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Boosting Your Horsepower - Gettin' Air
Understanding the finer points of larger throttle bodies, boost and cold air.
Related Video
For the power hungry, the only thing better than a modified LS engine is a supercharged LS motor. Nothing wakes up a Gen 3 or Gen 4 small-block like a little boost. As cool and powerful as the supercharger kits are, they are only the beginning. You see, a supercharger is only as good as its induction system. Nothing kills the power potential of a supercharger faster than a restrictive throttle body, mass airflow (MAF), or air intake system.
How much power is a throttle body, MAF, or air intake upgrade worth? Not surprisingly, the power gains offered by the flow restriction inherent in the stock inlet system depend on the modified power output. Technically speaking, the more powerful the engine, the more restrictive the stock components become. This should not come as a big surprise, since the factory inlet system and throttle body were never designed for these elevated power levels. The system GM designed to support 426 hp on a stock Camaro LS3 has no business on a supercharged motor making 600 or more horsepower.
Have you ever read a dyno test on a throttle body that offered no power gains? How about one that offered 10 hp, 20 hp or even 30 hp? Just how much is a simple component like a throttle body (or air intake system) worth? The question seems simple enough, but the answer is somewhat less so. Power gains seem to range from as little as zero horsepower to as much as 25-30. Why such a broad range? Is the testing flawed or otherwise biased? In point of fact, we have seen throttle body upgrades that netted over 60 hp on a Kenne Bell supercharged application. The key to the power gains offered by a throttle body upgrade is the application. In reality, the question is not so much can a throttle body swap net a sizable jump in power, but rather does such an upgrade always results in said gains? The quick and dirty answer to that question is a resounding no, but the reason behind it is certainly worth a closer look.
In its simplest form, the throttle body is nothing more than an air valve. There is no magic to the workings of a throttle body, though there is some magic to maximizing the flow rate through it. A given opening will flow a certain amount of air, but radiused entries, thin throttle blades and the elimination of hardware in the air stream all combine to further increase the airflow of a given bore size. It stands to reason that a 90mm throttle body should outflow a 80mm throttle body, but it is possible for a well-designed 80mm throttle body to outflow a poorly designed 90mm unit. Back in the early days of the L98 small-blocks, we marveled at the ability to upgrade the factory throttle bodies to dual 58mm units. Modern LS3 motors are equipped with massive 90mm throttle bodies flowing over 1,100 cfm, but even these monstrosities are not enough to support a high-horsepower, supercharged application.
It stands to reason that a larger throttle body will outflow a smaller version (assuming equal design quality), but now we can take a look at why the installation of a larger throttle body may or may not improve power. According to testing performed at Kenne Bell, the stock '10-up Camaro SS 90mm throttle body flows 1,147 cfm. From testing on the airflow bench and DynoJet, we know the formula to convert hp from airflow. Using the formula that 1 hp requires roughly 1.5 cfm, we see that this stock throttle body might support as much as 765 hp—way more than the factory-rated 426 hp. The first obstacle in terms of power production is the fact that the throttle body is not the only component in the induction system. The flow rate of the throttle body is only as good as the supporting components. In the case of the Camaro, the flow rate of the complete induction system is only 964 cfm, a significant drop from the 1,147 cfm offered by the throttle body alone. According to our formula, the stock air intake system is capable of supporting 643 hp, considerably more than the stock power output, but things quickly go south once you add a supercharger.
Before going on, it is imperative that we backtrack a bit on our power/airflow formula. We indicated that it takes roughly 1.5 cfm to make 1 horsepower, correct? While this calculation has been proven accurate time and time again, it is by no means an absolute. Just because the induction system flows 964 cfm, doesn't mean that it is only capable of supporting 643 hp, or that there won't be any power losses up to that point. The formula is a rough estimation, but our testing has shown that even at lower power levels, the components in question start posing a restriction. The level of restriction and associated power losses increase with the power level. The throttle body or air intake system doesn't all of a sudden become a restriction; it is a little restrictive at lower power levels, becoming more restrictive at higher power levels. Just because the component flows enough to support 650 hp, 700 hp, or even 800 hp doesn't mean there aren't additional power gains to be had below these points. On a positive displacement supercharged application, maximum airflow on the inlet side is the key.
An obvious factor when it comes to the power gains offered by the throttle body or air intake is engine combination. From a most basic standpoint, the higher the power output of the test engine, the larger the throttle body required. Upgrading a throttle body already capable of supporting 765 hp with a larger version capable of supporting 1,000 hp on a 425hp motor will have predictable results.
The 765hp throttle body is already oversized for the application, so there is no need to upgrade on the normally aspirated motor. This is especially critical on supercharged applications, where elevated power levels are more commonplace. While 600 hp, normally aspirated Camaro motors are less common, supercharged LS3s exceeding 600 hp are everywhere.
It should be noted that throttle body sizing and maximum flow is less critical on a blow-through (centrifugal supercharger and turbo) application than a draw-through (positive displacement, like Roots- or Screw-type). Pressurizing the air before the throttle body artificially increases the flow rate of the throttle body. Obviously it is best to eliminate any pressure differential caused by the throttle body, but a stock throttle body will be less of a hindrance on a blow-through than a draw-through.
One of the areas often overlooked on a draw-through supercharged application is the induction system. The thought process seems to be that boost cures everything and as long as there is boost, everything is working just fine. The reality is that the inlet system is a critical element on a Kenne Bell twin-screw or any positive displacement supercharged application. Restrictions in the air intake system (including the throttle body) into the blower result in a drop in flow into and boost (and power production) out of the blower. One of the confusing facts is that the power loss is present despite an increase in boost (and power). The consensus seems to be that if the boost goes up, there must not be a restriction. The reality is actually that losses associated with a restrictive inlet system (throttle body, MAF, air intake and even intake manifold between the throttle body and supercharger) increase with increased boost pressure and power output. Testing on a Kenne Bell supercharged Camaro illustrated that a throttle body upgrade on a 600hp application (9.3 psi on stock motor) was worth 8 hp. Performing the same test at 13 psi (678 hp) was worth 26 hp (up to 702 hp) and an amazing 34 hp at 17 psi (from 755 hp to 789 hp). The greater the boost and power, the greater the losses associated with a restrictive throttle body. Remember, the same throttle body upgrade that was worth 34 hp on the supercharged application wasn't worth any power on the normally aspirated engine.
For the geek squad, there is (naturally) a mathematical correlation between the restriction and power losses. Using a previous example, we saw that replacing the throttle body on a 600hp supercharged Camaro was worth 8 hp. Data logging indicated that the combination produced 609 hp at 9.0 psi with the stock throttle body.
The 102mm throttle body upgrade dropped the vacuum present in the inlet tract by 0.29 inches and increased boost pressure by 0.3 psi which equated to an extra 8 hp. Testing at higher boost level (12.8 psi) resulted in and increase to 13.2 psi, a drop in vacuum of 0.31 inches and 26 additional horsepower. The final test at 17.3 psi netted an additional 1.0 psi of boost, a drop in vacuum of 0.45 inches and 34 hp. It should be noted that even the 102-mm throttle body had become a restriction above 18 psi, as there was still 1.30 inches of vacuum present with the 102mm throttle body. What this supercharged LS3 needed was the 2,350 cfm, single-oval, throttle body offered by Kenne Bell for their supercharger. Easily capable of supporting over 1,200 hp, the single-oval throttle body maximizes flow to the supercharger. Just make sure the rest of the inlet system flows enough to support the massive throttle body.
We have concentrated our efforts primarily on the throttle body, but the rest of the air intake system also bears mentioning. Through exhaustive testing on the flow bench and DynoJet, Kenne Bell has designed an intake system to keep pace with the flow needs of a supercharged motor. According to Kenne Bell, the stock air intake system on the '10-up Camaro SS flowed 964 cfm, roughly enough to support 643 hp. The 4.5-inch upgrade offered by Kenne Bell flows an amazing 1,800 cfm, enough to support over 1,000.
Why such a large inlet system you ask? Flow bench and chassis dyno testing has shown that a restrictive 4.0-inch system flowed just 1,380 cfm, partly because it did not allow for the radiused entry on the 102mm or 110mm throttle body. The radiused entry on the 102mm throttle body tested improved the flow rate by 400 cfm! Running a filter with a radiused entry on the 4.5-inch air intake improved the flow rate of by nearly the same amount. That extra flow equates to an extra 266 hp. For maximizing flow, radiused entries are not just a good idea, they should be considered mandatory.
Given the fact that the stock air box flows so poorly, upgrades on supercharged applications are commonplace. The upgrades include everything from a simple K&N filter (good for an extra 35 cfm), to the complete Kenne Bell air intake system. Positioned between these extremes are lesser 4.0-inch systems, and even cutting openings in the factory air box. While extra (or larger) inlet openings will improve the flow rate, they do so at the expense of inlet temperature. The gains offered through flow improvements are nullified by the increase in inlet air temps that accompany grabbing air from the heated engine compartment.
Kenne Bell SC Camaro-Stock vs. 102mm TB (9, 13, 18 psi)
|Boost Drop
|Vacuum (Ins)
|4.0 Pulley-Stk TB
|0.50 psi
|1.02 ins
|609 hp
|4.0 Pulley 102mm TB
|0.36 psi
|0.73 ins
|617 hp
|0.30 psi
|0.14 psi
|0.29 ins
|8 hp
|3.5 Pulley Stk TB
|1.24 ins
|678 hp
|3.5 Pulley 102mm TB
|0.93 ins
|702 hp
|0.4 psi
|0.15 psi
|0.31 ins
|24 hp
|3.0 Pulley Stk TB
|1.75 ins
|755 hp
|3.0 Pulley 102mm TB
|1.30 ins
|789 hp
|1.0 psi
|0.22 psi
|0.45 ins
|34 hp
We all know that cold, dense air offers more power-producing oxygen molecules. In additional to sufficient airflow, a dedicated cold air intake must also provide cold air. Tested on the chassis dyno with the hood open, these air box mods might look appealing. But close the hood and run the test the way the car drives down the street and watch the power levels plummet. Despite the extra airflow offered by the modifications to the stock air box, the increase in inlet air temps reduced power by as much as 30 hp compared to stock air box. Supercharged engines do not like hot air.
The supplied chart illustrates just how much a throttle body upgrade can be worth at various power/boost levels. The supplied data also includes the drop in vacuum and resulting increase in boost that accompanied each power gain. Tested at 9.0 psi, the throttle body was worth just 8 hp, but running the same test at 12.8 psi resulted in a jump in boost of 0.4 psi and 26 extra hp. The final test run at 17.3 psi resulted in an increase of 1.0 psi of boost and 34 extra hp, though even the 102mm throttle body was now a restriction at nearly 800 hp.


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An 80 year old couple were having problems remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to get checked out to make sure nothing was wrong with them.
When they arrived at the doctors, they explained to the doctor about the problems they were having with their memory. After checking the couple out, the doctor told them that they were physically okay but might want to start writing things down and make notes to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left.
Later that night while watching TV, the man got up from his chair and his wife asked, "Where are you going?"
He replied, "To the kitchen."
She asked, "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?"
He replied, "Sure."
She then asked him, "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?"
He said, "No, I can remember that."
She then said, "Well I would also like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down because I know you'll forget that."
He said, "I can remember that, you want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries."
She replied, "Well I also would like whipped cream on top. I know you will forget that so you better write it down."
With irritation in his voice, he said, "I don't need to write that down! I can remember that." He then fumes into the kitchen.
After about 20 minutes he returned from the kitchen and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs. She stared at the plate for a moment and said angrily:
A worker was called on the carpet by his supervisor for talking back to his foreman. "Is it true that you called him a liar?
"Yes, I did."
"Did you call him stupid?"
"And did you call him an opinionated, egomaniac asshole?"

subset: commoncrawl


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NAMM 2012 PRESS RELEASE: Roland is proud to introduce the LX-15 Digital Piano, an elegant upright-style instrument with grand piano sound and attitude.
The LX-15 boasts Roland's acclaimed SuperNATURAL Piano sound engine, plus a newly developed Acoustic Projection sound system that delivers an inspiring multi-dimensional sound field never before available in this instrument class and rich, natural piano resonance.
The LX-15 features a more traditional and attractive upright cabinet with a polished black ebony finish. With its SuperNATURAL Piano sound engine, the LX-15 provides the ultimate piano playing experience with seamless tonal transition, notes that fade naturally without looping, and unparalleled sound and response.
To complement the SuperNATURAL Piano core, Roland has developed an innovative Acoustic Projection sound system for the LX-15. Based on technology inspired by the V-Piano Grand, the six-speaker system delivers a rich and resonant sound field. Using complex, multi-channel internal processing, the various elements of piano sounds and piano resonance are blended independently and output to the sound system for an incredibly organic and spatial sound.
The built-in piano selection has been expanded in the LX-15. In addition to modern grand-piano sounds, a newly added Early piano category contains four fortepiano variation and two harpsichord variations. You can enjoy a treasured line-up of instruments new and old spanning centuries.
The LX-15 is also equipped with Roland's PHA III Ivory Feel keyboard with Escapement, giving players the authentic touch and feel of a high-end grand piano in an upright instrument. In addition, the LX-15 is equipped with Progressive Damper Action Pedal with half-pedal recognition, and the top lid of the piano can be opened and closed smoothly for tonal variation.
The LX-15's built-in recorder enables you to capture your performances as audio and/or MIDI data, which is a convenient feature for students who want to evaluate their playing afterward. Recorded audio data can be saved onto USB memory, and copied to an external computer for making audio CDs or for uploading to the Internet.
The LX-15 is also environmentally friendly. Its maximum power consumption is just 85 W, which is approximately 40% less than the previous model, yet with enhanced volume and sound pressure. When used under normal conditions in a typical household, power consumption is around 38 W*. The LX-15 also has an Auto Off function that, when activated, can turn power off after a period of non-activity.
With its gorgeous looks, grand piano acoustics and marvelous playability, the LX-15 meets the demanding needs of music schools, serious pianists and piano teachers, and is a perfect instrument for home users that desire a true grand piano experience in a space-saving, upright design.
The LX-15 Digital Piano is available now.
Information taken from official press release, for more visit Roland.
Submit a press release: email email@example.com
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Saturday, May 19, 2012
Photos: James Andrew Duggar 2012
24 comments:
Wow, those are really cool! I've never noticed how much he looks like Jeremiah. Does anyone else see the resemblance?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 19, 2012 at 5:17 PM
Too cute!ReplyDelete
I love all the Duggars, but, James, you are just too cute.ReplyDelete
He is adorable!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 19, 2012 at 8:33 PM
What's with the hat?ReplyDelete
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is sooo adorable!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 19, 2012 at 10:29 PM
These photo's are awesome,ReplyDelete
Wonder if Jinger took these.
I am not really up to date with the Duggars as I live in Australia.
- AnonymousMay 20, 2012 at 12:14 AM
I was wondering the same thing. Did Jinger take these?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 20, 2012 at 3:55 AM
These photos are from Jim Bob Duggar's Picassa album.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 20, 2012 at 7:58 AM
he is so adorable! he should be a model. i am glad to see these pictures because i find he is rarely in the show. i thought it was because he was camera shy, apparently not though:)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 20, 2012 at 10:32 AM
nice pics!ReplyDelete
That's so funny. When he's not smiling, I don't even recognize him!ReplyDelete
Great pics!
- Godly-young-widowMay 20, 2012 at 3:36 PM
Wow; he has REALLY grown; just from a few years! Oh right; he's about to turn 11 in the summer! When we first "met" him he was only 3.ReplyDelete
cool pictures!ReplyDelete
- Becca S.May 20, 2012 at 4:37 PM
HANDSOME young man!!ReplyDelete
Becca Snead
Burlington, NC
The copywrite is 2011....but he sure was cute when these were taken. :)ReplyDelete
I love little James. He reminds me of my little fella, Justin, who is also a bit of a little stinker.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 21, 2012 at 2:48 PM
how old is james? great pictures! i hope soon there will be the older duggars photos.ReplyDelete
Hi Anonymous,
James turns 11 in July.
Thanks for reading!
Lily and Ellie
Hi Sheila,
The copyright says 2011, but the photos were taken in 2012.
~Lily and Ellie
- AnonymousMay 24, 2012 at 10:12 AM
dear lily and ellie , do you just put one duggar at a time on the blog??? when can it be just the duggar girls? thanks jessa langReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 1, 2012 at 12:05 PM
Those pixs r cool, also James and I have the same birthday- July 7, 2001ReplyDelete
I can recognise James in a split second. I like him and Joy-Anna. By the way, Joy is justlike me. A rough girl( tomboy) I am honest.ReplyDelete
Reminds me of my (not so) little guy. He will be 9 in January and he loves his hats! :)ReplyDelete
Thanks for leaving your comments! We answer as many of your questions as we can, but due to the number of comments we receive daily, we are unable to answer every one. Our aim is to post all points of view, but we do not post anything that is profane, insulting, derogatory, or in poor taste.


text:
It's all about the oto!
Welcome to otocinclus.com, a website dedicated to the Otocinclus catfish. It contains articles on the care of Otocinclus, breeding tips, and anything else I can find about this awesome fish! It will also hold various articles on the general care of freshwater aquarium fish (aimed toward beginners).
This site is mainly for novice fishkeepers who want to learn more about otocinclus catfish, but it is also for those advanced fishkeepers who can't seem to keep these fish alive and need a few pointers. Not overly technical or scientific, I hope you enjoy this site and check back often as new things are added frequently.
Comments, suggestions, information? Mail me: paul_apgar AT hotmail.com


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There are many good reasons why more and more people are choosing a crewed charter yacht over a hotel. These bespoke vacations offer an unparalleled level of luxury, flexibility and privacy, combined with sensational personal service, even your own private chef, and a breath-taking new view everyday! The dream vacation.
Luxury Yacht Charters are the best kept secret when it comes to taking a vacation that offers privacy and the ultimate in personalised luxury.
At Luxury Charter Group, we know that a vacation onboard your very own luxury charter yacht, being pampered by the dedicated Crew is an exceptional exclusive experience that being in a stationary hotel, however luxurious, cannot compete with. Here are some of the reasons why we are so passionate about our industry and why we love introducing our clients to these amazing vacations on the water, that we know will be both inspiring and memorable.
1. Different Destinations
Luxury charter yachts can be found in all the world's wonderlands, from the popular paradises of the Caribbean, Italian Riviera, and the Greek and Balearic Islands to the more unfamiliar but equally amazing areas like South East Asia, French Polynesia and Australia.
But what's very special about a yacht charter ? Of course there are many great hotels in these destinations, but your charter yacht can take you to more than just one fixed location within that destination, you have the opportunity to stop in numerous locations.
You can visit secluded beaches accessible only by yacht and five-star beach resorts, shop at international designer boutiques and barefoot bespoke markets, party at the hippest clubs and sip sundowners at laidback beach bars ... all on the same vacation. And all this without having to touch your luggage, deal with other tourists, negotiate taxis or hotel lobbies... heaven!
2. Pure Privacy
Celebs love luxury charter yachts and one of the reasons is that they are inaccessible to the paparazzi! But even if you are not likely to have a camera trained on you, the joy of being in your own space with only your loved ones - your family and friends - around you, and with crew who know your personal preferences is bliss. You can have extraordinary quality time together, and with enough space for everyone to have their own privacy, and with no other hotel guests intruding.
It is a great feeling to leave the hustle and bustle and demands of normal life behind. You can relax away from cities and crowds, in places often accessible only by yacht, and enjoy the tranquillity of tropical islands, marine life and the local customs and culture . . . all in the lap of luxury and with only those friends or family who you wish to be around.
3. Freedom and Flexibility
At Luxury Charter Group your charter is totally personalised. We always ask you in advance for your Charter Preferences which includes your preferred activities, what you wish to see and do, which foods and beverages you prefer etc. Your charter will be designed just for you, based on the information you give us.
While we do also offer a sample itinerary, between the embarkation and disembarkation ports your itinerary is flexible. You have the ability to change your mind as the mood takes, always under the guidance of your Captain and Crew and with their knowledge. If you find somewhere you like, then you have the choice to linger longer.
Everything is done at your pace and to make you happy. The Captain and Crew are attentive to your every impulse. Whether you feel like a romantic picnic on a private beach or it is time for some fun and frivolity at a funky beach bar they will know exactly where the next stop should be.
And it's not just destinations – should you want lobster for dinner then, as long as it is available and within his/her capabilities, your Chef will be asking "Is that with garlic butter or do you prefer Thermidor?"
4. Your Own Personal Chef
What a segue into the next advantage of a luxury charter yacht over a hotel and one that we think is hugely important! On your yacht charter you will be dining on the very best ingredients, presented to perfection. Superyacht chefs are masters of their trade and take great pleasure in catering to your every gastronomic desire.
And there is no set-menu here, but a menu that is customised to your tastes and timed to fit within your lifestyle... and you always have the best table in the house!
Formal fine dining, sun-drenched barbeques, al-fresco banquets, canapes and cocktails at sunset ... all these and more are easily provided for. Your on board private Chef delights in offering the very best of global gourmet cuisines as well as sumptuous regional specialties, sharing recipes you'll love to take with you so that you can relive your charter experience when back home.
5. Amenities and Activities
Everyone wants something different out of a vacation and we can help you choose the right yacht that gives you just what you desire. The choices are endless ... want a yacht loaded with water toys from jet-skis to windsurfers and more ...easy.
Need high speed internet and an office to keep in touch ... can do. Looking for a "well-being" vacation with a fitness centre and rejuvenating spa treatments ... simple. Love movies ... then let us find you a yacht with the largest library of films and a dedicated theatre/media room. Just wanting to switch off, there is always a perfect position on a sunpad with a good book and a sea breeze. You name it, we can find a yacht to fulfil all that you and your guests wish for!
And most importantly all of this is for your pleasure alone ... no need to share with other hotel guests ... you get the use of all the gear and gadgets on board all to yourselves. And, if you wish, at a different place every day.
6. Sensational Service
Your crew are dedicated professionals. Relax and be prepared to be pampered. Your luxury yacht charter is your own private home afloat with a ratio of crew to guests so much higher than in any hotel or cruise ship. These attentive crew are always on hand, day and night, to ensure you receive five-star service at all times, but they are also unobtrusive and can, and will, disappear at all the right moments.
But there is more to your crew than just service. We can ensure that you have the right crew to be able to give you personalized instruction in sailing, diving, kayaking, windsurfing and more. On charter is a great time and place to learn new skills, at your own pace with quality equipment, that you can take home and have with you forever.
You have your own private advisors to help you chart your own course to the most amazing vacation ever!
Contact your Luxury Charter Group representative now to book your next luxury yacht charter in a dream destination and enjoy the advantages that a private vacation on board a yacht offers.
Disclaimer: The information about luxury yachts displayed on this page is merely informational and these yachts are not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor are they represented or marketed in anyway by Luxury Charter Group. This web page and the superyacht information contained herein is not contractual. All yacht specifications and information is displayed in good faith but Luxury Charter Group does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the current accuracy, completeness, validity, or usefulness of any superyacht information and/or images displayed. All boat information is subject to change without prior notice and may not be current.
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Daylight Saving Time does not save energy
With the switchover to daylight saving time just around the corner, you might wonder why we go to the trouble of springing forward and falling backward every year.
It turns out that more daylight gives us more time to shop, drive, grill and perfect our golf game. What it doesn't do is cut our energy use, as is the intent, says Michael Downing, a lecturer in English and author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time.
In fact, when we lose an hour's sleep at 2 a.m. on March 9—beginning the eight-month DST season—it will not reduce our electricity use even by one half of 1 percent, says Downing, contrary to the most recent study by the Department of Energy.
While the government continues to claim that the country reduces electricity use for each day during DST, Downing says we come nowhere near that. Some studies do report small reductions in electricity use, but the most comprehensive study of household energy demand and many others report an increase in overall energy consumption ranging from 1 to 4 percent during DST.
"The barbeque grill and charcoal industries say they gain $200 million in sales with an extra month of daylight saving—and they were among the biggest lobbies in favor of extending DST from six to seven months in 1986," he says. Lobbying alongside them that year was the golf industry, which says that additional month of daylight has meant more time on the links and an additional $400 million in revenue.
But what's good for retail is bad for overall energy use, says Downing. "If it's light when we leave work and we decide to go to the mall or a restaurant or head for a summer night at the beach, we don't walk there; we get in our cars," he says.
Gas consumption goes up during daylight saving time—"something the gas industry has known since the 1930s," Downing says. That's why it lobbied hard to reintroduce DST after two short-term experiments with it to conserve electricity and other energy resources during World Wars I and II.
But more driving also means more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which exacerbates climate change, says Downing. Moreover, the reduced cost of indoor lighting on sunny spring and summer afternoons is offset by higher air-conditioning costs at offices, factories and shopping malls.
"Every time the government studies [DST], it turns out that we are really saving nothing when all is said and done," Downing says.
And yet, at the urging of many industry lobbies, the government has extended the duration of DST several times. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, which instituted daylight saving time, beginning on the last Sunday of April and ending the last Sunday of October—six months in all. This act standardized customs that varied from state to state between 1945 and 1966.
Then in 1986, the federal law was amended to add a full month to DST, making it begin the first, not the last, Sunday in April. "This change was spurred by a large number of lobbies: golf and golf equipment, home improvement, the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association and the gas and fuel industries, which saw a potential boon to their sales," Downing says. "There was little concern for those living in western parts of each time zone, where sunrise could be as late as 8:30 a.m. some months.
"This standardized time change was no favor to farmers, who now had an hour less of morning light to milk their cows and get their goods ready for market, let alone for commuters or children waiting for school buses in the dark," he says.
In 2005, seven months of DST became eight with the passage of the Energy Policy Act, which moved the start date to the second Sunday of March and ended it a week later, on the first Sunday in November. The change from the end of October to early November was not driven by energy savings, but by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), who wanted Halloween to occur during DST.
"It gave the children more time to trick or treat and eat more candy," Downing says. Of course, in addition to Snickers bars, Americans buy 80 percent of their gasoline at convenience stores, and the NACS credits that extra month of daylight saving with a $1 billion increase in annual sales.
"So today we have eight months of daylight saving and only four months of standard time," he says. "Can you tell me which time is the standard?"
Commercial upsides aside, Downing offers that daylight saving time does do something good for the soul: "It may be based on a myth of energy saving, but who wants to give up enjoying those long, warm summer nights?"
Provided by Tufts University


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WIART, N., KELLEY, John, JAMES, David and ALLEN, Tom (2011). Effect of temperature on the dynamic properties of soccer balls. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, 225 (4), 189-198.Full text not available from this repository.
Soccer is played over a wide range of temperatures. Previous research has shown that the dynamic properties of sports balls, such as squash balls, tennis balls, and baseballs are dependent on temperature. The aim of this research was to determine whether the dynamic properties of soccer balls are temperature dependent. Quasi-static tensile testing was conducted on samples of soccer ball material, at nominal temperatures of 0, 20, and 40 °C. Normal impact testing at speeds up to 22 m/s was undertaken at nominal ball temperatures of 0, 20, and 40 °C. The stiffness of the material decreased as the temperature increased. The coefficient of restitution, contact time, and maximum deformation of the ball all increased with temperature. The mean coefficient of restitution was 0.82 ± 0.03 at 40 °C in comparison to 0.73 ± 0.02 at 0 °C. A foot-to-ball impact model combined with a trajectory model was used to simulate a penalty kick directed at the top corner of the goal. The results showed that the time available to the goalkeeper was 7 per cent shorter at 40 °C in comparison to that at 0 °C. Therefore, the time available for a goalkeeper to prevent a goal decreases as temperature increases.
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|Rebecca Jones
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Tactical, Operational & Strategic Analysis of Markets, Competitors & Industries
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Started this discussion. Last reply by Trip Krant Mar 6, 2014. 1 Reply 1 Like
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If you had to present a case to leadership about what Competitive Intelligence is or is not and ended with a set of universal truths, what would be in your list? I wanted to do this because I keep finding myself explaning to new leader what to expect from Competitive Intelligence. When I was in Special Ops we had a list. They came from the experience of the Desert One Operation, the rescue of hostages from Iran under the Carter Administration. Here they are:
Posted on July 3, 2013 at 9:58am 0 Comments 0 Likes
We are having a discussion on what are the essential elements, or outputs of a typical customer Black Hat. We agree to the staples: customer organization, key decision makers, funding, how they approach acquisitions, award history, etc. It seems when we has a larger community they want to see more and that is where the discussion goes. We get things like technical solutions, market influence, organizational cohesiveness. It seems where you sit in the business organization drives…Continue
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Hi Richard...Greetings,
I'm a CI Consultant, Teacher, Researcher based in Sydney and service clients all over Australia/NZ, Asia and India..even go as far as Brazil. I also speak at international conferences in India, Europe etc. As I network widely, I can help give you a regional perspective & a deeper research, if required. Please call me..thanks.
Murali +61 414 892361
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From Abracadabra to Zombies
In the fall of 1974, I landed my first full-time teaching job. My doctoral dissertation had been published earlier that year, but all I had to show for it was a piece of paper signed by Ronald Reagan (who was governor of California at the time) and several hundred rejection notices from philosophy departments around the country. Lassen College hired me to teach philosophy, creative writing, music appreciation, sociology, and journalism. In addition, I was hired as the baseball coach. I was hired as a one-year replacement for a teacher who taught philosophy, creative writing (he'd actually published some poems), music appreciation (he was an accomplished musician), and skiing. My Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California at San Diego meant little to getting the job. My willingness to spread myself thin and my showing up to the interview in jeans and a pullover shirt were more important. I had no doubt that I was qualified to teach philosophy. My qualifications for the other duties were ludicrous: I had written a scholarly book and a number of pathetic poems; I play guitar but can't read music, and I hardly know the difference between an opera and a ballet; I minored in sociology; I wrote letters to the editor; and I was decent baseball player until I was cut after my freshman year at the University of Notre Dame. Why was I hired? The school was desperate. Why would I take such a job? I was desperate. Another teacher went on leave and I was hired for a second year. That year I taught Native American Studies. I drew the line at Bomb Shelter Management. The Dean of Instruction was disappointed in me when I turned that one down.
The only philosophy course Lassen College had at that time was an introductory course. I got a course in Logic approved by the curriculum committee. Twenty-five students signed up; five finished the course. Three stayed because they liked me; one stayed because he didn't know how to drop a course; and one actually understood the material from Irving Copi's classic, Introduction to Logic. Fortunately, soon after arriving at Lassen I was introduced to Howard Kahane's Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life. I replaced Copi's book with Kahane's and have never looked back. I was eventually hired by Sacramento City College to teach philosophy and humanities courses, including logic. I taught there for thirty years and, until I wrote my own text, used Kahane's book through several editions.
Nobody called Kahane's text a critical thinking text in 1971, when the book was first published. At that time, two other expressions were vying for primacy: 'informal logic' and 'practical logic'. The publisher had a blurb for the book on the back of the 10th edition (which I looked at before participating in a critical thinking workshop for the Amazing Meeting 5) that notes that it "puts critical thinking skills into a context that students will retain and use throughout their lives." (The text is now in its 11th edition and has had a co-author since Kahane's death in 2001.) A blurb about the author notes that Kahane was one of the founders of the "critical thinking" movement. Kahane, who had already published a popular formal logic text, wanted the new text to be practical. It included no formal logic. No Aristotle. No Venn diagrams. No truth tables. No sentential or predicate logic. No tedious exercises trying to symbolize ordinary language arguments. Instead, there are chapters on advertising, textbooks, and the mass media, and how they affect our thinking. There is a chapter that focuses on how language can be used to mislead and deceive us. Traditional "baby" logic texts focused on uses of language; Kahane focused on abuses of language. There are several chapters on fallacies in reasoning, the kinds of fallacies it was not too difficult to find examples of in daily life, many of them supplied by advertisers or by public figures, especially politicians. Kahane was the first of the textbook writers, as far as I know, to introduce the study of doublespeak into a logic text.
Kahane's text appeared too political to some, but it was actually neutral. Each new edition changed its examples, depending on who was in power. In some editions, Republicans look like fools; in others, the Democrats got their turn to serve as bad examples of reasoning.
Kahane was right in exposing the way language is used to manipulate thought. We now know that this manipulation runs deeper than any of us were aware of in the 1970s. "Harsh interrogation" is doublespeak for "torture." The current euphemism replaced "debriefing," "enhanced coercive interrogation," and the like. (Former CIA director Porter Goss said: "we don't torture, we do debriefings. Torture doesn't get results. We get results with our methods.") We now know that even if people know what terms like 'harsh interrogation' or 'rendition' mean, the expressions have little or no emotive content and evoke little emotion. Thus, they don't evoke much response. Think of "collateral damage." We know the expression means that innocent men, women, and children were killed in a military attack, but the expression fails to evoke much feeling for those innocent people. The expression arouses little call to action that might express opposition to dropping bombs on or shooting missiles into areas heavily populated by civilians. Kahane's section on the emotive and cognitive meaning of words was a major contribution to the creation of what we now call critical thinking textbooks. Doublespeak continues, however, and combating it may seem useless at times. But where would we be if we did or said nothing at all about abuses of language? Would Alberto Gonzales still be Attorney General of the United States?
Since first using Kahane's text I have been sympathetic to the view that critical thinking instruction should be about more than just skills like recognizing contradictions and identifying fallacies. I tried to encourage my students to develop a disposition to critically examine the presuppositions of their own culture as expressed in textbooks, TV news, daily newspapers, political speeches and policies, religions, science, and in their personal values and beliefs. I wanted my students to have no sacred cows and to become skilled in making judgments about whatever subject they were investigating. I wanted them to understand that a critical thinker doesn't just have opinions, but has cogent reasons for those opinions. Skepticism is a useful tool in the process of evaluating evidence and arguments, but it is not the goal of critical thinking. Suspending judgment until all the evidence and arguments have been fairly evaluated is essential to arriving at the most reasonable judgments. Suspending judgment, which may have been the goal of some of the ancient Greek skeptics, is not the goal of critical thinking. Making informed judgments is the goal.
A question I was asked frequently over my thirty-five years of teaching college students was: Do you want our opinion in our essays? My stock answer was: Of course. I want your well-reasoned opinions. But I don't want a list of your beliefs. Many of my students had been wrongly taught that facts are good, opinions are bad. How many times have we heard: "that's not a fact; that's just your opinion." We've seen this sentiment expressed by many creationists, who think that theories are opinions and evolution, being a theory, is not a fact but an opinion. Evolution, however, is both a fact and an opinion (a theory). It is a fact that evolution has occurred and there are various theories that try to explain how it occurred. There is a common misconception that facts are opposed to opinions. This error seems to be one of the chief cognitive deficits of those who think they have offered a meaningful criticism of something they disagree with by simply asserting that their opponent is expressing his opinions.
At one of the annual critical thinking conferences sponsored by Sonoma State University, a speaker claimed that he had tracked down this erroneous opinion on opinions and found that many years ago (in the 1930s, I think) sociologists used to give a critical thinking test that asked people to determine whether each item on a list was (a) a fact or (b) an opinion. (This was more than twenty years ago, so I hope you'll forgive me for not recalling who the speaker was.) Some of my students claimed that they'd been asked the same thing on standardized tests that claim to be evaluating something meaningful about a person's critical thinking skills. Students in critical thinking courses should be able to distinguish statements of fact from statements that express judgments, of course. But to ask them to distinguish facts from opinions on a list of items is not the same thing.
I include the following in chapter two of my Becoming a Critical Thinker text:
6.1 Claims used to state facts or to state opinions
As we said in the first chapter, facts are what we take to be certain or true and that we consider unreasonable to doubt. Opinions, on the other hand, are often contrasted with facts as being uncertain and reasonable to doubt. For example, if someone claims (1) she perceived a dark object of human proportions moving across a field at night and (2) she believed that the object was her neighbor, her first claim might be taken as a fact but the second claim would be taken as an opinion. The difference seems to be due simply to the amount of interpretation the perceiver does. If the perception requires simple and ordinary sense perception (e.g. of shapes and colors) and a minimal amount of interpretation, the event perceived is considered a fact. If the perception requires making judgments that go beyond simple sense perception (that a shape is the shape of one's neighbor) the event related is considered an opinion. The opinion may turn out to be true, however. So, it is not accurate to say that facts are certain and true, while opinions are not. Some opinions are based on mounds of evidence and have a high degree of probability.
Another reason for not distinguishing facts and opinions as certain versus uncertain is that 'fact' is also used to mean 'event', 'actuality', or 'reality'. Many things which are claimed to be actualities or realities turn out not to be so after all. [The person might have been hallucinating the colors and shapes, for example.] What was claimed to be a fact turns out to be false.
Rather than think of opinions as uncertain claims, it would be better to think of them as beliefs that reflect judgments. Judgments reflect interpretations or evaluations. It may be a fact that the local river is filled with dead fish, but it is a judgment (opinion) that the fish died because of lack of food. That judgment, however, might come to be taken as a fact (i.e., as certain) if the evidence supports it beyond a reasonable doubt. There is, in other words, no clear line that separates facts from opinions in terms of certainty. Perhaps it would be less confusing if the distinction were made between statements of fact and statements of opinion, rather than between facts and opinions.
Determining whether something is a fact requires knowing whether or not it is true. Determining whether something is a statement of fact requires knowing only whether or not it is stated as if it were true. Determining whether it is a fact that the fish died because of lack of food requires more specific and detailed knowledge than would be required to determine whether the statement "The fish died because of lack of food" is stated as a fact or as an opinion. It is obvious that it is stated as a fact. If it were stated as an opinion, the speaker would indicate this by using expressions such as 'it is my opinion that' [the fish died because of....], or [the fish] 'might have' [died because of....] or [the fish] 'probably' [died because of]....
In sum, facts and opinions each run the gamut from uncertain to very certain.
[note: the above excerpted material has been slightly revised]
Ask yourself: is it a fact or an opinion that the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship in 1924? If they won the championship, then it's a fact. The certainty of the claim should depend on what you know to be true. Does the statement become an opinion if the Celtics didn't win the NBA championship in 1924? No, but it then becomes certain that the claim is false. Is it a fact or an opinion that cigarette smoke is carcinogenic? It's a judgment and therefore it's an opinion, but it's about as certainly true as any empirical causal claim can be. Is it a fact or an opinion that child abuse should be illegal? Most people would probably say it's true and they believe that if something is a fact then it's true. Does it matter that philosophers claim that only statements can be true or false, and that imperatives are not statements and therefore are neither true nor false?
I haven't updated my critical thinking text since the second edition was published in 2005, but if I were to update the exercise on identifying and distinguishing statements of fact and statements of opinion, I would add these two statements to the exercise:
1. Global warming poses a dire threat to human civilization that is second only to nuclear weapons.*
2. Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.*
By the time my students have come to the exercise, they should have read the following:
3.4 Sneaking in judgmental words: opinions put forth as facts
Another way to keep others from thinking is to use judgmental words that evaluate the situation so they can be spared the agony of thinking for themselves. There is nothing wrong with making judgments and using the appropriate words to express those judgments. However, some writers may give you their evaluation of the situation under the guise of a factual report. For example, a writer says that "an accurate assessment of the situation was made by the Pentagon" or "the President took justifiable pride in signing the Trade Agreement with China." The writer is making judgments for you, telling you that an assessment is accurate or suggesting that a trade agreement was a good one. There are always those who are ready to give us the right view, the correct opinion, trustworthy advice, reliable information, or the true story about some scoundrel, dishonest barracuda, interested party, pervert, or communist dupe! Beware of such language. It indicates people less interested in having you think than in having you think as they do.
Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the successful 1992 campaign in Colorado to pass a constitutional amendment barring laws that specifically protect homosexuals from discrimination. The leader of the campaign, Will Perkins, stated that "Language doesn't shape the campaign--it is the campaign." The hope was to influence and shape public opinion by characterizing homosexuals as people with a sexual preference rather than sexual orientation, who have an agenda rather than goals to secure special rights rather than their civil rights. On the other side, gay activists were trying to get the term "sexual preference" eliminated from public discourse because it implies that homosexuality is chosen rather than given to a person by nature or nurture. Each side recognized that the words used to frame the issues would affect how people would be encouraged to think about those issues without actually thinking about the issues.
Opinions don't always come with nice indicators like 'my opinion is....' Many opinions are stated as facts. Being stated as a fact suggests certainty, but being stated as a fact doesn't make something a fact.
The point is that language is fluid, most terms have several uses, and one of the most common abuses of language is to criticize an argument or explanation as being an opinion or 'just an opinion' and think that you have said something profound or meaningful. Your claim is about as important as saying about Einstein's special theory of relativity that "it's just his opinion" or "it's just his ideas." Opinions run the gamut from wild speculation based on almost no evidence (like the opinion that quantum holograms explain psychic phenomena) to strongly supported positions (such as the view that humans are a significant causal factor in global warming or that HIV causes AIDS), to the nearly indisputable (such as cigarette smoke is carcinogenic).
A critical thinker doesn't make empty claims and try to pass them off as reasonable criticisms, which is what one does when one says nothing more about another's argument than that it's an opinion. A critical thinker notes when an opinion is put forth without any support, perhaps, or notes errors, falsehoods, or weaknesses in the reasons given for an opinion. But one identifies oneself as a weak thinker with little cognitive ability if all one can muster up against a position you dislike or disagree with is "it's an opinion." We already know that without even knowing what you're talking about. What we want to know is "Is the opinion backed by cogent reasons?" If not, tell us what is wrong with the evidence presented. Don't think you've told us anything interesting or valuable if all you can tell us is that it's wrong or biased. If you can't tell us why it's wrong, you're wasting our time.
Unlike many of the people who criticize my work, I'm interested in getting it right. I don't just list my opinions on UFOs, 9/11 conspiracies, homeopathy, psi, etc. I present a case for my positions. Nobody benefits from pseudo-criticism that asserts only that that someone has stated an opinion. You might as well criticize somebody for "having an idea." Stating opinions or having ideas are not faults to be identified by a critical thinker.
I truly am interested in my opponents' opinions as long as they are well-reasoned and backed by solid evidence and argument. Otherwise, if all you have to say is "you're wrong" or "you're just giving your opinion," please keep your empty claims to yourself. You're just blowing air and you've got onions and other foul odors on your breath.
That's my opinion, anyway.
Last updated 12/09/2010


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Basic Information: Direction: A Gregorio; Story: Quentin De Guia; Screenplay: Henry Cuino; Cast: Vilma Santos, Edgar Mortiz, Esperanza Fabon, Rommy Mallari, Victor Wood, Fred Panopio, Baby De Jesus, Bobby Roldan, Ernie Vega, Cloyd Robinson, Scarlet, Linda Magno, Bernadine Escolar, Pons De Guzman, Wilhelmina Landicho, Armando Balbin, The Bunkers; Executive producer: Espiridion Laxa; Original Music: Danny Subido; Film poster: Video48
Plot Description: No Available Data
Film Achievement: No Available Data
Film Reviews: "...By late 1969, movie producers had been tapping a Vilma Santos-Edgar Mortiz love team. Edgar was a Tawag ng Tanghalan winner. They started to be together in the movies, My Darling Eddie (1969) and The Jukebox King (1969)...In 1970, the love team of Vilma Santos and Edgar "Bobot" Mortiz was officially launched in the movie Young Love, together with the another popular love team during that time, Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III. The Vi and Bot love team went on to do 14 more movies in 1970—The Young Idols, Songs and Lovers, Sweethearts, Sixteen, Love Letters, Love is for the Two of Us, Mga Batang Bangketa, My Pledge of Love, Renee Rose, Baby Vi, Because You Are Mine, Edgar Loves Vilma, From the Bottom of My Heart, and I Love You Honey. All did well at the box-office..." - Rommel R. Llanes (READ MORE)
"...Noong Dekada '70, ang mga young stars ay kailangang marunong kumanta dahil yun ang uso kaya naman nagtayo ng sariling recording company ang nasirang manager ni Vi na si William Leary dahil ayaw niyang pahuhuli sa uso ang kanyang alaga. Ilan sa mga naging recording artists ng WILEARS RECORDS bukod kay Vi ay sina Edgar Mortiz, Ed Finlan, Sahlee Quizon, Hilda Koronel at Esperanza Fabon. According to Vi, kapag nagrerecord siya ng kanta ay nakatalikod siya sa dingding ng recording company at si Bobot ang umaalalay sa kanya. Ang SIXTEEN, na sinulat ni Danny Subido ang unang recording na ginawa ni Vi at ito ay flipsided by It's So Wonderful To Be In Love. Ang SIXTEEN ay agad naging gold record at dahil dito ay gumawa ng pelikula ang Tagalog Ilang Ilang Productions, ang home studio ni Vi at ito ay ginawa nilang pamagat katambal si Edgar Mortiz. Hindi nyo naitatanong, muntik nang manalo si Vi bilang most promising singer sa AWIT AWARDS noong early '70s..." - Alfons. Valencia (READ MORE)
"...The loveteam of Edgar Mortiz and Vilma Santos endured a stiff competition from teeny bopper love team of Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III and came up with equal success with string of hit films during the musical era of the 70s. Together they did forgettable but commercial hits and also some hints of the years to come to Vilma Santos' long career. The most notable one: Dama De Noche. Total Number of films with Vilma Santos – 25 (Young Love, Teenage Jamboree, Songs and Lovers, Renee Rose, My Pledge of Love, Mga Batang Bangketa, Love Is for the Two of Us, I Love You Honey, From the Bottom of My Heart, Baby Vi, Love Letters, The Wonderful World of Music, The Sensations, The Young Idols, Sweethearts, Sixteen, Leron-Leron Sinta, Edgar Love Vilma, Don't Ever Say Goodbye, Dama de Noche, Anak ng Aswang, Because You Are Mine, Kampanerang Kuba, Kasalanan Kaya, Karugtong ang Kahapon..." - RV (READ MORE)


text: Ecoshopper specifications:Material: 100% rPet; Made from recycled PET bottles (rPet)Öko-Tex Standard 100 certifiedLoad capacity: The Ecoshopper has a load capacity of 20 kgExtra: Equipped with a zipper and thus completely closableOther: Water-repellent, can also be worn over the shoulder Double handles for additional comfortExtended format: 46 cm wide, 41 cm highFolded format: 10x6x3cm (LxWxH)Weight without packaging: approx. 52 gramsWeight with packaging: approx. 64 gramsOrder unit: per 1 piecePackaging: sales packaging - recycled cardboardRecommended retail price: 11.99 Euro including VAT.


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LRL Home - Legislation - Legislative archive system - Direct search - Search results
Last action: Referred to Appropriations
Author: Garnet Coleman
Coauthor: Dawnna Dukes | Jessica Farrar
Health--Children's Insurance
House Committee: Appropriations (Warren Chisum, Alma Allen, Dan Branch, Betty Brown, Fred Brown, Norma Chavez, Myra Crownover, Drew Darby, John Davis, Dawnna Dukes, Kirk England, Dan Gattis, Ryan Guillen, Linda Harper-Brown, Chuck Hopson, Carl Isett, Jim Jackson, Lois Kolkhorst, Eddie Lucio III, Ruth McClendon, Jim McReynolds, Jose Menendez, Rick Noriega, John Otto, Debbie Riddle, Larry Taylor, Sylvester Turner, Corbin Van Arsdale, John Zerwas)
The Legislative Archive System is a work in progress. Complete information is not available for all bills and all sessions. Visit the Legislative Archive System status page for details. Please contact the Legislative Reference Library at 512-463-1252 if you have any questions. Information on this website is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.


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Happy New Year!Saturday, December 31, 2011
Pottery Barn used to carry them....but no longer. I guess not many people saw them the way Linda did. Now she has me collecting them too. She hangs each year from her chandelier. As we celebrate the New Year at her home, I look up and see all of them hanging down. As Linda and Bill's friends sit around the table laughing, talking and eating the ornaments shine in the candlelight. They remind me of the years we have celebrated together and all of the years we have been friends.
This one is hanging from my chandelier. I'm so thankful for all of your comments and friendship this past year.
Wishing all of you much happiness and joy in the New Year!!!
Until later,
38 comments
Beautiful yearly ornament..ReplyDelete
Happy new year
Love cucki xx
Happy New Year to you and your family!!ReplyDelete
Happy New YearReplyDelete
I do think that yearly ornaments can be a wonderful reminder of years past, and great memories. I like your ornament! Happy New Year to you and yours.ReplyDelete
I kind of like that idea, too.ReplyDelete
Happy New Year to you and Barb and your families.
Thanks for all the joy you bring to us BBD junkies. I can't wait to see what surprises you have in store for 2012.
And to you too! May you know Peace, Love & Joy in 2012!ReplyDelete
Happy New Year to you and your family!ReplyDelete
Beautiful such a yearly ornament, I understand why she collects them! Have a fantastic, Healthy and Good 2012, greetingsReplyDelete
I think that is a beautiful idea. Happy New Year!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 31, 2011 at 2:58 PM
What a lovely sentimental thing to do. Thank you for all of the wonderful designs that you have given us to stitch this year. Here's cheers to both of you and Cheer's to the New Year.ReplyDelete
Happy New Year, to all of us, the ornament is a great idea. Hugs MaryReplyDelete
Happy New Year Alma! Best to you and Barb in 2012 and we love your creativity, joy you bring to others, and the sharing of all your talents!!!! pam from iowaReplyDelete
Happy New Year to you and your's!ReplyDelete
Love the idea of the yearly ornaments. Never thought about it. But what a great way to remember the year and all it's memories!
Lovely ornament - what a lovely way to remember the year.ReplyDelete
Happy New Year to you x
Bonne Année 2012ReplyDelete
marylin France
Happy New Year!ReplyDelete
Great idea! Happy New Year to you too!ReplyDelete
What a lovely, classic ornament. Many happy returns!ReplyDelete
I love the thought of yearly ornaments - as you are collecting them, are you getting all the previous years that you missed? Wouldn't that be something!ReplyDelete
Happy New Year to you and Barb, I am looking forward to seeing what you gals do next!
Hugs and Love,
Jennifer from Honesdale
PS Where did you get this ornament from?
Won't be the same without my Blackbird day calender.I kept notes on all my sewing and loved every page of it.happy New yearReplyDelete
Hi Jennifer,ReplyDelete
You can find them at Target and/or Hobby Lobby....wish Pottery Barn still did the yearly ornaments!
Happy new year to you and your family and thank you for sharing your creativity with us all.ReplyDelete
You almost got me started on collecting those sweet little German animals that you hang from your tree. I saw a site that had hundreds of them for sale on ebay. I bought some blueberry crumbcake instead. Happy New Year!ReplyDelete
As we grow older, traditions seem to become more important. Best wishes for a wonderful year in 2012 to you & yours.ReplyDelete
Happy New Year to you and your families!ReplyDelete
Boldog új évet kívánok neked és családodnak!
from Budapest
Hope you have a happy, happy new year Alma!!!!ReplyDelete
Happy New Year from Belgium!ReplyDelete
And thank you for all your beautiful patterns, I love them so much!
Happy new year for both of you !! I wish you health, friendship and creativity !ReplyDelete
wow Alma...I think I can do this...it doesn't entail cooking! lol I bet they were beautiful in the light!ReplyDelete
Happy New Year!!!ReplyDelete
Prim Blessings
Happy new year! :))ReplyDelete
This post is very original!ReplyDelete
Happy 2012 to You!
- JocelynJanuary 12, 2012 at 1:20 AM
I am stitching this design and loving it but wonder why there is not a springReplyDelete
I wanted to send you a picure of my completed quilt using your fabric line, but can't seem to find an email for you!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 15, 2012 at 10:29 AM
I am Francine of site www.couleursetpoints.com
I am French et I embroidered your pattern WILD LILIES;
You can see it on my site. It is very nice.
See you soon.
Sorry for my english that It is not good.
I am not sure where to ask this question - but I am doing the Anniversaries of the Heart series on one piece of linen. The directions say to leave 3 stitches between each month - does that mean 6 threads? I know I am late to the party on this one but I am determined to complete it!ReplyDelete
Hi Amy,ReplyDelete
Send any messages to firstname.lastname@example.com
Hi Audrey,
Yes, 3 stitches will be 6 threads....hope you enjoy stitching this one!
Thanks for giving me the useful information.ReplyDelete


text:
TESS Explores Exoplanets & More
Honolulu, HI - AAS 235 in 2020 - Speakers during the TESS Explores Exoplanets & More press conference at the American Astronomical Society's (AAS) 235th meeting at the Hawai'i Convention Center. The American Astronomical Society (AAS), established in 1899 and based in Washington, DC, is the major organization of professional astronomers in North America. The annual meeting is the premier astronomical event with more than 3,000 astronomers, educators, industry representatives, and journalists in attendance and at least 1,600 oral and poster presentations scheduled. Photo by © CorporateEventImages/Todd Buchanan 2020
Paul Hertz speaks Press Conference TESS Explores Exoplanets More AAS 235 in 2020


text:
The Finest
Not your everyday tuxedo shop. A rare throwback of actual customer service and fine clothing. Caring owners with decades of knowledge. Convenient. Reasonably Priced.
We have been in the tuxedo business for decades. We refuse to accept the "common" level of customer service. Our attitude is more like the old days of small boutique shopping. We know about tuxedos. Quality still exists – you will find it here in both the merchandise and the service.


text:
For a while I think I'll try summarizing a few of my favourite moments from Twitter.
So far I have made 72 posts, which is pretty prolific. As I will note below, that's likely to change (ie. remember the last time I had 50+ blogposts in a month?) So here are a few of my favourite "tweets":
Apparently I have had a Twitter account for the last 6 months and nobody has told me.
5:05 PM Mar 24th from web
Sonic 102.9 had exactly 780 followers for a radio station in the 780 area code. Well, until I started following them. Sorry guys.
6:42 PM Mar 24th from web
The #Offspring are coming to Edmonton:Hall D at Northlands. That's where I saw them a decade ago. Wonder if my date will flash 'em again...
10:52 PM Mar 24th from web
I have a feeling Twitter is a lot like those cute Brazillian twins: I'll have lots of fun my first night, then ignore it for months on end.
12:04 AM Mar 25th from web
First line=lime on my cellphone, and now I do the classic misspelling of "night". M$ should make a grammar-check for Tweets
9:24 PM Mar 25th from web
Sonic1029: "Check out LiannCameron with some Sea Lions, a snake, a penguin and a giant sea turtle!" Hell, I dream of it nightly!
10:52 PM Mar 25th from web
Do premierstelmach and pmharper have to get new Twitter accounts when they resign or are voted out? jacklayton_defeatedincumbant sounds gr8
4:45 PM Mar 26th from web
The Alberta Green Party on Twitter has 2 followers. That sounds about right.
10:14 PM Mar 26th from web
I wonder if Twitter users in Hardisty put #CHD2 tags at the end of all their posts http://tinyurl.com/cy43qw
5:02 PM Mar 27th from web
Every cellphone ever: 3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars, 3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,3bars,2bars,2bars,1bar,dead
3:02 PM Mar 28th from web
How did #yeg "Take Back the Night" go last night? i celebrated it as I always do: by pinching girls' breasts while they danced @ FunkyBuddha
4:48 PM Mar 28th from web
Memo to @MinJK from B.Obama: just Wagoner mr. mouammar like I did. liberals will totally back you up. Gov't paying = total control they say
9:56 AM Mar 30th from txt
Olivia Chow sez "free speech is a cornerstone of democracy" so I expect her to start helping Rev.Boissoin win back his right to free speech
10:05 AM Mar 30th from txt
I bet you could get a good indication of healthy fast food places by the number of hot skinny girls vs fat ones in lineup
12:05 PM Mar 30th from txt
CBC radio just called a 21 month old baby "it". Half expected them to say fetus.
12:23 PM Mar 30th from txt
Sorry, can't resist: read this story http://tinyurl.com/c896qy and admit that it looks like #Obama will be Grease-Monkey-In-Chief #GM
5:21 PM Mar 30th from web
Did you know that Taco Bell hotsauce goes bad? My 2001-era backup collection just made my fries supreme inedible.#tacobell
9:43 PM Mar 30th from web
I wonder how much better of a deal Chrysler would have got had #Obama not told Fiat the US firm was basically forced to sign w/e was offered
from txt
500, 1606, no difference. I would personally slaughter that many ducks with my bare hands to get a single barrel of oil #ableg #oilsands
from web
I don't so much mind being the smartest person in a room anymore. I do wish it wasn't such a huge dropoff to second place.
from txt
Across the Pacific, so far the #Conficker virus doesn't seem to be damaging any tubes. Big trucks still at risk. http://tinyurl.com/cyf57p
from web
I have a sort of unofficial policy I'm aiming for: I want to have at least twice as many people I am following compared to the number of people following me. Currently with 53 following and 27 followers I am doing awfully well.
It's hard to decide who to add at this point: already prolific tweeters are "hiding" updates even if I check every hour. I would love to be keeping an eye on 400-600 people, but its a careful game. (For example, I don't add The_Real_Shaq because he tweets about 53 times an hour all day every day. Instead I am follow The_Real Britney Spears who tweets every day or two. More on this as it develops.


text:
Posted on :
31 Oct, 2013
31 Oct, 2013
Shell Graduate Programme
The Shell Graduate Programme is a development framework that enables new graduates to become fully independent Shell professionals in 2-5 years. At Shell, new graduates have access to an unparalleled range of roles and world-class training and development opportunities, including:
Who we're looking for:
We are looking for ambitious graduates in their final year of study to help us tackle the energy challenge – now and in the future.
There will be specific skill requirements for your chosen job area. But whatever your role, there are certain qualities you'll need if you're going to succeed at Shell. Above all else, you should enjoy being challenged, so that rather than being overwhelmed if a task seems impossible, you welcome the opportunity to be innovative. You also need to be good at absorbing information, analysing problems, making objective decisions and coming up with original ideas. You should have the drive, confidence and resilience to get things done, the flexibility to work well in a team and the credibility to influence others.
Shell matches you into a particular role based on your skills, you will not be required to apply for a specific Shell position. However, if you are interested in a specific role, you can express interest within your cover letter.
* Candidates must be lawfully authorised to work in the country in which they are assigned to work in the Programme.
Closing date: 31 October 2014


text:
🎥 January: Boy or Girl?!
Did you make it to the big screen?
If you did, BRAVO!!! 🤩 You're a surprise star!
If you didn't make the cut, there's still time!
Steps to Get Featured:
1. Tag your reaction videos on Instagram and Facebook with @thesurprisecake and #thesurprisecake.
2. Send in your videos to our DropBox along with your @instagramaccountname, if you have one.
Sweet Surprising!
The Surprise Cake Team


text:
SRD:Overwhelming Critical
From D&D Wiki
|This material is published under the OGL 1.0a.
Overwhelming Critical [Epic]
Str 23, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (chosen weapon), Power Attack, Weapon Focus (chosen weapon).
When using the weapon the character has selected, he or she deals an extra 1d6 points of bonus damage on a successful critical hit. If the weapon's critical multiplier is ×3, add +2d6 points of bonus damage instead, and if the multiplier is ×4, add +3d6 points of bonus damage instead. Creatures immune to critical hits can't be affected by this feat.
A character can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time a character takes the feat, it applies to a different type of weapon.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Open Game Content → System Reference Document→ Feats


text:
User:Martin Kalck
|Citizendium Getting Started
|Join | Quick Start | About us | Help system | How to start a new article | For Wikipedians
|How to Edit
|Welcome Page
Tasks: start a new article • add basic, wanted or requested articles • add definitions • add metadata • edit new pages
Welcome to the Citizendium! We hope you will contribute boldly and well. Here are pointers for a quick start. You'll probably want to know how to get started as an author. Just look at Getting Started for other helpful "startup" links, our help system and CZ:Home for the top menu of community pages. Be sure to stay abreast of events via Twitter. You can test out editing in the sandbox if you'd like. If you need help to get going, the forum is one option. That's also where we discuss policy and proposals. You can ask any administrator for help, too. Just put a note on their "talk" page. Again, welcome and have fun!
Sarah Tuttle 20:05, 15 January 2007 (CST)


text:
Founded in 2006 by a privacy veteran, Samet Privacy, LLC is a boutique consulting practice that specializes in advising and assisting companies with their compliance obligations for data privacy and security. These obligations include adherence to federal, state, and international laws governing the collection, use, handling, storage, disclosure, and protection of personally identifiable information about an organization's customers and employees.
Samet Privacy offers businesses of all sizes a variety of services and risk management solutions that assist with understanding, analyzing, and – most importantly – putting into practice their privacy requirements as well as other related best practices and guidelines.
With increased scrutiny over data privacy among regulators and the misuse of personal information on the minds of almost every individual today, the services provided by Samet Privacy are timely, critical, and – best of all – affordable. We would be glad to assist you with your privacy needs.
For a more complete description of our services as well as applicable laws and regulations for which our services may be useful, please see the Services section of our website or click here.
To contact us, click here.


text:
What It Is
Wahoo insert for an existing ENVE Computer mount.
Who It's For
Wahooligans, as Wahoo owners affectionately call themselves. Those who want to run ENVE's stem and computer mounting system, but own a Wahoo computer, now have an option.
Why We Made It
Data is what we crave in every aspect of what we do. Numbers, stats, KOMs – we want to collect them all, just like you. We also recognize that not everyone has the same computer. Providing options for all different types of computers was a simple solution. Wahooligans celebrate — ENVE is now compatible.
- Computer mount sold separately


text:
The nation's oil and gas wells produce at least nine billion liters of contaminated water per day, according to an Argonne National Laboratory report. And that is an underestimate of the amount of brine, fracking fluid and other contaminated water that flows back up a well along with the natural gas or oil, because it is based on incomplete data from state governments gathered in 2007.
The volume will only get larger, too: oil and gas producers use at least 7.5 million liters of water per well to fracture subterranean formations and release entrapped hydrocarbon fuels, a practice that has grown in the U.S. by at least 48 percent per year in the last five years, according to the Energy Information Administration. The rise is quickest in places such as the oil-bearing Bakken Formation in North Dakota or the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale underlying parts of New York State, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
The problem is that the large volumes of water that flow back to the surface along with the oil or gas are laced with everything from naturally radioactive minerals to proprietary chemicals. And there are not a lot of cost-effective options for treating it, other than dumping it down a deep well. But as certain states that are experiencing drought begin to restrict industrial water usage, fossil-fuel companies are experimenting with traditional and untraditional water treatment chemistries and technologies to try to clean this dirty water—or limit its use in the first place.
Recycling is not enough
The first option is to reuse wastewater in whatever ways possible. For fracking, "to the extent possible, fracturing fluid is recovered and recycled for reuse in future fracturing operations," says Reid Porter, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group. "Recycling of flow-back water reduces demand for freshwater and reduces the need for disposal of wastewater."
But that water still has to be cleaned before it is reused, otherwise it loses the ability to do its subterranean dirty work. Simply dumping it improperly is not an option, because the high levels of salts and minerals will poison a river, stream or aquifer or it will render land incapable of supporting life for generations, like the salt pans of Utah or the ancient farm fields of Carthage salted by the Roman army. The cleansing technologies employed range from high-tech membranes that selectively filter out specific contaminants to the crude solution of boiling away the water, leaving scales of salts and other minerals behind on the walls of the boiler.
"Most of what we get out of the water are salts and a low-level of organics" (hydrocarbons and other contaminating carbon-based molecules), explains environmental engineer Steve Hopper, executive vice president of the industrial business group at Veolia Water, which is helping oil and gas companies cope with such "produced" water. "We have an example in California where we treated the water until it was so pure we had to add minerals back into it to be able to discharge it." The problem, thus far, has been cost, although Hopper argues Veolia's technologies add only "5 percent" to the cost of a given well.
A diversity of waters
To add to the challenge of sheer volume, the water produced by each oil and gas well is often different—with varying levels of acidity, saltiness or types of contaminants, whether dissolved hydrocarbons or heavy metals leached from the surrounding rock.
Traditional wastewater treatment plants, designed to deal with sewage or storm water runoff, cannot cope with these kinds and levels of contaminants. That's where a company like Veolia comes in, which partners with the oil or gas company to assume the liability for the water. "Give us your wastewater and we'll get it where it needs to be," argues geologist Ed Pinero, Veolia's chief sustainability officer.
In California Veolia has partnered with PXP Plains Exploration & Production, an energy company, to design, build and operate a 45,000 barrel-per-day water treatment facility employing ceramic membranes and reverse osmosis to recycle water produced from the Arroyo Grande oilfield near San Luis Obispo. (A barrel of water or oil is 159 liters, or 42 gallons.) Much of the cleansed water would be turned to steam to scour yet more oil out of the ground, and the rest would be clean enough to discharge into local waterways. "We have the technology to meet those requirements," Veolia's Hopper says.
The technologies include membranes, filtration and even selective ion precipitation, where specific chemicals are added to cause particular contaminants, such as heavy metals, to precipitate, or fall out of the water. In certain cases Veolia employs a suite of technologies in a row—bubbling out gas; chemically reducing acidity; filtering; and employing pressure and membranes to extract salts and other contaminants—to deal with a wide variety of contaminated waters, such as that produced from oil and gas wells.
Complications can arise, however: Membranes, for example, often do not stand up to the harsh conditions created by such tainted waters. High acidity or alkalinity, or even just high salinity levels, can quickly foul membranes or simply render them ineffective. Boiling can cost as much as $8.50 per barrel of water, and the residue can quickly wear down even an industrial boiler. So scientists are working on new alternatives.
One option is to cut down on water use in the first place: so-called waterless fracking. A technique offered by the company GASFRAC Energy Services employs high-pressure propane—another hydrocarbon—as a gel in place of water to frack wells. The propane then mixes with the oil or natural gas coming back to the surface and can be used as a fuel, avoiding any of the contamination that leaches out of the rock when water is used. The process is being tested by a variety of companies, including Chevron and Shell.
Another alternative is to use what those who invented it have dubbed a "directional solvent"—liquids that molecularly bind to water but not the other contaminants in it. For example, soybean oil will absorb pure water by bonding to it with heat, leaving any contaminants behind. The water can then be recovered from the solvent by simply cooling it down so that the water flows back out, like cooling air releasing water vapor as rain. "This is the first molecular approach to water treatment," explains engineer Anurag Bajpayee, a PhD candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working on the new solution. The trick "is finding a solvent that will dissolve water, not dissolve other contaminants and not dissolve itself in water. It is rare."
Soybean oil is not the ultimate solution, of course, because too much oil is required to recover even a little bit of clean water. But the M.I.T. team is working on new alternatives and seeking new solvents with the same properties. At the same time Bajpayee and his colleagues are testing solvents they have already found on produced water from six different wells, including brines eight times saltier than seawater. "It's early, we're not in the field yet," Bajpayee says of the new option for water treatment, which likely will not be commercially available for years. "This is still work in the lab."
Throwing water away
The most common solution, in the end, remains simply to inject the contaminated water down a disposal well that penetrates deeper than any drinking-water resources. More than 90 percent of the water used or produced in oil and gas operations is disposed of in this way, in the nation's more than 150,000 such wells. More and more new disposal wells are being drilled to cope with the rising flood of frack water.
But this injected water is lost forever. Some states such as Pennsylvania also make it difficult to drill such wells, which means operators fracking the Marcellus Shale there must pay to truck the produced water to Ohio for disposal. That can cost as much as $15 a barrel, and "sooner or later Ohio is going to get a bit panicky about that," Bajpayee notes. In addition, it costs at least $5 million to drill each new disposal well.
In states such as Texas that are enduring prolonged droughts, the millions of liters of water required to frack new wells grows more and more problematic. Pennsylvania suspended water use for fracking in some parts of the state this spring due to drought. As Veolia's Hopper argues, "with the water scarcity trends that we see, the trend will be to reduce the net usage of water." After all, reducing the dependence of energy supplies on water—whether drilling for oil and natural gas or generating electricity—will be critical to ensuring there is enough energy and water to go around.