text:
Fred Kaplan on David Petraeus and Counterinsurgency
I have a new blog post up at US News and World Report discussing Fred Kaplan's latest book, The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War, a terrific book about a very important subject.
I'm thrilled to be hosting Fred at Cato in a few weeks. I've been a Kaplan fan for nearly two decades, since I first read his classic, The Wizards of Armageddon. I also thoroughly enjoyed Daydream Believers, about the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. It is an honor to be able to personally welcome him to Cato.
I'm particularly interested in the subject of his latest book: counterinsurgency (COIN). The discussion at Cato, which will also feature comments by Janine Davidson and Spencer Ackerman, hearkens back to several others that I've hosted or participated in.
One in particular sticks out. Back in 2006, Cato published a paper on the American way of war by Jeffrey Record of the Air War College. I thought the paper was outstanding at the time, and, upon rereading it this week, I was struck by how much of what Jeff observed overlaps with a discussion about COIN that Petraeus hosted at Fort Leavenworth in February 2006 (the focus of my blog post at US News). He couldn't know this at the time he was writing, of course, but it just so happens that many of Jeff's questions and concerns about COIN were shared by many others within the national security establishment, including those who Gen. Petraeus invited to vet the COIN manual. (Those interested in the subject might also want to watch or listen to the event that we hosted with Jeff, Tom Ricks, and Conrad Crane, one of the principle authors of the COIN manual, FM 3-24.)
Here are a few excerpts from the paper:
Barring profound change in America's political and military cultures, the United States runs a significant risk of failure in entering small wars of choice, and great power intervention in small wars is almost always a matter of choice. Most such wars…do not engage core U.S. security interests other than placing the limits of American military power on embarrassing display. Indeed, the very act of intervention in small wars risks gratuitous damage to America's military reputation….
If this analysis is correct, the policy choice is obvious: avoidance of direct military involvement in foreign internal wars unless vital national security interests are at stake….
Avoidance of such conflicts means abandonment of regime-change wars that saddle the United States with responsibility for establishing political stability and state building, tasks that have rarely commanded public or congressional enthusiasm.
Other elements of the discussion re: COIN were echoed in a paper that I coauthored with Ben Friedman and Harvey Sapolsky in 2008:
The problem with counterinsurgency warfare is not that its theory of victory is illogical. If you understand the culture, if you avoid counterproductive violence, if you integrate civilians and make reconstruction operations a reward for cooperation, if you train the local forces well, if you pick your allies wisely, if you protect enough civilians and win their loyalty and more, you might succeed. But even avoiding a few of these ifs is too much competence to expect of foreign powers. That is why insurgencies in the last century generally lasted for decades and why the track record of democratic powers pacifying uprisings in foreign lands is abysmal….
Another reason Americans will struggle to master counterinsurgency doctrine is that it requires a foreign policy at odds with our national character…
Americans have historically looked askance at the small wars European powers fought to maintain their imperial holdings, viewing those actions as illiberal and unjust. Misadventures like Vietnam are the exceptions that make the rule. It is no accident that U.S. national security organizations are not designed for occupation duties. When it comes to nation building, brokering civil and ethnic conflict, and waging counterinsurgency, we are our own worst enemy, and that is a sign of our lingering common sense.
In The Insurgents, Fred Kaplan, summarizing a set of questions and comments from those who reviewed the COIN manual before it was published, asks "whether counterinsurgency was even possible? The question," Kaplan writes, "had two parts. Was the U.S. Army up to the task? And, at least as uncertain, were the American people?"
I think we know the answer now, and we could have known it in 2006, before the Iraq surge, or in 2008, well before the Afghan surge. Instead, we chose to believe the opposite of what history and logic taught us.
What do we have to show for it?


text:
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Tea Is Healthy...Except When It's Not
So there's good news and there's bad news. Which do you want first?
Let's start with the good news. A cup of green tea daily may help prevent gum disease, say a bunch of grant money recipients in Japan. More of that here.
However, according to a group of Iranian researchers, who weighed in with their thoughts recently, drinking steaming hot tea may be linked to an increased risk of cancer of the esophagus.
As always, in such potentially befuddling situations, I encourage you to stop worrying about your gums and esophagus and have a cup of tea.
life's short/drink good tea - Tea Guy Speaks T-Shirts
IQ Innovations 51552 Fine T 4-Cup Gourmet Tea Machine
Zarafina Tea Maker Suite
2 comments:
- Cashmere said...
Anything in excess is bad. All things in moderation will never kill you.
- aeondax said...
I heard a report on this on NPR, in which it was said that it was the extremely hot temperature at which the tea was consumed, rather than the tea itself, which caused damage to the lining of the esophagus.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
#1 Best Value for Car Insurance in Alabama, 2016
Co-operative Insurance Companies was named the Number One Best Value for car insurance in 2016 for the state of Alabama. Co-Operative Insurance Companies won with a ValChoice score of 100. The company beat out 62 other companies for this prestigious honor.
The ValChoice grading system reviews every insurance company, in every state. Each year we identify the best company, by state. Companies are chosen solely based on our independent, unbiased analytics.
Alabama Car and Home Insurance Rates and Trends
In Alabama, both auto insurance prices and homeowners insurance prices are going up fast while incomes are going down. See the table below for details.
When insurance rates go up faster than income, it's time to shop for better insurance. Our analytics provide the most reliable information available on insurance companies. Best of all, we don't sell insurance. That means we're independent and unbiased.
Why I Founded ValChoice
Car and Home Insurance Average Rates and Three-Year Trend
|Average Price*
|3-Year Change
|Car Insurance
|Homeowners Insurance
|Median Household Income**
|Not Applicable
|*Insurance Information Institute (iii.org). The most recently published data from the III is through 2015. **U.S Census Bureau (https://census.gov). Data used matches the same three-year period that is available from the III.
"ValChoice, a data analytics company that aims to bring some transparency to the opaque insurance industry."
-Gretchen Morgenson
ValChoice is "Carfax for...insurance"
-Giovanni Rodriguez
Alabama Auto Insurance
The five largest auto insurance companies in Alabama are shown in the table below. The market share of each company is shown in the second column. The third column shows their most recent ValChoice Score. ValChoice Scores are only presented for companies with above average performance. For the companies where the needle on the gauge is missing, you can order a free report to get the ValChoice Score. This information is presented so you can reliably compare Alabama auto insurance companies in order to understand your options for the best car insurance.
The ValChoice scoring system takes into account how they price, their historic performance for claims handling and the level of service they provide. This scoring system uses high quality data and grades on a curve. This approach to grading yields companies that score as high as 100 and as low as 0. Only a system like this gives consumers a true picture of the performance of car insurance companies. For more details on any given company, order a ValChoice report.
Compare Auto Insurance Companies in Alabama
|Market Share
|ValChoice Score
|GEICO (Berkshire Hathaway Insurance )
|State Farm
|Alfa Insurance
|Progressive Insurance
|Allstate Insurance
|ValChoice only comments publicly on companies that are above average. For any company that is below average we don't publicly display the score. For those interested, scores on all companies are available with free reports. All analysis based on quantitative, high-quality data. Data sources include: SERFF, state insurance commissioners, National Association of Insurance Commissioners and AM Best Company. Data used by permission.
Alabama laws require drivers to have the minimum insurance coverage shown in the table below. The important point to know about auto insurance coverage amounts is they define the maximum amount any Alabama car insurance company is obligated to pay. If the costs are more than the amount of insurance coverage you purchased, you will be personally responsible for the costs above your coverage limits. More information on how insurance coverage protects you is included below the table.
Minimum Car Insurance Coverage Required in Alabama
|Minimum Coverage
|Bodily Injury, per person
|Bodily Injury, per accident
|Property Damage
Types of Alabama Car Insurance
Under Alabama insurance laws, the costs of an accident are allocated to the driver who is at fault. This means, if you cause an accident, your insurance pays the medical bills, lost wages and cost of repairing the cars and property you damaged. If you don't have insurance, or don't have enough insurance, you are personally responsible.
Bodily Injury Protection
Bodily injury protection is a type of liability insurance. Liability insurance means it pays for the other party, not you. In the table above the minimum bodily injury coverage you can buy in Alabama is specified in the first line of the table. The minimum bodily injury coverage amount you can purchase to pay the bill when more than one person is injured in an accident is shown in the second line of the table.
Property Damage Protection
The property damage protection that is required under Alabama law is also liability insurance coverage. Property damage liability insurance pays for repairs to the other person's vehicle or property, not your own. The maximum amount the car insurance company will pay on your behalf is the coverage limit that you purchased. If you want coverage above the minimum amount, that can be purchased but is not required.
Protecting Yourself, Your Passengers and Your Car
Coverage for your own vehicle, yourself and your passengers can also be purchased. However, this type of accident insurance is not required by law. Instead, it's optional. Reasons you may not want this additional car insurance could be that you have an old car that isn't worth repairing if something happens. You may not want bodily injury coverage for yourself if you have a good health insurance policy. However, don't forget that when you are the driver, you need to protect your passengers too. When you take the option to buy bodily injury insurance for you and your passengers, it is sometimes called personal injury protection. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is a type of accident insurance where your own car insurance company pays first. This is not required in Alabama. Don't let the different terms confuse you.
Many people wonder what coverage they have for a vehicle that gets damaged by floodwater. Floodwater damage protection is part of your comprehensive insurance. For more details on insurance coverage for flooded vehicles, read our blog post titled "Does Your Car Float Like a Boat? What to do if it Won't!"
Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist
Despite laws that every driver have auto insurance, not everyone does. Or, they don't have enough coverage to pay the costs of a serious accident. Uninsured motorist coverage will pay the costs the other drivers insurance should have paid when they don't have insurance to cover the cost of an accident. Uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance changes the arrangement so your auto insurance company will pay the costs the other drivers insurance doesn't cover.
Getting an Auto Insurance Quote
When you get a car insurance quote, be sure to get an example of the insurance policy, or the declarations page. This will be proof of how much insurance you're actually buying. Also, be sure to keep a copy of the insurance policy so you know the full extent of your coverage.
Always ask your agent to provide you with a ValChoice report. ValChoice reports are the only reliable way to know how well insurance companies perform for providing a good value, their performance when handling claims and the level of service they provide.
Car Insurance Blog
Startup Stories
Homeowners Insurance In Alabama
Alabama Home Insurance Rates and Trends
The five largest home insurance companies in Alabama are shown in the table below. The market share of each company is shown in the second column. The third column shows their most recent ValChoice Score for homeowners insurance. ValChoice Scores are only presented for companies with above average performance. For companies where there is no needle on the fuel-gauge-style image, you can order a free report to get the ValChoice Score. This information is presented so you can reliably compare Alabama homeowners insurance companies in order to understand how to get the best homeowners insurance.
The ValChoice scoring system takes into account how they price, their historic performance for claims handling and the level of service they provide. This scoring system uses high quality data and grades on a curve. This approach to grading yields companies that score as high as 100 and as low as 0. Only a system like this gives consumers a true picture of company performance. For more details on any given company, order a ValChoice report.
Compare Homeowners Insurance Companies in Alabama
|Market Share
|ValChoice Score
|Alfa Insurance
|State Farm
|Allstate Insurance
|Farmers Insurance
|ValChoice only comments publicly on companies that are above average. For any company that is below average we don't publicly display the score. For those interested, scores on all companies are available with free reports. All analysis based on quantitative, high-quality data. Data sources include: SERFF, state insurance commissioners, National Association of Insurance Commissioners and AM Best Company. Data used by permission.
Renters Insurance
Many companies that offer homeowners insurance also offer renters insurance. The ValChoice grading system applies to renters insurance as well as home insurance. To get a report on renters insurance, simply select homeowners insurance and choose the type of insurance report card you would like to have.
Flood Insurance
Flood insurance is offered separately from homeowners insurance. Talk to your insurance company or insurance agent if you wish to purchase flood insurance. At this time ValChoice does not grade any flood insurance offerings. For more information on flood insurance, read our blog post titled "10 Facts About Flood Insurance, Without Drowning in Details."
Hurricane Deductibles
State law in Alabama allows for hurricane deductibles. Hurricane deductibles mean you are likely to pay more if a hurricane damages your home than if something else damages your home. For more information on hurricane deductibles read our blog post "How to Get Hurricane Insurance Without Getting Blown Away."
Alabama homeowners that strengthen their home against wind damage are eligible for discounts on their insurance. To learn more about this program click this link to go to the Strengthen AL Homes application on the Alabama Department of Insurance website.
Getting an Insurance Quote
When getting a homeowners insurance quote, be sure to consider the following important items.
Amount of Coverage
The dollar amount of insurance coverage to purchase should be equal to the estimated cost of rebuilding the home. Do not include the property value when determining the amount of insurance to buy.
Extended Dwelling Endorsement
This coverage is often referred to as "extras." This is additional coverage that addresses the problem that occurs when the actual cost to rebuild the home is more than was estimated when buying the insurance. In situations where there is a catastrophic event such as a flood, tornado or hurricane, building costs can increase significantly due to building materials increasing in price and contractors being scarce. Extended dwelling endorsements cover this higher than expected building cost. Extended dwelling endorsements are typically offered as a percentage of the coverage amount. The amount offered is commonly 10%, 25%, 50% or 100% of the coverage.
Building Code Coverage
When rebuilding a home, local laws will require that you rebuild to current building codes. If building damage is extensive, sometimes the laws even require you to upgrade the undamaged portion of the home to meet current building codes. This can be a significant additional expense. It's common that a homeowner insurance policy will exclude or limit the coverage for conforming to current building codes. Be sure to understand this important point about the insurance you buy.
Loss of Use
This specifies how much and how long the insurance company will pay for you to live somewhere else while your home is being rebuilt or repaired. One year in loss of use coverage is common. If your home requires a total rebuild, it's wise to plan on a couple years for the project to be completed.
Covering Your Personal Items ("Contents")
Your personal items will commonly be covered by what's known as "replacement cost" coverage. This means you only get paid when you actually replace the item. There are two important items to understand here. 1) You must have a detailed home inventory to know what you had in order to replace these items, and 2) if you had $200,000 worth of contents and only replaced $20,000 worth of items, you would only receive the $20,000. "Replacement cost" sounds good. In reality, it may leave you far short of what you expected.
Alabama Homeowners Insurance Rate Calculator
This calculator is an average of insurance prices across the state. Individual prices will vary depending on factors such as deductibles, coverage and the risks associated with the specific area where you live.
Use this calculator to estimate home insurance prices in Alabama. Just enter the replacement value (cost to rebuild, not including the land).
More Information on Alabama Homeowners Insurance Prices
Compared to other states, the price of home insurance in Alabama is high. Fortunately, the value Alabama residents get from their homeowners insurance is also high. We measure value based on what percentage of the premiums collected by insurance companies are paid out in the form of claims. We do this over several years to account for catastrophic events. For Alabama residents this ratio is well above the U.S. average. Overall, Alabama home insurance is in the top one-third of all states for value.
Important Insurance Laws - Alabama
Alabama Insurance Regulation
The Alabama Department of Insurance develops and enforces insurance laws. Consumers can contact the department with questions and complaints about their home and auto insurance. If you are not receiving the service you expect from an insurer, you can file a complaint against an insurance company with the Alabama Department of Insurance. The Department of Insurance should act on the complaint. Unfortunately they do not publish either raw or compiled complaint data for consumers to reference when buying insurance.
Important Laws
A summary of the driving safety laws for the state of Alabama can be found with this link. The information includes a summary of the laws affecting people driving cars, or riding motorcycles or bicycles while using cell phones or texting. Also included are the requirements for child safety seats, wearing a helmet and being under the influence while operating a vehicle in AL.
The AL Statute of Limitations defines the time limit following an accident when you can file a lawsuit. Once this time limit has passed, you can no longer file a lawsuit.
State law mandates that homeowners that strengthen their home against wind can receive discounts on their homeowners insurance. Alabama occasionally has programs that assist homeowners in paying for these retrofits. This program is called Strengthen Alabama Homes. If you live in a coastal county, checkout this program. You may be able to get assistance in strengthening your home that could reduce the cost of your homeowners insurance.
Resources Available to Consumers
Small Claims Court is a resource available for you to resolve issues, without needing to hire an attorney. The link in this paragraph to the small claims court provides more information, including the dollar limit of claims that can be made in this court.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is for disaster victims who are uninsured, underinsured or the victim of a flood.


text:
Trust Rate: NORMAL (4 out of 5)
Contact Information
Established in 2002, Putian Xinxing Factory specializes in manufacturing and trading electronic elements, watches, electronic products, sports shoes, T-shirts, jeans, shirts, sweaters, belts, jackets, bags, wallets, and scarves.
Read More
Putian Xinxing Factory produce following categories of goods: T-shirt, Scarf, Sport shoes, Bag, Jacket, Watches, Belt, Sweater, Jeans, Pants, Shirt, Ipod, Swimwear, Sunglasses, Pen, Wallet
Are you a Company Representative? Click here to edit information.
Trust Rate: (What is Trust Rate?)
Tip: How to Improve?
Send Message!
Zhejiang Tobaby Garment Co., Ltd.
Ladies' Seamless Boxers


text:
Tip: Adjust your search filter by deleting one or more filters or extending your search, e.g. with additional positions, sectors or locations.
With our job newsletter, you will receive suitable job ads as well as interesting content matching your search profile  on a weekly basis.
Interdisciplinary graduate centre with an optimal environment for doctoral students in cultural studies.


text:
The tag mass-assignment has been included in https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/128315/the-great-stack-overflow-tag-question-cleanup-of-2012, with the comment
(not sure about this one, it seems strange and has a smell, please provide input)
Input was provided. Of course, since this was the 68th answer, it didn't receive much attention.
The tag wiki has no reservation anyway.
DO NOT USE - Removed as part of "The great Stack Overflow tag/question cleanup of 2012" - See link in Tag Wiki for more information.
A simple google search shows that this is a well-known programming concept, at least in the Ruby on Rails community; a perfectly cromulent tag. Please remove this tag from the cleanup list.
(I tried proposing a tag wiki. I'm not a RoR programmer nor more generally a web programmer, so if you're familiar with the concept, please improve.)


text:
Elegant Gerda the "Protector" (meaning of her name) of all angels. Dressed in ostrich feathers with a blue and white heart shape wing.
Please note that every type of angel has its own unique design. However, the beads and sequins used might differ slightly from the image depending on availability. None of the angels are identical, even if they have the same name. This is of course due to the fact that no machines are involved in the manufacturing of the angels – all parts are individually made by hand.


text:
Just when I think it's pretty good, I then think it's not very original. Need to shake off the cobwebs and see if it's got a future.
Good advice from you...thanks!
Your welcome . Finish that book , its never to late 🖒
Hey OC! Thanks for the kind words, but no, not a professional writer. But I did a lot of writing as part of my business career, so I had a lot of practice shall we say. Started a book, but never finished it!!
Appreciate the acknowledgement!
Hey Can are you a writer by profession? Was wondering because you really write well . Just curious , not meaning to pry. Have a good day sir.
Hey man! Its been a long time since we have had long conversation back and forth. I hope life is treating you great these days. Cheers!
No avatar and I cant PM you!?!? You alright bud?
I just signed your crack!
Congratulations on your BCMB Awards, Can! That presidential thing is gonna' be quite the coup, if you pull that one off.
Great to be here Can! Had to take some time off posting for a while on account of a broken hand, missed your threads!
I really enjoy your post's, as an eternal optimist myself sometimes I find it hard to see where some on this board are coming from. I can count on you to bring the sunshine. Thanks again, Norbert
The MOD Who Laughs
Life Is Good Mod!
Bench Warmer
Banned User
Ring of Famer
Just A Girl
Cautiously optimistic
Special Teams


text:
Hello from Mexico City! I am going to answer some questions I have been getting.
Our Route
I guess I forgot that not everyone is familiar with the geography of Mexico.
We headed directly south from Los Angeles, about 1100 miles down the Baja Peninsula. From the city of La Paz we took a ferry to the city of Mazatlan. From there we headed southeast through Tepic and Guadalajara into Mexico City. From here we will head directly south through the city of Oaxaco and then into the state of Chiapas. From there we will head east through Guatemala, past the ruins of Tikal and then into Belize. We will only be in Belize for a couple of days before we fly out of the Belize airport on the east coast of Central America. I hope that clarifies a bit!
Bicycle Touring
Not all my friends and family are avid cyclists, eh? Bicycle touring is a way of traveling by bicycle where you carry with you everything you need. For example, we have a tent, two stoves (with fuel), sleeping bags, rain gear, clothes, dried food, water containers, tools, maps; everything we will need for the two month journey. Well, of course, we have to buy food and water everyday. The idea is to enjoy the process more than the goal. An American asked us why we ride so much and don't spend more time sight seeing; I told him that we are sight seeing constantly. When you are in a car the environment is merely in the way of your destination, but when you are on a bike you become a part of that environment and appreciate all aspects of it. The other day we were climbing this mountain for about 2 hrs and then we entered a pine forest. You feel the air get colder, you are overwhelmed by the smell, the forest absorbs you, and you appreciate arriving there by bicycle.
We are yet to camp at a campsite. We just find a place hidden from the road and set up camp. It's great, that little area of the world becomes our home for the next 10 hours. We set up the tent, unload what we need for the night and prepare dinner. Then we sit and relax, and maybe look at the stars or write in our journal. A lot of times our exhaustion decides that we should just go right to sleep! Camping has become more difficult in the mainland and will be even harder when we are in the humid jungles of the south.
So how does a respectable vegan survive below the border? Lots of beans and tortillas. ha. When you spend months outside of the USA you realize how strict veganism is such a privilege, one that is only possible for the richest people in the world. No, I don't have to eat quesadillas and scrambled eggs to survive, but sometimes you don't have a choice about the ingredients in the only bread that is available or the type of cooking oil used. Veganism is completely unheard of down here; many vegetarian restaurants do not have vegan options. Despite all of this I am surviving well and trying all sorts of new vegan foods. There are these fried sweet breadstick things called Churros and these unnamed coconut candies that are unbelievable. Mushroom Quesadillas are very popular, and here the cheese goes on top, not on the inside, so it is very easy to order them sin queso. Panaderia, or bread shops, are an every day stop. We crush about 4-5 big pieces of sweet bread every morning. Most of the options for me aren't as nice as those apple filled whole wheat pastries I had at a health food bakery in Mazatlan, but good nonetheless.
It is a misnomer that you need to eat all the local food to understand the culture. I am always walking extremely slow (to Justin and Nallely´s dismay) through markets so I can see what kinds of foods are available and their preparation method. Seeing the local ingredients and how they differ from a state 200 miles away interests me enough, I do not need to eat beef tripe to understand it any further. There is always something local and vegan for me to taste, and as my Spanish improves the amount of foods I can eat increases!
Bike Problems
So when you leave for a 3000-mile bike trip you want to have all the best parts, right? I am finding it doesn't matter. My top of the line topeak road bike pump ($47) broke in the rain 500 miles ago. Two days later the one I bought in Mexico broke. My $1200 bike has probably had more problems than Justin's $300 bike from EBay. But my $35 tires are about 10x better than the $15 crap tires Justin left with. You really just never know. I understand that if you buy something from walmart it is going to break sooner than later, but we are buying components from companies owned by the people who do these things. Why do they sell such crap? Is it all designed for yuppies that only use it during their two-week vacations? There has to be some companies out there that make stuff that can hold up to what we put it through. Here is a list of broken parts. (M) Means I broke it, (J) means Justin did.
7 broken spokes (M)
2 stripped stem bolt holes (M)
1 broken star washer (M)
1 broken topeak frame pump (M)
1 broken giant pump (M)
1 broken derailleur (J)
2 ripped tires (J)
1 leaking stove (J)
I also bought some tubes from a mountain bike distributor and they are the crappiest tubes ever. The valve ripped on 3 of them. I have had 5 flats, and Justin around 15. Not just the run over something type, but ones from the valve breaking, pinch flats from not being able to get enough air in our tires (cause my pump broke and Justin's sucks), and ones from patches leaking (it is hard to patch a tube in the rain).
Despite all this I do have equipment I am proud of. My Sierra Designs tent has kept us dry (if we set it up right before we go to sleep!) during torrential downpours and my mountain hardwear jacket has kept me dry and cool during those long hours of pedaling through the rain. I hope to do a whole product review when we get a touring website going.
I hope I have made what we are doing and what we go through a little more clear. My next couple entries will include more specific stories and more about what our day-to-day lives are like.
peace, Matt!


text:
Below, find a brief overview of the forthcoming presidential inauguration, by the numbers, with some historical facts for perspective:
3: Number of Bibles on which Obama will swear for his 2013 inauguration. On Sunday, he took the oath of office on the first lady's family Bible. Michelle Obama's father gave the so-called Robinson Family Bible to his mother, LaVaughn Delores Robinson, on Mother's Day 1958. On Monday, President Obama swore on the same Bible he used at his 2009 inauguration—the one President Lincoln used at his first inauguration, as well as the "traveling Bible" used by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was on the road.
600,000 to 800,000: Number of visitors expected to descend on Washington for the occasion.
1,800,000: The record number of people who clogged up traffic and filled the National Mall — or tried to — in 2009 when Obama first took office. So many people showed up for the historic event that thousands of ticket holders were blocked from entering the Mall and spent the moment they had been waiting for stuck underground among hordes of other disgruntled would-be spectators.
More than 300: Number of military personnel assigned to help the Joint Task Force National Capital Region with planning and logistics for "the biggest, most complicated event that takes place in the nation's capital," according to Maj. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, who spoke with The Inaugural Times about running the show. (In other words, 300 military members will help ensure that the more chaotic events of 2009 are not repeated.)
More than 1,600: People who will have front-row seats to Obama's (and Vice President Joe Biden's) swearing-in. Member of Congress, cabinet members, governors, supreme court justices and diplomats will get to sit on the bleachers and platform outside the Capitol building where Obama will take his oath of office.
10,000: Size, in square feet, of the platform constructed for Obama's swearing-in. It's the same size as the platform constructed for President George W. Bush's in 2005, which was the largest ever build. The entire platform is made of lumber, which will be donated after the event to help local charities with housing projects, according to Architect of the Capitol.
1,000: Gallons of chili Ben's Chili Bowl expects to churn out the week Obama takes his oath (compared to 450 gallons on a typical week). As for the famous chili half-smokes favored by the president, Bill Cosby, and sampled by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Ben's is preparing to sell 12,000 inauguration week. That's an 118 percent jump in demand and would rank second, in terms of business, to the week in January 2009 when Obama showed up for a bite.
17: Consecutive hours of rush-hour service the city's Metro will be providing on Jan. 21 (from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.). Rush hour service also means rush hour prices.
1.544 million: Record number of Metro trips taken on Inauguration Day 2009.
30,000: Number of passengers expected at Reagan National Airport on Jan. 22, the busiest day for inauguration-related air travel, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's projections. Passenger traffic will be lower than it was for Obama's 2009 swearing-in when 40,000 travelers passed through the airport in a 24-hour period, and airlines had to "upgauge" or use larger aircrafts to meet demand.
$1,649Price for a second-hand ticket to the ball on GreatSeats.com
More than 20: Number of unofficial 2013 inauguration balls. The president won't show up, but that's not stopping a number of groups from throwing their own bashes. Some on the unofficial list include Russell Simmons' second Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball, the Ambassadors Ball and the Smithsonian's National Museum of the Native American's Native Nations Ball. (Here, an unofficial guide to the unofficial balls.)
$7,500: Price of an official Obama-Biden medallion set from the 57th Presidential Inauguration Commemorative Collection. Planners have launched both an online and brick-and-mortar memorabilia store that is offering up everything from pins and coffee mugs to golf equipment and a $5 "Sno Bo Button" — a button of First Dog Bo in the snow. Everything is supposed to align with the inauguration theme, "Our People. Our Future." The medallion set is the priciest item on the menu.


text: Stop looking for something else because all things you like and want to have pleasure with is before you right now! Just start adventure through Black XXX Pussy and you would not stay disappointed or some other things of this kind after having this so cool experience. These sweet-looking, all seductive and sex appeal chocolate divas are before you and each of them waits for you to have tons of fun together. Watch these babes showing bodies, playing lesbian games, masturbating and getting banged.


text:
Viggo Mortensen is back on the road, and this time it's looking like a slightly more comfortable version than his last trip.
Mortensen is taking a role in the movie version of Jack Kerouac's Beat Generation novel 'On the Road," according to Deadline.com. Last time we saw him on film for the post-apocalyptic "The Road," he was pushing a shopping cart in the best of times.
Mortensen will play drug-addled Old Bull Lee in the film and will join Amy Adams who will play a junkie/mother-of-two/wife. The movie will be worth it just to watch this storyline alone. Production started Wednesday on the project.
The movie, a work in progress for 30 years for producer Francis Ford Coppola, will also feature Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Stewart and Sam Riley. Brazilian director Walter Salles ("The Motorcycle Diaries") is directing.


text:
1-Legal Issues (Payments)Legal Issues (Payments)
In international trade, problems involving bad debts are more easily avoided than rectified after they occur. Credit checks and services such as the international company profile can also limit the risks.
When payment problems do occur, answer the following questions before seeking outside help or filing an insurance claim:
1. Have you contacted the buyer to determine the problem?
2. Have you attempted to negotiate a mutually agreed solution to the problem?
3. Have you supplied the goods/services as per the contract, invoice, or letter of credit?
4. Is there an issue of quality or price?
5. Are all your shipping and customs documents in order?
6. Was there damage or theft?
7. Have you tried to work out delayed payment terms with the buyer?
8. Have you discussed your problem with your bank or your lawyer?
9. Have you exhausted all efforts to obtain payment from the foreign buyer?
10. Do you have copies of all correspondence and records related to the dispute?
Help with Payment Disputes:
If negotiations fail and the sum involved is large enough to warrant the effort, a company should obtain the assistance and advice of its bank, legal counsel, and other qualified experts.
U.S. Council of the International Chamber of Commerce
The ICC handles the majority of international arbitration and is usually acceptable to foreign companies because it is not affiliated with any single country. For information contact the vice president for arbitration, U.S. Council of the International Chamber of Commerce, telephone (212) 354-4480.
The Advocacy Center:
The Advocacy Center at the U.S. Department of Commerce puts the resources and authority of the U.S. government behind your team in pursuit of international contracts or other U.S. export opportunities.
Commercial Service Overseas Offices:
The U.S. Commercial Service has offices located in Embassies and Consulates in over 80 countries worldwide to provide on-the-ground assistance to U.S. companies facing trade and export-related issues.
Foreign Agricultural Service Overseas Offices:
The U.S. Foreign Agriculture Service has offices located in U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world.


text:
U.S. Skeptical About Argentina-Iran 'Truth Commission'
Argentina's new commission agreement proposes officials to interview suspects of the deadly 1994 Buenos Aires bombing in Iran; U.S. State Department doubtful about Iran's cooperation.
The United States on Thursday voiced doubt that Argentina and Iran's planned "truth commission" would bring to justice those responsible for the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center.
Argentine courts have said Iran was behind the attack on the Jewish center, which killed 85 people.
The commission agreement, announced over the weekend but subject to the approval of Argentina's Congress, outlines plans for Argentine officials to interview suspects in Iran rather than in a third country, as originally proposed by Argentina.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland has said little about the commission, but stressed that Iran had a responsibility to work with Argentine authorities to bring those responsible for the bombing to justice.
"We are skeptical that such a just solution can be found in the arrangement announced," Nuland said on Thursday.
"Iran's record of cooperation with international authorities is profoundly deficient, which underlines the concern that its engagement on this matter be focused on achieving justice promptly," she added in a written response to a question.
Israel and world Jewish groups denounced plans by Argentina and Iran to form a truth commission, which was regarded as a diplomatic victory for Iran as it confronted a U.S.-led effort to isolate Tehran because of its nuclear program.
Western nations fear Iran intends to use the program to produce atomic weapons. Iran denies this, saying its program is solely for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity and producing medical isotopes.
The bombing occurred two years after a group linked to Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on the Israeli Embassy in the Argentine capital that killed 29. Iran has denied links to either attack.
Want to enjoy 'Zen' reading - with no ads and just the article? Subscribe todaySubscribe now


text:
About molecule
I think you mean diet / exercise regimen:
And again since the NYT story appeared.
"Although not connected, officials say the FBI and Justice Department had to coordinate the timing of the two cases so that arrests would not cause suspects to get cold feet with their intention to conduct their operations."
what kind of messed up logic is that? If the FBI hesitated, a suspect MAY NOT HAVE COMMITTED THE CRIME for which they' were arrested.
Sounds like thoughtcrime.
"By Agence France-Presse"
"The true "obvious implication" to draw from this is:"
If you find a vulnerability, then sell it to the highest bidder.
except it doesn't sound like a DoJ leak.
from the first paragraph of the NYT source article:
"...according to two people interviewed by the government and another briefed on such interviews...."
"Even though the Justice Department has the power to bring criminal charges, witnesses who have been interviewed have been told by investigators that they are pursuing a civil case."
Contact your congressional representative to express disapproval:
sweet, I'll be hanging out in Google's Red-Site District!
Comcast sees it differently.
"People should be careful if they have a terabyte of data to back-up," Douglas said. "They should manage their consumption carefully, and do it over time."
fuck everything about that.
translation: "did you recently buy a hard drive for less than $100, and expect to use it? comcast may not be for you".
common to power, intoxication, anonymity: denial of accountability.
the money quote in the guardian article:
Labour MP Tom Watson, who has been highlighting the phone-hacking scandal at the paper for two years, said: "Rupert Murdoch did not close the News of the World. It is the revulsion of families up and down the land as to what they got up to. It was going to lose all its readers and it had no advertisers left. They had no choice."
good article / terrible incident
typo in the next-to-last sentence of article: should be "..US Airways' black eye..."
While they were unable to prevent him from boarding w/ a fraudulent boarding pass, TSA was able to confirm that this guy has an enormous pair of balls.
I'll go w/: Yes?
what did I win? hey, where are you going w/ my server?
Like most kindle shoppers, I see this pretty regularly. It's especially galling that they still display the difference between list and kindle as 'savings':
"You Save: $4.01 (29%)" from the price we're NOT EVEN CHARGING.
so many people to spot, there's just... brazillians and brazillians...
is Techdirt a UK publication?
crazy? possibly
'Frankly, I wish HuffPo would "aggregate" more of our stories because it is the single biggest driver of traffic we've ever seen. It beats every other big driver of traffic by many multiples. '


text:
Last year, AmyS blogged on the progress defining our internal Continuous Delivery process. To follow up on those concepts, I would like to share some of our latest experiences from the Product Line Engineering (PLE) delivery team in adopting these processes and the way we started applying IBM design thinking to our solution development supporting businesses that include embedded software development.
Design is good business!
IBM recognizes that good design is good business. And there is a long tradition to back up that statement. Lately, IBM Design Thinking has gathered design practices to identify and ideate on the aspects that makes a solution desirable to its users; the Who, the What and the Wow! These aspects become the mission for release(s) and the business requirements for the solution. Amy identifies these as the business planning artifacts at the top of the planning taxonomy. We call these Release Hills.
Figure 1. Cross-Solution Planning Taxonomy
The use of Hills to capture the WOW's
For delivery of improved capabilities for product line engineering, the team has focused on three Hills to drive innovation, to drive our work, and to organize and track our activities. Our first Hill 'Work in configurations with artifacts and links' focuses on core capabilities introduced in our solution on configuration management, with streams and baselines of engineering artifacts. The second Hill 'Create and use product definitions' extends the value of the first Hill with more targeted support for advanced product line engineering practices and use-cases. Our third Hill 'Track and report on configurations of engineering artifacts' is orthogonal to the first two and adds complementary capabilities to the solution with dashboards, queries and reports. To refine our mission to a focused and executable level we have also defined sub-hills that narrow-in scope and prioritize sets of features.
Organizing our solution artifacts by Hills
At the next level in the planning taxonomy we use the Hills as our primary organizational item for solution artifacts. At this level we use Rational Team Concert work items to capture our Epics and Features. And we use Categories to represent the Hills. This makes the process of classifying new capabilities simple by just using the Filed Against field when assigning Epics and Features to a Hill. We refine Hills into Epics to represent our sub hills. Features then become children under their parent Epics to further refine the capabilities into work that we can execute on within a single release cycle.
Figure 2. Artifacts used for solution and product planning
Using scenarios and playbacks to explore and validating our design
Scenarios are a key concept in our design thinking. They ensure that we can deliver our features in a coherent, usable and desirable solution. Scenarios also support our activities on innovation, exploration and validation. Much like a movie script we let our personas act out in the scenes using scripted steps. Hence, each scenario Act is decomposed into Scenes where the scenario personas act through Steps interacting with the tools and collaborating in context of a configuration of engineering artifacts. As indicated in Figure 2 above, our scenarios are linked to the features used in each scene using an Implements relation. Using these links in figure 2 we can report on important delivery metrics. As a few examples, lately we have been using the Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager (RELM) product and the Lifecycle Query Engine (LQE) to index our solution artifacts and provide traceability reports that outline the dependencies and coverage of Plan Items to Features, Epics, Scenes and Hills. This creates a great overview of the design artifacts. On our delivery dashboard we use the artifacts to present key design metrics like; 'Scenarios with no features', 'Features with no scenarios', 'Features with no Tracks'.
Exploring design options and usability
Lately we have been using playbacks to explore design options and usability aspects on how the scenario personas are interacting with the configuration management application when creating streams and baselines of configurations. Using a scenario and playback design approach helps us in clarifying implications to usability and consistency across the solution.


text:
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Golden Eagles travel to Nashville for their first road test of the season. After spending the month of November in the comfort of the Eblen Center, Tech kicks off a month on the road against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m.
Tennessee Tech (3-3) vs. Vanderbilt (4-3)
Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012
12:30 p.m. CT
Memorial Gymnasium- Nashville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
TV: none
Radio: Fox Sports Radio, 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: VUCommodores.com
Setting the Stage:
For the first time this season the Golden Eagles hit the road and take on SEC foe Vanderbilt University. Tech is coming off a dominant performance against Alcorn State and are looking to gain their second straight win. The Purple and Gold are battle-tested, giving up blood, sweat and teeth in each fight.
Toughness is not something that can be taught, but Davis and his staff are molding each player into a fierce competitor.
Standing in their way are the 4-3 Commodores. Vanderbilt defeated fellow Ohio Valley Conference member Austin Peay 67-36 on Wednesday, after being outscored 38-9 in the second half.
This will be the first meeting since 1992 when the Commodores claimed a 87-59 victory. The Golden Eagles hold a 10-6 edge in the series, but Vanderbilt is 5-2 on their court.
A Glance at the 2012-13 Golden Eagles
Back at .500, Tech is ready to build their record before conference action begins in January. They have a tough schedule ahead, spending the month of December on the road.
Leading the Golden Eagles is sophomore Diamond Henderson. Henderson is averaging 17.3 points and 3.2 assists per game. Joining Henderson in the backcourt is Jala Harris and Lashay Davis. The pair is averaging 8.5 and 8.3 points per game respectively.
T'Keyah Williams is pulling down 7.5 rebounds per game and three other players average 3+ rebounds per game, Candace Parson, Molly Heady and Kellie Cook.
Tech is currently holding their opponents to a 39.2 field goal percentage. Only two teams have scored more than 60 points against the Golden Eagle defense.
A Look at the Commodores
The Commodores are lead by Tiffany Clark, averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season. In the win against Peay, Clarke scored 19 and grabbed seven rebounds. Jasmine Lister is posting 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. The SEC's leading scorer last year, Christina Foggie is averaging 15.7 points per game this season.
Series History
Tech and Vanderbilt first met in 1978 and played each other three times during that season, with Tech winning all three meetings, including an AIAW Tournament game. The Golden Eagles were 7-0 against the Commodores until 1983. The rivalry grew, with the series growing to 10-6, with Tech holding the edge.
For complete gamenotes, please click here.
For ticket information, visit Vanderbilt's website here.


text:
As December brings the year to a close, we turn to pieces that truly dazzle, echoing the stunning shapes and silhouettes of the winter season. Model and contemporary style icon Maria Borges shares her essential Swarovski pieces with us this month. Inspiration comes from nature and the enchanted landscapes that come at this time of year – Swarovski crystals that sparkle like frost and snow on flowers and trees.
It's always possible to combine elegance with a bold twist. Maria chooses favorite pieces from the Louison collection, with its charming frosted leaves design, for a modern kind of glamour. A removable teardrop-shaped Swarovski crystal in sapphire blue dangles at the necklace's center, while other pieces combine Swarovski crystals with beautiful Swarovski micro pearls that add charm and splendor. The fluid lines of an Eternal watch add timeless sophistication.


text:
Alice Ripley, who won a Tony Award for her performance of the bi-polar mother in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, "Next to Normal," is cast in the upcoming production of Bruce Norris' "Clybourne Park" at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven.
The production, staged by associate artistic director Eric Ting, will play the theater's main stage from May 8 to June 2.
The play won the Tony Award in 2012 and the Pulitzer Prize in 2011.
Ripley's credits also include Broadway's "Side Show," "The Rocky Horror Show," "James Joyce's The Dead," "Sunset Boulevard," "The Who's Tommy," "King David" and "Les Miserables."
Information: 203-787-4282 and www.longwharf.org.


text:
The prosecution of a series of high-profile corporate scandals and accounting abuse cases in the last two years -- involving technology firms such as Procomp Informatics Co, Infodisc Technology Co, Summit Computer Technology Co and Pacific Electric Wire and Cable Co -- initially shattered investor faith in management integrity and corporate governance in Taiwan. But after a few months, many investors became complacent that the markets had survived yet another blow. They shrugged off complaints about huge losses and went back to check on their other stocks, betting more money on seemingly unaffected companies.
A major issue, however, is that few investors considered whether the corporate fraud cases that came to light were endemic -- the tip of the iceberg rather than a few "bad eggs." No one bothered to ask if the financial misdealings at the bad eggs had an affect on the general health of financial markets and the government's supervisory mechanism.
And then came the prosecutors' charges in July against President Chen Shui-bian's (
While investors looked on in concern, Lin Chung-cheng (
No doubt this spate of incidents will further destroy investor confidence in management integrity and corporate governance. The most recent cases are also likely to hurt the authority of Chen's administration and the credibility of the Democratic Progressive Party in the run-up to the mayoral elections next month -- a scenario exacerbated by Friday's announcement that first lady Wu Shu-jen (
But investors should realize that the corporate fraud cases and the corruption charges against government officials are inevitable. They might appear to be isolated events, but the problems have been going on for so long now that it is more accurate to think of them as systemic. They are part of the nation's flawed financial system, as well as a reflection of the developing culture of arrogance and greed among corporate executives and political figures. Those who broke the law were both wealthy and well educated, but they didn't feel satisfied with what they had; they just wanted more.
A fast and effective prosecution of financial crimes is one of the ways to help get this derailing train back on track. Other reform measures such as legislation on party assets and lobbying, as well as amendments to the laws governing political donations and public functionary assets disclosure are also desperately needed to ward off possible wrongdoing.


text:
A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites.
Satellite Phones Canada
- Iridium GO! WiFi Smartphone Adapter + Free Shipping!!! (AHKT1301)Regular Price: C$1,062.60 Sale Price: C$999.99
- Iridium 9575 Extreme Satellite Phone + Pelican 1150 Case + Free Shipping!!! (Pre-Owned)Regular Price: C$1,695.00 Sale Price: C$1,249.93
- Iridium 9555 Satellite Phone + Pelican 1060 CaseSale Price: C$1,275.00
- Iridium 9555 Satellite Phone + Pelican 1150 Case (Pre-Owned, 12 Month Warranty)Regular Price: C$999.99 Sale Price: C$899.92
- Iridium 9555 Satellite Phone + Pelican 1150 CaseSale Price: C$1,343.00
Satellite Phones Canada
Satellite phones provide similar functionality to regular cellular phones; voice, short messaging service and low-bandwidth internet access are supported through most systems.
Depending on the architecture of a particular system, coverage may include the entire Earth or only specific regions.
The mobile equipment, also known as a terminal, varies widely. Early satellite phone handsets had a size and weight comparable to that of a late-1980s or early-1990s mobile phone, but usually with a large retractable antenna. More recent satellite phones are similar in size to a regular mobile phone while some prototype satellite phones have no distinguishable difference from an ordinary smartphone.[1][2] Satphones are popular on expeditions into remote areas where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable.
A fixed installation, such as one used aboard a ship, may include large, rugged, rack-mounted electronics, and a steerable microwave antenna on the mast that automatically tracks the overhead satellites. Smaller installations using VoIP over a two-way satellite broadband service such as BGAN or VSAT bring the costs within the reach of leisure vessel owners. Internet service satellite phones have notoriously poor reception indoors, though it may be possible to get a consistent signal near a window or in the top floor of a building if the roof is sufficiently thin. The phones have connectors for external antennas that can be installed in vehicles and buildings.
- Credit: Wikipedia.org
There are four satellite phone network providers, Iridium, Inmarsat, Globalstar and Thuraya.
A fleet of 66 low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites provide military grade voice and data communications solutions with complete global coverage of the earth including polar regions. Iridium is the most reliable, and is the only network to cover all 7 continents.
Tags | buy satellite phone, best buy satellite phone, where to buy a satellite phone, where can i buy a satellite phone, buy iridium satellite phone,where can you buy a satellite phone, buy satellite phone online, satellite phones | telephone satellite | satellite+phone | satelite phones | sat phones | satalite phones | sat phones for sale | satelliete phone | satilitephones | satellite cell phone | satellite phone information | statelite phone | activation fees for satellite phones | satellite remote phone | phones prepago | gsm satalite phone canada | motorola sattelite phone | activation fees for satellite phones | satellite phones handsfree | telephone satellite occasion | satellite remote phone | cost for satellite phones | satlellite phone 50 minutes | satellite+phones+for+sale | best sat phone | satillite phones | satalite phone | satphone | communication satellite phone | sattellit phone | buy a sattelite phone | sattelite phone | globalstar phone coverage | satellite phone cost | telephonesatelite | sat phone | satlite.phones | sat phone pricing minute | satellite phone buy | satelliete phone | satellite cell phone | satellite vehicle phone | satelite phone service | Satellite Phone Brands | Where to buy a Satellite Phone | satellite phone canada 2


text:
Bone Health for Kids
Here's how to make the most of your tween's or teen's key bone-building years.
Bone Health for Kids
Brittni Reum's first broken bone happened in her right heel at age 10. She suffered four more fractures over the next three years in her arms and knee—all from seemingly minor mishaps while playing on the monkey bars or shooting hoops in gym class. "Brittni seemed so fragile that I was afraid to let her go outside or play sports," says her mom, Michele, an accounting manager in Jacksonville, Florida.
Enrolling in a bone-density study at nearby Nemours Children's Clinic revealed that Brittni had osteoporosis. Doctors prescribed calcium supplements and told her to load up on dairy products. Michele hadn't been including much dairy in her daughter's diet since Brittni developed a milk allergy as an infant (most kids outgrow the allergy by age 5). Fortunately, the damage wasn't permanent. Today, at 17, Brittni's bone density is normal, and she hasn't broken any bones in several years.
While her case may sound extreme, Brittni is far from the only teen who needs to be paying attention to bone health. In fact, according to the USDA, 81% of teen girls and 48% of teen boys fail to meet their recommended daily intake of calcium—1,300mg until age 18 and 1,000mg after that. The shortfall comes at a pivotal time because from ages 9 to 18, hormones such as estrogen and insulin-like growth factor 1 kick in, prompting the body to store calcium.
"The teen years are when you acquire nearly half of all the bone you're going to have for the rest of your life," says Susan Coupey, M.D., chief of adolescent medicine at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City. Your child draws from this "bone bank account" throughout adulthood, especially after age 50, when bone mass naturally starts to decline. If your kid doesn't build bone now, she may not reach her peak bone density. The good news: Research shows that boosting bone density by as little as 5% during the teen years lowers the risk of fractures later in life by 40%. Help your kids maximize their bone-building window of opportunity with our action plan.
Keep Dairy Handy
A recent study reveals that teens ages 14 to 18 typically down 18 ounces of soft drinks daily, which is more than double their milk intake. To help your teen meet his calcium quota, encourage him to have at least four 1-cup servings of dairy a day. Stock up on yogurt, yogurt smoothies, low-fat string cheese, and calcium-fortified cereal bars. Besides providing a healthy dose of calcium and vitamin D, dairy products offer a package of nutrients—including riboflavin, phosphorus, potassium, protein, zinc, and essential amino acids—all of which aid bone development.
If your teen is lactose intolerant, try having her build up her tolerance by consuming small amounts of milk with food, such as a half-cup of milk on cereal, then gradually increasing amounts. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teens with lactose intolerance should still drink as much milk as they can tolerate. "Drinking milk fosters good bacteria in the intestine that digests lactose," explains Robert P. Heaney, M.D., professor of medicine at Creighton University, in Omaha. Lactose-free milk is also an option, as are dairy products with low levels of lactose, such as cheddar and Swiss cheeses and yogurt containing active cultures.
Seek Out a Supplement
In addition to calcium, teens also need 200 daily IUs of vitamin D, which helps the body utilize the bone-building mineral. Have your teens, particularly girls, take a daily supplement as extra health insurance, recommends Dr. Coupey. A multivitamin also offers other nutrients teens may be missing, such as folic acid.
Give Team Sports a Go
Bones also need regular weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running, and jumping, to get stronger. Unfortunately, many teens aren't getting the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity their bodies need. But a recent study found that teens who participated in team sports, such as soccer, basketball, ultimate Frisbee, baseball, and rugby, had higher bone mass than those who didn't. Team sports also offer the chance to build bone mass through weight training, a key component of many organized sports programs.
Pay Attention to Her Period
If your daughter hasn't gotten her first period by age 14, or if she misses her period anytime for three to six months in a row, see a doctor. Delayed puberty or missed periods may be the result of excessive dieting and overexercising, and can trigger the fall of estrogen levels, compromising peak bone mass, explains Saralyn Mark, M.D., associate professor of medicine and ob-gyn at Yale University and Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Should Your Teen Get a Bone Test?
The DEXA bone scan isn't used as a screening tool for healthy children under 18. "Healthy teens, even those who've had multiple fractures, don't need a bone mineral density test," says John Mazur, M.D., a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Possible bone density problems in these teens can be detected with just a physical exam or by assessing their diet, he says. But your child may need regular scans if she has an illness or takes medication for an illness that can impact bone density, such as celiac disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, diabetes, Crohn's disease, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Cushing's syndrome, kidney disease, leukemia, or cancer.
Copyright © 2008. Used with permission from the April 2007 issue of Family Circle magazine.


text:
One-time movie pin-up Kelly Lebrock retreated to Santa Barbara, California after her 10-year marriage to Steven Seagal fell apart in the mid-1990s and has lived like a hermit ever since.
The forgotten model-turned-actress, who starred in cult 1980s films Weird Science and The Woman in Red, has been out of the spotlight for almost two decades but now she's ready for her close-up again as she prepares to promote an upcoming autobiography.
Now 53, she tells Britain's Daily Mail, "When I split with Steven, the divorce was very ugly, and details of the case were on the evening news. I didn't want my kids seeing it, so I simply got rid of the TV. I moved my kids out of L.A. so they could grow up with real people – the kids of gas pump attendants, plumbers and real family people."
LeBrock, who had three kids with the action star, fled Hollywood and set up home in Santa Barbara.
She adds, "I became a hermit. I had absolutely no self-esteem. I hated myself… I feared everything and didn't want to leave the house."
But she quickly learned to make the most of her new life away from the cameras and started becoming self-sufficient.
She explains, "I grow all my veggies and make my own cheese and yogurt. It's bloody exhausting! To work the land full time keeps me so fit that I haven't worked out in seven years."


text:
miska wrote:Hi,
One thing which would be really useful, is a way to fill the black areas of a pano, originating from a missing picture. I'm sure you know the effect: you shoot something, and because of the projection or not 100% horizontal shooting, you are missing a piece of the blue sky. Or in a spherical pano, you forgot to shoot the zenith or nadir (because, well, they were quite uninteresting). So a boring piece of the Pano is missing, but you still need it to complete the picture.
Now, I solve this with Photoshop, and a clone stamp or it's almost magic "content aware fill". It's really powerful. But why not implement this directly into Autopano ? Would be really nice ! Some sort of automatic content aware fill for the missing regions.
Of course, this may create problems in Gigapanos. I suspect this operation would be quite CPU / Memory intensive. But perhaps there is a way ? Or perhaps Kolor should not reject some methods because they don't work in Giga - there are still lots of people out there doing Panos with 3-10 pictures...
miska wrote:On the licensing issue: I am sure there are ways to create a similar feature without infringing on Adobe patents.
klausesser wrote:miska wrote:On the licensing issue: I am sure there are ways to create a similar feature without infringing on Adobe patents.
I don´t know any other app which provides this feature also!
But - who knows . .
best, Klaus
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests


text:
In the United States, transit ridership has grown by more than 20 percent in the last decade, reaching its highest levels since 1957. To keep track of the industry and provide public information and statistics as it continues to grow, FTA's National Transit Database (NTD) records the financial, operating and asset condition of transit systems.
After data reporting was required by Congress in 1974, the NTD was set up to be the repository of data about the financial, operating and asset conditions of American transit systems. The NTD is designed to support local, state and regional planning efforts and help governments and other decision-makers make multi-year comparisons and perform trend analyses. It contains a wealth of information such as agency funding sources, inventories of vehicles and maintenance facilities, safety event reports, measures of transit service provided and consumed, and data on transit employees.
FTA grant recipients – those receiving funding from the Urbanized Area Formula Program (5307) or Rural Formula Program (5311) – are required to submit data to the NTD in uniform categories. More than 660 transit providers report to the NTD through the Internet-based system.
NTD data products include:
- Transit profiles: Frequently sought data on any transit provider
- National transit summaries and trends
- Time series data on transit systems dating back to 1991
- Up-to-date time series of monthly ridership data
- Time series of safety data


text:
On Christmas Eve, Jay Luxenberg, a doctor in San Francisco, will be doing his usual ritual: dining at a local Chinese restaurant with his wife. While there, he'll be getting a healthy serving of laughs to go along with his chicken chow mein.
Mr. Luxenberg, who is Jewish, has been doing the same thing for nearly 13 years. He is part of a small but increasingly tightknit group of people in the San Francisco area who have found their own form of entertainment on Christmas.
In this case, it's attend an evening of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, a four-day event started by local comedian Lisa Geduldig in the 1990s as a respite from the usual holiday hype.
While the show was intended as a gathering for Jews, today people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds look forward to the annual event, and attend year after year.
Friday night, and for the next three days, four comedians – all Jewish – will perform on stage twice nightly at the New Asia Restaurant in Chinatown. As the website puts it: It's Kosher comedy, not kosher food. In the end, close to 3,000 people will attend – one third of which are returning audience members.
"It's fun to be with other people who don't celebrate Christmas," says Betty Weinberg, a regular attendee. "We look forward to it every year."
The community that has developed around the show was fostered in no small part by Ms. Geduldig herself. She oversees all aspects of the event, including publicity, and acts as the master of ceremonies every night. Up until three years ago, she used to sell tickets from her home.
"Since I sold the tickets for 11 years, I got to know everybody's story, everyone who's coming," she says. "I know so many of these people. [They] feel this proprietorship and this kind of pride."
Ms. Weinberg and her husband, Sanford, for instance, along with eight friends, have attended every year for the past 13 years.
Both grew up on the West Coast and say their families didn't do anything significant on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so to have an event like Kung Pao, as it's called, gives them a venue for a meal and some mirth.
Similarly, the Luxenbergs attend regularly with friends, even though they've seen some of the performances before. Jay Luxenberg likens the experience to that of his years as a "Deadhead." Even though the Grateful Dead played many of the same songs at each performance, the experience was different every time.
"The atmosphere is so much more at Kung Pao Kosher that the jokes don't matter that much," he says.
This year's headliner, Cathy Ladman, is one of those repeat performers. A regular on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," the Los Angeles-based comedian is drawn to Kung Pao because it's well marketed and because audience members – Jewish or otherwise – are there for similar reasons.
"For the most part you get a bright audience, and there is this added bit of background," she says. "You know at the outset that there is something common that binds the audience together."
Geduldig got the idea for Kung Pao in the fall of 1993, while performing at a woman's comedy night in South Hadley, Mass. "It was to be at the Peking Garden Club, which I assumed was going to be a comedy club," she says. "And I pull up and it's a Chinese restaurant."
Later on Geduldig and a friend were talking about the irony of it all – telling Jewish jokes in a Chinese restaurant – and the idea for Kung Pao was born.
Fourteen years later, it has become institutionalized. Geduldig has an event coordinator, 12 volunteers per show, a lighting and sound guy, T-shirts, sponsors, a program guide, and a raffle. She even special-orders fortune cookies with Yiddish proverbs.
But the show didn't always run so smoothly. Take Geduldig's first attempt to explain the concept to the Chinese restaurant owners – most of whom spoke limited English.
"I often wished I had a film crew following me because some of these things seemed like a Woody Allen movie in the making. All 5 ft., 1 in. of me coming in and saying, 'I want to have this party for Jewish people on Christmas, but no pork.' It just went on and on," she says. "And then I finally realized the question was, 'Do you have a banquet room and is it available on Christmas Eve?' "
After she secured a location, Geduldig told the restaurant owner to expect about 200 people. More than twice that many showed up.
Other snafus have arisen over the years, too. Once, a comedian started on a bit about Latino waiters at the Last Supper, complete with a Hispanic accent. A woman in the audience stood up and shouted that the joke was racist. Geduldig, wanting to preserve the calm, says she "flew over the tables" and escorted her out. A few others followed. It was the only time such an incident has occurred.
Growing up on Long Island, the youngest and only girl in a family with three children, Geduldig says she came from a typical Jewish family. Her neighborhood was predominately Jewish – except for the Mazzolas who lived next door. "I remember they came over once with some eggnog, and I felt like the Coneheads had come over," she says.
Geduldig is dressed in tan pants and a blue T-shirt. She has long brown straight hair with a streak of gray in the front. Despite peppering her conversation with the occasional joke and the smooth timing of a professional comic, Geduldig doesn't profess to be the funny one in her family. If anything she was the most politically active. When she was 8, she protested the Vietnam War with her father. The experience had a profound impact on her – and not just because she got to yell obscenities with her dad.
Early in her career, Geduldig worked at a smattering of nonprofits and as a reporter for a public-radio station. It wasn't until 1989, when she gave a speech as best woman at a friend's wedding – to rave reviews – that Geduldig decided to try stand-up comedy. She still performs today, but now spends most of her time producing comedy shows, including the Annual George Bush Going Away Party, now in its third year.
Kung Pao itself started to flourish around 1997. That was the year Henny Youngman, the king of one-liners, agreed to headline the show. He was 91. "Getting on stage and introducing him, I literally had to fight back tears," Geduldig says. "I was 35 at the time, he had been performing for 70 years, twice my life ... and he was asleep in his wheel chair."
Youngman's manager woke him up just before show time, prompted him with a few cue cards – and he was off. Unfortunately, it ended up being Youngman's last show. He died two months later. "I've been accused of killing him for eight years now," she laughs.
Since the show's inception, Geduldig has dedicated a portion of ticket sales to various organizations. This year's beneficiaries are The Jewish Home, a residential-healthcare center for seniors in San Francisco, and the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living, a home for the aged.
Shelley Kessler, who will attend Kung Pao for the 14th time on Christmas, admits that initially the show was a place to go "to have fun." But now she appreciates the altruism, too. "It's about connecting with people who care about good causes and having fun while we're doing it," she says.


text:
Hampshire produced a fine chase to beat Yorkshire by four wickets at Headingley in their opening game of the Specsavers County Championship.
Yorkshire, winners of Division One in two of the last three seasons, were 132 runs ahead after the first innings and had set the visitors 320 to win.
But Hampshire reached the total with a day to spare as Gareth Berg and Lewis McManus put on an game-clinching 58-run stand just as it had looked like they would fall short.
Join The Yorkshire Post's cricket writer Chris Waters throughout the day for all the updates. Refresh the page or return later for what's been going on. Get in touch with your thoughts on Twitter @YPCricket and @YPSport.


text:
About Us Home Page
In 2018, Central Florida was ranked first in the nation for job growth, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Additionally, Forbes magazine ranked the metro Orlando region No. 1 to invest in a home with an estimated 84,000 building permits issued in Orange County valued at $2.3 billion. Orange County also earned the highest AAA credit rating from Moody's Investors Service, recognizing its fiscal reliability and continued quality-of-life enhancements.
You can select more than one file at a time.
Or drag and drop on the blue area below


text:
Employer webinars
We offer employers brief, informative webinars on topics of interest to you. We conduct them twice a month, and they last approximately 20 minutes. You can view the webinars from the comfort of your office or attend in person at a location near you. By attending in person, you'll have the opportunity to meet with a BWC representative.
The December webinar provides information on what to do when an injury occurs, BWC's premium audits, one-time forgiveness, important dates, and our monthly safety tip.
Scheduled webinars
- 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10
- 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19
To attend in person
RSVP to the contact listed below for your local office and view the webinar with BWC staff. When registering, please provide your name, title, policy number (or company name), phone number, email address and where you want to attend.
To attend online
Follow the links below if you wish to attend the webinar but not visit an office.
- 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10
- 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19
View recorded webinars
- November 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: the role of a Third Party Administrator (TPA), what is a Professional Employment Organization (PEO), programs updates, important dates, and our monthly safety tip)
- October 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: what to do when buying or selling a business, updating your policy, cancelling coverage, important dates, and our monthly safety tip)
- September 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: Important information on our website, the gig economy and worker's compensation, important dates, and our monthly safety tip)
- August 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: the role of managed care organizations (MCOs), the 2019 employer dividend, medical marijuana, private employer annual true up, important dates, and our monthly safety tip.)
- July 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: 2019 employer dividend, policy year 2019 estimated annual premium updates and annual true-up reporting, the Policy Activity Rebate Program, important dates, and our monthly safety tip.)
- June 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: Newly announced dividend, policy year 2019 renewal and payment options, experience modifier calculation, private employer annual true-up, important dates, and our monthly safety tip.)
- May 2019| Webinar slides (Topics: Policy year 2019 renewal, estimated annual premium updates, annual true-up report, program options for employers, and our monthly safety tip.)
- April 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: Why it's important to review your estimated annual premium notice, the benefits of paying your premium in full versus installments, true-up and the Go-Green discount, BWC program options along with important deadlines, and our monthly safety tip.)
- March 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: Employer policy reminders and important dates, estimated annual premium letter, Safety Council Rebate Program, Ohio Safety Congress review, July 1, 2019 rate reduction, changing your installment schedule or estimated exposure, and our monthly safety tip)
- February 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: Better You, Better Ohio!™ Program, Policy Activity Rebate Program, buying and/or selling a business, Ohio Industrial Commission, monthly safety tip)
- January 2019 | Webinar slides (Topics: July 1, 2019 premium adjustment factors, My policy page improvements on the BWC website, enrolling in required electronic notifications, important account deadlines, program reminders, monthly safety tip)
- December 2018 | Webinar slides (Topics: Reportable remuneration/payroll, employer program updates and deadlines, Policy Activity Rebate Program, BWC website update, Substance Use Recovery and Workplace Safety Program, monthly safety tip)
|BWC office
|RSVP information
BWC Cambridge Claims Office
61501 Southgate Parkway
Cambridge, OH 43725
|Scott St. Clair
Email Scott St. Clair
Phone: 740-435-4251
BWC Canton Claims Office
339 E. Maple St. #200
North Canton, OH 44720
|Lorrie Goodnight
Email Lorrie Goodnight
Phone: 330-471-0950
BWC Cincinnati Claims Office
135 Merchant St.
Springdale, OH 45246
|Tim McDermott
Email Tim McDermott
Phone: 513-583-4594
BWC Cleveland Claims Office
615 W. Superior Ave. Sixth floor
Cleveland, OH 44113
|John Wilton
Email John Wilton
Phone: 216-584-0307
13430 Yarmouth Drive
Pickerington, OH 43147
|Jeff Little
Email Jeff Little
Phone: 614-752-5917
BWC Dayton Claims Office
3401 Park Center Drive
Dayton, OH 45414
|Kathleen Davenport
Email Kathleen Davenport
Phone: 513-785-4591
BWC Lima Claims Office
2025 E. Fourth St.
Lima, OH 45804
|Troy Boughan
Email Troy Boughan
Phone: 419-227-4763
BWC Mansfield Claims Office
240 Tappan Drive, N., Suite A
Ontario, OH 44906
|Troy Boughan
Email Troy Boughan
Phone: 419-227-4763
BWC Portsmouth Claims Office
1005 Fourth St.
Portsmouth, OH 45662
|Wendy Queen
Email Wendy Queen
Phone: 740-353-4205
BWC Toledo Claims Office
1 Government Center, Suite 1136
Toledo, OH 43604
|Deb Schultz
Email Deborah Schultz
Phone: 419-245-3017
BWC Youngstown Claims Office
242 Federal Plaza, W., Suite 200
Youngstown, OH 44503
|Christine Williams
Email Christine Williams
Phone: 330-797-5038
- ${title}${badge}


text:
0 Members and 19 Barbarians in a Horde are spying on this topic.
With the way things worked out you're just in time to post, so your absence was perfect timing actually
I've received a message from Muro, seems that on his holiday week off, the family invoked vacation privilege. He is currently somewhere in the wilds of upper New York state and only has intermittent internet access and only has that through his smartphone. He will be back hopefully to post Thursday or Friday.
*pokes thread* Is this still going?
Finally back. Had an unplanned, extended family vacation in the boonies. Will start posting regularly this upcoming week, if everyone's still interested, and semi-regularly on weekends.
Page created in 0.294 seconds with 34 queries.


text:
Sometimes stars have certain demands, and if they're not met, then (in this case) you allegedly get beat up.
The former personal assistant for Mexican singer Paulina Rubio served the star with a $250,000 assault and battery lawsuit, claiming the star beat him up after he booked her a last-minute flight in coach.
We're not joking.
According to the court documents filed by Felipe Restrapo Betancur, the event took place "on or about" Oct. 28, when Rubio arrived late for a flight from Miami to Mexico. Betancur made arrangements so she could fly out on the next plane to Mexico, so she wouldn't be late for her appearance. But there was a problem.
There were no first class seats available, so Rubio had to endure sitting in coach--gasp!
The lawsuit claims the singer "struck the Plaintiff with her fists, and verbally abused Plaintiff calling him names." It also states that throughout the weekend in Mexico together, Rubio "punched, slapped and kicked Plaintiff causing him abrasions and contusions on his shins and arms."
As you might have expected, Betancur quit once they arrived back in Miami.
Celebs make court appearances, too


text:
Worldserver Promotions
It makes me happy being involved in such a strong community where people are able to relive the passion we all share, express their boundless creativity and learn beyond what you would think is possible.
I don't have one ounce of regret spending the ridiculous time I have contributing to this community. Don't forget the many other developers who also have put tremendous work into this project.
The amount of activity this time of year is typically low, but even considering we have more people involved in the community than ever.
Today I've made quite a few server bumps.
General unofficial criteria for preferred status is to have:
Servers moved to preferred:
There are a few servers that failed to register their world servers and were not promoted.
Be proud to run a server that has a following, it is no easy task. However, the rewards can be many if you can stand the hard challenges you face without becoming burned and jaded from the lack of appreciation of players which encompasses all kinds of different scenarios. I've pretty much seen them all. It takes a special person to run a server. Players make sure you extend your appreciation when you can.
Make sure that with this server status, that you run your server with integrity. Our community is heavily based on it.
I would have easily bumped Eriviyn to preferred, but Drakiyth has stepped out to take care of life for a while. Respect to his work and dedication.
Server Names:
If there is any question to any of these bumps, feel free to respond to this thread or PM.
ooh nice! Thanks Akkadius :)
Thanks to all the server admins and devs that keep EQ living beyond what live has become today!
As a matter of interest, how come EQTitan is not preferred, it seems to be up always, with a high population?
Really glad we could get some of these world-server changes pushed forever. Now could we do something about the Sms verification system being unusable with a changed phone number? Me and a lot of others have been having issues with not being able to recover our lost passwords and I think that is a functionality that is important.
Assuming those in the US, the FCC mandated that if you switch carriers, you must be able to retain your phone number (at no charge!). Not sure of the particulars of Ian's post, just pointing that out to anyone that may be interested before they make a carrier change.
|All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:27 PM.
Powered by vBulletin®, Copyright ©2000 - 2019, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.


text:
10 Examples of Disney Parks Characters Being Awesome
The Disney characters are a big part of what makes the Disney parks experience special for most kids and more than a few adults. Sometimes you only have time for a hug and a photo before the character moves on to the next guest and you move on to see how long the line at Space Mountain is. But sometimes, time and circumstances allow the characters to do something really special and surprising. Here are ten of the best examples of Disney characters being just a little extra awesome.
Mickey Mouse Dance Off
If you've seen his cartoons (or heard his disco album), you know that Mickey can dance. But we rarely get to see him busting moves like these. True to form, the Mouse is as eager to applaud his opponent's skills as he is to show off his own.
Dancing Beast
It turns out Beast has a few dance moves to show off too, once he gets to check himself out on the camera.
Peter Pan vs. Captain Hook
It looks like they're getting ready for a duel, but Peter isn't packing anything more deadly than taunts. In the end, the whole thing gets called off in favor of a treasure hunt.
Goofy Helps a Little Girl Find Pluto
This little girl isn't sure where to find Pluto, so Goofy takes her to visit everyone on Main Street as they search for the pup together.
Cinderella's Stepsisters Singing
Lady Tremaine's "enchanting" daughters do a few vocal warmups and perform 'Sing Sweet Nightingale,' a song from the film.
Stitch at the Arcade
Even Stitch needs some down time now and then. It looks like his preferred way to relax is challenging virtual motorcycle riders at the arcade.
Cruella Being Cruella
Cruella takes some time out from chasing dalmatians and being fabulous to visit with her adoring public and give the paparazzi a few glamour shots.
Mary Poppins With a Little Girl on her Make-A-Wish Trip
Get out the tissues because you're about to cry like you did the first time you saw 'Bambi.' This little girl spent hours watching 'Mary Poppins' over and over again while she was in the hospital for cancer treatment. So when she got to visit Disney World courtesy of the Make-A-Wish foundation, meeting Mary was an obvious must-do. Disney characters are supposed to let the kids let go first when they're hugging. No surprise that Mary's practically perfect in that way too.
Alice and the Mad Hatter Playing Pranks
Alice and the Mad Hatter are supposed to be playing musical chairs with the kids, but the pianist who provides the music isn't around. So they decide to have some fun at the local bake shop door. Watch for the Hatter harassing Aladdin and Jasmine early on.
The Queen Answers a Question
Is she still jealous of Snow White? You be the judge.


text:
(→Known Issues)
|Line 72:
|Line 72:
* uvflag:
* uvflag:
uvwide vis=$VIS narrow=t
uvwide vis=$VIS narrow=t
fixes the narrow band flags
fixes the narrow band flags
* puthd: manually need to put freqatm in the dataset that came out of gpbuddy (phaseatm needs it in uvcal). Ideally selfcal would write the freq0 variable. E.g.
* puthd: manually need to put freqatm in the dataset that came out of gpbuddy (phaseatm needs it in uvcal). Ideally selfcal would write the freq0 variable. E.g.
Revision as of 16:51, 8 December 2008
PACS notes for Miriad, in particular for those maintaining their own MIRIAD version:
Peter will normally update the OVRO and CARMA machines, as well as the 32 bit version ('astroload miriad') and 64 bit version ('astroload -v 64 miriad') on the UMD machines. For anybody else, check the procedure below if that is what you do:
New/modified software
A summary of the software components modified for PACS:
- gpbuddy: writes out (unwrapped) phaseatm from a gain solution (that came from selfcal) [V1.7 and up]
- gplist: handle 23 ants (SZA files now use 23, CARMA still uses nants=15)
- uvcal: has new options=atmcal to apply the atmphase to a dataset. Make sure you have a good freqatm value in your dataset (for now)
- uvwide: SZA data do not have narrow flags, this program was updated for this.
- panda: baseline based (not in miriad yet, but now imminent (Laura))
- bldelay: baseline based (not in miriad yet, but now imminent (James))
- maxdim: new program that just displays your miriad version and the MAX parameters. MAXBUF increased.
- selfcal/mselfcal/mfcal: to handle the large number (around 10,000) integrations. maxdim.h also updated, see below.
- listobs: handle SZA data [V1.25 and up]
MIRIAD/SZA data issues
The procedure to convert SZA data into miriad format is still changing, here are some known issues:
- There are some issues if the data are not time sorted, the uvsort might fix that, but it seems to mess up (not copy?) the wide band data. The solution is probably to run uvwide before uvsort
- The antpos uv variable is not correct.
- The freq variable is missing, listobs now works around that
- There are no linelength data (phasem1), but this is a known issue and won't be added for a while.
- Only wide band data are flagged, you must run
uvwide vis=SZA narrow=t
- 3QSO track (zrct015.3QSO_3C273.3mm.1.mir)
- no wide band data (this may be a result of running uvsort, probably uvwide narrow=t should have been run first
- first few integrations after a source change are bad. this may actually be a result of uvsort, To Be Resolved
Reminder on updating MIRIAD (old style)
It is assumed you have a CVS enabled release of MIRIAD (i.e. you have files such as $MIR/CVS)
- MAXDIM: two header files describing maximum sizes were updated: $MIRINC/maxdim.h and $MIRINC/maxdimc.h. Edit this files and modify the MAXBUF parameter in both files to at least 10000000 (4 times the amount is the memory used by programs that use MAXBUF).
cd $MIRINC $EDITOR maxdim.h maxdimc.h
and if to properly update the CVS status of these files (they changed on Dec 4, 2008) a one time is needed to old MIRIAD installs:
mkdir tmp mv maxdim.h maxdimc.h tmp cvs update mv tmp/max*h .
- CVS: always query your source tree first and look for C (conflicts) and M (locally modified) files. The U (to be updated) files will be new ones you will get:
cvs -nq update
and if happy with this, issue the real update
cvs update
- Old style updates: (you can give these commands from any directory and it assumed you have write permission in $MIR)
mirboss mir.install subs prog
for a blanket re-install of the library and programs. You need this if e.g. maxdim.h was changed, and/or your miriad does not use shared libraries. This is also the safest way to update. On most computers this will only take 2-3 minutes. If however you know exactly what the impact of a new file is, you can pick any of the following examples, which will take 2-3 seconds:
mir.subs fitsio.for uvio
mir.prog itemize gpbuddy
Notice a file extension is optional, and multiple arguments can be given. Watch the output carefully for fatal compile or link errors.
Either way, a quick way to check if you had no disastrous compile issues, count the number of binaries in $MIRBIN, there should be about 400:
ls $MIRBIN | wc
The output of a single mir.prog cgdisp command should be clean, and not give any compile or linking problems. If so, you may have either corrupt miriad library, or a misconfigured system to begin with.
- New style updates: (these can take 10 minutes)
cd $MIR make make install
- uvflag:
uvwide vis=$VIS narrow=t
fixes the narrow band flags by copying them from the wide band flags. This issue will probably disappear when the SZA data filler is updated to write the narrow flags directly.
- puthd: manually need to put freqatm in the dataset that came out of gpbuddy (phaseatm needs it in uvcal). Ideally selfcal would write the freq0 variable. E.g.
puthd vis=$VIS/freqatm value=30.1 type=double
- gpbuddy time ranges: if carma data (vis=) and sza data (vis2=) do not share the same time range, erroneous phases can be applied. Sampling can be slighly different, but there are caveats to using a long interval for phaseatm: UV variables only remember the past, selfcal gains are interpolated.


text:
Nutrition Facts
Ingredients and Preparation
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and sauté for a minute. Add in the spices and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the chicken, salt, pepper, and yogurt. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.


text:
Final Fantasy Versus XIII Trailers
Posted on 18 March, 2015 in Blog
Your gaming world fighting each other
Posted on 18 March, 2015 in Blog
Posted on 18 March, 2015 in Blog
Recently at a national Final Fantasy tournament, the winner was discovered doing steroids in the bathroom. Since there were no rules against this, he went on to win the competition and take home the $50,000 of prize money. We wanted to let everyone here know how we feel about this. We are NOT for the use of steroids and here is why.
Steroids are naturally produced substances within the body of human beings that help in body building and muscle growth. For instance, testosterone is a naturally occurring steroid present in males and is responsible for development of male traits like deeper voice and facial hair besides promoting muscle building. Athletes often use synthetic steroids, man-made products to boost performance. Steroid are addictive and prolonged use might impact detrimental health effects.
Steroids works to build muscles besides helping an athlete's recover faster from hard workouts by reducing the muscle damage that results during training sessions. This allows for frequent, harder work out without exhaustion. The products also works to give an aggressive feeling that some athletes consider ideal in boosting their activities.
Athletes inject or orally introduce steroid into their bodies. Typically, steroids shall boost an athlete performance but the future effects are detrimental. These products affects an individual health and might impact lasting consequences. Steroids are addictive and the prolonged use might result into;
During adolescence body features begins to change allowing for adulthood transition. This allows for growth and development of unique body features that prepare for the next stage. The body produces enough steroids like testosterone to facilitate this transition. Use of synthetic steroids among adolescent shall accelerate puberty changes and premature skeletal maturation some features might never be maximally exploited. For instance, if the steroid use supersedes the usual adolescent growth spurt an individual might never reach the expected height. Needless to say, steroids are a very controversial topic.
On the other side, muscle supplements are all natural products boost the body energy requirement. The dietary products are rich in various nutrients crucial in boosting the body energy besides boosting work out stamina. They achieve this by boosting the body metabolism, a crucial process in maintaining a healthy body. Muscle supplements are ideal products for boosting an athletic performance since they impact hardly any negative effect to users. Read more about this here, http://controversyovernewsteroidalternative.com/
When properly used, muscles supplements shall effectively boost performance without causing any negative healthy effect. The nutritious products are ideal for most people use including adolescents as they work naturally to achieve and are less addictive. Therefore, steroids affects the general body health negatively and should not be used by either adolescent or adults.


text:
Graduate Program
Courses & Curriculum
A variety of courses appropriate to a materials-oriented graduate program are available. Students may work on a Materials Science degree (MS or PhD), or enroll in regular degree programs of any of the departments of the University. Students may design a program appropriate to a particular path of research in materials in consultation with their faculty advisor.


text:
Mystic Pizza - HOT Magic FAST Delivery!
by don h
kinda hokey, but would work i suppose. easy to perform, and kinda funny in the long run.
by David W
Really, really bad.Don't buy.
by Michael M
If I ever did this at a party.. there is not one person in the room that wouldn't immediately know h...
by Gerhard P
i loves this simple method. but it really plays big, my friends was totally stunned, really nice