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(visited by Greg Michaels, McKenzie Funk and Paolo Marchesi)
21-May-2007 -- For all the pomp and ceremony of being the highest confluence in the Western Hemisphere, this confluence is most interesting for the path it laid down for us to get to it. Straight into the heart of the highest altitude altiplano volcano country, the path led us through solid white seas of sparkling salt and down an ever-deceiving network of dusty roads past ruins, strange face-like tombs, broad sand dunes, herds of llamas and alpacas, majestic vicunas (an almost deer-like relative of the llama), and enigmatic darting ostriches. Dwarfed by wide-open vistas of bushy plains, villages appeared as tiny clusters of mudbrick and steeples, and ultra-blue, waterfowl lakes as thin sapphire veneers. The horizon was often fringed with impressive groups of jagged and Fuji-like volcanoes, some with windy wisps arcing off of snowy summits. Almost like an oversized concert hall, all these parts would come together at the same time inside a giant valley with the harsh sun beating into it. Yet there was nothing but a peaceful silence and the soft wind with its prickly chill. This, in a nutshell, was what we encountered during the two-day jeep journey from Uyuni to Tomarapi, before we even attempted to summit the confluence peak.
It was ten months prior that I received an email from McKenzie Funk, a freelance writer for Outside Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, and Harpers, to name a few. He was interested in coming with me to do a story on a confluence adventure. By late 2006, after considering many confluences, we decided on a plan to visit the Western Hemisphere's highest confluence. By early 2007, to our great surprise, and after much scrutiny of complicated issues involving confluence elevations, we determined the point was 18S 76W in western Bolivia (not our original target of 12S 76W in Peru which had been previously listed on the DCP site). Mac (McKenzie) would write up our adventure for Outside Magazine.
As far as planning went, it was coincidental that I had been working as a geophysicist in Rio de Janeiro from late March to early May. So instead of flying long distance to Bolivia, I traveled by land from Rio. Mac was constrained by time to meet me on May 17, so I had about 2 weeks to make it there by land. I traveled across southern Brazil to Iguaçu Falls, Argentina, and then across northern Argentina to its Altiplano northwest. It was from there that I entered Bolivia.
I met Mac and an Italian cameraman named Paolo (who resides in Montana) in Tupiza, a 2950 meter (9680 feet) high town in southern Bolivia. Together on 18 May we took a local bus and crowded jeep to Uyuni (3669 meters, 12030 ft.), from where we rented a jeep to take us to Tomarapi. Very early on the first jeep day, 19 May, we set off across the expansive salt lake, Salar de Uyuni. In addition to transecting the lake, we were able to get to confluence 20S 68W, which is IN the salt lake. The write-up on that visit will go into the interesting things we saw in the Salar de Uyuni leading up to that confluence. Think of it as a prequel.
After the salt-lake confluence, it wasn't long before we found we were leaving the salt lake. We had spent the morning and part of the afternoon in the Salar. Now the challenge was taking unfamiliar dirt roads across the expanse of terrain along Bolivia's western border between the Salar and Sajama National Park.
Sajama, the highest peak in Bolivia, is a giant majestic volcano. It sticks strait up from the surrounding plains as if the Matterhorn had been placed amidst a dry brown desert. Though it was far away from us at this point, we were quite aware of it, and had seen numerous photos of it. It served as a focal point, in part because it is so prominent, and in part because the confluence was only a few kilometers from it.
Although our jeep driver Criso, an indigenous Bolivian, insisted he knew the way from the Salar to Sajama, he turned out to be pretty clueless. This could have been a point of contention but he redeemed himself to us as a genuinely kind person and a real trooper. Riding shotgun was Maria, a Bolivian woman whom, although she cooked meals for us, we assumed was his wife or significant other. They scratched their heads about where to go.
It turned out that Mac and Paolo were the best equipped for getting us out of our quandary. Paolo had a pretty detailed map of this region of Bolivia, and Mac had a fancy color-screen GPS that worked inside the cabin of the jeep! We used the map to find some dirt roads and villages, and to estimate the lat/lon of "control points" to enter in the GPS. The GPS then gave us an arrow of the general direction to go.
Mac, who is fluent in Spanish, would relay this to the Bolivian couple, but soon he found it was better to just give them the GPS. We weren't sure if they had ever seen a GPS, but it wasn't long before they seemed mesmerized by it, studying it together every few seconds. Soon they were so fixated on it that they excluded us from discussions about where we were going. Though they worked together as a sort of navigation team, they would sometimes, quite admirably, quarrel about where to go.
In the back seat Mac, Paolo and I were of the opinion that we were headed too far west, and that we might end up in Chile. But we were soon to find out that we had only made it to the tiny village of Llica, Bolivia, from where we sought directions.
The rest of the day involved heavy navigating between Mac and the couple, and a few small missteps. Soon we had things figured out, and were headed across a salt lake called Salar de Coipasa. We didn't see as many shear white plains as on Salar de Uyuni, and it appeared to be more of a sabkha with brushy sagebrush-like bushes. Once we left it, dusk set in. We discovered a beautiful deserted village, complete with town square and church. Not far from there was Sabaya where we would spend the night.
Sabaya reminded me of a dusty, shoddy Chinese truck stop town. The buildings were made of block brick construction and some white shiny tiles. Though we arrived in the dark of night with poor lighting, the place appeared beaten-down and full of dust and diesel. It was a small village but a popular truck stop for traffic transporting goods to and from Chile. Our driver found us a room with a few beds.
The next morning was bright and sunny and brought us a whole new outlook. We discovered that there was actually a somewhat charming part of the village just behind the bleak truck stop boulevard. We were also told we were only about four hours away from Sajama (we had previously thought it might be more than a day away). Upon driving out of the village, we rounded a hillock and stopped the jeep, in awe of the view. Way off in the distance, over plains of llama and cobalt-blue streams, we saw Sajama.
But as we soon found out, things were not as simple and straightforward as they seemed. The day was filled with several "wrong turns", and it took us a lot more than four hours. Nevertheless, in the process we saw many beautiful places. We explored old villages, tombs, a sand dune, and saw a lot of wildlife.
At one point we asked local villagers which road to take. In response, an older woman and four dusty-but-cute children decided to get into the jeep with us. It was an exchange: they would show us the way if we would take them to another village.
Another event occurred at a checkpoint where young guards tried to extract a bribe from us. In a conversation excluding us, Criso let them know he was no pushover, "Don't you remember what Evo said!" in reference to President Evo Morales' drive to stamp out corruption. The guards let us pass.
After a semicircle from Sajama's south side to its north side, by late afternoon we finally made it to Tomarapi. Tomarapi, at 4270 meters (14000 feet), just happens to be the closest village to the confluence, but it's no ordinary village. The village contains an ecolodge, where we stayed. It's a charmingly adorned adobe complex that is managed to be eco-friendly. So eco-friendly in fact that the power was too low to recharge our camera batteries. This didn't seem to present a problem for Paolo, but my camera batteries were out of power. I had a back-up film camera with me, but instead decided to accept Mac's offer to share his photos.
Besides the ecolodge, there wasn't much else in the village: a picturesque church, a soccer field and some llamas – and, of course, Sajama looming in the background. It was a very serene place.
We woke up the next day, ready to attack the confluence. The confluence sits in the middle of a volcanic complex mountain named Jachcha Condoriri, a few kilometers to the northwest of Sajama. 'Jachcha Condoriri' means 'crying condor' in the local Quechua language.
We planned a day trip, but packed provisions in case we needed to camp at the bottom of the peak to ascend a second day. We hired a local driver to take us the 10 plus kilometers to the road's closest approach to the confluence. We also arranged for him to rendezvous with us at the end of the day for a likely pick-up.
Both the previous afternoon and that morning we studied the mountain to come up with a hiking strategy to get to the confluence. We had also been studying Google Earth screen captures that both Mac and I had brought with us.
The confluence appeared to be on a group of bluffs at the center of the Condoriri complex. We decided to hike up an arcuate ridge which would bring us gradually up the right side of the mountain to a false summit, the second highest peak on the mountain. From there we could most easily descend on the central bluffs and to the confluence.
We began our journey where the dirt road nears the mountain, at an altitude of about 4500 meters (14800 ft). On the way up, we passed queñua, bushy trees that look a lot like juniper trees. They are famous for comprising the world's highest forest on Mt. Sajama (though it's said that it doesn't really look like a forest). We also passed bright green blobs of llareta, boulder-sized clumps of hard moss. They often ooze a sappy substance that is used as a fuel by local people.
We continued up, well over 5000 meters (16400 feet), with all of us, but particularly me, getting extremely winded. Often we wouldn't realize how out-of-breath we were until we had already over-exerted ourselves.
As we ascended, gusts of wind were so powerful that they threatened to blow us off the ridge. We stayed off the spine of the ridge, but fortunately the gusts subsided further up. There were some rocky parts of the ridge where we had to do some bouldering.
We made it to the false summit at a height of 5357 meters (17600 feet) by about 1 or 2 PM. The view was spectacular. Paolo snapped away.
For about an hour or two leading up to the summit, I had worried about time, expressing this to Mac and Paolo at least once. Once at the summit I urged them to move on, but to no avail, as they were too awed by the view. I decided to descend toward the confluence on my own.
There was little snow on Condoriri other than a few hard icy patches on the shadier south-facing slopes. To get to the central mound of cliffs I had to slide across a short swath of ice. Finally the other two caught up, and slid accordingly.
We walked among the big boulders of the central mound counting off only tens of meters remaining to the confluence. Perhaps at first slowly but then more suddenly, a stark reality sunk in. The confluence was off the side of the cliff!
Mac and I attempted to get close to the edge of the cliff while Paolo backed off to get photos. First I found a notch in the cliff that seemed to get us close to the confluence. Mac came down to join me on a very precarious ledge where we documented the point with great caution and meticulousness. His GPS was superior to mine for two reasons: 1) It worked! It had a reception inside the notch surrounded by steep walls, and 2) it was able to get an accuracy down to 2 meters!
Surprisingly, once we climbed to the top of the cliff again, we found we could get a little closer to the confluence. We got to within 14 meters (46 feet) of the confluence with an accuracy of 2 meters (6 feet). Shivering and with frozen hands, we documented the point once again.
Although the consensus among us was that the confluence was somewhere in the middle of the cliff, I felt I had to get to the bottom of the cliff to take another reading even though it would involve circumventing the entire length of the mound and scarp. Suddenly, this was the least of our problems.
After all the documenting of the point we finally
found Paolo. He had disappeared, but what we found was
a quite altered Paolo. He looked tired and dizzy, and
had a pounding headache – a clear sign of altitude
sickness. He had also lost several of his photo memory
cards – which fortunately were blank. Mac,
incidentally, lost his sunglasses off the scarp!
And, on top of that, it was starting to get dark. We tracked around the group of cliffs until we were under them.
Mac and I started traversing across to the bottom of
the confluence cliff, while Paolo descended. However,
it suddenly became clear that Paolo was not doing
well. We felt it best that Paolo not go down alone.
Mac gave me his GPS as I tried to edge toward the
confluence on my own.
Then more problems. The scree slope consisted of little more than a few centimeters of loose rock over what seemed to be frozen soil. Every step I took I slid with little aid from friction. I asked Mac how use the ice axe in the event of an uncontrolled slide, but he assured me I was ok.
With darkness encroaching, he thought I might have 45 minutes to spare to get close to the confluence. I continued to traverse the precarious slope. At a certain point I was frozen in place to prevent from going into an uncontrolled slide. Although Mac assured me it was fine, my instincts told me it was unsafe, and I decided to abandon the lower attempt.
We descended the rest of the mountain into the dark of night. It turned out we really didn't have the 45 minutes we thought we had. Luckily our ride was waiting for us at the bottom, but he told us he would have left had we not turned on our headlamps.
A 9-page article (3.8MB PDF) about this trip, about my confluence endeavors, and about confluence hunting in general, titled "Because It's There. (Sort Of.)", written by McKenzie Funk, with photos by Paolo Marchesi, appeared in the June 2008 issue of Outside Magazine.


text:
Home Page Chess Life Kids 2009 April Zatonskih Climbs to 5.5/6: Video Recap
|Zatonskih Climbs to 5.5/6: Video Recap
|October 11, 2009
In round six of the US Women's Championship (Saint Louis, October 3-13), defending champion Anna Zatonskih climbed to 5.5/6
with a win over Alisa Melekhina. Watch a video recap with Jen Shahade and
Macauley Peterson.
Tune in to live commentary at uschesschamps.com or the Internet Chess Club at 1 PM EST/Noon local on Sunday and Monday, October 11. The final round on Tuesday, October 13 will begin at 11 AM EST/10 AM local. Also see the official website for news, bulletins, photos and more.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
BANGKOK (Reuters) - An Airbus 330-300 operated by Thai Airways skidded off the runway at Bangkok's main international airport after the nose wheel collapsed on landing late Sunday night, injuring 14 passengers, the airline said.
The flight from Guangzhou, China, was carrying 288 passengers and 14 crew members. Passengers were evacuated using emergency slides and the 14 injured were sent to a Bangkok hospital, Thai Airways said.
"Thai Airways International Flight TG 679 from Guangzhou was scheduled to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 23:00 hours local time. The nose gear failed as the plane touched the runway causing the plane to skid," the airline said in an emailed statement.
"Sparks were noticed from the vicinity of the right landing gear near the engine; the matter is under investigation" by Thai civil aviation officials, it said.
Bangkok's futuristic Suvarnabhumi airport opened seven years ago and has since become one of the busiest airports in Asia. Built to handle 45 million passengers a year, Suvarnabhumi Airport is already seeing 53 million passengers annually.
The airport is expanding a new passenger terminal and adding more parking bays and a new runway to enable it to handing 60 million fliers by 2017, according to the Airports of Thailand Public Company Ltd.
Article taken from TheStar


text:
- Regulatory Status
- Other Names
- Fixable Dye, Fixable Viability Dye
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|Cat #
|Quantity Check Availability
|100 tests
|500 tests
Zombie Green™ is an amine-reactive fluorescent dye that is non-permeant to live cells but permeant to the cells with compromised membranes. Thus, it can be used to assess live vs. dead status of mammalian cells. Zombie Green™ is a polar, water soluble dye providing green fluorescence, making it suitable for multi-color detection.Product Details
Product Details
- Preparation
- Zombie Green™ Fixable Viability Kit is composed of lyophilized Zombie Green™ dye and anhydrous DMSO. For reconstitution, bring the kit to room temperature; add 100 µl of DMSO to one vial of Zombie Green™ dye until fully dissolved. 100 tests = 1 vial of Zombie Green™ + DMSO, 500 tests = 5 vials of Zombie Green™ + DMSO.
- Storage & Handling
- Store kit at -20°C upon receipt. Do not open vials until needed. Once the DMSO is added to the Zombie Green™ dye, use immediately, or store at -20°C in a dry place and protected from light, preferably in a desiccator or in a container with desiccant for no more than one month.
- Application
FC, ICFC - Quality tested
ICC - Verified
- Recommended Usage
Each lot of this product is quality control tested by immunofluorescent staining with flow cytometric analysis. For flow cytometry, the suggested dilution is 1:100-1:1000 for 1-10 million cells. For immunocytochemistry, the suggested dilution is 1:1000. It is recommended that the reagent be titrated for optimal performance for each application, as optimal dosage varies with cell type.
This product is provided under an intellectual property license from Life Technologies Corporation.
View full statement regarding label licenses
- Excitation Laser
Blue Laser (488 nm)
- Application Notes
Standard Cell Staining Protocol:
- Prior to reconstitution, spin down the vial of lyophilized reagent in a microcentrofuge to ensure the reagent is at the bottom of the vial.
- For reconstitution, pre-warm the kit to room temperature; add 100 µl of DMSO to one vial of Zombie Green™ dye and mix until fully dissolved
- Wash cells with PBS buffer (no Tris buffer and protein free).
- Dilute Zombie Green™ dye at 1:100-1000 in PBS. Resuspend 1-10 x 106 cells in diluted 100 µl Zombie Green™ solution. To minimize background staining of live cells, titrate the amount of dye and/or number of cells per 100 µl for optimal performance. Different cell types can have a wide degree of variability in staining based on cell size and degree of cell death.
Note: Don't use Tris buffer as a diluent and be sure that the PBS does not contain any other protein like BSA or FBS.
Note: The amount of dye used can also influence the ability to detect apoptotic as well as live and dead cells.
- Incubate the cells at room temperature, in the dark, for 15-30 minutes.
- Wash one time with 2 ml BioLegend's Cell Staining Buffer (Cat. No. 420201) or equivalent buffer containing serum or BSA.
- Continue performing antibody staining procedure as desired.
- Cells can be fixed with paraformaldehyde or methanol prior to permeabilization or can be analyzed without fixation.
No-wash Sequential Staining Protocol:
- Wash cells with PBS buffer (no Tris buffer and protein free).
- For reconstitution, pre-warm the kit to room temperature; add 100 µl of DMSO to one vial of Zombie Green™ dye and mix until fully dissolved
- Determine the total µl volume of antibody cocktail previously titrated and optimized for the assay that will be added to each vial/well of cells based on a final volume of 100 µl. Subtract that antibody volume from the 100 µl total staining volume intended for the assay. In the remaining volume, dilute Zombie Green™ dye at 1:100-1000 in PBS as determined by prior optimization at that volume. For example, if you are adding 20 µl of antibody cocktail for a 100 µl total staining volume, use 80 µl of Zombie Green™ solution. Resuspend 1-10 x 106 cells in the appropriate volume of Zombie Green™ solution. Different cell types can have a wide degree of variability in staining based on cell size and degree of cell death.
Note: Don't use Tris buffer as a diluent and be sure that the PBS does not contain any other protein like BSA or FBS.
Note: The amount of dye used can also influence the ability to detect apoptotic as well as live and dead cells.
- Incubate for 10-15 minutes at RT, protected from light. Without washing the cells, add the cell surface antibody cocktail and incubate for another 15-20 minutes.
- Add 1-2 mL Cell Staining Buffer (Cat. No. 420201) or equivalent buffer containing BSA or serum. Centrifuge to pellet.
- Continue with normal fixation and permeabilization procedure. If planning to skip fixation and analyze cells live, complete an additional wash step to minimize any unnecessary background of the live cells.
Notes: If the cell type in use cannot tolerate a protein-free environment, then titrate the Zombie Green™ dye in the presence of the same amount of BSA/serum as will be present in the antibody staining procedure. A higher amount of Zombie Green™ may be required since the BSA/serum will react with and bind up some proportion of the Zombie Green™.
Zombie Green™ dye is excited by the blue laser (488 nm) and has a fluorescence emission maximum of 515 nm. If using in a multi-color panel design, filter optimization may be required depending on other fluorophores used. Zombie Green™ dye has similar emission to FITC.
- Additional Product Notes
View more applications data for this product in our Scientific Poster Library.
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- Biology Area
- Apoptosis/Tumor Suppressors/Cell Death, Cell Biology, Neuroscience
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- I am concerned about the spillover I am observing from the Zombie dye into its neighboring channels.
- Rule of thumb with Zombie dyes is to titrate them down as much as possible to fit your application. This should potentially help with spillover. Secondly, Zombie positive events represent dead cells and are typically gated out from analysis.
- How does the performance of your Zombie dye compare with competitors?
Zombie dyes have been tested against other leading competitors' fixable viability kits and given comparable results. We also highly recommend that you titrate down the amount of each dye used in order to best match the negative signals of your unstained sample and MFI- (mean fluorescence intensity) stained samples.
- Can I use methanol/ethanol for fixation after using a Zombie dye?
Yes, most fixation reagents are fine to be used with Zombie dyes. However, it should be noted that Zombie dyes can still be sensitive to reactive oxygen species. Light exposure or reagents with hydrogen peroxide can lead to free radical formation, affecting fluorescence.
- Can Zombie be used to determine bacteria, yeast viability?
- We have not tested in house bacterial or yeast viability using Zombie dyes. It is not clear whether the difference between surface and intracellular signals will be significantly different in case of non mammalian cells.
- Can I use Zombie with cells suspension containing serum?
- Serum is full of proteins which will sequester the dye and thereby reducing its effective concentration. The basic rule of thumb with zombie is to titrate it based on your specific condition. Titration also helps reduce the background and spillover into other channels.
- Can I use your Zombie dyes for microscopy application?
Zombie dyes that have been tested for microscopy applications in-house will display data on the product webpage. It should be noted that Zombie may not work for dead cell discrimination in every microscopy application, as a complicated point will be to determine the level of Zombie signal that constitutes a dead cell. Another difficulty may be finding the proper plane for microscopy in order to observe the dead cells.
- Why can't I fix my cells prior to using Zombie?
The fixation process can contort and alter the membrane of cells, effectively rendering them as dead. Since the ability of Zombie to stain dead cells is correlated with cell permeability, your results may no longer be a valid representation of dead versus live cells.
- Can I use Zombie and Annexin V to detect apoptotic cells?
Yes, Zombie can be used with Annexin V to discriminate live, apoptotic, and dead cells. Cells double positive for both Zombie and Annexin V are dead, while Zombie-dim/Annexin V-positive cells are apoptotic. Live cells will be Zombie-low and Annexin V-negative. The advantage to Zombie over PI and 7-AAD is that you can now fix and/or permeabilize the cells to stain for cell surface and intracellular antigens.


text:
Agents of Operation: Malleus have been faced Uberfalkonier's who were commanding highly trained velocirapters on the field of battle. Obviously, this was surprising to the agents because they thought dinosaurs were extinct and they didn't expect the Fuhrer to have weaponized them.
It appears the program is still fairly recent as creative problem solving quickly dispatched their first encounter with what has been labled Reichsraptors.
There is growing concern that more cryptids are joining the 3rd Reich.
No. Enco.: 1 - 6
Movement: 120'
Armor Class: 2 (18)
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d6/1d6/1d4
Special: Surprise.
Save: F3
Morale: 8
Alignment: N
X.P. Value: 95
DESIGNATION OF OPEN GAME CONTENT All text and tables in this document are open game content.
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
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15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Reference Document Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathon Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002-2004, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, Eric Cagle, David Noonan, Stan!, Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.
Copyright 2012 by Mark Crasddock.


text:
Polo Ralph Lauren
Zatvoreno - Otvoreno od 10:00 - 20:00
Authentic and iconic, Polo Ralph Lauren Men is the original symbol of the modern preppy lifestyle. Combining Ivy League classics and time-honored English haberdashery with downtown styles and All-American sporting looks, Polo sportswear and tailored clothing present a one-of-a-kind vision of menswear that is stylish, timeless and appealing to all generations of men.
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Polo Ralph Lauren Children is designed to reflect the timeless heritage and modern spirit of Ralph Lauren's collections for men and women. Signature classics, including iconic polo knit shirts and luxurious cashmere cable sweaters, are interpreted in the most sophisticated and vibrant colors.


text:
Library Search
The NRFC Library is a collection of materials to build a knowledge base around fathers, fatherhood, and operating a Responsible Fatherhood program. It also houses all resources created by the NRFC, including fact sheets, PSAs, and past webinars.
Use the search options provided below to find resources that you are interested in.
This is the second of three resources included in the report, Healing and Supporting Fathers: Principles, Practices, and Resources for Fatherhood Programs to Help Address and Prevent Domestic Violence. The resource provides four example scenarios that demonstrate and provide guidance on how…


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A car rests in the middle of mangled scaffolding after jumping a curb Saturday in Brooklyn.
A 3-year-old and his mother were fighting for their lives after a car jumped the curb and struck some scaffolding at the corner of Utica and Church avenues in Brooklyn around 6:50 p.m Saturday, officials said.
Twelve people were injured when a Lincoln sedan crashed through a bus stop and hit a sidewalk shed, causing it to collapse, New York Post Reported. Four of those injured by the incident are in critical condition.
A woman was driving the car with a male passenger when the accident occurred, according to The Associated Press.
The scaffolding partially collapsed and rescuers worked to secure it while others tended to the injured, officials said.
The child, his mother, and two other women in critical condition were taken to Kings County Hospital, New York Post Reported. Five people with serious but non-life threatening injuries were taken to Brookdale Hospital.
— NBCNewYork.com
This story was originally published on Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:53 PM EDT
Source Article from http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/30/17533096-12-hurt-including-mom-and-son-3-when-car-jumps-onto-sidewalk-in-brooklyn?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=3


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To understand the single, key difference between the original Xbox and the Xbox 360, all you need to know is this: The original Xbox was a pure video game console, dedicated to this singular task. But the Xbox 360 was envisioned as something much more, a set-top box that consumers could put in their living rooms in order to enjoy broader and more general forms of entertainment as well.
That was the plan, at least. In truth, the first several years of the Xbox 360's lifetime were marred by unreliable hardware devices, necessitating the single most expensive consumer electronics warranty repair in history. And the original version of the Xbox 360 was simply too loud, and ran too hot, to make sense in the cramped quarters one finds around television sets. The thing was a little a turbine engine running at full throttle. And full volume.
From a hardware perspective, that all changed in 2010 when Microsoft issued the second generation version of the Xbox 360. Called the Xbox 360 S (and still erroneously called the "Xbox 360 Slim" by some), this new version of the console is far more reliable than the original, and suffers from none of the failures that marred the first version. It's also far quieter, especially when you're not playing a game. So when in use as a living room set-top box, the newer Xbox 360 S consoles are actually pretty quiet. Not silent, but quiet.
With the hardware issues finally behind it, Microsoft began working to evolve the Xbox 360's software as well. And now there have now been four major versions of the Xbox 360 user interface, which is called the Dashboard. The first was a blades-based UI that debuted with the console in 2005. The second was a 2008 update that brought the so-called New Xbox Experience, or NXE. This UI was the first to truly take advantage of HD, widescreen displays, but it was hampered by a weird pseudo-3D effect. So Microsoft updated the UI again in late 2010, to a flatter, Metro-style UI that incorporated elements from its work on Zune and Windows Phone, integrated basic Kinect functionality, and set the stage for this year's transformation.
Now, in late 2011, the Dashboard has been updated yet again. I discussed the actual UI changes in Part 1 of this review, but suffice to say that Microsoft has standardized on this Metro-style design language across all its major platforms, and the Fall 2011 Dashboard Update is meant to provide an obvious familial similarity with Windows 8, coming in 2012, and with Windows Phone. Terminology used on those platforms is carried over to Xbox as well, so instead of "screens" of information, we now have Hubs and groups.
Overall, I think the evolved Dashboard UI is very effective, though I'd point out that it's lacking some key elements of other Microsoft Metro-style UIs, including the ability to customize the top-level screens (excuse me, "Hubs") with pinned and favorite items. But it's attractive and works well with a variety of input devices one might use with the console, including hand controllers, remote controls, and Kinect (voice and/or motion).
But as noted previously, this year's Dashboard Update is really just an evolution of previous UIs, and though it's important that Microsoft is consolidating this stuff to be more consistent, that's not really the big news here. No, the big news is what's happened under the covers. I wrote about the new Dashboard's Bing and Kinect integration in Part 2 of this review. And I wrote about interesting new Xbox 360 features like Beacons, cloud storage, and Windows Phone integration in Part 3. Here, I'd like to focus on the Xbox 360's move into living room home entertainment, courtesy of a wide range of TV and entertainment services that integrate not just with the console itself but also with key related technologies like Bing and Kinect. This change puts the Xbox 360 nose-to-nose with current living room champions like the Apple TV and the Roku 2 Streaming Player. And depending on your perspective, it may in fact put the Xbox 360 ahead.
There is one caveat, however, and it is a huge one, so please read this carefully: Everything I'm about to describe requires a paid Xbox LIVE Gold membership. Everything. That is, in addition to whatever subscription fees you may pay to your cable TV provider or to services like Netflix and Hulu, you will also have to pay Microsoft $60 every year (or more) for the privilege of accessing these paid services--and other services that are free elsewhere--via the Xbox 360. Amazingly, this applies even to Microsoft services. So if you're paying Microsoft $9.99 a month (or $100 a year) for its Zune Music Pass and wish to access that service from the Xbox 360 console, yep, you guessed it, you also need to pay for Xbox LIVE Gold.
And just so we're clear, that $60 per year is the minimum you'll pay. You only get that deal if you pay for a year upfront. Pay by the month and a year of Xbox LIVE Gold will cost you $120 (at $9.99 a month). Pay quarterly and it will cost $100 (at $24.99 for three months). And there are also Family memberships that cost $99.99 a year for up to four users. ("4 for the price of 2," Microsoft says.)
Put simply, Xbox LIVE Gold is expensive. And if all you wanted to do was use this console as an on-ramp to Internet-based TV and entertainment services, I'd have to say it's not worth it. An Apple TV, Roku 2 Streaming Player, or whatever is most likely a better deal (either costs $99 or less and comes with no ongoing fees aside from whatever third party services you choose). No, the reason one might pay for Xbox LIVE Gold is that it provides useful game-related services over and above what's available to members of the free version of Xbox LIVE. And, if you're a gamer and love the Xbox 360 because of that, you also happen to get these other entertainment-related options as a nice side-benefit.
And since we're talking about cost, please remember this little inconvenient truth: The Xbox 360 does not come with a viable remote control of any kind, so you'll need to factor that into your calculations. (Apple TV, Roku 2, and every other set-top box you can think of comes with a simple remote.) Microsoft sells an Xbox 360 Media Remote, which is decent, for $20. There's an Xbox 360 Messenger Kit, which extends the controller with a decent mini-keyboard for $30 (but doesn't provide better media navigation facilities). Or you can buy the Kinect and use its motion control and voice control schemes ... but only for some stuff. And that costs a hefty $120, or $100 with a console bundle. Yikes.
OK, still with me? Not turned off by the egregious Microsoft vig on Xbox LIVE or the fact that the Xbox controller is, at best, a poor substitution for a real remote? Then here's what you get right now, with the understanding that these services are evolving over time and new services are coming online fairly regularly. By this time next year, I expect the list of available services to have grown exponentially. And of course, they vary by region and locale: I can only review the services that happen to be available where I live.
(Note: Some of these services are not new to the Fall 2011 Dashboard Update. My goal here is to provide an overview of what services are available, since many potential users probably ignored or dismissed the Xbox 360's non-gaming features previously.)
Social network integration
Microsoft provides integration with the two most popular consumer-oriented social networking services, Facebook and Twitter, providing ways to connect with your friends on an HDTV instead of the smaller PC and smart phone screens you're currently using. Via the Facebook integration, you can view photos, status updates, and comments that are posted to the service and interact with others who are using both Facebook and the 360. The Twitter integration is similar, allowing you to display your Xbox LIVE information (such as your Gamertag) with your Twitter updates. Again, the idea here is that people using both services can now interact and play games or enjoy interactive entertainment together.
You can obviously post (or "tweet") to both services from the console, but only the Facebook app offers a truly immersive, full-screen service experience. (The Twitter interface requires manual refreshes and provides no way to save searches and do other useful things.) In fact, this is a pretty good way to access Facebook. I particularly like the photo slideshow functionality.
In addition to the services everyone has heard of, the Xbox 360 also provides its own social networking solution called Video Kinect. As the name suggests, this requires a Kinect motion-sensor add-on, but the resulting video chat capabilities are pretty impressive. You can perform video chats with your Xbox LIVE friends, with your Windows Live Messenger (Microsoft's PC-based instant messaging service, also integrated) friends, and use a fun option called Avatar Kinect to perform Avatar-based chats in virtual environments, where each person's onscreen avatar mimics their head and arm movements and even some facial expressions. The latter option is a bit laggy, but assuming you've got the patience to set it up right and a big enough room to pull off using Kinect effectively, it's a lot of fun.
TV services
While there are various online services catering to online TV show streaming, such as Hulu Plus and Netflix, this category instead refers to cable and TV provider integration. In this US, this means Verizon FIOS now and Comcast Xfinity in early 2012. But regardless of your location, the important thing to remember here is that these services require you to have a current cable TV (or similar provider) subscription. And these services can only be accessed from home: You won't be able to logon to someone else's Xbox 360, elsewhere in the US or abroad, and access your cable TV provider's Xbox LIVE services. They literally check at runtime to make sure you're a current subscriber.
As such, you may be wondering what the point is. Actually, I find these services--or at least the FIOS one I can access--to be very useful indeed. And that's because they an interesting subset of your full TV services for secondary TVs around the house. This can be great for bedrooms or whatever, and is certainly less expensive than paying the cable company for another cable box and remote each month. And in my case, what I get through FIOS is pretty valuable, and will soon be geting better. Your mileage may--no, will--vary depending on which service you get.
FIOS. With the current version of the FIOS app on Xbox 360, you get access to a small subset of the available TV channels. These include standard definition (SD) versions of CNN Headline News, DIY, MTV2, The Movie Channel, Hallmark, TV Land, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, and BOOM, as well as HD versions of TNT, TBS, Spike, ESPN News, CNN, Food TV, HGTV, Travel, truTV, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Nick, and BET. If you're an HBO/Cinemax subscriber, you also get HD versions of HBO, HBO2, and Cinemax.
There's an attractive Metro-style program guide (that looks nothing like the Media Center guide) that works fine with controller, remote, or Kinect. And closed captioning--crystal clear, beautiful, closed captioning--is available all around. Picture quality, alas, is not up to the standards of, say, Zune Video streaming, which provides gorgeous 1080p quality; here, even HD shows have a washed out, You Tube-like blurriness/smoothness to them. Not horrible, but not great. And the on screen controls are minimal.
Today's version of the FIOS app is a bit limited in that it only includes some live TV content. My understanding is that a future update will provide access to FIOS' voluminous On Demand library of content. Such an addition would put this service right over the top. But even now, it's pretty darn good.
In other areas: 4 on Demand (C4, in the UK), ABC iView (Australia), DIGI+ (Canal+, Spain), MUZU.TV (many European countries), and others are available now.
Coming soon: Comcast Xfinity and HBO GO are slated to go live in early 2012, Microsoft says. The Xfinity app, alas, will be live TV only, with no On Demand component.
Video services
While most Xbox LIVE subscribers will have access to just one cable TV service--or none at all in many cases--the number of video services is already big, and it's going to get bigger over time. Here's a sampling of what's available already.
Daily Motion. This You Tube-like video sharing service is the second-biggest in the world, apparently, after Google's offering. It's free and works with Kinect.
EPIX. This service has two components, a premium cable channel with On Demand (similar to HBO) that is available via some cable carriers, and an online subscription service that lets you play HD-quality movies on compatible devices. So it's not available to everyone, though I see I do have the option on FIOS. The Xbox 360 app is Kinect compatible.
ESPN on Xbox LIVE. Debuting last year, ESPN on Xbox LIVE provides Xbox 360 users with live and on demand sports content. The live stuff is pretty much limited to certain ESPN3 events, and the on demand content is mostly clips, but it's Kinect compatible and the video quality is good.
Hulu Plus. After Netflix, Hulu Plus is probably the second best-known on demand TV and movie subscription service, and it arguably still has a better selection of TV shows, though that could have changed. This app requires a Hulu Plus subscription, which costs $7.99 per month, and can't be used with a free Hulu account. Closed captioning is available on some content and the video is often in HD quality, and it utilizes the same HD streaming technology found in Zune Videos. Hulu Plus is Kinect compatible. But on the downside, as on the web, some content is accompanied by limited commercial interruption. Even though you pay for the service. Twice. Sigh.
NBC Today. This free app provides popular clips from the show, with closed captioning and Kinect compatibility.
MSN MSNBC. This free app provides popular clips from MSNBC, the cable TV news station. It also has (spotty) closed captioning and Kinect support. And ads.
Netflix. The premier on demand video streaming service requires a paid subscription but has dramatically more content that other services like Amazon Prime Instant Videos (which curiously isn't on Xbox LIVE) and Hulu Plus (which is). Netflix now features a brand new UI, closed captioning, and is Kinect compatible.
SyFy. The horribly renamed Sci-Fi Channel offers a surprisingly weak lineup of webisodes, clips, and behind-the-scene videos of favorite science fiction shows like "Battlestar Galactica." All that's missing is the actual shows.
TMZ. This is a celebrity gossip service, so I'll just ignore it and never have to worry about wishing for minutes of my life back.
UFC. Ultimate Fighting Championship comes to the Xbox with clips and on demand, pay-per-view fights. Video is HD qualty and it includes Kinect voice control support, but not closed captioning.
Vudu HD Movies. This service claims the world's largest selection of HD movies, which you can buy and rent often before they're available on other services. (HD TV shows are also available.) What sets Vudu apart from the competition is that you only pay for what you watch, and movie rentals start at as low as $2 per rental for two nights. That said, new blockbuster movies can be much more expensive: Rise of the Planet of the Apes is now $4.99 for the (720p) HD version or $5.99 for what's called HD-X, which is of course 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound. The Vudu app for Xbox 360 looks great, but I don't see closed captioning anywhere, which is a letdown. It is Kinect compatible, however.
You Tube. Google's ubiquitous video service gets the Xbox treatment. Note, however, that you cannot control this app with voice (Kinect): Only controller/remote control and Kinect motion control is available.
Zune Videos. The only major video service that's been on the Xbox 360 since day one, Zune Videos offers a la carte access to individual TV shows and movies, and any content you've purchased in the past can be streamed--in stunning 1080p HD video if you purchased that version--at any time, on the fly. Zune doesn't get a lot of respect, but this service is pretty decent, with Kinect support of course. All that's missing is closed captioning.
In other areas: LOVEFiLM (UK), BlinkBox (UK), and many other video services are available in other markets.
Coming soon: Crackle, MLB.TV, VEVO (music videos) and others are coming in early 2012.
Music services
Xbox doesn't have Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody, or any other tier-one music services (yet?) but it has a few decent music services, and of course support for Microsoft's under-appreciated but excellent Zune Music Pass.
iHeartRadio. This personalizable Internet radio service provides access to over 800 of the most popular live broadcast and digital-only radio stations from 150 US cities. You can find stations near you automatically or search for your favorites stations no matter the location, and save the ones you like the most. And as with services like Pandora or Spotify you can create custom stations based on favorite artists or songs. Full Kinect support is available.
Last.FM. This UK-based music service provides recommendations based on your listening habits (called scrobbling), Internet-based radio stations, concert information for your favorite groups, and more. The service is free but ad supported and is fully Kinect compatible. In a nice touch, the Now Playing screen features some decent artist photography.
Zune Music. The Xbox 360's original music service is still excellent, especially if you're paying for the Zune Music Pass subscription. It provides access to the Zune Music Marketplace, where you can find and preview music and music videos. Or, with a Zune Music Pass, you can stream anything from the entire Zune collection, or utilize Smart DJ for smart playlists, a new Smart VJ for (mostly low quality) smart music video playlists, and share musical likes over Zune Social. You can pin artists, albums, and songs to the Music Apps sub-page too. The Zune software was thoroughly overhauled last year, and while some bits of that remain here, check it out if you haven't in a while as a lot has changed yet again.
Coming soon: VEVO (music videos) is coming soon, according to Microsoft.
Final thoughts
With the Fall 2011 Dashboard Update, Microsoft has turned the Xbox 360 into a credible contender in the living room, an alternative to the Apple TV that offers a much wider range of content. Sadly, that content comes with a price: You must maintain a yearly subscription to Xbox LIVE to take advantage of any of these new features.
I find it a bit odd that Microsoft hasn't updated its built-in audio and video players and network browsers at all in over six years, and that these players don't support industry standard captioning technologies for videos. But the Xbox 360 TV and entertainment advances are geared towards real people and their needs, not the hobbyist community. It provides most, but not all, of the services that make sense and are popular today, and it does so in generally consistent and attractive ways.
Is the Xbox 360 the right choice for you? Ultimately, that will depend on which services you depend on, I suppose, and whether you're already using an Xbox 360 for video games and, preferably, paying for Xbox LIVE. If so, be sure to spend time checking out each of the services that are available in your area. There's some surprisingly good content out there, and used in tandem with the Kinect's voice control functionality, Microsoft provides a pretty seamless way to accessing it.
Put simply, this is a big step up from the situation of just a month ago, and Microsoft has catapulted the Xbox 360 into the big leagues of living room set top box entertainment. Recommended, and highly so for those already paying for Xbox LIVE Gold.
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Essay: The Cuvier-Geoffroy Debate
In 1830, a dispute erupted in the halls of lÕAcad mie des Sciences in Paris between the two most prominent anatomists of the nineteenth century. Georges Cuvier and tienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, once friends and colleagues at the Paris Museum, became arch rivals after this historical episode. Like many important disputes in the history of science, this debate echoes several points of contrasts between the two thinkers.
Format: Essays and Theses
Subject: Theories
Essay: Homology
Homology is a central concept of comparative and evolutionary biology, referring to the presence of the same bodily parts (e.g., morphological structures) in different species. The existence of homologies is explained by common ancestry, and according to modern definitions of homology, two structures in different species are homologous if they are derived from the same structure in the common ancestor.
Format: Essays and Theses
Subject: Processes


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Jerusalem Bureau Chief Bronner Accused of Conflict of Interest with...Israeli Rightist?
New York Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner took some friendly fire from the paper's Public Editor Arthur Brisbane in his Sunday column, 'Tangled Relationships in Jerusalem.' Brisbane forwarded complaints from a left-wing anti-Israeli blogger about Bronner's business relationship with a conservative Israeli, Charley Levine. But Bronner's history of slanted reporting, especially his hostile coverage of "angry rampag[ing]" Jewish settlers in the West Bank, proves he can hardly be credibly accused of sympathizing with Israeli conservatives.
Conflict of interest, or the appearance of it, is poisonous in journalism. This is particularly so when it relates to reporting on Israel and the Palestinians, a subject that draws a steady stream of skepticism about New York Times coverage from readers and partisans on all sides.
So it is troubling that, just before the Palestinians brought their case for statehood to the United Nations last week, an American writing for The Columbia Journalism Review accused The Times's Jerusalem bureau chief of appearing to give favorable treatment to his speaking agent's other clients.
The article by Max Blumenthal on Sept. 14 set off a chain of follow-up pieces by others and by Mr. Blumenthal himself, hammering away at the allegation that Ethan Bronner, the Times bureau chief, was compromised by his relationship with a public relations firm that arranged paid speaking engagements for him.
A close examination of the facts leads me to conclude that the case for an actual conflict of interest is slender. But the appearance of a conflict clearly exists, and that is a problem in and of itself. The Times's 'Ethical Journalism' guidelines state that staff members 'may not accept anything that could be construed as a payment for favorable coverage or as an inducement to alter or forgo unfavorable coverage.'
Bronner was formerly affiliated with Lone Star, a speakers bureau in Israel run by Charley Levine, who Blumenthal characterizes as a right-wing Israeli.
Brisbane downplayed Blumenthal's well-documented hostility toward Israel throughout the piece, concluding:
Mr. Blumenthal's piece may well have been influenced by an animus toward Mr. Bronner's reportage for The Times. But the fact remains that the Lone Star engagement created a problem and stands as a reminder that The Times must be fastidiously independent, in reality and in appearance, or face attacks like this one.
If Bronner truly harbors Zionist sympathies, he keeps it out of his reporting quite effectively. This May, he ludicrously declared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to the U.S. as a 'failure' in the eyes of Israelis because Netanyahu failed to offer territory concessions to the Palestinians in the name of 'peace.'
In a December 2008 story Bronner described Jewish settlers offensively: '...some settlers then went on an angry rampage, and Israel declared the southern West Bank off limits to nonresidents.' There's more background here on the Times and other newspapers finding Jews on a rampage in this story by Tamar Sternthal, 'Jews Rampage, Arabs Demonstrate.'
This Saturday Bronner again filed a hostile report on Jewish settlers, from the West Bank town of Qusra, 'Amid Statehood Bid, Tensions Simmer in West Bank.'
For much of the world, the very presence of more than 300,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank amounts to a kind of violent crime. They are holding land widely considered Palestinian by right, obstructing a two-state solution. And they are armed and protected by one of the world's most powerful militaries.
Jonathan Tobin at Commentary has more on what Bronner left out:
Settler violence is wrong, but the notion it is unprovoked or Jews are more likely to attack Arabs in the territory is an absurd distortion of the truth. Yet that is exactly the impression Bronner's story left about the situation in the West Bank. In this telling, the Jews living in settlements are giving the Israeli government nightmares because they are liable to attack peaceful Arab protesters with lethal force in the coming weeks. Even more worrisome is their propensity to launch 'price tag' assaults on Arab persons or property, including mosques. Such attacks are routinely portrayed as a radical Jewish tactic designed to intimidate their neighbors as part of a plot, as the Palestinians allege, to 'steal' their land.


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But company denies request was made
LONDON (Reuters) — Chevron left workers pleading to be evacuated from a gas exploration platform off Nigeria which kept drilling as smoke poured from a borehole until an explosion killed two people as the rig became engulfed in flames, according to accounts from four of the platform's workers.
However, Chevron, the second largest oil major in the United States, said it did not receive requests to evacuate the KS Endeavor rig and staff on board had the right to call a halt to work if they believed conditions were unsafe.
"There were no evacuation requests received before the KS Endeavor incident occurred," the U.S. energy company said in an emailed response to questions from Reuters.
Testimony from some of the 154 workers who were present alleged that, instead of addressing fears that equipment failures and smoke presaged disaster, Chevron flew extra staff to the platform just before the Jan. 16, 2012, blowout.
Chevron says a nationwide Nigerian strike that included staff at airports had disrupted its normal crew changes but that at no time were approved safe manning levels exceeded.
The fire that followed the blast burned on the rig for 46 days until March 2. Chevron drilled a relief well to stem the gas leak, sealing it on June 18. It said in an email to Reuters on July 2 that an investigation with the Nigerian authorities had concluded that an entry of high-pressure gas in the wellbore had caused the failure of equipment and fire.
The two who died in the explosion were the installation manager for the rig, Bruno Marce, a French national, and Indian driller Albert Devadas. They worked for KS Drilling, a subsidiary of Singapore-based KS Energy, a sub-contractor employed by Field Offshore Design Engineering (FODE) to drill a gas exploration well for Chevron off Nigeria.
Transcripts of accounts from three workers were given to Reuters by the offshore oil branch of Britain's Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) trade union which said the documents were genuine but withheld the names of the witnesses to protect their employment prospects. Those accounts were backed by subsequent interviews in Nigeria with a worker who was also on the rig.
FODE declined comment, citing confidentiality clauses in its contract with KS Drilling preventing it making public any information about work for Chevron.
The accounts convey rising panic from some of those on the platform who, fearing a blowout, checked each morning the volume of smoke billowing from the drilling borehole.
"Chevron knew for over a week that the well was unstable yet they refused to evacuate us," said one of the rig workers who gave his account to the RMT union.
A Nigerian worker who was aboard the rig at the time of the blast said many wanted to be evacuated.
Speaking at a hotel in Yenagoa, the oil capital of the Niger Delta's oil-rich Bayelsa state, Omietimi Nana, 28, a maintenance worker for FODE said: "We were told we may be evacuated, it was mentioned but it didn't happen. I don't know who made the decision not to evacuate but certainly many people wanted to be evacuated because of the situation."
The most senior witness to give testimony to the RMT, a Frenchman, said a series of pump failures throughout the drilling operation led to a massive build-up of pressure that triggered the blowout.
The Frenchman said rig engineers held a site meeting and advised Chevron to evacuate staff while well pressure control measures were applied.
"That advice was not heeded and additional personnel were even brought onboard to get ahead of what was believed to be impending strike action," the Frenchman, who was at that meeting, said.
Nana added: "About three days before the accident, the drilling company workers told us they wanted to stop drilling because of the gas pressure but they spoke with Chevron who told them to carry on."
The French witness said an earlier failed attempt in late December to drill an exploration well near the same was abandoned after the discovery of a gas leak.
He said that "in an attempt to learn from experience" Chevron began drilling a second well "despite repeated failure of the pumps" and often having to stop drilling in order to service the top-drive, the device on the rig that provides rotational force.
Chevron acknowledged the first exploration well was abandoned but denied it was because of a gas leak.
"Scared like hell"
The second well, drilled 300 meters from the first, at a depth of 12,945 feet, soon began to lose pressure integrity, the French witness said.
"At almost every point in time, we saw thick smoke coming out of the open hole, and we were all scared like hell because we could see a disaster happening any moment yet they (Chevron) did not evacuate us — why, I do not know," the witness said.
"This is the reason so many of us survived because we were all aware that it was going to happen, but just didn't know when," he said.
FODE maintenance worker Nana said: "Everyone was talking about how the mud weight had been lost but by then it was too late to stop the gas rising to the surface."
Within days, said the French witness, rising gas pressure overwhelmed the mud weight in the wellbore spewing gas over the rig, sending workers scrambling for the lifeboats.
"The blowout occurred on Monday at 5.30 a.m., and if Bruno (Marce, the rig manager who died) had not advised as he did that the lifeboats be kept serviced and in functional condition then none of us would have made it out alive," said the eyewitness.
"Bruno was shouting, but with a very strange voice, over the public address system that everyone should abandon the rig, I really felt for him for if not for his timely intervention myself and others would not have been alive today," he said.
The witness said that by the time he had reached the lifeboat the rig was smothered in gas. When the lifeboat operator called rig manager Bruno Marce for permission to launch there was no reply, he said. The gas exploded and the lifeboat launched.
"By the time we hit the water the entire rig was engulfed by fire," he said, describing metal debris raining down.
A second eyewitness described a deafening release of gas followed by "a loud bang and an orange flash as the gas ignited."
The witnesses described how crew on a barge adjacent to the platform jumped into the water and scrambled into a life raft. The raft quickly began to melt from the heat of the fire, forcing them into the sea to be rescued by fishermen three hours later.
"If it were not for the fisherman those guys would have died in the water," the French witness said.
Chevron response
Asked to respond to the principal points of the allegations, Chevron said it was at no time asked to evacuate staff and all personnel present had the power to order a work stoppage if they felt they were in danger.
"Our employees and contractor are fully empowered to exercise stop work authority (SWA) when they sense an unsafe work environment," Chevron said, explaining an SWA gives anyone aboard a rig the power to order a stop to operations in the event safety guidelines are breached.
"At no time was an evacuation initiated by anybody on the rig before the incident occurred," Chevron said.
The union said it believed workers were worried they would lose their jobs if they quit the rig without permission.
"It appears the Endeavour workforce were reluctant to abandon the rig after the evacuation request was denied for fear of losing their jobs," said Jake Molloy, head of OILC, the offshore energy branch of the RMT, which had members on the rig.
Molloy said the installation manager's efforts to prepare lifeboats demonstrated that the danger was known.
"That fear is evident in the actions of the offshore installation manager who, as part of some bizarre 'risk assessment process', opted to ensure the lifeboats were in a state of readiness for what appears to be an inevitable evacuation," the union official said.
Chevron said its rules required that lifeboats should be kept ready at all times and the crew held weekly drills, one of which was scheduled by the Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) Bruno Marce for the morning of the day before the blow-out happened.
"Like any other personnel, the OIM has full responsibility to stop the operation if he feels conditions are not safe," Chevron said.
The company said it had launched a prompt, full rescue effort and the evacuation had been orderly and structured, although it acknowledged fishermen had picked up some workers.
"Search and rescue operations began immediately upon being made aware of the abandon ship alarms being sounded," it said. Nearby vessels were directed to aid the rescue.
"152 of the 154 personnel on board the KS Endeavor and the Mako barge were evacuated immediately. Aircraft operations were impacted initially by darkness and by visibility conditions," it said.


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Despite recent economic booms, Americans' confidence in their golden years has not increased. In fact, through the last six years a steady 20 percent to 25 percent of working Americans have indicated they are very confident they will have enough money to live comfortably throughout their retirement. A slightly higher proportion— about one-third—are not confident about their income prospects today. The number of working Americans not confident has increased slightly in six years—up from about one-quarter in 1993.
When considering specific aspects of retirement, workers today are most concerned that they will not have enough money for long-term care. About one-third are not confident about having enough money for medical expenses, leisure pursuits, or to support themselves no matter how long they live.
There is an increase in the number of Americans who are attempting to calculate what they need to have saved for their retirement. In 1998, just less than one-half of workers report they have made the calculation (45%), while in prior years just one-third had done so (32% in 1996). When looking into this increase further, we find that it is primarily driven by aging baby boomers who are waking up to retirement realities.
One-third of Americans are not saving for retirement (36%). According to the Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), most believe they have too many current financial responsibilities to be able to save for retirement. Despite this, more than one-half of both savers and nonsavers agree they could afford to save an additional $20 a week more than they are currently saving for retirement. The sacrifices they would make include dining out less and spending less money on entertainment.
Among those who are saving for retirement, fear appears to be a strong motivational factor in prompting them to begin putting away money for retirement. Workers indicate that seeing people not prepare and therefore struggle in retirement or realizing that time was running out for preparing are two of the strongest motivators.
The RCS also reveals that employer-provided retirement planning information can have a measurable and positive impact on savings behaviors. Respondents who indicate they have received information from an employer are more inclined to be saving for retirement and to have calculated how much they need to have saved prior to retirement; many report that employer-provided information is a useful source of retirement savings investment information.
This year, the eighth annual RCS takes a closer look at three specific minority groups in America. We find that Hispanic-Americans are less likely to be saving for retirement than are African-Americans, Asian-Americans, or whites. Both African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans are less confident about many specific aspects of retirement, including: having enough money for leisure activities, to support themselves no matter how long they live, and for basic expenses during retirement. (Note: Throughout this summary, significant differences among ethnic groups are noted where relevant.)
Confidence in Retirement
The 1998 RCS finds more than four out of five Americans do not believe that people in the United States save enough money for retirement (82%); this perception has remained unchanged for the past seven years. Just seven percent of all Americans say that people do save enough money for retirement. Similar proportions of retirees and workers say people save enough (7% v. 9%, respectively). Hispanic- and Asian- Americans are more likely to believe people save enough for their retirement (15% and 19%, respectively).
Three of five Americans are very or somewhat confident they will have enough money to live comfortably throughout their retirement (61%). However, more than one-third (36%) are not confident about it. Confidence has decreased this year, down eight points from 69% in 1997. This drop in confidence is primarily driven by a significant drop in retirees' confidence— from 74% confident to just 51% confident.
The 1998 RCS shows that workers' general confidence has remained steady since 1997, confirming an observed increase in the proportion of workers not confident they will have enough money for a comfortable retirement since the question was first asked in 1993 (26% not confident in 1993, 31% not confident today).
African-Americans are significantly less confident that they will have enough money for a comfortable retirement. Just one-half are very or somewhat confident (50%). Nearly as many are not confident about having enough money (49%).
Older baby boomers are significantly less confident today than they were last year. In 1997, one-quarter of older baby boomers indicated they were not confident they would have enough money for a comfortable retirement (26%). The 1998 RCS finds that number has increased to more than one-third not confident (35%). Workers who are significantly more concerned about retirement this year are those with $25,000 to $35,000 in annual household income (35% v. 41% not confident in 1998). Among generation X-ers, a smaller proportion express low confidence this year than last (32% not confident in 1997, 24% in 1998).
Among workers, there has been a significant drop in confidence about financial preparation for retirement since the 1997 RCS (from 32% to 25% very confident). Workers are also less confident about having enough money for basic expenses (from 44% to 38% very confident). Among both retirees and workers, confidence in having money for leisure pursuits has declined significantly—among workers there has been an eight point decline (from 25% to 17% very confident); among retirees there has been a six-point decline (from 38% to 32% very confident).
Hispanic-Americans are less confident about each specific aspect of retirement. African-Americans are less confident about four of the six specific aspects of retirement inquired about: having enough money for 1) basic expenses, 2) leisure pursuits, 3) long-term care, and 4) supporting themselves no matter how long they live.
Sources of Income in Retirement
Retirees today are relying on Social Security as their most important source of income (42%). Just 13% of workers are expecting to rely on Social Security as their most important source of income. Retirees are less likely than workers to indicate that an employer-based plan is their most important source of retirement income (9% v. 23%) or other personal savings (10% v. 16%).
In the 1998 RCS, workers indicate they are going to rely on their own personal savings less than they have in previous years. In 1997, one-half of workers (51%) saw savings from work-related plans they contribute to or other personal savings as the most important source of retirement income; only 39% feel that way today. Specifically, workers who are nearing retirement age and older boomers are significantly less likely to indicate personal savings will be their most important source of retirement income. Just three in ten pre-retirees or older baby boomers are going to rely on personal savings (30% and 29%, respectively), while a majority of generation X-ers expect to rely on personal savings (52%).
Asian-Americans have significantly higher proportions who report they are expecting money they saved through a work-based retirement plan to be a major source of income (49% v. 38% of all Americans). Both Asian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans are more likely to say they expect that employment (24% of Asian-Americans, 30% of Hispanic-Americans v. 14% of all Americans) or family support (10% of Asian-Americans, 14% of Hispanic-Americans v. 3% of all Americans) will be a major source of income. For Hispanic-Americans, other government programs, such as veterans' benefits or SSI are significantly more likely to be a major source of retirement income (17% v. 6% of all Americans).
Determining a Savings Goal
The proportion of workers who have attempted to figure out how much money they need for retirement has increased nine points from 1997 (45% from 36%). However, a majority of current workers still have not attempted to calculate how much money they will need to accumulate for retirement (54%). Only one in five Hispanic-Americans has attempted to calculate how much he or she would need for retirement (22%), significantly fewer than other Americans.
The 1998 RCS reveals that the increase in workers who attempt to determine a savings goal is largely due to significant proportions of baby boomers who are now planning for retirement. About one-half of boomers in the 1998 survey report they have tried to make this calculation (48%), while in 1997, just one-third had (34%). The 1998 results also show that working men are more likely than working women to have attempted the calculation (49% v. 40%).
This year's RCS finds that 63% of Americans have saved for retirement. The proportion is similar among workers (63%) and retirees (65%). Among those who are not personally saving for retirement, about one-quarter say they have some funds earmarked for retirement (23%). One-quarter (26%) of workers say they have funds earmarked for retirement, while one in six retirees indicates the same (16%); however, this is not a significant difference. In total, seven out of ten Americans have money, aside from Social Security, specifically designated for their retirement (72%).
Not surprisingly, workers who are nearing retirement have a higher proportion of people who have accumulated funds for retirement (78%) than generation X (65%). Men are more likely than women to indicate they have begun saving for retirement (69% v. 57%).
Among minorities, Asian-Americans are more likely than African-Americans or Hispanic-Americans to indicate they have begun saving for retirement (62% of Asian-Americans are saving). Majorities of African-Americans (52%) and Hispanic-Americans (62%) indicate they are not currently saving any money for retirement.
Working savers report that the strongest sources of motivation to start saving for retirement have been seeing people who have not prepared and have struggled (48%) or realizing that time is running out to prepare for retirement (37%). For one-third of working savers, the availability of a plan or educational material in the work place provided a lot of motivation (33%). For one-quarter, it is a family event that prompts them to act (25%). A few are motivated to save through a professional financial advisor (18%), the media (17%), or advice from family or friends (15%).
Could Americans Save at Least $1,000 a Year?
Significant majorities of both savers and nonsavers say they could save $20 per week more than they are saving now for retirement. If this were the case, Americans could save an additional $1,040 a year.
In total, over one-half of workers indicate they think they could save $20 more than they are saving for retirement now (56%). The number who believe they could save an extra $20 is similar for those who are already saving (57%) and those who are not (55%). In order to save the additional money, most would give up dining out and some entertainment.
Investing for Retirement
Less than one-half of workers who are saving for retirement are very confident that they are investing those retirement savings wisely (46%). A similar proportion is just somewhat confident about their investments (47%). Workers nearing retirement age (between 55 and 64) have the highest proportion who are very confident they are investing wisely (53%), while the least confident are the younger baby boomers, of whom just more than one-third are confident about their investments (38%). Working men report higher confidence in their investments than do women (52% v. 38%).
Three of ten savers indicate they do not like to make investment decisions regarding their retirement savings (31%). A majority say they enjoy making investment decisions (64%). Among savers who are currently working, generation X-ers are more likely than others to report they enjoy making investment decisions (72%). Males are more likely than females to report they enjoy these types of decisions (70% v. 53%).
When making their investment decisions, savers most often indicate they use input from a spouse or partner (79%). A majority also use written material provided by a retirement plan from their work place (55%), other written material (57%), or the advice of a financial professional (51%). Four of ten savers indicate they use the advice of family or friends (43%) and information from television or radio (37%). Half as many use information from seminars (23%), computer software (15%), or the Internet (18%). Among those who use these resources, the advice of a financial professional was considered the most helpful (28%); spouses (18%) and information from the work place (15%) also receive many votes as most helpful.
A vast majority of savers say they want descriptions of their options when making retirement fund investment decisions (82%). Six out of ten would like to have specific recommendations, examples of investment packages for workers at different ages, or worksheets that show how much they need to save.
In total, slightly more than one-third of working Americans are not personally saving money for retirement (36%). The major reason workers who are not saving give for not saving for retirement is that they have too many current financial responsibilities (66%). Half as many indicate economic events such as inflation and unemployment as major reasons for not saving for retirement (31%). About one-quarter indicate they do not save because they are not offered a retirement savings plan at work (25%), they feel they have plenty of time until retirement (27%), or they are expecting a pension (28%). Just slightly fewer are not saving because they do not believe they will retire (19%), they just have not thought about it (21%), or they believe retirement will work itself out (20%).
White Americans are more likely than minorities in America to say a major reason why they cannot save is because they have too many financial responsibilities. Hispanic-Americans are more likely to indicate they are expecting Social Security to take care of them (27%), their children will help out (16%), or they just have not thought about retirement (32%). For one-third of Spanish-speakers, not being able to find information in Spanish is a major reason they have not begun to save for retirement (32%)
Today's Retirees
Many retirees say that retirement has exceeded their expectations. Two of five believe their overall standard of living and having money for entertainment and leisure is better than they expected (40% each). Around one-third say having money to assist family members and cover medical expenses is better than they expected (32% and 34%, respectively). However, between one-fifth and one-quarter say these elements have declined. Money for helping family members and for leisure pursuits are considered worse than expected by about one-quarter (26% each). For one-fifth, their overall standard of living and having money for medical expenses is worse (20% and 22%, respectively).
Around one-quarter have worked for pay since they retired (24%), most indicating they worked part-time (18%). They say that major reasons for working are because they enjoyed it and wanted to stay involved (56%) or they wanted a satisfying way to spend their time (44%). However, one-third point to a need for money to buy extras (34%), and one-quarter need the money to make ends meet (28%).
Workers Today
Workers are expecting to work longer than today's retirees did. However, about one-half still indicate they expect to retire prior to age 65 (49%). One-third indicate they do not expect to retire prior to age 65 (34%). Nine percent indicate they do not plan to retire. While almost one-half of generation X-ers say they expect to retire no later than age 60 (45%), half as many pre-retirees believe they will retire that early (21%).
About one-half of workers expect to be retired for 20 years or more. One-quarter indicate they expect to be retired for 20 years (26%), and another quarter expect to live more than 20 years in retirement (25%). Another quarter believe they will be retired for less than 20 years, while yet another quarter indicate they do not know how long they will be retired. Younger Americans, generation X-ers, and young baby boomers are expecting to live in retirement longer than Americans nearing retirement age—57% of generation X-ers expect to live 20 years or more in retirement, compared with just one-third of pre-retirees (36%).
Sixty-one percent indicate they expect to work after retirement. Younger baby boomers are most inclined to believe they will work for pay during their retirement (67%). The most commonly cited reasons are because they enjoy working and want to stay involved (60% say it is a major reason) or they want a satisfying way to spend their time (56%). However, nearly one-half expect to work for money to buy extras (46%), while more than one-third will work for money to make ends meet (38%).
Role of the Employer in Retirement Savings
About two in five working Americans report that they have received retirement planning and/or savings material from an employer in the past 12 months (39%). Those who are saving for retirement are more likely to have received information from an employer (45%) than those who are not saving (28%). Among minority Americans, Hispanic-Americans are significantly less likely to receive retirement savings material from an employer; just one-quarter report they received information (28%).
Workers who receive information from employers indicate the materials provided changed their savings or investment behavior in some way. Many changed the amount they contribute to a retirement savings plan or changed the allocation of money in a plan (43% each). A similar proportion of workers say they began to contribute to a plan (41%).
The most popular form of employer-provided retirement planning material is brochures (45%), followed closely by seminars (32%) and newsletters or magazines (25%). Less than one in five were provided with workbooks (17%), one-on-one counseling (15%), or telephone access to financial information (12%). Very few employers provide employees with retirement savings information in the form of online information, computer software (4%), or videos (5%).
These findings are part of the eighth annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), a survey that gauges the views and attitudes of working and retired Americans regarding retirement, their preparations for retirement, their confidence with regard to various aspects of retirement, and related issues. The survey was conducted in March 1998, through 22-minute phone interviews with 1,500 individuals (1,142 workers, 358 retirees) ages 25 and older. Random digit dialing was used to obtain a representative cross section of the U.S. population. This year's project also includes a special analysis of minority groups, specifically African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans.
The RCS is co-organized by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization; the American Savings Education Council (ASEC), a partnership of more than 250 private- and public-sector institutions dedicated to raising public awareness of what is needed to ensure long-term personal financial independence, a part of the EBRI Education and Research Fund; and Mathew Greenwald & Associates, Inc. (MGA), a Washington, DC-based market research firm.
The 1998 RCS data collection was funded by grants from 33 public and private organizations, and the special report on minorities data collection was funded by grants from 14 organizations. Staffing was donated by EBRI, ASEC, and MGA. RCS materials and a list of underwriters may be accessed at the EBRI website: https://www.ebri.org/retirement/retirement-confidence-survey


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787 Dreamliner Completes First Commercial Flight
Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner completed its first commercial flight today. The All Nipon Airways flight, which flew from Narita to Hong Kong, took about four hours.
As we've reported, the road to this day has been long and full of troubles. The plane is making its debut years delayed and billions of dollars over budget.
But the reviews have been glowing. The Telegraph writes:
The reason for the sake and dragons is that the 787 is a genuinely revolutionary aircraft in everything but its appearance. On the ground that cavernous fuselage actually looks rather portly. This is the fully Cumberland porker, not a measly chipolata. What begins to give the game away are the wings, which are as slender as filleting knives, trailing edge curved in the shape of some exotic bay, and are flicked up almost coquettishly at their ends. They are structures of exceptional beauty.
In flight they flex like diving boards. And therein lies their marvel: they change shape for optimum aerodynamic efficiency. What is deceptive about the Dreamliner is not that its interest is skin deep, but that the interest is with the skin itself. It is the first airliner to be made of plastic. More than half the basic structure, including the fuselage and wings, is constructed, not of traditional aluminum, but of new composite materials such as carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
Now call us vain, but we were taken by the things that were skin-deep. The AP reports that the 787's lavatories are not only equipped with a bidet, but they also have a window.
As my co-blogger suggested, it really gives another meaning to "Moon Over Miami."
Here's the APwith a little more on those windows:
The most noticeable feature of the 787 for fliers is its windows, which are 30 percent larger than those on older jets. Passengers no longer need to hunch forward to see the ground. Those in the middle of the plane can even glance out part of the windows. Instead of shades, the windows come equipped with a glare-reducing, dimming system.
The inaugural flight was filled with aviation enthusiasts who paid thousands for a seat.
Stephanie Wood of Davie, Fla., paid almost $19,000 for two business class tickets.
"It's silly, but it's a little piece of history," she told the AP. "New cars come out all the time, but how often do new planes come out?"
Boeing has put its pictures of the maiden flight on its flickr page. And ANA has this video of the plane's interior:
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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this is for people learning to use ps2dis or for people that want to learn it is on the very basics as an intro for more tutorials to come. Download...
Hi, I have found a label for a code.
But now how I can proceed?
Anyone may help me?
I cannot remember the last time I made a tutorial...... This function will find a pointer and offset by loading whatever value you put into address...
what you need
-ram dump
-controller address
-a code to joker
finding your controller address :
credit sdrawkcab
lui t0 $XXXX//first half of controller address (real addressing)
lw t0 $XXXX(t0)//second half of controller address
lui t1...
32bit button value dma controller address and code
lui t0 $xxxx //first 16 bits controller pointer (real)
lw t1 $xxxx(t0) //second 16 bits...
what you need
- a ram dump
- a hook
- a controller address
- a code to joker
finding your controller address -
hold down one of the buttons...
- crosshair coordinates
- player coordinates
- an active hook
- controller adress
- some knowledge of mips
first we want to find...
Note:This tut is for time increase i would think it would be the same as time decreasing
basically time codes could be hex or float, most of the...
What you will need:
1-Ram Dump of a Game
3-A Code To Subroutine
4-Some basic mips knowledge
STEP 1. make a ramdump. how? go to the...
these are great templates and they can really help you start to code once you get the...
Hello guys! I am Emu as you can see and I would like to show you guys how to do 3 different types of jokers.
Activation Joker:
An activation...
This tutorial was by me..
Now we will use a money code for any game you wish.
this is what we (as in I) would do:
load the upper controller...
#DMA Offset Finder
;credit Emu
;Results will be at 0x00002000
;Use this when you manually defeat DMA
0x017FFFFC 0x0A200400 ;Insert Hook...
Tutorial by TheEliteOne aka -LeetGamer-
Commands: Or, Xor, And
First you need to...
Made by TheEliteOne
Mark and Recall is a fairly easy subroutine to write. You need to be able to press a button and store your co-ords into nop...
Finding Functions
All functions are a stack subroutine in the game. So you can search the push of the stack which is addiu...
Made by TheEliteOne.
Loading and storing:
Definitions On Commands Used In Jokers:
This may seam confusing at first but once you get the hang of it its hella easy. Theres also a video link (not my video) that i included.
This tutorial i've already wrote for 1337 but it lacked a lot and I decided to put information for public knowledge. There isn't much information...
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules