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The main theme of IIFET 2008 conference was "Achieving a Sustainable Future: Managing Aquaculture, Fishing, Trade and Development". The conference was comprised of 72 sessions, including 12 special sessions and and 2 day-long policy forums. Policy and management systems, markets and trade, aquaculture, and development were all well represented. Presentations demonstrated many of the challenges that the fisheries and aquaculture are dealing with, including uncertainty, loss of resource rents, climate change, IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing, poverty, and problems in tropical near-shore fisheries. Seafood market and trade issues also attracted high quality papers on topics including ecolabeled seafood, building decision capacity in international seafood markets, innovation, production and new markets for aquaculture products.
Aquaculture topics received much attention at IIFET 2008 Vietnam, also. Sessions covered issues including sectoral development and analysis, both in developed and developing countries, feed and fishery sector interactions, sustainability and the environment, and aquaculture farm management.
The conference also held two "Policy Days" aimed at linking researchers, policy makers and stakeholders. One of these - "Vietnam Policy Day" - was devoted to Vietnam's fisheries issues. Vietnam's fisheries have witnessed impressive growth in the past few years, becoming a strategic industry in the overall economy, constituting the driving force of the annual average growth rate in GDP of more than 7% since 2000. Papers in this series of sessions reviewed sector development, the important roles of fisheries and aquaculture in alleviating poverty in Vietnam, the challenges and the policy environment for fisheries and aquaculture. In addition, Vietnam Policy Day included presentations on the indigenous fisheries management system of Vietnam (the "Van Chai"), a non-Western system. In terms of fisheries, the Van Chai system is structured to address principally mutual assistance among fishers, the behavior, rights and obligations of boat owners, captains and crew members, disposal of the catch, governance of operations, mediation of conflicts, and punishment for rule-breaking.
The second "Policy Day", the IIFET 2008 Policy Forum was devoted to global and international issues, and was entitled Fisheries and Globalisation: Meeting the Policy Challenges. This session featured talks by international experts on globalization, food miles, challenges for the Vietnamese, African, and Norwegian industries, IUU fishing and the EU, and small-scale fisheries.
Suggested bibliographic reference:
Proceedings of the Fourteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics & Trade, July 22-25, 2008, Nha Trang, Vietnam: Achieving a Sustainable Future: Managing Aquaculture, Fishing, Trade and Development. Compiled by Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics & Trade, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, 2008.
Parent Collections (1)
Works (338)
|Date Added

subset: commoncrawl


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Prontu: Helping to prepare health providers to respond to obstetric and neonatal emergencies in Timor-Leste
Prontu means 'be ready, be prepared,' in the Tetum language of Timor-Leste. The Prontu project is introducing a highly realistic, low-tech simulation and team training to improve health provider skills to address common obstetric and newborn emergencies. The simulations were developed by PRONTO International and seek to bridge the "know-do gap," or the gulf that can often exist between what we know and what we do in practice. Through simulated scenarios, health providers are given opportunities to put to practice the skills they have learned during training. In addition to covering skills specific to the most common obstetric and newborn emergencies, the model emphasizes respectful care, teamwork and communication skills among a multidisciplinary provider team. The Prontu project is funded by the Australian Government, Foreign Affairs and Trade.


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Positech, creator of intriguingly named games such as Gratuitous Tank Battles and Gratuitous Space Battles, is posed to deliver the third version of their Political Strategy game, Democracy. Despite its sibling status with the 'Gratuitous' games, this one will carry the relatively uninspiring name Democracy 3.0. Name aside, the idea behind the game itself was sufficient to pique my interest in taking a look at a preview release.
While most folks have no direct experience in actual tank battles and are even less likely to have ever participated in a space battle, pretty much everyone thinks that they know how a democratic republic should be run. If you don't believe me, simply check out the reader comments section on just about any political news site or blog. Everyone, everyone, seems to know how things should be done, how problems should be fixed, and that anyone who believes differently from, them is evil, stupid, or in many cases, both. And I am here to tell you, they are all wrong. Just as I am the only person in this country that knows the proper way to drive, I am also unique amongst my fellow citizens in knowing precisely what needs to be done to fix our country.
Or so I thought.
Democracy 3.0 starts out with a tutorial that attempts to explain the complexity of the user interface and the ways in which each political action/policy causes one to many reactions in broadly categorized realms such like Law & Order, Economy, Welfare, Foreign Policy, etc. Adjusting a policy in one realm can influence global measurements such as GDP, debt, and tax revenue as well as localized measurements such as homelessness, alcoholism, and dozens of other things in other realms.
Each and every change to a policy can also change how the populace views your administration. The population is divided into cliques such as Patriot, Liberal, Capitalist, Socialist, etc. Citizens in these groups are also subdivided into additional voting blocs such as Smokers, Drinkers, Retirees, State Workers, and many, many more. In other words, each potential voter is a unique individual that will respond differently to changes in policy. And just so you know, some of them are very angry. Trust me, after surviving four assassination attempts in my first (and only) term as President of the United States, I know of what I speak.
The user interface initially looks to be insurmountably complex, but it didn't take too long to start to understand how it works and how each of the actions/reactions work together. It is apparent that quite a bit of thought went into finding a way to keep a very complex and dynamic game approachable to the new and/or casual user. Hovering the mouse cursor over a given policy or metric opens a pop-up box describing what it is. It also enables a series of red or green arrows showing the dependencies amongst the disparate items. If nothing else is accomplished by this, it adequately demonstrates the immense breadth and depth of control that has been seized by the Federal Government. It is frightening, in a way, and that is probably intentional.
While the scope of control is fairly complex, the method for managing it is notably easier than in real life. All of the bribing, finagling, threatening, court packing, unconstitutional Executive actions/inactions, and media spinning required to pass any kind of meaningful reform is distilled down into a single currency: political capital. Democracy 3.0 is a turn-based game, with each turn being comprised of as many policy changes that can be accomplished with that round's account of political capital. Not surprisingly, controversial changes like drug legalization or tax increases cost a lot of political capital, while less contentious decision cost little. Unused capital appeared to carry over into the next round, although without know precisely how said capital is earned, it was hard to tell if all of the remainder was preserved or just some of it. Each turn covers a span of three months, so there are sixteen turns in a game (for the US cycle of presidential elections every four years). At the end of the term, whether you won or lost is decided at the polls - the goal of the game is to get re-elected to a second term. Again, that is the goal when playing as the President of the United States - there are five other counties that can be played: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, and Canada..
As to how well I did in the job of POTUS, well, I lost. I lost BIG. And by doing so, I proved a number of things to myself. First, I proved that to be a successful president, one has to put aside the stark, often rabid partisanship that it takes to get elected to the job in the first place and strive to be president for all Americans. My strategy of focusing almost completely on an austerity plan that would return the country to a budget surplus and a trajectory to diminish the startlingly high national debt was successful in that I achieved the numbers I desired, but at a tremendous cost. Homelessness and crime skyrocketed as I cut welfare programs and federal taxes. Completely eradicating foreign aid (also known as 'bribes to tyrants' by the Patriots) caused hideous damage to foreign relations and stirred up all kinds of trouble overseas. Cutting subsidies for Green energy boondoggles pleased the fiscally conservative types, but drove the unhinged environmentalists to violent protest. It would appear that the game is intended to be played with compromise and incrementalism in mind - that is not a bad lesson to learn!
The other thing that I proved to myself is that one might be able to make enormous changes to the fabric of the country by writing off even the remotest possibility of winning a second term (I lost by a landslide, going into re-election with an embarrassingly low 14% approval rating), but it probably isn't the right way to go about it. With 86% of the popular vote, my successor would have an obvious mandate to undo nearly all that I had accomplished in my term.
While there will certainly be quibbling about how the game rates and ranks the importance and/or triviality of the issues of the day, Democracy 3.0 looks as if it will be an instructive teaching tool in addition to being compelling enough to play again and again, if only to see if it is actually possible to effectively govern a large country in a way that satisfies a majority of its citizens.
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
I've been fascinated with video games and computers for as long as I can remember. It was always a treat to get dragged to the mall with my parents because I'd get to play for a few minutes on the Atari 2600. I partially blame Asteroids, the crack cocaine of arcade games, for my low GPA in college which eventually led me to temporarily ditch academics and join the USAF to "see the world." The rest of the blame goes to my passion for all things aviation, and the opportunity to work on work on the truly awesome SR-71 Blackbird sealed the deal.
My first computer was a TRS-80 Model 1 that I bought in 1977 when they first came out. At that time you had to order them through a Radio Shack store - Tandy didn't think they'd sell enough to justify stocking them in the retail stores. My favorite game then was the SubLogic Flight Simulator, which was the great Grandaddy of the Microsoft flight sims.
While I was in the military, I bought a Commodore 64. From there I moved on up through the PC line, always buying just enough machine to support the latest version of the flight sims. I never really paid much attention to consoles until the Dreamcast came out. I now have an Xbox for my console games, and a 1ghz Celeron with a GeForce4 for graphics. Being married and having a very expensive toy (my airplane) means I don't get to spend a lot of money on the lastest/greatest PC and console hardware.
My interests these days are primarily auto racing and flying sims on the PC. I'm too old and slow to do well at the FPS twitchers or fighting games, but I do enjoy online Rainbow 6 or the like now and then, although I had to give up Americas Army due to my complete inability to discern friend from foe. I have the Xbox mostly to play games with my daughter and for the sports games.
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Ethnic Market & Indian Food
Indian food tastes and styles have always had a great appeal in the West. The number of South Asians in the Western world has also increased. Overall, Indian cuisine has never had it so good!
This is a perfect business opportunity for corporations who either have a number of South Asians on board, or would like to incorporate a very popular cuisine onto their menus.
The appeal of the exotically spiced and tasty Indian dishes has always been universal. Besides which, Indian cuisine is quite vast and multi-faceted. There are different cuisines that have originated in all of the regions and this diversity always adds into the flavor of the food that is presented.
Our team has accumulated a vast amount of skill and expertise in helping create menus and manage corporate kitchens. We have had the honor of working with organizations like Bristol Myers and Sodexho. We have also worked with a variety of spice companies and Ready-To-Eat brands and even a number of restaurant chains.
Contact us with your requirements for food consultancy services, and we will help you create or even re-create your brand image with a zesty flavor and life.


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uhaul.net is an information resource that is available to all system members .
You can access this site from any computer that has web access - you do not
have to go through the biznet to enter uhaul.net. The content you see on the
site is determined by your job title.
New Hires - If you have trouble accessing this site, please make sure
your manager has completed and received all the approvals needed on your Personnel Action (PA) form.
To enter this website you must agree to the user agreement . By signing in
with your System Member ID (SMID) and Password ,
you thereby acknowledge and agree to the terms and conditions of the user
agreement identified below.
By signing in with your System Member ID (SMID) and
Password, You acknowledge and agree that your access and use of this site is
governed by strict terms and conditions regarding U-Haul International, Inc.
confidential and proprietary information including but not limited to the
All information on this site is privileged, proprietary and confidential.
Specifically, this site contains intellectual property information including but
not limited to certain tradesecrets, trademarks, copyrights and patent
information all of which are strictly proprietary and confidential with all
rights reserved.
The information that you may access on this site is provided to you according to
your corresponding "access level." If by whatever means, or due to whatever
intentional or negligent acts, you have accessed information that does not
correspond with your "access level", you are hereby prohibited from any
discussion, dissemination, disclosure, reproduction or copying of that
Any and all access to the privileged, proprietary and confidential information
on this site before or after your normally scheduled work hours does not imply
or constitute, directly or indirectly, any agreement, condition, circumstance
or situation that would require compensation over and above any compensation
that you have earned during normally scheduled working hours.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any and all third party disclosure is strictly


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The rediscovery of a mystery animal in a museum's underground storeroom proves that a non-native 'big cat' prowled the British countryside at the turn of the last century.
The animal's skeleton and mounted skin was analysed by a multi-disciplinary team of Durham University scientists and fellow researchers at Bristol, Southampton and Aberystwyth universities and found to be a Canadian lynx -- a carnivorous predator more than twice the size of a domestic cat.
The research, published today in the academic journal Historical Biology, establishes the animal as the earliest example of an "alien big cat" at large in the British countryside.
The research team say this provides further evidence for debunking a popular hypothesis that wild cats entered the British countryside following the introduction of the 1976 Wild Animals Act. The Act was introduced to deal with an increasing fashion for exotic -- and potentially dangerous -- pets.
The academics believe such feral "British big cats" as they are known, may have lived in the wild much earlier, through escapes and even deliberate release. There is no evidence that such animals have been able to breed in the wild.
The study of the Canadian lynx, rediscovered by research team member Max Blake among hundreds of thousands of specimens at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, details records unearthed at the museum which showed the animal had originally been mislabelled by Edwardian curators in 1903 as a Eurasian lynx -- a close relative of the Canadian lynx.
The records also showed that the lynx was shot by a landowner in the Devon countryside in the early 1900s, after it killed two dogs.
"This Edwardian feral lynx provides concrete evidence that although rare, exotic felids have occasionally been part of British fauna for more than a century," said lead researcher, Dr Ross Barnett of Durham University's Department of Archaeology.
"The animal remains are significant in representing the first historic big cat from Britain."
Co-author Dr Darren Naish, from the University of Southampton, added: "There have been enough sightings of exotic big cats which substantially pre-date 1976 to cast doubt on the idea that one piece of legislation made in 1976 explains all releases of these animals in the UK.
"It seems more likely that escapes and releases have occurred throughout history, and that this continual presence of aliens explains the 'British big cat' phenomenon."
The researchers point out in their paper that Eurasian lynxes existed in the wild in Britain many hundreds of years ago, but had almost certainly become extinct by the 7th century. Laboratory analysis of the Bristol specimen's bones and teeth established it had been kept in captivity long enough to develop severe tooth loss and plaque before it either escaped or was deliberately released into the wild. Ancient DNA analysis of hair from the lynx proved inconclusive, possibly due to chemicals applied to the pelt during taxidermy.
Julie Finch, head of Bristol's Museums, Galleries & Archives, said: "Bristol Museum, Galleries and Archives were pleased to be a part of this ground-breaking research, which not only highlights the importance of our science collections, it establishes the pedigree of our 100-year old Lynx and adds to our knowledge and understanding of 'big cats' in the UK.
"Our museum collections are extensive and caring for them requires the considerable skills of our collections officers. We have an amazing collection of taxidermy animals on display and we welcome museum visitors to come along, to take a closer look and discover more about the natural world."
Dr Greger Larson, a member of the research team from Durham University and an expert in the migration of animals, said: "Every few years there is another claim that big cats are living wild in Britain, but none of these claims have been substantiated. It seems that big cats are to England what the Loch Ness Monster is to Scotland.
"By applying a robust scientific methodology, this study conclusively demonstrates that at least one big cat did roam Britain as early as the Edwardian era, and suggests that additional claims need to be subjected to this level of scrutiny."
The lynx is now on public display at Bristol museum.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Southampton. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Cite This Page:


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DevExtreme v23.1 is now available.
Explore our newest features/capabilities and share your thoughts with us.
This demo shows the VectorMap zooming and centering capabilities. The map contains several cities represented by dot markers. To identify a city, pause on its marker, and the name of the city will appear in a tooltip. Moreover, if you click the marker, the map will be zoomed and centered on it. In code it is performed by calling the center(centerCoordinates) and zoomFactor(zoomFactor) methods. A click on the «Reset» button restores default center coordinates and zoom factor.


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First occupied in 1940, Hillcrest Hall was the first residence built specifically to house female students. When it opened, male students promptly nicknamed it the "Skirt Barn." In 1971 it was converted into a male athletic residence hall. In 1982 it was converted into a graduate housing facility. It was converted again in 1992-93 to house University Honors. Hillcrest became the university's first Honors house in 2000-01.
Hillcrest Hall385 West Campus Drive
Hillcrest Hall houses 108 co-ed students. The hall is suite style and every two rooms share a bathroom, except for a few rooms with private baths. Hillcrest has housed scholarship athletes, then graduate students, and is now home to the Honors College and the Hillcrest Honors Living-Learning Community.
The Hillcrest Community is designed as a four-year, live-in residential honors program for students who have demonstrated superior academic ability. Students are nominated to participate based upon a review of the honors applications and are invited to join by a selection committee.
Hillcrest Hall is named for a geographic feature, as it was built atop the crest of a hill.
Building History
- Originally Built:
- 1940
- Map Grid:
- Abbreviation / Number:
- Coordinates:
- 37.2239, -80.42501


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Real Walnut wood steering wheel. Finger grips on the back side of the rim. Red, White and Blue Bowtie horn button. Installation kit - horn kit - hub adapter to install the wheel to the steering column and provides a working horn button. This is a complete steering wheel kit with everything you need to install.
The item "67-68 Impala Caprice Biscayne steering wheel RED WHITE BLUE BOWTIE 15 WALNUT" is in sale since Tuesday, December 29, 2015. This item is in the category "eBay Motors\Parts & Accessories\Car & Truck Parts\Interior\Steering Wheels & Horns". The seller is "staghound" and is located in Lima, Ohio. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica.


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+ Getting Started Overview
This guide begins from the point that you have installed QuantaStor and have successfully logged into QuantaStor Manager. If you have not yet installed QuantaStor on your server, please see the Installation Guide for more details.
First Time Login
The default administrator user name for your storage system is simply 'admin'. This user account is present on all QuantaStor systems. At the login dialog the admin user account name is pre-populated as this is the most commonly used login. If QuantaStor was installed for you by a CSP or VAR the password for the system(s) should have been emailed to you or made available via the CSPs server management panel. If you've installed QuantaStor on a new server or VM the 'admin' account defaults to having a password of 'password' (without the single quotes). IMPORTANT: Please change this immediately after you first login via the Users & Groups section.
Change Administrator Password
For security, you will want to create a secure password for your storage system. This can be completed quickly using the Change Admin Password button in the Manager, but also can be achieved via the Set Password button in the toolbar under "Users & Groups".
For more information on the password, refer to the User Set Password page.
Step by Step Configuration Procedure
Use the Getting Started dialog, which is accessible from the toolbar in the Web UI as shown in the image below, for a guided approach to the initial set-up of your QuantaStor system.
The Getting Started dialog has multiple sections which provide step-by-step assistance with the most common configuration tasks.
License Management
Start by adding license keys (one for each QuantaStor server) if they've not already been applied to the systems. Many configuration steps cannot be done until a license key has been applied to each system.
Network Configuration
Set static IP addresses on each of your systems
Grid Configuration
Combine systems together to form a storage grid. This enables a whole host of additional features including remote-replication, clustering and more.
File Storage Provisioning
If your primary use case is to setup your QuantaStor as NAS filer, start here to learn how to provision Network Shares.
Block Storage Provisioning
If your primary use case is to setup your QuantaStor as a SAN, start here to learn how to provision Storage Volumes.
Object Storage Setup
If your primary use case is to setup an object storage cluster with 3x or more QuantaStor servers, start here.


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Published September 7, 2017 This content is archived.
A cellphone and a few seconds of time.
That's all residents of northern Michigan need to take part in a new project designed to improve management and conservation of a vital natural resource: fresh water.
The idea behind the endeavor is simple but impactful. Fishermen, boaters and other outdoor enthusiasts text data on river levels and temperature to scientists. Then, the project team feeds this and other information into a computer model that generates a seven-day forecast of water conditions.
The pilot location is the Boyne River in Michigan, where researchers have set up five citizen-science stations that feature stream height gauges, with temperature gauges to be installed in the fall. Three additional state-of-the-art gauges will collect similar data at other spots along the Boyne.
"People who are outside a lot — fishermen, hikers, bird watchers — have access to all this local knowledge, and we want to tap into that," says researcher Chris Lowry, associate professor of geology in the College of Arts and Sciences. "If we're successful at the Boyne River, we could expand the system to other locations and other watersheds.
"A forecast is useful for a lot of reasons," Lowry adds. "If we can predict when the water will be high, we can anticipate floods, or tell factories when they can draw water from a river with the least harm. We can forecast the best fishing conditions, and also advise fishermen on when to stay away. When streams are warm, for example, we don't want to even do catch and release because coldwater fish like trout are already being taxed and are less likely to survive."
Lowry is leading the project, along with Darren Ficklin, assistant professor of geography at Indiana University. Damon Hall, assistant professor in the Center for Sustainability at Saint Louis University, and Jason Knouft, professor of biology at Saint Louis University, also are partners.
A sign on the Boyne River provides information on how passersby can contribute to a research project that uses crowdsourced data to help monitor river conditions. Photo: Damon Hall
Local residents, including members of the Friends of the Boyne River, have been highly active in texting data to researchers for a project that uses crowdsourced information to help monitor water levels at the Boyne River. Photo: Damon Hall
Kristin Thomas, aquatic ecologist for Michigan Trout Unlimited, an organization that has been supportive of the new project, measures stream discharge along the lower section of the Boyne River. Photo: Damon Hall
UB faculty member Chris Lowry and colleague Darren Ficklin from Indiana University install a pressure transducer to automatically monitor the water level in the Boyne River. This pressure transducer system measures water levels every 15 minutes and sends these data back to UB once a day. Photo: Damon Hall
A simple stream gauge that the project team installed on the Boyne River. Citizen scientists use the gauge to read water levels, and then text the information to researchers. The setup is simple, but the data is a valuable way to help monitor the health of the stream. Photo: Damon Hall
The scientists received funding from the National Science Foundation this summer to start the project, and they anticipate having a forecast up and running in about a year.
The forecast will predict stream flow, water temperature and which sections of the waterway will be good and poor habitats for fish on different days. Initially, the predictions will look three and seven days out, but the system should be capable eventually of generating information for every day of the week.
The forecast will be based on data — including texts from citizen scientists — that show how water levels and temperature responded to past weather conditions (like rainfall).
"By using crowdsourcing, we'll be able to create a model that is constantly improving itself, with new data coming in all the time," Ficklin says. "That's what's transformative about this project."
Crowdsourcing could help fill gaps in knowledge at a time when traditional methods of monitoring fresh water are on the decline, Lowry says.
He explains that in recent years, tight budgets have forced the U.S. Geological Survey to stop recording water levels at many streams the agency has watched for decades. And most monitoring focuses on large rivers of importance to urban communities, he says.
To compensate, Lowry and colleagues have been using crowdsourcing to collect data on smaller streams since 2010. That effort, called CrowdHydrology, is active in 11 states.
The Boyne River has been part of CrowdHydrology since 2014, and locals — including the Friends of the Boyne River — have been highly active in texting data from the beginning. That's one reason scientists chose the Boyne River as the pilot site for the new modeling project.
"Knowing what our river is doing is a great step forward if we ever need to defend it," says area resident Ed Strzelinski, a former board member and current longtime member of Friends of the Boyne River. "If industries like bottling plants decide to start drawing more groundwater and it impacts our Boyne River, how would we know about it if we didn't have easily accessible baseline data? What if fracking, which takes huge quantities of water, begins to impair our watershed?
"If we notice that something is changing, we could actually have some data and objectively say to the responsible agencies, 'Something is going on with the river, and here are the data to show what's happening.'"
Of the plans to develop a stream forecasting model based on data from the Boyne, Strzelinski says, "I think it's an excellent project. If lessons we learn within our watershed could be expanded to sustain water resources and ecosystem management elsewhere, this is a win-win for everyone."


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Genital Herpes in Women
— Genital herpes is caused by HSV by permeating your skin or mucous membranes through microscopic breaks in skin and mucous membranes.
— Genital herpes is transmitted by any kind of sexual contact of the genital region.
— Viral cultures, genetic amplification of HSV genome stuff as well as other evaluations could be performed although identification is normally done by recognizing the skin changes in the genital region.
— There's no definitive treatment for genital herpes.
— Antiviral medications are utilized to decrease rate and the severity of genital herpes.
— Some home remedies can reduce symptom severity, but supply no cure.
— Oral antiviral medications may be used during pregnancy; check with your OB/GYN physician if you're indeed pregnant prior to taking any drugs.
— Genital herpes' prognosis is reasonable; there's no bonafide cure, as well as the continual outbreaks can vary in severity and rate.
— Genital herpes prevention is not easy; condoms may stop the illness spread during sex, but not in regions of skin not covered during oral to genital contact or with a condom. Clothing may transmit HSV to others.
What is genital herpes?
You can find just two sorts of HSV. HSV1 is most often associated with blistering lesions around the mouth called cold sores. HSV2 is related to blistering lesions in genital areas that are exposed during sexual contact. However, both kinds of HSV can infect the genital regions or the mouth. After the first outbreak of herpes, the virus goes through the nerves and resides inside the body in nerve tissue. Reactivations, or repeat incidents of the blisters, can occur throughout an individual's lifetime. Among people aged 14 to 49, an estimated 1 out of every 6 people have the infection.
What causes genital herpes?
Read more Genital Herpes in Women Information


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It was supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime for Pat and James Frost — a river cruise in France on the Viking Europe, from Avignon to Chalon-sur-Saône. The retired couple from Concord, Ohio, even added three days in Paris to round off their bucket-list getaway.
But when they arrived at the port, a cruise line representative informed them of a change in plans. Flooding along the Rhône and Saône rivers had made the waterways impassable, and their cruise tour had turned into a bus tour.
"I understand that an act of God causing rain and the rising river isn't Viking's fault," said a disappointed Pat Frost. "But they've been cruising this river for years, and I expected that they would have an idea when the river would be navigable."
All she'd expected was a call to her or her travel agent before she left for France, offering her a chance to re-book the $12,000 cruise.
That didn't happen. Instead, the Frosts felt that they had no choice but to take the modified motorcoach tour, which wasn't quite the same experience.
The Frosts aren't alone. Thousands of other passengers on river cruises were also affected by the worst flooding in recent memory on Europe's waterways, including the Rhine and the Danube. The high water levels and resulting cancellations and re-bookings reportedly cost the major river cruise companies millions of dollars, and some of the complaints resulting from those rerouted vacations are far from resolved.
Like scores of other unhappy customers, Frost turned to her travel agency and travel insurance company for help. Viking apologized for the improvised road trip and offered the couple a 50 percent discount off a future cruise. Frost says she wanted a $2,000 refund to make up for some of the amenities she didn't receive with a bus tour.
"The flooding this spring in Central Europe was the worst seen in the region in centuries," says Ian Jeffries, a spokesman for Viking River Cruises. "It is extremely rare that we need to modify an itinerary to the point where passengers do not experience any river cruising."
Instead, in most of the cases where a cruise had to be rescheduled, Viking would reroute the tour, swapping passengers with a sister ship sailing in the opposite direction. By using that strategy, only "a handful" of cruisers weren't able to experience any river tours, Jeffries said.
Viking, like other river cruise operators, doesn't accept liability for "delay or inability to perform," according to its terms and conditions. But passengers like the Frosts expected that the cruise they booked would actually be a cruise, not a bus trip. They also thought that the travel insurance they'd purchased would protect them.
It doesn't, say experts. Priscilla O'Reilly, a spokeswoman for Grand Circle Travel, a tour operator that sells riverboat cruises, says she's unaware of any travel insurance policy that would cover flooding. A "cancel for any reason" policy would cover a cruise, but only if a claim is made before the voyage begins. A Grand Circle policy would give you a voucher for a future cruise, but not a refund.
River cruise lines don't seem to have a standard method of compensating their passengers. Several factors apparently come into play, including how much of the vacation turned into a bus trip, the amount customers paid for the tour and how much they complain after they return home.
Sometimes, the cruise line will offer nothing more than an apology. In at least one instance, however, a cruise line offered a family a do-over, covering the cost of a new sailing.
When Al Chapper's Vantage river cruise turned into a bus cruise earlier this year, the company cut several days from his itinerary, he says. Technically, it hit most of the planned places, but as with Frost, via a decidedly less glamorous roadway.
"The company did bus us to some of the sites we were supposed to visit," he says. "But it had to cancel some others."
In a letter to Chapper, Vantage explained the reasons for the rescheduling. "As you know, dangerously high water levels along the Rhône and Saône prompted French authorities to close all navigation along these rivers," it noted, offering him a $500-per-person future travel credit as compensation.
Kevin Wallace, Vantage's chief operating officer, says that the company tries to equitably compensate passengers like Chapper whose vacations are affected by flooding. But "we can't control the weather," he added. The company's Web site, he noted, has a disclaimer specifically saying that "acts of nature are not under our control."
Viking also stuck to its 50 percent compensation offer for the Frosts after I asked about their case, telling me that it prefers to work with guests directly, "and not in a public forum" such as this column.
Indeed, if there's a common thread among these flooding cases, it's that the riverboat cruise operators feel as if they are also victims of the extreme weather.
The takeaway for anyone planning to take a European river cruise is clear: Don't expect it to actually be a river cruise if the weather won't allow it. You can minimize your chances of participating in an overpriced bus tour by planning your tour during the fall, which generally more stable weather.
Keep in mind that your cruise line may not even be required to tell you of the rescheduled vacation until you arrive at the port. (Some river cruise lines, including Tauck River Cruising and Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, belong to the Cruise Lines International Association, whose new passenger bill of rights requires them to offer "timely information updates" as to any adjustments in the itinerary of the ship resulting from an emergency.)
And provisions for compensating passengers are as easy to forecast as, well, the weather.


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Justin Bieber Ringtone Stops Bear Attack
A man in Russia is on the mend following a bear attack that could have been much worse if it wasn't for Justin Bieber.
According to local media, Igor the fisherman was heading to a fishing spot in northern Russia when the bear pounced on him out of nowhere. Luckily, he got a call from someone at almost the same moment and his phone started blaring the ringtone his granddaughter had installed for him - Bieber's mega-hit "Baby."
The bear was apparently spooked by the song and took off, giving Igor a chance to call for help. He suffered cuts and bruises to his face, hands and chest, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Justin Bieber - Baby ft. Ludacris


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This article is more than 1 year old
Windows XP SP2 slips into Fall
As we told you here
As we warned you in April, Microsoft has again delayed Windows XP Service Pack 2, the most significant revision of the Windows code base since its launch in 2001. The work now being scheduled for completion and an RTM (release to manufacturing [alternative etymology]) in August means a Fall ship date. Microsoft will be relieved to see it out of the door. SP2 was originally due "sometime in 2003" until last August, when managers decided to knock it back to this year.
The release, which made its debut as a beta back in March, bundles major security revisions and a new Windows update procedure.
Delays to the roadmap - and remember that back in 2001, Longhorn was set to ship right about now - led to speculation that Microsoft would release an interim version of XP, dubbed "XP Reloaded". That plan now appears to have been abandoned. But there's no underestimating the significance of XP2, with its compatibility implications for third party ISVs and IT departments. ®
Related stories
Good for you, good for Microsoft - here comes WinXP SP2
MS bigs up Windows XP SP2
Microsoft irks ISVs with XP SP2 delay>
Microsoft sidelines Longhorn database caper
Windows Shorthorn is Dead On Arrival
MS delays Yukon
Confess about XP Reloaded quick, Gartner tells MS
Gates primes the pump for Longhorn
MS moves into get Longhorn on the road mode
Windows Longhaul? Longhorn could be 2008, says Gartner
MS to intro hardware-linked security for AMD64, Itanium, future CPUs
Longhorn as the next Microsoft desktop domination play
Longhorn to erase Cairo mis-step with 1995 ship date
Windows Longhorn build leak starts hype two years early
Bill Gates: Longhorn is going to be late
Now MS trails 2006 for Windows Longhorn
Longhorn RTM what it means to you
Microsoft delays Longhorn. Again
MS denies plans for WinXP Second Edition


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Caveman Hits Mainsteam Culture with Snarky Tee Immortalization
You know you've made it big when your slogan and general person become iron-on fodder for Aviator-sporting hipsters. Gecko was cute but Geico's neurotic Caveman, who's been making waves since his adamant arrival on the media scene, clearly strikes a more prominent cultural chord.
Sure his show may suck. But how many sucky-show protagonists get to be an action figure and shirt fodder? Tom Green's been waiting a long time and we can all agree he'd make a far more interesting action figure.
Preferably one that talks. "A barrel roll? A barrel roll? A barrel roll?"


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After all, we struggle to find a player bathing in more praise these days than the Dolphins wide receiver.
Coach Joe Philbin capped Thursday's final minicamp session by announcing that Miami's deep threat enjoyed a "really good offseason program" under the direction of new play-caller Bill Lazor. Wallace himself has proclaimed that "nobody can ever key on me" in the team's new offense.
Should we buy into the swarm of puff pieces tabbing Wallace for a monster campaign?
On the plus side, the 'Fins wisely replaced Mike Sherman's Tecmo Bowl-level playbook with an Eagles-flavored attack set for launch behind a revamped O-line. After Wallace played almost 90 percent of his snaps on the right side last season, observers have seen him lining up all over the field.
Wallace's biggest obstacle might ultimately be ... Wallace. It was just last month when teammates whispered about the wideout as a player coaches weren't a fan of. The subject of trade rumors in March, Wallace is under pressure to show better chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill -- and team brass.
"I think he's growing, I think has an unbelievable attitude," Lazor said. "He sat in my office and talked about the things that he thought he could do to grow and we're working on those things every day."
Here's the rest of the news from around the league during Thursday's mandatory minicamps:
- After Mike Pettine claimed his old mentor, Rex Ryan, handed out Jets defensive playbooks "like candy" -- with one copy even winding up in Bill Belichick's hands -- Gang Green's longtime coach shot down the story and said of Cleveland's new leader: "I don't understand what he's trying to gain by it ... Everyone needs to talk to Mike Pettine 'cause he's got all the answers."
Repeatedly calling Pettine's account "ridiculous," Rex acknowledged relations with his former Xs-and-Os soul mate rests "in a bad spot now. ... Like, 'Really dude?'"
- Cam Newton is a month ahead of schedule in his rehab from March ankle surgery. How do we know? Because Ace Boogie participated in 7-on-7 drills Thursday in Carolina's final minicamp jaunt. The Panthers passer completed 8 of 15 throws, picking up steam as the session went on. "Not 100 percent yet," said Cam. "But any progress is good progress."
- It hasn't been an easy month for the Texans. Bill O'Brien said Jadeveon Clowney remains on track for the start of training camp following sports hernia surgery, but the No. 1 overall pick refused to confirm his coach's timeline.
- Terrible news for Johnathan Franklin. The second-year Packers running back tweeted Thursday that he's forced to move on from football due to a neck injury. "I understand God knows what he is doing (and) for now he has another platform for me to step upon," wrote the former UCLA star who harbors desires to become the mayor of Los Angeles. Interesting fellow. We wish him well.
- Coming off Big Blue's horrific season in 2013, coach Tom Coughlin believes Ben McAdoo's new offense will turn Bad Eli into Championship-Level Eli.
- Will Chris Wesseling eat his softball pants? My fellow Around The League scribe vows to swallow yards of fabric if Brian Hoyer starts Week 1 over Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel. Asked by The MMQB about JFF's chances to start, Pettine said: "It could happen, but in my ideal world, it's not opening day."
- Stepping off his riding mower in the Mississippian wilderness, a beefed-up Brett Favre is throwing his weight around for a fellow named Thad.
- Speaking of Far-vra, his recent chat with Adrian Peterson has the Vikings runner rethinking how long he'll play in the NFL, saying Thursday: "40 sounds good."
- Your humble author believes the Bills are playoff-bound if EJ Manuel can flip the switch. Reports out of Buffalo concern us.
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys make the case that multiple teams have closed the gap on the Seahawks and 49ers in the NFC.


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- Home
- Departments
- Assessor
Assessor's Responsibilities
- The Assessor determines the value of real property, vacant and improved, commonly known as real estate, within the Town.
- The Assessor maintains the assessment roll, including the physical description and inventory of all real property, in the Town.
- The Assessor approves and tracks property tax exemptions.
- The Assessor reviews all transfers of property in the Town verifying all conditions of the sale.
Annual Assessments
Each year every parcel is reassessed and the new tentative assessment is mailed to the property owners May 1. The tentative assessments are available online, in the Assessor's office, at the Town Clerk's office and at the Putnam County Office of Real Property for review. The Town of Southeast maintains their assessments at 100% of market value with a valuation date of July 1 of the prior year. After the period to hear grievances has passed, the final assessment roll is effective July 1.
Grievance Procedure
Property owners have the right to a review of their assessment for the current tentative roll completed by the Assessor.
- Grievance applications, with documentation supporting your requested assessed value, must be filed in the Town of Southeast with the Assessor or the Board of Assessment Review.
- The complaint must be filed on or before the first day the Board of Assessment review meets to hear grievances (being the 4th Tuesday in May).
Extra Open Hours
The Assessor's Office is open late Wednesday nights in May prior to Grievance Day to further assist the public.
Board of Assessment Review
For more information, please visit the Board of Assessment Review page.
Assessment Dates
|Key Assessment
|Valuation Date
|July 1 Prior Year
|Taxable Status Date
|March 1
|Exemption Filing Deadline
|March 1
|Tentative Roll Filed
|May 1
|Grievance Day
|4th Tuesday in May
|Final Roll Filed
|July 1


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(visited by Alan Fox, Carolyn Fox, Max and MacDuff)
08-Oct-2002 -- We left Regina shortly after 8:00 AM. Alan had a round-trip route mapped out to take us along some highways we had yet to travel. First, however, we had to stop at Arby's for "Marketfresh" sandwiches to go. They make a great confluence lunch. We headed southeast on Highway 33 to Francis where we turned south at Highway 35 to head for the border. Our plan to see new scenery along the way was thwarted by heavy fog. All we saw for the first 100 kilometers were the ditches along the highway and the pavement a few meters ahead. By the time we reached Weyburn the sun was breaking through the fog. We could see! For the most part the harvest is finished in this area. Many trees are bare of leaves. Those leaves still clinging to the trees are beautiful shades of yellow or brown. The whole countryside was shades of brown and gold with tinges of fresh green growth from recent rains. In the small lakes along the way migratory birds such as snow geese and pelicans were gathering for their flights south. There are lots of pump jacks at work in the fields since this part of southern Saskatchewan is rich in oil reserves.
Sixteen kilometers north of the United States/Canadian border we turned west onto Highway 18. Using the GPS to guide us we followed graveled grid roads until we were near W104. Here we turned south on a dirt road. It had rained overnight so this road was slippery. Mud was flying out from under the wheels. We were stopped by a barbed wire fence with gate which had a trail leading off across the pasture in the direction of the confluence. Because of the recent rain we decided we should not cross this pasture in our van. Our walk was 1.8 km across the pasture, over some hills, through little valleys, along cow paths, over prairie grasses mixed with small wild flowers and low cactuses, through small thick bushes and across a dried up slough (pond) to the fence along the border. Almost everything was in shades of brown - grasses, bushes, leaves, mud and cow pies. One odd sight was that of a few crocuses in bloom. These furry purple flowers are usually one of the first signs of Spring in prairie fields. Some had gotten their signals crossed. It was noon and by this time the sky was blue and bright sunshine was warming the air. It was 0°C when we left home but by mid day it was 10°. The breezes were cool.
With the confluence situated south of the barbed wire fence, we were forced to crawl under it. border monument #585 was also south of the fence, about 24 meters southwest of the confluence. There were hills in all directions. To the northeast cows were grazing. The province of Saskatchewan was to the north; the state of North Dakota to the south. The border monument had United States printed on the south side, Treaty of 1908 on the west side, Canada was printed on the north side, and Convention of 1818 on the west side. Stamped in the cement base was "Renewed 1993".
On our return walk to the van we climbed a couple of the highest hills to take overview photos. Part way up one hill a little garter snake slithered along through the grass. There were lots of cow pies to avoid stepping in - some were very fresh. Rocks left from the last ice age were scattered over the landscape.
Back in our van we had one more destination. 3½ km west of the confluence along the border was tri-corner border monument #583. It marks the place where the north end of the border dividing the states of North Dakota and Montana meet the southern border of the province of Saskatchewan. We were able to drive as close as 1½ km. There was a road through a gate that led to two pump jacks and closer to the spot, but a sign proclaimed that only authorized oil company employees were allowed in. We parked our van near the gate and walked along the fence, up and over the hills towards the border. A deer resting on a hill was startled as we approached. He and six others we hadn't noticed quickly ran away to watch us carefully from a distance. As we got closer they bounded off again. They seemed nervous as if they know that it is almost hunting season even though we did notice that most properties in the area had "No Hunting" signs posted. After climbing under a barbed wire fence we took photos showing the border monument, the two states and one province. Someone had constructed a small rock circle beside the monument to mark the spot. The "Montana - North Dakota - Saskatchewan tri-point can also be seen at The Corner Corner web site. "The Corner Corner documents, but cannot truly explain, the hobby of visiting locations like:
* Places where three or more states or provinces meet at a point.
* The northernmost, easternmost, southernmost, and westernmost points in states and provinces.
* Other prominent boundary junctions and angles."
Other border search projects exist in Europe and along the United States/Mexican border.
After a foggy start, we were pleased to end up with such a beautiful sunny day. We had our longest walks yet to find a confluence. Nearby we found our first tri-corner after another long walk, but the walks and fresh air were invigorating. It was a nice change to be in hilly country. On our return across the great flat plains south of Regina we were able to identify towns and landmarks on the horizon as far as 40 to 50 km away. We totaled 440 km on our 11 hour round trip. It was a good day.


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You could say that video game music is becoming much more epic as the years go by.
A growing number of MIDI possibilities are at the disposal of game composers, and the number of streaming, fully orchestrated soundtracks is continually increasing. There are those that say newer game soundtracks are less memorable, because soundtracks for sequels and franchises seemingly rehash old music, while soundtracks for new IPs seem to be very contemporary, ambiguous, and often only ambient. However, I would disagree with anyone that says new video game soundtracks can't be just as memorable or even better than the soundtracks of old, as I'm going to turn to a recent adventure of everyone's favorite plumber to help demonstrate my case.
The music from the first Super Mario Galaxy takes some of the best traits in Mario music, which are then redefined and augmented in a process that ups the presentation to a level unparalleled by any other Nintendo game currently available. There are no doubts in my mind that many of you consider the music of Super Mario Galaxy to be one of the most impressive and memorable video game soundtracks in recent years. Today, we're going to look at the music a little more objectively, revisiting a concept I used over three years ago to illustrate a musical phenomenon that seemed to pop up in music from the Zelda series. I hope it both boggles your mind and challenges you to listen to video game music in new ways. Read on, my friends!
For those that weren't around last time, here's a brief summary of what the Golden Ratio (a.k.a Phi), the natural and mathematical phenomenon behind this article, is and why it has significance. If you think of the length of a line segment as being equal to 1.0, there lies a point at approximately 0.618 where the ratio of the smaller segment to the larger segment is equal to the ratio of the larger segment to the whole, as illustrated above. For clarification, Phi is actually approximated at 1.618 (where the relationship of .618 to 1.0 is the same as 1 to 1.618), but I'll be using its reciprocal of 0.618 because I find it easier to multiply by 0.618 rather than to divide the whole by 1.618. As long as the proper number is used with the proper operation, either can be used, as Phi is merely representative of a relationship between two numbers.
Why the big fuss? Well, it's a mathematical phenomenon, as demonstrated by the Fibonacci Series of Numbers above, that seems to be found in many aspects of nature such as the structures of plants, animals, and even chemical compounds. In addition, it has been applied to visual artwork such as paintings and architecture, and many believe that the human mind subconsciously perceives anything that exhibits the Golden Ratio in any notable fashion as an object of beauty. It's considered natural symmetry. In music, the theory lingers that compositions designed (both intentionally and unintentionally) with forms that stress the Golden Ratio are aurally more pleasing to the ear and mind. The most significant example is Béla Bartók's "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta," which lacks hard proof that Bartók consciously used the Golden Ratio, but nonetheless is littered with chord, rhythms, and structures echoing the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Series of Numbers.
That should do it for a crash course on the Golden Ratio, though remember that this is all just theory. Mario composer Koji Kondo doesn't consciously use the phenomenon in his compositions, though it continues to pop up in his work. We've already seen some prime examples of the ratio in music from The Legend of Zelda and other games from tha franchise, so let's turn around and launch right into the music (YouTube recordings from Artictoc) that helped propel our favorite plumber out into the heavens.
"Good Egg Galaxy"
One of the first fully orchestrated songs you'll hear upon playing a game of Super Mario Galaxy is the theme from Good Egg Galaxy. It's peppy, majestic, and has that "Go get 'em!" feel to it. For this one, we need to recognize right away that this piece is meant to be looped. When you hear it as it is in-game, you'll realize that it just starts repeating endlessly until Mario (controlled by you) triggers an event such as encountering a boss, losing a life, or something of the sort. That spot in the music where the loop begins will mark the end of our measuring sample, and is located 52 measures into the song, or at roughly 1:22 into the recording above.
Now that we have determined the 52 measure chunk we need to look at, we can break it down into three sections. The first section is a two-bar brass fanfare followed by lengthy string melody, which lasts a total of 18 measures (or 17.75 measures, if you're picky and notice the flute's single pick-up quarter note before measure 21). Next, we introduce the woodwinds, evident by the flute melody that starts in measure 21. While the flute doesn't hold the melody for the whole 16 measures, this section technically does last for 16 measures and can be broken down into smaller, four-measure phrases. The key one here is when that fourth smaller phrase begins – after the flute melody ends, the timpani enters, and the strings dominate the crescendo into the next section. Finally, we have a 16 measure section featuring a forte ("loud") string melody to close out the loop.
If we take those 52 measures and use our special ratio to find the Golden Section, we should hope to find something significant happening roughly 32.14 measures in. Since we're measuring in musical units, this is interpreted as 32 whole measures being completed and something happening within the first quarter note of the 33rd measure. Remember that crescendo and timpani entrance that I mentioned was sort of a big deal? It happens right at measure 33 (about 51 seconds in).
Now, to make things even more exciting, let's take a look at the Golden Section OF the Golden Section. Multiply 32.14 by 0.618 and we get 19.86. Or, take the original 52 measures, and find the Golden Section from the end. 32.14 measures from the end. Same point? Same point. This is called the Negative Golden Section, and the 19.86 means that if we're lucky, something important happens at the end of measure 20 (since the 19.86 means we don't yet have 20 full measures), just before measure 21. Remember that flute pick-up note we said comes in right before measure 21? There it is, 32 seconds in!
"Gusty Gardens"
In addition to Good Egg Galaxy, Gusty Gardens is another one of the game's locations that managed to get a truly grand accompanying track. In fact, it's so special that many parts of this piece show up in various other arrangements throughout the game. For example, the "A" theme from Gusty Gardens (the oboe melody near the beginning) can be found in a beautiful piano solo towards the end of the game, titled "Birth." The "B" theme (the string melody around 1:26) recurs in the "Purple Comet" theme as well as the game's title track, both of which we'll look at on the next page. It's a clear indication as to how iconic the themes in this piece were meant to be.
The music for Gusty Gardens is another looped song, so we won't be looking at the entire recording above. The main portion of this piece begins at about 10 seconds into the YouTube clip above, and last for 64 measures until about 1:51 seconds into the recording. If you do the math, we should end up with a Golden Section at 39.552, or the end of measure 39 heading into measure 40 at about 1:13 into the recording. At this point, the cornet (trumpet) is joined by the oboe in a playful musical sequence in which the same musical idea is repeated a major third down as part of a transition into the next major section. (The sequence then begins continuing down an additional third, before interrupting the sequence to wrap up the transition.) This in itself doesn't seem like a particularly important point in the song, but let's take a look at the Negative Golden Section and see if there's any connection.
The Negative Golden Section should occur at measure 24.448, meaning in the first half of measure 25. In the clip above, this can be heard at 48 seconds into the song, where we hear a very prominent string climax on a half note (essentially the entire first half of measure 25). But wait! If you continue listening from this point, what do you hear? That string climax is the start of a short musical idea, which is then repeated it a step down, and then begins continuing down again before wrapping up this segment. Didn't we have something like this before? That's right, it's another musical sequence! It looks like sequences are the big aspect for this particular piece, which becomes evident if you go back and listen to the entire thing.
So far, we've looked primarily at structural Golden Sections by taking the length of a piece or loop and broken its duration down according to the Golden Ratio. Let's continue on and see what else we can find in Super Mario Galaxy!
"Purple Comet"
Next up is the "Purple Comet" theme. It plays in the game when Mario encounters the Purple Comet (obviously), and its quick tempo gives the player a sense of urgency, as if you have a clear mission to head for that comet. At the same time, the song combines the usual strings and percussion sounds with electronic sounds, a techno beat, and more into a surprisingly fun and catchy tune.
"Purple Comet" is another looped song, the main portion of which lasts 52 measures long from about 6.5 seconds into the recording above until just after the 1:31 mark. Some quick calculations give us a Golden Section at measure 32.14, or literally at the start of measure 32. In the recording above, measure 32 starts at 59 seconds in, where we find that the techno beat has kicked into high gear and we get that special "Gusty Gardens" theme! In addition, I personally find this to be the most fun part of the song (probably because of that catchy techno beat), and I'd bet that many of you do as well.
Unfortunately, the Negative Golden Section doesn't quite line up with anything here. We should expect something interesting on the last beat of measure 20 (as the Negative Golden Section calculates to 19.86), but nothing happens until 1 beat later, when we begin a new 4-bar transition. At this point, we get some interestingly weird chords – the bottom voice alternates between a Bb and C (2 half steps), and the voice above that alternates between an Eb and F above it (2 half steps), always separated by an interval of a "perfect fourth" (5 half steps), with the C and the Eb additionally separated by 3 half steps. All of these intervals are the prime numbers that begin the Fibonacci Series, and it would have been nice had this all occurred one beat earlier. Alas, being "close" just isn't as impressive… but it's worth a mention.
"Super Mario Galaxy"
Unlike the previous examples where the song's tempo stayed the same, the title track from this game (used for the game's ending credits) has what are called ritards, cesuras, and a tempos in music, i.e., points where the music slows down, pauses, and then returns to the original tempo, respectively. Because of this, our calculations for this composition will need to be done in terms of time instead of measures to account for the fact that our ears will hear something that measure numbers don't tell us. After all, music is an aural experience, isn't it?
We'll cut to the chase on this one, since I counted nine distinct sections in this song and I don't really feel like explaining them all. This song is 3:57 long, because we're going to cut out the almost one whole second of silence at the beginning and the several seconds of silence at the end – they're not written in the music and are just a product of the YouTube clips being padded with enough buffer time on the ends. From there, we can simply multiply our 237 seconds by our magic number of 0.618 and find the Golden Section at just past 2:26 into the song (or slightly before 2:27 into this recording because of that silence at the beginning). While we're at it, we'll find the Negative Golden Section by either multiplying the 146.47 seconds by 0.168 or just subtracting 146.47 seconds from the total length, and we get just over 90.5 seconds – or 1:30.5 into the song.
That gives us a Golden Section right where a ritard and that one cesura I mentioned occurs, again just before 2:27 into the recording above. It doesn't get much more obvious than that: a clear break in the music where the slowing tempo creates the tension and making you want a release of that tension. Next, the Negative Golden Section of the song may seem a little less significant, but it nonetheless occurs at a distinct point in the music where we switch from a piercing brass sound from the trumpets to the flooding sound of violins and violas, 1:30.5 in. It's not a major structural point in music (as the music is largely divided into 8-bar phrases, and the Negative Golden Section occurs smack dab in the middle of one of them rather than at a start/end), but it's a huge change in instrument/tonal color, which is always significant in music.
If you want even more oohs and ahhs, find the Golden Section in between those two points. Go on, do it. I happens around 125 seconds in, or just before 2:06 in this recording. You'll find a point where the flute/oboe double solo ends, the strings enter, and the harp comes in with a huge glissando (i.e., that thing where they strum the harp really fast), and everyone crescendos into the next section. On one side of it, you have the soft, soothing flute/oboe take on the "B" theme from "Gusty Gardens," and on the other side is the full-sounding, majestic string rendition of the same melody. The gliss and crescendo are a huge deal here, where they serve as the single turning point between the two halves of this segment, building the tension and anticipation across the entire orchestra.
After four examples of the Golden Ratio in the music of Super Mario Galaxy, many of you are probably thinking, so what? Yes, you realize that these are significant points in the music for one reason or another (new instruments entering, changes in tempo, style and texture differences, etc.), and you understand the concept behind the Golden Ratio… but why are these aspects of the music happening at these points a big deal? It all goes back to what theorists believe we perceive as natural symmetry, natural beauty. Some (hopefully very few) of you are hearing these songs for the first time, thinking yeah, these are pretty good songs for a Mario game, but you don't get the hype. Hopefully those of you familiar with the songs better understand how epic these songs are, especially given the history and evolution of music in the franchise.
Just to reiterate, I'm hoping to give you all another perspective as to why your mind likes these songs more than it normally would. If your brain really does react to the Golden Ratio, it's heard these songs, and it wants to hear impacts at certain points. Even as you go along, your brain might begin to recognize the Golden Ratio in those smaller portions of the song, or maybe even in the frequencies of the harmonies, and you begin to subconsciously enjoy the song more and more as more of the song unfolds and reveals more of these mathematical relationships.
For those who think, "Wouldn't you have to hear the whole song first to even know where the Golden Sections are?", you may be partially right – in order to consciously know where these points are, we would need to know the song's length or have heard it all before… but even when you first hear a piece, you'll notice those impact points as you go. Ever hear a song and think afterwards, "That was a bit too short/long," and not know why? Maybe that's your brain hearing those impact points at certain times and using that information to subconsciously figure out ideally how long the song should be based on hearing those impact points and looking for the Golden Ratio. Again, it's all just theory, but it's always good to keep an open mind.
Closing Thoughts
It's always difficult to find prime examples of the Golden Ratio in existing music. Game music and other soundtracks in particular are even harder to work with, since oftentimes those songs need to adhere to the length of a scene. For example, the final example above (Super Mario Galaxy) has significant moments at measures 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 55, and 89 – all numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence. Yet, these segments are blocked from having that special golden relationship with the piece as a whole, due to the necessity of keeping the song to 121 measures to fit the length of the staff credits roll. As such, any examples of the Golden Ratio found in music, especially those found in significant numbers, are always interesting to come across.
The Golden Ratio with respect to music has always been controversial as to whether it really does have any significant impact on you, especially if a piece wasn't composed specifically to this ratio. The fact remains that there are indeed examples of significant musical moments at points defined by the Golden Ratio, be they impact points, structural boundaries, or changes in timbre. These examples are found in abundance in the acclaimed music of Super Mario Galaxy, which has since been heralded as one of the greatest Mario adventures in several years. Could this merely be coincidence? Possibly. But there may very well be an aesthetic connection that causes our brains to interpret this music as beautiful. We can only hope that when Super Mario Galaxy 2 arrives in stores next Sunday, it will be accompanied by a soundtrack just as beautiful as – or even more beautiful than – the last.
Republished with permission from The Tanooki.
Christian Ponte is a self-made gaming journalist and has served as the Editor-In-Chief of The Tanooki, a video game news and culture blog, since its inception. Also a lifelong musician, Christian is a graduate of the music education program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He continues to be a strong advocate for game music as both a legitimate art form and an effective vehicle for teaching music to kids today.


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Lonohana Chocolate: Hawaii's newest local bean-to-bar chocolate
Photo by Jamie Noguchi
Lonohana Chocolate is Hawaii's newest 100% local chocolate venture, started by Seneca Klassen, co-founder of Bittersweet Café, a chocolate cafe in the Bay Area. Since starting his North Shore cacao orchard in 2011, Klassen now grows and makes his own chocolate. By taking charge of everything in the process from tree to bar, he hopes to develop transparency into an otherwise murky industry.
Currently, he produces only dark chocolate—the 'Ele 'ele (plain dark), 'Alae 'Ula (chocolate with Molokai alae sea salt and cocoa nibs) and Kona Vanilla (chocolate with Kona Gold vanilla). The chocolate carries a distinct berry flavor, but since Klassen's cacao farm is still young, he hopes "ultimately we'll be able to explore a few quite different flavor directions once the orchard is more mature."
Lonohana Chocolate can be purchased online or at the Kalihi-based factory ($12/bar), or through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, where buyers pay a yearly price ($425 and up) for a year's share of chocolate. Regular factory tours will be held on Saturdays starting in September. Farm tours are often difficult to schedule consistently, but Klassen is more than willing to accommodate group requests.
Lonohana Hawaiian Estate Chocolate, 296 Mokauea St., Ste. 101, lonohana.com, 223-9997


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Designed for anyone who takes her game to heart, these professional-tier golf shoes offer serious performance for the serious player. A combo of some of PUMA's tried-and-tested technologies has produced the ultimate comfortable golf shoe with unbeatable traction and unrivalled stability, so you can deliver your best on every hole.
- IGNITE: PUMA's foam midsole and branded heel cage supports and stabilises by locking the heel onto the platform
- Pro-Form TPU: PUMA's premium TPU outsole that provides excellent performance, grip and abrasion resistance on all surfaces
- Performance Mesh + TPU: PUMA's combination of premium TPU PWRCAGE, PWRFRAME and non-stretch waterproof breathable mesh for the ultimate spikeless performance
- GripZone Traction: PUMA's design for multi-directional traction uses 39 strategically placed hexagons and 24 chevron-shaped lugs to increase traction where it's needed most
- Low boot
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- Tornado studs for unbeatable traction
- PUMA Cat Logo at lateral side, tongue and sole


text: Hackers can easily disable the Microsoft Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET), a free tool used by companies to strengthen their Windows computers and applications against publicly known and unknown software exploits.Researchers from security vendor FireEye have found a method through which exploits can unload EMET-enforced protections by leveraging a legitimate function in the tool itself.Microsoft patched the issue in EMET 5.5, which was released on Feb. 2. However, it's likely that many users haven't upgraded yet, because the new version mainly adds compatibility with Windows 10 and doesn't bring any new significant mitigations.First released in 2009, EMET can enforce modern exploit mitigation mechanisms like Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) or Export Address Table Access Filtering (EAF) to applications, especially legacy ones, that were built without them. This makes it much harder for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities in those applications in order to compromise computers.Security researchers have found various ways to bypass particular EMET-enforced mitigations over the years, but they were primarily the result of design and implementation errors, like some modules or APIs being left unprotected. Methods to disable EMET protections completely have also been reported in the past, but they were not always straight-forward and required significant effort.The FireEye researchers believe that their new technique, which essentially uses EMET against itself, is more reliable and easier to use than any previously published bypasses. Furthermore, it works against all supported versions of EMET -- 5.0, 5.1 and 5.2 -- with the exception of EMET 5.5, and also on versions that are no longer supported, like 4.1.EMET injects some DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries) into third-party application processes that it's configured to protect. This allows it to monitor calls from those processes to critical system APIs and to determine if they are legitimate or the result of an exploit.However, the tool also contains code that is responsible for unloading mitigations in a clean way, returning the protected processes to their initial state without causing malfunctions or crashes. It's this feature that the FireEye researchers have figured out how to trigger from an exploit."One simply needs to locate and call this function to completely disable EMET," they said in a blog post Tuesday. "In EMET.dll v126.96.36.199, this function is located at offset 0x65813. Jumping to this function results in subsequent calls, which remove EMET's installed hooks."This is a significant new attack vector that's easier to use than bypassing each of EMET's individual protections as they were designed, they said.Since this technique is now public, EMET users should consider upgrading to version 5.5 as soon as possible to avoid future attacks that might adopt it. In addition to Windows 10 compatibility, this new EMET\u00a0version improves the configuration and management of protections through Group Policy and improves the performance for the EAF and EAF+ mitigations.


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Four Corners
Four Corners is a course in American English that integrates a framework on measurable learning outcomes with a tried-and-true communicative approach.
Four Corners is an integrated four-skills English course for adults and young adults.
Four Corners is an integrated four-skills course for adults and young adults who want to use English to communicate effectively in daily life. Easy and enjoyable to teach. It combines proven communicative methodology with a practical outcomes-based approach. Four Corners features a clear presentation of vocabulary, a thorough grammar syllabus, and an everyday functional language lesson in every unit together with systematic practice of all four skills. Four Corners places special emphasis on helping students become confident and competent speakers of English. Speaking activities at the end of every lesson, tied to clearly labeled measurable outcomes, enable students to see the results of their learning and help them see their progress.
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Zodiac Reactor
Capture Elemental Particles in order to power the Zodiac Reactor—an ancient device capable of creating stars!Be sure to try Terminal Velocity mode after you practice!
Use the arrow keys to capture Elemental particles as they enter the center of the reactor.Up=Red, Right=Green, Down=White, Left=Blue.Press (Spacebar) to control reactor shield.Press (P) to Pause. Kyzir White Authentic Jersey


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Well, stuff that's worth grokking:
Om on copyright and video. He's got a point.
Google Talk is federating (Ie, cross platform).
A Yahoo exec exits for the wilds of the startup life (welcome!). Rob Solomon has joined SideStep as CEO.
Thomas Weisel Partner's Internet Monthly: A field guide to the trends moving the Internet (PDF download). The headline: Internet Display Ads Could Be the Surprise of 2006


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Exhibition: Rembrandt: Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet
In 1657 Rembrandt was commissioned to paint the wealthy Amsterdam lady Catrina Hooghsaet.
Thanks to Rembrandt's lasting international reputation, it probably came to Britain as early as the 1720s and has been at Penrhyn Castle, near Bangor, since the 1860s.
Despite severe personal and financial problems, Rembrandt was still one of the leading artists of the time. He is now recognised as one of the most important figures in the history of art.
Rembrandt adapted the traditions of Netherlandish art to suit his own style. In portraiture, his flare for capturing the natural appearance of his subject was particularly innovative. He painted characters, not just faces.
Rembrandt was a pioneer in painting technique. Catrina's portrait demonstrates his ability to combine fine detail, blurred impressions, and dramatic effects of light and shade.
Who was Catrina Hooghsaet?
Here, Catrina Hooghsaet appears independent, determined, and mildly eccentric - not unlike Rembrandt himself. Rembrandt's portrait tells us a lot about the sitter:
Clothes: Catrina's somber black dress with white cuffs, collar and cap show she was a member of an austere religious group called the Mennonites. Many were wealthy and Catrina's fine silk dress and other accessories flaunt her affluent background.
Handkerchief: Handkerchiefs were a luxury and implied wealth and sophistication.
Headdress: Catrina's intricate cap is pinned with pearls and stretched around valuable gold 'hoofdijsertgen' (head-irons) which grip her cheekbones.
Hands: Rembrandt moved the hands from their original position to the arms of the chair, giving Catrina an authoritative pose usually found in male portraits.
Pose: Female sitters often sat facing left, while their husbands' portrait would face right to form a pair. But unusually, Catrina lived independently from her husband and Rembrandt never painted him. Instead, she looks towards her pet parakeet.
Parakeet: Imported by Dutch trade ships, pet parakeets were a luxury frowned on by the Mennonites. One preacher criticised women who cared more for their pet parrots than for the poor.
This is a special loan from Penrhyn Castle


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text: A group of hackers that has been trying to sell exploits and malware allegedly used by the U.S. National Security Agency decided to make the data available for free over the weekend.The security community was expecting the password-encrypted archive that the Shadow Brokers group unlocked Saturday to contain previously unknown and unpatched exploits -- known in the industry as zero-days. That was not the case.As researchers started to analyze the exploits inside, it became clear that while some of them were technically interesting, the large majority were for old and publicly known vulnerabilities. Some appeared to have actually been sourced from public information and affect software versions that are several years old."The exploits that I have tested so far are obsolete," said Maksym Zaitsev, a researcher who has been analyzing the data in the archive. No significant exploits have been found or confirmed, he said.Zaitsev works for a French security consultancy and penetration testing firm\u00a0but did the analysis in his spare time.Julien Voisin, a reverse engineer who has been cataloging the exploits and tools in the Shadow Brokers archive together with a researcher known online as x0rz, confirmed Zaitsev's findings."Everything should [already] be patched," Voisin said via email. some of the exploits are interesting from a historical point of view, but no one is likely to be hacked because of them now, Voisin added.However, while the leak poses no immediate danger to users, it's probably an operational security nightmare for the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) division, which is believed to be behind the cyberespionage group known in the security industry as the Equation.That's because the Shadow Brokers archive doesn't contain only exploits, but also malware implants and other tools that the Equation has developed for various Unix-based systems. Cryptographic keys, logs from hacked servers, and information identifying compromised targets were also found inside.Researchers extracted a list of IP addresses from the Shadow Brokers archive that correspond to servers compromised by the Equation group.\u00a0The owners of those IP addresses include many universities, national research centers, and other educational institutions from around the world.Other information in the archive suggests that the Equation installed implants on mail and other servers belonging to governments, telecommunications providers, networking equipment manufacturers, and other private organizations.For example, a piece of data suggests that, at some point, the Equation had an implant codenamed STOICSURGEON installed on a mail server used by the Russian government.The exploits in the archive target Unix-based operating systems like SunOS and Solaris, several distributions of Linux, email and web server software, databases, web applications, and various other software packages commonly found on servers.The leaked data and tools show that the NSA is targeting telecommunications infrastructure and core GSM networks, x0rz said via Twitter. There are scripts to manipulate GSM data like Call Detail Records (CDRs) and billing information, exploits targeting old versions of Solaris -- a common OS in core networks -- and target notes about big GSM operators, he said.The NSA has known for awhile that these files have been leaked and has had enough time to clean up its tracks. However, the information in the Shadow Brokers archive can still be damaging to its present and future operations, because the agency's targets will now know they've been compromised and will launch security reviews and will strengthen their systems.It's worth keeping in mind that while none of the exploits in the archive has zero-day status now, some of them likely targeted unpatched vulnerabilities years ago when the NSA was using them.At that time, the NSA TAO team had a tremendous infiltration capability, Zaitsev said. "We should not underestimate them."The Shadow Brokers leaked a first batch of Equation group exploits in August. Some of those exploits turned out to be legitimate and affected hardware firewalls from multiple vendors.That initial leak was intended to convince people to bid in an auction for the full archive that the group claimed to have. The group failed to attract any significant offers -- it wanted 10,000 bitcoins worth around US$12 million -- so later it released more information including lists of IP addresses targeted by the Equation and a directory listing showing exploit codenames.Eventually, the Shadow Brokers called it quits in January and shut down their online accounts, which is why the group's return on Saturday and its decision to provide the password to the encrypted archive was surprising.The group's return was accompanied by an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump written in apparently broken English, a technique that some experts believe is intentional to hide the fact that the group's members are native English speakers.


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Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are engaged, a source tells Usmagazine.com.
"They tried to keep it very private and quiet," the source continues of the couple, who began dating in 2007. (They first met while filming flick Jamon, Jamon in 1992.)
A rep for Cruz, 35, had no comment.
A pal told the New York Daily News, which first reported the story, that Cruz wanted to wed Bardem, 40, to appease Cruz's Catholic parents — given the persistent rumors that she's pregnant, which she's denied.
Find out which other stars have recently denied pregnancies
Cruz once said she wasn't sure she wanted to be a wife.
"I don't know if I believe in marriage," she told Psychology Today in August. "I believe in family, love and children."
She continued: "When I [have children], I want to do it really well. I want it to be my best project in life."


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We recently visited Able Planet at CES, and were able to hear the difference when using their headphones. Their Linx Technology was the focus of the event and it was certainly an improvement for higher frequencies when jamming to your headphones.
Now when purchasing Able Planet headphones, some really cool gifts are included. Each of the Able Planet headphone lineup all has an Apple iPod to allow you to keep enjoying your music on a portable device capable of high-fidelity audio playback.
The top of the line Able Planet Clear Harmony 1100B over-ear, noise-canceling headphones are a great option to consider for audiophiles who want to get the best out of their music. The Linx Technology can also help when trying to really juice out the high frequencies in your music. You don't have to be obsessed with your music quality to appreciate these headphones either – their noise reduction makes them great for travelers. They're also durable enough to be an option for a DJ and any music lover can really appreciate how these sound. Their gift is an iPod Touch, which is the ultimate portable multimedia device. Now you can take whatever entertainment you want on the go and enjoy the sounds with Able Planet headphones.
Also a favorite is the Sound Clarity NC500SC over-ear headphones by Able Planet. These headphones are comparable to the Clear Harmony series, except the drivers aren't as large so they cannot attain the same output you find on the Clear Harmony. The Sound Clarity, however, is a great series to consider for the same type of listener, just a better budget option. This also includes an iPod Nano as a gift to help you keep your music on the go.
Finally, the True Fidelity NC300B headphones are the perfect option for those looking to try out their first high-grade set of headphones. Also great for those on a budget, these feature the Linx technology found on other high-end Able Planet headphones. They also feature active noise cancellation. You'll get an iPod Shuffle when you go with these True Fidelity headphones.