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|Version 5 (modified by cmlenz, 16 years ago) (diff)
Genshi Tutorial
This tutorial is intended to give an introduction on how to use Genshi in your web application, and present common patterns and best practices. It is aimed at developers new to Genshi as well as those who've already used Genshi, but are looking for advice or inspiration on how to improve that usage.
In this tutorial we'll create a simple Python web application based on CherryPy 3. CherryPy was chosen because it provides a convenient level of abstraction over raw CGI or WSGI development, but is less ambitious than full-stack web frameworks such as Pylons or Django, which tend to come with a preferred templating language, and often show significant bias towards that language.
The application is a stripped-down version of sites such as reddit or digg: it lets users submit links to online articles they find interesting, and then lets other users vote on those stories and post comments.
The project is kept as simple as possible, while still showing many of Genshi features and how to best use them:
- For persistence, we'll use native Python object serialization (via the pickle module), instead of an SQL database and an ORM.
- There's no authentication of any kind. Anyone can submit links, anyone can comment.
First, make sure you have CherryPy 3.0.x installed, as well as recent versions of FormEncode, Genshi (obviously), and Paste. You can download and install those manually, or just use easy_install:
$ easy_install CherryPy $ easy_install FormEncode $ easy_install Genshi $ easy_install Paste
Getting Started
Next, set up the basic CherryPy application. Create a directory that should contain the application, and inside that directory create a Python package named geddit (basically a geddit directory containing an empty file called __init__.py. Inside that package, create a file called controller.py with the following content:
#!/usr/bin/env python import os import pickle import sys import cherrypy from paste.evalexception.middleware import EvalException class Root(object): def __init__(self, data): self.data = data @cherrypy.expose def index(self): return 'Geddit' def main(filename): # load data from the pickle file, or initialize it to an empty list if os.path.exists(filename): fileobj = open(filename, 'rb') try: data = pickle.load(fileobj) finally: fileobj.close() else: data = [] # save data back to the pickle file when the server is stopped def _save_data(): fileobj = open(filename, 'wb') try: pickle.dump(data, fileobj) finally: fileobj.close() cherrypy.engine.on_stop_engine_list.append(_save_data) # Some global configuration; note that this could be moved into a configuration file cherrypy.config.update({ 'request.throw_errors': True, 'tools.encode.on': True, 'tools.encode.encoding': 'utf-8', 'tools.decode.on': True, 'tools.trailing_slash.on': True, 'tools.staticdir.root': os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__)), }) # Initialize the application, and add EvalException for more helpful error messages app = cherrypy.Application(Root(data)) app.wsgiapp.pipeline.append(('paste_exc', EvalException)) cherrypy.quickstart(app, '/', { '/media': { 'tools.staticdir.on': True, 'tools.staticdir.dir': 'static' } }) if __name__ == '__main__': main(sys.argv[1])
Make that file executable, enter the tutorial directory in the terminal, and run:
$ geddit/controller.py geddit.db
You should see a log message pointing you to the URL where the application is being served, which is usually http://localhost:8080/. Visiting that page will respond with just the string "Geddit", as that's what the index() method of the Root object returns.
Note that we've configured CherryPy to serve static files from the geddit/static directory. CherryPy will complain that that directory does not exist, so create it, but leave it empty for now. We'll add static resources later on in the tutorial.
Basic Template Rendering
So far the code doesn't actually use Genshi, or even any kind of templating. Let's change that.
Inside of the geddit directory, create a directory called templates, and inside that directory create a file called index.html, with the following content:
  <title>$title</title>
$title

Welcome!

This is basically an almost static HTML file with some simple variable substitution.
We now need to change the controller code so that this template is used. First, add the Genshi TemplateLoader to the imports at the top of the genshi/controller.py file, and instantiate a loader for the geddit/templates directory:
import cherrypy from genshi.template import TemplateLoader from paste.evalexception.middleware import EvalException loader = TemplateLoader( os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'templates'), auto_reload=True )
Next, change the implementation of the index() method of the Root class to look like this:
@cherrypy.expose def index(self): tmpl = loader.load('index.html') return tmpl.generate(title='Geddit').render('html', doctype='html')
This asks the template loader for a template named index.html, generates the output stream, and finally serializes the output to HTML. You you now reload the page in your browser, you should get back the following HTML:
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">   <title>Geddit</title>
Geddit

Welcome!

Data Model
To continue, we'll need to first add some classes to define the data model the application will use. As mentioned above, we're using a simple pickle file for persistence, so all we need to do here is create a couple of very simply Python classes.
Inside the geddit directory, create a file named model.py, with the following content:
from datetime import datetime class Submission(object): def __init__(self, username, url, title): self.username = username self.url = url self.title = title self.time = datetime.utcnow() self.comments = [] def add_comment(self, username, content): self.comments.append(Comment(username, content)) class Comment(object): def __init__(self, username, content, in_reply_to=None): self.username = username self.content = content self.in_reply_to = in_reply_to self.time = datetime.utcnow() self.replies = [] def add_reply(self, username, content): self.replies.append(Comment(username, content, in_reply_to=self))
And import those classes in geddit/controllers.py, just below the other imports:
from geddit.model import Submission, Comment
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You can purchase prints and merchandise by clicking on the "BUY PHOTOS" button as you are viewing the gallery/images. To see all of your options available, you need to view on a computer, as the options are minimized and not everything is available if you are viewing on a mobile device. If you need any assistance with any images or with ordering prints, please contact me for help.
Thank you! ~Sheri 404-307-8686
Wedding Albums
Images from wedding albums and coffee table books and other wedding related items we offer.Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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A 27 year-old Taiwanese man surnamed Luo befriended a woman surnamed Lin, 21, a resident of New Taipei City. They met in an internet chatroom. And she allegedly made off with his phone. But there's a twist.
According to NOWnews website (via Global Times), Lin visited Hsinchu, a city in northern Taiwan, where Luo lives. While together, she said that her phone was being fixed, so Luo gave her his extra iPhone 4 to use.
Lin said she would return the phone after a week, but when the time passed, she said she had to go to southern Taiwan and never returned the phone. Luo sent the woman a message, asking where his phone was. She reportedly replied, "Do you want me to return your apple?" Luo apparently said he did.
Three months passed, and Luo got a package from Lin. Opening it, he discovered four apples. (Perhaps four, because iPhone 4?)
Luo tried to contact the woman again about his missing phone (and the fruit!), but she had turned off her phone, so he went to his local police station, produce in hand.
No word on whether he got his phone back or if the man liked them apples.
Woman makes off with iPhone, sends apples [Global Times via Alicia via BeijingCream]
(Top photo: Africa Studio | Shutterstock)
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.


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The term laissez-faire may be a French import, but you can't accuse France's new government of taking a hands-off approach when it comes to rent. The country's socialist-led coalition is introducing a slew of new, groundbreaking laws to control rents and cap real estate agent fees. Counterbalancing these tenant-friendly measures, there will also be decrees giving property owners a state insurance system against unpaid rent, and limiting taxes for landlords who offer rental apartments in high-demand areas. Dubbed collectively the Loi Duflot after housing minister and Green Party member Cécile Duflot, the laws will hold throughout France but will be especially tight in designated "strained" zones, which contain 4.6 million homes in total. These include Paris, of course, but also Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier, the Corsican city of Ajaccio, and the Atlantic resort of Arcachon.
Still, with the country's highest rents by far, it's the Paris market that will be affected most by the new law. The Parisian rental market currently has its fair share of problems, some familiar, some distinctive. Good Paris apartments are hard to come by (some say almost mythical) and their rents seriously stretch the resources of people with low and middle incomes, partly because international absentee landlords have soaked up much of the better stock. In a local twist on housing hell, agents also have too strong a hold on supply. Frequently demanding high finders fees, they can also charge customers up to €400 for access to lists of apartments for rents, lists that are notorious for containing properties that turn out to have already gone.
French landlords also tend to be exceptionally risk averse and wary of leasing to anyone except the very wealthy. A friend of mine with a steady job was repeatedly asked by landlords for a "parental guarantee" at the age of 44. To be fair, this reticence is partly a response to strong tenants rights—no one in France can be evicted during the winter months, for example. Coupled with high rent, this attitude pushes poorer Parisians either far into the suburbs away from their jobs, or into the arms of unscrupulous "Marchands de sommeil" or "sleep peddlers," slum landlords who pack tenants into small, sometimes hazardous spaces.
The Loi Duflot is an attempt to tackle these problems head-on. When it comes into effect in 2016, agents' fees will be capped, rental lists accessible by fee only will be banned and the number of documents required by prospective tenants will be cut. More radically still, high demand areas such as inner Paris will get rent caps. No new rental contract will be permitted to charge more than 20% per square meter above the neighborhood's median rent, which will be assessed annually by a "local rent observatory." Existing rental contracts that overstep that limit will have to be brought down when they are renewed.
None of this rules out the possibility of rent increases. If all landlords set their rents at the highest legal level, then the median will surely push up year on year. But it should slow the process down and ensure enough regularity throughout neighborhoods for prospective tenants to feel confident that they're not getting ripped off.
Landlords are also getting some benefits, too. They'll get a cap (albeit at a not inconsiderable 18%) on the tax they pay on rental earnings if their property is in an area of shortage. More significantly, both tenants and landlords will pay into a government run insurance fund against unpaid rent. If a tenant defaults, landlords will no longer have to chase them through the courts, but simply apply to the fund for reimbursement. This fund will pay the landlord upfront, then investigate the claim themselves. If the tenant has defaulted due to unemployment, illness or low income, they'll receive rent relief (a system already in place in France). If they're just negligent or taking advantage, however, they'll get sued. The crucial move here is that a potential burden is taken off landlords' shoulders, who may then consider lower income tenants less of a risk and thus take more of them on.
Widely viewed as tenant-friendly legislation, the new law is feared by critics who think it will encourage landlords to sell up and, by sucking rentals off the market, steadily push up median rents. At present, however, the trend seems to be slightly in the other direction, as the law has arrived during a period when Paris' and France's rental markets have been settling down. Paris rents have remained static since May 2012—in some wealthier areas such as St Germain des Pres, they've actually gone down slightly, leaving the average city rent at €30.97 per square meter.
There are also a few more apartments around to chase. According to Foncia, France's largest rental company, while the number of Paris rental contracts has increased 11% since last June, the number of flats seeking renters has risen even further, to 13% in Paris and 24% in the greater Paris region (where there is more new construction). Renters are also getting slightly pickier—the average time Foncia's Paris rental apartments lay empty increased by two days to (a still modest) 15 days in total. Even with static or falling rents, it seems that buying apartments to rent out and constructing new buildings still remains profitable enough to attract investors. How effectively the Loi Duflot will work remains to be seen, but counterblasts against it have so far been muted, reflecting a shaky consensus that policies leaving rent levels to the market are making French cities unlivable. For now, French big city tenants are looking forward to their rent processes and prices becoming that little bit less hellish.
Feargus O'Sullivan is a London-born writer and journalist. He lives in London and Berlin.
This originally appeared at The Atlantic Cities.. More from our sister site:
The unsettling link between sprawl and suicide
No, ride-sharing is no the death of public transportation


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Come and say hello!
It's that time of year, conference season (when isn't it?). For us, that means a few of the SoundCloud team get to escape the icy streets of Berlin and pack ourselves into various exhibition halls (and bars) meeting new people and thrusting business cards into their hands. For you, it's a chance to come and say hello. That's the best part, so don't be shy!
Whether you're press, companies, partners, creators – or you just want to meet – then here's where we'll be at.
CES (6 to 9th January) – Tablets, 3D TVs, robots? I wonder what new gadgets you'll be able to use SoundCloud on in 2011! Meet with Alex as he takes in all the wonders that Vegas has to offer.
NAMM (13 to 16th January) – NAMM is the mecca for all the companies that sell the gear that help you make the music. Henrik & David Adams will be hanging out with our friends at the PreSonus booth (Hall A – 6800), giving demos.
Eurosonic (14 to 15th January) – Want to hang out with the European music industry and check out hottest up and coming bands at the same time. Then the lovely Dutch town of Groningen is where you need to be at. Meet with David Noel, he'll be taking part in a panel on the Saturday too (more details coming).
Midem (22 to 25th January) – We'll be there, along with a growing contingent of digital music companies at what is still the definitive international conference for the music industry. We're extra pleased this year to be playing a big part in the Midem Hack Day. More hacking, less talking! Meet with Dave, Eric and Alex.
DLD (24 to 25th January) Digital – Life – Design. Alex will be hopping from Cannes to Munich to meet up with the movers and shakers of the digital world.
SXSW Interactive & Music (11 to 18th March) For better or worse, SXSW looks set to be even bigger this year. Whether you're going for the insight of Interactive or the hot new bands at Music, we hope you'll be there to say hello. Dave will be giving a dual presentation during Interactive entitled 'Love, Music & APIs' and Alex should be there too.


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Easter Egg Hunt Set in Goliad
Goliad Main Street Program is hosting its 18th annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday on the Goliad County Courthouse lawn. The event will begin at 10 a.m. with a parade of decorated tricycles, bicycles, wagons, baby strollers, hats and baskets. The Easter Bunny will grand marshal the parade and be available for free photos.
An Easter egg hunt, which will be separated into age divisions, will follow the parade. Other activities at the event will include face painting, an egg and spoon race, sack races and cookie decorating.
Free hot dogs, chips and drinks will be provided by an area motorcycle club.


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NBC and Microsoft plan to announce a deal to finally part company, with the network buying back the remainder of their hugely popular MSNBC website from the software giant, say people familiar with the matter.
Under the plan, officials will rebrand MSNBC.com, which consistently ranks among the top three in online news sites, as NBCNews.com. The announcement of the corporate divorce is expected within days, although there could always be a last-minute snag.
"We're absolutely having those conversations, but there is no deal," an NBC spokesman said Wednesday.
The cable channel MSNBC was originally a joint venture between the broadcast network and Bill Gates' company—hence the initials in the name—but the television partnership was dissolved in 2005. The companies, however, remained 50-50 partners in the website.
NBC executives have grown frustrated at not having sole control of the MSNBC website, which does original reporting as well as aggregating content from the AP, Reuters, New York Times and elsewhere. At the same time, as the MSNBC channel has forged a separate identity as the liberal home of Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and others, the company has worried about the brand confusion caused by its straight-news site bearing the same name. And the cable channel has lacked a site solely devoted to pushing its personalities.
Two years ago, NBC and Microsoft held serious negotiations about changing the name of MSNBC.com to alleviate that confusion. Once Microsoft withdraws, NBC may create a second site with the MSNBC name simply to promote the cable channel's offerings.
Under the current plan, say people familiar with the matter, Charlie Tillinghast, the chief executive of MSNBC.com, would continue to run the site. But he would presumably move off Microsoft's campus, along with the roughly half of the website's 300 employees who are also based in Redmond, Wash.
MSNBC.com is considered to be quite profitable, in part because it draws as much as half its traffic from Microsoft's MSN network. Part of the deal, say those in the know, calls for Microsoft to continue to steer some traffic toward the rebranded site.
While NBC maintains no deal is in place, website employees have already been briefed on the plans and how they will be affected.


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Early Byzantine Pilgrimage Art explores the portable artifacts of eastern Mediterranean pilgrimage from the fifth to the seventh century, presenting them in the context of contemporary pilgrims' texts and the archaeology of sacred sites. The book shows how the iconography and devotional piety of Byzantine pilgrimage art changed, and it surveys the material and social culture of pilgrimage. What did these early religious travelers take home with them and what did they leave behind? Where were these "sacred souvenirs" manufactured and what was their purpose? How did the images imprinted upon many of them help realize that purpose?
The first edition of this pathbreaking book, published in 1982, established late antique pilgrimage and its artifacts as an important topic of study. In this revised, enlarged version, Gary Vikan significantly expands the narrative by situating the miraculous world of the early Byzantine pilgrim within the context of late antique magic and pre-Christian healing shrines, and by considering the trajectory of pilgrimage after the Arab conquest of the seventh century.


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iPadDevCamp 2010
The inaugural iPadDevCamp was held between April 16-18, 2010, at PayPal Headquarters in San Jose. The event came just two weeks after the release of the Apple iPad to the general public. Owners, developers, and entrepreneurs gathered at the event to share business ideas and hack on projects during the three-day event. More information at http://ipaddevcamp.orgRead More


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Poor Sleep Hampers Vaccines
You've probably noticed you're more likely to catch a cold if you pull a lot of all-nighters. But lack of sleep can also compromise your immune system's response to vaccines. And in some cases, make the shots useless. So says a study in the journal Sleep. [Aric A. Prather et al., Sleep and Antibody Response to Hepatitis B Vaccination]
Researchers gave 125 healthy, middle-aged men and women the Hepatitis B vaccine—a three-part vaccine given at one, two and six months. And during that time, volunteers tracked their sleep habits.
Six months after the final booster, researchers took blood samples to see if the patients had rallied sufficient numbers of antibodies against Hep-B. Eighteen patients had not—the vaccine had failed. Turns out the vaccine was almost 12 times as likely to fail in volunteers who regularly slept fewer than six hours a night compared to those who snoozed more than seven.
Makes sense, because previous studies have shown that sleep deprivation cuts numbers of B and T cells—which coordinate the immune system's attack on bad guys. So remember, vaccines aren't magic. You still need a good night's sleep to give 'em a fair shot.
—Christopher Intagliata
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]


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Pat Green Picks Up Hometown Radio DJ Gig to Stay Close to Family
'Wave on Wave' hitmaker Pat Green already has a big following of devoted fans, but he's hoping to rope in some loyal listeners with a new gig he's trying. The singer has accepted a temporary position as a morning radio host for Austin-based country station KVET for the month of June. Green will join current hosts Chris Mosser and Anne Hudson in the studio as he takes a hiatus from the road.
"I still love music, I still love performing," Pat Green tells the Boot about his decision to cut back on touring. "I get the most out of performing than anything else I do. But there's not a day I'm on the road that I don't wish I was with my kids."
In fact, the singer says performing more than 200 shows each year was actually making him sick. "I was getting anxiety, it was making me sick at my stomach," Green admits. "I had fear and all these other feelings injected into me because I was afraid I was going to miss them doing something great or miss something bad happening and couldn't be there. I do a lot of other work now so that I can work less on the road."
The devoted family man will still perform selected dates throughout the summer in promotion of his latest release, 'Songs We Wish We'd Written II,' his second collaborations project with fellow Texas artist, Cory Morrow.
And thanks to modern technology, non-Texas fans can tune in to listen to his morning show viaiHeartRadio.com. When the singer resumes his regular day job, Green does plan to phone-in remotely to check-in with his radio family.


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Research funds Defense Approps Gulf War Illness
Clarification and simple marching action orders to all---THIS IS CRITICAL TIME SENSITIVE NOW MAKE THE PHONE CALLS AS REQUESTED GET TO ALL VETERANS ONLINE TO HELP! Sign the petition, notify others of the petition and make the phone calls Operation Desert Storm Veterans are making headway on Gulf War illness and need help to get House and Senate Defense Subcommittee to listen and to have funds put in to Congressional Directed Medical Research for Gulf War illness! WE got 5 million in FY06 that is being used soon re research proposals were recently reviewed By scientific Merit Review panel. WE got no money for this in FY07. Right now the Hill is working on FY08 appropriations...we need money appropriated and this is happenning now. WE NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK MAKING CALLS ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS. PLEASE HELP YOUR FELLOW VETERANS. Here is the petition Read it and act call,email, fax the Senators and Representatives on The appropriations list for Defense Subcommittee at the end of this message and help get others this info we need pressure on the phone lines starting in the morning. Email me results at firstname.lastname@example.com IN CARING FOR VETERANS' HEALTH DON'T FORGET GULF WAR VETERANS Petition To Congress DIRECT TO APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEES-Defense Subcommittee HOUSE AND SENATE TIMING URGENT APPROPS in PROCESS NOW! Petition To Congress - 175,000 Gulf War veterans still suffer from chronic multisymptom illness related to the 1991 war, according to the latest Department of Veterans Affairs study - There are no effective treatments. - A $5 million pilot research program open to all researchers and conducted by DoD attracted 80 proposals to identify treatments and diagnostic tests in 2006, compared to two treatments studied in the previous fifteen years. - While $5 million will support only a fraction of these studies, this response demonstrates the interest of the scientific community in improving the health of ill Gulf War veterans. - As Congress appropriates needed billions for the care of those returning from the current war, we urgently ask that it fund this treatment research program for ill Gulf War veterans at the $30 million level traditionally funded by DoD for Gulf War illness research before it was eliminated from the budget in recent years. - All major veterans organizations support $30 million funding for the Gulf War Veterans Illnesses Research Program of the DoD Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. - ---30% of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom are also returning with ill defined conditions/syndrome Source VA document - The VA Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses has found that evidence supports a probable link between exposure to neurotoxins and the development of these illnesses. - Treatments and diagnostic markers identified through the GWVRP would also serve to protect the health of current and future military personnel and civilians at risk of similar health effects. Denise Nichols Vice-Chairman National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition Maj,USAFR(ret) Operation Desert Storm Flight Nurse 303-422-2962 firstname.lastname@example.com House Committee Appropriations Defense Subcommittee John P. Murtha (PA), Chair David Morrison, Subcommittee Clerk Room H-149 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2847 Democrats David R. Obey, Wisconsin, Chair (202) 225-3365 Republicans Jerry Lewis, California, Ranking Member (202) 225-5861 Fax: (202) 225-6498 MAJORITY Chair: John P. Murtha (PA) Norman D. Dicks (WA) (202) 225-5916 [voice] (202) 226-1176 [fax] Peter J. Visclosky (IN) phone: (202) 225-2461 fax: (202) 225-2493 James P. Moran (VA) Phone: (202) 225-4376 Fax: (202) 225-0017 Marcy Kaptur (OH) Tel: (202) 225-4146 Fax: (202) 225-7711 Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, Jr. (AL) 202-2254801 202-225-4392 Fax )4392 one: (202) 225-4801 Fax: (202) 225-4392 Allen Boyd (FL) (202) 225-5235 (202) 225-5615 Fax Steven R. Rothman (NJ) 202-225-5061 202-225-5851 fax Sanford Bishop (GA) Phone- (202) 225-3631 Fax- (202) 225-2203 Dave Obey (WI), Ex Officio MINORITY Ranking Member: C.W. Bill Young (FL) 202-225-5961 David L. Hobson (OH) Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (NJ) 202- 225-5034 Todd Tiahrt (KS) 202.225.6216 fax: 202.225.3489 Roger F. Wicker (MS) 202-225-4306 202-225-3549 fax Jack Kingston (GA) Phone: (202) 225-5831 Fax: (202) 226-2269 Email: email@example.com Jerry Lewis (CA), Ex Officio (202) 225-5861 Fax: (202) 225-6498 SENATE Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Subcommittee on Defense Democratic Subcommittee Members: Senator Daniel Inouye (Chairman) (HI) Senator Robert C. Byrd (WV) Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) Senator Tom Harkin (IA) Senator Byron Dorgan (ND) Senator Richard Durbin (IL) Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) Senator Barbara Milkulski (MD) Senator Herb Kohl (WI) Senator Patty Murray (WA) Republican Subcommittee Members: Senator Ted Stevens (Ranking Member) (AK) Senator Thad Cochran (MS) Senator Arlen Specter (PA) Senator Pete Domenici (NM) Senator Christopher Bond (MO) Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) Senator Richard Shelby (AL) Senator Judd Gregg (NH) Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) Senator Inouye 202-224-3934 /fax 202-224-6747 Senator Leahy 202-224-4242 Senator Harkin 202-224-3254/ fax 202-224-9369 Senator Mikulski 202-224-4654/fax 202-224-8858 Senator Kohl 202-224-5653/ fax 202-224-9787 Senator Murray 202-224-2621 fax 202-224-0238 Senator Dorgan 202-224-2551/ fax 202-224-1193 Senator Feinstein 202-224-3841 fax 202-228-3954 Senator Durbin 202-224-2152 fax: 202-228-0400 Senator Johnson 202-224-5842 fax 202-228-5765 Senator Landrieu 202-224-5824 fax 202-224-9735 Senator Reed 202-224-4642 Fax 202-224-4680 Senator Lautenberg 202-224-3224 fax 202-228-4054 Senator Nelson 202-224-6551 fax 202-228-0012 Senator Cochran 202-224-5054 Senator Stevens 202-224-3004 fax 202-224-2354 Senator Specter 202-224-4254 Senator Domenici 202-224-46621 fas 202-228-3261 Senator Bond 202-224-5721 Senator MCConnell 202-224-2541 fax 202-224-2499 Senator Shelby 202-224-5744 Senator Gregg 202-224-3324 Senator Bennett 202-224-5444 Senator Craig 202-224-2752 fax 202-228-1067 Senator Hutchinson 202-224-5922 fax 202-224-0776 Senator Brownback 202-224-6521 fax 202-228-1265 Senator Allard 202-224-5941 fax 202-224-6471 Senator Alexander 202-224-4944 fax 202-228-3398


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Wilson's disease (patient information)
For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Varun Kumar, M.B.B.S.
Wilson's disease
Wilson's disease On the Web
Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder in which there is too much copper in the body's tissues. The excess copper damages the liver and nervous system.
What are the symptoms?
- Abnormal posture of arms and legs
- Confusion or delirium
- Dementia
- Difficulty moving arms and legs, stiffness
- Difficulty walking (ataxia)
- Emotional or behavioral changes
- Enlargement of the abdomen (abdominal distention)
- Personality changes
- Phobias, distress (neuroses)
- Slow movements
- Slow or decreased movement and expressions of the face
- Speech impairment
- Tremors of the arms or hands
- Uncontrollable movement
- Unpredictable and jerky movement
- Vomiting blood
- Weakness
- Yellow skin (jaundice) or yellow color of the white of the eye (icterus)
Who is at the highest risk?
- Wilson's disease is a rare inherited disorder. If both parents carry an abnormal gene for Wilson's disease, there is a 25% chance in each pregnancy that the child will have the disorder.
- Wilson's disease causes the body to take in and keep too much copper. The copper deposits in the liver, brain, kidneys, and the eyes. The deposits of copper cause tissue damage, death of the tissues, and scarring, which causes the affected organs to stop working correctly.
- This condition is most common in eastern Europeans, Sicilians, and southern Italians, but may occur in any group. Wilson's disease typically appears in people under 40 years old. In children, the symptoms begin to show by age 4.
A slit-lamp eye examination may show:
- Limited eye movement
- Rusty or brown-colored ring around the iris (Kayser-Fleischer rings)
A physical examination may show signs of:
- Damage to the central nervous system, including loss of coordination, loss of muscle control, muscle tremors, loss of thinking and IQ, loss of memory, and confusion (delirium or dementia)
- Liver or spleen disorders (including cirrhosis, splenomegaly, and liver necrosis)
Lab tests may include:
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Serum ceruloplasmin
- Serum copper
- Serum uric acid
- Urine copper
If there are liver problems, lab tests may find:
Other tests may include:
- 24-hour urine copper level
- Abdominal x-ray
- Abdominal MRI
- CT scan of the abdomen
- Head CT scan
- Head MRI
- Liver biopsy
The gene responsible for Wilson's disease has been found. It is called ATP7B. DNA testing is available for this gene. However, testing is complicated because different ethnic groups may have different changes (mutations) in this gene.
When to seek urgent medical care?
Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of Wilson's disease. Call a genetic counselor if you have a history of Wilson's disease in your family and you are planning to have children.
Treatment options
The goal of treatment is to reduce the amount of copper in the tissues. This is done by a procedure called chelation -- certain medications can bind to copper and help remove it through the kidneys or gut. Treatment must be lifelong.
The following medications may be used:
- Penicillamine (Cuprimine, Depen) binds to copper and leads to increased release of copper in the urine.
- Trientine (Syprine) binds (chelates) the copper and increases its release through the urine.
- Zinc acetate (Galzin) blocks copper from being absorbed in the intestinal tract.
Vitamin E supplements may also be used.
Sometimes, medications that chelate copper (especially penicillamine) can affect the function of the brain and nervous system (neurological function). Other medications under investigation may bind copper without affecting neurological function.
A low-copper diet may also be recommended. Foods to avoid include:
- Chocolate
- Dried fruit
- Liver
- Mushrooms
- Nuts
- Shellfish
You may want to drink distilled water because most tap water flows through copper pipes. Avoid using copper cooking utensils.
Symptoms may be treated with exercise or physical therapy. People who are confused or unable to care for themselves may need special protective measures.
A liver transplant may be considered in cases where the liver is severely damaged by the disease.
Where to find medical care for Wilson's disease?
Directions to Hospitals Treating Wilson's disease
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Lifelong treatment is needed to control Wilson's disease. The disorder may cause fatal effects, especially loss of liver function and toxic effects of copper on the nervous system. In cases where the disorder is not fatal, symptoms may be disabling.
Possible complications
- Anemia (hemolytic anemia is rare)
- Central nervous system complications
- Cirrhosis
- Death of liver tissues
- Fatty liver
- Hepatitis
- Increased number of bone fractures
- Increased number of infections
- Injury caused by falls
- Jaundice
- Joint contractures or other deformity
- Loss of ability to care for self
- Loss of ability to function at work and home
- Loss of ability to interact with other people
- Loss of muscle mass (muscle atrophy)
- Psychological complications
- Side effects of penicillamine and other medications used to treat the disorder
- Spleen problems
Liver failure and damage to the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord) are the most common and dangerous effects of the disorder. If not caught and treated early, Wilson's disease is fatal.
- Mature chapter
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- Gastroenterology patient information
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- Metabolic disorders patient information
- Autosomal recessive disorders
- Rare diseases
- Neurology
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- Congenital disorders patient information


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It might not seem like it at first glance, but truly, there are more resources to find jobs than you could ever take advantage of. In fact, despite having been in the career business for more than ten years, I discover new sources of jobs on a daily...Filed under Featured, Finding a Job, How to Succeed Leave a Comment
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Why Aren't There More American Day Laborers, Doctors, Engineers and Textile Workers?By Harrison Barnes on Apr 19,2023
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In this article, Harrison explains how nothing is permanent, everything faces a change at some point or another, and that everyone should possess the ability to readjust to the new situation. Your responsibilities and daily duties could end, businesses could end, and jobs could be lost without a reason or warning. You need to accept the fact that anything is possible and the comfort zone in which you might be in may just vanish one fine day. It is on such a situation that your ability to be flexible counts most. Learning new things, being with new colleagues, holding new responsibilities should be accepted very positively. Dramatic changes could occur in the job scenario, but you need to be ready for the change. You should never hold on to the past and constantly look towards the future. Change is natural and inevitable and Harrison believes that it should pave a path for progress and development.
In this article Harrison talks about the importance of being consistent as against being brilliant and outstanding in your job. Being consistent is one of the most important things in a job. People who are consistent have the best careers in the long run. The better and more extreme someone's performance is, the less likely they are to maintain it over time. Things like always showing up for work, always doing the job, cooperating with peers, and more are important characteristics. These are the people who contribute to companies and companies want them in their team. A one-shot performance is in no one's best interest. Companies and organizations need people who are consistent. Sustained effort over time is what really matters. Harrison is not belittling brilliance and hard work; nevertheless he insists that you need to be consistent in order to succeed.
In this article, Harrison explains the importance of credibility in your career and in your life. The most important question that you should ask yourself is whether you can be trusted. Fortunes can fall and be rebuilt, but once you lose your credibility, you have lost a great deal. Dishonest individuals may rise rapidly to the top, but they almost always come crashing down. To be dishonest in any way does not pay off at all. People lose their faith, are fearful, and will practically never again believe a dishonest person. A person's reputation is his/her most valuable asset. It is extremely fragile and should be protected at all costs. You need to have an explicitly honest approach, never fail to make others aware of the truth, and never cut corners. Hence, Harrison states that one of the hallmarks of the most successful individuals is their credibility.
If you are good at one thing, then you need to make sure you develop a diversity of skills in case demand for your primary skill goes away. You need to shape yourself and your career to withstand all kinds of economic and other climates. Like the Greek Parthenon, you must have a strong foundation and project strength, supporting yourself with multiple pillars.
Many people instinctively recoil when faced with things outside of their control; recognizing and combating this instinct will transform you from a loser into a leader. Focus on one area of your life at a time; by gaining control over the most problematic areas of your life, you will empower yourself to further control other areas. Whatever aspect of your life with which you choose to begin, the important thing is that you do so; inaction will get you nowhere.
Your most important asset—in fact your only real asset—is your life force that makes you want to work hard in order to succeed. This force can achieve anything, and it is something you need to keep turned on at all times. If you can keep this turned on, you will succeed.
In this article, Harrison states that one of the biggest secrets behind successful marketing is communicating relevantly with people. The more the relevance in communication, the more people are willing to respond. Going the traditional way to communicate does not always work. Understanding your audience's needs is of prime importance and it works wonders connecting with them in a personal way. You need to bridge the gap that exists and reach out in the most genuine manner. People need to trust your interest in their well being and only when this happens, will serious communication take place.
Being proactive in your job search begins with ensuring that you are actually seeing all of the available job openings. Leave no stone unturned, and apply to every possible job even if it seems like a remote possibility. Targeted mailing is another method of proactive job seeking, and can be one of the most effective means of obtaining your career goals.
In his article, Harrison talks about how a change in viewpoint can bring about dramatically improved results. As a resident of a neighborhood run over by vagrants and thieves and living in an apartment where the management was eager to claim its pound of flesh, Harrison article provides beautiful insights into how his choice to look at all the good things helped turn things around. Embracing a positive outlook is a lot like investing in long term happiness. When you praise someone for all that she or he has done, you don't just pay a compliment; you recognize the person's efforts and propel him or her to do better as well.
In this article Harrison discusses the importance of having a strong desire to achieve goals. People who are out there achieving great things are the ones who have the most desire. When you have a wish that is backed by a desire, you will start to achieve what you are looking for because you will create opportunities for yourself and your desire will drive you to excel. Without a desire and a goal you will just wander aimlessly through life. Get obsessed and focused on a goal. This is the only conceivable way your career is going to go to the highest level possible. Wish big and create a desire, and your life and career will never be the same.
In this article Harrison discusses the importance of keeping one's perspectives open while searching for a job. Harrison feels that one of the worst mistakes people make when searching for a job is failing to realize their potential. Despite your current situation, you can find a job, even in this downturn. In this article, Harrison shares with you some of the most important sources of hidden job opportunities. All these hidden sources will open when you'll change your perspective and make yourself aware of your potential.
In this article Harrison discusses the importance of encouragement. If you look at most successful people, somewhere in their background there is someone cheering for them and believing in what they can accomplish. When people take the time to encourage and believe in us, they are giving us one of the greatest gifts we can receive. When we believe in people and what they are capable of accomplishing, it can change their lives. Consequently, these people rise to a higher level of achievement than what they might have experienced without our involvement. We become a voice in the background, whispering words of encouragement into their ears. Make others better off in the world by virtue of having met you, and having related to you. Your goal should be to make the world a better place, and it all starts with making sure you encourage others.
People who form their opinions of themselves based of how others are doing fall into a dangerous trap; do not base your own happiness on how others are faring. Compare yourself to your own past performance rather than that of others to measure your growth and happiness. The process of comparing oneself to others is addictive, and you must free yourself from such unhealthy contrasts in order to find true happiness.
Seeking outside input, and taking feedback and criticism from others are crucial components of your success. The most successful people not only seek criticism, but seek situations in which they will be challenged and criticized, and surround themselves with people who are likely to challenge them. Arranging for regular input from others will help you improve in all respects.
In business, innovation comes from the freedom to operate; stagnation and failure result when a government attempts to legislate business. Limiting peoples' ability to make a certain amount of money undermines business in an incredible way. Similarly, you need to associate with businesses and groups where freedom of movement will allow both you ant the company to expand. When you have more constraints placed on your movement, you face greater problems and eventually the loss of your job.
When people are aware of others' expectations, they usually perform in accordance with them. Outside expectations can lead to either your success or your destruction; surrounding yourself with low expectations can, in turn, lead you to under-perform and further distance you from your career goals. When you surround yourself with people with high expectations, however, you will rise to levels you may not have thought previously possible.
In this article Harrison discusses the role of selflessness and integrity in work. Harrison believes that when you stop thinking about yourself in business and concentrate on the needs of others, you begin to do well. It is one of the most important keys to success. In business you should never focus on just yourself. Doing a good job should always be your priority.
In this article Harrison discusses the importance of thinking big and setting high goals. In order to succeed, you need to visualize where your career is going and keep a fire burning within you. People with a burning desire to achieve their dreams are always successful. It is also important to structure your social lives around people who could assist you in reaching your goals. Understanding who you want to become and studying those above you will help you rise. Hold on to your dreams and stay positive. When it comes to your career, do everything in your power to ensure that you do not give up on your dreams. Continue to focus on what you want to become until you become it.
In this article Harrison discusses the power of commitment. It is important to commit to your career, to a single employer or to anything for that matter. Not being committed to your career can have enormous ramifications. Commitment is key to any form of success. You should not do any sort of job that your heart is not in and that you cannot be committed to. Without a strong commitment you will not have the success you desire.
In this article Harrison discusses the choices that life offers us. We can choose to be average, very much like the people around us and doing just what society wants us to do. Or, we could be radically different. We could defy the trend, choosing not to play by the rules and simply doing things in a way that makes sense to us. The same philosophy can also be applied to your job search. Any innovation and deviation from the accepted norm, especially in a challenging economic environment, could prove to be a tremendously successful strategy. When you follow your heart and do what you want to do, everything changes. People who stepped out of the rat race and did exactly what they wanted to do with their lives found not only happiness, but great success.
In this article, Harrison discusses one of the most important tips to be successful in your career. What he explains is the fact that you need to be in a job which is unchallenged and has less or no competition. A characteristic of all good jobs is that there is hardly anyone interested in doing them and that they are uncontested. You have outstanding skills which are going to be in demand somewhere and there is every chance that you really blossom if you are in the right atmosphere where you will be considered for your unique skills and be appreciated for the same. Your work and background will make you special and you will stand out. You have every chance to become famous too! In an atmosphere where you are surrounded by people competing for the same advancement, you could be replaced at any moment. Harrison believes that this is one of the easiest ways to succeed and that which most people simply fail to realize.
Winning in Your Job Search and Life Means Going Forward No Matter What Criticism You Think You May Receive
In this article Harrison discusses how fear of criticism prevents people from living up to their full potential. Harrison believes that the biggest achievers in our world are the people who are not afraid to act and are not afraid of criticism. The skill of finding a job is dependent upon not caring what other people are saying or will say. The less you fear criticism, the better job you will get. You need to lead and not follow. People who follow the rules and spend their time wondering what others will think rarely achieve very much. The winners in this world are the ones who are acting despite what others may say, or are saying. The losers are the ones who are paralyzed with fear and afraid to take action because of what others may say.
Advance your career by concentrating your efforts, and seeking work and people with whom you feel you could grow and establish roots. Devote your time and effort to pursuits that complement your strengths, and where you can add the most possible value. One of the most important actions you can take in your job search is to concentrate your assets where they can add the greatest value, and do not distract yourself with incompatible work and people.
Sympathy destroys morale, and those who can walk away from sympathy often have better careers and make better use of their skills. Good organization is the most effective means of upholding high morale and productivity. Well-organized groups and companies are much harder for people to undermine, and their strength is directly linked to their organization.
You must maintain a state of constant motion; when you stop moving and being productive, bad things happen to you. Things die when they stop moving, which is why you should never give up under any circumstances. When people stop moving, they make all further progress difficult. Avoid gaps in your employment, as you will be seen as out of touch and less employable; instead, you need to stay continually moving and never slow down.
In this article, Harrison explains the importance of realizing the greater purpose in the work you do. One of the greatest causes of failure in the work world is when your focus diverts from your contribution to the money you are earning. You need to understand the larger purpose for which you have been hired. The money you are paid for your job is generally commensurate with your contribution to something more important, more meaningful, and much larger than yourself. The secret to success then will be having a higher purpose to your work and being energized by your work which would ultimately bring more and better work and lead to more money.
In this article Harrison discusses the importance of investing in the backstage of everything you are doing. Nothing is more important than what you do behind-the-scenes, and the substance that goes into your job. Only with a good backstage can you achieve your full potential in anything. Most successful people and businesses always have a very strong operation behind-the-scenes. It is not what people see when they look at a storefront that matters; it is the "substance" of what is going behind-the-scenes. It is like this with you and your profession as well. The ultimate product that you produce will be more a product of what you do "behind-the-scenes" than of the actual service that you provide. It is important to understand the significance of this, because it can mean the difference between great success and failure. Only with a good backstage can you achieve full potential in anything.
Remain calm at all times, and stay focused on the world around you to make considered decisions before acting. You must remain calm in order to fully understand people and situations around you, and in turn make better decisions. Being calm leaves you in greater control than those around you, and empowers you to react in a level-headed way.
In any given situation, you must consistently do 10% more than those around you; this is the essence of optimization, a vital tool for career success. Self-optimization changes everything, and is one of the best ways to improve in anything you do. Even seemingly minor changes can yield major results, so pay attention to the details.
If you are very good at something, you should improve on it (try to stay inspired) and continue doing it. The biggest mistake you can make is abandoning something that is working. Do what you are good at.
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New York University chemists have discovered crystal growth complexities, which at first glance appeared to confound 50 years of theory and deepened the mystery of how organic crystals form. But, appearances can be deceiving.Their findings, which appear in the latest edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, have a range of implications—from the production of pharmaceuticals and new electronic materials to unraveling the pathways for kidney stone formation. The researchers focused on L-cystine crystals, the chief component of a particularly nefarious kind of kidney stone. The authors hoped to improve their understanding of how these crystals form and grow in order to design therapeutic agents that inhibit stone formation. While the interest in L-cystine crystals is limited to the biomedical arena, understanding the details of crystal growth, especially the role of defects—or imperfections in crystals—is critical to the advancement of emerging technologies that aim to use organic crystalline materials. Scientists in the Molecular Design Institute in the NYU Department of Chemistry have been examining defects in crystals called screw dislocations – features on the surface of a crystal that resemble a spiraled ham. Dislocations were first posed by William Keith Burton, Nicolás Cabrera, and Sir Frederick Charles Frank in the late 1940s as essential for crystal growth. The so-called BCF theory posited that crystals with one screw dislocation would form hillocks that resembled a spiral staircase while those with two screw dislocations would merge and form a structure similar to a Mayan pyramid—a series of stacked "island" surfaces that are closed off from each other. Using atomic force microscopy, the Molecular Design Institute team examined both kinds of screw dislocations in L-cystine crystals at nanoscale resolution. Their results showed exactly the opposite of what BCF theory predicted—crystals with one screw dislocation seemed to form stacked hexagonal "islands" while those with two proximal screw dislocations produced a six-sided spiral staircase. A re-examination of these micrographs by Molecular Design Institute scientist Alexander Shtukenberg, in combination with computer simulations, served to refine the actual crystal growth sequence and found that, in fact, BCF theory still held. In other words, while the crystals' physical appearance seemed at odds with the long-standing theory, they actually did grow in a manner predicted decades ago."These findings are remarkable in that they didn't, at first glance, make any sense," said NYU Chemistry Professor Michael Ward, one of the authors of the publication. "They appeared to contradict 60 years of thinking about crystal growth, but in fact revealed that crystal growth is at once elegant and complex, with hidden features that must be extracted if it is to be understood. More importantly, this example serves as a warning that first impressions are not always correct." This story is reprinted from material from New York University, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier. Link to original source.
Irradiating a topological insulator with circularly polarized laser light can generate harmonics that reveal information about its quantum properties.
Researchers have grown twisting spirals by depositing sheets of 2D material on a substrate that was curved slightly by slipping a nanoparticle underneath.
Researchers have discovered that a novel liquid crystalline cholesteric compound has the shortest known pitch.


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What if you took New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS and hacked a complete recreation of Super Mario 3 into the thing? Well, why stop there? Why not put some Metroid and Legend of Zelda in there too?
Tears Of The Kingdom's Newspaper Questline And The State Of Hyrulean Journalism
Well, someone did that, creating the hacked New Super Mario Bros. 3, which not only puts recent Mario powers like the ability to shrink and wear a blue Koopa shell into classic NES era levels, the fan-made game also injects tons of bonus content. There are Metroid-themed zones, classic levels from Super Mario Bros. 2 and much, much more. If you're looking for the hardest of the hardcore New Super Mario Bros. challenges, this might be up your alley.
New Super Mario Bros. 3 [Final Trailer] [YouTube - thanks, Reducks!]


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Contact: Tricia Gentry
Phone: (501) 664-0340, ext. 418
This event is sponsored by the diocesan Catholic Youth Ministry Office. For more information, contact Tricia Gentry at (501) 664-0340, ext. 418.


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By Heather Herzog,
IT Communications
Penn State University
Greg Petersen is getting creative.
As director of broadcasting for Penn State's public broadcasting stations WPSU TV and radio, Petersen has seen millions in funding cuts to public media stations across the nation — with states like Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire and New Jersey totally eliminating their appropriations for public broadcasting — and other states slashing their public media budgets to pennies on the dollar. Consequently, public broadcasting managers like Petersen have had to trim their program offerings down to a small percentage of what was offered 10 years ago. Even more frustrating, a digital network used for program exchange and simulcasts was shut down as part of the cutbacks, so sharing quality programs in real time is often no longer possible for many Pennsylvania PBS stations.
But Petersen and the team at WPSU have been hammering out a solution. Recently, WPSU and Erie's public television station, WQLN, have been partnering with the Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER) and Velocity Network to use Pennsylvania's next generation research and education network (PennREN) to share their programming — and the collaboration has been breathing new life into state PBS offerings, through the power of super-fast, fiber-optic cable.
Using PennREN collaboratively for the public broadcast market has amazing potential in the long run, says Petersen: "Over the fall, we've been successfully transmitting broadcasts of two well known WPSU shows to Erie — 'Weather World' and 'Conversations LIVE' — in real time and without a hitch. Then, this January, we premiered the 2nd season of 'After Abbey,' a show that recaps each new episode of the popular television series 'Downton Abbey.'"
According to the show's producers, the 'After Abbey' simulcast enabled fans from WPSU and WQLN listening areas to interactively participate in a conversation with WPSU producers and guest experts through the power of PennREN's broadband network technology. Fans were highly energized during the broadcast, with numerous calls coming in from State College, Erie — and even Ontario, Canada.
Similarly, during a broadcast of "Conversations LIVE" to WQLN, host Patty Satalia and University experts discussed gardening essentials, fielding live calls from Erie and central Pennsylvania viewers for the first time, without delay. In addition, the live airing of WPSU's popular meteorology show "Weather World" has been transmitted daily to WQLN, conveying in-depth, scientific analysis of weather patterns and climate studies in simulcast to nearly 450,000 combined WQLN and WPSU households.
Petersen explains when many Pennsylvania stations lost their Pennsylvania Public Television Network (PPTN) funding during the past few years, they had to resort to sharing their programs by physically shipping copies to one another in the form of flash drives or video tapes.
"So the importance of what PennREN offers right now is instant, collaborative and economically feasible program-sharing opportunities, that we haven't had in years," he stresses. "And the possibilities are limitless — for example, each station could become a repository of a specialized type of educational programming, and broadcast live to multiple stations throughout the state."
Completed in 2013, PennREN was constructed with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help bring affordable broadband connections to non-profit community institutions in many underserved areas. The network encompasses more than 1,600 miles of fiber across the state. PennREN is managed by KINBER, which is comprised of member organizations from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia — including major hubs like the University of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Pennsylvania — along with institutions, colleges, libraries, hospitals and healthcare organizations spanning the commonwealth.
According to Bruce M. Taggart, Ph.D., chair of the KINBER Board of Directors and vice provost for library and technology services at Lehigh University, the recent WPSU-WQLN broadcast transmissions are the first time PennREN has been able to link organizations that weren't directly positioned on its own network.
"With the many opportunities available, it's impossible to know the full extent of what will come out of PennREN and its potential, but it's already opening up connections and communications that otherwise would not have existed," he said. "Because of the commonality of PennREN, we are now envisioning how higher education, public media, K-12, libraries, economic development and healthcare can work together and it is unlocking the doors for collaboration in Pennsylvania."
As for Petersen, he has an eye on the future. The idea of merging television broadcast technologies and second generation Internet has become a reality and he believes it will have the power to deliver enormous rewards for PBS.
"Discovery tends to happen when challenge and need drives innovation," he said. "There may be some growing pains, but this really isn't brain surgery — it's just making good television."


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Pillay says 20 years after historic human rights breakthrough, much work remains 29Jun13 June 29, 2013
Palestine News Network - 28 June 2013
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday said there had been significant achievements since a historic human rights document was adopted in Vienna 20 years ago, but there have also been many setbacks and "the magnificent construction is still only half built", Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a press statement.
Pillay, who was opening the two-day "Vienna +20 Conference" in the Austrian capital, said that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA), adopted by consensus at the World Conference on Human Rights in June 1993, was "the most significant human rights document produced in the last quarter of a century and one of the strongest human rights documents of the past hundred years."
She said that the VDPA "crystalized the principle that human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, and firmly entrenched the notion of universality by committing States to the promotion and protection of all human rights for all people 'regardless of their political, economic, and cultural systems.'"
The 1993 Vienna Conference led to "historic advances in many vital areas," Pillay said. It also created the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which she now heads (and whose own 20th anniversary will be celebrated as of September).
"Much progress has occurred during the past two decades, thanks to the path laid down in Vienna," the High Commissioner told over 500 assembled diplomats, civil society members, academics and human rights experts attending the 20th anniversary event, hosted by the Austrian Government.
"We can justly celebrate a number of important landmark agreements, including on the world's first permanent International Criminal Court – the creation of which received a significant boost at Vienna – as well as new mechanisms to promote and protect the human rights of women, minorities, migrant workers and their families and other groups. Vienna opened the door to stronger UN human rights mechanisms, including an expansion in the number of Special Procedures." Today, the 48 Special Procedures cover the entire spectrum of human rights, she noted. Vienna also strengthened the system of expert committees, known as treaty bodies, which assist States performance to meet their legal obligations under international human rights treaties, and to the important system of national human rights institutions which now exist in 103 countries.
However, the High Commissioner warned the work was far from complete: "We must recognize that in many areas, we have failed to build on the foundations of the VDPA. The inspiring opening promise of the Universal Declaration – that all human beings are born equal in dignity and in rights – is still only a dream for far too many people," she said.
"This week twenty years ago, snipers were gunning down children in the streets of Sarajevo," she said, noting that the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina was taking place "less than a day's drive from the conference rooms where the World Conference was taking place."
"Today, only a little further away, the children, women and men of Syria cry out in pain and beg for our aid," the High Commissioner said. "And once again, we are failing them – as we have done in a succession of other horrific conflicts, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq – to name just a few."
"Time and again, the international community has promised to protect civilians from slaughter and gross violations of rights. And yet even as I speak to you now, women are being abducted and raped, hospitals are being targeted, and indiscriminate shelling and deliberate massacres stain the earth with the blood of innocents," Pillay said.
"All this is intolerable. And yet it continues to happen. Our progress along the path that we laid down in Vienna 20 years ago has been marked by constant setbacks as well as many achievements. Some promises have been half fulfilled – for example in the area of international justice, where we have an international court, to which some deserving situations are referred and others – including Syria – are not. But, twenty years ago, we had had no international courts at all since Nuremberg."
"When we come here, we are not celebrating history," the High Commissioner said. "We are talking about a blueprint for a magnificent construction that is still only half built. It is essential that we view the VDPA as a living document that can and should continue to guide our actions and goals. Human rights are still not universally available, or viewed as indivisible and interrelated, despite our promise to make them so. States still continue to make arguments about cultural relativity. Women, minorities and migrants are still discriminated against and abused. The right to development is still not accepted by everybody. Power still corrupts, and leaders are still prepared to sacrifice their people in order to retain it."
Pillay said another key achievement of Vienna was to provide a major boost to civil society organizations and other human rights defenders (she herself was representing a women's rights NGO at the 1993 Conference). Such organizations "have expanded to a degree that was unimaginable at the time, especially at the national level," she said. "But they are also, today in 2013, facing unprecedented challenges, including restrictive laws and reprisals."
"We need to do our utmost to revive the spirit of the Vienna Declaration, and relearn its messages," she concluded. "We must refocus on its startling clarity of purpose which, at the time, we had scarcely dared hope to achieve. It reaffirmed the dignity and rights of all, and showed us how to achieve them. It crystalized the concepts of universality, and impartiality with regard to justice. It showed us the way forward, and to some extent we have followed that path. But, sadly, reprehensibly, we also continue, all too often, to deviate from it."
Thank You.


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53-pound snapping turtle saved from pipe
HOUSTON (AP) - A 53-pound snapping turtle is recovering at a Houston wildlife rehabilitation center after fire-rescue crews saved it from a drainage pipe.
The Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the specimen, one of a threatened species known as alligator snapping turtles, was found wedged Tuesday in the pipe in a new residential development near Hockley, about 35 miles northwest of Houston.
Fire-rescue crews used a spreader to open the pipe enough to remove the turtle, which had struggled to keep its head above water. Several drowned alligator snapping turtles flowed from the newly unblocked pipe.
The SPCA said it also is rehabilitating one other alligator snapping turtle, which had an embedded fish hook and other serious wounds. Both will be returned to the wild after recovering.


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The 233rd of daily biblical readings. These are for you to enjoy. You are free to download them and listen on your iPod or other device in the car or wherever.
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Read Along (Copied from Linked Source)
1 How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. 2 Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies. 3 After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress. 4 The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed festivals. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she is in bitter anguish. 5 Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. The LORD has brought her grief because of her many sins. Her children have gone into exile, captive before the foe. 6 All the splendor has departed from Daughter Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; in weakness they have fled before the pursuer. 7 In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands, there was no one to help her. Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruction. 8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have all seen her naked; she herself groans and turns away. 9 Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her. "Look, LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed." 10 The enemy laid hands on all her treasures; she saw pagan nations enter her sanctuary— those you had forbidden to enter your assembly. 11 All her people groan as they search for bread; they barter their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. "Look, LORD, and consider, for I am despised." 12 "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me, that the LORD brought on me in the day of his fierce anger? 13 "From on high he sent fire, sent it down into my bones. He spread a net for my feet and turned me back. He made me desolate, faint all the day long. 14 "My sins have been bound into a yoke ; by his hands they were woven together. They have been hung on my neck, and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has given me into the hands of those I cannot withstand. 15 "The Lord has rejected all the warriors in my midst; he has summoned an army against me to crush my young men. In his winepress the Lord has trampled Virgin Daughter Judah. 16 "This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed." 17 Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The LORD has decreed for Jacob that his neighbors become his foes; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them. 18 "The LORD is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command. Listen, all you peoples; look on my suffering. My young men and young women have gone into exile. 19 "I called to my allies but they betrayed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive. 20 "See, LORD, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death. 21 "People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so they may become like me. 22 "Let all their wickedness come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint."
1 How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion with the cloud of his anger ! He has hurled down the splendor of Israel from heaven to earth; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. 2 Without pity the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob; in his wrath he has torn down the strongholds of Daughter Judah. He has brought her kingdom and its princes down to the ground in dishonor. 3 In fierce anger he has cut off every horn of Israel. He has withdrawn his right hand at the approach of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes everything around it. 4 Like an enemy he has strung his bow; his right hand is ready. Like a foe he has slain all who were pleasing to the eye; he has poured out his wrath like fire on the tent of Daughter Zion. 5 The Lord is like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation for Daughter Judah. 6 He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden; he has destroyed his place of meeting. The LORD has made Zion forget her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths; in his fierce anger he has spurned both king and priest. 7 The Lord has rejected his altar and abandoned his sanctuary. He has given the walls of her palaces into the hands of the enemy; they have raised a shout in the house of the LORDas on the day of an appointed festival. 8 The LORD determined to tear down the wall around Daughter Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withhold his hand from destroying. He made ramparts and walls lament; together they wasted away. 9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; their bars he has broken and destroyed. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and her prophets no longer find visions from the LORD. 10 The elders of Daughter Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. 11 My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within; my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. 12 They say to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers' arms. 13 What can I say for you? With what can I compare you, Daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, Virgin Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? 14 The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading. 15 All who pass your way clap their hands at you; they scoff and shake their heads at Daughter Jerusalem: "Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth?" 16 All your enemies open their mouths wide against you; they scoff and gnash their teeth and say, "We have swallowed her up. This is the day we have waited for; we have lived to see it." 17 The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago. He has overthrown you without pity, he has let the enemy gloat over you, he has exalted the horn of your foes. 18 The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. 19 Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner. 20 "Look, LORD, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? 21 "Young and old lie together in the dust of the streets; my young men and young women have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of your anger; you have slaughtered them without pity. 22 "As you summon to a feast day, so you summoned against me terrors on every side. In the day of the LORD's anger no one escaped or survived; those I cared for and reared my enemy has destroyed."
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Syosett, New York, July 8, 2012
His Beatitude composed and signed the letter at his residence in Washington, DC, in the presence of Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor.
On Saturday, July 7, the letter was presented to the Holy Synod in the course of a conference call in which all of the hierarchs participated, except His Eminence, Archbishop Alejo of Mexico City.
The text of His Beatitude's letter reads as follows.
"To the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America,
"As per your unanimous request, as conveyed to me by Chancellor Fr. John Jillions, I hereby tender my resignation as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and humbly request another Episcopal assignment.
"I had come to the realization long ago that that I have neither the personality nor the temperament for the position of Primate, a position I never sought nor desired.
"It is my hope that due consideration will be made for my financial situation, both in any interim and in consideration for any future position. I am the main financial support for both my parents and my sister, beyond my own needs.
"I will appreciate your consideration in this, and beg forgiveness for however I have offended you, and for whatever difficulties have arisen from my own inadequacies and mistakes in judgment.
"Asking your prayers, I remain faithfully
"Metropolitan Jonah, Archbishop of Washington"
The hierarchs again will meet via conference call on Monday, July 9, after which additional information will be made available.
A PDF of His Beatitude's letter is also available.


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Report: Raiders interested in Geno Smith
The cheesecake may soon stand alone.
With experts and analysts and reporters making it clear that no quarterback in this class is worthy of a top-10 pick, the Raiders could be pouncing on West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith with the third overall selection.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that there are rumors of the team's interest in Smith, who by virtue of the fact that he was the fastest quarterback in Indy makes him an obvious candidate to play for the Raiders.
If the Raiders take him, Carson Palmer likely would be cut. And if Terrelle Pryor remains as the backup, the Raiders would become the first team to go two deep with mobile quarterbacks -- which would allow them to run the same offense with either guy. Unlike the Redskins or the 49ers or the Panthers or any other team with a mobile starter.
Of course, it all could be a smokescreen aimed at persuading teams like the Cardinals or Bills to trade up to the third spot.
Regardless, the dearth of quarterbacks (as evidenced by the haul the Niners will receive for Alex Smith) will prompt quarterback-needy franchises to do desperate things. A trade up to No. 3 could be the end result.


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A financial challenge from a friend of Evangel University has resulted in more than $350,000 being raised in a 48-hour period on Monday and Tuesday, December 2 and 3.
The funds will be used for scholarships for both new and returning students at Evangel.
"A generous friend of EU committed to donating up to $200,000 in two-to-one matching funds, during what we called a 48-Hour Blitz," said Jim Williams, vice president for institutional advancement. "For every dollar we could raise, he offered to match it with two."
The University surpassed their $100,000 goal. According to Williams, more than $150,000 has been received thus far from alumni, faculty, staff and friends.
"A final tally is still a couple of days away. We will be counting checks that were postmarked on Dec. 2 and 3," he added.
The social connection
Information about the matching opportunity was shared with the Evangel family in the week before Thanksgiving, through a combination of email, social media, post cards and word of mouth.
The message of the University's year-end fund-raising video was even adapted for the Blitz.
"This was our first campaign to rely primarily on social media, and the response was exceptional," said Chuck Cox, director of alumni relations for the past 28 years.
"Online giving set new records. Our phones were ringing from 7 a.m. to midnight both days, and a steady flow of local supporters hand-delivered their checks to our office," Cox said.
The CBC connection
This was also the first major fundraising effort since Central Bible College was consolidated with Evangel University last summer.
Doug Jenkins transitioned from CBC to Evangel, and he is now serving as director of CBC alumni and church relations.
"Doug assembled a team of CBC grads that met both days and made calls to their alumni and friends," said Williams. "We are thrilled that approximately $50,000 was raised by the work of this team of volunteers."


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Kim Kardashian May Be Forced to Defend Her Crappy Reputation in Court
Kim Kardashian's lawsuit against Old Navy just got juicy: To combat Kim's claim that the company damaged her "reputation" by airing an ad featuring Kardashian lookalike Melissa Molinaro, the clothier has launched an investigation of Kim's crappy reputation.
Kim's lawyers are reportedly seeking $20 million in damages for the violation of Kim's "rights to her name and likeness." The Hollywood Reporter explains Old Navy parent company The Gap's strategy:
[Lawyer Louis] Petrich has put together a plan that seeks to ferret out Kardashian's true worth as the two sides engage in a discovery process that's expected to take up much of this year. Among the documents sought by Petrich are financial records that show how much Bebe and Sears earned by making deals with Kardashian and why Bebe dropped Kardashian. The clothing retailer ditched the reality star about the same time that The New York Times published a particularly scathing review that described Kardashian's Manhattan pop-up store as a "fashion desert."
But wait, it gets more brutal:
The moves could be in anticipation of making an argument similar to those in defamation cases where a defendant asserts the plaintiff is "libel-proof," with a reputation so stained that no injury could cause true damage. Or maybe The Gap aims to show that Kardashian is no Molinaro, best known up until now for her appearance on MTV's Making The Band 3, and that Kardashian could never sing and dance like her doppelgänger.
But wait, it gets even more brutal:
Among the most noteworthy possible witnesses in this case is Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush, one of Kardashian's ex-boyfriends. The Gap wants Bush's testimony. Bush reportedly began dating Molinaro after the Old Navy commercial came out and the defendants are going to make Bush's relationships with both Kardashian and Molinaro an issue.
It's "unclear" whether Reggie could contribute anything of value to the proceedings, other than a series of salacious low blows. Since all Kardashians derive their power from salacious low blows to Kim's sex life, this has the potential to be the simultaneous pinnacle and rock bottom of the Kardashian empire. [THR]