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Remember those old childhood cartoons where a guy hits his thumb with a hammer? The thumb turns bright red, swells to three times its normal size, and hurts so much that painful rays emanate for all to see.
I remember the day I awoke in excruciating pain, my entire hand red and throbbing as if it was a model for one of those old hammer-to-thumb cartoonists. In the cartoons, it's funny – not so much in real life.
There have also been times my hands swelled to a lesser extent – not enough for anyone else to notice, but enough that it cut off the circulation in my ring finger. When fingers swell so much that a perfectly sized wedding ring cuts off circulation and the finger turns blue, it's a safe bet that there's a fair amount of inflammation going on.
One would think that a doctor could write "significant swelling" as documentation of such events, but doctors seem to have a preference for numbers to quantify everything, including inflammation. ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and CRP (C-Reactive Protein) are two lab tests that can be done to "measure" inflammation. Unfortunately, those tests aren't perfect. People can have significant inflammation but perfectly "normal" lab results. How ironic that someone's feet can be too swollen to fit into shoes, hands can be too swollen to do anything, and a doctor can say, "I'm sorry, but according to your lab work, there is no inflammation." Many RA patients have "normal" inflammatory markers – accompanied by enough disease activity that joints are destroyed.
I've wondered why, if pharmaceutical companies can develop drugs to inhibit TNF-α, nobody can come up with a test to measure TNF-α in the bloodstream. Same with interleukin-6 and the other proteins that are thought to be associated with disease activity in RA. If numbers are so important, there should be a way to measure those things.
Scientists have been working on it, and have a new test. This test doesn't diagnose RA, but gives the doctor an objective number to indicate how active the RA monster is. Announced late last year, the Vectra Disease Activity Test measures twelve proteins, applies a convoluted formula (take the logarithm of 1+CRP, multiply by .36, add the square root of this, multiply by that…) and produces a single number to quantify disease activity.
Yay! With luck, this will be a better test. Questions remain, though.
Given the number of RA patients with normal CRP, I don't understand why that information is used in the new test's calculations. The testing company's website compares the results to DAS28. I'd rather see some comparisons that show Vectra DA to be superior to existing tests. What I'd really like to see is data from hundreds of RA patients with obvious disease activity but normal ESR & CRP, and see that this new test returns a high number, regardless of the normal ESR/CRP. Show us the data.


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Why do you want to use extended radius arms when you lift your Ford? There are several reasons:
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subset: commoncrawl


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By at June 24 2019 12:07:03
It is similarly annoying to them when it is a long free text box, making the customer question whether they are answering correctly and sufficiently. Providing response boxes that reflect the anticipated answer length and format reassures people that they are filling them in correctly.
People from different cultures have different conventions for answering seemingly innocuous questions like this. Users will become frustrated if when you ask for an email address, for example, if the response box only allows for 20 characters.


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Welcome to Louisiana Literature.
Since 1984, Louisiana Literature has featured some of the finest writing published in America. The journal has always striven to spotlight local talent alongside nationally-recognized authors. Louisiana Literature's most recent honors include both Writer's Digest Fiction 50 and Poetry 50, celebrating the nation's top 50 publishers in each genre. Other honors include placing in the CELJ "Best Design" competition, an honorable mention for editorial content in the American Literary Magazines Awards, and features in the Novel and Fiction Writers and Poet's Markets published by Writer's Digest Publications. Work first published in our pages is regularly reprinted in collections and is nominated for prizes from the National Book Awards for both genres and the Pulitzer. Recently, stories by Aaron Gwyn and Robert Olen Butler were selected for inclusion in New Stories from the South. Whether it's work from established writers or from first-time publishers, Louisiana Literature is always looking to print the finest poetry and fiction available.
Louisiana Literature is now accepting electronic submissions via Submittable. Click here to submit manuscripts.


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I remember Eyeko from the olden days, when all they had was the mascara and it was a pretty expensive purchase. I remember wanting the mascara but unable to spend £11, or whatever it was on it.
Anyway, fast forward and Eyeko is now found in Superdrug at far better prices and aimed towards, arguably, a teeny bopper audience.
I may not be a teeny bopper any more but in my heart…she's there…lurking. That is why I am equipped to review the Eyeko Fat Balms!
Eyeko Fat Balms come in three shades and scents – Strawberry, Raspberry and Minty. These have been around for yonks too and I love the repackaging!
The packaging is a Japanese manga style – the brand itself has always had a retro, cute Japanese feel to it. Here are the stubby little sticks:
Both Raspberry and Strawberry smell…berry like and have quite a rich texture. I thought these were dual use but apparently no, get with the program Miss Candy, these are for lips!
How big do you think my lips are?!
The answer must be quite big, because I applied these lazily, with ease.
Swatches – these two colours are similar. They clearly need more colours in! Hot pink! Peach! Coral! Peachy Coral!
I like how moisturizing these balms feel and they are sheer and not too overpowering. I prefer strawberry for the slightly more reddish, brighter look on the lips. Raspberry is a little darker.
I quite like them – they are certainly hydrating for my dry lips but would love to see more colours – this selection of shades has been around forever. Bring in some peaches and I'll be first in the queue!
The Fat Balms are £5 each, from here.


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University of Georgia Press Announces Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction Winner
Kirsten Lunstrum has been named this year's winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, and her collection of short stories will be published by the University of Georgia Press. Lunstrum's What We Do with the Wreckage will be available from the UGA Press in fall 2018.
The competition seeks to encourage writers of excellent short stories, while bringing award-winning work to a wider audience by offering publication of a book-length collection and a $1,000 prize. The Flannery O'Connor Award has helped launch the literary careers of such previous winners as Ha Jin, Antonya Nelson, Rita Ciresi and Mary Hood.


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Interested in Language
In the IPA [ j ] is known as the palatal approximant and classified as a consonant. This sound is the English yod like in you. However, before I studied IPA, I intuitively thought of this sound as a diphthong of [i] and [u] or ee-oo.
Is it incorrect to think of [ j ] as a diphthong of ee-oo?
Actually, my first response to pizza was not totally correct. [j] is the sound made at the moment of transition from the initial vowel sound to the second. In [j] itself, there is no [i]; nor is there [u] or [ə] or any other vowel.
So, in general terms, can we agree that the diphthong of /i/ and another vowel produces /j/?
In a case such as 'pretty_iris', we normally talk of a glide rather than a diphthong. We tend to reserve diphthong for something that can represent a full syllables either alone, as in I/eye, oh, or when preceded and/or followed by consonants, as in tie, ice, mice.
It's all a question of a snapshot of the dipthong. An example (involving other languages, but it may be useful to students of English) is the Paul Simon song 'Me and Julio down by the schoolyard'. Like most English speakers, I thought of 'Julio' as having three syllables, so there was no internal rhyme in the lyric, and the words didn't scan. But I was wrong: the line correctly fits the two syllables of the name to two notes in the tune, and the '-ly'- of 'schoolyard' is quite close to the medial consonant in 'Julio'.


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I'm going to build a big e-commerce website and client want that website should be for all user Desktop, Tablets and Smartphones. and budget is not a problem. Site is an e-commerce website lost of categories and products , "add to cart, checkout functions, credit card and paypal payment etc.
Would it be good to make responsive website with mobile first approach or it will be good to make separate website for mobile?
And if I go with separate website approach I cannot leave any feature of desktop website to make it on mobile because it's e-commerce website so every product, purchase system , form validation should be on mobile website too.
What would be good for users?


text:
Have an account?
Need an account?Create an account
Product Overview
Flexibility and Scalability
Common Software Across All Platforms
Multiprotocol Support
Virtual SANs
Inter-VSAN Routing
Intelligent Fabric Applications
Network-Assisted Applications
Cisco Storage Media Encryption
Cisco Data Mobility Manager
I/O Accelerator
• Transport independence: IOA provides a unified solution to accelerate I/O operations over the MAN and WAN.
• IOA as a fabric service: IOA service units (interfaces) can be located anywhere in the fabric and can provide acceleration service to any port.
• Speed independent: IOA can accelerate 1/2/4/8/10-Gbps links and consolidate traffic over 8/10-Gbps ISLs.
• Write acceleration: IOA provides write acceleration for Fibre Channel and FCIP networks. Write acceleration significantly reduces latency and extends the distance for disk replication.
• Tape acceleration: IOA provides tape acceleration for Fibre Channel and FCIP networks. Tape acceleration improves the performance of tape devices and enables remote tape vaulting over extended distances for data backup for disaster recovery purposes.
• Compression: Compression in IOA increases the effective MAN and WAN bandwidth without the need for costly infrastructure upgrades. Integration of data compression into IOA enables implementation of more efficient Fibre Channel- and FCIP-based business continuity and disaster recovery solutions without the need to add or manage a separate device.
• High availability and resiliency: IOA combines PortChannels and equal-cost multipath (ECMP) routing with disk and tape acceleration for higher availability and resiliency.
• Service clustering: IOA delivers redundancy and load balancing for I/O acceleration.
• Transparent insertion: IOA requires no fabric reconfiguration or rewiring and can be transparently turned on by enabling the IOA license.
• Intuitive provisioning: IOA can be easily provisioned using Cisco DCNM-SAN.
XRC Acceleration
Network Security
Switch and Host Authentication
IP Security for FCIP and iSCSI
Cisco TrustSec Fibre Channel Link Encryption
• There are two primary use cases for Cisco TrustSec Fibre Channel Link Encryption: Many customers will want to help ensure the privacy and integrity of any data that leaves the secure confines of their data center through a native Fibre Channel link, such as dark fiber, Coarse Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (CWDM), or Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (DWDM).
• Other customers, such as those in defense and intelligence services, may be even more security focused and choose to encrypt all traffic within their data center as well, since the encryption is at full line rate with no performance penalty.
Role-Based Access Control
Port Security and Fabric Binding
• N-port zoning: Defines zone members based on the end-device (host and storage) port
– Fibre Channel identifier (FC-ID)
• Fx-port zoning: Defines zone members based on the switch port
– WWN plus interface index, or domain ID plus interface index
– Domain ID plus port number (for Brocade interoperability)
• iSCSI zoning: Defines zone members based on the host zone
– iSCSI name
– IP address
Additional Network Security Features
• Fabricwide role-based AAA services using RADIUS, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Microsoft Active Directory (AD), and TACACS+
• Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol Version 2 and SNMPv3 for authentication, data integrity, and confidentiality of management traffic
• Secure FTP (SFTP) for protection of file transfers
• AES, Message Digest Algorithm 5 (MD5), and Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (SHA 1) for secure authentication and management
• IP ACLs for management and Gigabit Ethernet ports
• Microsoft CHAP (MS-CHAP) to secure the management interface between Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches and RADIUS servers
• Digital certificates using public key infrastructure (PKI) for IPsec
Nondisruptive Software Upgrades
Stateful Process Failover
ISL Resiliency Using PortChannels
iSCSI, FCIP, and Management-Interface High Availability
Port Tracking for Resilient SAN Extension
• CLI through a serial port or out-of-band (OOB) Ethernet management port, and in-band IP over Fibre Channel (IPFC)
• SNMPv1, v2, and v3 over an OOB management port and in-band IPFC
• Cisco FICON Control Unit Port (CUP) for in-band management from IBM S/390 and z/900 processors
• IPv6 support for iSCSI, FCIP, and management traffic routed in band and out of band
More information about Cisco MDS 9000 Family SAN management is available at http://www.cisco.com/go/dcnm
Cisco Data Center Network Manager for SAN and Cisco Device Manager
Cisco IOS Software CLI Similarity
Open APIs
Configuration and Software-Image Management
N-Port Virtualization
Autolearn for Network Security Configuration
Host Provisioning Wizard
• Create a device alias for the host
• Create a dynamic port VSAN membership (DPVM) entry for the host
• Add the host and storage to a zone and activate the zone
• Create a flow between the host and storage for performance monitoring
Cisco Data Center Network Manager Server Federation
Network Boot for iSCSI Hosts
Internet Storage Name Service
Proxy iSCSI Initiator
iSCSI Server Load Balancing
Traffic Management
Quality of Service
Extended Credits
Virtual Output Queuing
Fibre Channel Port Rate Limiting
Load Balancing of PortChannel Traffic
iSCSI and SAN Extension Performance Enhancements
FCIP Compression
FCIP Tape Acceleration
Serviceability, Troubleshooting, and Diagnostics
Switched Port Analyzer and Cisco Fabric Analyzer
SCSI Flow Statistics
Fibre Channel Ping and Fibre Channel Traceroute Features
Call Home
System Log
Other Serviceability Features
• Online diagnostics: Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS provides advanced online diagnostics capabilities. Periodically tests are run to verify that supervisor engines, switching modules, optics, and interconnections are functioning properly. These online diagnostics do not adversely affect normal Fibre Channel operations, allowing them to be run in production SAN environments.
• Loopback testing: The Cisco MDS 9000 Family uses offline port loopback testing to check port capabilities. During testing, a port is isolated from the external connection, and traffic is looped internally from the transmit path back to the receive path.
• IPFC: The Cisco MDS 9000 Family provides the capability to carry IP packets over a Fibre Channel network. With this feature, an external management station attached through an OOB management port to a Cisco MDS 9000 Family switch in the fabric can manage all other switches in the fabric using the in-band IPFC Protocol.
• Network Time Protocol (NTP) support: NTP synchronizes system clocks in the fabric, providing a precise time base for all switches. An NTP server must be accessible from the fabric through the OOB Ethernet port. Within the fabric, NTP messages are transported using IPFC.
• Enhanced event logging and reporting with SNMP traps and syslog: Cisco MDS 9000 Family events filtering and remote monitoring (RMON) provide complete and exceptionally flexible control over SNMP traps. Traps can be generated based on a threshold value, switch counters, or time stamps.
Syslog provides a comprehensive supplemental source of information for managing Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches. Messages ranging from only high-severity events to detailed debugging messages can be logged, if desired.
Licensed Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Packages
Enterprise Package
SAN Extension over IP Package
Mainframe Package
Data Center Network Manager Packages
Storage Services Enabler Package
On-Demand Port Activation License
Storage Media Encryption Package
Data Mobility Manager Package
I/O Accelerator Package
XRC Acceleration Package
For More Information


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| The new Waze Wiki, aka Wazeopedia, is now live at Wazeopedia.waze.com! While this legacy wiki will remain accessible for the time being, it is no longer updated by the community. For the most up-to-date guidance, please visit your local Wazeopedia.
Please do not make any more updates to these legacy wiki pages, all future updates should be made in your country's local Wazeopedia.
Ceny paliw
Uwaga! W budowie!
Waze includes a feature to track the locations of fuel (gas, diesel, petrol, etc.) stations and the current prices at those stations. Drivers can use the Waze app to search for their favorite brand of fuel or the best prices nearest their current location. Wazers who want to get extra points and help their fellow Wazers can enter the current price of local stations while they fill up or are stopped at a light near one.
Search for a station
To search for fuel stations near you click on Menu >> Navigate
Now choose Categories:
And select Gas Station from the list:
Here you'll see all stations near you sorted by price. You can choose a different sort order from the settings menu.
Please note that you can choose to view stations from different search providers, but you won't see the prices. The prices for stations are available on Waze search provider only!
You also can click on map to view the fuel stations around you:
Once you have selected the desired station you'll see the preview window:
At the Location tab you can:
- View the station on the map.
- See the phone number.
- Press More to 1) Add a stop point (see how to add a stop point), 2) Set as start point, 3) Show on map, and 4) Share the location.
- Add the place to favorites.
- Press Go to navigate to the station.
The Info tab shows more about the station including the phone number, a photo of the station, prices, and when the prices were last updated.
At the Specials tab you can check for any coupons or discounts for that station.
Update prices
When you're in or very near a fuel station you can update the fuel price.
Click on Report
Choose Gas Prices
Choose the station from the list:
Here you'll see the prices for each grade of fuel:
- Regular
- Midgrade
- Premium
- Diesel
Note: Waze only tracks a single price for each fuel grade. If a station offers a different price for cash or credit, the credit price is the recommended one to enter. The reason is for consistency among all Wazers and most people know the credit price is higher by a typical amount (when not the same as cash). In addition, the 3rd-Party pricing that Waze gets for some stations is the credit price. Entering the cash price only creates an inconsistency.
If the prices are correct, press Yes and the date will be updated to today as the most recent price check date. If any of them are wrong, press No to begin updating the prices.
To update a price just tap on the current price and update the price. If that grade of fuel is not available at that station, press the Not Available button. If the current price is accurate for that grade, press Next to keep the current price and move to the next grade.
Click Send to save the update.
Currently saving the prices for a station provides the Wazer 8 points.
Station Settings (preferred station, gas type, sort by)
You can choose to view only preferred gas stations, preferred gas types, and have them sorted.
- Open the Menu and choose Settings:
In the settings menu scroll down and choose Gas stations:
Preferred Station
Choose Preferred station:
Here you can choose to show All stations or only one:
Gas Type
Choose the price of the gas type that you want to see when searching for a station:
Here you will see the price of the selected gas type:
Sort By
Choose how you want to view the search results of the gas stations:
- Sort by Price
- Sort by Distance
- Sort by Brand
Add a station (currently applies only for world server)
This section is currently only applicable to the World Server and not the North American server. It is planned for the North American server in the near future. 1. To add a new gas station to the map, first view the basic map editing here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVksbb1Z4SQ
2. Login to the editor: http://world.waze.com/editor.
3. Locate the place of the gas station on the map:
4. Choose to add a new Gas station (click on the + icon and choose Gas station):
5. Draw the landmark, then click on it:
6. Now from the properties menu on the left side choose gas station as the type of the landmark, you can then define the rest of its properties, such as brand name and address.
7. Click on Save.
7. Now you can view the gas station on your phone, just go to "Categories" in the navigation screen and select "Gas Stations":
Please note: gas stations will not be Immediately available everywhere in clients. We're going to start rolling out the gas stations feature in the client country by country. As soon as we see (based your feedback) that we have enough stations to launch with in a given country, we'll release it there. It's hard to say exactly how many stations we need in each country to be ready there. If any of you know how many gas stations there are in your country - please let us know, this will allow us to estimate the percentage of stations we have.
In some countries, you'll see that the editor is missing a list of local gas brands. Not to worry though. Just go to our Support Page and contact us via "Quick help" -> "Ask agent by email". Send us a message containing the missing gas brand and the country in which it should be added and we'll add it to the drop down menu in the editor as soon as we can.
Remove a station
Currently only the World Server provides direct access to remove stations. From the Waze Map Editor enable Landmarks to see the outline of the station. Delete the landmark and save the changes.
For the North American server, until the Waze Map Editor can directly access the gas stations, the best way to indicate a station is closed is to use the Waze client app. Drive to the location of the station and use the option to update the fuel prices outlined above. For each fuel type use the "Not Available" option and save the changes. This will prevent the station from being displayed in the client app until it can be removed completely.


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I need to convert raster from one format to another (geotiff-->jpeg2000). First I tried with very simple workspace, having input geotiff and direct to output jpeg2000, but I got error message: JPEG2000 writer: This format cannot support palettes. Consider removing or resolving palettes that are attached to the raster
What should I do?


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BACKGROUND IMAGE: iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
- FeatureClose the IM Loophole
- FeatureRoll Your Own NAS
- ArticleTaming HBAs
- FeatureThe evolving storage department
- FeatureWhen a Mighty Wind Blows into Town
- FeatureGetting remote data right
- FeatureVirtual SANs put to the test
- FeatureEMC Launches Space-Saving Copy Option for Symmetrix
- FeatureCAD for SANs
- FeatureSEC: No Hard and Fast Distance Minimums
- FeatureDrive Vendors Think Small
- FeatureSerial ATA Adoption Ramping Up
- FeatureCreating a large e-mail system
- FeatureIP SANs take their place
- FeatureHow to build a storage security strategy for your enterprise
- FeatureIntelligence belongs in the network and on the switch
- FeatureSnapshot: 4Gb/s Fibre Channel Switches
- FeatureVeritas SANPoint Control compared with EMC ControlCenter
- FeatureIs compliance the next killer app?
- FeatureWhat are your backup, DR and data retention policies?
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
IP SANs take their place
There's a growing interest in using IP for storage in small to midsized enterprises, although Fibre Channel is still dominant in large organizations. What's right for you: IP, FC or a combination of both?
One way or another, your enterprise storage is going to be networked. The question is how: Fibre Channel (FC) or Internet Protocol (IP)? Most likely, it will be both. Companies are starting to employ iSCSI at the edge for less critical or performance-intensive storage, and then using it or other IP protocols to connect to central FC storage area networks (SANs) across the wide area.
"The mixed environment--where servers and storage leverage iSCSI to get to Fibre Channel central storage--is becoming more popular," says Rick Villars, IDC vice president of storage systems.
Cisco Systems, which provides products for both IP and FC, concurs. "iSCSI fits in two places, as access technology to let departmental servers connect to corporate data center storage and to host storage right on an IP network using storage arrays running iSCSI," says Bill Erdman, director of marketing at Cisco's storage technology group.
|IP storage standards
Until recently, a SAN meant FC networks. In February after approximately three years of deliberation, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) approved the iSCSI specification, which is a protocol for block-level storage over IP. iSCSI will go a long way toward enabling IP-based SANs that can rival FC SANs, and it gives enterprises new SAN networking options. Already, midsized organizations such as Southern Insurance Underwriters, Mapics Inc. and Buckeye Color Labs are turning to IP to boost their storage networking.
Although "IP and iSCSI won't replace Fibre Channel," says Villars, it will provide greater flexibility in how storage is deployed.
Initially, he sees it being used as a way to extend or to connect SANs. IP will be particularly useful in remote backup scenarios in which storage must be replicated to remote sites. While this can be done with IP today, the availability of iSCSI will make it easier to use IP for block-level storage.
"With iSCSI, the pieces of the puzzle are all here. The iSCSI engine should get IP storage really moving," says Arun Taneja, consulting analyst for the Taneja Group, in Hopkinton, MA.
Initially, iSCSI will appeal to large companies with remote sites. "They will use iSCSI to consolidate backup from remote sites and smaller servers," Villars says. Midsized and smaller firms eventually will use IP and iSCSI to network and consolidate their storage. Many of these companies have steered clear of networked storage because of its cost and complexity. Adds Taneja: "iSCSI is a natural for small and midsize companies, workgroups and departments."
The impact of the ratification of the iSCSI specification was felt almost immediately. "It has pushed out more products. When we set up our iSCSI SAN, the only choice was Intel cards. Now there are others," says Robert Filipovich, IT manager at Southern Insurance Underwriters Inc., in Alpharetta, GA.
IBM now offers an iSCSI storage array--its TotalStorage 200i comes with up to 3.5TB of storage. EMC is planning to offer iSCSI in both its Symmetrix and Clariion storage products. Other vendors with iSCSI offerings include Adaptec, Alacritech, FalconStor, Hewlett-Packard, Network Appliance and more. The release of Windows Server 2003 with built-in iSCSI support should trigger a flood of new iSCSI products.
Southern Insurance Underwriters turned to products from San Diego-based StoneFly Networks and Nexsan, Woodland Hills, CA, to create an IP SAN with 2.2TB of capacity for a cost of about $30,000, plus the nominal expense of adding a few more gigabit copper ports to its switch chassis. The storage network was needed to handle the massive volume of insurance forms managed through the company's electronic document imaging system. In addition, the company found itself faced with storing rapidly growing amounts of e-mail.
Until it implemented the iSCSI SAN in January 2003, the company had been adding SCSI arrays to its database and Exchange 2000 servers. But the proliferating storage arrays were growing out of hand, driving the company to seek a centralized storage solution. A conventional FC SAN appeared to be the likely option, but "we wanted to avoid the costs and complexity associated with FC SAN solutions," Filipovich says. The company looked at network-attached storage (NAS), which provides file-level storage, but concluded "the NAS model gave us absolutely zero benefit in the application space." The company's applications required block-level storage.
Midrange storage vendors have been among the first to capitalize on iSCSI as a mechanism for networking their low-cost storage arrays. Boulder, CO-based LeftHand Networks, for example, added the IP protocol and a suite of storage management software tools to its serial ATA arrays to create an IP SAN in a box. "We provide a fully managed SAN at the cost of just the Fibre Channel storage capacity, but without the extra cost of software or Fibre Channel," says Tom Major, vice president at LeftHand Networks. The LeftHand product doesn't include a switch, which keeps the price lower than similar alternatives.
Intransa Inc., headquartered in San Jose, CA, also provides an IP SAN storage array with built-in storage management capabilities. Unlike LeftHand Networks, Intransa includes a Layer-2 Gigabit Ethernet switch. The list price for the base 3.2TB configuration is $62,500.
The midrange approach certainly appealed to Mapics Inc., Alpharetta, GA, a developer of manufacturing software. When the company found itself managing an increasingly unwieldy set of servers and their attached storage for its core business applications, it looked for a storage consolidation option. After checking out traditional FC SAN solutions, the company turned to LeftHand Networks.
Although Mapics only needed a total of 340GB of storage, "LeftHand could give us a SAN with a terabyte of storage and RAID striping for one-third of the cost of the closest Fibre Channel SAN," says Jim Overdorff, Mapics director of enterprise technical services. The company easily added the LeftHand SAN to its existing Gigabit Ethernet backbone and directed its nine servers to the LeftHand storage. The increased traffic proved to be no problem: "We run backups at off-peak hours and have had no network throughput problems," he says.
Cost considerations
FC has fully established itself as the SAN standard in the enterprise, but it remains difficult and costly to acquire, deploy and manage. Vendor compatibility problems persist, and people with FC skills are difficult to find and cost more than IP network administrators. It costs $80,000 to $100,000 or more to hire skilled FC network people, compared with $50,000 to $70,000 for IP network administrators, says Mark Goodstein, president of Techpros, an IT recruitment firm in Needham, MA.
In addition, enterprise storage components--disk arrays, HBAs, switches, tape libraries--enabled for use with FC are more costly than their IP counterparts. An Internet search turned up 1Gb FC HBAs, for example, at $1,400 (single retail purchase), compared to 1Gb Ethernet adapters at $500 or less. At the switch level, FC fabric switches run from $700 to $950 per port, and director-class switches run from $1,800 to $2,400 per port, according to a spokesman at a major switch vendor. A Gigabit Ethernet switch for IP costs at least one-third less. A slower 10/100 Ethernet switch can be acquired for a few hundred dollars or less.
Interoperability problems still exist in FC SANs. Although FC component compatibility and interoperability problems are diminishing as a result of endless interoperability plug-fests and continuous OEM compatibility testing, they haven't gone away completely. IP component interoperability, on the other hand, hasn't been an issue for years.
Cost was a major driver when the Carlson Companies in Minneapolis decided to deploy a combination Nishan FCIP SAN. Carlson operates cruises, restaurants, and hotels all over the world. As a result, the company had remote servers with attached storage, which was expensive to manage. In addition, the company grew concerned about the availability of the remote data. "I was not sure they were doing backups correctly or could recover," says Gary Johnson, Carlson's IT architectural consultant. The solution was to consolidate storage and backup at the central data center.
The company already had an FC storage array as its centralized storage and more FC out at its servers. Johnson used Cisco switches and IP to cross distances and Nishan to translate between IP and FC. "Using IP, I get scalability and reliability. I have a Fibre Channel SAN at the core and Fibre Channel SANs as islands of storage. Then, I route the traffic using IP," he explains. Carlson manages storage data traffic with its existing HP OverView management product as well as other standard IP traffic shaping tools. A private IP network--built around two Cisco 6509 Gigabit Ethernet switches and a set of Nishan FCIP storage switches--delivers the data with minimal latency and no dropped packets, Johnson says. In the future, the company intends to use iSCSI to ease the addition of new server hosts, enabling them to find the shortest path to the nearest Cisco switch by which they can access data stored on the FC disk arrays.
Ideally, Johnson would have liked to design Carlson's storage environment completely around IP, but the state of the technology when the company started in mid-2002--and even today--wouldn't allow a completely IP solution. "IP is a workable way to do storage, but you can't avoid Fibre Channel. You need to leverage it," he says.
Increased demand for storage
Buckeye Color Labs Inc., in North Canton, OH, turned to IP and network-attached storage (NAS) when it faced a sudden demand for storage. The company processes photos. Two years ago, approximately 5% of its customers wanted electronic digital images of their photos. Each image required approximately 30MB of file storage. When the company was handling a few hundred images a week, the storage was manageable. But suddenly, demand for digital photos exploded, and within 18 months, the company found itself processing 6,000 images each week.
Buckeye had been buying IBM servers with attached storage. "We ended up with 14 or 15 servers, which started to get very expensive," recalls Buckeye COO Bob Hendrickson. Adding to the cost was the expense of managing storage on 15 different servers and backing them up. After looking at a large EMC FC SAN solution, Buckeye called in a storage consultant, OH-based Chi Corp., to come up with a less costly solution.
|Pros and cons of IP and FC
Chi proposed an IP storage network connecting the Buckeye servers with 2.5TB of NAS storage. The company pulled disk drives from the attached storage to help fill up the Nexsan NAS disk arrays and purchased copper NIC cards, rather than more costly host bus adapters (HBAs) to connect the servers. An IP switch from Extreme Networks gave the solution extra ports to accommodate growth. It also added the FalconStor storage appliance to allocate the storage, handle LUN masking and zoning and provide file-level and block-level storage services, says John Thome Sr., Chi chairman.
"We could have done it with EMC, but the cost would be $300,000 to $400,000," Hendrickson says. "What we did cost less than $100,000." The lower cost results in part from Nexsan's use of ATA drives, which aren't comparable in performance to the more costly EMC drives.
TCP/IP offload engine
Although IP is gaining momentum as a way to consolidate storage and to back up storage over distance, it still has some hurdles to overcome, beginning with performance. TCP/IP is a processing-intensive protocol. When used in an enterprise storage situation, it can bring a system nearly to a halt. The solution, suggests David Hill, VP of storage research at Aberdeen Group, Boston, is to offload the processing to a separate processor, in this case a TCP/IP offload engine (TOE). "Offload engines are just starting to arrive," he says. He expects they will quickly become faster and cheaper.
However, you don't need a TOE or even an iSCSI card to create an IP-based SAN. "All you need is an Ethernet NIC and a server running the iSCSI protocol," IDC's Villars says. Windows Server 2003, for instance, will have the iSCSI protocol built in.
Other hurdles involve the immaturity of IP when used for storage. The iSCSI spec was only recently ratified, and products are just beginning to appear. Similarly, 10Gb Ethernet--the desired speed for enterprise storage--is new and still pricey, but products already are shipping. The FC counterpart, 10Gb FC, remains on the drawing board and when it comes it won't be compatible with today's slower FC. In the interim, 4Gb FC--which is slower, but compatible--is on the way.
These hurdles should be surmounted within 18 to 24 months. Vendors are rushing IP and iSCSI products to market. "In another 18 months, you'll have the basic management tools," says Taneja, who expects TOE capabilities to be built into NICs.
But despite the growing interest in IP for storage, industry observers expect FC to remain dominant in the large enterprise. "FC isn't going away, because it is always going to be on the back end," the final link that connects the storage devices themselves, says Don Mead, a member of the SNIA IP Storage Forum governing board and a manager at FalconStor.
But IP storage will continue to grow, says Mead, particularly among small and midsized organizations and for connecting SANs and storage over distance. So, get ready for a dual IP-FC storage world in which FC reigns in the data center, while small and midsized organizations and anyone who wants to run storage over long distances turns to IP.


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Pitch counts to factor more for certain Tigers pitchers
LAKELAND, Fla. -- How much will Tigers manager Brad Ausmus consider his starters' pitch counts before he heads out to the mound and signals to the bullpen? To answer that question with another question: Who's on the mound that day?
Justin Verlander threw more than 120 pitches four times last season, nine times in 2012 and 10 times in '11. Max Scherzer topped 115 pitches seven times last year, and Anibal Sanchez eclipsed that mark four times, including a 130-pitch, one-hit shutout on May 24. Those three have proven their durability, and Verlander in particular is known for his ability to get stronger as the game progresses.
So what does the Tigers' new manager think about pitch counts?
"It'll factor," Ausmus said. "Somewhere along the line, people got married to that 100-pitch count, to the point where even Minor League guys, when they were coming out, they were staring at the pitch count on the scoreboard saying, 'All right, my job is done.' I don't think you have that as much here."
Ausmus admitted he could take on a different approach, perhaps a more cautious one, with lefty Drew Smyly, as he's entering the rotation after spending all of last season in the bullpen. But don't expect Verlander, Scherzer and Sanchez to start eyeing the scoreboard when they've thrown their 100th pitch.
"I don't think guys like Verlander, Scherzer or Sanchez are concerned about the 100-pitch count," Ausmus said. "I don't know that I will with those guys."


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Chris Easton
Interview: Chris Easton on Prince of Persia
We've been talking about it all week. VG247 got a sit-down with Chris Easton, community development manager for Ubisoft's Prince of Persia, and now you can read the full chat after the link. Enjoy. By Mike Bowden
Chris Easton headlines
Ubi refuses to confirm simultaneous Prince of Persia platform release
In an exclusive interview with videogaming247, Chris Easton, community development manager for Ubisoft's Prince of Persia has refused to confirm that the game will ship simultaneously on both 360 and PS3. When quizzed as to whether half of the gaming public would have to wait for the game he replied: "We are planning to release […]
Easton hints at new Prince of Persia franchise
In an exclusive interview with videogaming247, Prince of Persia community development manager Chris "UbiRazz" Easton has hinted that the upcoming Prince of Persia title's plot may lead to more games. "This game is a whole story on its own and players are going to live through a complete adventure," he said when questioned whether we'd […]
Prince of Persia co-op now a "possibility"
Speaking to videogaming247, Chris Easton – Prince of Persia's community development manager – has said that co-operative play in the upcoming action reboot may be explored. An earlier statement, given by producer Ben Mattes at the recent Ubidays event, said that there would no co-op in the game at all. "There are no plans for […]


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Skin Scraping Exam
Brief Description
This test procedure is used to identifySarcoptes scabiei mites and eggs from skin scrapings sent on microscope slides
Laboratory Unit
Microscopic examination of skin scrapings.
Specimen Collection
Kits can be ordered from the MSPHL. Kits consist of 2 glass 1x3 inch frosted end microscope slides, 4 glass 22x22mm cover slips, a #15 scalpel blade, a cardboard slide holder, a Ziploc bag, and a return mailing label. Specimen submission forms can be printed from this website. The facility collecting the specimen has to provide their own mineral oil and clear nail polish.
Kits can be sent at room temperature. Please allow clear nail polish to dry completely before placing in the cardboard slide holder.
Acceptable Specimen Type(s)
Skin scrapings are examined for scabies mites and eggs. It is important that we receive at least four cover slips with visible skin scrapings. Mites burrow and for the test to be accurate more than superficial surface skin needs to be examined.
Test Request Form(s)
Possible Results
If either scabies mites and/or eggs are found, then the test result is postive and reported as "Sarcoptes scabiei mites" and/or "Sarcoptes scabiei eggs". If neither is found, then the test result is "Not Found".
If only two coverslips of material are sent and specimen is negative, results are considered invalid because quantity of material sent is not sufficient. We really recommend collecting 4 coverslips to ensure a good sample.
If there is a lack of material on the slides and specimen is negative, results are considered invalid because quality of material sent is not sufficient. It is important to include some actual skin on your scrapings since scabies burrow into the skin.
Unacceptable Conditions
Slides that are not labeled with the patient name or identifier are considered unsatisfactory and are discarded without testing.
Interfering Substances
Result Reported
Scabies are read the day they are received in the lab. All results are called to the submitter as soon as testing is complete.
As provided in 19 CSR 25-38.010, submitters may be charged a handling charge of $10.00 per sample submitted for testing.
CPT Codes
LOINC/SNOMED Codes
Additional Information
Sarcoptes scabiei mite (female)
Sarcoptes scabiei eggs


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Lucas on preseason Wooden Award top 30 list
Lucas on preseason Wooden Award top 30 list
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State Lady Lion senior guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) has been named to the preseason John R. Wooden Award Top 30 list for the National Player of the Year. Lucas, who was one of 15 finalists for the award last year, is among the 30 players on the preseason list for 2013-14. She is also one of three representatives from the Big Ten.
The Los Angeles Athletic Club has announced its John R. Wooden Award Women's Preseason Top 30, which is comprised of 30 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. The list is chosen by a preseason poll of national college women's basketball media members.
The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, Lucas loaded up her trophy case as a junior, earning All-America honors from the Associated Press (second team), USBWA (first team), Full Court (second team) and WBCA (honorable mention). Lucas is the third Lady Lion to win Big Ten Player of the Year accolades, joining Helen Darling (2000) and Kelly Mazzante (2003, 2004). She was also voted by the fans as the PremierPlayers.com Player of the Year.
The Narberth, Pa. native accounted for 20.1 points per game a year ago, becoming the first Lady Lion since Mazzante in 2004 to average 20 or more points in a season. Lucas also ranked sixth in the conference in steals (2.3) and tallied 4.5 rebounds per outing. She was also third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.900).
Lucas has established herself as arguably one of the best players in Penn State and Big Ten history from long range. She enters her final season in the Blue & White with 292 career three-pointers, just 65 triples away from Mazzante's school and conference record (357). Lucas ranks seventh in program history with 1,838 points and is on pace to become the fifth player in school history with 2,000 points. Additionally, Lucas is tops in school history in career free throw percentage (.887) and second in career three-point field goal percentage (.433).
About the John R. Wooden Award
The 38th annual Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy's will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners the weekend of April 11-13, 2014. It will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and will recognize the Legends of Coaching Award recipient Tara VanDerveer of Stanford.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Candace Parker ('07 and '08), Maya Moore ('09 and '11) and Brittney Griner ('12 and '13).
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the All American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award's name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award ceremony.
Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com. For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5231 or email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Lady Lions will host Lock Haven in an exhibition game on Sun., Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. Penn State opens its season against St. Francis (Pa.) on Fri., Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. The Lady Lions will raise their 2013 Big Ten Championship banner at the season opener and give away commemorative banks to celebrate back-to-back Big Ten titles.
Lady Lion Basketball single-game and season tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Single-game tickets are $15 and $12 for adults and seniors and $9 and $7 for youth (12 and younger). Season tickets are $99 for adults and $50 for youth (12 and under), this includes a Nittany Lion Kids Club Membership for 2013-14. New this year, the Lady Lions have introduced a Family Season Ticket package. For $200, fans will get two adult tickets and two youth tickets for the 2013-14 campaign. The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game and the Lady Lions' Pink Zone game.
The 2014 Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 as the Lady Lions take on Wisconsin in the Bryce Jordan Center at 1 p.m. Last year, the Lady Lions donated a record $260,000 to breast cancer causes. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital and Lewistown Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.pennsylvaniapinkzone.org.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.
2013-14 Preseason John R. Wooden Award Top 30
Natalie Achonwa, Notre Dame
Rachel Banham, Minnesota
Brittany Boyd, California
Gennifer Brandon, California
Hallie Christofferson, Iowa State
Jerica Coley, FIU
Jazmine Davis, Washington
Diamond DeShields, North Carolina
Stefanie Dolson, UConn
Aaryn Ellenberg, Oklahoma
Bashaara Graves, Tennessee
Chelsea Gray, Duke
Cassie Harberts, USC
Bria Hartley, UConn
Jordan Hooper, Nebraska
Tricia Liston, Duke
Maggie Lucas, Penn State
Tyuanna Marshall, Georgia Tech
Kayla McBride, Notre Dame
Xylina McDaniel, North Carolina
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn
Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Theresa Plaisance, LSU
Shoni Schimmel, Louisville
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
Odyssey Sims, Baylor
DeNesha Stallworth, Kentucky
Breanna Stewart, UConn
Alyssa Thomas, Maryland
Elizabeth Williams, Duke


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The Eugenics Crusade
Season 30 Episode 11 | 1h 53m 12s
The Eugenics Crusade tells the story of the unlikely –– and largely unknown –– campaign to breed a "better" American race, tracing the rise of the movement that turned the fledgling science of heredity into a powerful instrument of social control.
Aired: 10/16/18
Expires: 10/16/21Video has closed captioning.
Problems Playing Video?
Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Consumer Cellular. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.


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This morning, two polar bears scaled the Statoil oil rig West Hercules bound for the world's northernmost drilling sites in the Arctic. Just a few hours later the Norwegian state-owned oil company announced that these frontier drillings will not take place this year. And just now, ConocoPhillips announced that they too will be cancelling 2014 drilling plans north of Alaska due to 'regulatory uncertainties.'
That's fantastic news for the Arctic environment and the almost 3 million strong global movement demanding a total ban on industrial fishing and oil drilling in this fragile region. The good news from Statoil and ConocoPhillips of course doesn't go far enough, but any setback the oil industry is suffering in their plans to exploit the Arctic is one step closer to making it permanent.
Of course, this is not the only setback the industry had faced. Around a month ago Shell announced that after its year of almost comical mishaps in the Alaskan Arctic, the company is shelving drilling plans for 2013 in the same region. In the wake of Shell's dubious efforts, Statoil shortly after announced they too would have to reconsider drilling in the Chukchi Sea.
Elsewhere, the situation is unfortunately different. The setback in the US part of the Arctic stands in contrast to the Russian offshore development where oil companies no doubt expect minimal interference from the government. Gazprom is expected to begin oil production on its Prirazlomnoye oil field in the fourth quarter of this year and Rosneft is teaming up with Statoil for future exploitation.Still, that's three companies in a month coming to terms with reality. Arctic governments should take the hint from these three strikes and rule all oil drilling out of the Arctic.
Lee Rockwell
Right on!!!
11 April, 2013 at 16:49
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Mike Salt
YO! That is sick news. Fantastic news. Hey, you guy's want to follow a PRO INLINE SKATER ''Skating for PEACE'' in this current wor...
YO! That is sick news. Fantastic news. Hey, you guy's want to follow a PRO INLINE SKATER ''Skating for PEACE'' in this current world, all action skate page, helping Greenpeace and the struggle for Arctic peace. Join me... FB.com/MikeSalt1990
11 April, 2013 at 18:57
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(Unregistered) Sun Wu
Just another GP-victory, correct?
You guys kill me...
Rosneft? Hasn't there been someone maybe half a year ago pointing ...
Just another GP-victory, correct?
You guys kill me...
Rosneft? Hasn't there been someone maybe half a year ago pointing out links between BP and Rosneft? Didn't he impose to immediately target BP being a Western Company taking this historical chance of linking Deepwater Horizon to Arctic Drilling...
... rather than putting the life of Russian activists and the existence of NGOs in Russia in danger by targeting so called Putin-Oil (Rosneft)?
I think his name was Sun Wu, and he calls himself the GODFATHER of the Rainbow Warrior...and he seems to be from Germany, I guess you guys like this, correct....buuuuh
Germany, thanks to the Nazis and the Allies after World War II one of the liveliest DEMOCRACIES in the world.
Sun Wu
PS: acute outbreak of Logorrhea...must be linked to the Arctic explorer-fever. Make sure to check those guys for chicken-flue when they are back...you never know what the Russians and the Arctic Council have been up to. Radioactivity should be checked aswell...just imagine James and Josefina glowing in the dark
11 April, 2013 at 18:59
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Compassionate communities leading generative lives.
practices for professionals in education, wellness, and the workplace
1440 minutes are given to us each day. How effective are they?
with a focus on mindfulness and whole-person development
with a focus on deep, meaningful, and authentic relationships skills
with a focus on leadership development and community building


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Events listed here are open to everyone. Whether you want to listen to a lecture, learn a new skill, take in a concert or an exhibition, see a play staged by Oxford University students or attend one of our sporting events, there's always something going on.
If you're thinking about applying for an undergraduate degree at Oxford, please also see the information on open days, events and visiting for potential undergraduates.
Online and part-time courses at the University, as well as weekly classes, are offered at the Department for Continuing Education. Please see the course listing for more information.
Events are subject to change; please contact the organiser for full details.


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Continental Breakfast Buffet Included
Breakfast is served daily in our Club Room Monday - Friday 7 am - 10:30 am; Saturday & Sunday 7 am - 11 am.
Selections include: hot oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, fresh whole fruit and fruit salad with melon and berries, whole wheat toast, assorted croissants, mini-muffins, Danish and scones, bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter, preserves and butter, fresh orange, apple and cranberry juice, assorted cereals, assorted yogurts, and a selection of international coffees and teas.
Soy milk and gluten free toast and cereal are available upon request. Please advise the hotel of any special requirements in advance when making your reservation.
The Club Room is accessible, with door width of 36"


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Our bike
Gilera VXR 200
Category: Gilera
SKU: gilera
Price: S$410.00
First come, first served basis :) Our bikes gallery: https://aloride.com/gallery/
- Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly/ Yearly motorcycles rental / leasing
- FREE bike repair/servicing at our shop HKL Lim (Bukit Merah - 10 minutes from Orchard/CBD)
- P plate are welcomed
- Can ride bikes in both Singapore & Malaysia
- 1 Free helmet
- Commercial insurance (GrabFood, FoodPanda, Honestbee, travelling, etc)
- Open: EVERYDAY (even weekend & holiday) until 11pm!
- Less than 10 minutes processing
- Upfront payment: 1st payment (depends on rental duration) PLUS refundable deposit
- Bring your valid 2B/2A license and IC/Passport to sign contract.
If you plan to reserve your rental now, please SMS/Whatsapp our Customer Service at 8700 4424 / 8692 1570 or call our hotline at 3159 1188.
In Stock.
* Listed price is for 12-months rental contract.


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Parenting can be confusing, but it's clearer if we understand the concepts behind the formulas.
When we look at creation from the perspective of God's Word, we see all kinds of indications that the earth is young.
Cavemen—mysterious denizens of our past—who were they? When did they live, and what happened to them? How different were they, really, from us?
Explore our history and our universe with the January-March issue of Answers magazine.
The October-December issue of Answers magazine proclaims the value of human life from before birth to our last days on earth.
It's time to buckle up for an exhilarating trek to some of the most extreme locations on earth with the newest issue of Answers magazine.
Would you know how to respond to the 10 basic questions every creationist should know?
The January–March 2010 issue of Answers magazine has several articles on fossil mysteries that evolution can't explain but that are explained by a biblical perspective.
No results found in .
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.


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IC Clear Sterile Eyedrops for Reduced Irritation and Relief from Dryness
What a relief it is to see, and to see clearly! Yet if seeing is believing, then as we age, sight becomes harder to believe … the revelatory power of the light fades … and maintaining eye health becomes a major concern.
Given our lifelong exposure to sunlight and other stressors, our eyes suffer gradual, cumulative damage from oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Especially hard hit is the eye's lens, which acts as a "magnifying glass" for the retina. Also damaged by free radicals are ocular enzymes and lipids needed to maintain proper cellular metabolism. As well, our eyes are increasingly deprived of essential nutrients, because aging diminishes the blood flow that supplies them.
While nutritional supplements can help, they are often not enough to ensure proper visual function. Fortunately, there is another way to help reduce eye irritation and provide relief from eye dryness.
IC Clear is a sterile eye-drop formulation offering two proven lubricants (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and glycerin) that are FDA-approved for ophthalmic use.
IC Clear also contains N-acetylcarnosine, a naturally occurring antioxidant and antiglycating agent that helps protect the active ingredients from glycation. And it contains ophthalmic lubricating agents to combat "dry eye" and other forms of eye irritation.
For general preventive use, the recommended amount is 1–2 drops daily. Those with eye problems may want to use 2 drops twice daily. Each package of IC Clear contains resealable vials containing a total of about 200 drops, which allows for only a small amount of product to be exposed to oxygen at a time. Unopened vials can be stored in the refrigerator to extend shelf life.
So whatever you can do to keep your eyes clear and healthy for the rest of your life, start by saying, "I declare (declare comes from the Latin for 'to make clear') that I will be good to my eyes."
Active Ingredients: Glycerin (lubricant) 1.0%.
Inactive Ingredients: Benzyl alcohol, boric acid, citric acid, hypromellose, N-acetyl carnosine, potassium bicarbonate, sterile water.
To avoid contamination, do not touch tip of container to any surface. Replace the cap immediately after using. Open only one container of solution at a time. Do not allow other people to use your container. Once open, discard container and any contents after 30 days. Do not heat beyond room temperature; keep the extra tubes in the box away from light, especially sunlight. Do not use if seal is broken or if solution changes color or becomes cloudy. Not recommended for children under the age of 12 years. If the eye tissue becomes more inflamed, red, irritated or uncomfortable after using this product, immediately discontinue the use of product and consult an eye physician if necessary. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children.
February of 2016 I was told I needed to have cataract surgery in my right eye. Six weeks prior to seeing my retina specialist I started Eye D' Clare. (August 2016). After the exam he stated that the cataract was nothing and don't worry about it. He also said both eyes looked better and keep doing what I am doing. (Using drops in both eyes). Just two weeks ago I went for my regular eye exam and was told by the Dr. that the cataract was that of a pin and would not be a problem for twenty years. I will continue using the product in both eyes as a preventive measure and won't have a problem ever!! This is a great product that has just saved me an eye surgery and a lot of $$$$$$. Thank you Life Enhancement.
I just wanted to tell you the wonderful news on your great product Eye D'Clare. Three years ago my eye doctor told me that I was getting cataracts. I then found out about your product and started using them on a daily basis. The next year, I went back and my doctor told me that there had been no progression. I told him I was using the drops and he told me they would take forever. The following year I went back to the doctor and he was very surprised to see that my cataracts were gone. I was also able to read 2 lines lower on the eye chart. I am so happy I discovered your product.
I'm so excited because I went to my eye doctor today and he told me my eyes have never looked so healthy. He was surprised to hear that I had stopped the Restasis, and was using Eye D'Clare instead. This will save me $ 360 dollars a month. I'm so glad I discovered Life Enhancement Products. Oh, I'm also using them on my dog with dry eyes.
My dad is a good reader and researcher. His eyes were getting uncomfortable, so when he heard about the benefits of using 1% N-acetylcarnosine (NAC), he ordered it from you and now he loves it. Since then, I've read amazing things about N-acetylcarnosine. So now, our entire family uses the Eye D' Clare II!
I love your eye drops so much, I've been telling all my family and friends about them.
I have just recently begun using your eye drops.
What an improvement already!
Can't wait - I had to purchase some more.
My husband and I have been using your eye drops since late 2010.
My husband passed his driving test without the use of eyeglasses as he has in the past.
I can watch TV without my glasses. And my "shadows" have diminished.
What a great product you have. Thank you so much.
I enjoy going hunting in Indiana but my vision has declined to the point that I cannot even see the crosshairs in my gun sight. Now I'm using Eye D'Clare and I look forward to being able to go hunting again in the future.
I have been using your eye drops faithfully for quite some time. It is a product that you need to use consistently.
A month ago I went to my eye doctor. I read the eye chart and I could read 3 of the smaller lines.
I am a true believer in this product. My doctor is now a true believer in this product and said he would recommend it to his patients.
Thank you.
I live in the high desert and we get a lot of dry wind. My ophthalmologist told me that I have dry eyes. I love the Eye D' Clare II. I've been using it for years and it really does relieve all the dryness. Also, it seems to make my eyes clearer. It really helps my eyes a lot – especially with the irritation.
I have been using your eye drops off and on, definitely not on a regular basis, for over 6 months.
I am an avid tennis player and have noticed now that I am quicker at seeing and picking up the tennis ball.
It is a subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless. Thank you.
I've been taking the Eye D'Clare II for about 4 or 5 years now and have seen wonderful results. Even though I've been consistently inconsistent about taking it, it's helped! After I started using this product I went back to visit my eye doctor who knew of my problems. After he examined my eyes he said that I was doing much better. I told him what product I was using and he started giving it to his patients. He said later after having his patients use it, "This really works!" I know doctors don't like to think that we as patients actually do any research on our own. He's now a converted eye doctor in Michigan and for the last three years he's been giving Eye D'Clare II to his patients. I have started recommending this product to other friends as well and I've seen people have total success within six months to a year when using this product.
I found Eye D' Clare II and told my friend about it who had a need. He had great success! I also gave it to my wife who was having – what do you call it? Shadows? – in her eye. And those cleared up for her too! We've given it to our friends as well.
I really like the Eye D' Clare II – it seems to have done me a lot of good. I used to have too much moisturization in my eyes, and my night vision was disturbing. Once I started using the Eye D'Clare II that's all behind me! I really believe in the Eye D' Clare II, and I've recommended it to several people.
This Eye D' Clare II is vital to me - my vision is slipping. I think it's so good that it's keeping me able to function in my home!
I've used a lot of eye drops, I've been wearing glasses since I was 18; these are the best eye drops I've ever used!
I am recommending these drops to all my friends! I'm a registered nurse of 48 years and making everyone aware that not everything is slicing, cutting and dicing!
I began using your eye drops 2 years ago when my doctor told me I was showing signs of cataracts. When I started, my perscription for my left eye was -2. Now, I'm -1.25! Also, I'm free from my reading glasses!
I believe in giving credit where credit is due and these eye drops have helped my eyes tremendously! I'm 76 years old and since I started using these eye drops I no longer get irritating eye film and I can even see better! Thank you so much!
I have been using the N-acetylcarnosine eyedrop formulation for years and report great results. Then I thought, well, if this product is so great for my eyes, why not try it in my ears to help with my hearing problems? So last week I did and the results are amazing. I have had hearing problems for quite some time—requiring hearing aids—but in just one week of using the N-acetylcarnosine eyedrop formulation in my ears (at least 2 drops, twice a day), what a huge difference! There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it—this has definitely helped my hearing!
My job requires me to read constantly throughout the day, both print media and on my computer screen. It used to be that, by the time evening rolled around, my eyes would be asleep, figuratively, although the rest of me wasn't sleepy. Even watching a movie in the evening, let alone reading, was difficult and unpleasant. So after reading about your Eye D'Clare, I ordered a package, my goal being to "see" if it could protect against irritation, dry eyes, and fatigue.
It has made all the difference! After using two drops of Eye D'Clare twice daily for a month, I can report that my eyes feel like they've been on a vacation. Thanks for making this product available.


text:
Dave Lauridsen
- Yield
- Makes 12 servings
- 2 pineapples, peeled, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
- Dark rum
- Assorted sorbets (such as passion fruit, mango, coconut, and raspberry)
- Fresh mint sprigs
- Cookies
- Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place pineapple on grill; cook until just heated through, about 1 minute per side. Brush generously with rum; grill 1 minute longer on each side. Transfer to plates; brush with rum. Top each pineapple round with small scoops of sorbet; garnish with mint. Serve with cookies.
Test-kitchen tip:
To make things easier, prep the sorbet ahead of time. Make mini scoops using a melon baller that's been dipped into hot water. Place the scoops on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until ready to serve.


text:
Yes, everything you buy from ESTGOSZ has a guarantee of quality and will exactly match the description on the website.
Factories that supply ESTGOSZ are strictly evaluated by us, and we provide you an even better reassurance of consistent high quality thanks to our in-house QC team.
We double-check the contents of all orders carefully before dispatch to our customers.
You can be confident about ordering from ESTGOSZ just as much as any western retailer.
All warrantees begin from the date the product is received. If a product develops a fault during the warranty and the fault is due to a quality issue rather than your own breakage or misuse, we will accept a return.
12 months Manufacturer`s Repair Warranty for defective items (excluding items damaged or misused after receipt, and problems caused by logistics).
Defective items MUST BE reported and returned to us within the warranty period (and in the original packaging, if possible). You must tell us what the defect is and give us your order number. WE DO NOT REPAIR OR REPLACE ITEMS WITH AN EXPIRED WARRANTY.
Yes, for sure.
We have a professional Quality Control team. They will check carefully for each item we received from suppliers and manufacturers to avoid sending defective goods to our customers.
If an item is found defective in our QC test, it will be returned to the supplier / factory. So please don't worry about receiving a defective item because we are committed to being a trustworthy and reliable seller on international on-line shopping market.
Rarely, rough handling by the courier can lead to physical damage to your goods, e.g. broken screen.
If this has happened, please follow these steps:
If possible, raise a complaint directly with the delivery representative of the courier company before you sign for the goods. They will advise you on the complaint procedure.
If you already signed for the packet, take photos showing the damage and contact the local office of the courier/delivery company to complain. They will have a complaining procedure which will enable you to get compensation.
Next, contact ESTGOSZ immediately with your order number and a full description / pictures of the broken item issue. We will contact the courier company from our end.
Once the courier company confirms that the case is valid, they will compensate ESTGOSZ, and we will pass on this compensation to you. The compensation varies from case to case and is different for each delivery company. In some cases you will need to pay to post the broken item back to ESTGOSZ in order for us to send out a new piece.
If you encounter quality issues within the warranty period you will be covered. Every product has a specific warranty period (If it is not stated in the product listing, contact us via email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
In this case, please kindly provide us with proof as below:
The photos of original ESTGOSZ package with front and back sides
The photos or video of the defective item(s)
The photos, video or screenshot showing the malfunction of the defective item(s)
We will usually offer you a refund or send a replacement as soon as the problem is confirmed.
Sometimes you may need to ship the defective item back to us for free repair service or a new replacement. Customer should cover the return shipping fee, and ESTGOSZ is responsible for the shipping costs of arranging reshipment by air mail.
Product degradation through wear and tear, along with breakage/damage during use, is solely the customer's responsibility and is not covered by our warranties.
If the customer has damaged/misused the item(s), the product's warranty is immediately rendered void. No compensation is available in such cases. However, customers are welcome to contact us to purchase replacement or spare parts (if applicable). We will charge the original value of the components and a shipping fee to dispatch them.
The customer voids the warranty if they:
Flash the firmware of a device or root a device
Open the body in an attempt to fix the device
Modify, remove, customize, or swap parts of the product
Use the device in a way that it is not originally intended for
Continue to use the item once a fault occurs and causes more damage
All returns must first be authorized by ESTGOSZ Support team prior to return. If the customer has returned the package without prior authorization (R.M.A form), sends to the wrong address, returns an incorrect item, or submits an empty box, there will no compensation permitted in such cases
Special Notes:
The shipping fee for sending the phone back to us will be paid by customers except for DOA situations.
During the return shipping, the customer is responsible for any and all customs charges, excise duties or tariffs during the item return to China. In these cases we will deduct the customs fees from your authorized refund amount.
ESTGOSZ will ship the item to the customer via Flat Rate Shipping by default. If the customer wants to utilize a faster shipping method, the relevant shipping fee is applicable.
The total delivery time is calculated from the time your order is placed until the time it is delivered to you. Total delivery time is broken down into processing time and shipping time.
Processing time: The time it takes to prepare your item(s) to ship from our warehouse. This includes preparing your items, performing quality checks, and packing for shipment.
Shipping time: The time for your item(s) to travel from our warehouse to your destination.
details are as follows:
※ Shipping from your local warehouse is significantly faster. Some charges may apply.
- ECONNOMY SHIPPING will be delay delivery, please understand it's free shipping, if you need Expedited Shipping, please contact us.
- Delivery time depends on destination and other factors, it may takes up to 25 days. If you don't receive the item after 30 days, please contact us, we'll investigate and solve the delivery problem.
- Expedited shipping freight is extremely high, please wait for your item with great patience. But if you need it in rush, please contact us before place and order, we will estimating time and freight to arrange expedited shipping for you.
Payment methods
ESTGOSZ.com accepts PayPal, Credit Card, Western Union, Wire Transfer, QIWI and Yandex as secure payment methods:
For example:
Login To Your Account or use Credit Card Express.
Enter your Card Details, the order will be shipped to your PayPal address. And click "Submit".
Your Payment will be processed and a receipt will be sent to your email inbox.
2.Credit Card
Choose your shipping address OR create a new one.
Enter your Card Details and click "Submit".
Your Payment will be processed and a receipt will be sent to your email inbox.
ESTGOSZ.com accepts PayPal, Credit Card, Western Union, Wire Transfer, QIWI and Yandex as secure payment methods:
PayPalLogin To Your Account or use Credit Card Express.
Enter your Card Details, the order will be shipped to your PayPal address. And click "Submit".
Your Payment will be processed and a receipt will be sent to your email inbox.
Credit Card
Choose your shipping address OR create a new one.
Enter your Card Details and click "Submit".
Your Payment will be processed and a receipt will be sent to your email inbox.
Like most online retailers we do not offer any form of pay on delivery. Pay for your orders in advance, there are 5 different ways you can pay for your ESTGOSZ.com orders.
If the payment page displays an error, please kindly try to reorder. And if the same thing happens, then please contact Customer Service for help via Live Chat or email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
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text:
Scott Prozeller earned the third All-Ivy honor of his career
(Photo: Justine Agaloos).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Three members of the Harvard men's soccer team received All-Ivy League accolades, the league announced Wednesday. Senior co-captain Scott Prozeller was named to the All-Ivy first team while fellow senior co-captain Richard Smith and rookie Jake Freeman received honorable mention accolades.
Prozeller was one of four midfielders to be named to the All-Ivy first team. A two-time captain of the Crimson, Prozeller finished his senior season with a goal and an assist and was one of three Harvard players to start all 17 games this season. The honor is Prozeller's third of his career as he received second-team accolades as a sophomore and first-team credentials last season.
Smith joined three other defenders in earning honorable mention status, marking his second Ivy award after garnering second-team accolades as a freshman. Smith started all 17 games for Harvard this season, and headed in a corner kick in a 2-0 win over Holy Cross in the final home contest of his career. Freeman, in his first season with Harvard, proved to be a force on the offensive side of the ball. The rookie finished tied for second on the team with three goals on the season and led Harvard with 16 shots on goal.
For the full list of All-Ivy League honorees, click here.


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My first step by step coloring tutorial on "coloring anime eyes". You'll be drawn in the process on how to make the really glossy effect of eyes. You'll be needing a digital coloring program like 'Paint Tool Sai', 'Photoshop', or 'GIMP' to digitally enhance your digital drawings. Take your time and expanding your learning is key for this process. So without further ado, enjoy this "anime eyes tutorial".
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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The capital and most populous municipality of Colorado, Denver, is located in the South Platte River Valley just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. If this didn't provide sufficient excuse for a splendid time out with your family hiking and trekking, further possibilities to enjoy the outdoors await at the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Mountain Parks, and Mount Evans. The cultural input, both informative and entertaining, comes from the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
A city that boasts a ranking as best place for business and careers and second best place to live can't be a bad choice to relocate to. The economy is thriving with 160 new tech startups and 23 companies having opened new offices in the city center recently, including seven corporate headquarters in the technology sector. Being the largest city within 500 miles, it has become a natural location for storage and distribution of goods and services to the Mountain States, the Southwest States, as well as all Western States. Its location in the Mountain Time Zone also benefits the telecommunications industry by allowing communication with both North American coasts, South America, Europe, and Asia in the same business day.
Denver has 298 new home communities, with 2,769 houses available for sale. These houses start at just $139,500, and they have up to 9,306 square feet of space, so people from all walks of life can invest in a quality new construction home. 54 homebuilders design and build 1,955 home plans, and your dream home is among them.
Once you are ready to settle down, you can trust such builder giants as Richmond American Homes, Lennar, Prospect, Meritage Homes, and Denver Design Build to assist you with every step of the house purchase.
When you buy a home in one of Denver's new home communities you get more than a house. Your new house is in a neighborhood where you can live an active and engaged life. Your neighbors aren't just the people who live next door, they will be lifelong friends. After having fun with friends and family at the community pool or neighborhood sports complex, invite your loved ones over to your beautiful new home for a delicious meal.
To help homeowners make the most of their new community Denver homebuilders and developers often include fantastic amenities in the neighborhood plan including:
When it comes to education, the Cherry Creek School District ranks as the best school district for athletes in Colorado. Alternative options include the Denver Public Schools and the Denver No. 1. Bask in everything the city has to offer.
Use NewHomeSource to explore the entire real estate market in Denver. Your new dream home is just a click away.
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text:
I'd started thinking that I was too
That is until I read the Post this morning. Apparently, Pepco is proud of its pitiful performance.
A Pepco vice president told Maryland regulators on Tuesday that the company was "not terribly disappointed" with its response to recent storms that left nearly a half-million people in the dark, while another vice president disclosed that the utility ranked among the worst power providers in surveys of day-to-day reliability.
…Senior Pepco executives defended their performance during day-long questioning at a packed hearing held by the Maryland Public Service Commission, fending off questions from polite but at times disapproving commissioners.
"It's not going to be business as usual going forward," Commissioner Lawrence Brenner cautioned the executives. "We're going to come up with things to measure you by. And we're going to have to have consequences."
The executives repeatedly asserted that they responded well to a challenging and unpredictable situation but that they nonetheless plan to make improvements. They stressed that increasing reliability would increase costs but stopped short of saying they would seek a rate increase.
Actually, their performance has already been measured. It's far below average. In fact, Pepco is in the bottom 25% when it comes to service interruptions.
Pepco's record on service interruptions to its customers has been below the median for utilities nationwide for several years, its executive said under questioning from the Maryland Public Service Commission on Tuesday.
And for the past two years, Pepco has been in the bottom 50 percent or 25 percent of that performance measure, said Bill Gausman, Pepco's senior vice president for asset management and planning.
"We strive to move toward the first or second quartile," he said.
I've tried to find the source of that information, and the best I could find was from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, which put Pepco in the bottom 50% in its scoring energy utilities. In fact Peco's score (as Pepco Holdings, since 2004) has trended downward since 2004, down 9.1 points from its first score, despite a 2.9 point bump in 2009.
Pepco defended it's rating as based on day-to-day service, and not major storms. But here's the thing, Gov. O'Malley says there have been major thunderstorms, but that we're seeing more outages during less severe thunderstorms.
I can't say he's wrong. Every morning this week, even when there was no storm the night before, we've awakened to blinking alarm clocks signaling that sometime while we slept there was at least one power outage. Maybe more. Even during the day, again with no storms in the area this weekend, the lights have flickered a few times just about every day.
I'll give Pepco this much: they're probably right that 90% of the outages are due to falling branches.
Pepco officials said that 90 percent of the recent outages were caused by falling branches, most from trees on private property whose owners often deny access to trimming crews. The first and biggest of three recent storms, on July 25, broke with little warning, but the executives said they quickly activated response crews and called in reinforcements from other companies. Pepco sent out so many crews that additional workers might not have hastened the return of power, they said.
I'm not sure how many of the trees are on private property, but I'm willing to bet the culprits in the outages in our area are probably the trees that line East-West Highway. Twice, in the past four to six weeks trees have come crashing down on East-West Highway, taking down power lines and closing the road.
After a major outage a couple of weeks ago, we drove down East-West highway on our way to the grocery store. On the way we counted at least half a dozen Pepco "cherry pickers" trimming trees like gangbusters. This weekend, after another outage, the sides of the road on East-West Highway looked like a crime scene in a lumber yard, with sections of newly-cut tree trunk surrounded by yellow police ribbons.
We have a lot of trees in Montgomery county and apparently we like them. But, as much as I hope the recent trimming will cut down on outages, it seems like only a temporary solution, and perhaps a non-solution.
At least some people have wondered if Pepco's tree trimming has made trees more likely to fall, by making them less stable.
If a tree falls in a windstorm, should careless pruning be blamed?
Councilwoman Cathy Drzyzgula wondered aloud in a recent Gaithersburg City Council meeting whether Potomac Electric Power Company's tree trimming policies were at fault in some of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of trees and limbs that fell during the July 25 storm that ravaged Montgomery County and left as many as 301,000 of the company's customers without power.
Gaithersburg officials say they anticipate collecting more than 800 cubic yards of fallen trees and limbs in the city — waste still is being rounded up — and the county lost track of how much green waste it collected after the storm, concentrating on clearing over measuring.
"Trimming can limit (trees falling over) in some cases by thinning, but often what they do is just cut it away from their line and (the trees) grow more smaller branches and it probably has more wind resistance than if it had been properly thinned," Drzyzgula said at the meeting.
I've seen evidence of this myself, where so many branches have been cut away from the power line that the the tree looked more likely to topple over. I've seen trees with half the branches cut off one side. I'm not an expert on trees, but wouldn't that change in weight throw the tree off balance?
Besides, it's not just trees under the power lines. Trees that are near power lines can fall and take out power lines if they're tall enough.
It would make sense, at least to me, to simply not have trees underneath power lines, or at least have strict guidelines about what kind of trees may be planted. (Trees that have a tendency to spread out would not make the list.) Where there are trees near power lines, maybe strategic thinning would help.
In the end, though, I think burying the lines is probably the best way to prevent outages. It's the most expensive, but it's not like we don't have the money. Dean Baker explained it better than I can.
We are sitting here with close to 10% of our workforce unemployed. This is because of a lack of demand. If there were more demand from any source, this would employ many of these workers. These are workers who have the necessary skills and desire to work. Remember: the vast majority of them were working before the housing bubble collapsed.
…This is where DC's power failure comes in. What would be the problem if Congress dispensed 400-500bn dollars to the states to be spent on upgrading infrastructure such as electric power lines, mass transit systems, and water and sewage treatment facilities? The stimulus passed by Congress last year started on this path, but did not go nearly far enough.
This spending could be financed by requiring the Federal Reserve Board to buy and hold the bonds used to pay for the projects. If the Fed held the bonds, then the interest would be paid to the Fed, which, in turn, would then be rebated to the Treasury. That means that there is no additional interest burden on our children for the deficit hawks to whine about.
Instead, our children will get a modern infrastructure that doesn't jeopardise the country's economic and physical health.
We spend far less on infrastructure than other countries, and that has implications for economic growth.
America spends only about 2 percent of GDP per year on infrastructure investment (this includes federal, state, local, and private-sector spending). By contrast, that number is about 5 percent in Europe and between 9 percent and 12 percent in China.3 In developed economies, the average is about 3 percent of GDP, and for developing economies it is around 6 percent. While the United States is trying to make a dent in its massive repair bill, other countries are lapping us in new investment — further shrinking the competitiveness gap between America and the rest of the world.
With the economy slumping, fuel costs rising over time, and private capital looking for new investment opportunities, infrastructure projects can boost our global competitiveness and create jobs at the same time. Many studies have pointed to a positive correlation between such investment and economic growth.4
Economic analyses over the last 20 years have attempted to quantify those benefits, and have come up with a wide range of estimates depending on how the funds were spent. Almost all analysts agree, however, that public spending generally produces "positive economic returns."5 A recent World Bank study even estimates that under the right conditions, "a 1% increase in a country's infrastructure stock is associated with a 1% increase in the level of GDP."6
Infrastructure is defined as transportation (highways, roads, air, water, and rail), utilities (water, gas, electricity, and telecommunications), and some other public facilities such as schools, prisons, and the postal system. In short, it is the nerve, sinew, and muscle of our economy and our society. When these networks and systems get fatigued and run down, it is impossible for America to operate at full health.
Besides, it's more than just a local issue. Our national energy infrastructure gets D+; not much better than our local excuse for a power company. (I guess we get what we pay for.)
The U.S. generation and transmission system is at a critical point requiring substantial investment in new generation, investment to improve efficiencies in existing generation, and investment in transmission and distribution systems. The transmission and distribution system has become congested because growth in electricity demand and investment in new generation facilities have not been matched by investment in new transmission facilities. This congestion virtually prohibits outages required for proper maintenance and can lead to system wide failures in the event of unplanned outages. Electricity demand has increased by about 25% since 1990 while construction of transmission facilities decreased by about 30 percent. While annual investment in new transmission facilities has generally declined or been stagnant during the last 30 years, there has been an increase in investment during the past 5 years. Substantial investment in generation, transmission, and distribution are expected over the next two decades and it has been projected that electric utility investment needs could be as much as $1.5 to $2 trillion by 2030. Some progress in grid reinforcement has been made since 2005, but public and government opposition, difficult permitting processes, and environmental requirements are often restricting the much-needed modernization. 6
Congested transmission paths, or "bottlenecks," now affect many parts of the grid across the country. One recent estimate concludes that power outages and power quality disturbances cost the economy between $25 billion and $180 billion annually. These costs could soar if outages or disturbances become more frequent or longer in duration. There are also operational problems in maintaining voltage levels. Transmission problems have been compounded by the incomplete transition to fair and efficient competitive wholesale electricity markets. Because the existing transmission system was not designed to meet present demand, daily transmission constraints or "bottlenecks" increase electricity costs to consumers and increase the risk of blackouts. 3
Plus, isn't it a national security issue? At some point in the past couple of weeks, I turned to my husband and said, "If a storm did all this, imagine what a terrorist attack could do?"
As it turns out, we don't have to imagine. It's already a reality.
Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.
The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.
… The U.S. electrical grid comprises three separate electric networks, covering the East, the West and Texas. Each includes many thousands of miles of transmission lines, power plants and substations. The flow of power is controlled by local utilities or regional transmission organizations. The growing reliance of utilities on Internet-based communication has increased the vulnerability of control systems to spies and hackers, according to government reports.
The sophistication of the U.S. intrusions — which extend beyond electric to other key infrastructure systems — suggests that China and Russia are mainly responsible, according to intelligence officials and cybersecurity specialists. While terrorist groups could develop the ability to penetrate U.S. infrastructure, they don't appear to have yet mounted attacks, these officials say.
It is nearly impossible to know whether or not an attack is government-sponsored because of the difficulty in tracking true identities in cyberspace. U.S. officials said investigators have followed electronic trails of stolen data to China and Russia.
I don't pretend to know what the solution is. But it isn't Pepco's brand of complacency with being substandard. Neither is our apparent satisfaction with a "D+" infrastructure.
Locally and nationally, we've got to do better.