text:
FRIDAY, Aug. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People who use reduced-nicotine cigarettes don't smoke more to make up for the lower levels of nicotine, according to a new study.
This means they don't inhale more toxic chemicals than other smokers, the researchers say.
The month-long study included 72 adult smokers, aged 18 to 65, who smoked regular cigarettes with nicotine emission levels of 1.2 milligrams (mg) each for one week. The participants then switched to reduced-nicotine cigarettes for the next three weeks.
In each of those three weeks, the participants smoked cigarettes with decreasing nicotine emission levels -- 0.6 mg, 0.3 mg, and 0.05 mg or less.
At the end of each week, urine and breath samples were collected from the smokers. The number of cigarettes smoked, and the number of puffs taken from cigarettes by the participants did not change during the study. The findings are published Aug. 22 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Also, there were no changes in the levels of carbon monoxide in their breath and no difference in urine levels of 1-hydroxypyrene, a potentially cancer-causing chemical in cigarettes.
"As a result of the 2009 Tobacco Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the mandate to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes to negligible amounts," said study author David Hammond, associate professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
However, concerns have arisen that smokers will be exposed to greater amounts of toxic chemicals in smoke as they try to extract more nicotine from cigarettes, he explained. "The current study suggests that this may not be the case," he said in a journal news release.
Instead, the findings show "that smokers are unable or unwilling to compensate when there is markedly less nicotine in the cigarette and when the experience of smoking is far less rewarding," said Hammond. "Our study may help regulators anticipate the possible consequences of mandatory nicotine reductions in cigarettes."
Sources of funding for the study included Health Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society. No cigarette makers were involved.
More information
The American Cancer Society offers a guide to quitting smoking.
This article: Copyright © 2014 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


text:
Story highlights
Human rights activists in Saudi Arabia say they're being targeted by the government
Protests are prohibited in the deeply conservative Middle East nation
Despite high-profile arrests, activists say they're finding their voice via Internet, social media
As he was falling asleep, the father of five turned to his wife and said he hopes it will all be worth it someday.
Maybe someday, Mohammed Al-Qahtani said, his daughter be able to walk somewhere without a male guardian. Maybe someday, she'll be able to drive a car without fear of arrest.
"Maybe I'm dreaming," Al-Qahtani said. "My newborn daughter, maybe one day she will vote for the prime minister in Saudi Arabia.
"Of course, there will be a price to be paid, and we are more than willing to pay that price."
The 46-year-old economics professor, who is also one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent human rights activists, has been on trial for several months in Riyadh. He faces nine charges, including breaking allegiance to the Saudi king, describing Saudi Arabia as a police state and turning people and international bodies against the kingdom.
His co-defendant, Abdullah Al-Hamid, faces similar charges, including spreading chaos, questioning the authority of official clerics and undermining public order. If convicted, both could go to prison for several years.
Al-Qahtani calls the accusations against them nonsense and says he knows why he and Al-Hamid were really put on trial. He said he and Al-Hamid have stoked the ire of the kingdom for running an activist group that is trying to expose human rights violations in the country.
"We have a number of cases where people are thrown in prison arbitrarily, torture, forced disappearances. … Whatever rights abuses (you could think of), you could find in Saudi Arabia," Al-Qahtani said.
According to rights groups, Saudi authorities have been increasingly targeting activists through the courts and other arbitrary means such as travel bans.
"This has been a systematic approach by the authorities in Saudi Arabia – namely, the targeting and harassing of activists across the country," said Tamara Al-Rifai, spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division.
Al-Rifai told CNN that accusations against activists generally include "instigating chaos, gathering illegally, harming the reputation, talking to foreigners, talking to the media, etc."
She said there is no clear criminal law in Saudi Arabia and that people "are being arbitrarily arrested and detained for exercising rights that are stipulated by all international human rights laws, but also the Arab Charter of Human Rights to which Saudi Arabia has adhered."
In June, Amnesty International issued a statement calling Al-Qahtani's trial "just one of a troubling string of court cases aimed at silencing the kingdom's human rights activists."
"The case against him should be thrown out of court as it appears to be based solely on his legitimate work to defend human rights in Saudi Arabia and his sharp criticism of the authorities," said Philip Luther, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Program.
When asked about the case and about accusations that Saudi Arabia is cracking down on dissent, Saudi officials have been reluctant to comment.
"At the Interior Ministry, our area of responsibility is security," said Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry. "My understanding is that these cases are being looked at by the courts now. Nobody will comment on cases being looked at by the courts."
In Saudi Arabia, a deeply conservative kingdom and an absolute monarchy, protests are prohibited. Still, activists say, small gatherings are becoming more frequent – demonstrations by both men and women demanding the release of jailed relatives.
The latest high-profile incident happened early this month. According to rights groups, Saudi security forces arrested a group of women in the town of Buraida who were protesting over family members allegedly held for years as political prisoners. The women said the relatives had been detained without charges on suspicion of terrorism.
The scene of Saudi police circling the women was caught on video, sparking anger and more protests.
And in November, activists say, Saudi security forces in Riyadh detained dozens of protesters, including women and children, who were urging the government to release political prisoners.
"I don't want my kids to face this Dark Age kind of prosecution," Al-Qahtani told CNN. "So we are trying to push the limit so our kids will live in a world where their fundamental rights will be respected."
In 2009, he, Al-Hamid and a few others founded the Saudi Political and Civil Rights Association, or ACPRA.
ACPRA, according to Al-Qahtani, actively reports on human rights violations and attempts to help relatives of political prisoners free their loved ones through lawsuits against the government.
A group like that needs a license to operate. But despite repeated attempts, Al-Qahtani says, the Saudi government did not give them one.
Al-Qahtani, who was educated in the United States, believed that if he pushed harder, he might get somewhere. He, Al-Hamid and other members began regularly posting updates about their campaign on ACPRA's website and e-mailing information to a growing base of members and supporters.
In December 2010, ACPRA called for all Saudis to participate in a public sit-in to demand political reform. The sit-in was eventually canceled, as the ministry of interior told the organizers their request was refused.
Last January, ACPRA crossed one of the country's ultimate red lines by being openly critical of Saudi Arabia's interior ministry and demanding the interior minister be prosecuted for human rights violations.
They've also circulated petitions for the release of Saudis they believe are political prisoners. While Al-Qahtani and Al-Hamid have tried to file complaints in court, those efforts went nowhere because the court system did not process them, Al-Qahtani said.
The activists also wrote to United Nations special rapporteurs, independent experts who investigate human rights abuses worldwide.
Al-Qahtani said the United Nations responded to their letters and that U.N. human rights investigators issued opinions on a few of the cases. He said that's another reason why he's in hot water with the authorities.
"We were trying to highlight the violations, document these violations, try to write officials in Saudi Arabia, try to remedy the situation, try to improve, push the limit for freedom of expression," Al-Qahtani told CNN via Skype.
While Al-Qahtani and Al-Hamid are still free, al-Qahtani says they've been banned from travel, and the Saudi authorities keep a close eye on them, repeatedly calling them in for questioning.
"We have weekly sessions of interrogation," he said. "They [would] ask these details that's just about our … activism."
But as their own freedoms have been fettered, they've begun finally reaching an audience they envisioned from the start. The activists' profile brightened in recent months with coverage of their upcoming trial. Stories began appearing in both Eastern and Western press.
Foreign Policy, a highly respected global news magazine, named Al-Qahtani as one of its 100 top global thinkers of 2012.
"He has broken some of Saudi Arabia's biggest taboos, highlighting corruption within the monarchy and questioning its legitimacy to govern," the magazine wrote.
Along with his organization's website and YouTube channel, Al-Qahtani regularly tweets updates about his case and his interrogation sessions.
"We have seen young kids being attracted to the campaign that we are running," he said. "Many people want to join our organization. So these are encouraging signs."
Throughout their trial, other Saudi activists, academics and intellectuals have crowded the courtroom on several occasions. They've also taken to social media to express their support.
"So there are some positive signs," Al-Qahtani said. "It's not all bleak."
But if the fate of other ACPRA members provides any clue of how things might go, the outlook isn't bright for him and Al-Hamid.
In April, group member Mohammed Al-Bajadi was sentenced to four years behind bars. Amnesty International said he was found "guilty of participating in the establishment of a human rights organization, harming the image of the state through the media, calling on the families of political detainees to protest and hold sit-ins, contesting the independence of the judiciary and having banned books in his possession."
And in December, political activist Suleiman al-Rashudi was arrested, according to his wife, after giving a lecture in which he said protests were permitted in Islam. His wife, Um Ammar, told CNN she has not been allowed to see her husband or speak to him since he was detained and is extremely worried about him. Al-Rashudi, who was recently elected president of ACPRA, previously spent five years in detention and, according to activists, was found guilty last year of, among other things, financing terrorism, incitement against the king and attempting to seize power.
"There's no guarantee that [ACRPA's work] will get people the rights for freedom of expression," Al-Qahtani said. But he said even if he and Al-Hamid go to prison, they've started something special.
Their cause won't end if they're locked up, he said. The belief that freedom can be had in Saudi Arabia has now been shared with others who want it. They've embraced it, he said, and will shoulder the effort.
"At least," the professor said, "we have done our share."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Demolition of the last building in Penn Plaza started late last month. When I stopped by the site this weekend I noticed light poles along the perimeter had been plastered with stickers reading "Homes not Whole Foods." A lot of ambivalence surrounds the development, with many housing activists and other concerned Pittsburghers seeing Whole Food's abandonment of plans to build on the site as a victory. If it is a victory, it's perhaps a Pyrrhic one, as it came to late to save the homes of hundreds of displaced residents. The re-development will continue regardless of whether the anchor tenant is Whole Foods or another company. Also, now that Whole Foods is under new ownership following the purchase by Amazon last month, maybe the high-end market will be back in the mix. Scenes like this are not unique to Pittsburgh, of course, but once again affordable housing has been demolished in the city without replacements or alternatives being prepared.
Notorious Pittsburgh graffiti artist Daniel Montano, known by his writer's alias MFONE, died on June 11. Montano was among the most prolific and high-profile writers active in the city, and was seen as the successor to MOOK, another notorious local artist who left his mark on the city's graffiti culture (as well on several city landmarks, as can still be seen on the 10th street bridge). This picture shows a memorial next to mural along Penn Ave between Bloomfield and Garfield.
Development continues along the Penn Ave corridor through Bloomfield-Garfield, although I haven't seen evidence of the "phase two" road reconstruction project beginning in earnest. This stretch of Penn has been among my favorite areas in the city for the past two years, and for that same period of time I have been meaning to photograph the area as it is now because I know it's going to change drastically and soon. Long-standing local businesses like bike shops and tattoo parlors stand alongside art galleries and cafes. This environment is of course conducive to certain patterns of gentrification. The influx of high-end retail will eventually begin along Penn, with the residential developments bound to occur on the Garfield side of the avenue. I've been saying to my wife since we moved here, "Just watch: this whole area is going to change." Last week I spotted a boutique underwear store as well as a sign advertising a forthcoming smoothie and juice shop. The area is home to robust community organizations and several beloved local businesses, so it remains to be seen how these changes are handled.


text:
Vietnam eats, sleeps, and dreams on motorbikes
Evidence of "moto" madness: A family of four on a speeding cycle sharing a bucket of fried chicken as they go.
| Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
I stood just outside the storefront, leaning against the door frame waiting for a delivery. On the fractured sidewalk in front of me, a man napped on the seat of his motorbike, his arms folded across his chest, his legs draped over the handlebars. Settled into his daytime slumber, he was cocooned from the mad cacophony of the street, where masses of motorbikes tipping with payload, sped about in all directions, dismissive of signs, signals, or even an iota of order.
Looking at him, so unaffected he could nap amid the free-for-all, I was once again stunned by the fantastic bedlam of Vietnam's "moto" culture; a bedlam that is simply white noise to locals.
I watched as several motorbikes bumped up onto the sidewalk, nimbly dodging the droves of pedestrians and turning this city sidewalk into a traffic feeder lane. Out of the stream emerged a "moto" driver laden with boxes of computer equipment, who wove his way around the napper and the other sidewalk sideshows. He appeared to be driving toward the doorway I was standing in. I was curious, wondering when this driver would stop, or if he would stop. I quickly sidestepped to make room for him as he eased the bike over the threshold, only arriving at a full stop once inside the store. For a foreigner, this was breathtaking. For the Vietnamese, it was a plain-vanilla-ordinary thing to do.
To the Vietnamese, a motorbike is not just a vehicle, but a bionic limb. A magic carpet. A personal jet pack, able to propel them from their living rooms (where many park their bikes) to any doorstep. Legs and feet are backup forms of transport, used only as a last resort.
And packs of motos swarm through the streets and onto the sidewalks, weaving and honking, dodging and turning, often hulking with the likes of plate glass, doors, household appliances, and even amusement park props in tow.
The number of motorbikes continues to rise in Vietnam and there are now nearly 20 million of them, according to the World Bank. Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) has 3 million – about one motorbike for every two people in the city. By far, the largest portion of vehicles on the roads of Vietnam are "motos," which are small engine – 50cc to 400cc – motorcycles.
• • •
I had my first extended stay in Vietnam more than three years ago. Day after day, I'd watch – through taxi windows – the dizzying theater of street traffic. From my backseat perch, I'd jot notes to myself about the two- and three-wheeled vehicles minnowing around me, heaving with cargo – coconut-laden rickshaws; old bicycles bulging with baskets of raw meat; cyclo drivers pedaling oversized spools of cable wiring; and motorbike after motorbike weighted down with six-foot bookcases, stereos, refrigerators, extension ladders, TVs, bushels of skinned chickens, plastic barrels of live fish, and rings of rubber tires.
These superheroes of delivery would transport items the size of small buildings on nothing bigger than a Vespa. Cars can barely crawl along the clogged city streets, but the river of motos and makeshift vehicles flow speedily around them. From my view inside the taxi, I felt like an onlooker who'd been plopped down into the middle of a parade.
A US State Department warning reads like an all points bulletin, cautioning Americans against murderous motorcycles on the loose: "The traffic moves on the right, although drivers often travel against the flow. Horns are used constantly, often for no apparent reason. Outside the cities, livestock compete with vehicles for road space. Drivers do not follow basic traffic principles and there is little adherence to traffic laws ... most Vietnamese ride motorcycles; often an entire family rides on one motorcycle."
Near the end of those first weeks in Vietnam, my interpreter, Mr. Thien, convinced me it would be OK to catch a ride with him on his moto.
"It's raining. And it's only two streets," he said. "Don't worry, I drive slowly."
I climbed on and gripped his shoulders. Before Thien had driven half a yard, we were front-ended by a moto making a turn into oncoming traffic. It was nothing more than a kiss of wheels, and both drivers nodded respectfully at each other before the second driver sped off, soldiering into the surge of oncoming vehicles.
"It's OK, it's OK," said Thien, trying to reassure me. My grip tightened considerably.
Although the cities rack up a considerable number of collisions, the country's highways are even worse. (Eighty percent of the world's traffic accidents take place in Southeast Asia, according to the World Health Organization.)
Yet, the Vietnamese seem unfazed. Their madness for motos remains, along with their kamikaze abandonment of road rules and safety. Late last year, a law mandating the use of helmets went into effect. Before then, seeing a helmet here was like spotting an alligator in the Arctic. And although citizens comply with the law, there remains an aversion to wearing helmets. Which is why they're mockingly called rice cookers.
• • •
Since that first visit to Vietnam, I've returned several times. In June, I walked out of my hotel one afternoon to find an Australian guest sitting on the steps, staring out at the street.
"Interesting, huh?" I said, recognizing his traffic reverie.
"Unbelievable. Unbelievable," he said. "I had plans to go out tonight, but, I'm not going anywhere. I've been sitting here for more than an hour and I just can't take my eyes off it."
I scuttled on past the dumbstruck Australian and handily flagged down a moto taxi driver. He revved his engine, popped up onto the sidewalk and braked at my shoes. His toe-front service meant he was extending his superpowers to me, ensuring I wouldn't have to take one single extra unnecessary step. I got on, strapped my "rice cooker" across my chin and we were off.
I don't know where it came from, this willingness to lob myself into the frenzied fray. But it happened on my second trip to Vietnam, when a late-night ride home was offered by a fellow journalist. It seemed rude to say no. And too touristic and foreign and fearful to call for a cab, yet again. And the chorus of locals egging me on sealed the deal. "Don't be scared! We take care of you!" they shouted.
And soon I felt relieved to be free of the cluttered sidewalks where eating, card-playing, boozing, dealmaking, daydreaming, schmoozing, repairing, canoodling, sleeping, hair-cutting, and gossiping take place.
On foot I felt like a trespasser in a supremely crowded living room. On wheels, I began to loosen my grip. My posture softened. No longer bracing against the current, my spot on the back of the moto felt like the eye of the storm. I began to take motos whenever possible. I crisscrossed the city on moto taxis, just one more piece of cargo being ferried through town. This was it for me. I was joined with the masses. Me as we.
Zipping along, I watched as fellow motorbikers clipped past me. I began to note with pad and pen, there on the back of the bike, what I saw in motion: a family of four on a moto passing around a bucket of fried chicken, a stack of funeral wreaths being hauled, a driver with a huge bucket of live shrimp sandwiched between his legs.
I shot video while my driver u-turned into oncoming traffic on a bridge, then rewound to look at the footage, while other motos whizzed so close I had to squeeze in my knees.
Looking back, I'm alarmed at the danger I put myself in. Being bionic by proxy involves more than a little risk.
Now, propped on a mantel in my office half a world away, is my helmet. Every now and then I take it down and try it on, showing it off to friends and telling them stories of the road. Me and my superhero costume, nestled safely at home.


text: The New York Botanical Garden offers public access to a wide range of information, including historical materials and collections that may contain offensive and unacceptable language. Such information does not reflect the views and values of NYBG. We are committed to preserving collections data in their original forms for historical accuracy and to facilitate research. We welcome feedback and questions about language found in our databases. Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring "we are not a deadbeat nation," President Obama warned on Monday that Social Security checks and veterans' benefits will be delayed if congressional Republicans fail to increase the government's borrowing authority in a looming showdown over the nation's debt and spending.
Obama said he was willing to negotiate deficit reduction with GOP leaders but insisted that those talks be separate from decisions to raise the $16.4 trillion debt ceiling and avert a possible first-ever national default.
"They will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy," Obama said in a news conference one week before he is sworn in for a second term. "What I will not do is to have that negotiation with a gun at the head of the American people."
Bitter brinkmanship between the White House and congressional Republicans over spending has become a defining event over the past four years, testing both Obama's leverage and his resolve at different moments of his presidency. House Speaker John Boehner brushed off Obama's insistence on separating the debt ceiling from negotiations over spending cuts.
"The American people do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing government spending at the same time," Boehner said. "The consequences of failing to increase the debt ceiling are real, but so, too, are the consequences of allowing our spending problem to go unresolved.
Underscoring the urgency, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a letter to Boehner on Monday that the government will exhaust its borrowing limit as soon as mid-February, earlier than expected. The Treasury has been using bookkeeping maneuvers to keep from surpassing the debt ceiling, but Geithner said those measures will be exhausted by mid-February to early March.
In addition to noting possible effects on older Americans and veterans, Obama recited a litany of possible consequences if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling, including sending the economy back into recession.
"We might not be able to pay our troops, or honor our contracts with small business owners," he said. "Food inspectors, air traffic controllers, specialists who track down loose nuclear materials wouldn't get their paychecks. Investors around the world will ask if the United States of America is in fact a safe bet. Markets could go haywire, interest rates would spike for anybody who borrows money. Every homeowner with a mortgage, every student with a college loan, every small business owner who wants to grow and hire."
At this moment, the government faces three looming deadlines: The debt limit must be raised soon to meet spending obligations and prevent a first-ever default, a series of across-the-board spending cuts is to kick in on March 1, and funding for most government programs will run out on March 27.
After Obama won tax rate increases for wealthier Americans during budget negotiations last month, Republicans became doubly determined to win spending cuts. They see the confluence of events ahead of April 1 as their best opportunity.
Just weeks from hitting the first of the deadlines, the two sides are neither on the same page nor pursuing a common approach. In 2011, Obama and Boehner at least started off agreeing on the premise that the increase in the debt limit be matched dollar-for-dollar with deficit cuts, spread out over a decade. Obama ultimately won a $2.1 trillion debt increase, but only after agreeing to an equal amount of spending cuts over 10 years.
This time, White House officials believe the president has a stronger hand, having won re-election and, at least partially, the tax increases on which he had campaigned.
Eager to avoid blame for a default or for missed payments to seniors, some Republicans are getting ready to insist on certain payment priorities by the Obama administration if the debt ceiling is not raised in a timely manner.
Even without additional borrowing authority, the government would continue to receive tax revenue, but hardly enough to keep up with the bills.
Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., says he will introduce legislation next week that would require the government to pay interest on the debt as well as Social Security benefits and wages for active duty members of the military if the borrowing limit is not raised.
"Because the people who want to keep spending as usual and don't want to negotiate some spending reductions are out there propagating this myth that somehow failure to raise the debt ceiling would result in a default, I felt like it's necessary to demonstrate and, in fact I prefer to codify, the alternative," Toomey said in an interview.
Congressional Democrats have recently urged the president to lift the debt limit unilaterally. He said — as he has before — that he won't do it, that Congress has voted for the spending that resulted in federal borrowing, and should now agree to pay the bill.
"There are no magic tricks here," Obama said Monday. "There are no loopholes. There are no, you know, easy outs."
Obama noted that combined with other legislation he signed earlier in his term, he and Congress have reduced deficits by about $2.5 trillion over a decade, short of the $4 trillion he said is necessary to get them down to a manageable size.
He insisted that in negotiating deficit reductions, both spending limits and tax revenue increases need to be on the table. Aides have said that closing loopholes and placing limits on deductions could generate about $600 billion in new revenue. He added that he is "open to making modest adjustments to programs like Medicare to protect them for future generations."
One option for Boehner is to package a debt limit increase together with a full catalog of spending cuts and try to pass it through the House. That could prove enormously challenging since he would have to accomplish the feat exclusively with GOP votes — and some conservative hard-liners simply refuse to approve any debt increase.
Boehner has made it clear that he's eager to avoid a first-ever default on U.S. obligations — even if some Republicans aren't afraid of the idea.
In one sign of flexibility, a Boehner spokesman says that though there is the so-called Boehner Rule requiring $1 in spending cuts for every $1 in increased authority to issue government debt, the speaker is willing to apply it more leniently to include savings from "reforms" to entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security that accrue over the long term.
Obama has his doubters, who note that he has compromised before in the face of last-minute deadlines.
Asked during the news conference how steadfast he was, Obama replied: "We've got to break the habit of negotiating through crisis over and over again. Now is as good a time as any, at the start of my second term. Because if we continue down this path, then there's really no stopping the principle."
Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn


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Painted by Steve Leialoha.
Monday, July 8, 2013
1984 - Marvel Makes The Magic promotional poster!
Posted by Jason Shayer at 12:00 AM
Labels: 1984, Marvel Comics, Marvel Makes The Magic, Steve Leialoha
5 comments:
- AnonymousJuly 8, 2013 at 1:52 AM
Hmm, it looks to me like this might be by Ken Steacy.ReplyDelete
It looks to me like an awesome way to spend a lunch break! :)ReplyDelete
I thought it might be Ken Steacy too but check out the framed poster on the wall in the upper right corner...ReplyDelete
Good catch Jeff! Thanks.ReplyDelete
He'll get food stains on those mags. :-)ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Special Mention
2010 Skyscraper Competition
Sarly Adre Bin Sarkum
Throughout history, through his need for civilization, man has created buildings that consume resources. The skyscraper is the epitome of this voracious consumption, its highly dense grouping of activities ie work, play, rest etc has become an ominous harbingers of our ecologically bleak future. As a reaction to the modern skyscrapers and its dilemmas the world's eminent minds have created many variations of the skyscraper in the form of the antithetical subscrapers, groundscrapers and even depth scraper. Yet still they still struggle to achieve zero input/zero output in terms of resource production. There are greenscrappers which , though themselves are ecologically sound, are tied to and urban fabric and interconnection of production networks which are still contributing negatively towards the environment.
The hO2+ scraper proposes to break free of the urban fabric and functions as self-sufficient ambassadors in the sea. The hO2+ scraper is an autonomous floating unit of livable, functional and self sustaining space which will function, in a collective manner, as a floating city. It is self sufficient as it generates its own power through wave, wind, current, solar, bio etc. and it generates its own food through farming, aquaculture, hydroponics etc. It carries with its own small forest on top its back and supports places for users to live and works in its depths. Its bioluminescent tentacles provide sea fauna a place to live and congregate while collecting energy through its kinetic movements. Such sustainability strategies aim to ultimately create and provide an oasis with 'Zero' negative impacts to the environment, not only that but also improves on it hence the 'Plus'. Aptly as poetic antithesis to a skyscraper which goes up into the heavens the hO2+ scraper goes down to the depths of the sea.
The main components of the programme for the hO2+ scraper consist of resource generation (i.e. power, food, air etc), living, work, play, waste treatment and maintenance. The programme is spread evenly in accordance to the proximity of any specific required external resource i.e. the wind generators are placed of the roof garden island, the livestock farming component is also placed there, the living areas are placed just below sea level where the natural light is the best etc.
The building itself is kept upright using a system of ballast and balancing tanks. The tentacles also serve as balancing elements as they, in generating their power, are constantly moving with the rhythm of the tide. The buoyancy and ballast controls are placed at the lowest portions to create the proper counterforce for keeping the building upright.
In the finality, we envision a future where land as a resource will be scarce; it is only natural progression that we create our own. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is ocean, even more if climate change has its way, hence it is only natural progression that we will populate the seas someday. We picture a new metapolis, created from a collection of hO2+ scrapers, as a city that does not consume nature but creates and produces nature. In the end becoming hO2+ Cities.


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You can use the createChildren function to specify custom logic to load data. This function is called each time a user expands a node that was not expanded before. The node's identifier is passed to the function as an argument. Send this identifier to the data service that should return data for child nodes.
As an alternative, you can enable virtual mode to use the default load logic.


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Net::Async::FastCGI::Request - a single active FastCGI request
use Net::Async::FastCGI;
use IO::Async::Loop;
my $fcgi = Net::Async::FastCGI->new(
on_request => sub {
my ( $fcgi, $req ) = @_;
my $path = $req->param( "PATH_INFO" );
$req->print_stdout( "Status: 200 OK\r\n" .
"Content-type: text/plain\r\n" .
"\r\n" .
"You requested $path" );
my $loop = IO::Async::Loop->new();
$loop->add( $fcgi );
Instances of this object class represent individual requests received from the webserver that are currently in-progress, and have not yet been completed. When given to the controlling program, each request will already have its parameters and STDIN data. The program can then write response data to the STDOUT stream, messages to the STDERR stream, and eventually finish it.
This module would not be used directly by a program using Net::Async::FastCGI, but rather, objects in this class are passed into the on_request event of the containing Net::Async::FastCGI object.
This method returns a reference to a hash containing a copy of the request parameters that had been sent by the webserver as part of the request.
This method returns the value of a single request parameter, or undef if no such key exists.
Returns the value of the REQUEST_METHOD parameter, or GET if there is no value set for it.
Returns the value of the SCRIPT_NAME parameter.
Returns the value of the PATH_INFO parameter.
Returns the full request path by reconstructing it from script_name and path_info.
Returns the value of the QUERY_STRING parameter.
Returns the value of the SERVER_PROTOCOL parameter.
Sets the character encoding used by the request's STDIN, STDOUT and STDERR streams. This method may be called at any time to change the encoding in effect, which will be used the next time read_stdin_line, read_stdin, print_stdout or print_stderr are called. This encoding will remain in effect until changed again. The encoding of a new request is determined by the default_encoding parameter of the containing Net::Async::FastCGI object. If the value undef is passed, the encoding will be removed, and the above methods will work directly on bytes instead of encoded strings.
This method works similarly to the <HANDLE> operator. If at least one line of data is available then it is returned, including the linefeed, and removed from the buffer. If not, then any remaining partial line is returned and removed from the buffer. If no data is available any more, then undef is returned instead.
This method works similarly to the read(HANDLE) function. It returns the next block of up to $size bytes from the STDIN buffer. If no data is available any more, then undef is returned instead. If $size is not defined, then it will return all the available data.
This method appends the given data to the STDOUT stream of the FastCGI request, sending it to the webserver to be sent to the client.
This method appends the given data to the STDERR stream of the FastCGI request, sending it to the webserver.
This method installs a callback for streaming data to the STDOUT stream. Whenever the output stream is otherwise-idle, the function will be called to generate some more data to output. When this function returns undef it indicates the end of the stream, and the request will be finished with the given exit code.
If this method is used, then care should be taken to ensure that the number of bytes written to the server matches the number that was claimed in the Content-Length, if such was provided. This logic should be performed by the containing application; Net::Async::FastCGI will not track it.
Returns an IO handle representing the request's STDIN buffer. This may be read from using the read or readline functions or the <$stdin> operator.
Note that this will be a tied IO handle, it will not be useable directly as an OS-level filehandle.
Returns an IO handle representing the request's STDOUT or STDERR streams respectively. These may written to using print, printf, say, etc..
Note that these will be tied IO handles, they will not be useable directly as an OS-level filehandle.
When the request has been dealt with, this method should be called to indicate to the webserver that it is finished. After calling this method, no more data may be appended to the STDOUT stream. At some point after calling this method, the request object will be removed from the containing Net::Async::FastCGI object, once all the buffered outbound data has been sent.
If present, $exitcode should indicate the numeric status code to send to the webserver. If absent, a value of 0 is presumed.
Similar to the stdout method, except that when the close method is called on the returned filehandle, the request will be finished by calling finish.
Returns true if the webserver has already closed the control connection. No further work on this request is necessary, as it will be discarded.
It is not required to call this method; if the request is aborted then any output will be discarded. It may however be useful to call just before expensive operations, in case effort can be avoided if it would otherwise be wasted.
The following pair of methods form an interface that allows the request to be used as a source of HTTP::Request objects, responding to them by sending HTTP::Response objects. This may be useful to fit it in to existing code that already uses these.
Returns a new HTTP::Request object that gives a reasonable approximation to the request. Because the webserver has translated the original HTTP request into FastCGI parameters, this may not be a perfect recreation of the request as received by the webserver.
Sends the given HTTP::Response object as the response to this request. The status, headers and content are all written out to the request's STDOUT stream and then the request is finished with 0 as the exit code.
To serve contents of files on disk, it may be more efficient to use stream_stdout_then_finish:
use Net::Async::FastCGI;
use IO::Async::Loop;
my $fcgi = Net::Async::FastCGI->new(
on_request => sub {
my ( $fcgi, $req ) = @_;
open( my $file, "<", "/path/to/file" );
$req->print_stdout( "Status: 200 OK\r\n" .
"Content-type: application/octet-stream\r\n" .
"\r\n" );
sub { read( $file, my $buffer, 8192 ) or return undef; return $buffer },
my $loop = IO::Async::Loop->new();
$loop->add( $fcgi );
It may be more efficient again to instead use the X-Sendfile feature of certain webservers, which allows the webserver itself to serve the file efficiently. See your webserver's documentation for more detail.
Paul Evans <firstname.lastname@example.com>
To install Net::Async::FastCGI, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm Net::Async::FastCGI
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell
install Net::Async::FastCGI
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.


text:
Our policy aims to provide a high level of information protection as our commitment to our customers. We believe that our users' rights need to be protected and as such we have written the following policy to reflect that commitment.
Please read the below document to better understand the commitment we want to make to our customers.
This privacy policy describes the handling of personal information by EU Internet Ventures B.V. and its related entities (we and us), including through our sites bitcoin.eu.
We aim to protect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals by regulating the way personal information is dealt with by us.
By using this website or our services you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as described in this privacy policy.
Local exemptions
We will comply with all our legal obligations. This policy will not apply to the extent that it is inconsistent with such legal obligations. Where local law allows for an exemption to compliance with certain obligations, we may rely on such exemption.
Our principles of data protection
We believe that the following qualities should be demanded from your cryptocurrency exchange providers.
- Security: We have formed leading approaches to handling and securing the personal data of our customers.
- Transparency: When collecting and using personal data, we take a human approach by being honest, ethical, and transparent to all parties in our effort of protecting our customers.
- User-centricity: "Centricity" is a matter of explicit priority. Your privacy and security are our priority.
- Ownership: We welcome and accept the responsibility that comes with protecting personal data.
What personal information do we collect and hold?
When we refer to "personal data" or personal information, we mean information about you as an identified or identifiable person. The kinds of personal information that we collect and hold depend on your dealings with us. Examples of personal information we collect and hold include:
- name;
- date of birth;
- address;
- e-mail address;
- cryptocurrency wallet id;
- mobile phone number;
- copies of, or details from, identification documents;
- the purpose of the relevant transaction and source of funds;
- financial information (such as your bank account details); and
- qualifications and employment history, in the event you are applying for a job or contract with us.
We may collect information about your computer, including, where available, your IP address, operating system, and browser type.
We may also collect other personal information we consider is reasonably necessary for one or more of our functions and activities such as personal information that we request from you or that you or a third party provide to us, and which we are authorised or required by law to collect.
Unless it is impracticable for us to do so, you will have the option of dealing with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym.
Sensitive information
We may also collect sensitive information about you if you consent to us doing so and the information is reasonably necessary for one or more of our functions or activities, or where otherwise permitted or required by law.
Where we collect personal sensitive data, we'll only process it:
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If we don't collect your personal data, we may be unable to provide you with all our services, and some functions and features on our websites may not be available to you.
Unsolicited information
If we receive unsolicited personal information about you, unless it is reasonably necessary for one or more of our functions or activities, or we are otherwise permitted or required by law to retain it, we will de-identify or destroy it as soon as practical provided it is lawful and reasonable to do so.
How we collect and hold personal information
We will usually collect your personal information directly from you, such as by telephone, standard form, letter, email or you visiting our site. Calls to and from our support center are recorded.
We may also collect your personal information from a related entity or from a third party or a publicly available source where it is unreasonable or impractical to collect the information directly from you or if necessary to satisfy our legal obligations. For example, we may collect know-your-customer or anti-money laundering information about you from our identity-verification services provider(s). We also often collect your name, address, and date of birth from our identity-verification services provider(s).
If you are a company director or shareholder of a trust or company that uses the site, then we may collect your personal information (such as name, address, and date of birth) from the relevant corporate regulator.
If you apply for a position or contract as an employee or service provider with us, we may also collect personal information about you from your nominated referees.
How we use your data
First and foremost, we use your personal data to provide you to process your orders and transactions, to manage our relationship with you, and to operate our websites. Other purposes we use your information for may include the following:
To communicate with you
This may include:
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- asking you for feedback or to take part in any research we are conducting (which we may engage a third party to assist with)
To protect you
So that we can detect and prevent any fraudulent or malicious activity, and make sure that everyone is using our websites and services fairly and in accordance with our terms and conditions.
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This may include assisting with the resolution of technical support issues or other issues relating to the websites or services, whether by email, in-app support or otherwise.
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In addition to sending you marketing communications, we may also use your personal data to display targeted advertising to you online – through our own websites and services or through third-party websites and their platforms.
To hire you
We use your personal data to assess your application for a position or contract as an employee or service provider with us.
To enhance our websites and services and develop new ones
For example, by tracking and monitoring your use of websites and services so we can keep improving, or by carrying out technical analysis of our websites and services so that we can optimise your user experience and provide you with more efficient tools.
To analyse, aggregate and report
We may use your personal data (whether obtained directly or from third parties) to produce aggregated and anonymised analytics and reports, which we may share publicly or with third parties.
To comply with legal obligations
Where we believe it is necessary to comply with our legal obligations, including under Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing laws, or to investigate, prevent or take action regarding suspected illegal activities, potential threats to the safety of any person, or violations of our website terms and conditions or this privacy policy.
How we share your data
Third parties
At times, we may provide your data to trusted third parties, including to provide all the functionalities that we offer through our website. Where the high standards of the European General Data Protection Regulation apply, we impose a high obligation to seek to make sure that our partners and third-party services are GDPR complaint before sharing your personal information.
These third parties with who we may share your personal information include:
- our related entities;
- third party suppliers who assist us in performing our functions and activities, such as identity-verification, customer service ticketing, IT and electronic marketing services providers;
- financial institutions for payment services;
- parties to whom you have requested we disclose personal information; and
- government, regulatory or law enforcement agencies;
Personal Data request from Law enforcement or Government agencies.
We seek to apply a high legal standard, and, unless otherwise required by law, we require a search warrant (or equivalent) for all requests for personal data by law enforcement or government agencies. Where permitted by law, we will attempt to give prior notice to our customers whose data is requested by any government or law enforcement agency. If we are unable to provide prior notice, then we may instead attempt to give notice as soon as reasonably practicable. We may withhold notice where it is prohibited by law and in certain exceptional circumstances, in our discretion, such as emergencies, when notice could result in danger or personal harm or when notice would be counterproductive (for example, when the user's account has been hacked).
Overseas disclosure
When we share data, it may be transferred to and processed in, countries other than the country you live in. Rest assured, where we disclose personal data to a third party in another country, we put safeguards in place requiring the third party to ensure your personal data remains protected. Generally, these include putting in place suitable contractual obligations on the recipient that ensure they comply with all applicable laws in relation to their handling of such personal information. Please contact us if you would like details of these obligations. Our current service providers are located in the Australia and Philippines.
Automated decision making
We may use your IP address to determine which country you are from and, based on such IP address, make a decision about whether or not to allow you access to the site and/or our services. We may also use automated decision-making processes to identify a scam or fake data amongst emails.
Where we use automated decision-making processes, we will implement suitable measures to safeguard your rights and freedoms and legitimate interests. Where our use of automated decision-making processes has affected you, you may provide your view on the decision, contest the decision and ask us to arrange for a human to review the decision.
De-identified information
We may share aggregated or de-identified information with third parties for research, marketing, analytics and other purposes, provided that this information does not identify particular individuals.
Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your web browser that enable the site or service provider's system to recognise your browser and capture and remember certain information.
We use cookies to understand and save your preferences for future visits and compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future.
If you want to find out more about the types of cookies we use, why, and how you can control them, take a look at our Cookies notice for further information.
Third party links
Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third party products or services on our website. The relevant third parties have separate and independent privacy policies. We, therefore, have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites.
Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.
Data storage period
We'll retain your personal data for as long as we have a relationship with you and for a period of time afterwards where we have an ongoing business need (for example, to provide you with a service you've requested or to comply with applicable legal requirements) to retain it, in accordance with our data retention policies and practices. Following that period, we'll make sure it's deleted or anonymised.
Changes to our Privacy Policy
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on our site.
Where a change is significant, we'll make sure to let you know – usually by sending you an email.
Security of personal information
Security is a priority for us. We're dedicated to protecting your personal data from misuse, interference and loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Some of the measures we use are firewalls, physical access controls to our data centres, and information access authorisation controls.
You acknowledge that the security of personal information transmitted over the internet cannot be guaranteed and that you do so at your own risk.
Except to the extent, liability cannot be excluded due to the operation of statute, we exclude all liability (including in negligence) for the consequences of any unauthorised access to, the disclosure of, misuse of or loss or corruption of your personal information. Nothing in this privacy policy restricts, excludes or modifies or purports to restrict, exclude or modify any statutory consumer rights under any applicable law. Please notify us immediately if you become aware of any breach of security.
Your rights
You have rights relating to your personal data. When it comes to marketing communications, you may follow the unsubscribe instructions contained in the marketing communication, or send a request to option out of receiving these communications to [email protected]
You also have rights to:
- Withdraw consent or object to process. In certain circumstances, applicable law may allow you to object to our processing of your personal information. Further, if you provided your consent to our processing of your personal information, you may withdraw such consent, though doing so will not affect the lawfulness of our processing based on consent before your withdrawal.
- Know and access what personal data we hold about you. We may collect information about your computer, including where available your IP address, operating system and browser type, for system administration and general security. Subject to the exceptions set out under applicable law, you may obtain confirmation from us as to whether or not we process your personal information, and, if so, obtain access to the personal information we hold about you. We may in certain circumstances charge you a reasonable fee to meet our costs in providing you with details of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct your personal information. If you believe it is out of date, incomplete or incorrect, you may request that the personal information be updated or amended.
- Ask us to restrict processing your personal data or delete it. Under applicable law, you may also be entitled to request that your personal information be erased.
You can exercise these rights at any time by sending an email to [email protected]
If you believe that we have not dealt with your personal information in a manner that complies with privacy laws or this policy, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected] so that we can properly address and resolve your concerns. We take any privacy complaint seriously. We will review and investigate your complaint and get back to you in a timely and efficient manner.
Additionally, complaints can be made to the Office of the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens):
Postal Address:
Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
Postbus 93374
Telephone number: (+31) – (0)70 – 888 85 00
Our contact details
If you're curious about what personal data we hold about you or you have a question or feedback for us on this notice, our websites or services, please get in touch.
Any complaints, or requests for access to, or to correct or erase, or withdraw your consent or object to our processing of, personal information or any queries concerning privacy matters should in the first instance be put in writing via e-mail or post addressed to the following: [email protected].
Alternatively, you may also write to us:Privacy Officer – Andrew Smith
EU Internet Ventures B.V.
Piet Heinkade 95B
Amsterdam 1019GM
The Netherlands


text:
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'To All My Fans, With Love, From Sylvie', the 1982 story of Sylvie Krail, who hits the road for Hollywood with a hatbox and a dream.
I've always had a soft spot for Ellen Conford, one of the great unsung authors of the YA genre. (I'm not quite sure how you quantify "sung"ness, but let's start it at screaming when an author's name is mentioned, for one.) And why is she unsung? Because her novels, I think, are so skilled and vibrant, she's prey to the solid-A syndrome: so dependable, readers forget she even exists. By the time our daily reading has switched to matte-finish trade paperbacks, memory has already mistakenly shelved her work in with a favorite, showier author. (My particular mis-shelf is always to put And This is Laura, her teen-psychic foray, into the Lois Duncan section.)
To All My Fans, With Love, From Sylvie — set in the 50s, peppered with references to Sen-Sens, James Dean, and oddments spelled "Teena"—is particularly vulnerable to such unjust switcheroos, as its subject matter hits notes from favorite by several heavy hitters: After veering vaguely into Judy Blume's Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself territory, we pivot momentarily off Bette Greene's Summer of My German Soldier, then careen for a moment into Francine Pascal's Hangin' Out With Cici.
But though the book bears glancing similarities with those others—a young girl obsessed with Hollywood, crappy father figures, Eisenhower-era signifiers — its entirely its own animal: a comic quest in which a 15-year-old tries desperately to get to Hollywood before a series of foster fathers and assorted other creeps get their hands on her.
When I originally read the story of 15-year-old Sylvie Krail, however, I'm not sure the complete direness of the situation — IF YOU WILL FORGIVE ME — penetrated entirely. Taking place over the course of 5 days in which Sylvie escapes her last foster home in New York and almost makes it to California (had it been written from the point of view of the eponymous heroine, I would have to add Lolita to the probable mixup file now), the book could basically stand beside Transamerica in the Humorous Heartwarmers For Adults That Begin With Really Unpleasant Sexual Encounters, Actually department.
When we meet Sylvie, who is exactly good-looking enough to invite perpetual trouble, she's that strange, singularly adolescent mixture of precociously cynical and totally out to lunch, deftly avoiding being routinely pawed by her yucky "Uncle" Ted while simultaneously spending $14.99 (=$3,455 current deficit dollars) of her hard-earned $137 runaway dollars on a hatbox, have-to model's gear, in preparation for her flight:
I figured I had about an hour and a half before they came back from church. I wished I could take a nice, cool shower, but there wasn't time. Everything had to be packed and my hatbox and suitcase had to be hidden before they got back from church.
Church. That was a laugh. Uncle Ted going to church and singing the hymns and praying to God and looking all Christian and holy five minutes after trying to tuck me into bed. What if they knew what he was really like? What if Aunt Grace knew? I bet she'd drop dead right in the middle of her paint-by-numbers oil picture of the last supper.
But maybe she wouldn't. Maybe she'd look straight at me and say, "Sylvie, you must be imagining things." That's what had happened the first time, when I was twelve.
So...bring on the screen tests! Unfortunately, Sylvie's preternatural knowledge of trademarks of the stars — "[Natalie Wood is] my ideal. We have practically identical eyebrows. The first thing I'm going to buy when I get my break in the movies is a gold slave bracelet" — does not translate into a similar knowledge of how to protect your money while on the road to Jericho. Because somewhere around Springfield, Ohio — right after Sylvie has settled on the screen name "Venida Meredith", swiped admirably from a "Venida Hair Nets" ad — she too is set upon by thieves:
I reached into my pocketbook to get a dim. I felt around, but there was so much stuff in there, I couldn't get to my wallet. I started taking things out and lining them up on the table: my compact, my lipstick, tissues, my pink scarf, the sunglasses with the white plastic frames I'd gotten at Woolworth's, my pad and pencil for letters to my mother and Judy....Faster and faster I grabbed for things, and the more stuff I took out, the more frantic I got. I should have been able to get to the wallet by now...
AH! I cannot even *write* the whole thing, and I don't mind telling you that actually when I REMEMBERED Sylvie's wallet gets stolen, I had to skip ahead to the actual moment because I could not bear reading her sitting next to this nice old lady for 5 pages, knowing full well she was going to swipe her wallet and leave Sylvie at the rest stop with nothing!!! (Anyone want to play name the "money stolen at a critical scene" game now? Thelma? Anyone?)
Luckily, at Sal's Roadside Rest, Sylvie too finds her Good Samaritan, a certain Walter Murchinson, who offers to drive her the rest of the way in his "Pontiac Chief Star Catalina." He is, luckily...:
A Bible salesman! At first I felt this kind of twinge of disappointment that he wasn't a reporter, and wouldn't be doing a story about me...[but] what could be safer than riding with a person who was in the Bible business? Maybe I shouldn't have gotten into the car with a strange man, but if I had to get into a car with any strange man, I was certainly lucky that I had picked Walter Murchison.
I'm going to begin to refer these as Sylvie's "slave bracelet" moments, partially because the bangle symbolizes the dreams to which she's tethered to her very great detriment, but mainly because I have no idea what a slave bracelet is and it is therefore a handy marker for cluelessness in general.
(At this moment I am going to refrain from recounting the scene where Sylvie realizes, after they've embarked in said Pontiac and blown past Fort Wayne, that's she's left her suitcase — WITH EVERYTHING SHE OWNS IN IT — on the Greyhound, lest I need to break into my Klonopin. I'm just going to say it occurs on page 79 of the hardcover edition, if you need to gear up too.)
Although Walter has the irritating habit of constantly getting single hotel rooms, he is one hell of a salesman, something Sylvie has much occasion to witness as they stop off in rural for Walter to unload his uplifting stock:
"All God's work is handsome," Walter said. "But if you don't mind a little humor, Mrs. Fitch, the Good News Bible is the deluxe edition of God's work. Now, tell me the truth. Isn't this a Bible you'd be proud to have in your home? Isn't this a Bible that wouldn't be stuck on a shelf somewhere, but would deserve a place of honor right out on a table in your front room? Please look at the gold-tipped pages too, Mrs. Fitch. This isn't just the holy word of God..."
I forgot how hot it was. I forgot my suitcase, my three scratchy crinolines, and changing my name to something other than Venida. I kept looking from Walter to Mrs. Fitch and back to Walter again. This was like a Ping-Pong game and I couldn't figure out who was going to win.
What's striking about this, and about most of the interactions in the novel, is how they are almost entirely adult — not only in nature, but in terms of being literally only comprised of adults. There's no sassy best friend for Sylvie, no helpful older sister — not even Queen Bee to make her life miserable. Her closest pals are found in her Photoplay magazines, and her day-to-day is an ongoing quest to slap on enough makeup to manage to look 18 for her Hollywood arrival, the sooner to hang with Natalie — while making sure the sitch doesn't go all Splendor in the Grass.
And I wonder if a more complex interaction the adult world — an acknowledgment, basically, that teenagers aren't only in the classroom or camp bunk, and that adults aren't only kitchen-table sages or Amex-wielding enemies — are part of what makes novels from this period so remarkable. Walter doesn't exist in the novel just as a sideline to Sylvie or an aid to her development. In fact, that's the problem—as he tries to get her into bed and to the altar, he's so bent on muscling Sylvie out of the starring role and into a role alongside him, the heroine herself is in danger of being sidelined into his story:
Was it just that...Walter was old enough to be my father and had a big Adam's apple and a bow tie and wore his belt so high that his pants were practically hitched halfway up his chest?...I started getting confused again. Maybe the only thing that would unconfuse me was to start concentrating on my movie career, which I hadn't thought about for what seemed a very long time.
No worries, Sylvie! Your love interest is coming...NOT. But a savior of sort does occur in the form of Vic, a lifeguard Sylvie stumbles upon in Las Vegas. Vic is a young, handsome psychiatrist-in-training who takes an interest in Sylvie, both intellectually and emotionally—although, unlike all the others, he is able to put aside the latter for the former.
(And I'm going to admit right now that Vic is a very convenient character and generally lifeguards are not psychiatrists-in-training who pick up young girls and solve all their problems in a few hours while also taking them on tours of Vegas and loaning them their sister's peasant blouses and those guys are generally creepy too, okay?)
However, I don't care. Because when Sylvie finally confesses that she wasn't most afraid of Uncle Ted, but of "myself. I was afraid — I'd let him. I wanted him to," Vic stunningly replies: "I don't think that's so unusual."
*blowing my eight-year-old mind*
And then continues to drop the knowledge:
"...So you have these feelings, but what can you do about them? Now, here's Uncle Ted acting affection toward you, and no one else in your whole life ever has. See what I'm getting at?"'
"Not exactly. If I went out with boys I wouldn't feel this way about Uncle Ted?"
Even in the dim, flickering light from the TV screen, I could see Vic was frowning. "I'm not sure. Maybe. I told you this was complicated. I'm just trying to figure it out from what's in my psych books. But why I said it was natural was because you always wanted somebody to love you, and Uncle Ted's acting like he loves you—or, at least, wants to make love to you. And one part of you says that's wrong, but another part of you wants it."
"But that's not love!" I cried. "That's sex."
"Sometimes people don't know the difference."
Yeah — a lot of those other people cracking psych books are STILL trying to figure that one out. But it's striking that Conford took Sylvie that seriously, and that she took us seriously enough to let us chew on that, with Walter's Sen-Sens, for awhile. Because while growing up in a YA novel is one thing, Sylvie grows up just enough to realize she's still a child. They should make a bracelet for that.
***Last week's challenge was to get me up to speed on which novel has a father who gets the bends. As many of you IMMEDIATELY informed me, it was, of course, Alexandra, by Scott O'Dell. The most rapid informer was Hillary K., however, who responded immediately and added the following gloss: "About a Greek-American family in Tarpon Springs FL, who are sponge divers. Her father gets the bends, so she has to start diving." Well-played, Hillary! You win the right to put a novel you want done at the top of the queue to be reviewed sometime within the next month, if I have read it. Write me to claim your booty, and congrats.
This week's challenge is similarly bare-bones: In brief, what's the novel where best friends are split when one girl moves to NYC, and when the other visits her they buy matching dresses in blue and orange, but not before she's been told that it's Sixth Ave, not "Avenue of the Americas"?
Answer in the comments or write to email@example.com. I have faith in you!
To All My Fans, With Love, From Sylvie
Lizzie Skurnick [The Old Hag]
Earlier: The Westing Game: Partners In Crime
• The Moon By Night: Travels With Vicky
•My Sweet Audrina: The Book Of Sister And Forgetting
•The Long Secret: CSI: Puberty
•The Cat Ate My Gymsuit: A Pocket Full Of Orange Pits
•The Witch Of Blackbird Pond: Colonies, Slit Sleeves And Stocks, Oh My!
•Are You In The House Alone? One Out Of Four, Maybe More
•Jacob Have I Loved: Oh, Who Am I Kidding, I Reread This Book Once A Week
• Then Again, Maybe I Won't: Close Your Eyes, And Think Of Jersey City
•My Darling, My Hamburger: I Will Gladly Pay You Tomorrow For A D&C Today
•All-Of-A-Kind Family: Where I Would Put Something Yiddish If I Thought You Goyishe Farshtinkiners Would Farshteyn
•Island Of The Blue Dolphins: I'm A Cormorant And I Don't Care
•Little House In The Big Woods: I Play With A Pig Bladder Like It's A Balloon
•The Grounding Of Group Six: Have Fun At School, Kids, And Don't Forget To Die
•Are You There Crazy Psychic Muse? It's Me, Lois Duncan


text:
The First Lady and President at the Inauguration Ball (Source)
First Lady Michelle Obama graced the Inauguration Ball with the work of not only one, but two Asian designers. Mrs. Obama wore a ruby-red chiffon and velvet gown which was custom-made by designer Jason Wu. The delighted Wu was also the designer Obama chose back in 2009. Michelle Obama's decision of Jason Wu was career-making and his work has since then been in collaboration with Target and Nordstrom.
2009 – Michelle Obama' first Jason Wu gown. (Source)
You may also catch glimpses of the matching red shoes Mrs. Obama chose for the Inauguration. She decided to accessorize with Jimmy Choo shoes who's founder is from Penang, Malaysia. The entire outfit has people raving that this First Lady has quite the eye for fashion.


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How can we summarize the past 12 months of one human life in 12-16 photos? And what about the two new books we published, the dozens of essays, the seeming quixotic but intensely rewarding research, the mentoring of bright new talents, or the lovely blossoming of friendships, new and old?
James Gleick said, "Every new medium transforms the nature of human thought." If that is true, our evolution is now being hijacked by Facebook and Twitter, a form of cultural lobotomy — the truncation of elegant, poetic, ineffable life passages into 140 characters.
We thought it might be nice to close the year with an album of a different kind. Instead of measuring our outputs, we decided to have a look at the new inputs we tapped. We began a review of some of our favorite books, films and performances of 2014. Then, as we started to list them, it quickly became unmanageable. For instance, there were at least 85 books that we can remember getting through at least in part during this past year. The number of films and TV series has to be at least that long. We can recall binge watching entire seasons of some clever series in a couple days, downloading them from the web. At least we didn't go to many conferences, but the total number of inspired speakers we heard, or later watched via web links, is larger than both of the other categories.
To keep this to a manageable length – precisely the kind of truncation we just complained of - what we have assembled is just our tops in class for each of those three categories. We live in a rural ecovillage and do not have ready access to the art theatres, galleries, dance studios, off-broadway, or many other cultural crosscurrents enjoyed by our city cousins, or these lists might have been much better. We like to think our enjoyment of the daily display put on by the natural world more than makes up for any cultural privations.
Best Book: The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
While we have seen some of this before in the pages of The New Yorker and love her previous Field Notes from a Catastrophe, the 336-page Sixth Extinction was hard to set down. Kolbert is one of the best science writers alive today, and her final insights were disturbing even for confirmed doomers such as ourselves.
Also ran:
Just Kids by Patti Smith.
A touching memoir we read on our annual dugout canoe journey upriver in Belize. Still amazed at the depth of detail, and in awe of Patti Smith's journaling skills in her raw youth.
Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá
This book came out in 2010 and it has generated a lot of controversy. Everyone should read it to better understand how cultural biases have been perverting our better natures.
Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health by William Davis
This is not memorable wordsmithing and it is even more controversial than Sex at Dawn, but it changed our life by changing what we eat. See too: David Perlmutter, Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers
The Man Who Quit Money by William Sundeen
The central character is not as admirable as the title might suggest, but this non-fiction chronicle is top notch. Some day we may all find ourselves in similar situations, sans volition.
The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick. "In the long run, history is the story of information becoming aware of itself." "We have met the Devil of Information Overload and his impish underlings, the computer virus, the busy signal, the dead link, and the PowerPoint presentation." "When information is cheap, attention becomes expensive."
Books best avoided:
Arcadia by Lauren Groff
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
Top Conference Presentation:
Global Oil Market Forecasting: Main Approaches & Key Drivers by Steven Kopits, Managing Director, Douglas-Westwood at Columbia SIPA: CGEP, Center on Global Energy Policy, February 2014. In the showdown between earth and economy, Mother Nature bats last.
Also rans:
Biodiversity for a Livable Climate in Massachusetts. Watch the whole thing. If we have to pick one standout, it would be Larry Kopald, Co-Founder and President of The Carbon Underground, speaking on the tipping points of viral memes (embed below).
Savory Institute's Annual International Conference in London. Watch the available videos while they are still outside the Savory paywall. Best of breed: Elaine Ingham, Darren Doherty.
Age of Limits Dennis Meadows doesn't accept many invitations to speak these days, but he came out for the Age of Limits conference in Pennsylvania and, as usual, he dazzled. Earlier video link here: http://energyskeptic.com/2014/dennis-meadows-collapse-is-inevitable-now-2015-2020/
Best avoided: COP-20 Lima, and anything with the word "Sustainable" in the title.
Films and TV:
Our favorite: Shameless on Showtime
This is cinema verité at its pinnacle: dirty, dark, contemporary, biting. Collapse has already arrived. Most USAnians don't get to see it unless they look under the rug. This series gets it, with delicious humor.
Also rans:
America's Darling (PBS)
Boom Bust (RT)
Boss (Starz)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Keiser Report (RT)
Lilyhammer (Netflix)
Lucy (EuropaCorp)
Mad Men (AMC)
Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Nixon's The One (YouTube)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
The Geoff Lawton Permaculture Design Course series (Vimeo)
The Good Wife (CBS)
The Honourable Woman (Sundance)
The Newsroom (HBO)
The Trews (YouTube)
The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)
Transcendence (Warner Brothers)
True Detective (HBO)
Madam Secretary - A drama about the personal and professional life of a Hillary Clinton character as she tries to balance her work and family life. Flogging for Drone Wars, the CIA and Gitmo. Téa Leoni, have you no shame? (CBS)
True Blood – The bayou vampire classic, now too formulaic in its old age, would have been merciful to end a couple seasons earlier. (Showtime)
Walking Dead (AMC, same problem).
24 (Fox) "Every week, Jack Bauer saves civilization by torturing someone, and it works." - Senator Angus King, of Maine.
Finally, as we are often called upon to write cover blurbs, here is the best of that lot from 2014, actually a book review, penned by Sam Anderson, critic at large for The New York Times Magazine:
"Imperial is like Robert Caro's The Power Broker with the attitude of Mike Davis's City of Quartz, if Robert Caro had been raised in an abandoned grain silo by a band of feral raccoons, and if Mike Davis were the communications director of a heavily armed libertarian survivalist cult, and if the two of them had somehow managed to stitch John McPhee's cortex onto the brain of a Gila monster, which they then sent to the Mexican border to conduct ten years of immersive research, and also if they wrote the entire manuscript on dried banana leaves with a toucan beak dipped in hobo blood, and then the book was line-edited during a 36-hour peyote séance by the ghosts of John Steinbeck, Jack London, and Sinclair Lewis, with 200 pages of endnotes faxed over by Henry David Thoreau's great-great-great-great grandson from a concrete bunker under a toxic pond behind a maquiladora, and if at the last minute Herman Melville threw up all over the manuscript, rendering it illegible, so it had to be re-created from memory by a community-theater actor doing his best impression of Jack Kerouac. With photographs by Dorothea Lange. (Viking has my full blessing to use that as a blurb.)"


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It's a device used widely in cars, on smartphones and in fitness devices. But what exactly is GPS, and how is it able to pinpoint our exact location anywhere on Earth?
How does it work?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a constellation of up to 32 satellites that orbit at a height of 26,600km above Earth. The satellites are owned by the US Department of Defense, but anyone can use the signals from those satellites, provided they have a receiver.
For the receiver to work, it needs to be able to "see" four of the satellites. When you turn on your receiver, it may take a minute or so to locate these satellite signals, then to download data from the satellite before positioning can commence.
Fundamentally, two things need to happen for this to work effectively:
1) The GPS receiver measures the distance from itself to a satellite by measuring the time a signal takes to travel that distance at the speed of light.
2) When the satellite's position is known, the GPS receiver knows it must lie on a sphere that has the radius of this measured distance with the satellite at its centre. The receiver need only intersect three such spheres, as seen in the image below.
This process, known as trilateration, is an effective means of determining absolute or relative locations.
But there's a problem. Although the GPS satellites have very expensive atomic clocks on board - and therefore know what time their signals are transmitted - the GPS receiver has a very cheap clock. That means there is uncertainty about the "receive" time. So, instead of three satellites, the GPS receiver must receive four, so it can account for what's known as the receiver clock drift.
The GPS system was conceived in the 1970s but was not fully operational (a minimum constellation of 24 satellites) until 1995. Receivers were close to five-times as expensive to operate in the early days as now.
The cost of small-screen technology, such as light-emitting diode (LED) screens, came down due to the proliferation of mobile phone technology in the 1990s, and mapping data becoming cheaper or free in the case of Google Maps and Google Earth.
It was not until these technologies became cheaper that GPS receivers really became a consumer product.
Almost as soon as that happened, smartphones equipped with GPS came along and now most people are able to do "turn-by-turn" navigation with an app in their phone.
GPS was originally designed to provide position to the US Army, Navy and Air Force; but since its introduction, it has been used for many applications it was never designed for.
It is used to avoid collisions in shipping, with all ocean-going vessels required to report via something known as the Automatic Identification System (AIS).
GPS is being used for improved landings of the most modern commercial aircraft. It has revolutionised fishing, allowing fishers to return to the exact same spot they'd fished before.
It is used in applications that allow people cheaply to keep track of others, their children, elderly relatives and pets.
GPS enables knowledge used for everyday convenience, such as when the next bus is coming, but also has exceptional capabilities for emergency operations such as for search and rescue.
By combining GPS with other technologies from robotics, self-driving cars are becoming cheap, and fully automated mines are being operated by big mining companies.
By combining GPS with mobile communications, a whole new category of industry has sprung up: location-based services. This can mean finding the nearest toilet, hooking up with a blind date, keeping track of your running and cycling times or golf shots, or getting a review for the restaurants you're near.
Location-based gaming is also growing. This can range from chasing and hunting games to driving a simulated car on your computer against real drivers of big races in real-time.
Innovations in GPS
GPS is currently being upgraded for civilians, with two new signals which will make highly accurate position available cheaply.
The Russian GLONASS system became operational at almost the same time as GPS in late 1990s but fell into decline due to economic problems in Russia. It is fully operational again now, and is also adding new signals.
Europe (with Galileo) and China (with Beidou) are also working on similar systems. India and Japan are working on systems that are not "global". These systems should all be fully operational by the end of the decade.
With GPS being installed in phones, computers, cars and other high-value items, it is becoming much easier to track those items if they are stolen. The downside is that you may not want to be tracked. Location privacy is becoming an increasing issue.
An illegal remedy for privacy is the "personal privacy device", which transmits a signal that "jams" GPS.
Given some of the safety-critical applications mentioned above, it is clear that such devices – in the wrong hands – could present a threat to life.
Without doubt, the uses and potential abuses of GPS will progress in line with the technology.


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A new study suggests that in a single year, up to 42 percent of Medicare patients got at least one medical procedure they didn't need — overtreatment that cost as much as $8 billion.
The treatments included prostate cancer screening for men beyond the age most experts recommend, and imaging tests in older women for osteoporosis at too frequent intervals. The treatments also included invasive heart and kidney procedures that research has shown are no better than medicine, and potentially more risky.
WHAT'S NEW: The findings are in an analysis of Medicare claims data for 1.3 million patients in 2009. The researchers devised a list of 26 "low-value" procedures they determined reflect likely overuse. The list was compiled from research evidence and recommendations from several medical groups.
Lead author Aaron Schwartz of Harvard Medical School's health care policy department and colleagues acknowledged that Medicare claims may lack details about patients that might justify some procedures. But using more conservative criteria, they still found that 25 percent of patients received at least one wasteful service, totaling almost $2 billion.
The results, published online Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, are only a snapshot and the researchers said there are likely many other procedures that are sometimes performed with little benefit for Medicare patients.
"We hope that development of better measures of low-value care will ultimately spur development of interventions to reduce unnecessary care," the journal editors wrote in an editorial.
THE CONTEXT: A 2012 Institute of Medicine report on overall U.S. health spending concluded that about 30 percent, or $750 billion, reflects overtreatment, excessive costs and other problems.
The new study also follows the government's release last month of Medicare billing records for 880,000 physicians and other health care providers, data that consumer advocates and others said might indicate whether some doctors are providing quality cost-effective care or ordering needless services. That data revealed vast differences in Medicare payments, and an agency administrator said Medicare would look into doctors and others who received huge reimbursements, which could suggest overtreatment.
REASONS & REACTIONS: The authors said it's not clear why doctors may be ordering needless services, but that sometimes patients may demand procedures they mistakenly think will benefit them.
Doctors also get paid more for ordering more procedures. And fear of malpractice lawsuits is also often cited as contributing to overtreatment.
Policymakers, doctors and patients themselves should pay attention to the results, the researchers said.
Patients should know they can question their doctors about which procedures are really necessary and whether less invasive and less costly options are available.


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Study In UK
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (which is usually shortened to just the UK or United Kingdom) is a political union made of up of four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England, Scotland and Wales share the island of Great Britain, which lies just off the northwest coast of continental Europe. The fourth country, Northern Ireland, is a portion of another island, which is split between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, an independent country, in the south. The UK also has overseas territories such as Bermuda and Gibraltar.
The union of Great Britain and Northern Island is the latest that has occured over the last 300 years. Originally Scotland and England were two entirely separate countries with their own monarchs and political systems, and Wales fell under the control of England and was known as a principality. Over the years, various acts of union have taken place that have brought England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland together, and Ireland was later to gain independence in 1922 leaving the current split we see today.
The British Empire was once a world force, with territory as far flung as India, Canada, South America and Africa. Although colonial days are far gone and there has been a steady decline in the British Empire and the UK's influence around the world, the UK is still a major political and economic force, with membership in the G8 and an economy that is the fifth largest in the world and second largest in Europe. The UK's colonial history also means that it has been subject to a multitude of international influences and influxes of people, helping to create the multi-cultural society that exists today. If you would like more information on the history and background of the UK, please visit the Wikipedia UK pages.
The UK has grown to become one of the top destinations to study around the world. With traditions of excellence dating back hundreds of years, high class institutions at every corner and much more flexibility than many other countries, the United Kingdom has much to offer international students that other English-speaking countries cannot offer.
But what makes the United Kingdom stand out? Why should you come to the UK as a destination to further your international education?


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Face Care
Renew and reveal your skin's inner radiance and natural beauty. La Puerta Core Essentials™ soothe, heal, and nourish skin with an easy and effective holistic face care regimen. Formulated with healing botanicals, nutraceuticals, and aromatherapy, inspired by Rancho La Puerta.
Made in the U.S.A | Natural | No Synthetic Fragrance | No Artificial Dyes
Contains certified organic and wildcrafted ingredients. No animal testing.


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"Lo, how a rose e'er blooming, From tender stem hath sprung. Of Jesse's lineage coming, As men of old have sung; It came, a flow'ret bright, Amid the cold of winter, When half spent was the night Isaiah 'twas foretold it, The Rose I have in mind, With Mary we behold it, The virgin mother kind; To show God's love aright, She bore to…
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|Bronc is a Scrabble word. Scrabble point value for bronc: 9 points.
|Bronc is a Words with Friends word. Words with Friends point value for bronc: 9 points.
Above are the results of unscrambling bronc. Using the word generator and word unscrambler for the letters B R O N C, we unscrambled the letters to create a list of all the words found in Scrabble, Words with Friends, and Text Twist. We found a total of 16 words by unscrambling the letters in bronc. Click these words to find out how many points they are worth, their definitions, and all the other words that can be made by unscrambling the letters from these words. If one or more words can be unscrambled with all the letters entered plus one new letter, then they will also be displayed.
1. an unbroken or imperfectly broken mustang
|Words that start with bronc
|Words that end with bronc
|Words that contain bronc


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Tuesday, March 07, 2017
Visually Impaired Street View
Do you know how it feels to be visually impaired? See Now can't tell you how it feels but they can give you an insight into how the visually impaired see the world with their Sight Loss Simulator.
See Now's Sight Loss Simulator uses Google Maps Street View to show you how the places you are familiar with might appear if you suffered from cataracts, glaucoma or retinopathy. Enter an address into the Sight Loss Simulator and you will be shown the Google Maps Street View for that address. However the image will be obscured to show you how the scene might look to someone who suffers from a visual impairment.
Each Street View scene is displayed with three options. These options allow you to view the Street View as the location might look to someone suffering from cataracts, glaucoma or retinopathy. Each scene also includes a 'Take Action' button which leads you to more information about visual impairments and a request to sign a See Now petition.
See Now is an international development organization dedicated to ending avoidable blindness.
Posted by Keir Clarke at 5:34 AM
Labels: Street View
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Serostim (HGH) on Black Market for Body Builders
Daily News (New York City) (06.02.03)::Thomas Zambito
Serostim, a drug used to counteract wasting in AIDS patients, has become one of the hottest sellers on New York's multimillion-dollar black market in prescription drugs. Especially popular among bodybuilders, Serostim - one of the most expensive AIDS drugs on the market - works by mimicking natural human growth hormone and adds pounds of muscle in a few months.
"Drug diversion schemes are a nationwide problem that not only robs the city, the state and federal government of millions of dollars each year but places the public in jeopardy," said New
York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. According to estimates by Spitzer's office, fraudulent sales of Serostim and other prescription drugs amounted to 10 percent of the state's $3 billion Medicaid drug tab last year. "If you were to make a list of the top 10 diverted drugs, Serostim would be at the top and it would make up 40 to 50 percent of the cost of all diverted drugs," said Ken Karp, an investigator with Spitzer's Medicaid fraud control unit.
Despite efforts by Serostim's maker and law enforcement to ensure it only goes to patients who need it, the drug remains plentiful in the city's gyms. "Every topnotch bodybuilder in the world uses it," said Dave Palumbo, editor-in-chief of the muscle magazine RxMuscle and a champion bodybuilder. And AIDS patients are often the suppliers, according to some of New York's leading AIDS doctors. One Manhattan physician told of an AIDS patient who sold his supply to pay the rent.
Investigators with the US attorney's office in Boston are questioning whether the maker of Serostim, Swiss-based Serono Laboratories, promoted the drug for AIDS patients who were losing weight but may not have been experiencing AIDS wasting, which causes the body to consume muscle and organ tissue rather than stored fat. In response to complaints that doctors were incorrectly prescribing the drug, the New York Health Department began requiring physicians last year to get state approval prior to prescribing it. To counter fraud, Serono revamped its distribution network to track the drug from the warehouse to the patient, resulting in a drop in sales from $124 million in 2001 to $95 million in 2002.
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Written by Charlie Morgan (@sofarek)
Ah, the great drinking shoe. Hitting the pub requires considered footwear. You want to look good. You don't really want to stand out. And, certainly, you don't want any ruinous experiences with any type of liquid—the inevitable splash back and stench of disinfectant in the urinals make suede and mesh a risky endeavor.
I just moved back to London after three years of living in rural Switzerland, where I work pedaling a authentic Californian brand. Like any Brit abroad there were a lot of things I missed about Blighty, but the one thing I truly craved was the pub.
A real English public house that is, not some ex-pat's ye-olde reimaging, stuffed to the gills with 'authentic' vintage replicas of Guinness toucans sign and other detritus—I'm talking about the bonafide backstreet 'battle cruisers' of my youth.
The pub shoe is more about conforming and being one of the boys than it is about trying to peacock.
Sitting in a pub with no real agenda other than perhaps the consumption of a light ale, possibly augmented with the watching of a televised football match, is a simple but necessary pleasure, the want for which is engrained in every true Englishman.
The pub shoe is in itself the by product of many different contributing factors, but let's not oversell it: It is nothing more than the middle ground between your work shoes and your going-out shoes—shoes either relegated from evening attire or pulled from ranks of functional work clobber to serve their time in the trenches.
For the most part I would argue the majority of footwear found on hype sites is the antithesis of the pub shoe. The pub shoe is not an obnoxious display of wealth. Nor is it a knowing homage to a subcultural reference or heritage trend. It's just a shoe you wear down the pub for a couple of beers and some banter with lads. It's more about conforming and being one of the boys than it is about trying to peacock.
Grab your notebooks—here is a crash course in pub-certified footwear.


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Request for guided tours
We are always delighted to accept your requests for mediation and educational programmes (guided tours and workshops, etc.). Please ensure you contact us a week before your preferred date.
You can contact us during our opening hours
- Phone: +43-3682/222 33
- E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Our visitor programmes enable you to gain an in-depth insight into the exhibition highlights at the Universalmuseum Joanneum. Specific dates of events are indicated on the calendar.
Terms and Conditions
Please note that the time and date of your visit is binding. Pre-arranged times and dates of the visit can be cancelled or changed at no extra cost up to no later than 48 hours before your scheduled visit – kindly inform us in good time. Your unreported absence causes additional expense on our part.
We are obliged to pass these costs on to you if you do not inform us of a cancellation or if you cancel late: 50 % of the invoiced amount, or, in the case of schools, a minimum sum of 25 € for each guide you have arranged. Please ensure that your group has assembled in good time at the scheduled meeting point. For logistical reasons, any delay of more than 10 minutes can lead to the guided tour or educational programme being curtailed or cancelled.
The house rules of the Universalmuseum Joanneum apply to all visits.
Schloss Trautenfels
Trautenfels 1
8951 Stainach-Pürgg, Österreich
Opening Hours
1 April to 31 October 2023:
Daily 10am - 5pm