text:
Welcome to America, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera -- one of the best cable news networks in the world -- has always had a tough time here in the U.S. It's been derided as a "terror network" and propaganda organ. It's been denounced by publicity-seeking politicians for airing messages from Al Qaeda. Its reporters have beenimprisoned in the Guantanamo gulag for years before being released after having never been tried or convicted of any terrorist ties. Others have been targeted by U.S. forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq, shot at, had missiles fired at them, and even killed.
As a result -- despite longstanding lobbying and advertising campaigns by Al Jazeera -- most major cable and satellite television networks in the U.S. have refused to offer its English-language service to their audiences ever since its inception six years ago. Instead, it's clearly been blacklisted and made almost impossible to find on America's airwaves.
Now, in the most American of solutions, the pan-Arab news leader has gone ahead and simply bought its seat at the media table. As Brian Stelter reported in the New York Times, "Al Jazeera... announced a deal to take over Current TV, the low-rated cable channel that was founded by Al Gore, a former vice president, and his business partners seven years ago." For the relatively small sum of $500 million dollars (at least as measured by its oil-rich owner in Qatar) Al Jaz has just purchased entree into more than 40 million cable-ready living rooms across the U.S.
Political concerns aside, some media observers have questioned whether Al Jazeera has, as Stelter phrased it, "The journalistic muscle and the money to compete head-to-head with CNN and other news channels in the United States." What a joke! The last time I checked, Sheikj Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the ruler of Qatar, had more money than Allah. And really, how much "journalistic muscle" does one need to compete with CNN these days -- not to mention the braying heads of such opinionated and politicized putative "news channels" as Fox or MSNBC? Judging from their most recent efforts -- such as completely misreporting the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare, for example -- what little journalism is being practiced at outlets such as CNN and Fox these days is, shall we say, far from muscular!
Is it any wonder that "the television sets of White House officials and lawmakers were tuned to the channel during the Arab Spring?" Inquiring minds want to know, after all! Meanwhile, "ordinary" citizens like you and me had to search out a live stream on the Internet if we wanted to be informed.
And Current, which began around the same time as Al Jazeera English, is no great loss. After years of stumbling, "nobody's watching," as Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced politician and failed CNN talker who is one of Current's current program hosts, recently confessed to reporters.
Well, almost no one, Mr. Spitzer... Actually, according to the Nielsen ratings service, on a typical night last year some 42,000 people tuned in to the network's shows.
Rather than distributing its excellent already-existing English-language channel, Al Jazeera plans instead to create something brand new. Al Jazeera America will based in New York, and about two thirds of it will be originally produced domestically, with the rest coming from AJE, which already has bureaus in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago.
Will AJA focus on offering another perspective to America's abysmal domestic news sources, in the mode of Russia Today or the BBC World News, now available in 25 million U.S. homes after a recent deal with Time Warner Cable? Will it try to fill the gap in international news instead? Will it attempt to do both?
It's still way too early to tell. For now, it's enough simply to be able to say, at long last, "Welcome to America, Al Jazeera!"


text:
The social news pioneering site–once rumored to be worth $200 million to Google–Thursday was practically given away.
In a time of billion-dollar valuations and even larger IPOs, the news that Digg was sold for a reported $500,000 is a reminder that even mighty tech titans can crash. According to the Wall Street Journal, Betaworks, owner of properties such as Bitly and News.me, picked up the social news pioneer for a tiny fraction of the $45 million Digg had raised over the years from Valley heavyweights like Marc Andreessen.
Digg, an aggregator that ranks news based on user input, was started by Kevin Rose and Jay Adelson in 2004, and by 2008 had almost 30 million users a month. Rose went on to become a tech celebrity of sorts after a famous all-smiles BusinessWeek cover with the headline "How This Kid Made $60 Million In 18 Months." He did eventually join Google in March of this year, after the company bought his startup incubator Milk.
Digg's decline came at the hands of a perfect storm. In August 2010 Digg v4, the site's 4th design iteration was a released to user fury. It was not only riddled with bugs, but it did away with several popular features, including the infamous "bury" button. In response, users fled Digg for social news rival Reddit. At the same time, Twitter and Facebook were taking over the interest and social graphs, with features similar to those Digg had pioneered.
Oh how the mighty have fallen.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Guthrie test: A simple screening blood test for phenylketonuria (PKU). The Guthrie test was the original impetus to newborn metabolic screening.
In 1958-59 Dr. Robert Guthrie (1916-95) was asked if he might to develop a simple method to monitor the blood phenylalanine (phe) level. He developed a test in 3 days. It was a "bacterial inhibition assay."
A spot of blood on a filter paper disc is placed on the surface of an agar plate containing a substance that inhibits the growth of bacteria. However, the inhibition can be overcome by high phe. After incubating the agar plate overnight, the diameter of the growth zone around the test disc is compared to that of a control disc of blood serum to which a known quantity of phe has been added. This permits one to estimate the amount of phe in the test disc.
Bob Guthrie used a common, standardized strain of soil bacterium, Bacillus subtilis. The inhibitor was -2-thienylalanine, which inhibits the growth of B. subtilis, an effect that was relieved by phe. Guthrie's original agar dish was a Pyrex baking pan.
Guthrie went on to develop bacterial inhibition assays for other inherited disorders of metabolism, including maple syrup urine, galactosemia, maple syrup urine disease and homocystinuria. These assays are simple, inexpensive, and suited to screening large numbers of individual specimens.
The three main laboratory methods now used in the US are the Guthrie bacterial inhibition assay (BIA), fluorometric analysis, and tandem mass spectrometry. Each of these methods can reliably detect PKU.
See phenylketonuria.


text:
Fusion PURPLE K *3 PACK COMBO!*, 3 x 100 Capsules
PURPLE•K® has become a staple in any serious bodybuilder's supplement program, because it gives you the real strength gains you need to move big weight. With each workout, you'll feel your strength grow. Other creatines just can't live up to PURPLE•K – they are poorly bioavailable and cannot even deliver a full and concentrated dose of creatine to your muscles. Because PURPLE•K is "pH-correct," there is no loading, bloating or water retention, and your body will absorb 100% of the dose.
How does Purple-K stop the toxic conversion from creatine to creatinine?
Purple-K is buffered creatine. The pH level of Purple-K is between 12-14 and this prevents it from breaking down in any liquids - even stomach acids. The exclusive Kre-Alkalyn® pH Controlled Delivery System® makes this possible.
The patent covers all pH levels between 7-14. This forces the pH of all other creatine products to be 6.9 or less; which means they will convert to toxic creatinine.
What are the other advantages to Purple-K?
• Use only milligrams of Purple-K compared to the heaping spoonfuls needed with regular creatine.
• None of the side effects of regular creatine.
• Purple-K works from the very first serving giving you immediate results. No loading phase is required.
• You save money and get better results using as little as 1-3 grams per day.
• Purple-K neutralizes lactic acid so you can increase your stamina and perform at higher levels.
• Purple-K will maximize your strength to weight ratio, because there is no water retention.
How does Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE) compare to Purple-K?
Simply, CEE falls short. Here is why: CEE processing involves reacting regular creatine with hydrochloric acid and alcohol. This process does not protect CEE from converting to hazardous creatinine. Also, the alcohol residuals can not be cleaned, making CEE contaminated and unsafe.Who can benefit from Purple-K?
You can. Purple-K is used by millions of bodybuilders to increase muscle mass and is used by athletes who want to excel. Everyone
can use Purple-K because it is safe and it works.
Ingredients:Kre-Alkalyn® (Buffered Creatine Monohydrate pH12+)
Kre-Alkalyn is a patented ingredient. It is created through the manipulation of creatine monohydrate whereby preventing it's conversion to toxic creatinine (kree-AT-ah-neen). The method includes mixing an alkaline powder with a powdered creatine until the pH of the mixture is in the range between 7 and 14. As this process is patented, all other creatines will convert to toxic creatinine.1Other Ingredients:Gelatin, colour
Directions: Take 1 to 2 PURPLE•K capsules 30 minutes prior to your workout and 1 to 2 PURPLE•K capsules within 60 minutes of finishing your workout. On non-workout days, take 1 to 2 capsules in the morning. A loading phase is not required.
Supplements Canada, or the operating company, will not be held responsible for any product information and ingredients,


text:
29 years ago, today, I married my husband, Kirk. Kirk and I met in January of 1980. I had recently moved to the town my parents lived in. I was unable to get a job after college graduation, and decided to substitute teach. The first day of substitute teaching, I was called minutes before school started. I arrived at the school prepared to teach fifth grade. The other fifth grade teacher was told I was a new sub who had been called with very little notice. They asked this teacher if he could help the new sub out. He says he looked in the window and said sure! The other fifth grade teacher was Kirk. We started dating shortly after that and 14 months later we married.March 21, 1981 St. John's Lutheran Church
Palms, Sanilac, Michigan


text:
What Is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder seen in children. ADHD symptoms in children include the inability to focus on tasks or pay attention, impulsiveness, and/or hyperactivity. The American Psychiatric Association estimates 5% of children have ADHD, though some studies believe the incidence may be higher.
ADD Vs. ADHD
The term "ADD" was used by the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), third edition, first published in 1980. At that time scientists believed attention difficulties are sometimes independent from impulse problems and hyperactivity. By the release of DSM-IV in 1994, the name of the disorder had been replaced with "ADHD." Today, "ADHD" is considered the current term, while "ADD" is considered outdated.
ADHD Symptoms in Children
ADHD Symptoms in children include unusual hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness. While these behaviors are normal in children at times, children with ADHD have symptoms that are more frequent and severe.
ADHD Symptoms: Hyperactive Kids
- Fidgeting and squirming
- Inability to sit still
- Nonstop talking
- Difficulty with quiet or calm activities
ADHD Symptoms: Impulsiveness
- Impatience
- Difficulty waiting their turn
- Saying inappropriate things
- Interrupting others
- Acting without regard for consequences
ADHD Symptoms: Inattention
- Being easily distracted
- Difficulty focusing on tasks
- Difficulty staying organized
- Trouble completing homework or other activities
- Struggle to follow instructions
How ADHD Is Diagnosed
Most children show signs of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness as part of normal behavior and development. In children with ADHD these behaviors are more severe and frequent.
Guidelines for Diagnosing ADHD in Children
Diagnosing ADHD requires several steps. To diagnose ADHD in children, associated ADHD behaviors must persist for six months or more, be observed in multiple settings (such as home, school, and other places), and interfere with the child's schoolwork or relationships.
Where ADHD Guidelines Come From
Healthcare professionals use guidelines from the current edition of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM to help diagnose ADHD. By using this standard, professionals seek to assure that children are appropriately diagnosed and treated for ADHD. Only trained health care providers can diagnose or treat ADHD.
After an ADHD Diagnosis: Types of ADHD
If an ADHD diagnosis is deemed appropriate, one of three types of ADHD may be determined:
- Combined Presentation: If enough symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity were present for the past six months.
- Predominantly Inattentive Presentation: If enough symptoms of inattention, but not hyperactivity-impulsivity, were present for the past six months.
- Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation: If enough symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity but not inattention were present for the past six months.
Is it ADHD?
The first step in determining if a child has ADHD is to talk to the child's pediatrician about the behaviors observed and concerns you have. Often you will be referred to a mental health specialist who has experience in childhood disorders such as ADHD. There is no single ADHD test.
Other Conditions Similar to ADHD in Children
The first step is to try to rule out other conditions that may have similar symptoms to ADHD. ADHD may be suspected when a child actually suffers from seizures, hearing or vision problems, learning disabilities, or anxiety or depression.
Here are other conditions that share the symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsiveness with ADHD:
- Malnutrition: Improper nutrition can harm brain development in growing children, especially in the first year of life.
- Stress: Major life stress like divorce or death of a loved one can cause changes in children's behavior that may sometimes mimic the symptoms of ADHD.
- Ineffective parenting: If parents are inconsistent or unsure of themselves, children without ADHD may develop behavior problems.
Many other conditions may be responsible for symptoms that resemble ADHD. That's why a doctor must take a close look at other possibilities before diagnosing a child with ADHD.
Raising a Child with ADHD: Think Positively
An important part of helping a child with ADHD to overcome their challenges is to provide positive support and encouragement. Many children with ADHD are bright and creative and can use those strengths to their advantage.
Opportunities to Notice Positive Behavior
When parents, teachers, and coaches find something children with ADHD are good at, it is important to praise them and encourage those positive traits. Remember that your child is not behaving badly on purpose, and know that your child can learn and grow.
Here are some opportunities for recognizing and appreciating your child with ADHD:
- Observe them with arts and crafts. Praise them as they work, or let them know you appreciate what they've created once they've finished.
- When your children with ADHD help with chores, make sure to recognize their contribution. Let them know they are valued.
- Many children with hyperactivity need a lot of exercise. Organized sports can be a great way for them to blow off steam, and sports also give you opportunities to recognize their talents.
Parenting for ADHD: Define Schedules and Routines
Children with ADHD often benefit from well-defined schedules and routines. Knowing what to expect helps the child manage daily tasks.
Tips to Create Manageable Routines for Kids with ADHD
Set routines for getting ready for school, doing homework, and chores around the house so a child with ADHD can complete them in a timely manner. Here are three tips to get you started with setting appropriate schedules for your child with ADHD:
- Understand Your Routine: Pay attention to the things that need to be done every day, and when they need to be done. Set aside time for meals, chores and play.
- Be Prepared to Stick to the Schedule: Make the schedule you establish a priority. This can be tricky in daily life, so prepare ahead of time. For example, you can get breakfast items ready the night before, or pack a day trip bag for your beach trip the day before.
- Know When to Make Changes: Nobody can be perfectly consistent, but if you find yourself slipping out of your set routine several times in a row, be prepared to re-establish the schedule. Make sure to sell the change enthusiastically to your child with ADHD in terms he or she will understand.
Tips for Setting Schedules for Children
When setting schedules for kids with ADHD, there are a few organizational tips that can make life easier. Here is a partial list of ways to set schedules for your child with ADHD:
- Charts and checklists can also be used to help the child know what has been done and what tasks need to be completed. As the child finishes each task, he or she can check them off the list.
- Time management skills and cues can help them, such as timers for homework or play time.
- Create a family calendar and either put it on the wall or keep it organized online. This will help you plan more effectively, as well as recognize scheduling conflicts before they become problems.
Parenting for ADHD: Set Clear Rules and Expectations
Clear-cut rules with reasonable expectations are important for children with ADHD. Write down the rules and post them if this is helpful. Children with ADHD often respond well to rewards and consequences. Make sure your child understands the rules that are set, and stick to them. When the child follows the rules, provide positive feedback and rewards. If the rules are not followed, there needs to be fair and consistent consequences.
Helpful Phrases for Instructing a Child with ADHD
Make sure instructions are clear. Children with ADHD may have difficulty following vague requests. Instead of telling your child to "clean the mess," tell him to "make the bed and put your clothes in the closet." Instead of saying, "play nicely," ask your child to "give your friend a turn to play with the video game." Give step-by-step instructions for larger tasks. Stay calm and speak clearly, and make eye contact to keep your child focused on you. Ask your child to repeat instructions back to you to make sure they are understood.
How to Discipline a Child with ADHD
A clear-cut system of rewards and consequences helps children with ADHD to manage behavior. Use positive rewards such as praise or privileges when the child behaves well. Avoid rewards such as food or toys. Consequences for negative behaviors may include time-outs or removal from activities.
Consequences must be consistent and fair. A child with ADHD should know in advance what the consequences of negative behaviors are, and those consequences must be predictable and acted upon immediately. Delayed consequences are less effective. Consequences may include time-outs, withdrawing the child from the situation where they are acting inappropriately, or restricting privileges. Every time the child exhibits negative behaviors, consequences should be implemented.
Rewarding a Child with ADHD
Try to praise your child with ADHD, even for small things. Children with ADHD often hear a lot of criticism and it is important for them to know they can do things well.
Using Effective Time Outs
One type of effective consequence for children with ADHD can be time-outs. These can be particularly useful for younger children and can remove the child with ADHD from the situation that may be stressful or over-stimulating. Time-outs should be immediate (at the time of the behavior) and should last no longer in minutes than the child's age in years (for example, a 6-year-old should get a time out for no longer than 6 minutes).
Learn to Ignore Negative ADHD Behavior
Often, children with ADHD may whine, nag, yell, or argue for attention. Ignoring these undesirable behaviors may be an effective consequence when done consistently. Another way to respond to these attention-seeking behaviors is telling children with ADHD in a calm and quiet tone that they will be listened to when they are calm and quiet themselves. If a child's behavior could injure themselves or others, this should not be ignored.
Keep Your Child Organized
ADHD in children can manifest as having difficulty organizing tasks and belongings (also referred to as executive functioning skills). Doing homework and performing in a classroom may be stressful for children with ADHD. Parents and teachers often find using color-coded binders and notebooks for each subject along with a checklist of homework for the day to be helpful. Having a second set of textbooks at home may help the child who forgets to bring books home. Create an organizing system for your child and help him or her follow it.
Ways to Remove Distractions for Children with ADHD
Children with ADHD can easily become over-stimulated, so quiet spaces are important. There are many distractions at home from televisions, computers, video games, and siblings. If your child has ADHD, make sure to have a space free of distractions so they can complete homework assignments and other tasks.
Overcome ADHD: Set Small, Realistic Goals
Set small, gradual, and attainable goals. It is unrealistic and stressful for a child to be expected to change overnight. Just as with losing weight you cannot expect to lose 25 pounds overnight and need small increments along the way, your child needs small steps to accomplish behaviors that are important.
If you want your child to sit still when you go out to dinner, break up the meal into small, attainable segments such as not interrupting conversations for five minutes, then remaining seated for ten minutes. Offer praise and rewards for each goal met.
Slowing Kids Down: One Thing at a Time
Take it one step at a time as far as attempting to change challenging ADHD behaviors in children. Remember that your child is not behaving this way purposefully. Changing will take time and patience. Expecting change all at once is stressful and frustrating for the child. Pick just one or two things to change such as not interrupting, or putting toys away, or not arguing about homework. Changes may be gradual and it is important to praise your child for every positive accomplishment along the way.
Ways to Help Your Child Shine
All children are good at something. Children with ADHD are often criticized for their negative behaviors. That means their positive behaviors and accomplishments are often overlooked. Help your children with ADHD find out what they are good at, whether it's a sport, a musical instrument, a class at school, art, or any other activity. It doesn't matter what the hobby is – having something they can be successful at and receive praise for will improve self-esteem.
Helpful Phrases for Praising Your Child
Here are a few handy phrases you can use in recognizing the talents and capabilities of children with ADHD:
- "I am so proud of you!"
- "You set such a good example when you..."
- "You can do this."
- "I really enjoy how much you like to ask questions."
- "You're making great progress."
- "I believe in you."
ADHD Treatments & Nutrition
Physical and emotional health is also important. Many children with ADHD are so distracted or disorganized they neglect to eat proper balanced meals. Limit sugary and junk foods, as many parents find they worsen ADHD symptoms. In addition, many of the medications used to treat ADHD can cause decreased appetite so it is important to make sure your child eats regularly. Make healthy choices for yourself and your children will follow your example.
ADHD Treatments & Exercise
Children with ADHD often have a lot of excess energy and regular exercise can help them release their pent-up energy in healthy and constructive ways. Organized sports can provide regular exercise, a predictable schedule, and an area for your child to receive positive rewards and praise. Activities such as martial arts or yoga can be beneficial for children with ADHD as these emphasize the mental and physical aspects of activity. For some children with hyperactivity, highly active sports where there is more constant motion such as running track may be better than sports with a lot of 'down time' such as baseball.
ADHD Treatments & Sleep
Lack of sleep can make it more difficult for children with ADHD to focus and pay attention. Falling asleep is often a challenge for children with ADHD who are frequently over-stimulated to begin with. A scheduled and consistent bedtime should be part of your child's schedule. Also coming up with a bedtime routine where the child is calm and quiet before bed can help them relax. Children with ADHD should avoid caffeine, and the television, computer, and cell phones should be turned off well before bed time so they don't interfere with the child's sleep.
Show Your Unconditional Love
Like all children, kids with ADHD need to know they have their parent's unconditional love and support. Even if you are angry or frustrated at your child's behaviors remember to tell them you love them no matter what.
Tips for Self-Care While Raising an ADHD Child
It can also be stressful and frustrating as the parent or caregiver of a child with ADHD. Remember to take care of yourself. It can help to remember your child cannot control his behaviors and they are due to a disorder. Take a break if you need one, and don't be afraid to ask for help. You will be a more effective parent if you take care of yourself.
Quick Tips for Self-Care
- Make sleep a priority
- Stay in touch with friends
- Spend time outdoors with fresh air and natural light
- Ask for help and be willing to accept support when it is offered
- When overwhelmed by stress, take a step back and breathe deeply
ADHD in Children: Better Parenting
This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information:
© 1996-2023 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
Source slideshow on OnHealth


text:
Handyman Gift GuideUpdated: Jul. 09, 2018
Our editors and Field Editors reveal their favorite gift ideas for our Handyman Gift Guide
You might also like: TBD
Handyman Gift Guide: Launch a lifetime of DIY
When I was about 12, my grandma bought me a toolbox full of tools for Christmas. I didn't realize it then, but it was the best gift I would ever get. It was the start of a lifelong love of tools and fixing things, and I hope to someday pass on the same gift to my sons.
Jeff Pappas, Field Editor
Piping-hot cuppa joe anywhere
I love coffee. I like it hot, and I prefer to drink it from a ceramic cup rather than a plastic mug. I was thrilled when my wife bought me this electric coffee warmer. I keep this one in my shop, and I've got another on my desk. I've had this for 12 years and it remains my favorite Christmas present ever, which is proof that it really is all about the little things in life. (Perfect for tea and hot chocolate too.) Available for $10 to $25 at discount stores and online. Find coffee mug warmers through our affiliation with amazon.com.
Mark Petersen, Contributing Editor
Convenient extension cord
My garage has seen a lot of improvements over the last few years, but my favorite upgrade—by far—is the retracting extension cord reel. Instant power now and instant self-storage later. I use it almost every time I set foot in the garage, whether I'm woodworking, changing the oil or charging up my cordless mower. And even non-DIYers will love it: My wife uses it when she vacuums her car or inflates the kiddie pool. Prices start at about $50 at home centers and online through our affiliation with amazon.com.
Gary Wentz, Senior Editor
Gift Ideas From Our Field Editors
Family Handyman subscription
I have given gift subscriptions of The Family Handyman to friends and relatives, and with almost every issue, one of them calls to tell me what a great idea or project they have found in the mag.
Gary Gullic
Editor's note:
We did not ask Gary to write this (really!). And he wasn't the only one who wrote to tell us about giving gift subscriptions of this magazine to favorite people. That's a compliment of the highest order. Thank you!
Walnut cutting board
The best gift I've ever given is the walnut cutting board I made for my son and his wife for their wedding (Photo).
Terry Hafer
Editor's note:
Want to make a somewhat similar chopping board? Here's how to make a wooden chopping board
Utility knife blades
Need a great stocking stuffer? A package of 100 high-quality razor blades for a utility knife tops my list. Your favorite DIYer will never run out of sharp blades and can replace them when needed.
Matthew Hakeman
Two tools in one
How many times have you needed a wrench but found yourself with just slip-joint pliers? Sure you can loosen the nut or bolt with pliers, but you'll also hack it up something awful.
The Knipex Adjustable Plier Wrench solves that problem because it's both a pliers and a wrench. The adjustable jaws always close in a parallel position so you can loosen or tighten hex or square nuts and bolts without damage. And you can use it just like ordinary pliers too. Available in two versions: 7-in. (No. 8603180; about $35) and 10-in. (No. 8603250; about $40) at tooldiscounter.com and through our affiliation with amazon.com
Rick Muscoplat, Contributing Editor
My favorite stud finder
The ProSensor 710 is unique in the world of stud finders because instead of just one little light that tells you where studs start and stop, it has 13! Wherever there's wood, lights fire up to mark the exact width of the stud. No more guessing. I've always been skeptical about stud finders because I've always found them frustrating and unreliable. Not this one! Buy the ProSensor 710 for about $50 through our affiliation with amazon.com, or check it out at franklinsensors.com.
Travis Larson, Senior Editor
One great drill/driver combo kit
Here's a gift guaranteed to please even the most discerning DIYer. This two-piece combo kit fromRidgid includes a compact drill plus an impact driver, both powered by Ridgid's new HyperLithium 18-volt batteries. It's the ultimate DIY setup for driving screws and boring pilot holes in asnap. And both tools are covered by Ridgid's lifetime service agreement that even includes freebattery replacement! Just remember to register the tool within 30 days of purchase. The kit isavailable at Home Depot for about $179.
Jeff Gorton, Associate Editor
Gift Ideas From Our Field Editors
Simple thank you
My favorite gift is a simple "thank you" from my wife and daughter for being their handyman husband/dad. Every cut, every project, every new undertaking is done with even more love after that.
Carl Matousek
Wood pens
I've given away more than 100 wood pens that I make on my lathe. They take about an hour to make, and the parts cost about $5. They're always a hit (Photo).
Steve Markman
All-purpose pocket tool
I gave my 19-year-old college sophomore a Leatherman pocket tool. He doesn't have any other tools at college, and that's OK. With a good Leatherman, he'll be able to take care of almost any emergency, but he won't be tempted to spend time on "fun projects" instead of studying.
Mike Allen
Screwdriver meets Nintendo
Black & Decker's MAX Gyro is a totally new concept in cordless tools. It's a small cordless screwdriver that responds to your hand motion—no trigger required! If you turn your hand slightly clockwise, it goes forward slowly. Turn a little more, it goes faster. Turn your hand counterclockwise, it goes in reverse. The result: exquisite speed control. It's got 4 volts (plenty of oomph) and lithium rechargeable batteries, which hold their charge for over a year. Unlike all other screwdrivers, the Gyro has "cool" written all over it. The list price is about $50, but you'll find it for about $40 at big-box stores and through our affiliation with amazon.com.
Ken Collier, Editor in Chief
Boring—but thoughtful—gift
Many of the people on your gift list live in homes with ancient smoke detectors that might not even work. So use your handyman skills and replace their old detectors with new ones for about $25 each. Because the electronics wear out, smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years. Boring? Yep! But what could possibly be a better gift than saving someone's life?
Travis Larson, Senior Editor
Boss snips
We probably have a dozen pairs of Fiskars scissors in our house, but these Fiskars Shop Boss Snips are my favorite. They cut just about anything: carpet, sheet metal, wire, rubber, cardboard, chicken bones—you name it. They're my go-to tool for opening those blasted blister packs that encase everything these days. For about 20 bucks, they're a fabulous addition to your kitchen tool drawer or garage; sturdier than scissors, more convenient than snips. Get a pair at larger retailers or through our affiliation with amazon.com.
Ken Collier, Editor in Chief (the boss)
Laser-perfect parking
Some people use a hanging tennis ball, but I've got a new and improved parking buddy: Smarthome's Laser Garage Parking System. The laser unit mounts on the garage ceiling, and you can position the bright red laser beam so it shines down on your dashboard when your car is in the right spot. Each time you enter the garage, a motion detector triggers the laser, and when that spot on your dashboard lines up with the laser, you've landed your spaceship. Give this to the parking-challenged people in your life. It's powered by A/C (adapter included) or a 9-volt battery. The two-car model (about $20) and the single-car version (about $15) are available at smarthome.com or through our affiliation with amazon.com.
Elisa Bernick, Associate Editor
Gift Ideas From Our Field Editors
Custom scratch awl
The best tool I ever gave was a scratch awl complete with a handle of exotic wood that I turned on my lathe. The best gift I ever received was a shop door sign from my kids that said "Dad's Shop."
Dave Wirth
Light up somebody's DIY life
This is the most useful gift I've ever received. It's a baseball cap with three LED lights in the brim. It's comfortable, puts out plenty of light, and the light is always aimed at what you're looking at. I lost mine about a year ago and my family didn't take the hint last Christmas. I'll give them another shot this year, but if I have to, I'll buy it for myself. It's about $22 at gemplers.com or through our affiliation with amazon.com.
Chris Phelps, Field Editor


text:
We and third parties, who are partly based outside the EU, use cookies to improve and analyse this website and to make it work in a user friendly manner. By clicking ACCEPT you give us permission to place cookies for reasons mentioned above and as described in our privacy and cookie statement
Accept Decline
Bunkerpark | Productie en Import | Wedstrijden
Recently added item(s) ×
You have no items in your shopping cart.
In stock
Only 86 left
Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.
Only registered users can write reviews. Please, log in or register
Tel: +49 2828 902 500 Tel: +31 651 6666 73
© 2020 Heron Fireworks & vuurwerk duitsland. All Rights Reserved.
Read our privacy and cookie statement


text:
Message Board
Gregory McDonald Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that McDonald has written!
Author McDonald's Book Reviews
Fletch and the Man Who
A journalist with a sardonic view of life takes a job as a press representative for a presidential candidate, who soon finds himself troubled by dead bodies showing up at his campaign stops. I.M. Fletcher is on hiatus from his newspaper job to serve as press man for Gov. Caxton Wheeler, a leading candidate for president of the United States. His first order of business: create some distance between the candidate and the woman who died last night after fa...
Flynn's World
Pantheon, Jun 2003, 23.00, 210 pp. ISBN: 0375422366 Boston Police Inspector Francis X. Flynn uses his investigative work as a means to cover his espionage efforts. Currently most of his allies and comrades still in the cold believe he is dead, which is fine by Flynn, as he prefers the warm home life of raising five children with his poet wife. Still he has to take leaves of absence due to the deaths of his mother at least five times as he make...


text:
The University of Calgary is mourning the death of a student-athlete who died in a canoeing accident at Moyie Lake near Cranbrook on Tuesday morning.
In a statement, the university said it was 'shocked and saddened' to hear of the sudden passing of Andrew Milner, a 19-year-old kinesiology student and a guard with the Dinos men's basketball program.
"Andrew was an outstanding student and a national champion on the basketball floor, but most importantly he was a tremendous young man, and his loss will be felt deeply by all members of the Dinos community," reads the statement.
Milner, from Antigonish, N.S., was in his second year with the university and the basketball team.
READ: Cranbrook RCMP respond to fatal canoe incident at Moyie Lake
Cranbrook RCMP and emergency personnel were called to Moyie Lake in response to an overturned canoe. One man was able to swim to shore after the boat capsized, however, another man remained missing.
RCMP members, Police Dog Services and Search and Rescue personnel responded to the scene, conducting extensive patrols of the shoreline. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone) was utilized during the search, and Police Dog Services also found some items belonging to the missing man.
The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team was called in, which found and recovered the missing man in the water.
Police and the B.C. Coroner's Service continue to investigate.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter


text:
Take 20% Off Your First Order — View Offer (Limited Summer Offer Ends Soon). Free Resizing + Exchanges. Pieces Are Limited.
Regular price
Minimal band ring with an unique raw texture finished.
Available in Silver and Brass.
Please use the Sizing chart image found on all product pages or the Sizing Page to find your exact ring size before ordering. All sizing is in USA sizes.
Brass jewelry is a safe mixed metal with many mineral health benefits. Please note that for some people, their PH levels can cause slight coloration which is easily washed off with basic dish soap. This effect is not correlated with metal quality or craftsmanship.
Great ring wear it daily!
This review has no content.
Free Express Shipping On Orders $150+
Free Ring Resizing
Handmade in Bali
Safe & Secure Checkout


text:
Buy in bulk and save
Below are the available bulk discount rates for each individual item when you purchase a certain amount
Summer cleanup combo pack:
We promise to never spam you, and just use your email address to identify you as a valid customer.
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!
Write your own product review
All prices are in USD
Click the button below to add the Combo: Spring bucket, adjustable rake, and hand sweeper! to your wish list.


text:
The Green Bay Packers are gearing up for the 10th annual Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer event, set for Saturday, June 8. The event once again features a motorcycle ride, but non-riding fans who want to support the cause are welcome to attend the post-ride party at Lambeau Field's North Loft, the rooftop deck below the TundraVision in the north end zone.
Since its inception, the event has raised more than $590,000 for the cause.
This year's ride features a route from Green Bay's Vandervest Harley-Davidson to Vandervest Harley-Davidson in Peshtigo and then to Lambeau Field for the post-ride party. The ride leaves Green Bay at 11 a.m.
On the day of the ride, registration begins at 9 a.m. and will continue through 10:30 a.m. at Vandervest Harley-Davidson in Green Bay. The post-ride party begins at 3 p.m. at Lambeau Field in the North Loft, which can be accessed through the Bellin Health Gate. The party will include food and drink for purchase, a silent and live auction and fun while bringing awareness to cancer. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get autographs from Packers players in exchange for a $10 donation to the event.
A $20 donation per driver and $15 donation per passenger is required to participate in the ride. All registered riders will receive a free Cruise for Cancer commemorative bandana. All proceeds will go toward helping local families throughout Northeastern Wisconsin battling cancer.
Interested riders also can raise additional money for the cause and win prizes by enlisting the help of others with the use of a pledge form. Top fundraisers will receive Vandervest Harley-Davidson gift cards. The form and more information are available on the event website, www.cruiseforcancer.org.
Non-riders are invited to support the cause by attending the post-ride party.
Jerry Parins, the Green Bay Packers' former director of corporate security, was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. Throughout his journey, Parins was strengthened by the support he received from his family and friends, and while witnessing families who also were dealing with the effects of the disease. At the time, Parins pledged to help other families dealing with cancer, and thus the Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer ride was born.
Stay tuned to packers.com or visit www.cruiseforcancer.org for Cruise for Cancer tailgate party details.


text:
ECCV 2012 : European Conference on Computer Vision
Conference Series : European Conference on Computer Vision
|Link: http://eccv2012.unifi.it/
Call For Papers
ECCV 2012 solicits the submission of high quality previously unpublished research papers on any aspect of computer vision. Contributions from related disciplines (such as machine learning, computer graphics, biological vision, mathematics) which illuminate the state-of-the-art in computer vision are also of interest, together with papers on longer term research challenges which point to new research directions or brave perspectives that might pave the way to innovation.
Details on how to prepare and submit a paper can be found in the Paper submission guidelines page. Accepted papers will be presented in the oral and poster sessions of the ECCV 2012 technical program. Continuing the top quality tradition of ECCVs, it will be a single-track conference with double-blind peer review process.
Important dates
March 5th, 2012 – Paper submission deadline
June 25th, 2012 – Notification of acceptance
August 1st, 2012 – Camera-ready submission deadline
General Chairs
Roberto Cipolla – University of Cambridge, UK
Carlo Colombo – University of Florence, Italy
Alberto Del Bimbo – University of Florence, Italy
Program Chairs
Andrew Fitzgibbon – Microsoft Research, UK
Pietro Perona – Caltech, USA
Yoichi Sato – University of Tokyo, Japan
Cordelia Schmid – INRIA, France
Honorary Chair
Tomaso Poggio – MIT, USA
Tutorial Chairs
Emanuele Trucco – University of Dundee, UK
Alessandro Verri – University of Genova, Italy
Workshop Chairs
Andrea Fusiello – University of Verona, Italy
Vittorio Murino – University of Verona, Italy
Demonstration Chair
Rita Cucchiara – University of Modena, Italy
Industrial Chair
Björn Stenger – Toshiba Research Europe, UK
Publicity Chair
Marcello Pelillo - Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia, Italy
Publication Chair
Massimo Tistarelli – University of Sassari, Italy
Video proceedings Chairs
Sebastiano Battiato – University of Catania, Italy
Giovanni M. Farinella - University of Catania, Italy


text:
Social media, albeit being a great boon in many regards, has also become a massive time suck for almost everyone involved! Sure, news is up to date, down the the minute, almost real-time with every single little bit of craziness there to read about right now! The t0-read, to-do, to-make, to-code lists all keep getting longer and longer and longer…
…and then…
That's right, you might as well be listening to crickets. Social media is killing many productive people's productiveness. I've decided I'm going to take a break, of some sort, just not sure what kind. Maybe I'll schedule myself some "social media time" or something. Similar to "TV Time" for kids. If only parents were better about that, maybe social media wouldn't be the ADD person's massive time blow that it is. Well, as I write this I've determined the following.
I'm going to time box the activity and use specific tools that enable me to effectively use the social media services. Twitter, that needs to be done on a PC with Seesmic or something that allows me to truly and quickly interact. None of this half-assed mobile super phone poking about on the Blackberry, or twiddling about with Twitter on the iPad. Those other tools just don't allow the speed and ease of viewing links and other such things that using a full on PC with power allows. I want to get in, see what's up, filter the crap I don't want to read out of the way, tweet, and get the hell out of there. I want bus time, walking time, and other activities back for other uses. I want to just read a book, or just take a walk again. No twittering while riding or walking anymore. Done. Gone. Zilch.
My time box at this time is going to be limited to 15 minutes a day. In the morning and in the evening sometime. In that time I have the following things I need to straighten out;
- Get synced up on who I am and am not following, and review my list of recent followers to see who I should be following.
- Find a better way to track tweets. Lists are useful, but there needs to be something more. Maybe Paper.li or something of that sort.
Both of these tasks need knocked out with the time boxing I've allocated.
This I've already relegated to minimal use. I might use it about 15 minutes to 2 hrs a week. I'm actually amazed at this fact. Simply, I have a Facebook Profile because one kind of needs to have one being in the technology industry. Also it provides a great avenue for keeping in touch with people that I might otherwise not be in touch with. It's good to know people I grew up with are doing well, providing a little morale boost here and there. 🙂 Plus, one never knows when a blast from the past might turn out to be a great friend, asset, or network contact here in the present!
Time boxing for Facebook is going to be limited to 5-10 minutes per day.
Blogging Here @ CompositeCode.com or elsewhere…
This is something that I find truly useful. Not the time suck like these other web apps. So really I'm not going to time box myself or set some arbitrary limit. I am going to continue striving to have at minimum a blog entry per week. One that is partially useful, even if it is just to review what I've done for the week, conferences or meetups I've attended, or something of that sort. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain some actual useful code how-to, cloud computing write ups, and other legit, honest to goodness, readable entries as well. 🙂
So no time box for blogging, this is something I truly love to do. Write, write, and more writing.
With that I'm off to find some time tracking software to help myself stay in the time boxes I've set. Cheers, and happy holidays!


text:
BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
October 04 2023
Entry Point 30 - Lake One
Number of Permits per Day: 13
Elevation: 1230 feet
Latitude: 47.9391
Longitude: -91.4792
My son Remy and I, and my friend Keith and his son Charlie put our canoes into Lake one at 9:30 Monday morning after dropping off a car at the Snowbank Lake landing. Lake One can be tricky to navigate. On our way to Lake Two we turned East too early and ended up paddling about a mile out of our way into a dead-end bay before we realized our mistake. We blamed the fact that Lake One was split between Fisher Maps #10 and #4 for our error. If the entire lake had been visible at once on a single map, we would not have made the wrong turn. Once we got back on course we portaged the 30 rods into a pond and then portaged the 40 rods into Lake Two. The weather was nice, and there was a bit of a tail wind out of the West. We stopped for lunch on the shore of Lake Two. After lunch we canoed through the North end of Lake Three and into Lake Four. We stopped for the night at a campsite on the West shore of Lake Four, just North of the channel heading toward Hudson Lake. We had to battle swarms of mosquitoes as we set up the tents. We then had a nice refreshing swim. Because we had brought steaks along for the first night, we didn't go fishing.
On Tuesday morning we had a bacon and eggs breakfast then packed up camp and headed out in our canoes. As we canoed past our campsite, we realized that Remy & I had left our hammocks pitched between trees. We landed again and quickly packed them up. Once again we had beautiful weather. We paddled East and completed 3 short portages before entering Hudson Lake. The 105 rod portage into Lake Insula was exhausting! Lake Insula is a large gorgeous lake broken up by multiple islands and penninsulas. We had lunch at a campsite on a large island just East of Hudson Lake. It felt like we had a tail wind as we were heading East, and then as we turned North it seemed like the wind shifted and was at our backs once again. We navigated Lake Insula flawlessly and camped for the night on the island just West of Williamson Island. After setting up the tents and a refreshing swim, Remy & I got back into the canoe and tried to catch some fish. We had no luck! At 9PM that night, just as we were going to bed, a thunderstorm rolled through. That night I was awakened several times by the loud croaking of bullfrogs from the shallows around our island. What noisy neighbors!
By Wednesday morning the weather had cleared, but the wind was now coming from the Northwest, pretty much in our faces. We paddled to the North end of Lake Insula and tackled the largest portage of our trip. The 180 rod walk to Kiana Lake actually seemed easier than the 105 rod carry into Lake Insula. We headed onward into Thomas Lake where we really started feeling the headwind. We finally made it to the campsite just Northeast of the portage into Thomas Pond in time for lunch. After lunch we proceeded across Thomas Pond and into Thomas Creek after hiking across the famous Kekekabic Trail. We managed to easily run the rapids in Thomas Creek and avoid the 2 short portages. We camped for the night on Hatchet Lake at the northern campsite. It was cool and windy, so we didn't swim. There was lots of threatening weather going by to the North of us, but we stayed dry. After supper we canoed back to Thomas Creek to fish and look for moose. No luck on either count, but we did see a beaver swimmming.
The weather was nice again Thursday morning, but the wind was out of the West which was the direction we were heading. We portaged into Ima Lake and canoed across it. Before portaging into Jordan Lake, we watched a bald eagle sitting in a tree get harrassed repeatedly by a seagull. The narrow channel leading into Jordan Lake is quite beautiful. It is narrow like a river with big rock outcroppings. We paddled across Jordan, Cattyman, Adventure, and Jitterbug Lakes. We found the Eastern campsite on Ahsub Lake taken, so we camped at the Western campsite which had a great place for swimming in front of it. There was a very brave loon in front of the campsite who didn't seem to mind if we got close to it. We tried our luck at fishing, but only caught 1 smallmouth which was too small to eat. Between 5:00 and 7:30 that evening we saw a number of canoes heading across Ahsub Lake from Disappointment Lake to Jitterbug Lake. We weren't sure where they were planning to camp, but it was getting late.
On Friday we awoke again to good weather. We paddled the length of Disappointment Lake and portaged into to Parent Lake and then on to Snowbank Lake. It was July 4th, and as we entered Snowbank Lake the sounfd of firecrackers reminded us we weren't in the wilderness anaymore. After a brief splash war on our way across Snowbank, we made it to the landing and our car was still there. What a great trip!
bear attack
Entry Date:
July 04, 2014
Entry Point:
Lake One
Number of Days:
Group Size:
Now imagine for a second you're leading a group of eight girl scouts on a one week trip to the BWCA, you stop to check out the feasibility of a camp site, you hear screaming, suddenly from the trees emerges a 40 year old, fat, naked man. A man completely covered in a black tar like substance, blood, and human feces, screaming some incomprehensible language "something about a bear" you reach for your bear spray. The bear spray hit me full on in the face, I couldn't breathe, my throat burned, my eyes were on fire. The girl scouts jumped in their canoes and paddled off. The momma bear sauntered away, I swear I heard her laughing. I blindly crawled naked on my hands and knees through the poison Ivy to the edge of the water where I stayed for hours, drinking the cool water, washing my face, and watching a beaver hard at work constructing his lodge about 20 feet away. Upon nightfall I staggered back to my campsite finished the last 12 pack and ate a cold can of Hormel chili. Things couldn't get much worse I thought, then I remembered my something special, a tall cool 40 oz. bottle of Schlitz malt liquor I had chillin in the lake. I retrieved it, twisted off the screw on cap, held it high like a trophy to human perseverance , when accidently it slipped through my fingers the glass bottle exploding on impact. I crawled under my collapsed tent and cried myself to sleep.


text:
Mass. poll: Brown for Kerry's seat
Outgoing Sen. Scott Brown might not be out of Washington for long.
The Massachusetts Republican would be in a strong position to win a special election to fill the seat of Sen. John Kerry if the latter is appointed secretary of state, according to a WBUR/MassInc. poll released Thursday.
Forty-seven percent of registered voters would vote for Brown compared with 39 percent who would vote for a generic Democrat. Against many of the most talked-about Democratic candidates, Brown holds big leads. He tops Rep. Michael Capuano, 47 percent to 28 percent; has a 48 percent to 30 percent lead over Rep. Ed Markey; and holds a whopping 51 percent to 24 percent lead over Rep. Stephen Lynch. And his lead over former Rep. Marty Meehan is 49 percent to 30 percent.
The four House members suffer from low name recognition. A majority of Bay State voters either don't know of or don't have an opinion of Meehan, Capuano, Markey and Lynch. Brown is viewed favorably by 58 percent of voters, and only 28 percent view him unfavorably, the poll found.
Ted Kennedy Jr., the son of former Sen. Ted Kennedy, wasn't tested in the survey. The Boston Globe reported Wednesday the younger Kennedy, currently a resident of Connecticut, was interested in running.
Brown's lead is also slimmer against Gov. Deval Patrick, who has disavowed interest in the Senate seat. He leads Patrick 47 percent to 40 percent. And Brown's strength doesn't extend to other Republican politicians: former Gov. Bill Weld would lose to a generic Democrat, 41 percent to 27 percent.
Brown, who lost to Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren by 7 points in November, also started out with a strong lead in that race. Any special election would likely be held in the summer.
The poll of 500 registered voters was conducted Dec. 17-18. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.


text:
sylvia villagran
Hans 2021 Movie Draft: Round Ten-Pick Three-Jesse Stone Series
Hanspostcard has a movie draft challenge. This is my Round Ten pick.
Category: Movie Series
Films: Jesse Stone
Chief Stone: "I *know* who killed them."
Captain Healy: "Do you have a motive?"
Chief Stone: "No."
Captain Healy: "Witnesses?"
Chief Stone: "No."
Captain Healy: "Weapon?"
Chief Stone: "No."
Captain Healy: "Hell, I'll warm up a cell right now."
Jesse Stone is a character in a series of novels written by Robert B. Parker (the creator of Spenser from the TV Series Spenser: For Hire, the film series and the recent Netflix movie). Portrayed by Tom Selleck, the first four films are based on actual novels but, produced and shown out of order. The last five films are a collaboration between Tom Selleck, Michael Brandman and Ronni Kern.
As the series begins, Stone is approximately 35 years old (despite Selleck's age) and is a former short stop in the minor leagues, leaving the career due to a shoulder injury. After a painful divorce from his beautiful actress wife Jennifer, he begins to drink heavily and is asked to resign from his job with LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division. Traveling to the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts (loosely based on Marblehead), for an interview to be Chief of Police, he is visibly drunk. Thinking him easy to control, the president of the town council, hires him, anyway. Stone realizes that the president is corrupt and, the town has serious issues with the mob, money laundering and murder. Throughout each movie, except for one, Jesse & Jenn talk on the phone.
Characters (regular ones):
♦ Kohl Sudduth as Ofc. Luther "Suitcase" Simpson (nicknamed by Stone after first baseman/outfielder Harry Simpson)
♦ Viola Davis as Ofc. Molly Crane (first four movies)
♦ Kathy Baker as Ofc. Rose Gammon
♦ Vito Rezza as Ofc. Anthony D'Angelo
♦ Stephen McHattie as Captain Healy, head of the Massachusetts State Police Homicide Division
♦ William Devane as Dr. Dix (cop turned therapist)
♦ Saul Rubinek as Hasty Hathaway (former town council president)
♦ William Sadler as Gino Fish (crime boss)
♦ Sylvia Villagran (first movie) & Gil Anderson (voice of Jenn)
Additional characters:
♦ Polly Shannon as Abby Taylor (first two movies)
♦ Stephanie March as Cissy Hathaway (second movie)
♦ Leslie Hope as Sydney Greenstreet (with MSP/5th & last movie)
♦ Gloria Reuben as Thelma Gleffey (last three movies)
This series was never theatrically released. These are made-for-TV movies (CBS & Hallmark) and are still in development. These are great movies. ~Vic
Additional Reading:
List of Novels
Robert B. Parker (Author's Legacy Website/09-17-1932 ~ 01-18-2010)
Stone Cold 2005 Trailer
Night Passage 2006 Trailer (Prequel Movie)


text:
24 Apr, 2014, 12:10 ET
LAVAL, Quebec, April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX) (TSX: VRX) today announced that it will host a conference call and a live Internet webcast along with a slide presentation on Thursday, May 8, 2014 at 8:00 a.m. ET (5:00 a.m. PT) to discuss results for the 2014 first quarter.
The dial-in number to participate on this call is (877) 876-8393, confirmation code 28376511. International callers should dial (973) 200-3961, confirmation code 28376511. A replay will be available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the conference call to Friday, August 8, 2014, and can be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406, confirmation code 28376511.
The webcast and slide presentation will be hosted in the investor relations section of its corporate Web site at www.valeant.com. Participants should allow approximately five to 10 minutes prior to the call's start time to visit the site and to download any streaming media software needed to listen to the Internet webcast. An online archive of the webcast will be available following the end of the live call in the webcast archive portion of the investor relations section at www.valeant.com.
About Valeant
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE/TSX:VRX) is a multinational specialty pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of pharmaceutical products primarily in the areas of dermatology, eye health, neurology and branded generics. More information about Valeant can be found at www.valeant.com.
Contact Information:
Laurie W. Little
[email protected]
Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101025/LA87217LOGO
SOURCE Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.


text:
The Associated Press
SEATTLE – U.S. Web surfers are spending more time socializing on than searching with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), according to new data from researchers at comScore Inc.
In August, people spent a total of 41.1 million minutes on Facebook, comScore said Thursday, about 9.9 percent of their Web-surfing minutes for the month. That just barely surpassed the 39.8 million minutes, or 9.6 percent, people spent on all of Google Inc.'s sites combined, including YouTube, the free Gmail e-mail program, Google news and other content sites.
U.S. Web users spent 37.7 million minutes on Yahoo Inc. sites, or 9.1 percent of their time, putting Yahoo third in terms of time spent browsing. In July, Facebook crept past Yahoo for the first time, according to comScore.
In August of last year, Web surfers spent less than 5 percent of their online time on Facebook, about the same percentage of their time on Google and almost 12 percent on Yahoo. In August 2007, Facebook captured less than 2 percent of U.S. surfers' total minutes. Google accounted for less than 4 percent, and Yahoo for just over 12 percent.
To be sure, there's wiggle room in these estimates, which comScore bases on a combination of reports from a panel of two million users around the world and data from websites' servers. But the time spent posting photos, updating status messages and scrolling through news from friends has at least grown to rival just about everything else people do online.
Get the latest news alerts: at Twitter.


text:
16 Pet. 221
10 L.Ed. 943
ROBERT MILNOR, JOHN THOMPSON, DAVID PETREKIN and LEVI
WOODBURY, Secretary of the Treasury, Complainants
and Appellants,
GEORGE W. METZ, Appellees.
January Term, 1842
APPEAL from the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia and county of Washington. The appellants, Milnor and Thompson, were, during the years 1836 and 1837, United States gaugers for the port of Philadelphia, and as such received the full compensation allowed by law for that period. The duties having been rendered unusually laborious during the year, by the operation of the act of July 4th, 1836, reducing the duties on wines, under which they were required to regauge them; they appealed to congress for extra compensation, to the amount of their full ordinary fees for these additional services. Their memorial to congress was presented in January 1838; and in May 1840, an act was passed for their relief, by which the sum of '$2757.23, being the amount of fees due to them for extra services as gaugers in the port of Philadelphia, after the passage of the act of 4th July 1836, reducing the duty on wines.' George W. Metz made no claim before congress. as the assignee of Robert Milnor.
In December 1838, the appellant, Robert Milnor, applied, at Philadelphia, for the benefit of the insolvent laws of Pennsylvania; and he was discharged in January 1839, having executed the usual assignment for the benefit of his creditors. The appellee, George W. Metz, was duly qualified, and became the sole assignee. After the act of 1840 had passed, he applied at the treasury department, claiming the amount of the sum allowed by the same to Robert Milnor, being one-half of the whole sum allowed; the other portion belonging to John Thompson. This application was rejected; and this suit was instituted against the appellants. The court made a decree in favor of the appellee; and the appellant, Robert Milnor, prosecuted this appeal.
The case was argued by Clement Coxe, for the appellant; and by Bradley, for the appellee.
Coxe contended:?1. That there was no purpose of Milnor to make the dedication claimed; and that his purpose, either way, is immaterial, as the insolvent law determines, without reference to it, what shall, and what shall not, be included in the assignment. 2. That the insolvent, at the time of his assignment, had no such interest in the claim upon congress as could pass by that instrument. 3. That congress had the right to model their relief at pleasure, and having granted it to Milnor, and not to his assignee, the latter is without relief by the present suit.
Although, in the schedule of property annexed to the petition of Robert Milnor, for the benefit of the insolvent laws of Pennsylvania, a claim on congress is stated; this does not preclude the denial of the right of the assignee. It is the assignment which gives the right, if any was given. 3 Petersd. 486. The act of congress limits the salaries of gaugers to $1500; and thus it is obvious, that Milnor and Thompson had not a scintilla of legal right to further compensation from the United States. A claim of this kind, being one for a gratuity, a benefaction, cannot be passed under the assignment. It must be an actual interest, not an expectancy. If the assignee of Milnor had any right, it should have been presented to congress. The power of the legislature over the matter was complete. They have given the sum allowed to Robert Milnor; and the circuit court had no power to alter the donation. The secretary of the treasury rejected the application of the assignee, and his decision was conclusive. Cited, Decatur v. Paulding, 14 Pet. 497.
Bradley, for the appellee, insisted, that the claim by the appellee, as assignee of Robert Milnor, to the portion of the sum allowed by congress to Robert Milnor, was valid; and that the claim had passed to the assignee, under the assignment. The appellant claimed from congress a compensation for extra services performed by him for the United States, before he took the benefit of the insolvent laws of Pennsylvania, and the claim was allowed. There was a subsisting equity in favor of the petitioners. It was such a claim as, although a suit could not be instituted for its recovery, in an action by the United States, against the petitioners, it would have been matter of set-off. United States v. Fillebrown, 7 Pet. 28; United States v. Ripley, Ibid. 26. The principle of law which may be derived from these cases is, that if any one shall perform services at the instance or request of the government of the United States, he is entitled to compensation. The right to compensation is property belonging to the party who has done the services, and as such belongs to the creditors of the insolvent. The principles which are in question in this case, were settled by the court in the case of Comegys v. Vasse, 1 Pet. 193. It was held, in that case, that it was immaterial who presented the claim. The money recovered belonged to the assignee.
Coxe denied, that any legal claim existed on the United States for compensation. The salary of the gaugers was fixed by law, and whatever else they obtained was a gratuity. He cited 13 Pet. 409, as in all respects sustaining the claims of the appellant. The decision of the court in the case Comegys v. Vasse, was given on the terms of the Spanish treaty, which fully authorized the claim of the assignee.
CATRON, Justice, delivered the opinion of the court.
The question in this cause is, whether a claim on the United States passed by an assignment, made by Milnor, an insolvent, by force of an act of Pennsylvania, where the insolvent resided, and where the assignment took place. The application was made to the court of common pleas of Philadelphia county, 24th December 1838. According to the requirements of the insolvent act, there was presented, 'a statement of all the estate, effects and property of the petitioner, wheresoever situate, and of whatsoever kind.' He says, 'your petitioner has no property of any kind, except the following claim, viz: A claim on the government of the United States for about $3774.50.' Assignees were appointed by the court, to whom the following assignment was made.
Know all men, by these presents, that I, Robert Milnor, the abovenamed petitioner, have assigned, transferred and set over, and by these presents do assign, transfer and set over, unto George W. Metz and Aaron Ross, their heirs and assigns, all my estate, property and effects whatsoever, to, for and upon the uses, trusts and purposes designated by the act entitled 'an act relating to insolvent debtors,' passed the 16th day of June A. D. 1836. Witness my hand and seal, this 11th day of January, A. D. 1839.
Ross refused to serve, and was discharged by the court, leaving Metz the sole trustee. On the same day, Milnor was discharged.
On the 2d of May 1840, congress passed an act for the relief of Robert Milnor and John Thompson, ordering the secretary of the treasury to pay to them $2757.23, 'being the amount of fees equitably due to said Milnor and Thompson for extra services rendered by them as gaugers at the port of Philadelphia, after the passage of the act of the 4th of July 1836, reducing the duties on wines, then in custom-stores in said port, and commencing with the provisions of said act.' Several petitioners had been presented on the subject; the first in February 1838; the claim was pending before congress, when the assignment was made, and the insolvent discharged. He claimed the money as then due from the United States, and the act of congress admits the fact. Nevertheless, the answer insists, 'that the remuneration was asked as a boon, and respondent has understood and believed, was advocated and granted as a gratuity.'
It is admitted, that Milnor was entitled, separately, to one-half of the money ordered to be paid by the act of congress, and Thompson to the other half. Milnor applied to the treasury for one-half of the money, as did Metz, the trustee. The department refused to examine the equities of the parties, or look beyond the act of congress. Metz filed his bill, enjoining Milnor from receiving the money; and had a decree for a perpetual injunction.
The case relied on to sustain the assumption that the money awarded by congress was gratuity, is that of Emerson v. Hall, 13 Pet. 409. It was this; Emerson, Chew and Lorrain libelled a slave ship, and caused her to be condemned, and claimed half the proceeds of the ship and cargo, which was awarded to them below; but the decree was reversed by this court, on the ground that Emerson, Chew and Lorrain, as surveyor, collector and naval officer of the port of New Orleans, had no right as captors; and that they stood on the footing of an officer who made a military seizure. Emerson died; and in 1831, congress passed an act bestowing on his legal representatives, and on Chew and Lorrain, the one-half of the condemnation money. Hall, as a creditor of Emerson, filed his petition in the probate court at New Orleans, against Byrne, the curator of the heirs of Emerson, for payment of his debt out of the moneys received under the act of congress. The probate court and the supreme court of Louisiana, on appeal, gave judgment for Hall; and on a writ of error prosecuted to this court, the judgment was reversed, on the ground that the act of congress gave the money to Emerson's heirs, as a gratuity; because of the meritorious conduct of their father. Say the court, 'He acted under no law, nor by virtue of any authority; his acts imposed no obligation, either in law or equity, on the government. Had he been sued for a debt due to it, he could not have set up these services, either as an equitable or legal set-off.' They are declared to be like those, where an individual, by timely exertion, saves the public property from destruction by fire; or where a pension is given to heirs, for military services of the ancestor.
The services performed by Milnor were at the instance of the government, and necessary to execute the act of 1836. But being a second measurement, no express law or regulation of the treasury department fixed the fees; and the demand was rejected by the accounting officers, because they had no discretion to go beyond the law, or an express regulation founded on it. The equity of the claim was free from doubt. The gaugers only received fees for specific services, actually performed, and could not receive double compensation; and in this respect the equity was more prominent than in Macdaniel's Case, 7 Pet. 1. Macdaniel was a regular clerk in the navy department, and received a salary. He was ordered by his superiors to perform, and did perform, the extra duties of paying (1) the navy pensioners; (2) the privateer pensioners; and (3) to act as agent for navy disbursements. So that all his time may have been devoted to this extra service; and none to the regular office duties of clerk. Because of his regular salary, the accounting officer refused to allow additional compensation. To cover his claim for this, Macdaniel had retained $980, and was sued for it by the United States. The defendant's claim was allowed as an equitable set-off. The case of Fillebrown, 7 Pet. 50, is to the same effect. These cases have been constantly followed, where services had been performed, at the instance of the government, for which by the strict rules of accounting no credit could be given by the treasnry.
The ground that the government was the debtor, and the claim rested on its discretion; or in other words, that it was as uncertain as the pleasure of congress; and until the act of 1840 was passed, no claim existed against the United States, which could be judicially recognised as 'property or effects,' of the insolvent, we think is decided to the contrary, by this court, in Comegys v. Vasse, 1 Pet. 196. Vasse assigned under the bankrupt law of 1800. He had been an underwriter on polices of insurance on vessels seized and condemned by the government of Spain. The owner had abandoned for a total loss, which the insurer had paid; and was the successor to the rights of the assured. The sentences of the Spanish prize courts were conclusive as to the right to the things condemned; and no claim existed on part of the insurer, that did not depend on the discretion and pleasure of the Spanish government. The equity was as remote, to say the least of it, in that case as in the one before us. By the treaty of 1819, Spain stipulated with this government to pay $5,000,000 in full discharge of the unlawful seizures; leaving the United States to distribute the indemnity. Vasse had awarded to him $8846. Comegys was the surviving assignee of the bankrupt. Vasse instituted suit against him, to try the right to the money. This court held, that although the illegal sentences of the Spanish prize courts were irreversible, the party had not lost all right to justice, or claim, upon principles of international law, to remuneration; that he had a right both to the justice of his own and the foreign sovereign; and that this right passed by the general assignment of the bankrupt. The treaty in that case (as the act of congress in this) operated on a pre-existing claim on a government. It follows, if the doctrine of donation did not apply in that case, neither can it in this.
Had a similar claim on the part of Milnor existed against an individual, instead of the government, then there can be no doubt, he could have recovered by suit; or it would have been the subject of set-off; or could have been assigned. So, it would have passed to his administrator, in case of death. As the government was equally bound to do its debtor justice, in a different mode, with an individual, we think no sound distinction exists in the two cases; and therefore, order the decree to be affirmed.
Decree affirmed.
S. P. Mayer v. White, 24 How. 317; Phelps v. McDonald, 99 U. S. 298.


text:
How awesome is Odyssey of the Mind? I've developed an opinion about that. My spouse and I served as Odyssey of the Mind (OM) coaches for a few years. This organization provides more than brain challenges for the geeky kid. OM also builds skill, creativity and confidence. Oh yeah, and your kids can't help but pal up with other geeklets.
In his sixth grade year our son's OM team chose to take on a structure challenge. That meant designing and building a strong but light structure capable of holding more weight than those built by other teams. That meant lots of balsa.
As part of the challenge, the team had to act out a story incorporating the weight-bearing test. The kids decided take on the characters of Greek gods and goddesses overseeing the earth (their structure) and commenting on hefty global issues as the weights were added. Their costumes were simple: togas made from bed sheets and laurel wreaths made from paper. They really got into practicing their divine roles. And the final structure they built was a tribute to many well-considered design changes. Tests the team ran in our basement showed that it supported more weight than national champion structures had held in years past.
We met early in the morning at the first competition, a regional meet held at an area high school. The atmosphere was lively and it was fun to see all the work other teams put into their projects. Finally our team was called. They were nervous but kept to their lines and staging as they watched OM judges add increasingly heavier weights to their structure. Each time it held as strongly as we hope the real Earth will continue to do.
Just as the structure got close to bearing award-winning weight, a girl's toga got caught on a projecting piece of balsa. She gestured with the dramatic flare suited to a Greek goddess and her toga pulled part of the structure away. It collapsed. Our team was out of the structure challenge but the kids kept going. They finished their lines and rolled their design off stage with brave faces. They didn't win in their division, but were awarded the Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award. The name comes from an arthropod, Renatra fusca, which can walk on water. Every balsa-building, toga-wearing, creatively challenging minute was worth it. OM is awesome that way.


text:
Dates: 12-14 November and 31 December 1900
Location: Alexandrapour and Dongolo
Situation: Last Days At Alexandrapour
See Chapter XX posted 4 August 2012 here:
Three days ago whilst searching for members of the vanished Romanov Expedition, we heard terrifying screams from a woman. Abandoning the just discovered ruins of Alexandrapour, we raced in the direction of the frightened voice. Only moments passed when we observed a hideous creature of an unknown species apparently intent upon retrieving an abandoned red-haired beauty tied to sacrificial posts.
There was no time to lose. We charged in her direction snap firing our carbines. This caused the animal to reluctantly withdraw into a nearby cave allowing us to save the woman. The lady whom we rescued was none other than the Romanov Countess Alexandra Elaina Volkanskaya. This is her story.
Lawford: "Within the relative safety of reconfigured and now fortified Camp Alexandrapour...."
Lawford: "The Countess began her story under the dining fly."
Lawford: "Captain Tumarkin and myself with Nazim standing by were about to learn a story so extraordinary as to defy belief - except here - in mysterious and dangerous Terra Incognita. Alexandra's composure seemed nearly restored, her wounds were healing well and that countenance of confidence and indefatigable resolution which I knew so well appeared unshaken. Remarkable actually. The time had arrived to relate what she could."
Alexandra: "I cannot explain what happened to our people except to say we were overwhelmed several hours before sunrise. Everyone but camp guards were asleep when four men burst into my tent. Before I could do a thing, they forcibly applied a rough and odorous cloth to my face. Vapors caused me to quickly lose consciousness."
"Oblivion however, did not occur before I heard shouts from my countrymen, gunshots, thuds, orders bellowed by my Uncle Colonel Villanovich and the sensation of being hurriedly carried away on someones shoulder. Silence then overcame me almost immediately. This is all I know about the shocking fate of my expedition. Apparently I was and am the sole survivor."
Leader: "Permittez-moi de vous présenter... myself. I am Urvashi, Priestess and guardian of Alexandrapour. Your people dared to come here to discover our secrets, wealth and defile our gods. Terra Incognita stopped three previous expeditions. Yours, the fourth, will now be the latest to enter eternity."
Tumarkin: "She speaks of Ryder's 1879 Expedition, Sutherland's in 1892, Grenville's a fortnight ago and now the Romanovs.
Alexandra: "Da."
Guards: "Bar-manu...Bar-manu...BARMANU...BARMANU!"
Urvashi: "They summon the god Barmanu for you. Though engorged on your people, his slumber ends soon. He will come for you, the last of you thieves and defilers."
Alexandra: "I closed my eyes and started praying."
Nazim: "Our lancers know its name as Barmanu. They say others of it's kind inhabit remote and mostly uninhabited mountainous regions near our homeland. Apparently we have met one here. One who is worshiped as a pagan god."
Alexandra: "Hello, who is this?"
Stirling: "Not likely Countess. Mogambo and I left camp to hunt fresh meat for your Uncle's men. We were gone for days, lost our way a bit to avoid some large carnivores and only now have returned. I am surprised to find only you and this new group of explorers occupying the camp. What happened?"
Stirling: "Forgive me Countess but you will remember I strongly advised abandonment of your expedition with an immediate return to Dongolo. I pray you all will take my advice after everything that has happened - this time."
Lawford: "Sir Richard, the decision has already been made. Tomorrow we return to the cave entrance, descend into its depths and discover what secrets may be there. My orders require me to ascertain the importance of Alexandrapour. If we can do that in one day or a few days, we will depart afterwards. Until then, we remain. Alexandra is descending with me. Will you accompany us?"
Stirling: "Aye. Naturally."
Alexandra: "Certainement. I seek another rendezvous with Urvashi."
31 December 1900 {Forty-nine days later}
Day: "Mr. Jitters informs me Colonel Lawford's batman, Nazim, has arrived this hour from Terra Incognita. He desires to speak with me. Join me will you?"
Wyatt: "Amazing. Never thought it could be done."
Boyle: "He remained behind then to explore?"
Nazim: "Yes Colonel Sahib. I bring Colonel Lawford's journal which he ordered me to present to you. All our experiences are in it."
Mr. Wyatt: "Place his papers on the desk."
Day: "Trooper. We will read the journal later. Oblige us will you with the story in your words?"
Nazim: "Very good Barra Sahib. I will begin at the end when the Colonel ordered me to leave Camp Alexandrapour. It was November 14th."
Nazim: "Why S'hab!"
Lawford: "Four previous expeditions have been wiped out. Due to their size, they were all easily discernable by Terra Incognita people and animals bent on their destruction. When our expedition starts it's return march, we will be in similar jeopardy. Frankly I think it improbable we will successfully return to Dongolo."
"However, one man, you, using your considerable skills can escape this wretched place undetected. You may be the only one to return to civilization so the world can learn about this strange land. It must learn of it."
"I left that night, alone, for Dongolo as ordered."
1) Fog effects were created by a fog machine rented from a theatrical rental business in Milwaukee. Amazing stuff.
2) The cave entrance was made by Chuck L. from tree bark chips sold by craft stores.
3) Tentage and the Consulate building came from Miniature Building Authority.
4) Vegetation came from large pet supply store aquarium departments and from Michael's craft stores.
5) Pulp Figure's "Wierd Menance" PWM 10 is the singular source for the sacrificial posts and more. See: http://www.pulpfigures.com/cat.php?range=Wierd%20Menace&catalog=PWM&custID=653051031305155441
6) Is this the end? Comments welcome below.


text:
LIMA, Peru (AP) — University student Yessenia Medina was trying to concentrate on her virtual psychology class when a stunning headline popped up on her screen: Peru's Congress had voted to oust the nation's popular president.
Furious, the 23-year-old joined the thousands of students, workers and others protesting this week, decrying Congress and refusing to recognize the new president, Manuel Merino.
"I think they removed him out of their own personal interests rather than those of the people," she said. "Legislators are supposed to watching out for the good of all."
Peru's Congress voted overwhelmingly to remove now ex-President Martín Vizcarra on Monday, complaining about his handling of the pandemic and accusing him of corruption. The shock vote drew condemnation from international rights groups who warned that the powerful legislature may have violated the constitution and jeopardized Peru's democracy.
The move has also sparked protests unlike any seen in recent years, fueled largely by young people typically apathetic to the country's notoriously turbulent politics who saw the ouster as a power grab by lawmakers, many of whom were being investigated for corruption under Vizcarra's government.
Police repressing the mobilizations with tear gas and rubber bullets have been criticized for excessive use of force. Nineteen people, including officers and civilians, were injured at a large protest Thursday, according to the public defender's office. Rights groups have also warned about the use of plainclothes officers with no identification and tear gas deployed near homes and hospitals.
Eighteen protesters were detained in the march Thursday.
"Peruvians have a right to protest," said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for Human Rights Watch. "Police and other authorities should protect peaceful demonstrations and in all situations refrain from using excessive force."
Analysts say the demonstrations – and the heavy-handed police response – are a clear sign that Merino will have difficulty governing. Few countries in the region extended congratulations to the new leader and many are calling on him to keep in place a planned April election.
Merino has stated the presidential vote will take place as scheduled and defended Vizcarra's ouster, saying it was an "act of absolute responsibility" and even calling the former president "a thief."
The protests come a year after a wave of demonstrations shook Latin America, with protesters in Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and elsewhere taking to the streets to protest their governments and demand better conditions for the poor and working class. Like those protests, the Peru demonstrations are loosely organized, driven by notices posted on social media and fueled in large part by the demands of young people.
"The youth identifies with the anti-corruption movement," said Carlos Fernández, a political analyst. "They're out on the street adding pressure."
Prosecutors are investigating allegations Vizcarra took over $630,000 in bribes in exchange for two construction projects while governor of a small province years ago.
Vizcarra – who made combatting the nation's widespread corruption the mission of his government – vehemently denied the allegations. But members of Congress – half of whom are under investigation themselves – pressed forward, invoking a clause dating to the 19th century that allows them to remove a president for "moral incapacity."
The ex-president has not been charged.
While polls show most Peruvians wanted Vizcarra to remain in office until his term ends in July and then face a probe into the allegations, some segments of society supported his destitution.
A group of about 50 lawyers, conservative politicians and retired military officers published an open letter welcoming the new president and denying that a coup had taken place. The group also sent a message to the international community saying the move had "strengthened our democracy."
The political turbulence comes as Peru has the highest per capital COVID-19 mortality rate globally and one of the region's most severe economic contractions. The International Monetary Fund estimates Peru's GDP could decline 14% this year.
"Merino, listen up, the people reject you!" crowds chanted this week.
Lizbeth Obregón, 22, said she cried while watching Vizcarra's ouster with her family.
"My dad said it's always been like that," she said. "That the nation has been taken over by rats."
Now she's among those demonstrating, worried that the country's balance of power is broken.
The protests have taken place in cities around the nation. In the capital, the historic San Martin plaza has become a central gathering point. The large open space features a towering statue of Peru's liberator riding on a horse.
"Merino, you messed with the wrong generation," several signs read at one of this week's gathering.
Despite the heavy police response, many have vowed to keep protesting.
Abigail Calluque, 20, ran Thursday as she tried to escape from a cloud of tear gas, coughing while holding up a sign that read, "coup d'état."
"I'm so tired of this situation," she said. "They do whatever they want and we've always stayed quiet. No more."


text:
Sliding metals show fluidlike behavior, new clues to wear
(Phys.org)—Researchers have discovered a swirling fluidlike behavior in a solid piece of metal sliding over another, providing new insights into the mechanisms of wear and generation of machined surfaces that could help improve the durability of metal parts. Studies using a microscope and high-speed camera revealed the formation of bumps, folds, vortex-like features and cracks on the metal surface. The findings were surprising because the experiment was conducted at room temperature and the sliding conditions did not generate enough heat to soften the metal.
"We see phenomena normally associated with fluids, not solids," said Srinivasan Chandrasekar, a professor of industrial engineering at Purdue University, working with postdoctoral research associates Narayan Sundaram and Yang Guo.
Numerous mechanical parts, from bearings to engine pistons, undergo such sliding.
"It has been known that little pieces of metal peel off from sliding surfaces," Chandrasekar said. "The conventional view is that this requires many cycles of rubbing, but what we are saying is that when you have surface folding you don't need too many cycles for these cracks to form. This can happen very quickly, accelerating wear."
Findings are detailed in a research paper published in the Sept. 7 issue of the journal Physical Review Letters. The magazine featured the research on the cover and also included a Viewpoint commentary about the work.
The researchers are developing models to further study the phenomena and understand the wide-ranging consequences of such fluidlike flow in metals, Chandrasekar said. The findings might also lead to improved surface quality in materials processing.
The team observed what happens when a wedge-shaped piece of steel slides over a flat piece of copper. It was the first time researchers had directly imaged how sliding metals behave on the scale of 100 microns to1 millimeter, known as the mesoscale.
The observations show how tiny bumps form in front of the steel piece, followed by the swirling vortex-like movement and then the creation of shallow cracks. The folding and cracking were most pronounced when the steel piece was held at a sharp angle to the copper surface.
The researchers hypothesize that the folding and cracking is due in part to a phenomenon similar to "necking," which happens as a piece of metal is stretched.
Researchers used a specialized laboratory setup that included a high-speed camera and equipment that applies force to the sliding metals. The behavior was captured in movies that show the flow in color-coded layers just below the surface of the copper specimen. Copper is commonly used to model the mechanical behavior of metals.
"Researchers have never had a good experimental setup to observe this kind of deformation directly," Guo said. "Our setup enables us to see the entire history of this fluidlike behavior as it occurs, whereas more conventional experiments rely on still images taken after the experiment is finished."
Metals are made of groups of crystals called grains. Metal surfaces that have smaller grains may be less susceptible to the folding and crack formation.
"We need to explore what role grain size plays," Chandrasekar said. "We think there should be some grain size below which this folding mechanism may be less active. We need to explore why, under what conditions, solid metals behave like fluids."
More information: Mesoscale Folding, Instability and Disruption of Laminar Flow in Metal Surfaces, Physical Review Letters, 2012. http://physics.aps.org/articles/v5/100
Using in situ imaging, we report surface fold formation and fluidlike flow instabilities in sliding of annealed copper. We demonstrate using simulations that folding is principally driven by grain-induced plastic instability. The phenomenon shows remarkable similarities with Kelvin-Helmholtz-type flow instabilities in fluids. While such instabilities have been conjectured to exist in sliding interfaces at the nanoscale, we find vortices and folding in metals at the mesoscale. The occurrence of folds impacts many applications, including surface generation processes and tribology.
Journal information: Physical Review Letters
Provided by Purdue University