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It has been a while since I last blogged. Been busy with travelling as well as working on my phd. But I thought I'd drop a little note.
If you're like me, you like having all your files that you under one subdirectory. I mean, sure, I have my PDFs elsewhere (some subdirectory of Documents), but I have all my code and projects under ~/work. The nice thing of this is that it's really easy to backup your stuff, just tgz that directory and drop it on a thumbdrive or another computer. But then what about your settings?
One option is to simply tgz your entire home directory, but I prefer not doing that as my Documents, for instance, is filled with several gigabytes of pictures from trps etc. That's not something that needs such frequent backups. If I were to tgz my entire home dir, I would not be able to easily carry it with me on a thumbdrive.
So what then? Well you could always save settings manually, after all they don't change so often. But this is a pain as you have to hunt them down each time.
Fortunately, linux has a rather simple system to put files in one place when they're actually somewhere else. Symlinks Now I have all the settings of the applications I care about (and only those) in ~/work/settings and then simply symlink them to my home-dir. What I have in there is my .vim files, my .emacs stuff, as well as startup scripts for various interpreters (for now lua and scheme).
In reaction to the comments regarding source-control systems
I do use darcs, but not for the entire ~/work directory. I have several projects, as well as publications and other stuff. Some files I do not want versioned (for instance large data-files for certain benchmarks). Therefore I have something like:
I have other stuff in there as well, but it was just to give you an idea. Now I often backup my entire work dir using the tgz file I mentioned. The question then was, how do you easily add your settings to that without mucking about too much. And that's how I came to this rather silly blogpost.
I know this isn't revolutionary, or even that complicated, but perhaps someone who hadn't though of it yet might like this solution. And I promise to write more often and on a more interesting topic next time.


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I am assuming a lot of you were left scratching your heads after watching the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children movie. Must be trying to figure out how loops really worked in the movie? The direction is to be blamed a little for that I surmise. You know, since the colossal significance of showing loop entries and exits was next to absent. Also, the surprise quotient that the flick should have tacked all along, never really came to fruition.
It goes without saying that the time theory is huge. To be stuck in a loop, to be able to relive a day over and over again is a concept that demands an ample amount of focus and time to process. I believe a 2 hour 7 minutes movie can't really do a prodigious concept like that justice. Now since we can't really wait for a TV show to watch things fall into place, let us make do in whatever little we have to work with.
I have explained how timelines in the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children movie worked here. So without wasting more time let's get to it.
Timeline of Miss Peregrine Movie Explained (Major Spoilers)
Here is the timeline that explains how everything fits in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children movie:
- Before dying his grandfather Abe tells Jake to go to Cairnholm island to "find a bird in the loop of September 3, 1943". The bird yes you guessed right, was none other than Miss Peregrine. Abe tells him to tell her about what happened.
- Jacob follows the children in his Grampa's stories into some caves. That's when he enters the same time loop his Grampa had talked about before dying. The day of September 3, 1943. The same wretched day when Miss Peregrine's house was destroyed by a German bomber too. But since Peregrine was a Ymbryne she could control time. They lived their everyday without growing old. (So, that insinuates if you come out of the loop you begin to grow normally, I surmise)
- In an unfortunate turn of events an ornithologist Rupert Everett follows Jake to the cave where the loop entrance stood. He is able to enter it since he is a peculiar. It is also revealed that he was none other than Mr. Barron, the main antagonist himself.
Close to 2016
- He walks in Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children in her time loop of Sep 3, 1943 demanding her to come to his loop, which as a matter of fact Miss Avocet (Judi Dench) had created in Blackpool. It is also the time loop where his immortality experiments were being performed in the year 2016. The loop is 6 months old from the present day with the date: January 11, 2016.
- Miss Peregrine is abducted in her Ymbryne form and taken away by Baron. Children encounter a Hollow that tagged along with Baron. Owing to the absence of the Ymbryne Miss Peregrine, the German bomb falls closing their 1943 time loop forever. It cannot be reset.
- The clueless children then decide to help Miss Peregrine by going to Blackpool. The same location had a loop entry point for January 11, 2016 the time loop where Barron had taken Miss Peregrine. They make a theatrical entry into the year by taking a titanic ship to the Blackpool port.
- Remember while making that journey to Blackpool, Emma breaks it to Jake that since Miss Avocet is dead that Blackpool loop can't be reset. That would mean the loop would close and then time would become real time. Meaning Emma and the children would have to go to their time, (if not then they might die with as "time catches up") even though Jake could continue to thrive as a normal person in 2016.
The Final Showdown
- The final show down, the big event where skeletons of Enoch O' Conner, fight the Hollows, then takes place on January 11, 2016, in the same Miss Avocet's loop at a seaside carnival. Children had to get out of that loop before 4:30 which was the time of the Avocet's loop closing. (If not they would get stuck in 2016 only to die quickly)
- When everything calms down, and Baron is vanquished, Jake says goodbye to everyone, and returns home to find his Grandfather still alive. This is primarily because that event of Hollows killing Abe hadn't occurred yet. It is also very unlikely to happen since Hollows and Barron have been killed before time. Meaning Barron would never go to Florida with the Hollow to meet Abe.
The Ending Part
- Miss Peregrine on the other hand is hurt, so she can't come back to her normal form to create time loops. She makes it along with other children to the year 1943. The same year when the time loop was completely annihilated with that bomb drop.
- In the end, Abe insinuates: Even though Miss Peregrine's 1943 loop has closed, Jake at least knew were they were. Abe offers him some international currency and a map showing the exact location of all the loops to track them down.
- In order to reach the same time however he has to travel many time loops (that explains his hair growth) taking shortcuts that would take him to the the precise moment where they were about to leave with the ship i.e. in the year 1943 still.
- When he finally reaches there, he finds Emma still on the ship, brooding, lost in her thoughts. For her the time hasn't really changed.
Explanation on How Jake Managed to Meet Emma in the End
If you are vexed at how he traveled back to her, here's an explanation of Jake's journey from the movie.
The closest loop Jake entered was in California desert. He went into the loop and in the year "19XX" (it wasn't told). He looked for the next loop which could have been on a different date in the same year, and was located in Tokyo. So he traveled to Tokyo, entered the loop that could have taken him further close to 1943, which was the year 1942. It's there where he joined Navy to wait for the day of the loop from where he was supposed to enter the London loop. Two months of another wait there would have then taken him to the exact day of Sep 3, 1943 where the peculiar children were about to board the ship. So in hopes to meet Emma he didn't actually rest at all, it was a constant struggle till he reached her year.
So that kiss in the end was justified. 😉
Another Important Fact from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Movie
Do you remember how smug and unsurprised Grampa Abe was when Jake found him in the end? Well, partly because he knew beforehand that Jake was a peculiar too. Also he probably knew that Jake was already helping the birds.
Now, one of the major reasons why Grandfather knew that his grandson was a peculiar too was because he had listened to that phone call that Jacob tended to in the year 1943, telling him how much he loved him, and missed him.
Mind = Blown!
Anything you find more intriguing about Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children movie ? Drop it in the comments section below.
For a better glimpse into the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children movie I would suggest you read our complete thorough review here: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children Review 2016. Any fuming questions post them and I will try to answer them or get them resolved.

subset: commoncrawl


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Playing Out
Here a great picture sent in by my good friend Gianni (Jon) Zazzarino riding his bike on Nelson Street. Over his shoulder can be seen a gable end which is at the top of Travis Street.
Here he is again, this time on Queen Street near to the James North Factory. Note the walkway from one part of the factory to the other.
I can remember when I, too, had knees like that.
I can remember when I, too, had knees like that.
Still on Queen Street, but across the road now, and more of the Norths Factory can be seen. Jon tells me this bike could well have been bought from Oldham's on the corner of Nelson Street and Market Street.


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Streets of Rage 2 Trivia (Nintendo 3DS)
Published by
Developed by
Also For
ESRB Rating
Critic Score
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
User Score
5 point score based on user ratings.
Cut fighting movesIn early beta versions of Streets of Rage 2, Axel had two very different (and familiar) attacks: a move VERY similar to a Shotokan Dragon Punch, and...a Shotokan Hurricane Kick?
Looks like Sega axed them for good reason: legal action from Capcom for unauthorized teachings of Shotokan moves to their characters. (Shotokan, by the way, is the fighting technique Ryu, Ken, and Akuma use in Capcom's Street Fighter series).
MC.KIn Stage 1, there is an enemy called MC.K who only appears once in the entire game. He is worth about 10,000 points, much more than any other non-boss character.
MusicYuzo Koshiro claims to have been influenced by early 90's European club music while producing the soundtrack for SoR 2. This is mostly visible with the music in the first part of level 4, which bears an uncanny resemblance with the dance hit Move Any Mountain by The Shamen, released two years before.
- Two fat thugs in the game are called Talk and Wanter. They're named after Talk Uchimura (Planning & System design) and Wanta (Project management).
- Before the Round 4 Stadium, you can see a sign that says "It's like Boo!". This may be a reference to "Fat Boo" from Dragonball Z, which looks an awful lot like the SoR2 character Big Ben.
- The character Skate resembles DJ Boy (from the game DJ Boy, another side-scrolling beat-em-up game). This arcade game developed by Kaneko was later published by Sega on the megadrive. In fact, Sega changed the name of the character from 'Sammy' in Bare Knuckle 2 (Japanese release) into Skate in Streets of Rage 2 (US release) and the US publisher for the Megadrive conversion of DJ Boy was the company "Sammy".
- It's no coincidence that the fat enemies in the game often go by the name of 'Heart'. It's a reference to the popular manga Fist of the North Star (Hokuto No Ken), which featured an extremely overweight martial artist also called Heart.
Version differences
- Sammy "Skate" Hunter was renamed to Eddie "Skate" Hunter in the U.S. and European versions of the game.
- Max Thunder, the hulking pro wrestler, doesn't appear in the 8-bit versions (Game Gear and SMS) of SoR2.
- Only in the Japan version, the final boss smokes a cigar
- In the US version, the jump kick animation of Blaze was changed. Originally her legs are wider apart and reveal her panties.
- Retro Gamer
- September 2004 (Issue #8) – #64 Best Game Of All Time (Readers' Vote)
Contributed by Satoshi Kunsai (2078) on Nov 02, 2002. [revised by : Patrick Bregger (237749)]. -- edit trivia


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Oh, and you can still enter my Romwe 2x $60 giveaway until Valentine's!
Wocka wocka!
Oh, and you can still enter my Romwe 2x $60 giveaway until Valentine's!
33 comments:
- Wild Flower said...
You look so adorable Laura! I absolutely love the whole outfit, every piece, including the muppet! haha. I didn't see the movie... but maybe I'll have to check it out!
- February 10, 2012 at 2:49 PM
- Eva {not your mama's dinner} said...
Whow! Mijn lievelingstkleedje van je! écht zalig! Deed je iets met je haar? Het krult zo mooi en glanst zo lekker...
Eva van Gent
- February 10, 2012 at 2:54 PM
- Kristina said...
I like your dress so much, the colour is amazing on you :)
- February 10, 2012 at 2:57 PM
- Natasha Fatah said...
Hahah, Gonzo is my favourite too. I love that dress. I didn't see the movie yet, but my husband did and he loved it.
- February 10, 2012 at 2:58 PM
- Kitsune-kun said...
oh cuuute! love these photos:)
- February 10, 2012 at 3:01 PM
- Natalie Suarez said...
aww that is too cute! i love it :)
- February 10, 2012 at 4:00 PM
- Dom said...
Lovely whimsical photos! I see you're playing off the pink in Gonzo's bow-tie! How clever. Your dress is super adorable!
- February 10, 2012 at 4:25 PM
- BERTHA NATASHA said...
Laura!! how cute you are <3<3
- February 10, 2012 at 4:55 PM
- The (used to be with) It Girl said...
Your shots of this dress are so much better than the ones on the Asos website I think I'm going to buy it now! The floral detail is so pretty.
- February 10, 2012 at 5:34 PM
- Jade Briony said...
I'm not really a big fan of the muppets however i love your dress! :)
- February 10, 2012 at 5:35 PM
wauw gonzo blauw it is! looks great baby, have fun at the movies xo
- February 10, 2012 at 5:46 PM
- Vaci said...
I really like your hair ♥♥ :)
- February 10, 2012 at 6:26 PM
- Carina said...
I watched the movie today! Hahah aww I really liked it!
Cute dress and heels too btw :)
- February 10, 2012 at 7:37 PM
- Sina said...
such an amazing dress :)
I love the muppets, they are a big part of my childhood!
- February 10, 2012 at 9:07 PM
- Amber Rose, Laughing With Broken Eyes said...
You're the absolute cutest. I haven't seen the Muppets Movie yet but I love Jason Segel so I need to get on it!:)
- February 10, 2012 at 9:13 PM
- Eline said...
wat een geweldige schoenen heb je aan!
Ja, dat zijn inderdaad de faros laarsjes! En ik ben er zo blij mee. :D Nou, eigenlijk heb je ook wel geluk dat je je bestelling al had doorgegeven, want nu zijn ze er in veel meer kleuren!
Ik dacht ook dat ik ze niet zou aankunnen met dit weer, maar ze lopen heel erg lekker! Ze lopen eigenlijk beter dan de schoenen die ik heb met lagere hak.
Maar huh? Krijg jij dan ook elke maand schoenen van nelly? :)
- February 10, 2012 at 9:36 PM
- Zane said...
cute :) love your look and adorable hair too
- February 10, 2012 at 10:27 PM
- Lets Put Our Hearts Together said...
Great outfit, love the shoes!
I saw The Muppets this morning, it was amazing! Jason Segel was the perfect actor for that role!
- February 10, 2012 at 10:41 PM
- marmushka said...
superschattig <3
- February 10, 2012 at 11:38 PM
- RDYN! said...
You look adorable, and that is such a gorgeous dress. As it would be since its from ASOS. I'm excited for the movie too! I hope you enjoyed the movie :D
- February 11, 2012 at 3:15 AM
- Jo said...
OHHH! This is my favourite post ever!!! <3 I absolutely adore the muppets; though haven't seen the movie yet! Beaker is my favourite! I was so excited when I heard that Jason Segel was making the film; he is one of my favourites!
Lost in the Haze: Fashion Blog
- February 11, 2012 at 3:27 AM
- Green Tea and Cupcakes said...
Gorgeous photos you look so cute. How good was the movie? I loved it!
- February 11, 2012 at 4:40 AM
- Sparks In Spring said...
Very pretty dress, the shade of blue is so unique dearie! You look beautiful in it.
- February 11, 2012 at 5:47 AM
- LaceandPearls said...
Wauw wat een prachtige outfit, staat je heel goed! Vond 't superleuk om je te ontmoeten bij PUUR.
- February 11, 2012 at 11:20 AM
- Angelica said...
You looks cute !!
And I love your dress...
Nice outfit.
- February 11, 2012 at 1:31 PM
- Deasy said...
Your outfit is adorable <3 And the muppet on your hand is a nice touch :B Hope you had a lovely time at the movies!
- February 11, 2012 at 6:34 PM
- AErauw said...
Superleuk kleedje! Staat je goed :)
XO Aline
- February 11, 2012 at 9:59 PM
- POPPY said...
hahaha briljant!
- February 13, 2012 at 5:06 PM
wow, love the dress!
- February 14, 2012 at 5:39 PM
- Swaen said...
Wauw, wat een prachtig jurkje! Wat een kleur!
Liefs, Swaen
- February 16, 2012 at 3:56 PM
- Uśmiech ! said...
I love your dress;) It's amazing~!;)
- February 16, 2012 at 11:02 PM
- Uśmiech ! said...
Pretty dress!:D
- February 16, 2012 at 11:26 PM
- Susann said...
Wow, that dress looks so pretty! I saw it on Asos before but didn't think it would look that amazing!
xx, Susann
Fashion in Pepperland
- February 26, 2012 at 1:10 PM


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How Do You Know You're Any Good?
Alan Jacobs has a good post up with a lengthy quote from a Matt Crawford interview, about the dignity of work. Alan concludes:
I wonder if it would be possible for some shrewd social scientist to construct a study that would discover the extent to which people are motivated by recognition from peers, when that's available, versus recognition from "society as a whole" in the form of a salary. The desire to have one's abilities confirmed by "those who know" is, I suspect, very powerful.
I think he's right about that. One challenge I've had with the book-writing I've done is to stay focused on writing for a broader audience, not just for who I imagine my audience to be (that is, my friends, and their relative narrow circle of interests). Editors have been absolutely critical in helping me do this.
Along those lines, here's a key quote from Crawford:
Let's say you're a carpenter, and you have a problem with your boss. If he doesn't like the work you've done, you can say to him: "It's plumb, it's level, and it's square. Go check it yourself." But in so many professions we don't have the ability to appeal to concrete standards like that. So everything's open to interpretation, and you have to spend a lot of time managing what others think of you. In that situation I think your dignity becomes "manipulable" by social techniques. Whereas when the work does answer to concrete standards, you have solid ground to stand on in your own self-assessment, and it's the same ground on which others will assess you.
This speaks to a reason I enjoy cooking so much. When I write something, I never know if it's any good or not. I'm neurotic about it. I re-read something I've written, and all I can see are the flaws. It's not a matter of humility (would that it were!), but of insecurity. Even if it seems good to me, well, how do I know? I'm self-aware enough to know that my judgment can't be trusted. I could write "As I Lay Dying," and I wouldn't have the sense to know if it was any good.
When I cook, though, I know. I have complete confidence in my judgment there. I know if it's good, bad, or so-so, and if it's not good, I can usually tell exactly where I erred. There is the satisfaction of a job well done, and on the occasion when the job hasn't been well done, I have the ability to regard my errors dispassionately, as an opportunity for learning. I don't know why I can't do that with my writing, but I haven't figured out how to separate it from myself as I can do with my cooking. Anyway, I can't tell you what a comfort it is to be able to know if you've succeeded or not, simply by tasting a thing.


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August 12, 2007
Alan Watt, born in Scotland, is a long-term researcher into the causative forces behind major changes in historical development. His background is that of a renaissance man with a background in three professions, plus having various books published in religions, philosophy, poetry, mainly under pseudonyms. For the first hour, Alan talks about future studies, scarcity and collectivism. We begin talking about weird weather, chemtrails, HAARP, climate change and the implementation of a global government propelled by global warming. Later, we discuss changing images of man, "A Computer-based Exploration of Alternative Futures for Mankind 2000", the individual vs. the collective, the hive, Tavistock Institute, Aldous Huxley and much more. In our members section, Alan addresses the danger of television, "The Flicker and the Manipulation" and the sacrifice and acclimatization to the "Culture of Death". Other Topics Discussed: population control & reduction, abortion and stem cell research, vaccines, aluminum, aspartame, pharmaceutical companies, Bayer, cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil, sacrifice, the acclimatization of the "Culture of Death", flashmobs, uprising, demonstrations, population anger, China, one child policy, population growth control, revelations and the mark of the beast.


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Game 87: Toronto at Tampa Bay pregame
Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston admitted that it was hard to not include Marco Scutaro or Scott Rolen in the starting lineup for Thursday's tilt against the Rays.
Scutaro has hit .323 in his last seven games and has been a catalyst all season for the offense. Rolen is riding a career-best 25-game hitting streak. And the Jays are in a slump, losing 10 of their past 13.
"It's real tough, especially when you've got one of your better pitchers going," said Gaston, referring to ace Roy Halladay. "I just kind of gave [bench coach Brian]Butterfield the lineup and said, 'Hey, go get 'em Doc.'"
The bottom line was that Rolen had been receiving days off on day games after night games frequently this season to help keep him fresh. Scutaro — a part-time player throughout his career — had started every single one of Toronto's 86 games before Thursday.
"We talked about it earlier in the week that I was going to give him today off," Gaston said of Scutaro. "It's well deserved. I think after the All-Star break, I'm going to try to get him and [second baseman Aaron] Hill out of there maybe once a week and give [John McDonald] some more playing time — just rest those guys a little bit."
Gaston said he hasn't seen any signs of Scutaro tiring due to the increased work load.
"Not really," Gaston said. "This kid goes and plays hard every day no matter what. I do know that he probably needs a rest here and there every once in a while and I think that's what we're going to do. What'd he get? Two hits last night? When guys are dragging, they don't swing the bat like that."
ON TALLET: Following the lemon he turned in on Wednesday night, Blue Jays lefty Brian Tallet described his outing as "horrible" and said that it seems like when he goes bad, he goes REALLY bad this season. It's true, considering three blowups really skew his performance as a starter.
Here are Tallet's worst three starts:
July 8 at Tampa Bay: 3 IP, 8 R, 11 H
June 14 vs. Florida: 3.1 IP, 8 R, 10 H
April 29 at Kansas City: 4 IP, 10 R, 11 H
In those three outings: 0-2 with a 22.65 ERA (10.1 IP/26 ER)
In Tallet's other 14 starts: 5-4 with a 2.72 ERA (86 IP/26 ER)
"That's the problem," Tallet said. "It's the game where I don't get out of the fourth inning or I don't get out of the third inning and I give up eight or 10 runs. I've got to find a way to get rid of those, because those are unnaceptable at this level — at any level. If I'm doing that in A ball, I'm getting released. I've got to figure out what's going wrong when I'm going bad and not allow it to happen."
STEPPING AWAY: Gaston will not be heading with the Blue Jays to Baltimore following today's game in St. Pete. Last Thursday, Cito's sister, Mattie Clarke, passed away and Toronto's manager is heading to San Antonio to attend her funeral services this weekend. He hopes to rejoin the Jays on Sunday. Butterfield will serve as temporary manager until Gaston's return.
HEADING HOME: I will not be making the trip to lovely Baltimore, either. I'm heading back to Toronto for a few days off. I am also not heading to St. Louis this week for the All-Star Game, so bluejays.com will be in someone else's hands and I'll be blogging a bit less until the second half resumes. I'll probably roll out my First Half Award Winners during the break.
Today's lineups:
Fourth place AL East, 9.0 GB
1. Jose Bautista, 3B
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, LF
4. Kevin Millar, DH
5. Vernon Wells, CF
6. Alex Rios, RF
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. John McDonald, SS
Starter: RHP Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.79)
Third place AL East, 5.5 GB
1. B.J. Upton, CF
2. Carl Crawford, LF
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Carlos Pena, 1B
5. Ben Zobrist, 2B
6. Pat Burrell, DH
7. Gabe Gross, RF
8. Jason Bartlett, SS
9. Michel Hernandez, C
Starter: LHP David Price (2-3, 5.21)
Don't forget, you can follow me on Twitter: @MLBastian
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1 Comment
I have thought that jMac has hit the ball hard this year; he is just hitting it right at someone. His swing seems nice and level, and he seems to have good bat speed. The home run should be enough to buy him another start with Cito, and who knows, if he plays a couple of times a week, he may be able to turn that swing into some good at bats.


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Harbour Road, Skerries, Co. Dublin, K34 H638
Savour mouth-watering contemporary European cuisine with breathtaking views from Skerries pier in the critically-acclaimed Brasco's Restaurant. Serving with distinct flair and using only the finest locally sourced ingredients this is a must-try for
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Today is your last chance to vote on the revisions to the Code of Ethics.
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Welcome to Bigland Hall's Pony Club
Welcome to Bigland Hall's Pony Club
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Investors Bet On Battered Markets
Some View Recent Dive in Developing Countries as Temporary and Excessive
Battered by the turmoil in emerging markets this year, some big-name investors say they are coming back for more.
Mark Mobius's Templeton Developing Markets Trust, which manages $2.1 billion, is down 8.6% this year after markets like India and Indonesia plummeted. Still, Mr. Mobius is holding on in these markets and has bought select stocks in Russia and Mexico.


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- Odometer
- 29,260 miles
- Fuel Economy
- 15.0/21.0 mpg City/Hwy
- Exterior Color
- Red Hot
- Interior Color
- Other
- Body/Seating
- Pickup Truck/6 seats
- Transmission
- 6 speed automatic
- Drivetrain
- four-wheel
- Engine
- 5.3L Ecotec3 V8 Engine
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LD
Highlighted Features
- Emergency communication system
- Premium audio system
- Wireless phone connectivity
- Exterior parking camera rear
- High intensity discharge headlights
- Split folding rear seat
- Perimeter/approach lights
- Remote keyless entry
KBB.com Consumer Reviews
- 5.0
Best truck ever
By James on Saturday, November 18, 2017Best driving truck I tested (Ford and Ram). Seats are comfortable, steering gives great feedback, and shocks smooth out the bumpiest road. Towed a 6000 pound trailer easily without swaying or boogieing down the engine. Averaging 22.6 miles per gallon drive around a small country town. Capless tank makes it easy to fill up in the winter when necessary.
- 4.0
Defective compressor & condenser
By Kp on Wednesday, August 28, 2019Overall great vehicle but has inherent problems with 2015 similar models that use 5.3L dealing with ac compressor and condenser which are expensive to repair
- 4.0
nice but defects
By jake on Friday, August 16, 2019DIC goes bad right away, Chev refuses to fix defect. This is a DEFECT in Design and materials. I'm sure Airline Pilots and Ship Captains would agree "Works as designed" for their gauges that go dim and then black when on a 120 degree Tarmack, or heavy weather. Pilots love when their gauges go black for wind speed, altitude, and flaps; Chevy just says that's a feature, NOT a defect. Yeah right!
* The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, other fees required by law, finance charges and any documentation charges. A negotiable administration fee, up to $115, may be added to the price of the vehicle.
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No, it won't be wall-to-wall digital blue people. Well, I hope it won't, because, man, I did not like Avatar.
However, AMD, the tech company responsible for Xbox 360 graphics tech, said the next Xbox will be able to render graphical detail on par with James Cameron's sci-fi opus.
AMD won't confirm it's working on the new Xbox, but, according to the Official Xbox Magazine, AMD said the new Xbox will launch with that level of graphics.
What's more, AMD's Neal Robison added that the upcoming A.I. will enable every pedestrian in, say, Grand Theft Auto have their own personality and react to situations differently.
This sounds like AMD talking up whatever they're working on. Fingers crossed it actually pans out, because words like these can come back to haunt you.
Kotaku is following up with Microsoft and will update this post should the company comment.
AMD: Xbox 720 graphics will look like Avatar [Examiner.com]
(Top photo: Fox)


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Prices for construction materials jumped in February, driven by extreme increases in items used in new housing and nonresidential building renovations, according to an analysis of new federal figures released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the increased materials prices are hitting contractors struggling to recover from a years-long downturn in construction demand.
"For the second month in a row, contractors endured outsized price hikes for gypsum wallboard, lumber, and insulation materials," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the construction trade association. "In addition, soaring diesel prices mean contractors are paying more for fuel they buy and, via fuel surcharges, for the thousands of deliveries of materials and equipment required for construction projects."
The producer price index for all construction inputs — what contractors pay for construction materials — leaped 1.3% between January and February, equaling the entire increase for 2012, Simonson noted. The index was 2.0% higher than in February 2012, outpacing the increase in the price contractors are able to charge for most types of new buildings. The index for new office construction rose only 1.0% in the past year; new school buildings 1.2%; new industrial construction, 1.3%; and new warehouses, 2.6%.
The producer price index for gypsum products such as wallboard and plaster climbed 4.4% in February, following an 11.8% leap in January, for a cumulative rise of 17.8% over the past 12 months, Simonson noted. Lumber and plywood prices rose 2.3% in February and 15.8% from a year ago. Insulation prices increased 2.1% and 5.9%, while the price index for diesel fuel shot up 7.2% for the month and 3.8% year-over-year.
Prices for metals and paving materials showed mixed patterns, Simonson pointed out. Copper and brass mill prices rose 0.7% for the month but remained 2.1% below year-ago levels. Similarly, aluminum mill prices climbed 0.6 % in February but slipped 1.5% over 12 months, while the price index for steel mill products dropped 0.9 % and 9.7%, respectively. Asphalt paving prices retreated 0.1% for the month but edged up 1.1 % over 12 months, while concrete prices increased 0.3% and 2.3%, respectively.
Association officials noted that the increases in construction materials prices were cutting into firms' margins just as the industry is beginning to experience a modest upturn in private sector demand. Combined with over $4 billion worth of construction cuts imposed by the federal sequester, the price hikes will make it harder for firms to expand, officials noted.
"It is hard for firms to benefit from increasing demand when they can't pass along rising costs for key materials," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer. "Having more business doesn't help if firms end up losing money performing that work."
Click here to view the February 2013 PPI table.


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Our Canon ZR20 accessories include the compatible Canon ZR20 AV Cable, Canon ZR20 Battery, Canon ZR20 Battery Charger, Canon ZR20 DV Cable and Canon ZR20 FireWire Cable for your Canon ZR20.
If you need any assistance with Canon ZR20 accessories please call us toll free 800-278-4002 9am-5pm CT Mon-Fri or email firstname.lastname@example.com anytime and our knowledgeable sales team will assist you in finding the Canon accessory you are looking for. All Canon ZR20 accessories come with a Compatability Guarantee and Same Day Shipping.
To find accessories for other Canon cameras please see our Canon Camera Accessories page.


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18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement


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OneHealth Tool
The OneHealth Tool is a software tool designed to inform national strategic health planning in low- and middle-income countries.
While many costing tools take a narrow disease-specific approach, the OneHealth Tool attempts to link strategic objectives and targets of disease control and prevention programmes to the required investments in health systems. The tool provides planners with a single framework for scenario analysis, costing, health impact analysis, budgeting and financing of strategies for all major diseases and health system components. It is thus primarily intended to inform sector wide national strategic health plans and policies.
Outputs from an application will help planners answer the following questions:
- What would be the health system resources needed to implement the strategic health plan (e.g., number of nurses and doctors required over the next 5-10 years)?
- How much would the strategic plan cost, by year and by input?
- What is the estimated health impact?
- How do costs compare with estimated available financing?
The development of the OneHealth tool is overseen by the UN InterAgency Working Group on Costing (IAWG-Costing). WHO provides technical oversight to the development of the tool, facilitates capacity building and provides technical support to policy makers to inform national planning and resource needs estimates. The first official version of the OneHealth Tool was released in May 2012. Since then the tool has been applied in over 40 countries to date, most of which in sub-Saharan Africa.
Updated versions of the software are regularly released. Recent developments include an expanded Malaria Impact module, and a module for Neglected Tropical Diseases. Please contact the WHO-CHOICE team at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information.
Documents and links
Frequently Asked Questions 2011
pdf, 30kb
Frequently Asked Questions 2012
pdf, 137kb
OneHealth Tool - Supporting integrated strategic health planning, costing and health impact analysis presentation
pdf, 752kb
Avenir Health website
The OneHealth Tool can be downloaded from the Avenir Health website
IHP+ website
Overall information on the OneHealth Tool and the IAWG-Costing can be found on the IHP+ website.
About us
Health Systems Financing
Cost-effectiveness analysis and its implementation via CHOICE is part of health systems financing.


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Pressure control valves assist hydraulic systems in many ways—from keeping system pressures below a desired limit to maintaining a set pressure in circuits. The most widely used valves for controlling pressure include relief, reducing, sequence, and counterbalance valves.
Relief Valves
Most hydraulic systems are designed to operate within a preset pressure range. This range is a function of the forces the actuators in the system must generate to do the required work. Without controlling or limiting these forces, the hydraulic components (and expensive equipment) could be damaged. Relief valves prevent this hazard. They are the safeguards that limit maximum pressure in a system by diverting excess fluid when pressures become too high.
The pressure at which a relief valve first opens to allow fluid to flow through is known as cracking pressure. When the valve is bypassing its full rated flow, it is in a state of full-flow pressure. The difference between full-flow and cracking pressures is sometimes known as the pressure regulation characteristic, or pressure override.
Sometimes this pressure override is not objectionable. However, it can be a disadvantage if it wastes power (because of the fluid lost through the valve before reaching the maximum setting). This can further permit maximum system pressure to exceed the ratings of other components.
Relief valves come in two varieties: direct acting and pilot operated. Direct-acting valves consist of a poppet or ball (poppet will be used for simplicity of discussion), held exposed to system pressure on one side and opposed by a spring of preset force on the other. In a fixed, non-adjustable, normally closed relief valve (Fig. 1), the force exerted by the compression spring exceeds the force exerted by system pressure acting on the poppet. The spring holds the poppet tightly seated. A reservoir port on the spring side of the valve returns leakage fluid to tank.
1. Simple, direct-acting relief valve has no adjusting screw and, therefore, opens at a fixed, preset pressure as controlled by the force from a compression spring.
When system pressure exceeds the valve spring setting, the fluid unseats the poppet, allowing a controlled amount of fluid to bypass to the reservoir, maintaining system pressure at the valve setting. The spring re-seats the poppet when enough fluid is released for system pressure to drop below the valve spring setting.
Because fixed relief valves are limited to the single setting of their spring, most relief valves are adjustable. This is commonly achieved with an adjusting screw acting on the spring (Fig. 2). By turning a screw in or out, the operator compresses or decompresses the spring respectively. The valve can be set to open at any pressure within a desired range. Aside from the adjustable feature, this valve works just like the fixed valve in Fig. 1.
2. Adjustable, direct-acting relief valve blocks flow through the valve until force of system pressure on a poppet overcomes the adjustable spring force and downstream pressure.
Spring-loaded poppet valves are generally used for low flows. They have low internal leakage below cracking pressure and respond rapidly, making them ideal for relieving shock pressures. They're often used as safety valves to prevent damage to components from high pressure surges or to relieve pressure caused by thermal expansion in locked cylinders. The differential between cracking and full open pressure on spring-loaded poppet relief valves is high. For this reason, they are not recommended for precise pressure control.
Another type of direct-acting relief valve has a guided piston. In this valve, a sliding piston — instead of a poppet — connects the pressure and reservoir ports. System pressure acts on the piston and moves it against a spring force. As the piston moves, it uncovers a reservoir port in the valve body.
These valves have a fast response but may be prone to chatter. They can be damped, but this slows their reaction time. They are reliable and can operate with good repetitive accuracy if flow doesn't vary widely. Valves with hardened-steel pistons and sleeves have a long service life. They may leak slightly below cracking pressure unless the pistons are sealed.
Guided-piston relief valves generally are used for pressures below 800 psi, although they can be made with heavier springs for higher pressures. The heavier springs give the valve a greater differential and, consequently, increase valve size.
Pilot operated relief valves (Fig. 3), are most-often used in applications involving large flow with a small pressure differential. The pilot-operated relief valve operates in two stages. A pilot stage, which consists of a small, spring-biased relief valve (generally built into the main relief valve), acts as a trigger to control the main relief valve. However, the pilot may also be located remotely and connect to the main valve with pipe or tubing.
3. Pilot-operated relief valve has an orifice through the poppet, which is held closed by the force from a spring and system pressure acting on larger poppet area at spring end.
The main relief valve is normally closed when the pressure of the inlet is below the setting of the main valve spring. Orifice B in the main valve (Fig. 3) permits system pressure fluid to act on a larger area on the spring side of the poppet, so the sum of this force and that of the main spring keep the poppet seated. At this time, the pilot valve is also closed. Pressure in passage B is the same as system pressure and is less than the setting of the pilot valve spring.
As system pressure rises, the pressure in passage B rises as well, and, when it reaches the setting of the pilot valve, the pilot valve opens. Fluid is released behind the main valve through passage B to the drain port. The resulting pressure drop across orifice A in the main relief valve opens it, and excess fluid flows to tank, preventing any further rise in inlet pressure. The valves close again when inlet oil pressure drops below the valve setting.
Pilot-operated relief valves typically have relatively low internal leakage until pressure reaches 80 to 90% of the pressure setting, at which point the pilot stage may begin to open. These valves are best suited for high-pressure, high-volume systems. Although their operation is slower than that of direct-acting relief valves, pilot-operated relief valves maintain more stable pressure while relieving. Figure 4 plots the operating characteristics of direct-acting and pilot-operated relief valves.
4. Comparison of action of relief valves at cracking and full-flow pressure.
Pressure-Reducing Valves
The most practical components for maintaining secondary, lower pressure in a hydraulic system are pressure-reducing valves. Pressure-reducing valves are normally open 2-way valves that close when subjected to sufficient downstream pressure. (Three-way valves are also available.) They come in two types: direct-acting and pilot-operated.
Direct acting—A pressure-reducing valve limits the maximum pressure available in a secondary circuit regardless of pressure changes in the main circuit, and as long as the work load generates no back flow into the reducing valve port. When back flow does occur, the valve will close (Fig. 5).
5. Direct-acting, pressure-reducing valve is held open by spring force. Increasing pressure at outlet port moves the spool to the right, closing the valve.
The pressure-sensing signal comes from the downstream side (secondary circuit). This valve operates in reverse fashion from a relief valve (which senses pressure from the inlet and is normally closed).
As pressure rises in the secondary circuit (Fig. 5), hydraulic force acts on area A of the valve, closing it partly. Spring force opposes the hydraulic force, so that only enough oil flows past the valve to supply the secondary circuit at the desired pressure. The spring setting is adjustable.
When outlet pressure reaches that of the valve setting, the valve closes except for a small quantity of fluid that bleeds from the low-pressure side of the valve, usually through an orifice in the spool, through the spring chamber, to reservoir.
Should the valve close fully, leakage past the spool could cause pressure buildup in the secondary circuit. To avoid this, a bleed passage to tank keeps it slightly open, preventing a rise in downstream pressure above the valve setting. The drain passage returns leakage flow to tank. (Valves with built-in relieving capability are also available to eliminate the need for this orifice.)
Constant- and fixed-pressure reducing valves supply a preset pressure, regardless of main circuit pressure, as long as pressure in the main circuit is higher than that in the secondary. Constant-pressure-reducing valves balance secondary circuit pressure against the force exerted by an adjustable spring, which tends to open the valve. When pressure in the secondary circuit drops, spring force opens the valve enough to increase pressure and keep a constant reduced pressure in the secondary circuit.
Fixed-pressure-reducing valves supply a fixed amount of pressure reduction regardless of the pressure in the main circuit. For instance, assume a valve is set to reduce pressure by 250 psi. If main system pressure is 2,750 psi, reduced pressure will be 2,500 psi.
The valve operates by balancing the force exerted by the pressure in the main circuit against the sum of the forces exerted by secondary circuit pressure and the spring. Because the pressurized areas on both sides of the poppet are equal, the fixed reduction is that exerted by the spring.
Pilot-operated—The spool in a pilot-operated pressure-reducing valve is balanced hydraulically by downstream pressure at both ends (Fig. 6). A light spring holds the valve open. A small pilot relief valve, usually built into the main valve body, relieves fluid to tank when reduced pressure reaches the pilot valve's spring setting. This fluid flow causes a pressure drop across the spool. Pressure differential then shifts the spool toward its closed position against the light spring force.
6. Pilot-operated, pressure-reducing valve has reduced pressure on both ends of the spool. A light spring holds the spool open.
The pilot valve relieves only enough fluid to position the main valve spool or poppet so that flow through the main valve equals the flow requirements of the reduced-pressure circuit. If no flow is required in the low-pressure circuit during a portion of the cycle, the main valve closes. Leakage of high-pressure fluid into the reduced-pressure section of the valve then returns to the reservoir though the pilot-operated relief valve.
Pilot-operated pressure-reducing valves generally have a wider range of spring adjustment than direct-acting valves, and they usually provide greater repeatability. However, fluid contamination can block flow to the pilot valve, keeping the main valve from closing properly. Pilot-operated valves with built-in reduced pressure system relieving capability also are available.
Sequence Valves
In circuits with more than one actuator, it's often necessary to drive the actuators, such as cylinders, in a definite order or sequence. This can be done with limit switches, timers, or other electrical control devices.
Sometimes this can be achieved by sizing cylinders according to the load they must displace. The cylinder requiring the least pressure to move its load extends first. At the end of its stroke, system pressure increases and extends the second cylinder. This continues until all cylinders are actuated.
However, in many installations, space limitations and force requirements determine the cylinder size needed for the job. In this case, sequence valves can be used to actuate the cylinders in the required order.
Sequence valves are normally closed 2-way valves that regulate the sequence in which various functions in a circuit occur (Fig. 7). They resemble direct-acting relief valves except that their spring chambers are generally drained externally to tank, instead of internally to an outlet port.
7. Sequence valve is a 2-way valve held closed by an adjustable spring and opened by pressure at the inlet port acting on the left of the spool.
Normally, a sequence valve routes pressurized fluid to a second function only after an earlier function has been completed. When normally closed, a sequence valve allows fluid to flow freely to the primary circuit to perform its first function until the valve's pressure setting is reached.
When the priority function is satisfied, pressure in the primary circuit rises and is sensed in pressure-sensing passage A. This pressurizes fluid acting on the spool and overcomes the force exerted by the spring. The spring is compressed, the spool shifts, and fluid flows to the secondary circuit.
Sequence valves sometimes have check valves that allow unrestricted reverse flow from the secondary to the primary circuit. However, sequencing action is provided only when the flow is from the primary to the secondary circuit.
Counterbalance Valves
These normally closed valves are primarily used to maintain a set pressure in part of a circuit, usually to counterbalance a weight or external force or counteract a weight (such as a platen or a press) and keep it from free-falling. The valve's primary port is connected to the cylinder's rod end, and the secondary port to the directional control valve (Fig. 8). The pressure setting is slightly higher than that required to keep the load from free-falling.
8. Counterbalance valves stop flow from its inlet port to its outlet port until pressure at the inlet overcomes adjusting spring force. An integral check valve permits free flow through the valve in the opposite direction.
When pressure fluid flows to the cylinder's cap end, the cylinder extends, increasing pressure in the rod end, and shifting the main spool in the counterbalance valve. This creates a path which permits fluid to flow through the secondary port to the directional control valve and to reservoir. As the load is raised, the integral check valve opens to allow the cylinder to retract freely.
If it is necessary to relieve back pressure at the cylinder, and increase the force at the bottom of the stroke, the counterbalance valve can be operated remotely.
Counterbalance valves are usually drained internally. When the cylinder extends, the valve must open and its secondary port is connected to reservoir. When the cylinder retracts, it matters little that load pressure is felt in the drain passage because the check valve bypasses the valve's spool.
Counterbalance valves often use a pilot signal, usually from the inlet of the actuator, to assist in opening the spool. This assist makes the valves more efficient, and reduces the horsepower requirement and heat generation within the system.
This article is excerpted from the Fluid Power Handbook & Directory. For more information on pressure control valves, please refer to the eBooks posted on our website. Fluid Power Basics contains additional information on pressure-control valves, and Fluid Power Circuits Explained covers the application of various pressure-control valves in useful circuits.


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Welcome on board modern Boeing 777-200ER airliner!
The aircraft's quiet and cosy cabins are equipped with comfortable reclining seats, contemporary Sky Interior moon lighting that adjusts to help you relax, power outlets for mobile devices, as well as individual touchscreens. No matter what travel class you choose, we will ensure you have a comfortable journey. Enjoy our full-service experience on-board Boeing 777-200ER including delicious meals, personal inflight entertainment system, and more.
We operate the "Triple Seven" aircraft on our long-haul routes to Bangkok, New York, and Beijing, offering three service classes: Business, Economy Premium and Economy.


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Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport officials are discouraging Ravens fans planning to greet the Super Bowl winners as they arrive at the airport Monday.
Ravens officials say the team is expected to return from New Orleans Monday afternoon after beating the San Francisco 49s in 34-31 Sunday. An airport spokesman said the team does not enter the airport through the public passenger terminal.
BWI also discouraged Ravens fans from congregating when the team returned from Foxborough, Mass., after beating the New England Patriots in the AFC championship in January.
Fans can attend a parade scheduled to begin at City Hall at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated fans would be asked to clear the passenger terminal. The Ravens will not be entering the public passenger terminal.


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Teri Shields, the mother of actress and model Brooke Shields, has passed away at 79. She died in Manhattan last Wednesday after battling dementia for years, according to People.
A single mom, Terri Shields managed her daughter's early career, starting with a Dove soap advertisement gig when Brooke Shields was 11-months-old, The New York Times reported. Later Brooke appeared in the movie "Pretty Baby" as a child prostitute and in a controversial Calvin Klein jeans campaign -- both at the age of 15.
Brooke Shields, now 47, has yet to publicly comment about her mother's passing.
She told The New York Times in 1994 that she had a difficult relationship with her mother. "I grew up in an alcoholic household," she said then.
Selected Reading: The New York Times, People


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An Orlando TV station says the man who shot and killed 49 people inside a popular nightclub contacted them moments after opening fire early Sunday morning.
News 13's Matthew Gentili said he was staffing the station's phones as the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history unfolded a few blocks away at Pulse.
"I was receiving phone calls from viewers saying, 'What's going on? What's happening? What's happening in Orlando?" Gentili recalled Tuesday.
At about 2:45 a.m., Gentili said he received a call from a man asking whether he had heard of the shooting. As the TV producer began to respond, the person on the other end of the phone interrupted Gentili.
"I'm the shooter. It's me. I am the shooter," the caller said.
Gentili said the man told him he "did it for ISIS" and then started speaking in Arabic before eventually hanging up the phone. NBC News has not independently confirmed News 13's report.
The station's managing editor, according News 13, confirmed the caller's phone number matched that of the gunman, identified as Omar Mateen.
Gentili was interviewed by the FBI, who would not confirm if it was indeed Mateen who he had spoken to.


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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ticked off the easy items on his to-do list for economic revival.
Flashy indicators show that factories are churning out more cars and electronics. Corporate profits are up. Stock prices have surged 30 percent in the past year.
Despite his brash declaration that "Japan is back" in a speech last September to the New York Stock Exchange, Abe faces a thornier challenge in ensuring that his "Abenomics" recovery spreads beyond boardrooms to the people.
Over the past two decades, the system of salaried jobs with full benefits has crumbled as companies struggled to stay afloat in cut-throat global markets, shifting much of their manufacturing overseas.
Steady jobs in manufacturing and finance that moved abroad or became obsolete were replaced by low-paying service jobs such as clerking in convenience stores and delivery work, especially for workers under 40.
About 40 percent of Japanese workers, or triple the figure of just 30 years ago, are employed under part-time or nonregular contracts that pay far less than salaryman-type jobs of the past.
This hollowing out is undercutting the domestic demand that powers nearly three-quarters of business activity within Japan, compounding the effects of the shrinking and aging population.
"Up to now, it's all been a minus," said retiree Takeshi Onodera, when asked about Abenomics. "I don't see any signs it's made a difference. Really, it hasn't reached us."
Economic growth picked up modestly last year to 1.6 percent, but fell short of expectations in the fourth quarter, prompting the Bank of Japan on Tuesday top up its already plentiful stimulus.
Onodera's pessimism is shared by some experts. They say the social and economic forces at play for more than a generation are too powerful to be overcome by Abe's prescription of big government spending, lavish monetary easing, a weak yen and dismantling barriers to competition.
The median household income of ¥3.8 million in 2012 was down from ¥4.5 million in 1997. Today's workers are worse off than their parents and their incomes continued to fall in 2013 even as the initial successes of Abe's policies rolled in.
On top of that, living costs are rising as Abe's weak yen policy that favors exporters pushes up the cost of imported fuel and other goods.
Employers are reluctant to raise wages, a measure vital for an enduring recovery. Consumers will take another hit in April when the consumption tax is raised to 8 percent to help bridge the government's gaping budget deficit.
"Our parents just saved money in the bank without really thinking about it. For us, it's really difficult to save money," said Hideo Sone, a 40-year-old machinery factory worker.
"We want to buy a house, but it looks like repaying the money before retirement might be difficult," said his wife, Natsuko.
Many younger workers stuck in part-time or temporary jobs, with no benefits, only manage by living with their parents, said Seiichi Inagaki, a visiting professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology and former welfare ministry official.
"It is unavoidable for them that the poverty rate will rise."
Speaking in the Diet this month, Abe acknowledged that rising company profits haven't gone into wages but insisted increases are inevitable as the economy picks up.
Flat or declining incomes were bearable until recently because the stagnation that followed the bursting of the bubble economy in the early 1990s was characterized by falling prices, or deflation. Now costs are rising, with consumer prices up last year for the first time in half a decade.
Many companies are balking at Abe's calls for higher wages, which they can ill afford. Some that have profited from the weaker yen are promising modest wage hikes for upcoming spring labor talks, but many other businesses, especially the smaller ones that employ the majority of the country, are being squeezed by higher costs for imported components and energy.
"Business and political circles do want to revive our economy, but without giving labor a bigger share of the economic pie, obviously it won't happen," said Kenji Utsunomiya, a two-time candidate for Tokyo governor.
As the Abe administration weighs corporate and broader public interests, industry appears to have the upper hand.
Despite the famed efficiency of its automakers and other manufacturers, Japan ranks 20th out of 20 among the world's richest economies in terms of how productive its workers are. So the government plans to designate some areas of the country as "special zones" for reforming labor laws and restrictions that Abe says are hindering innovation and competition.
But proposals to make it easier to fire permanent employees and for exempting companies from giving white-collar workers overtime pay worry labor advocates.
"I'm especially concerned about the idea of special economic zones. They seem to be aiming for a situation in which companies can fire and hire people with really very little constraint," said Noriko Hama, a professor at Kyoto's Doshisha University.
With government finances strained by the record-busting national debt, the already Spartan social safety net is being cut further.
The unemployment rate is low compared with Europe and the U.S., but welfare rolls have risen to record levels as single parents and growing numbers of seniors lacking enough pension income seek help. To counter rising costs, monthly payments were cut by up to 10 percent last August, and further reductions are planned.
Toshio Hirota, 72, is feeling the squeeze as government cuts support payments for his wife and two young stepchildren.
Plans to cut corporate taxes to encourage companies to raise wages, step up innovation and boost investments don't sit well with him.
"The money is just going to the big companies, and they're just moving the jobs overseas," said Hirota. "We are not feeling any benefit from this."


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Oscar's secret ingredients for cooking up awards gold
LOS ANGELES — And the nominees are ... already crowding Oscar's dance card. But do they know the steps?
Just last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences could fill just nine of its 10 slots for best-picture nominees. This year, analysts say, it could be tough to winnow the list to 10. And many of the films likely to contend are already out, weeks before studios traditionally roll out their awards bait.
From Fruitvale Station to Gravity to Captain Phillips to 12 Years a Slave, which opened this weekend, Academy Awards observers say Oscar's cup already runneth over — with more than two months of movies to come. Like summer, awards season is starting earlier than ever to get a jump on an increasingly crowded release slate. Theaters have been brimming with movies that have critics raving and fans tweeting.Vanity Fair posited that 2013 may be "the greatest year for movies since theGone With the Wind"era.
Though that may be overstatement, "this is one of the most suspenseful seasons we've had," says Tom O'Neil, editor of the awards site Goldderby.com. "No movie is screaming that it's tailor-made for Oscar."
Not that figuring out academy tastes is a piece of cake. If Oscar has a recipe for Academy Award success, he's playing it as close to the vest as Colonel Sanders.
REVIEWS:The latest movie reviews from USA TODAY
TRAILERS:Coming soon to theaters
Still, analysts say there are common characteristics of most best-picture winners: a combination of commercial and critical success, Oscar pedigree and, well, experts aren't sure what to call it.
"The best way to describe it is the 'warm and fuzzies,'" O'Neil says. "It's that feeling academy members love to have when they leave a movie, that they've gotten an uplifting story, or a socially conscious message. Something that makes them feel the movie has something important to say."
If the award prospects of 2013 share a trait, however, it's that none appears precooked to academy taste. "All of these appear to be missing something," O'Neil says of the early contenders. "You couldn't point to one movie that's obvious Oscar bait. The good news is the movies are as different as could be."
Steve Pond of the industry site Thewrap.com says the buffet already is dividing the academy: Two of the race's top early contenders, the studio-backed Gravity and small-budget 12 Years a Slave, underscore a split among members who prefer art-house fare and those who favor "box-office hits and pop-culture phenomena."
At the very least, he notes, "the race get more confusing — and hey, more fun — before it gets any clearer.''
USA TODAY takes a look at the early Oscar hopefuls and grades them on experts' four criteria: critical success, box-office reception, Oscar pedigree and the movie's message:
Already out
• Reviews: A
• Box office: A
• Pedigree: A
• Message: C+
• Assessment: There's no getting around the puns, and Gravity has hit the stratosphere on three of four Oscar counts. Reviews are great, revenue is huge (more than $128.5 million heading into the weekend), and Sandra Bullock and George Clooney know their way around a podium. But the film's straight-ahead plot about a crippled space shuttle may not be sweeping enough for academy voters.
Captain Phillips
• Reviews: A
• Box office: A-
• Pedigree: A
• Message: B
• Assessment: Were Gravity not such a box-office shocker, the true story of a freighter hijacked by Somali pirates would be seen more favorably by oddsmakers. Alas, it has remained stuck in Gravity's orbit, opening to about half of the sci-fi thriller's debut. Still, star Tom Hanks is a favorite son of Oscar, so expect this to contend.
12 Years a Slave
• Reviews: A
• Box office: N/A
• Pedigree: B-
• Message: A
• Assessment: If any film has critics talking, it's this true pre-Civil War story of a free black man from upstate New York who was abducted and sold into slavery. The film already took the People's Choice Award from the Toronto International Film Festival, and it leads many analysts' top 10 lists. But after Fruitvale Station and Lee Daniels' The Butler, the film's stirring but brutal message about race and freedom could be a challenging sell to the masses.
• Reviews: A-
• Box office: C-
• Pedigree: B+
• Message: B+
• Assessment: Many critics hail the true-life racing story as Ron Howard's finest film, and praise the thriller for going beyond a sports film. But America's race car fans apparently prefer the race track to the theater, because the $38 million film has stalled at $22 million after three weeks of release and is dropping quickly from the field.
Blue Jasmine
• Reviews: A
• Box office: B+
• Pedigree: A
• Message: B
• Assessment: The academy traditionally plucks one or two films from the summer slate to show that it has a common touch. But voters will still likely go with this drama from art house favorite from Woody Allen, who scored some career-best plaudits (as did star Cate Blanchett). Allen's an Oscar darling, so he may have to decide if he wants to leave New York for a city he loathes, to pick up an award.
Lee Daniels' The Butler
• Reviews: B
• Box office: A
• Pedigree: B-
• Message: A
• Assessment: At first glance, Lee Daniels' The Butler would seem to have The Help's Oscar playbook down pat: Both films were surprise civil rights hits in late summer. The Help would land four Oscar nominations, including best picture. Slave could trip up Butler, which lacks much Oscar lineage, if the academy recognizes only one movie examining race relations.
Coming soon
Inside Llewyn Davis (opens Dec. 6 limited; Dec. 20 nationwide)
• Reviews: A-
• Box office: N/A
• Pedigree: B+
• Message: B-
• Assessment: You can usually reserve a seat at Oscar's table when Joel and Ethan Coen have a film. Their latest story follows a week in the life of a young folk singer navigating the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s. Davis already captured the Grand Prize at Cannes, though the brothers' taste can run too quirky for academy members, and most won't know lead star Oscar Isaac.
American Hustle (Dec. 13 limited; Dec. 25 nationwide)
• Reviews: N/A
• Box office: N/A
• Pedigree: A
• Message: B-
• Assessment: Hustle stands as the early potential dark horse of the season. Directed by David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter) and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro,Hustle has the kind of résumé that makes the academy drool. Problem is, no one has seen the Mafia story, which has eschewed the traditional festival run.
Saving Mr. Banks(Dec. 13 limited; Dec. 20 nationwide)
• Reviews: N/A
• Box office: N/A
• Pedigree: A-
• Message: B+
• Assessment: Another wild card. This story of the making of Mary Poppins could prove a real spoiler, with Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as Poppins author P.L. Travers. As Argo and The Artist demonstrated, Hollywood loves stories about Hollywood. But Banks, like Hustle, remains a mystery to critics and box-office forecasters.


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A plant that makes fiberglass insulating blankets and glass insulating bricks had been having major issues with utility power. It was experiencing voltage dips that caused product quality problems, and the utility claimed the problem wasn't on its end. Much of the electrical equipment at the plant dates to the 1970s, so the owner of the plant, a U.S. refractory company, hired an engineering firm to conduct an arc-flash analysis in an effort to reduce the arc-flash hazard categories of equipment throughout the plant.
The engineering firm's analysis uncovered a dangerous situation. A 480V cabinet, which was fed from a 3,500kVA transformer, exceeded arc-flash hazard Category 4, meaning there was no level of personal protective equipment (PPE) that would allow a worker to approach the cabinet if it were open. Therefore, the door to the cabinet was kept closed, and everything related to it was done remotely. But the cabinet, along with the heavy transformer associated with it, is located in a room next to the control room within feet of the operators.
The refractory company then called on Evans Enterprises, Oklahoma City, to install power quality metering that would detect any anomalies in the incoming power. Evans installed shunt trips on all the circuit breakers. The plant owner also asked Evans to try to reduce the arc-flash hazard category, so the firm installed a PGR-8800 arc-flash relay from Littelfuse, which could easily be retrofitted in the existing panel.
The cabinet in question contains a three-phase, 4,000A main breaker that feeds four 800A MCC feeder breakers, plus one 2,500A breaker that feeds an SCR power controller that controls current to three electrodes in the glass melting furnace. It has three sections: the back section for the cabling, the middle section for the bus, and the front section where the breakers are mounted. Across the top of the cabinet is another section set aside for control equipment, with no voltage greater than 120V present. The Evans technicians installed the arc-flash relay in this section and mounted two of the relay's light sensors in each of the other three power compartments. They connected the trip output of the relay to the remote trip input of the main breaker. In total, the installation of the relay was a simple job that took about three hours, including placing the sensors.
After the relay was installed, an engineering firm rerated the cabinet's arc-flash hazard rating from a Hazard Category 4 to a Hazard Category 2, a level approachable using 8 cal/cm2 PPE.
The timing of this installation was fortunate. The cabinet sits over a channel in the concrete floor with a dirt bottom. Cables from the load sides of the breakers in the cabinet emerge from the bottom and go down to enter buried conduits that end at the level of the pit bottom. While this would not be permitted in a new installation, this one had been grandfathered in.
Over the years sand from the glass manufacturing process and dirt and debris had accumulated in the channel, nearly filling it, and had found its way into the open ends of the conduits. The cables coming up through the pit were quite old, and the insulation had become brittle. About a week after the arc-flash relay was installed, an arc started on one of the cables a few inches below the surface of the dirt. The arc tracked up the cable to the main bus inside the cabinet, where it became a phase-to-ground arc flash that threatened to destroy the cabinet and potentially the plant — not to mention the effect on any people who might be nearby.
As the flash developed, the relay responded by sending a trip signal to the main breaker in less than 1 msec. The breaker then mechanically cleared the fault with a total clearing time of 51 msec. Without the arc-flash relay, the breaker would have relied on over-current relays, for which a typical 'trip signal' time is 16 msec to 32 msec. As a result of the shortened reaction time, damage was minimized. A thumb-size piece of copper was burnt off one of the bus bars and the cabinet and the switchgear inside it suffered only minor damage.
Had the relay not been there, the refractory company could have had costs estimated between $800,000 to $1 million. A switchgear cabinet with a 4,000A main breaker and one 2,500A and four 800A load breakers, plus the necessary bus bars, insulators and cables would have cost around $100,000 to replace. Just getting it into place would have required cutting a hole in the side wall of the plant.
But that would have been only a small fraction of the cost when adding in downtime. The lead time on electrical equipment of that size would be anywhere from 10 to 24 weeks — and that's just for delivery, not installation. That 24 weeks of downtime represents 46% of a year's production.
As it turned out, the repairs to the switchgear consisted of replacing a few insulators at a cost of about $6,000, and that was because the obsolete equipment could not be purchased from the manufacturer. Fortunately Evans was able to obtain the necessary parts from cabinets they had in stock, and the plant was back up and running within 24 hours, from the initial incident at 6 p.m. to 5 p.m. the next day.


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Karzai moves up election date, challenging opposition
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan President Hamid Karzai stepped up a confrontation with his opposition Saturday, ordering this year's presidential election to be moved up by at least three months despite the top election official's concerns that insufficient preparation time, funds and international forces could render the results illegitimate.
Karzai's decree may also intensify tensions with the United States, which backed an Independent Election Commission decision scheduling the vote for Aug. 20 so that an additional 17,000 U.S. troops could be deployed to bolster security.
Some 60,000 troops from the United States and 40 other countries are currently helping Afghan security forces battle the al Qaida-backed Taliban insurgency, and getting reinforcements in place within the next three months presents Washington and its NATO allies a huge challenge.
A vote that is not seen as free and fair could deal a serious blow to the Obama administration's emerging strategy for blunting the insurgency, which relies in part upon rebuilding sagging popular trust in a political system plagued by corruption and incompetence.
"There are concerns about the legitimacy of this vote," said a Western official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The election would be the second democratic presidential contest held since the 2001 U.S. intervention that toppled the Taliban regime.
Karzai said in his decree that the election commission should hold the contest according to the Afghan constitution, which requires that the vote be set within 30 to 60 days of the end of his five-year term on May 21.
The decree did not cite a specific date.
The election commission should "make essential arrangements to ensure the conduct of a transparent, fair, free, general, secret and direct ballot election", Karzai said.
The commission last month announced the Aug. 20 date. It said time was needed to allow deployment of the additional U.S. troops and complete the complicated logistical preparations, which include delivering balloting materials to remote areas now blocked by snow.
But the main opposition party, the National Front, objected, contending that the commission's decision would allow Karzai to remain in office illegally for four months. It demanded that the date be moved up or that Karzai resign in favor of an interim government.
Hakim Asher, a spokesman for the president, said that Saturday's announcement "showed that the president clearly respected the constitution."
The decree, however, essentially called the National Front's bluff because the party has not yet selected its presidential nominee, nor has it had time to organize its campaign.
Moreover, Karzai, who has made it clear that he intends to seek re-election, would have the advantages of incumbency, like his security detail and helicopters, to advance his campaign.
"This is a line in the sand," said the Western official of Karzai's order.
Karzai's decree "puts the opposition in a difficult position," conceded Abdul Sattar Murad, a senior National Front leader who has been involved in screening potential presidential candidates.
Karzai's announcement, issued after consultations with election officials, parliamentarians, religious leaders and legal experts, came despite a warning by the head of the election commission, Azizullah Lodin, that a contest held earlier than Aug. 20 might be considered illegitimate.
Lodin told McClatchy on Friday that he cautioned Karzai at a meeting on Tuesday that security would be inadequate to prevent disruptions by the Taliban and that the commission has not yet received the $224 million required to fund the election from the international community.
He said he also told Karzai that lingering snow would prevent some voters from reaching polling stations.
"I think the legitimacy of the election would be in question in a normal situation," he said.
More from McClatchy:
Obama's biggest foreign policy challenge? It's Pakistan
Pakistani government makes deal with Islamic militants
Pakistani Taliban turn honeymoon spot into slaughterhouse
Pakistan ends house arrest of 'father' of nuclear bomb
Pakistan admits Mumbai bombing planned on its soil


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Faces of the Unknown, Part 1: Cambridge, state officials focus on new approach to youth homelessness
Originally published Jul. 2, 2014 in the Cambridge Chronicle.
Editor's note: This is the first story in a three-part series examining homelessness in Cambridge.
The stairs of the Methodist church in Harvard Square are quiet. There's not a lot of foot traffic and the awning keeps away the rain and, in the winter, the snow. Max, 24, has been sleeping there for three years.
On this morning, Max wakes up bleary-eyed to the face of a Cambridge Police officer. It's time to move on.
"The people at the church here are actually pretty nice. They don't really hassle you as long you can get out by 9 a.m., and they can get in the front door," she said. "It's usually pretty rare for the police to wake you up here."
Max's close-cropped hair is bleached blond and hugs her face with bits of brown peeking out from the roots. What happens when it snows?
"You hope you have enough blankets," Max said.
By 9 a.m., Harvard Square is bustling with students and professors and employees from shops in the square. Tourists flood the streets and Max becomes nearly invisible. Passersby look the other way when they walk past her perch in The Pit – the area around the main entrance to the Harvard Square MBTA station.
They see her, but assume she's on drugs, she said. That she's a miscreant. That she doesn't want to work. She's been called a junkie and an addict, but she says she's never shot up.
"It sucks when you're a stereotype," she said.
Max is one of an unknown number of homeless youth, ages 14-24, who live in Cambridge. Unknown because until this year, no organization, government or non-profit, had collected statewide data specifically on homeless youth.
The state's Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth is remedying that shortfall with a first-in-the-nation census on youth homelessness, which was funded in 2013 and conducted in January and February. The commission expects to release its report this month.
Depending on the day and whether or not she has a doctor's appointment, Max can be found hanging in the square or "spanging" (asking for spare change) in Boston. After a young homeless woman, Colleen, died last fall from an overdose in Harvard Square, police began to crack down on young people idling there, Max said. The city implemented a program of putting out tables and chairs in The Pit, and Max said more of her friends started getting arrested.
Max can't work because of a condition called Chiari malformation, in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, putting pressure on the brain and causing seizures, dizziness, and loss of balance, among other symptoms. Although she's lived with the condition her whole life, the symptoms have grown worse as she's grown older.
She lost her job at McDonald's three years ago because of the seizures, she said, and soon after, lost her apartment and her place at Newbury College, where she was studying criminal justice. She couch surfed for a while, and then found herself on the steps of the church.
But Max is one of the lucky ones; since the Chronicle's interview with her, she was able to obtain a housing voucher through her caseworker at Cambridge-based non-profit, Youth on Fire, a drop-in center for homeless youth.
It took her half a year to find Youth on Fire, which happens to be housed in the basement of the same church. The center was founded in 2000 in response to the growing number of young people hanging out in the square, said the center's program manager, Ayala Livny.
"We did a needs assessment and found that these young people weren't connected to services and didn't want to be connected to services, but were engaging in a number of behaviors that put them at risk for things like HIV and AIDS, Hepatitis and other negative health outcomes," Livny said.
The city's Department of Public Health, Police Department, and the Harvard Square Business Association worked together with the AIDS Action Committee to convene the first youth advisory board and asked them what they would want if the city could do something.
"They said, 'We want a place where we can go, where we can be safe, where nobody is going to hassle or bother us, and where we can get our basic needs met. And, yeah, if there was staff there, we'd talk to them and maybe get some condoms,'" Livny said.
Since Livny started working at the center nine years ago, she said she's seen the number of youth served grow from 150 to 500 annually. There's no way to know whether those numbers have increased because there are more young people on the streets, or if the center is just doing a better job at reaching them, Livny said.
"At the state level, it's also really hard to count how many homeless young adults there are because homeless young adults often don't want to be found," Livny said. "So, they're not necessarily engaging in the systems and the systems don't necessarily have any way of unduplicating those numbers (if the same person visits more than one shelter or service provider)."
Sitting on the state's commission to study youth homelessness, Livny takes her successes where she can get them. The commission initially asked for $500,000 to fund the statewide youth homeless count and received $140,000 for a pilot of the count instead. That will go a long way in identifying where the gaps are for programs serving homeless young people, she said, but Youth on Fire's primary challenge is getting the young people off the streets as quickly as possible.
"The longer they're on the streets, the more bad things happen to them, and the more bad things happen to them, the longer they're on the streets," Livny said.
A big problem is the waiting, said Max. She waited for approval to get on MassHealth, and then had to reapply when she didn't have an address to send the forms. She waited to get on food stamps, and now she's waiting on approval for disability status. But the wait for housing could take years, she said, since so many people are ahead of her on the list for the Cambridge Housing Authority.
"It's a long process of waitlists," Max said.
She shuns the adult shelters because she said they're not safe. She's had to carry a knife with her before.
"You can't rely on anyone to protect you," she said.
Youth on Fire was awarded 10 Section 8 vouchers at the end of last year to house some of their clients, but Livny said what they really need is an emergency overnight shelter tailored specifically to young adults. The fact that there is not one in the state is criminal, she said.
Together with the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter's Youth Initiative, Livny said Youth on Fire is raising funds to open up the first youth homeless shelter in the state. They've identified two potential locations in Harvard Square, but are "a ways away" from their fundraising target, said Sarah Rosenkrantz, who is helping lead the push for an overnight shelter. If all goes according to plan, Rosenkrantz said they would open the shelter in February 2015.
In their teens and early 20s, Livny said most people are just trying to figure out their place in the world, and any homeless services directed at youth should take into account where the young people are in life.
"To end homelessness, you need a roof over your head, but we also know it's not as simple as just putting a roof over your head," Livny said. "Moving someone from the streets to being housed takes a lot of support and there's a lot of critical intervention for the first 3 to 12 months."
Most 20-year-olds today are not living completely independently, Livny said, so it's not realistic to expect them to do so without any of the supports that most young people get from their parents at the same age.
House Bill 135, or the Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Act, would provide funding for programs that offer housing to homeless youth in conjunction with supportive services. Legislative advocacy director for the Mass. Coalition for the Homeless, Kelly Turley, said the House included $150,000 in its version of the budget for the bill, but the Senate did not.
"Especially young adults that have been let down by the various systems that were supposed to enable them to transition successfully into independent adulthood," Livny added. "For young people, we need to create support systems that are trauma informed and take into account the wealth of terrible experiences young folks who are homeless experience."


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We had a spaghetti dinner tonight...I used my basic tomato sauce and a little TVP for "bolognese" style. This salad was an after thought, but it was the star for sure. I didn't have any capers, so I use a dill pickle.I cubed up some flax bread , with a quick toss in olive oil and a few spices, on a baking sheet in the oven for 6 minutes and you got croutons. I added toasted pumpkin seeds for a little twist. I am sure that there is many types of caesar dressing, this is what I threw together.
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 medium pickle- chopped
- 1/4 cup soy milk
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 lemon-juiced
- vegetable oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
In a blender put all ingredients except for oil. Blend. Remove lid and slowly pour oil into pickle mixture, until thickens to a creamy consistency. Pour into a jar and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.


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Three women allegedly targeted Victoria's Secret in the Silver City Galleria Thursday night, making off with items an employee told police were worth $870.
The employee told police she noticed three young Asian women standing near the lingerie store's panty area.
She said, when she saw one of them place a shirt in her handbag, she warned the woman to leave the item at the register until she was ready to pay and leave.
The employee said the women walked out of the store into the mall's lobby and left the area.
She told the officer she did an inventory check and found that as many as 60 pairs of panties, each with a value of $14.50, were missing. She also told the officer that they were in smaller sizes and of various colors.
In his report, Patrolman Stephen Joiner said he was unable to learn why the store waited at least an hour to report the 7:10 p.m. incident.
At least one person has been arrested this year for shoplifting in the same store. A 28-year-old Burt Street woman was arrested in February, allegedly for stealing panties, cologne and pink brand apparel worth more than $400.
Shoplifting in retail stores has also gotten some attention recently in the state Senate.
The Senate passed a law Thursday night that targets organized shoplifting rings by criminalizing the use and manufacture of specially made carry bags that foil store alarms.
The same bill, which has yet to be passed by the House, would also no longer allow large retailers to mail letters to suspected shoplifters informing them they automatically owe the store $500 for missing merchandise, even if the value of the missing items is far below that amount.


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