts on?
I think will depend on your personal preference. I know in my mind, some of my shoes look goofy with shorts, while others can wear the same shoes and look great. It all depends on what you think. I haven't seen a pair of ICONs yet that I wouldn't pair with shorts.
All of the styles that I like will work with shorts, at least in my mind. Hopefully Mr Style won't report me!
as long as you think it looks good and are confident in the shoe/short choice you will look fine. When you are uncomfortable with what you are wearing, that is when it looks wrong. I agree with tim6918, ICONs look good with anything.
Will some of the icon models not look that good with shorts on?
I wouldn't throw a couple styles with shorts, especially the more "traditional" set. All the others would probably be OK, but then again, like said earlier, it's all in the eye of the beholder. As long as you feel comfortable, then who really cares.
I think I will wear a pair of those all purpose boots that were blogged about earlier this month with a pair of nice tartan shorts! Just kidding...
Here in Texas, this is a moot discussion, because the only people who wear pants to a golf course between May and October are the ones looking for a quick trip in to the land of heat stroke. Hell, I feel bad for the pros when they come here to play the Byron Nelson and The Colonial--they can't be comfortable.
I don't think that 52104 and 52112 will work with shorts.
It's all about your personal preference. There are probably a few "classier" looking styles that I wouldn't wear with shorts, but to each his own.
I don't think that 52104 and 52112 will work with shorts.
I have a friend who has some Classics very similar to the 112s and he always wears black shorts with them, they look pretty sharp. The 104s....im not sure about them with shorts :)
Hell I saw Ian Poulter in some purple traditional icons with some tartan shorts a couple weeks ago... I guess for me, certain ones won't work, but if you like it, who cares. I think a couple styles look like they should only be worn with pants, but with the correct shorts or outfit, anything will work with shorts.
I think it truly depends on the player ... some people can make just about anything work =)
With shorts, the traditional (e.g. 52005) is just a staple and I really like the new sport saddle (e.g. 52070). I'd also have no problem rocking the sport saddle with BOA either.
Here's where for me 'it depends'. I would have no problem with an all white shield tip (52096) or asymmetrical (52138) with shorts, but I would have to save contrasting colors in our shield tip (e.g. 52112) and asymmetrical (e.g. 52146) for pant days.
I probably wouldn't do the sheild tips w/ shorts, but knowing my track record, I'll end up with a pair and won't be able to resist! Anything can work, just go with it!
I like the Icon's with shorts but only in sold colors or with small accents....
I will agree with Memphis, if you feel comfortable enough to wear them with shorts than I'm sure they will be fine.
There are obviously some "nicer" / "professional" looking styles that might look a bit awkward with shorts but if you are comfortable than there is nothing wrong.
as long as you think it looks good and are confident in the shoe/short choice you will look fine. When you are uncomfortable with what you are wearing, that is when it looks wrong. I agree with tim6918, ICONs look good with anything.


text:
All quotes tagged Reconciles
(24 quotes found)
"However, it would be difficult to reconcile this [a merger with TSMC] with the perceived need for a foundry to remain independent from its customers."
"The area is overrun with terror. They still haven't reconciled with the new situation. The Palestinians do not have a reason to fire rockets into Israel because the last soldiers and the last of the settlers left the Gaza Strip over five months ago, but the terror attempts continue without any break."
"I understand that prosecutors need to encourage snitches to snitch, but these sentences simply cannot be reconciled with fairness, and they create overwhelming incentives for snitches to fabricate evidence against superiors, which is exactly what happened in this case."


text:
As Congress returns from its July 4 recess, hearings on Capitol Hill will focus attention on the economic outlook, Social Security, future tax rates and government contracting. Lawmakers will be working against a backdrop of mounting public concern over the federal deficit, which the CBO recently projected at more than $1 trillion for the first nine months of the current fiscal year. That is only $81 billion less than the projected deficit at this time last year.
Before the recess, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a deeming resolution which will provide an allocation to the Appropriations Committee. While it has been billed as equivalent to a budget resolution, The Concord Coalition has argued that it is a weak alternative that does not provide the essential fiscal framework that could be included in a real budget resolution.
Also, the CBO recently issued a useful report analyzing 30 different policy options that have been suggested for providing long-term financial stability for Social Security. The options include changes in the payroll tax, initial benefits, cost-of-living adjustments and the full retirement age.
Cliff Isenberg, Concord's chief budget counsel, provides a post-recess update on these and other issues, together with links to background information, in a new blog posting.


text:
CRAZY❽S' MiX For an erogenous 2013, here at KO.
In our last encounter with the Spurs, it was Raymond Felton's penetration game that dismantled the Spurs hopes of withstanding a furious Knicks comeback.
With Felton out, an exhausted Jason Kidd, a seemingly less reliable perimeter shot team-wide, and some questionable defence, will the Knicks be able to outlast the ever crafty Spurs?
FACT: Chris Copelands dreads each contain enough friction to throw every woman in every fat fighters, weight loss center, dietary clinic etc. in to an orgasmic squirting frenzy. Don't believe me? F*ck you.
Though New York's front office has reportedly worked diligently to move him elsewhere, the MSG faithful were happy to see him come home, as Stoudemire was met with a standing ovation when he checked in at the 3:31 mark of the opening quarter: Unfortunately, the rest of the evening didn't go quite so smoothly for Stoudemire, who somewhat expectedly looked rusty on both ends of the floor, clearly didn't have his legs or wind back after so much time on the shelf and offered relatively little in the Knicks' 105-100 loss to the Blazers.
Shortly after entering the game, Stoudemire got his first touch on the left block, defended by Portland power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, and promptly turned the ball over by stepping out of bounds while trying to make a post move on Aldridge along the baseline. (Here's hoping Hakeem wasn't watching.) He got his first shot up two possessions later, hoisting a jumper from the left elbow that went wanting ... as did his next four shots, leaving him scoreless in 9 1/2 minutes of first-half action.
Things didn't go much better on the defensive end, where he routinely looked lost, especially on a second-quarter pick-and-roll possession on which he completely forgot about Blazers center J.J. Hickson, who cut behind Stoudemire unmolested to the rim to dunk a lob thrown by Portland reserve guard Ronnie Price. Not that Stoudemire was alone in his defensive lapses Hickson torched the Knicks' frontline for 18 points (on 9 for 10 shooting) and eight rebounds in the first half, while sterling rookie point guard Damian Lillard toyed with older defenders Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni en route to 12 points and five assists at intermission.
Stoudemire made his sixth shot, scoring his first points of the season at the 3:11 mark of the third quarter on a layup generated by rolling to the rim after setting a screen near the right elbow for Carmelo Anthony. Two minutes later, he sagged along the baseline as J.R. Smith penetrated the paint, drew the defense and dished it off, setting up a big Amar'e dunk over Blazers rookie Victor Claver:
Playing on a minutes restriction as Knicks coach Mike Woodson looks to slowly work the 30-year-old former All-Star into the rotation, Stoudemire finished with six points on 3 for 8 shooting, one rebound, one block and two turnovers in just under 17 minutes. Rust aside, he offered glimpses of an intriguing pick-and-roll pairing with Prigioni on the second unit and, at times, with Anthony in potential starting/closing lineups if nothing else, he draws more defensive attention than nominal starting power forward Kurt Thomas while resembling the unaware defensive liability NBA fans have come to know over the past decade.
Are you a believer? I, Crazy❽s, am not. Apologies.


text:
Why join a professional association? The main reason people join is to network. These meetings allow you to meet people in similar positions in other companies, and to learn about their jobs and those companies, and sometimes to learn about hot job opportunities. Some professionals find that having a network of friends and acquaintances in other companies who can offer advice is useful when they are facing a tough challenge on the job. Many senior level managers attend these events in hopes of finding new recruits. The professional association meetings also allow you to practice your business etiquette so that you are well-prepared for your trip on the fast track!
Another reason to join a professional association is that the lectures and other training opportunities offer you the chance to stay on top of cutting-edge topics in your field. While your textbook was probably written a few years ago, the people who are speaking at professional meetings are often working in leading-edge companies who are paving the way in terms of new ideas and approaches. Consequently, attending these meetings will give you an advantage over your classmates in terms of your job-related knowledge.
Membership in a professional association is also a resume-builder. Employers are often impressed when candidates take this extra step to stay on top of developments in their field. And if you regularly attend the monthly meetings, you will find that you have many interesting stories to tell and professional topics to discuss at that awkward interview luncheon.
Here are some professional associations that I am familiar with. If you are interested in other functional areas, check with a professor that teaches that function, or try a search on the Internet. All of these external links open in a new window.
Communications skills are essential to success in business and management. Since my job is to prepare you for a successful career in business, my standards of performance do not differ for students who have English as a second language. It is my responsibility to grade all students at the college level. It may be difficult for you to learn business concepts if you are not prepared to participate in English at the college level. If you are not confident of your English skills, I strongly recommend that you register for ESL classes prior to taking business courses.
Written Reports:
Students in all of my classes are expected to write. Any written assignment, whether short or lengthy, will be graded for content and grammar. If you make grammatical errors or use awkward wording, I will try to provide corrections. My intent is to help you to overcome these minor imperfections so that your supervisor and colleagues will focus on your brilliant ideas! Nevertheless, I understand that it is challenging for ESL students to master all the subtleties of the English language.
One resource that
you might want to take advantage of is the De Anza Student Success
They have scheduled appointments and drop-in times
when you
can have an English tutor review your written assignments.
you may want to find a buddy who will help you to proofread your
before you turn them in. As long as you
write the paper,
it is completely ethical to get help with proofreading. Many
do this when they have an important report to turn in to their boss!
Now they offer online writing support! All registered students
have been allocated several hours of this service, called SmartThinking! (opens in a new window)
If you would like a reference book to help you with the grammatical challenges of writing, I recommend:
Class Participation:
In the work environment, you will also be expected to participate in discussions in group meetings. Students in most of my classes will be graded on their class participation. It can be intimidating for almost anyone to speak up in class, although I know that ESL students feel especially self-conscious about having an accent. Personally, I find that most accents are very charming to hear! If you are nervous, you should bring some notes on the assigned reading which may help you to organize your thoughts. Remember that your pronounciation will only improve if you practice speaking!
I do not allow printed or electronic dictionaries during my exams, because they present an opportunity for cheating. However, if you are stumped by a word on an exam, you may come up to ask me for a definition. I am happy to explain any word, as long as it is not one of the important business terms that you should have studied for the test!
And don't forget about my office hours which are here if you need additional support. If you find that you need extra help understanding the business jargon in the textbook, or you want me to go over a concept from my lecture again, we can arrange to do so during my office hours.
I admire your
dedication to pursuing a
career in a new language, and look forward to having you in one of my
The passwords for these databases change regularly to protect licensing arrangements with the providers. You may obtain the passwords by requesting them from a Librarian at the Learning Center.
Any registered student
may go to the Library West Computer Lab in the Learning Center West building to
a computer with connectivity to the Internet. The Advanced
Center is reserved for students in specific courses that have a lab
Check your course greensheet to see if your course has access to the
If you do not already have an email account, it is easy to get one! There are many sites on the web which offer free email accounts. They generally provide this service because they make money from the banner advertisements you will see when you are in your email account. Check the privacy policy of each company carefully to make sure that you agree to their terms.
Some sites that offer free email (all links open in a new window) include Yahoo! and Google.


text:
February 3, 2010
New Nikki Outtakes
Some of these are new, the others I didn't get to post before... I've always been kind of "meh" about Nikki but I really like these pics :)
Via Nikki Reed Central - more pics of this gal than I've ever seen!
- Lorabell
7 comments:
Wow, loving the first one and the second and third last. Nikki's looking great!ReplyDelete
Pretty, I thought she had lighter brown hair? I don't see her too much in the public eye or in photo's so not really sure.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 3, 2010 at 2:00 AM
wow is right...i think she looks stunning...i love the third one minus her hands-they look kinda creepy? is that the word?but her legs look great lolReplyDelete
I adore Nikki - she is utterly dorky in most of the interviews I've seen her in. Also, because she is a mole girl like me.ReplyDelete
I always thought Nikki was gorgeous. I prefer her as a brunette, as opposed to being blond. But looking at these photos, it looks like she either lost a little weight or they photoshopped her. In any case, this bothers me, because she had such a lovely voluptuous figure, and I can't believe I heard some people say she needed to go on a diet. WTF!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 4, 2010 at 2:44 AM
I also have not been a Nikki fan as she was over exposed for awhile. But these are very nice photos. Glad to see her keeping busy out of the public eye, and now I am starting to wonder what she has been up to.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 11, 2010 at 4:34 AM
I. Want. Her. Legs. :)ReplyDelete
Can anyone say Girl Crush ?


text:
ZTE Vital Pictures
The Sprint Vital is a ZTE-made affordable phone. One Benjamin buys you a handset with a 5-inch 720p IPS display and a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon MSM8960 processor, running on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The Sprint Vital features a 13-megapixel main camera and a 1-megapixel front camera for video calls. The battery is 2460mAh and that should easily last you a day. Internal storage is 8GB and expandable via microSD cards of up to 64GB.


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By Glenn CookFor the first time in several months, Frank Porter had reason to exhale. As the superintendent of California's new Twin Rivers Unified School District visited classrooms on July 1, the sense of relief was almost palpable.
"At times," Porter says, "this feels like the longest all-nighter I've ever had to pull to get ready for an exam."
The first day of the Twin Rivers unification, highlighted by almost 800 supporters attending a celebration outside the district's new central office, signaled the end of a long and difficult journey. Six previous attempts to consolidate the elementary and high school districts in northern Sacramento County had failed since the end of World War II.
Since November 2007, when 60 percent of voters approved the unification and elected a new seven-member school board, the consolidation process has occurred at a frenetic pace. In unifying the Rio Linda, North Sacramento, and Del Paso Heights elementary school districts with the Grant Joint Union High School District, Twin Rivers' leaders have held community forums, negotiated union contracts, worked out a new budget, and put new logos on buses that were unveiled for summer school students when the merger took effect.
"Everyone involved from the very start knew this would be a lot of work," says Kathy Young, a parent who campaigned door-to-door for the unification last summer and fall. "There is great diversity in this district, a large landmass, and there are so many cultural issues. Some of our kids are very successful and many are not. So we knew even if everyone agreed to do this and got what they wanted that this was going to be a lot of work."
What few expected were the unintended but almost inevitable hurdles caused by decades of acrimony and the complex melding of four cultures into one. In the eight months between the vote and July 1, the new district's leaders faced a court battle over administrative buyouts, lingering financial questions about the construction of a $159 million school, and continuing resentment among staff and board members in Grant and Rio Linda, the two largest former districts.
"There's a lot of hard feelings and a lot of bitterness," says Scott Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards Association and a former longtime member of the Rio Linda board. "I know of at least a dozen circumstances in the state where everyone agreed consolidation and unification was a good idea. This was not one of them. … They have some real challenges ahead."
Effects of consolidation
Consolidation has presented challenges for school board members, administrators, and local control proponents for more than 100 years, but especially since the end of World War II. Seventy years ago, the nation had 117,000 school districts and 25.5 million students; today, the number is closer to 14,500 and 50 million, respectively.
With half of the nation's school districts enrolling fewer than 1,000 students, and a tight economy pinching budgets, legislators in a number of states continue to eye consolidation as a way to cut costs and provide expanded services to students who live in far-flung rural areas. On the heels of similar efforts in Arkansas and West Virginia earlier in the decade, Maine legislators in 2007 passed a law to cut the number of school districts from 290 to about 80 over the next several years.
Similar consolidation proposals have been or are being floated by state leaders in Alaska, Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Vermont. And in November, taxpayers in 10 Arizona counties will decide whether to unify 120 school districts.
Research on the effects of school consolidation is scant, and most of what's available is more than a decade old. However, a 2007 Standard & Poor's study said the state of Pennsylvania could potentially save millions by consolidating districts with fewer than 500 students. Another 2007 study by Indiana University's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP) said mergers provide only limited savings to states and local taxpayers and, more important, have little to no impact on student achievement.
Terry Spradlin, CEEP's associate director for education policy, believes districts have "no compelling reasons to consolidate" if the intent is to raise achievement. "However," he said when the study was released, "there is some research that says—for especially small and rural school districts—there are some economic benefits … but that's really on a limited basis."
California, like other states, has dangled economic carrots to promote unification, offering various financial incentives to districts that choose to consolidate. And, for the most part, it has worked. Immediately after World War II, the state had more than 4,000 school districts; the number now is fewer than 1,000.
"It's a case-by-case judgment call," Plotkin says. "It's one of those things where in some cases it makes imminent sense from a financial perspective, but in some cases that advantage is diminished somewhat by issues of geography and political identity."
Making the new district work
Twin Rivers gets its name from the two rivers—the Sacramento and the American—that frame the district's southern border. But the perceived dividing line, at least economically, is on either side of Interstate 80. The southern end is on the outskirts of Sacramento, the state capital. To the north are the suburban and rural areas that border Sutter and Placer counties.
This mix of urban, suburban, and rural presents its own set of issues for the new district, which covers 120 square miles. When classes start in mid-August, 54 campuses will house approximately 30,000 students—a broad mix of white, Hispanic, African American, Asian, Russian, Ukranian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, Filipino, and other ethnicities. Three of four students qualify for free or reduced-price meals; 30 percent are classified as English language learners.
The seven-member board, however, does not reflect the student diversity or the secondary school population. Three of the seven (Bob Bastian, Janis Green, and Michelle Rivas) come from the Rio Linda district, the most affluent and highest achieving of the four that merged. Two members (Linda Fowler and Roger Westrup) are from the former North Sacramento district. The only minority members—Alecia Eugene-Chasten and Cortez Quinn—have no previous board experience. Only Quinn, who ran unsuccessfully for the Grant board, has secondary school ties.
"This board is really going to be the focus of attention in how you merge four cultures together," says James Shelby, president and chief executive officer of the Sacramento Urban League. "In all four districts, African-American and minority youth are still at the bottom of the educational ladder, so the question is, 'How do you make this district work for everybody?'"
That question has been asked for decades, as relationships and politics between the elementary school districts and the Grant high school district became increasingly fractious.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Grant district was beset by charges of corruption and favoritism, drugs, and gangs as student achievement fell to the lowest of any large district in Sacramento County. By the early 1990s, Grant's reputation was so poor that charter schools were formed to serve middle and high school students. Today, the Twin Rivers district oversees three dependent charter schools; other independent charters are scattered throughout the area.
"It fragmented our community," Young says. "People were pretty happy with the elementary district, but they were not happy with the high school, and there was a fear: What do I do when my child goes to the seventh grade?"
Parents in the Natomas elementary school district broke away rather than send their children to Grant and formed their own unified district in 1992. The pain was doubled when Natomas, located in one of the last undeveloped sections of Sacramento, saw upper middle class growth jump tenfold during the housing boom of the 1990s.
Bitter battles also emerged between administrators in the districts, with each side blaming the other for a growing achievement gap between younger and older students. Even though student achievement improved over time in Grant, it's still among the lowest in Sacramento County, according to a July 2008 state report.
"The high school people were telling the elementary people that we were the cause of their low test scores," says Fowler, who served on the North Sacramento board for 36 years and now chairs the Twin Rivers board. "It made me angry."
Out of that anger and frustration—60 years of it, give or take—came the start of unification.
The path to merger
The key to merger was getting enough voters, specifically those in Rio Linda, to support a single unified district. Of the five elementary districts in North Sacramento County—Elverta Joint and Robla did not participate in the merger and remain separate today—Rio Linda was by far the largest. And, by all accounts, Rio Linda's teachers, board, and community would not support a unified district that put Grant's administrative leadership in charge.
Another unification attempt, which would have created two K-12 districts using Interstate 80 as the dividing line, failed when a judge ruled that it would not be racially neutral. But by the middle of this decade, voters in North Sacramento and Rio Linda agreed that something needed to be done, saying in a nonbinding referendum that they would support unification.
All four boards signed on to the new plan, which would create a district with a new name and a new governance structure, in May 2006. The plan was approved by the state in March 2007 and the Measure B election, as it was known, was set for November.
"The one thing you have to have in any unification is people who are willing to stay in it for the long haul," Fowler says. "You have to have someone who is obstinate, someone who is pig-headed, and someone like me who says we're in it for the long haul."
Patrick Kemp, who served on the Grant board from 2001 until the district folded, says unification makes sense.
"I've supported that for 10 years," Kemp says. "I always felt that one large district would be a major advantage over four districts, and it would end the pointing of fingers at each other."
The buildup to the election, true to the area's history, was bitter. Voters had to say yes or no on the unification issue and, at the same time, select the seven-member school board. Twenty-four people—most serving on one of the previous four boards—ran for election on informal slates.
"There were two issues, and they were very different issues," says John Ennis, a special education teacher at Foothill High School and president of the Grant teachers union. "There was voting yes for Measure B and unification, and everyone supported that. That was the easy part. When people realized they were consolidating the board into one, then it became very cutthroat and political."
Anti-Grant feelings were evident at the polls, as six of the seven board members selected were from the elementary districts. Ennis' union, which had a long-running feud with the Grant board, supported the elementary slate. Rio Linda parents and community members, as expected, were the most active in getting out the vote.
"I would say, from about June to November, I worked around the clock," Young says. "It was confusing because we had a lot of educating to do with people on the ballot measure and electing the candidates. … There was a real fear of it being a takeover or absorbed into the Grant district, so we had to explain that it wasn't a takeover. We were hoping to reorganize and start fresh and really bring the best of the best to the new district."
Moving forward
Starting Nov. 7, the day after the election, the clock was ticking. The new board moved quickly to hire Frank Porter, who had served as Rio Linda's superintendent for seven years, as interim superintendent. As he worked to hire central office administrators, Porter held one-on-one meetings with staff and visited schools.
"For a while, I was the district's only employee," says Porter, who was hired full-time in June. "It gave new meaning to the expression, 'It's lonely at the top.'"
Working with consultants, Porter developed a detailed implementation plan that included a public workshop focused on Twin Rivers' mission and vision. More than 1,000 people attended four community and employee summits. A student roundtable discussion also was held, and summer school teachers received advance training on ways to better serve students.
In the days leading to July 1, two roadblocks hampered the unification process. First, the Grant board approved buyout packages for 11 administrators at a cost of about $2.5 million. Dave Gordon, superintendent of Sacramento County schools, tried to block the buyout, saying it was illegal, but a judge ruled in late June that the board was within its authority.
The larger obstacle, and one with potential long-term effects, surrounds the construction of the East Natomas Education Complex. Voters approved funding for the complex, along with a host of other high school renovations, in 2002. Earlier this year, the Grant board broke ground on the $159 million school despite Twin Rivers' protests that the project is a financial albatross.
"We need a school there," says Kemp, the former Grant board member. "We have the money in place and the land in place. Even if it's a year or two early, you can build it now for $150 million or wait two or three years and built it for $180 million."
Porter and Rob Ball, Twin Rivers' associate superintendent of business services, worry that the new school, scheduled to open in 2010, will siphon money from other necessary renovation projects and place a huge debt load on the district.
"We asked them not to start it and to let the new board start it, but they decided to fast-track it instead," Ball says. "There are holes in the funding model, massive debt, and not enough students to put in that school."
For Twin Rivers, concerns like these and others, big and small, will continue throughout the early years of unification. Perhaps true unity will take longer, although everyone is eager to leave the past behind.
Porter calls the unification the district's "reinvention moment."
"This is where we get an opportunity to put in place new practices, and we get one shot at it," he says. "It is our time to reinvent and establish a new culture that will lead to higher results for students."
Board member Fowler agrees. "The board has worked hard together as a team to make certain that people in our communities know this district belongs to them," she says. "It doesn't belong to the school board members or the administration. … Given time, we'll make certain this is a great district." Glenn Cook (email@example.com) is editor-in-chief of American School Board Journal.
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By Stan Sholik
Every image-enhancement program includes a means of converting color images to monochrome. These range from lowering the saturation to 0%, to channel mixers and color filters. But since the introduction of Nik Silver Efex Pro, photographers who are really interested in extracting the maximum amount of image information and having the most creative control during the conversion have gravitated to Silver Efex Pro.
With the introduction of Silver Efex Pro 2 (SFX2), it's time for those photographers to upgrade, because the additions and improvements are outstanding. And even for photographers that only occasionally do monochrome conversions, the ease of use and high quality of even the default conversion in SFX2 make it a worthwhile investment.
As a plug-in for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Aperture and other Photoshop plug-in-compatible programs, SFX2 looks and functions similarly to other Nik plug-ins such as Dfine, Viveza, Sharpener Pro and especially HDR Efex Pro. Like these programs, SFX2 allows overall adjustments as well as local adjustments without complex selections and masking with Nik's U Point technology.
Installation is straightforward. The installer finds your plug-in folder, asks for registration information and installs. You can begin working without a reboot. If you are using a host program such as Photoshop that utilizes the Nik Selective Tool, SFX2 loads automatically into the Selective Tool.
To access SFX2 you must use one of the host applications. With Lightroom and Aperture you can open multiple files, adjust one and use that as a basis for adjusting the rest, and then save them all back to the host application. This is a great feature for creating monochrome panoramas or even HDR images. SFX2 is also compatible with Photoshop's Smart Objects tool so the adjustments you make in SFX2 will always be available for further tweaking. This is a useful feature if you make a print and it doesn't look exactly as you thought it would from the monitor preview.
Your image opens in SFX2 with a default monochrome conversion. The interface looks the same as SFX, but actually it has changed substantially. The previous 29 presets in the Preset browser to the left of the Preview window are now 38, but I'm sorry to see that the two "infrared" and the Holga didn't make the cut to SFX2. All three are available for download, however, from the Nik Web site at least.
Portrait and wedding photographers will likely miss the availability of presets with different levels of softening, and while there are soft portrait presets available for downloading, they seem more like low contrast than soft.
With the increase in the number of presets, there are now category buttons to group presets into Modern, Classic, Vintage and Favorites categories in the Preset Browser. You can also create your own presets and store them as Custom presets in their own browser window. And as in SFX you can export/import presets to/from the Nik Web site, to/from another of your own computers or to/from any other Silver Efex Pro user.
The really major changes have happened in the adjustments palette on the right side of the interface. It is now organized very much like Nik HDR Efex Pro, with tabs for Global Adjustments, Selective Adjustments, Finishing Adjustments and then others specific to the plug-in. With the increase in the number of available tools in SFX2, this arrangement works very well.
There isn't room in this article to cover all of the many changes and improvements in the adjustment tools. Besides, the video tutorials on the Nik Web site demonstrate them far better than I could ever describe. I want to touch on just a few that I will be using regularly—fine structures, selective colorization, toning and image borders.
The Fine Structures slider controls a tool that seems to have found its way into SFX2 from HDR Efex Pro. The Structures slider from SFX is still present and acts like a high-pass filter to increase the contrast along edges with high contrast. Fine structures looks inside the image to areas with lower contrast but lots of texture, and brings it out by adding contrast, detail and sharpness without being heavy handed or creating halos.
Selective colorization may be a "niche" technique, but it is reminiscent to me of the long history of hand tinting black-and-white prints. In SFX2 selective colorization is one of the options for a Control Tool. There are other new options in the tool also, such as fine structure discussed above and amplify whites and amplify blacks that are new general adjustment tools also.
To bring color back into the monochrome image, you simply add a control point, expand the tools, choose selective colorization and adjust the slider to the saturation you desire. By placing other Control Points with no selective colorization around the colorized area, it is easy to limit the color effect to just the parts of the image where you want it. Very slick indeed.
The Control Points palette has a few added buttons in SFX2 for grouping and ungrouping control points, duplicating them and deleting them. The old keyboard shortcuts still work, but if you prefer clicking things, you can now do that for these actions.
Toning was a part of SFX, but several of the toning effects were presets. Those presets have been eliminated, and the toning they used plus other toning techniques have been incorporated into the Toning sub palette. Toning is now found in the Finishing Adjustments palette. For landscapes, selenium toning was always my favorite in the wet darkroom days, and for portraits I often used sepia. Both of these are nicely simulated in SFX2.
Even though SFX2 lacks the softening tools that many portrait or wedding photographers would need to make SFX2 a truly one-stop program for monochrome conversions, it does include a new set of tools to add image borders and these tools rival those in software that only provides image borders.
All together there are 14 different borders available and you can adjust each one in size, spread and roughness. In addition, there is a randomize function for all of the borders other than the solid black and the solid white, making a practically infinite variety of borders available.
My very favorite tool did get carried over from SFX to SFX2. That tool is the 10-tone step wedge at the very bottom of the Adjustment palette—it only stays visible if you discover it and uncheck the checkbox to its left. When you run your cursor over the tones, SFX2 adds yellow slash marks in the image where areas of that tonality are present. This is a wonderful visualization tool to allow you to see where tones fall in the Zone System and is a far more valuable tool than trying to decipher tonality from a histogram, although SFX2 provides two histograms also.
Other than the need for more presets for portrait and wedding photographers, and a softening tool for everyone, there is little to criticize in Silver Efex Pro 2. It is a must have upgrade for Silver Efex Pro users. Any other photographer interested in doing serious image conversions from color to monochrome should also look seriously at Silver Efex Pro 2.
The suggested retail price of Silver Efex Pro 2 is $199.95. Upgrades from Silver Efex Pro are $99.95. More information about Silver Efex Pro 2, including informational and instructional videos and a free 15-day fully functional trial version is available from the Nik Software Web site, www.niksoftware.com/silverefexpro.
Stan Sholik is a commercial/advertising photographer in Santa Ana, CA, specializing in still life and macro photography. He is currently writing his fifth book, Nik HDR Efex Pro, for Wiley Publishing.


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OCEAN CITY — It's no great secret that China and other emerging markets have been keeping much of the global economy on its feet in recent years. And despite recent headlines that warn of an economic "hard landing," China's gross domestic product is expected to expand by as much as 8% this year and next, according to BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research. "That's three to four times the growth we expect from the United States or any other developed market," says Kate Moore, senior global equity strategist for BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research.
How can investors take advantage of China's economic potential? It may seem counterintuitive, but buying shares of developed-market consumer goods companies, especially those in Europe and the U.S., can be a particularly effective way to invest in emerging markets in general and China in particular. Consumers in those companies' home markets may be curbing spending in anticipation of additional financial hardships, but consumers in China and other developing economies are doing otherwise. They have more disposable income than ever before, and they're buying brand-name beverages, packaged goods and other high-status products. "Real [after inflation] consumption growth in emerging markets has averaged 7% per year since 2007, which is 10 times the pace of growth in the U.S. during the same period," Moore says.
Companies in China and other emerging markets have their eye on serving their own consumers, and investors may be tempted to take a more direct route by buying Chinese companies. But the options are limited, and buying individual stocks with access to China can be difficult. U.S. citizens must trade Chinese stocks through American depositary receipts (ADRs), which are issued by U.S. banks and carry extra fees. Moreover, "not all the Chinese companies you'd want to own have U.S. listings," Moore says.
In addition, you might not be able to buy as many shares as you'd like because many of the fastest-growing Chinese consumer staples and consumer discretionary stocks are small- and mid-cap companies. "The market cap of all emerging market consumer discretionary and consumer staples companies together is just $600 billion, which is less than the market caps of just the two largest U.S. tech companies," Moore says. Those smaller companies in China and other emerging markets issue relatively few shares compared with large U.S. firms, and that translates into limited liquidity and lower trading volumes for the emerging market stocks.
Another problem with direct investments in emerging market companies is that strong demand for their shares has pushed up valuations, so that the stocks are now trading at a premium to the prices of their developed-market counterparts. Perhaps even more important, lack of transparency about how Chinese companies manage their balance sheets may give investors pause.
One way to gain exposure to multinationals that are tapping growth in China and other emerging markets is through investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that focus on this idea. Many investors use ETFs to take advantage of local equity indexes around the world, but you could also use them to invest in a basket of large-cap companies that do heavy business in a particular region. Or you could seek out an actively managed mutual fund that specializes in multinational firms that are best poised to sell to the Chinese and other Asian consumer markets. Your financial advisor can help you research and choose the most appropriate vehicles based on your specific goals, risk tolerance, time horizon and liquidity needs.
Keep in mind, too, that what counts as slow in developing countries would seem rapid in the West. Growth in emerging market consumption is expected to decelerate to 6% this year before edging back up to 6.2% in 2013—a tick down from the peak for those markets, but still many times higher than growth in Japan, the U.S. or Europe, Moore notes.
Despite the many advantages of gaining access to emerging markets through multinationals based in developed countries, many investors shortchange themselves by taking a narrow view of such companies, especially those that are based in the U.K. or on the European continent.
"Europe is a market people are very reluctant to own because of concerns about the stability of the Eurozone and whether Europe will fall into a recession this year," Moore says.
Investors forget that European companies are global brands and that sometimes 50% to 70% of their sales go to emerging markets, with only a very small percentage going to Europe.
"These are among the highest-quality companies in the world," Moore adds. "They are cash-rich and well managed, and they are trading at attractive valuations relative to their growth because of the financial crisis in Europe. You may want to own these companies, both for their quality and to get direct and consistent access to the emerging market consumer. Serving those expanding markets will continue to be a powerful theme in a world short on economic growth."
(The writer is a senior financial advisor and can be reached at 410-213-8521.)


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The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday endorsed the measures, which head to the Senate for a vote.
The panel backed a bill by Republican Sen. Missy Irvin of Mountain View that would prohibit Level 3 and Level 4 sex offenders from being at a swimming area or children's playground located within a state park.
The committee also endorsed a bill by Republican Sen. Jon Woods of Springdale that would require sex offenders who have moved from another state to pay a $250 fee. The money would help pay for the sex offender registry.


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Discussion in 'Lost' started by Agent Richard07, May 13, 2009.
I didn't think that time travel minus changing the timeline was an option. Either they changed the timeline and they travel (before the bomb can kill anyone since it should be instantaneous) or they don't change the timeline and they're all killed in the blast.
Since the cast is unlikely to be all killed, I'd say that they've time-travelled somewhere. And since the entire drama of Jack's actions revolve around the idea that time travel will neutralize everything they've been through, their bodies won't go along for the ride - they will travel into their bodies whenever they happen to be. The question is whether their memories will also be zapped.
If their bodies time travel then their memories will also travel, and then what was the fuss about Jack wiping out everyone's memories and destroying their history together so that they all become strangers? That could work w/n the established logic - to the extent that any logic has been established - but it wouldn't work dramatically at all.
Depends how time works in Lost doesn't it? Right now it seems like it can loop rather than create alternative time lines. We've seen that already. I've theorized elsewhere (oh, wait, actually in this thread) that what we're watching now may already be an interation in a time loop that goes around. A signiture of a time loop that is manipulated would be unusual concidences. What do we have in a lost, a bunch of unusual conincidences. The whys of that, I won't repeat but I've tossed it out earlier in this thread. It's a wild theory, I could well be wrong.
Mr Awe
My reason for thinking Juliet may not be dead is because that scene was almost an exact mirror for the scene at the end of Season 2 where Des is caught in the hatch explosion. Des survived the hatch explosion, ergo Juliet may very well survive the swan explosion.
Desmond didn't have internal injuries as was the case by her bleeding from the mouth before it blew.
Seeing how that happen & if she got blown up in the air like Desmond too, she sho' be dead now!
Why has nobody mentioned Sayid wearing Horace's jumpsuit? They seemed to make a big point of it?
Wasn't "Horace" the skeleton guy Hurley found in the van? Or am I misremembering that?
No, the guy in the van was Roger Workman aka Roger Linus aka Ben's Jerkass Dad.
Ah... thanks. Then I wonder what the point was of Sayid taking Horace's jumpsuit. It could have been anybody's for going undercover. In fact it SHOULD have been anybody's instead of such a prominent person's.
Isn't everything on the show about 6 degrees of seperation?
and why wasn't Horace in his jumpsuit? hmmmm
If the 815 passengers get returned to their plane and wind up @Lax, would life in Dharmaville have gone back to it's original setting (bookclub brunches with Ben & Juliet?) as well?
I figured they were trying to show that the tunnel entrance to the Other's catacombs was in the basement of Horace's house, which turns out to also be Ben's house in 2004. We know this because in the future(present) we have seen Ben use the basement to enter the catacombs.
I assume showing us this was just to tie up loose ends for earlier episodes, like where Ben went when he summoned Smokey.
This is another thought I just had.
We still haven't seen the stealing of the other raft (by Sawyer & co.) from the new crashies point of view. That means at some point they have to leave the "foot" and return to the beach and see Sawyer & Co. paddling away and then give chase. Then Juliet will shoot one of them. I wonder who gets hit?
I thought we'd get this scene this season, but I guess it is still to come next year.
...Unless the future has been changed and it now never happens...
Oh. My. God. That was just excellent! Watching that episode was one of the most gripping TV experiences I ever had. I don't know why I didn't start to follow this show earlier. It amazes me how the writers, directors and actors constantly manage to produce such wonderful episodes. I love this show! How the fuck am I supposed survive the next nine months?
I always figured it's lying in the water. Is that improbable?
^ on Lost? Noooo....
The same way the rest of us managed it for the last two years.
One good thing about season 6 being the final season; this is the last time those bastards can do this to us and expect us to wait almost a year to find out what happens. And if the series finale ends on a shocking twist with no explanation then I am going to kill Damon and Carlton. Slowly.
Wow! The ending was a direct rip-off of Beneath the Planet of the Apes.
Yeah, I know. I, on the other hand, watched the whole series in one long session in the course of a little over a week. So I never really had to wait up until now. Oh boy, I'm not accustomed to wait so long.
But ... but ... but this is about the journey, not the destination!
Screw the journey! I have invested over four years into this show and this finale made me realise that I still don't have a clue as to what the frak is going on!
Wow. That season finale was either the BEST episode ever or the WORSE episode ever. I still haven't made up my mind.
Separate names with a comma.


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I hate brook lopez with his sideshow bob lookin a**! Three and 1's already? GTFOH!
I hate brook lopez with his sideshow bob lookin a**! Three and 1's already? GTFOH!
The King Of Clutch
I hate jared jeffries he dosent rebound, cant pass cant shoot, has small hands, hes an absolute scrub
We need to slow down & at least contain Lopez. He's there entire offense & looking like he's on pace to drop 50 lol... Contain Lopez & we run away with this game.
On a side note: would be nice to see Toronto upset the 76ers tonight, give us a 1.5 game lead (as long as we take care of NJ) which would give us some breathing room.
Damn wasnt expecting Chauncey tonight, what a suprise! Nice start besides the Lopez bull.
Fields has a quick 5 points,and great block and hustled to keep it alive. It lead to an and 1 with melo on te other end.
Next dead ball, fields is on the bench....??? Hmmm...
Melo has 11 in the first 8 minutes, shawne williams has a couple an is rebounding. Lets get some stops, they almost always lead to points.
BTW, Fu*k Sideshow bob. He is killin inside, somebody punch him in the nose and get himout of there!
The King Of Clutch
Yeah, nice start forreal. Fields playing outstanding. Scoring & all over the boards! Has like 5 or 6 rebounds right now & Melo doing his think like always!
Who was the poster who made it known Billups wasn't in as much pain after his injury against Philly? Anyone know which poster that was? Well, good call bro...
Douglas is getting ridiculous with these passes. Where did this come from? haha
Sig made by Sons of Thunder
Derrick Brown really impressing me w/ his playing time lately.
edit: The Yes announcers aren't to bad. They sound as if they are so used to NJ loosing it's become normal.
Man those Nets are a really really **** team. I mean like really really ****. Kinicks will need to try hard to lose this one.
Told you guys Derrick Brown could hit an open 3 haha
Knicks really starting to run away with this one. @RunningJumper... Right on bro. TD23 is starting to create & make outstanding passes! Dude's really truning into a solid PG prospect. Already with like 5 or 6 assists tonight! Scary good considering the fact he's only a 2nd year raw talent & pretty much a 1st year player learning on the fly... Sky is the limits for this kid man.
Melo is a board magnet man....The guy just absorbs them. And if Big Shot keeps his shot going into the playoffs


text:
Organic Children Sticky Hand Sanitiser 100ml
£10.00 per 100ml
Product Description
Made with citrus & tea tree which creates a fresh, delicious fragrance.
Sanitise sticky fingers, faces, toys and highchairs.
Organic Children's Sticky Hand Sanitiser is a great alternative to mainstream hand sanitisers that use chemical ingredients such as alcohol and Triclosan which can strip and dry out the skin.
- Tea Tree extract for added antiseptic properties.
- Cleans dirt, grime and germs with a squirt.
- No need for water. Easy to use.
- Mum can use it too after every nappy change. Perfect for days out!
- A great `eco buy' for families as you get up to 200 squirts per bottle.
96.7% certified organic ingredients.
Suitable for those who may be prone to eczema and psoriasis.
Made without Parabens, Lanolin, phthalates, artificial perfumes, petrochemicals and colourants.
Not tested on animals.
All Green People products are NOT tested on animals.
Product Information
Beauty & Clothing/
Brands We Love/
Green People/
Body Care
Holiday Shop/
Travel Size Toiletries/
Holiday Shop/
Travel Size Toiletries/
Antibacterial Hand Gel & Wipes
Free From & Organic/
Toiletries, Health & Beauty/
Bath, Shower & Soap/
Hand Wash & Soap Bars/
Hand Gels & Wipes/
Free From & Organic/
Baby & Child/
Beauty & Clothing/
Brands We Love/
Green People/
Organic Babies
- Brands: Organic Babies
- Dietary & Lifestyle: Organic, Vegetarian, Gluten Free
Organic Babies
- Apply to sticky hands.
- Use with a cloth to wipe faces, clean toys and highchairs.
- Safe for babies too.
- Perfect for freshening up mums hands after every nappy change
Country of Origin
The Green People Company Ltd.,
Package Type
Recycling Information
Plastic packaging recyclable
Aqua, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Levulinic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Powder*, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Extract*, Galactoarabinan (Larch Tree Extract), Aroma [Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin) Oil*, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Oil*, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Sweet Orange) Oil*, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil*^, Cedrus Atlantica (Cederwood) Oil*^], Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tee Tree) Extract, Potassium Sorbate (Gentle Preservative), Citric Acid (pH Regulator), Citral*, Limonene*, Linalool* (from essential oils).
*96.7% Certified organic ingredients.
^Fairly Traded
Customer Reviews
05 September 2015
smelly nice
I received this as a free gift from Ocado and think it's really nice. It's not sticky, nor does it smell harsh and chemical. I felt confident putting this on my 14 month's hands after she was crawling around on the ground.
20 May 2013
Seems very good
Seems to do what it is supposed to, smells fine and you do not need water. Better than just wipes.
- Disclaimer
- These summary details have been prepared for information purposes only, and are designed to enhance your shopping experience on the Ocado website. While we have taken care in preparing this summary and believe it is accurate, it is not a substitute for your reading the product packaging and label prior to use. You should note that products and their ingredients are subject to change. If you do require precise ingredient information you should consult the manufacturer, whose contact details will appear on the packaging or label.
- Ocado is therefore unable to accept liability for any incorrect information. Where this description contains a link to another party's website for further information on the product, please note that Ocado has no control over and no liability for the contents of that website.
- You should also note that the picture images show only our serving suggestions of how to prepare your food - all table accessories and additional items and/or ingredients pictured with the product you are purchasing are not included.
- This data is supplied for personal use only. It may not be reproduced in any way whatsoever without Ocado Limited's prior consent, nor without due acknowledgement.


text:
Gout is a kind of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in blood and causes joint inflammation.
Gouty arthritis - acute; Gout - acute; Hyperuricemia; Tophaceous gout; Tophi; Podagra; Gout - chronic; Chronic gout; Acute gout; Acute gouty arthritis
Gout is caused by having higher-than-normal levels of uric acid in your body. This may occur if:
If too much uric acid builds up in the fluid around the joints (synovial fluid), uric acid crystals form. These crystals cause the joint to swell up and become inflamed.
The exact cause is unknown. Gout may run in families. It is more common in men, in women after menopause, and those who drink alcohol. People who take certain medicines, such as hydrochlorothiazide and other water pills, may have higher levels of uric acid in the blood.
The condition may also develop in people with:
The condition may occur after taking medicines that interfere with the removal of uric acid from the body.
Symptoms of acute gout:
After a first gouty attack, people will have no symptoms. Half of patients have another attack.
Some people may develop chronic gout. Those with chronic arthritis develop joint damage and loss of motion in the joints. They will have joint pain and other symptoms most of the time.
Tophi are lumps below the skin around joints or in other places. They may drain chalky material. Tophi usually develop only after a patient has had the disease for many years.
Tests that may be done include:
Not everyone with high uric acid levels in the blood has gout.
Medicines should be taken as soon as possible if you have a sudden gout attack.
Daily use of allopurinol or probenecid decrease uric acid levels in your blood. Your doctor may prescribe these medicines if:
Some diet and lifestyle changes may help prevent gouty attacks:
See also: Kidney stones
Proper treatment of acute attacks allows people to live a normal life. However, the acute form of the disease may progress to chronic gout.
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of acute gouty arthritis.
The disorder itself may not be preventable, but you may be able to avoid things that trigger your symptoms. Limit alcohol consumption and follow a low-purine diet.
Wilson JF. In the clinic. Gout. Ann Intern Med. 2010 Feb 2;152(3):ITC21.
Richette P, Bardin T. Gout. Lancet. 2010 Jan 23;375(9711):318-28.
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text: Ethnographers like working with life histories because of their emotional impact, readability and depth of insight. This time-honored genre presents a deceptively simple, transparent opening for authentic voices and experiences. Avant-garde approaches grapple with complex questions of power and knowledge. We will read and discuss examples of both, covering interviewing techniques, ethical issues of consent and confidentiality, and editing strategies. We also consider what you can learn from them and how. Class assignments include a journal, a practice interview and three short essays. Graduate students will write an analytic book review.


text:
The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
Marc Schober is the editor of Farmland Forecast an educational blog devoted to investments in agriculture and farmland.
The USDA released their Quarterly Grain Stocks report today which was seen as bearish for grains as stocks data came in higher than analyst expectations for corn and wheat. Soybeans had a slightly bullish tone as stocks were reported less than expected.
Visit http://farmlandforecast.colvin-co.com for weekly updates


text:
Jamal is a tosser, clutch free throw shooter eh?
Oh well, was a great comeback in the last. Im sure we will lose it in the 1st minute of OT
Ron Artest
Jermaine O'Neil
Ben Wallace
Jason Williams
Kurt Thomas
Sebastian Telfair
Im happy with the direction Isiah has this team heading in
Najera, Smith, Kleiza, and Hunter
No more trades until Isiah is fired/murked
Jamal is a tosser, clutch free throw shooter eh?
Oh well, was a great comeback in the last. Im sure we will lose it in the 1st minute of OT
That was the final straw. Zach's gotta go. I've officially changed my mind, Trade Zach before Curry. Reason being-Last year, as a team we were great. No FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER. I've never seen Eddy start anything with anybody. I really dont care if this team does well this year, therefore-i really dont care how well zach plays. He needs to leave.
Up by 5 early in overtime, but with this team you never no...3
Damn player-centric usernames straight to hell.
8-0 run in 0T? i was wrong.
I got on them at $4 as well
what the fk is going on!!!!!!!
I think we might win.
hahah mike breen
"Crawford, why would you shoot (SWISHHH)."
Damn player-centric usernames straight to hell.
When is Coach Isiah going to let Nate or Collins take full controll of the Point?
It's hard to do that when the coach is yelling at the PG to pass the ball to Zach, Crawford, or Q.Rich (all 3-NBA players are 3rd & 4th options on offense on any NBA Team).
Nate's 3-pointer may have open the cap for the WIN in OT.
Crawford pass to Lee on the back-door (twice in a row) has sealed this WIN.
All the Knicks have to do is trade points down the stretch for this WIN...
we r home and hosed!!!!
awesome OT, really thought we would lose it there.
If Nate played like this all year and was a starter all year he wouldda been an allstar. He should have the starting job next year and if he does he will be on the all star team.
Imagine if Nate was like 4 or 5 inches taller. Now thats a star nba player
Damn player-centric usernames straight to hell.
When it comes to rebounding:
Nate Robinson>>>Eddy Curry
Nate grabbed 8 rebounds tonight, Curry grabbed 2.
Maybe we should fight before and during every game.
The Knicks played a great basketball game. I noticed the Wizards trying to destroy the knicks, but the Knicks overcame their run and finished them off in OT. Quentin Richardson showed us a glimpse of what he used to do as a Clipper and last year, as a Knick.He had interior and perimeter scoring, defense, rebounding and passing.Zach Randolph also played great and got his usual double double. Lee and Nate played hard, and it showed, as both players got points, rebounds, and assists.Jamal Crawford also played well, even though his shot selection was questionable. He knocked down some shots and was good at finding his teammates in the first half.


text:
2013 Watch: Marketing in the Year Ahead
Mobile banking, onboarding and gamification may be some of the buzzwords marketing professionals in the credit union industry are using throughout 2013.
Marketing veteran Drew McLelland said if mobile banking wasn't your top priority in 2012, it better be for 2013.
"This isn't optional for financial institutions that want to be in business in 2020," said McLelland. "It's really that simple."
And in marketing, not too many things are that simple.
Michael Kelly, president/CEO of PSCU Financial Services, couldn't agree more.
"The future of credit unions rests in the ability to offer current mobile tools and technologies to members," Kelly wrote in an opinion column posted at cutimes.com. "This is why we are focused on our role to develop and deliver new technologies that equip credit unions to effectively compete with major banks and non-traditional players like Google and Apple."
More 2013 Watch
- Dec. 27, 2012 Gen Y in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 27, 2012 Member Investments in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 26, 2012 Member Business Lending in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 26, 2012 Human Resources in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 21, 2012 Credit Union Taxation in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 20, 2012 CUSOs in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 20, 2012 NCUA Board in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 19, 2012 Cards in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 19, 2012 Mortgage Lending in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 18, 2012 Low Income Service in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 18, 2012 Bank Conversions in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 17, 2012 Student Lending in the Year Ahead
- Dec. 17, 2012 Auto Lending in the Year Ahead
Mobile banking is quickly becoming a deal breaker for consumers and credit unions, said Kelly.
It appears the credit union industry is embracing mobile banking not just as a cool new technology toy, but more importantly, as a new marketing opportunity to reach members more frequently. A recent report from the CUNA Marketing & Business Development and Technology Councils, found that consumers who use online financial services interact with their financial institutions more than 10 times a month. But when mobile access is added, users interact with their financial institutions 19 times a month, which gives credit union marketers more opportunities to cross-sell products and services to members.
The CUNA report said it is more important than ever for credit union marketing professionals to work closely with business development and information technology departments to develop strategies for mobile banking because consumer demand for this service is expected to keep growing.
Just as they did in 2012, credit unions are expected to continue their cross-selling efforts in 2013 that will help them keep those members gained from Bank Transfer Day for a long time.
The $91 million Northwest Resource Federal Credit Union in Portland, Ore., for example, saw its cross-sell figures increase from 1.87% to 2.37% and new members continued to add additional products over time.
These cross-sell opportunities are likely to continue next year. According to a Javelin Strategy and Research Report released in June 2012, 11% of consumers say they are likely or very likely switch financial institutions over the next 12 months. Among big banks like Bank of America and Citibank, 21% and 25%, of their customers, respectively, plan to find a new financial institution next year. This means credit unions have the opportunity to attract new members and create a very positive onboarding experience that will motivate them to make the credit union their primary financial institution.
Meanwhile, gaming is no longer for kids or adults who refuse to grow up. Leveraging gaming, or gamification, may be coming to credit unions sooner than you think. The Filene Research Institute came out with a report in July that suggested credit unions could leverage electronic games to help people adopt better financial behaviors.
Why? Because it's fun.
Moreover, some credit unions are starting to use gamification as a marketing tool to attract new customers.
In September, the $1.8 billion Grow Financial Federal Credit Union showcased its new virtual money machine in Tampa, Fla., which makes it look like real money is floating down like manna from heaven. The money machine is an augmented reality, motion reactive video mirror that projects images on a six-screen HD video wall.
In simpler terms, augmented reality, AG technology, is something akin to a large electronic billboard with touch screens and motion reactive video, or sophisticated gesture-based technology, which enables pedestrians to interact with what they are looking at such as graphics, images or video of dollars falling from the sky that are projected on a HD wall. AG technology apps also are available for smartphones and tablets.