text:
Individuals with a genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer may lessen their likelihood of developing the tumors by avoiding unhealthy foods, Dutch researchers reported.
In a large cohort of adults with Lynch syndrome, those whose diets featured a major snack component -- chips, fast food, and sweets -- had an increased risk of developing colorectal adenomas (adjusted hazard ratio 2.16, 95% CI 1.03 to 4.49), according to Ellen Kampman, PhD, of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and colleagues.
In contrast, those whose diet was considered "prudent," featuring a high percentage of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and fish, tended to have modest, though nonsignificant, decrease in risk (aHR 0.73, 95% CI 0.32 to 1.66), the researchers reported online in Cancer.
Many studies have revealed links between sporadic colorectal cancer and individual foods, such as red and processed meats, and some prospective studies have identified an association between these malignancies and the typical Western diet.
Lynch syndrome is a genetic disorder in which multiple colorectal cancers develop early in life, and is associated with mutations in several genes responsible for mismatch repair of DNA.
Kampman's group previously demonstrated that in a Lynch syndrome cohort, fruit and possibly fiber consumption appeared to decrease the likelihood of adenoma development.
To explore the possibility that the overall pattern of diet might influence tumorigenesis in these at-risk individuals, Kampman and colleagues analyzed data from a cohort of 486 individuals with the genetic mutations associated with Lynch syndrome.
Participants filled out a detailed food frequency questionnaire that included 183 items, and the researchers then used a principal component analysis dividing food consumption patterns into four groups.
Along with diets predominantly considered prudent or snack-based was a group in which meat was a major component, and another was referred to as "cosmopolitan," in that it included a variety of leafy and allium vegetables, tomatoes, fish, and wine.
The groups were then divided into tertiles, and the highest tertiles compared with the lowest.
The analysis also adjusted for a number of variables, including age and sex, smoking, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physical activity, and prior history of colorectal adenomas and surgery.
Overall, those in the highest tertile of the prudent group were more often women, older, and nonsmokers.
The top tertile in the meat group contained more older men, smokers, and individuals with high body mass index (BMI).
The high-snack group included more women, were younger, and had high BMIs, while the top tertile in the cosmopolitan group also were more often women, young, had lower BMIs, and were more likely to use NSAIDS.
During 20 months of follow-up, 12% of the participants developed colorectal adenomas, with 13 of these being advanced.
With adjustment for age and sex only, the top tertile in the prudent group had an HR for colorectal malignancy of 0.61 (95% CI 0.28 to 1.32), but further controlling for factors such as smoking, previous adenomas, and the extent of surgery resulted in the aHR of 0.73.
In the snack group, adjustment for age and sex resulted in an HR of 2.13 (95% CI 0.99 to 4.60), and controlling for the additional variables gave the an aHR of 2.16.
In the meat group, the sex- and age-adjusted HR was 2.48 (95% CI 1.22 to 5.02), while adjustment for those additional factors resulted in an aHR of 1.70 (95% CI 0.83 to 3.52).
Finally, in the cosmopolitan group, the age- and sex-adjusted HR was 1.25 (95% CI 0.64 to 2.43), and remained at 1.25 (95% CI 0.61 to 2.55) with multivariable adjustment.
Further adjustment for energy consumption led to changes of more than 10% in the HRs in three of the groups:
- Prudent: HR 0.51 (95% CI 0.21 to 1.20)
- Meat: HR 1.44 (95% CI 0.66 to 3.11)
- Snack: HR 1.62 (95% CI 0.79 to 3.76)
"The strength of the observed associations between dietary patterns and adenoma development seem relatively strong compared to those in sporadic adenoma studies, considering the short follow-up," the researchers observed.
A strength of the study was the analysis of the entire dietary pattern, rather than simply individual foods or food groups, which reflects the possible interactions between foods, they noted. Additional strengths included its large cohort and prospective design.
Limitations included the possibility of additional confounding factors, and a lack of power to analyze subgroups such as those with different mutations.
"Although more research is needed to estimate the exact influence of dietary patterns on [Lynch syndrome] colorectal carcinogenesis, modifiable factors, such as diet, could influence development of colorectal neoplasms," the researchers concluded.
The study was supported by the Dutch Cancer Society, the Wereld Kanker Onderzoeksfonds Nederland, and the World Cancer Research Fund International.
One co-authors is a member of the scientific board of Sensus, which is associated with the food industry.
- Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner


text:
Complaint Against CalCERTS, Inc.
Docket # 12-CAI-01
Committee overseeing this proceeding:
Karen Douglas
Commissioner and Presiding Member
Carla Peterman
Commissioner and Associate Member
Kourtney Vaccaro
Hearing Officer
On February 15, 2012, David Haddock filed a Complaint Against and Request for Investigation of CalCERTS, Inc. (Complaint) on behalf of his clients, Erik Hoover and Patrick Davis (Petitioners). The Complaint arises out of the Energy Commissions Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Program, which was adopted in 1999, and establishes criteria for a statewide home energy rating program for residential dwellings. Under the Program, home energy rating system organizations that are approved by the Energy Commission (called Providers) administer a home energy rating system in conformity with the Energy Commissions HERS regulations. Providers are responsible for training, testing, and certifying Raters, who perform the tests necessary to establish a HERS rating for a structure. Petitioners were certified by CalCERTS (a HERS Provider) as HERS raters until January 30, 2012, when CalCERTS informed Petitioners that they were decertified.
Petitioners requested that the Energy Commission take the following action:
Immediately reverse the decision of CalCERTS to decertify Erik Hoover and Patrick Davis.
Investigate the way CalCERTS imposes discipline upon HERS raters who are alleged to have made mistakes.
Require CalCERTS to adopt a written discipline procedure that complies with the HERS regulations, and with the constitutional requirements of due process.
The Complaint is brought pursuant to Sections 1675 and 1231 of the Energy Commissions regulations. Pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 1231 et seq., the Committee, or if none has been assigned, the Chairman, shall either 1) dismiss the matter upon a determination of insufficiency or lack of merit of the pleadings (specifying whether the dismissal is with or without prejudice), or 2) serve the Complaint upon the respondent, return receipt requested. On March 5, 2012, the Chairman served the Complaint and directed CalCERTS to file an Answer to the Complaint within 21 days of service.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Redheads finally have the representation they have fought so hard for.
New emojis, 157 in total, were announced by Unicode Consortium. This new set of emojis brings the total list of emojis to just under 3,000.
Thanks to Emojipedia, the new emojis can be viewed below.
Here are a few more, as listed by Uproxx:
Goggles, Lab Coat, Hiking Boot, Woman's Flat Shoe, Raccoon, Llama, Hippopotamus, Kangaroo, Badger, Swan, Peacock, Parrot, Lobster, Mosquito, Microbe, Mango, Leafy Green, Bagel, Salt, Moon Cake, Cupcake, Compass, Bricks, Skateboard, Luggage, Firecracker, Red Gift Envelope, Softball, Flying Disc, Lacrosse, Nazar Amulet, Jigsaw, Teddy Bear, Chess Pawn, Abacus, Receipt, Toolbox, Magnet, Test Tube, Petri Dish, DNA, Fire Extinguisher, Lotion Bottle, Thread, Yarn, Safety Pin, Broom, Basket, Roll of Paper, Soap, Sponge, Infinity, and Pirate Flag.
The Emoji 11.0 list will likely debut in June.
Donal Skehan's dog, Max, apparently thought their family photos needed a little more bite to them.
Skehan, an Irish TV chef, food writer, photographer and YouTuber who recently relocated from Dublin to Los Angeles with his pregnant wife, Sofie Larsson, decided to take a trip to San Francisco this past weekend with his parents. While there, they took a series of family photos in front of the city's "painted ladies," a row of colorful Victorian-style houses that have appeared in dozens of ads, movies and TV shows, including in the opening credits of "Full House."
All was well until Max got a little too excited for one of the shots, in which Skehan and his parents simultaneously jumped into the air. Max also jumped -- right into the crotch of Skehan's father … with his teeth.
Skehan posted the shot to his Instagram page.
"And this is the moment our family portrait went all WRONG!" he wrote.
He said that Max, who adores his father, got a little too excited.
"Puts a whole new meaning on 'crotch shot!'" Skehan wrote. "Does anyone have any ice?"
The reaction to the photo was immediate.
"This is by far the best thing I've seen on Insta this month," one person wrote.
The image, which Skehan also posted to Facebook and Twitter, went viral, appearing everywhere from "Megyn Kelly Today" to television programs around the globe. It also blew up online.
"A sentence I never thought I'd have to write, but @maxskehan and my dad's crotch are having a little moment on the internet!" Skehan wrote on Facebook.
He assured his followers, however, that his father was not injured in the incident, which he took to calling #crotchgate.
"I can safely report that Max and Dad are still best of pals," Skehan wrote. "My dad would like it pointed out that he was wearing low-crotched shorts and that Max has a very gummy bite and that the family jewels are all still intact!"
"The Christmas cards are gonna look great this year," he wrote. "Family photo gold."
Skehan said Wednesday that he, his wife and his parents are still laughing about the photo.
He said, however, that Max is used to getting attention. The rescue pup has his own Instagram page and features in many of the videos on Skehan's YouTube channel, some of which are posted below.
An Instagram account is dedicated to showcasing edited photos that depict Donald Trump as Queen Elizabeth II.
>> Read more trending stories
The @ogtrumpqueen profile hosts more than 40 photos of the president-elect's face superimposed over the queen's.
The account, which has amassed more than 10,000 followers, notes the edits are "not about politics."
"It's about the magic of Photoshop and making people laugh," the account's description reads.  [View the story "Trump as the Queen" on Storify]
Most people's snack of choice when watching a film at the movie theater is popcorn.
But one Texas woman likes her corn another way -- on the cob.
>> Read more trending stories
Dale Delrosario posted a photo of his mother chowing down on some corn on the cob while the two were watching a movie on Monday.
"Some people sneak candy into the movie theater. My mom sneaks in corn on the cob," Delrosario wrote on Twitter.
Delrosario said he wasn't expecting his mother to bring plastic containers with the food into the theater.
"She whispered in my ear, 'You want some corn?' I was like, 'From where, Mom?' and she showed me," he wrote.
While Delrosario captured photos of the scene, the savvy mother avoided evidence in the form of stains; she ate with a makeshift bib.
With a blue cotton candy cone in hand and spun sugar on her face, a little girl at a Seattle Mariners game had the perfect reaction to a Seattle win -- with the help of sugar.
Her photos and GIFs have gone viral, with people calling her Cotton Candy Girl.
Somebody isn't going to sleep anytime soon.Posted by Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Fans wanted to name her the player of the game, and the team shared a Photoshopped image of Cotton Candy Girl wearing the "Swelmet," a helmet worn by the player of the game.
The player of the game ended up being Adam Lind, who hit two homers.
"Cotton Candy Girl, unfortunately, (was) not eligible," the team tweeted.
Cotton Candy Girl's father shared a photo her sleeping on the way home from the game, saying, "Beatrix sleeps the deep and satisfied slumber of (a Mariners) victory!"
An Oregon teenager has gained lots of attention online after posting a photo of her school ID card.
June Kyra Dela Chica, 17, used makeup to mimick the likeness of The Matchmaker, the character who deems Mulan an unfit wife at the beginning of the first movie in the series.
Dela Chica, a senior at Aloha High School in Beaverton, Oregon, said she had been waiting since her freshman year to take the creative ID picture, according to KPTV.
She also said a photographer was skeptical of taking her photo when she sat down with her made-up face.
"Once the makeup was on, I moved my way to the pictures station and lined up," Dela Chica told Buzzfeed. "One of the ladies was very open-minded and laughed. The other lady -- who was actually taking my photo -- was very grumpy and rude. I remember her saying, 'I don't know if you can take this photo. Are the admins okay (with it)?'"
"I replied with, 'The admins said if I'm okay with showing my face like this to hundreds of people then go on ahead. And if it's really that bad, I can always retake it,'" Dela Chica said. "She shrugged and replied with a simple, 'Okay.'"
The teenager, who said she normally doesn't get much attention on social media, has had her tweet of the Disney-inspired ID favorited more than 200,000 times.
"I tried really hard to do something I haven't seen anyone else do. I guess this was it," she said, adding that her school has her previous ID pictures on file if they need a better one and that she would take a more professional photo if asked by school officials.
Dubbed the "Angry Michael Phelps Face," an image of the Olympic swimmer stormed social media before the men's 200m butterfly semifinal Monday.
Commentators pointed out that before the qualifying event, Phelps aimed his serious expression toward South Africa's Chad le Clos, who was dancing nearby.
>> Read more trending stories
Competition between the two swimmers goes back to the 2012 London Olympics, where le Clos beat out Phelps in the race, earning the gold medal while Phelps placed second.
But Phelps said he didn't mean to aim any resentment toward le Clos Monday.
"I just had music going on in my head. I had thoughts going on in my head, spitting water a little bit all over the place, so I was in my own zone," he told the "Today" show on Tuesday. "I was not intentionally mean mugging him or giving him a dirty look."
After the angry face, Phelps qualified, coming in second place behind Tamas Kenderesi, of Hungary. Le Clos qualified in fourth.
Phelps went on to win gold in the 200m fly Tuesday night, earning his 20th gold medal of his career. He has a total of 24 Olymipic medals.
[View the story "#Phelpsface dominates in the pool and the internet" on Storify]
Donald Trump appeared in "Zoolander," "Sex and the City" and "Home Alone 2."
He played himself in each of the productions, but what would a film starring Trump look like?
Earlier this year, Funny or Die released a parody film, "Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie" in which Johnny Depp portrays a flamboyant Trump in a sarcastic biopic.
But internet users think Trump's distinct personality could be the center of plenty other films.
People upset with the Republican presidential nominee have used the hashtag #DonaldTrumpTheMovie to suggest titles of films the 70-year-old businessman should star in.
[View the story "#DonaldTrumpTheMovie " on Storify]
A photo posted on the Beyonce's website may reveal who takes some of her more personal photos.
>> Read more trending stories
The "My Life" section of the 34-year-old singer's website displays countless photos of her travels, daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, 4 and husband, rapper Jay Z.
One picture posted Tuesday during a family trip to Paris shows Beyonce flawlessly posing for the camera, but it's what's in the background of the photo that has people talking.
A mirror behind Bey reflects Jay Z taking the picture.
[View the story "Jay Z is Beyonce's personal photographer" on Storify]Jay Z is Beyonce's personal photographerStorified by CMGNationalNews· Wed, Jul 27 2016 17:40:12When you ask bae to take a fit pic for you https://t.co/pkyDPsi5XZComplex StyleJay: Put ya hand up.Half curl it.Tilt ya head.Half-open ya lips.Now lean. Bey: Like this? Jay: YAAS. Perfection. https://t.co/0BZJIYSG4lXJay Z: "Bey, you're doing amazing Sweetie" https://t.co/dx7vd5AB4OFORWARDHov in the background like "I brag different." https://t.co/mn7yFLB0WHStephenYou know what I just realized? Beyoncé doesn't make Jay Z take these pictures. Jay Z makes Beyoncé take em. https://t.co/bnzafUWCfZDK UzoukwuJay-Z's role in this picture exemplifies literally the only thing that makes me think I should get myself a man https://t.co/x523hFxyw6shon faye
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text:
|2011-06-21, 20:16
|Link #14321
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 30
Under George Senior, debt continued to climb, times continued to be good.
Under Clinton, debt initially climbed, and then began to decline. Admittedly there was a republican congress when a lot of the deficit reduction was carried out. Prosperity continued.
Under George Bush Junior, the deficit started to climb again. Other then the dot com crash, times were very prosperous.
Under Obama Debt balooned, but the entire country was in a deep recession prior to him taking office.
I think the fact the country is in the largest recession since 1929 gives Obama a pass.
So overall all 3 of the last republican presidents presided in times of prosperity, and could have reduced the debt, but chose not to (and in fact made it larger). Of the last 2 democratic presidents, 1 pulled off a surplus and the other has a reasonable excuse.
Now I'm not really counting congressional influence here, but I think the Republicans clearly have the worst fiscal record, at least on the federal level. No republican government in the past 30 years has done anything meaningful to combat the deficit, or ever managed to have a budget surplus.
I don't want to make it seem like the democrats are guiltless either, but clearly the greater burden of responsibility lies on the party that racked up the debt. Which is the Republicans.
|2011-06-21, 20:22
|Link #14322
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 42
|2011-06-21, 20:32
|Link #14323
Senior Member
The debt has gone up under each administration of the past 35+ years. The Government has also grown exponentially in that time, while America's manufacturing base has fled. Both parties are at fault, and for you to single out the Republicans, shows a very clear bias. The Democrats had controlled Congress since 2007, and the White House since early 2009. The Republicans now have the House of Representatives, but the Democrats still control the other two. The Democrats had the largest majority control of Congress and the White House, of the past 70+ years.
I admit the Republicans had a large part to do with our current mess, but you absolutely cannot say they had the majority. Not without telling me exactly what policies in-acted by them, caused what problems we have now.
|2011-06-21, 20:33
|Link #14324
The Comet has Come
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 41
No one living in those times would consider them good. There was still a lot of fear of mutual destruction between the Americans and Soviets in the early 80s. The vast spending was supposedly an effort to out spend the Soviets and force them to break their own economy. It seems to have worked, but at a large cost. A cost that is still being paid...thanks to other conflicts since the end of the Cold War.
|2011-06-21, 20:50
|Link #14325
Senior Member
AP Exclusive: Medicaid for the middle class?
|2011-06-21, 20:57
|Link #14326
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
This is why large complicated bills tend to go bad no matter which party is in charge. Our politicians can't decide whether to be more inept or more corrupt - its a race condition.
|2011-06-21, 21:34
|Link #14327
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 30
Now the 80s weren't perfect, but they certainly were better then the 70s, and there was consistent growth. Certainly if the government had wanted to, they could have ran a surplus. However, I was born in 88, so take that with a grain of salt. But my general perception is that the 80s were generally economically good years, while the 70s were bad.
Regarding the democrats today, there is nothing they could have done in the 3 years they've been in office to avoid a lot of the deficit spending they have had. Admittedly the stimulus was all their choice, but even without the stimulus they would have been left with the deficit the bush administration already had, and additionally the lost tax revenue caused by the recession. In comparison, Ireland is in a far worse state then the US, but we didn't have any kind of stimulus (it wouldn't work in Ireland anyway), we actually had a surplus before the crash, our current deficit is almost entirely caused by the huge loss of tax revenue, combined with shouldering responsibility for bailed out banks.
In the US, the debt has climbed by about 5 trillion in the time Obama has been in office, while the stimulus is less then a trillion, and it may have saved money by preventing further recession (and further loss of tax $). Most of that deficit would still be in place regardless of what he did. The problem is simply too entrenched for him to achieve anything meaningful particularly quickly.
The fact is, the administration can't work miracles. The financial flaws the US has are deep and entrenched. Frankly, if congress had moved forward with Universal Healthcare that would have been a very good first step. Most of the structural deficit is caused by innefficient healthcare, after all. And yet that was blocked by Republicans and conservative democrats, ostensably to save money. Other countries have succesfully brought in Universal healthcare under far worse circumstances, and with great success.
The basic flaw was the belief among the right that tax cuts are the ultimate way to grow the economy and increase the government budget. Admittedly, there is a level where higher tax doesn't bring in more revenue, but that's far below what the US charges. If there's one policy that I think Obama clearly made a mistake with it was extending the Bush tax cuts. Shouldn't have bowed to the pressure, though at least it was only a 2 year extension...
I think a better indication of how Obama's administration will have performed will come over the next term, after the economy has stabilised. If a republican gets elected it could be interesting, but my guess is that the presidency is a bit of a poison apple at the moment, the republicans are probably not going to try very hard for it.
|2011-06-21, 21:47
|Link #14328
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
|2011-06-21, 21:51
|Link #14329
Senior Member
I can't say that I agree with even half of your post and your view of history. Your giving Obama a free pass on his incredible spending, yet bashing Bush for his, is laughable to me. One person runs up a debt of 20 thousand dollars a year on credit that he can't afford and that's evil. The next guy to take over runs up a debt of 80 thousand a year on credit, and he gets a pass.
And I am completely against Universal Healthcare, as I am also against Obama's Healthcare Reform. Yes Newt Gingrich was trying for something similar 20 years ago, but I wasn't old enough to vote then, and I would have been against what he was after had I been able to. Perhaps our Healthcare system wouldn't be so incredibly fubarred, if Lawyers hadn't jacked it up and twisted it into the mess that we have now?
I have zero faith in the Government being able to manage a fast food restaurant, let alone Healthcare or the economy. History of America shows that I am right on my pessimism.
Also, I don't see how putting the very same guys who helped contribute to our banking/housing crisis, in charge of the economy, is ever a good thing? But that's exactly what the Democrats did with Barney Frank and others.
Last edited by justinstrife; 2011-06-21 at 22:02.
|2011-06-21, 21:54
|Link #14330
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
Ryanair boss sees China catching Airbus, Boeing
Somehow I have some doubt about this one...
|2011-06-21, 22:44
|Link #14331
The Comet has Come
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 41
Sounds like an unsound plan. Chinese may be able to produce in bulk to lower prices, but they don't have the quality one desires in a long term use airliner. Also Ryanair has all Boeing aircraft right now. Won't adding another company's aircraft just increase their maintenance costs since they have to import parts from two companies and train people to work on more types of aircraft?
China seems a lot like Japan was in the late 1950s. The products are cheap and cheaply built. Over time they might get to the quality of more recent Japanese goods (1990s era stuff), but that will take a while. Not only to get the industry to make the quality goods, but also for their workers and designers to become craftsmen and not accept crap produced by their factories anymore.
|2011-06-21, 23:22
|Link #14332
This was meaningless
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Not on this site no more.
Age: 31
I have some friends who can get about 1.3-1.6 coins a day with their gaming machines on 24/7. Depending on how your electric bill is figured, this may be crap. My video card isn't geared toward making these calculations so I've only gotten less than half of a coin for about 30 hours. I'd earn more money looking for spare change on the ground.
|2011-06-22, 01:21
|Link #14333
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 38
|2011-06-22, 01:29
|Link #14334
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
|2011-06-22, 01:31
|Link #14335
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
However, it's also much harder to generate bit coins. The algorithm for the overall system makes it so that as more and more people mine for bitcoins, the slower it is to get a bitcoin per hour of work put in. I believe the amount of bitcoins that can be generated is about 12 mil, and there's already 6 million in circulation.
Essentially, early adopters contributed some money towards this in the hopes of it taking off and thus profiting off of their initial investment. At this point, if you haven't already set up a mining system for yourself, it's really pointless to go in if you're looking to get 'free money'.
|2011-06-22, 01:39
|Link #14336
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
|2011-06-22, 01:52
|Link #14337
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
So although the transaction itself will be seen, it's not linked to any real information. The process itself is 100% anonymous. However, even though the transfer itself cannot be linked to you, usually the real item that you're buying/selling would. Ie, the transaction would usually be linked to some real transaction such as buying pot through some online dealer that accepts bitcoins and thus they can track you through that.
However, if both parties really cared about anonymity and the whole thing was set up correctly, then it's basically 100% untraceable back to the end user.
|2011-06-22, 01:55
|Link #14338
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 38
|2011-06-22, 02:04
|Link #14339
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
You can't just say okay, let's use this new currency, and everyone has 100 bitcoins. Cryptography is needed because these problems are known to be solvable in a certain amount of time, and no amount of computer hardware could 'break' the system and generate more bitcoins than designed. Using this system, everyone can generate bitcoins at a rate that everyone knows.
So yeah, it's essentially tying bitcoins to some tangible, real world commodity so that getting a bitcoin requires some time and money. Without speculation, each bitcoin would be worth exactly how much electricity it costs to generate them (+ the initial hardware frees). However, the rate of bitcoin generation also slows down as more and more are generated. This then essentially controls the 'supply' of bitcoins, while demand goes up when more people join in on this.
|2011-06-22, 03:57
|Link #14340
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
To be realistic, I expect them to be soon a good competition for Bombardier and Embraer but for Boeing and Airbus it will take more than one decade and/or much industrial spying.
|current affairs, discussion, international, news
|Thread Tools


text:
Portchester school pupil struck by ball dies
A 16-year-old boy has died after apparently being hit on the head with a cricket ball at a Dorset school.
Kyle Rees was hurt at Portchester School, Bournemouth, on Monday and died after being transferred to Southampton General Hospital.
A 16-year-old boy arrested in connection with the incident has been released on bail.
He was held initially for an offence of assault and subsequently on suspicion of manslaughter.
A police statement said: "A cordon is currently in place at the school while officers investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
"Teachers and children have been helping police with their inquiries throughout the day."
'Emotionally testing'
Headteacher Debbie Godfrey-Phaure said: "Students and staff are devastated by this terrible tragedy and our hearts and prayers are very much with the boy's family and friends.
"It is difficult to know what to do for the best in these distressing circumstances but our focus must be providing as much support as possible to our close-knit school community as we all try to come to terms with what has happened.
"The next few weeks and months are going to be emotionally testing for our students and staff, but we will be doing all we can for them.
"We are also be fully assisting the authorities with their investigations.
"The emergency services cannot be praised highly enough for their prompt actions at the time, and we also pay tribute to the outstanding medical help he received at hospital.
"At an appropriate time we will be celebrating his memory and life at school.
"He was a memorable and talented young man. He was very popular with his peers and was due to do well in his GCSEs this summer."
Kim Drake, service director for children's social care at Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "We have set up a counselling service at the school to offer pupils, staff and parents support following the incident at the school and we are currently working with both the school and the police with their investigation."
Kyle was injured at about 14:10 on Monday and taken to Bournemouth Hospital.
He was then transferred to Southampton General Hospital in a critical condition, where he died on Tuesday.


text:
Clients are provided with state of the art tools to upload and "productize" digital inventory, dynamically controlling what content is displayed on the Mobile Storefront. Our device transcoding engine automatically resizes and compresses your content for optimal presentation on mobile phones, and our built-in handset management system ensures that consumers only pay for compatible content. Mobile Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology is also fully integrated via the OMA DRM standard.
Our MobiCart billing module can be easily embedded into your Mobile Storefront to enable seamless, pin-code based Premium SMS billing of any item on the site. When consumers click a 'BUY' link next to any product, a pop-up window loads with product data and the user is prompted to enter a mobile phone number and carrier. Upon doing so the user is sent a pin-code via SMS and, finally, the content is delivered to the user and the billing event ensues.


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New Pieces from Jonathan Adler
The Jonathan Adler booth at ICFF always feels like a little bit of an oasis of maximalist fun in the middle of the show floor. Not that the other booths aren't also fun, but the styling of the booth is such a happy jumble of color and texture and furniture and lighting and tchotchkes - it feels like you've stumbled upon something very different in the sea of sparsely decorated trade show stalls.
We took the tour and snapped a few pix of additions to the Jonathan Adler oeuvre - enjoy the peek at what is new, new-ish and on its way:
Shown above, left to right:
1. A dining table addition to the Bond line. Our favorite.
2. A white leather dresser with metal bamboo pulls - very glam.
3. "Classic" Adler pieces done up in brass.
4. More brass in great shapes.
5. A very California style tile-topped coffee table.
MORE INFO: Jonathan Adler
(Images: Janel Laban)


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Good morning all.
Welcome to the Delicious Doodles Challenge!
This is a monthly challenge.
Our winner gets to choose FOUR images from the Delicious Doodles Shop
will be invited to join us for a month as Guest Designer
Cool or what??!!
AND we also have a DT Call running this month,
check out the bottom of this post for deets!
So, this month our challenge to you is:-
"Ribbon and Flowers"
Many thanks to everyone who entered our last challenge.
The Winner has been chosen by Mr Linky and is:-
as our Winner, you can choose 4 images from the Etsy Shop
and we would like to invite you to be a Guest Designer for our May challenge.
please email teridoodling68@gmail, with your choice of images and also, to let me know if you wish to join us in as a GDT.
Also please feel free to take our Winner's Badge for your Blog.
Also please feel free to take our Winner's Badge for your Blog.
We hope to see you all again this month!
Last month's winner has joined us as a Guest DT Member.
Here is the wonderful card made
using 'Beautiful Blossom'
Many thanks for your most awesome piece Donna! xx
Now, here is some inspiration from our DT.
Kay Dalton
using Two Gothic Roses
Okay, so we are running short on DT bodies, and we'd like to add to our little team here at Delicious Doodles
There is a separate post for the DT Call, so pop across and see if you'd like to apply!!


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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Yeah, but then they pulled a Heather/Eve move with massive overconfidence preventing them from the obvious conclusion that to get to Argentina you have to turn east to get over the Andes. If they had survived that leg, they might have ended up displacing any of the F4 teams except maybe Rob/Amber. we'll never know.
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State Financial Aid to Distressed Municipalities and School Districts
The state can also help local governments raise cash when they are facing financial problems.
Under the emergency municipal loan act, a local government or school district in deficit and with weak growth in tax revenue can borrow up to $20 million from the state during a seven-year period, with additional $4.0 million loans available each year afterward.[42]
In return for the loan, the local unit must do the following: submit a plan to "balance future expenditures with anticipated revenues";[43] employ "a full-time professional administrator to direct or participate directly in the management of the municipality's operations until otherwise ordered by the [state emergency loan] board";[44] file quarterly reports to the board about its finances;[45] and certify that it is meeting its plan and abiding by state accounting rules.[46]
Only the cities of Ecorse, Highland Park and Inkster have outstanding emergency loans.[47]
If a city or county has a deficit that it cannot cover through emergency municipal loans or by selling bonds against future tax revenues, the state can invoke the Fiscal Stabilization Act to authorize the municipality to issue fiscal stabilization bonds.[48] The municipality can raise up to 3 percent of the value of the real and personal property that exists in its boundaries in order to address the deficit.[*]
Essentially, a local municipality or school district faced with the possibility of an emergency manager has already had a number of opportunities to correct its fiscal trajectory. That government unit has also had a number of ways to raise-short term cash to avoid a financial emergency. These alternatives frequently gave the government unit time to make any reforms necessary to eliminate its deficit.
These preliminary options explain one motive behind the emergency manager law. If state requirements of local fiscal discipline and other safeguards have not proved enough to avert a fiscal emergency, the state arguably has little choice but to take a more active approach if it is to avert a local government bankruptcy. In other words, if the local government does not implement a plan to bring its finances into alignment, the state may exercise its authority to appoint someone who can.
[*] The limit is the state equalized value, a governmental measure of property values partially used in property tax millage allocations. The amount that the local unit can raise is also capped at $125 million, though an exception was carved out for Detroit in 2010. See 2010 Public Act 4, Sec. 4(8).


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This listing is for a Digital Download* of a printable JPG. Upon purchase you will receive High-Resolution JPG files in various sizes that you can either print at home or take to your local print shop.
We will happily provide alternate formats (ie: PDF) free of charge.
- High-Resolution JPG:
- 11x14, 8x10, 5x7
* Please note that you will not receive a physical product. Upon purchase of the listing, you will be emailed the digital files to the address provided at checkout.
This digital download/file is for your personal use only. Print it for yourself, or as a gift, but do not share the digital file. Not for commercial use, re-purposing, or re-sale. If you are unsure of anything, please ask before purchasing.
Easily print your artwork from your own home computer, email your files to your favorite local print shop or upload your files to an online print service.
Please note that any blur or texture on the image is intentional.
The colors of the images on your monitor may vary slightly from what is printed.


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Tuition & Fees - 100% Online LearnersPage address: https://www.mnsu.edu/campushub/tuition_fees/rates/2010_2011/onlinelearner/
Request for "100% Online Learner" Status
Non-resident students enrolled exclusively in online courses at Minnesota State University, Mankato for an academic term can submit a request to be charged tuition at a market rate equivalent to the rate charged for in-state Minnesota resident students.
Exceptions to the 100% Online Learner market rate tuition occur when the student is a resident of a state with a reciprocity agreement with the State of Minnesota; in those cases, the reciprocity rates supersedes the 100% Online Learner rate.
If you are a resident of Minnesota, you do not need to request the 100% Online Learner status.
If you are a resident of...
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
- Manitoba
you will receive the lowest tuition rates under your reciprocity agreement. Please refer to the Office of the Registrar website for information on receiving reciprocity rates. Please do not request the 100% Online Learner status.
100% Online Learner status is semester by semester and term by term.
100% Online Learner applications must apply for the online learner tuition rate within 4 weeks of the start of the online course(s) during Fall and Spring semesters. During Summer semester the application must be submitted no later than the last day of the semester.
Are you going from 100% online to not 100% online - Submit information using the following online form (coming soon).


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As you may recall, I've just developed a new, little obsession with bats and that I've been considering developing a character called "Fluffernutter the Bat" [see post here]. Well, over the past few days, I've been working on some preliminary character designs for Fluffernutter!
These designs were facilitated by a recent purchase of a stylus for my iPad. Since then, I've been experimenting with 53's Paper app and the Art Rage app (as seen in Mac commercials). I've also downloaded an animation app, and plan to experiment with Fluffernutter in motion!
Furthermore, I'm thinking of eventually designing a Fluffernutter t-shirt. So I definitely welcome any comments, feedback, or constructive criticism you may have.
My most successful design so far…
For more updates, don't forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


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Pinnacle Park Homes Teams with RV Park
May 4, 2010 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on Pinnacle Park Homes Teams with RV Park
Pinnacle Park Homes has signed a new distribution agreement with Mississippi Gulf Coast RV park owners Bill and Julie Berry of Shady Acres, an RV and cottage community, located in Bay St. Louis, Miss.
"This is very exciting," Bill Berry stated in a news release. "Pinnacle has a fantastic range of floorplans and specifications, something to suit every budget. The units are built to strict building codes with a wind rating up to 120 mph. The flexibility of the range allows us to offer cabins for rent in our park as well as selling units to individuals who will have the option to lease a site in the park or locate them elsewhere. We will also supply other park owners keen to take advantage of the trends towards cabin style accommodations as an alternative to traditional forms of camping."
Berry sees a definite sales opportunity with snowbirds because park models offer them a very cost-effective winter home without the disadvantages of owning a big rig.
"Many snowbirds do not tour but remain in one place for the winter, and when you add up the real cost of purchasing and maintaining a big rig and then add the depreciation, for two trips a year, it makes owning a park model very attractive," he said. "By owning a park model they can save a lot of money and we can even work with them to rent their units out in the summer if they wish, making ownership even more affordable."
Shady Acres will be taking delivery of the first units in June, and a show model will be available for interested parties.
"We will be showing customers just how versatile these park models are from the basic units starting at $25,000 to luxury homes which can include screened covered porches, fireplaces, stainless steel appliances and much, much more."
For more information, contact Bill and Julie Berry at (228) 463-9670 or visit them on the web at www.shady-acres.us.


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File:Gramps animal 3 1 3.po.gz
From Gramps
Gramps_animal_3_1_3.po.gz (file size: 103 KB, MIME type: application/x-bzip)
Warning: This file type may contain malicious code. By executing it, your system may be compromised.
This work is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or any later version.This work is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
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text: Just finished going through the Virtual Users And Domains With Postfix, Courier, MySQL And SquirrelMail (Ubuntu 12.10) post and again I'm amazed at the thoroughness of your guides. Thank you for all that you do! However I'm getting stuck so close to the end, and I'm not sure what could be causing the error. I've gotten to the end where I'm trying to login as the test user created to squirrelmail but am getting the error "ERROR: Connection dropped by IMAP server. " Here is the results from a netstat -tap: Code: [email protected]:/var/log# netstat -tap Active Internet connections (servers and established) Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State PID/Program name tcp 0 0 *:http *:* LISTEN 4319/apache2 tcp 0 0 *:ssh *:* LISTEN 2519/sshd tcp 0 0 *:smtp *:* LISTEN 27367/master tcp 0 0 localhost.localdo:10024 *:* LISTEN 1660/amavisd-new (m tcp 0 0 localhost.localdo:10025 *:* LISTEN 27367/master tcp 0 0 localhost.localdo:mysql *:* LISTEN 7930/mysqld tcp 59 0 localhost.localdo:40045 localhost.localdo:10025 CLOSE_WAIT 1665/amavisd-new (c tcp6 0 0 [::]:ssh [::]:* LISTEN 2519/sshd tcp6 0 0 [::]:smtp [::]:* LISTEN 27367/master tcp6 0 0 [::]:imaps [::]:* LISTEN 21734/couriertcpd tcp6 0 0 [::]:pop3s [::]:* LISTEN 21802/couriertcpd tcp6 0 0 [::]:pop3 [::]:* LISTEN 21765/couriertcpd tcp6 0 0 [::]:imap2 [::]:* LISTEN 21697/couriertcpd I've made sure to replace the mail_user_password in all of the references in the walkthrough (At least I'm pretty sure I did!) and everything seems to be working correctly, telnet results: Code: [email protected]:/var/log# telnet localhost 25 Trying 127.0.0.1... Connected to localhost.localdomain. Escape character is '^]'. 220 my.hidden.host ESMTP Postfix (Ubuntu) ehlo localhost 250-my.hidden.host 250-PIPELINING 250-SIZE 10240000 250-VRFY 250-ETRN 250-STARTTLS 250-AUTH PLAIN LOGIN 250-AUTH=PLAIN LOGIN 250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES 250-8BITMIME 250 DSN quit 221 2.0.0 Bye Connection closed by foreign host. Anyone have any ideas on where I should start troubleshooting this? imap I'm guessing, but could use some guidance. Also I have sent each of the test account's I've created a test email using the mailx command as stated in the guide. Thanks in advance!


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Ewan in Berlin
Some Friday delight.
Ewan McGregor arrived yesterday, casual with his backpack – photos attached from the airport – and got dressed to hit up the Boss Black fashion show where he and Jessica Alba (inexplicably on some kind of fashion tour of Europe) posed together on the red carpet.
Look at him working photographers. It's style and sex and personality... it makes up for him getting dwarfed by her heels.
Photos from Ben Brittain Cohen/Splashnewsonline.com and Andreas Rentz /Gettyimages.com and Bauergriffinonline.com


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Airport Police Honored at Annual Medal of Valor Presentation
In April, five members of the John Wayne Airport Police Services division were honored by the Orange County Sheriff's Department at the Twenty-Sixth Annual Medal of Valor presentation.
The Medal of Valor presentation recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of the men and women of the Sheriff's Department, both sworn and professional employees, who have demonstrated exceptional valor, courage, merit and lifesaving. Forty-four members of the Department were honored at the 2014 Medal of Valor event.
Sheriff's Special Officer Kyle Robertson was awarded the Medal of Courage for arresting a suspect after being struck by a vehicle inside Parking Structure A2 while on bike patrol duty. The Medal of Courage is awarded for a display of bravery beyond the demands of normal law enforcement service.
Sheriff's Special Officers Alex Bacon, Sean Fowler, Frank Kuskie and David Rapponotti were awarded the Medal for Lifesaving for their swift action in saving the life of a 57-year old traveler who had suffered a cardiac arrest in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal. The Medal for Lifesaving is awarded for extraordinary actions in lifesaving.
JWA congratulates Sheriff's Special Officers Bacon, Fowler, Kuskie, Rapponotti and Robertson for their valiant actions and commitment to making JWA a safe and secure world-class aviation gateway.


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Complications When You Least Expect Them
Sometimes unusual lens complications can appear in your everyday contact lens practice.
|Dr. Hui is currently a PhD candidate at the Centre for Contact Lens Research, University of Waterloo. He is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, the Canadian Optometric Education Trust Fund (COETF), and a Vistakon Research Grant and Ezell Fellowship, both administered by the American Optometric Foundation (AOF). His thesis work on the development of novel drug delivery materials is also supported by the NSERC 20/20 Network for the Development of Advanced Ophthalmic Materials. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com
By Alex Hui, OD
"When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." This oftcited expression is commonly used in medical and optometric education to illustrate the difference between the common, everyday conditions encountered in practice and the weird, wacky, or rare conditions that may come along only once or twice in a career. The caveat to this phrase of course is that this concept may prove unreliable if you happen to be on the plains of the Sahara, where zebras are much more common than horses are.
The relevant point is that you must be cognizant of your specific patient population and direct your clinical investigation into the problems that are most likely to impact them. Contact lens wearers present one such specific population, with its own set of risk factors. Microbial keratitis, infiltrative inflammatory events, dry eye, discomfort, solution sensitivity, and fluctuating vision are all examples of contact lens-related problems in which veteran—or even novice—practitioners are well versed and prepared to consider, diagnose, and manage. I will therefore not focus my attention in this article on commonly observed conditions, but instead illustrate through a series of case examples some rarer contact lens complications that you may encounter when you least expect them.
Case 1: "Sometimes you just have to look harder!"
Case 1 pertains to a 60-year-old male patient who presented to the clinic as the result of a growing mass on the superior right eyelid. He had been a GP contact lens wearer for many years without any complications. The patient's visual acuity was good, and a general assessment of the rest of the visual system was unremarkable.
Further probing of the history suggested that the mass had been enlarging for several months, but it was neither painful nor overly inflamed. On examination, a palpable, movable mass was observed in the nasal portion of the superior right eyelid, and simple eversion of the eyelid showed no detectable mass.
Given this presenting information, the differential diagnosis would include common conditions such as a chalazion or hordeolum. Considering the patient's age and the rapid course of the growth, the possibility of a rare meibomian gland carcinoma would also need consideration, which would require a biopsy for confirmation (Shams et al, 2011). In this case, referral resulted in the patient being scheduled for surgery. When the surgery began, a needle inserted into the mass encountered a very hard surface. Double eversion of the lids and surgical dissection of the mass released a small amount of fluid and mucopurulent material, as well as an embedded, completely intact, GP contact lens that was reportedly lost some three years previously.
Retained GP contact lenses are an uncommon complication of contact lens wear (Jones et al, 1987), and the difficulty in diagnosis primarily results from the non-specific symptoms that they elicit. Surprisingly, not all cases result in the development of lid masses, and patients frequently complain only of non-specific eye irritation, which is often dismissed as dry eye symptoms associated with contact lens wear (Zola et al, 2008). Other patients have reported mucus discharge and lid swelling.
The history and time course are also very interesting. When questioned, patients may only vaguely remember losing a contact lens many years ago, with the presumption that it had fallen out rather than was retained under the lid. While embedded, the lens can cause little or no symptoms until some other event causes a mass to grow, or until the patient experiences discomfort and pain (Zola et al, 2008). Retained contact lenses also need not be unilateral, as there have been case reports of bilateral embedded lenses (Perera et al, 2008).
The period over which lenses remain embedded can also be incredibly long, with some cases describing asymptomatic embedded lenses for almost 40 years (Shams et al, 2011). Interestingly, when histology is performed on the eyelid tissues surrounding the retained lens, there are only slight signs of necrosis and granulomatous tissue, with a complete absence of giant cells or other signs of severe inflammation (Jones et al, 1987). This highlights the biological inertness of rigid materials, the best example being polymethyl methacrylate, as even retention for many years does not initiate a large-scale immune response to remove the foreign body.
Thankfully, excision and removal of these embedded lenses generally yield complete resolution of the patient's symptoms. The "upper fornix trap" has been a postulated causative mechanism for the retention of rigid lenses. In this theorized mechanism, the contact lens edge becomes embedded in the upper tarsal plate, especially if the lens becomes flipped such that the concave surface faces the anterior surface of the eyelid. The lens edge causes local necrosis, and the conjunctiva eventually grows over the lens (Zola et al, 2008). The authors of these cases recommend the use of double lid eversion in cases of suspected retained lenses, as this is the only method of potentially identifying the deeply embedded mass. The conjunctival "O" sign has also been described. An everted lens trapped within the conjunctiva will have sharp, raised edges with a depression in the center.
Case 2: "Will you be using both eyes, or only one?"
Case 2 concerns a 45-year-old woman wearing soft contact lenses. She had been a successful contact lens wearer for many years, but at her last progress check six months previously she reported difficulty with reading while wearing her lenses. Examination at that time was unremarkable except for newly diagnosed presbyopia, which was corrected with both a new pair of progressive addition spectacles and modified monovision in her contact lenses, biasing her non-dominant right eye for near work. She was quite happy with the spectacles and contact lenses at that time, but presented at her next visit with complaints of intermittent double vision. She first observed the double vision a month prior and reported that it had been steadily increasing in frequency over the past month, worsening when she was tired. She did not remember this ever occurring before, but recalled possibly having eye surgery as an infant.
Upon further questioning, she noticed that this problem occurred only while wearing her contact lenses. The differential diagnosis for sudden onset of double vision includes some conditions that are potentially life-threatening, notably stroke, aneurysms, and brain tumors, and thus calls for prompt evaluation and treatment. For this patient, these diagnoses were promptly ruled out, suggesting a possible binocular vision problem with her contact lenses.
Evaluation of her binocular vision status while wearing her lenses showed a constant left exotropia in office, which became an exophoria with spectacles. Further evaluation while wearing only distance contact lenses in both eyes with a pair of reading glasses for near work also showed an exophoria, in the absence of strabismus. The patient was thus easily fitted with a full distance correction in her contact lenses and prescribed a pair of readers for near vision. Further follow-up appointments were unremarkable, other than confirmation from the patient's parents that the surgery performed when she was a child was for "crossed eyes."
In day-to-day practice, practitioners rarely consider a patient's binocular vision status when fitting different types of contact lenses (Pollard et al, 2011). Indeed, for most patients, going from spectacles to contact lenses is a relatively seamless transition, unless they have a significant degree of ametropia, in which case they may experience minification or magnification effects (Evans, 2006). Occasionally, induced prismatic effects when converging for near work (in which the patient experiences base-in prism if wearing minus lenses and base-out prism for plus lenses) can cause some visual discomfort during prolonged contact lens wear and reading, but this rarely becomes clinically significant. However, as Case 2 illustrates, there are occasions in which unique patient characteristics may cause the more complicated contact lens corrections to disrupt the visual system.
Intermittent strabismus or double vision caused by monovision correction has been reported (Godts et al, 2004; Evans, 2006; Pollard et al, 2011). In many of the cases, the patients demonstrate a previous history of binocular vision dysfunction, be it a history of vision training, strabismus surgery, or amblyopia. Decompensation after monovision prescribing can take patients from a tolerable binocular vision status to strabismus. This can occur anywhere from months to years after initial prescribing, with most patients decompensating after three years or more of monovision wear (Pollard et al, 2011). The causal theory is that the additional blur in the nondominant eye induced by monovision causes a patient who has poor binocular fusion lock to decompensate into a strabismic state. This clearly has implications beyond contact lens wear, and similar cases have been reported of strabismus arising after monovision laser and cataract surgery. In some cases, in which the refractive correction is more permanent, strabismus surgery was required to correct intractable diplopia (Godts et al, 2004). In most cases, full distance correction with contact lenses generally leads to a good fusional outcome, although in some cases, strabismus surgery is still required.
When considering monovision, conduct a thorough history. Particular attention to a history of patching, strabismus surgery, or vision training can alert you to potential future binocular vision problems with such corrections. Indeed, the development of improved multifocal contact lenses may provide better alternatives for patients, regardless of their pre-existing binocular vision status (Martin and Roorda, 2003).
Case 3: "Never forget that the eye doesn't end at the cornea!"
Case 3 pertains to a longtime male presbyopic patient. He had recently begun a busy, high-paying job in the financial sector and thus requested to be fit with multifocal contact lenses. After the initial fitting, the patient was relatively happy and determined to continue using the multifocal contact lenses. He returned to the clinic after some time complaining of mild "blurriness" primarily for his near vision. This decrease in visual acuity was adversely affecting his work performance, although he suggested that it may simply be due to "stress."
During his previous visits, there was a low myopic prescription with all other ocular findings being normal. At this visit, distance visual acuity through the contact lenses was 20/20 in the right eye, 20/40 in the left, with the right eye wearing a "low" add, and the left eye wearing the "mid" add for the multifocals. The fit and centration of the lenses appeared to be adequate, thus attention was focused on over-refraction of the left eye. A +0.75D over the left eye provided the best visual outcome, but after an initial trial with this lens for a week, the patient continued to complain that something was "just not right."
A few more weeks passed during which the distance prescription and add powers of the left and right lenses were adjusted in a failed attempt to generate an acceptable visual outcome. After several trials, the patient also mentioned a vague description of the vision being "wavy" rather than merely just blurry, which prompted an Amsler central screening test, dilated fundus examination, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination. This resulted in a diagnosis of Central Serous Retinopathy (CSR).
The cautionary tale of Case 3 highlights the need for an overall or holistic view of a patient's visual system and visual perception when managing contact lens complications. It is tempting to assume with a patient who is fitted with a complicated lens type (such as a toric or a multifocal) that any and all visual complications are due to the contact lens itself. The key to avoid overlooking such complications—or misdiagnosing the problem as merely a contact lens-related complication—lies in your vigilance and curiosity. Misdiagnosis will occur with all practitioners at some point in their careers, whether they are an expert or novice within the field. However, it can be mitigated or minimized if you continue to maintain an open mind about possible diagnoses or causes for patients' clinical signs and symptoms and have a genuine concern for your patients' well-being. In this case, while the multifocal fit may be a potential cause of the patient's visual symptoms, CSR should have been considered sooner, given the characteristic history of stress, male gender, and rapid, mild, monocular hyperopic shift (Ferrara et al, 2008; Tarabishy et al, 2011). Fortunately, misdiagnosis for a short time in this case had no long-term implications, as the principal treatment for CSR is supportive counselling on stress relief and observation using dilated fundus examinations as the retina returns to normal, which generally takes a few months (Tarabishy et al, 2011). However, missing complications such as macular edema due to other issues including retinal detachment, hypertensive retinopathy, or diabetic changes could be far more severe.
The lofty—and possibly unattainable—goal of the contact lens industry is to integrate and make contact lens wear so seamless and well-designed that it is complication-free. The unfortunate reality is that as long as patients wear contact lenses, complications will occur. The common—and sight-threatening— complications that we see in day-to-day practice will continue to pose a challenge to contact lens practitioners worldwide, but will remain at the forefront of the minds of eyecare practitioners as they encounter problem-specific exams with contact lens patients.
I hope the illustrative cases presented will encourage you to also strive to keep an open mind regarding other causes when complications arise from seemingly common cases. Look out for those occasional zebras! CLS
For references, please visit www.clspectrum.com/references.asp and click on document #202.


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Recruiting manufacturing's new 'Dream Team'
The parallels between American basketball and American manufacturing are astounding. There was a time, in my lifetime, when no one EVER beat the U.S. at basketball on the international stage. We would throw our college kids against seasoned adults from other countries in the Olympics and every time we would win in a walk because our talent was just so much better.
Then the world started to get better. They practiced hard, and made basketball a priority with some of their better athletes. They held American basketball as the standard and strived to meet that standard.
Slowly, over time, the gap started to close. The first big wake-up call was the 1972 Olympics when the U.S.S.R. beat the U.S. for the gold medal. The game ended with a series of disputed of calls at the end of the game that gave the U.S.S.R. three chances to win the game. Only the most rational basketball analysts thought to ask after the game how the Russians were that close at the end of the game to begin with.
By 1988, the U.S. has lost its inherent global edge in basketball. The rest of the world had caught up. The U.S. then sought and won the right to send professional players to compete in the Olympics, and 1992 produced the "Dream Team" with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. The U.S. won games in the early rounds by lopsided scores, and beat Croatia by 32 points to capture the gold. We put our best players on the floor, and we won.
In the next few Olympics, the new challenge of NBA players in the Olympics seemed to again spur international teams to renew their efforts to compete with the U.S. And by then, international players were common in the professional ranks. We didn't always put our best players on the floor, and when we did, it was not always enough. The world had caught up.
The U.S. invented manufacturing in much the same way it invented basketball. It created a world standard for manufacturing that the rest of the world observed with awe, then envy, and finally resolve. It took years of persistent work, but the world had a clear focus of what it would take to be as good as the U.S. in manufacturing.
Not better than, of course. Like basketball, manufacturing in the U.S. is at an elite level. But also like basketball, all you need to compete are the basic tools. Talent is born, but sometimes the biggest challenge is to find raw talent and develop it. There are certain skills that need to be mined and encouraged. By casting a wider net, it is more likely you will find that talent.
If the only place you look for basketball talent is on the playground, you are not looking in as many places as you could. If you are only looking in engineering schools for your manufacturing talent, you're not looking in as many places as you could.
Perhaps the most important point is that you have to get out and look. The Skills Gap in manufacturing is real, as this month's cover story once again points out. There is a torrent of data that tells us the same thing over and over again – we will lose a lot of talent in the next five years, and we have nowhere near the talent coming through the pipeline to replace it.
What has changed is that we can not assume the talent is just going to show up. We are not only competing against the rest of the world for manufacturing, we are also competing against other U.S. companies for talent. And some people just do not want to play on our team any more.
In big cities and small towns, manufacturers are seizing the initiative to get the talent they will need to compete in the future, because that is just what the rest of the world is now doing. They did not wait for a federal grant or a state mandate. They saw the problem and worked to fix it. In that way, they are staying ahead of the game.
That is the challenge. We are in a global competitive manufacturing environment. We need our best players in the game. We need to recruit world-class players – both those we can grow here and those we can bring in from the rest of the world. We need to encourage those players who need new skills to compete in the new world of manufacturing to go get those skills.
What we can not do is wait, because no one in the rest of the world is waiting for us. In fact, we are about five years behind where we should be at this point. We have not created widespread community college programs to help local manufacturers fill specific needs. We made business tax breaks, and not innovation, the cornerstone of our federal debate. We cannot see manufacturing as it is, and can not understand why it is not as it was one generation or even one decade ago.
We simply can not go back. There are those on the fringes of this debate who want things the way they were. That is not happening. The only way to win is to find our new Dream Team, lace up our shoes and get into the game. History tells us we have a pretty good chance of winning.


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XTruss is an easy to use X protocol tracing program.
It logs everything that passes between the X server and one or more X client
programs. In this it is similar to xmon(1), but intended to combine xmon's
basic functionality with an interface much more similar to strace(1).
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text:
02 December 2005 01:45
london underground map time travelby 1 other
very clever redesign of the london underground map based on time rather than distance
1 (1 marks)
Founded in late 2003 and heartquartered in France, we are non-profit and independant.
We believe in the open web, think internet services should be sustainable, build for the long term.
While we are re-launching the service, we only accept new members through invitation.


text:
If I Leave Lyrics
In the beginning I was upfront.
Nothing to think about, you'd always hear me out.
We made a pact and never gave up.
When everything would change, we always stayed the same.
But something went wrong along the way.
You come around and there's nothing left to say.
It's like we're strangers anyway. What more could you ask of me?
It's been a long time coming,
but everyone's gonna hear me now.
If I leave, but you'll wish I stayed.
Make you regret all the things you said to me.
You know that time can't help us now,
If I leave this way.
I'll still move away and try to right all the wrongs we've ever made.
Won't let your problems weigh me down if I leave this way.
I've always been a man of action—never let anything keep a hold of me.
I can always tell when something is missing,
Like I know everything except for you and me.
I can't make you want to stay.
God knows I tried but this broke under our weight.
I still gave it everything.
I guess I'll never catch my breath.
I never thought you'd be the last one standing.
I never thought that things would come this far.
You'll always be there looking over my shoulder.
I've come to terms with exactly what we are.


text:
I'm not certain, but I think the switch is separate from the rest of the outlet and those wires are the connections to it. So on your diagram, if that is switch 1, those are the two black wires (they are both black right?). If I'm right and you want to use that as one of your switches, you'd connect one of the switch wires to the hot load GFCI output and connect the other to the pump.
I'm not trying to change your mind, as you are obviously knee deep in your set-up already, but I write this for the others that may be reading this thread.For $9.99 I bought an outdoor remote switched outlet. I just plugged the pump into the unit, then use the remote to turn the pump on and off. They make them for outdoor Christmas lights, so this is a great time to buy them as there are a lot of sales. I love mine.Steve


text:
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Rough Guide to Rome (BOK)
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The Rough Guide to Rome - now in full colour throughout - is the most readable introduction to the sights and attractions of one of the greatest cities on earth. Everything you need to know about the iconic landmarks, ancient buildings and distinctive neighbourhoods, as well as the inside track on the best of the city's restaurants, wine bars, shops, markets and much more, is presented in a user-friendly format with dozens of beautiful photos and colour-coded maps. With features on the best places for Roman pizza, the city's best hotel bars, cutting-edge cuisine and expert history and background on the art and architecture, the Rough Guide has everything you need to make the most of your stay. There's no better single-volume guide to Rome around. Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Rome.


text:
UNTIL SUNDAY, the words Art Modell and the Vince Lombardi Trophy had notexactly fit together like pieces in the perfect joint. The trophy goes to theSuper Bowl winner. Mr. Modell's team, neither the original Cleveland Brownsnor its Baltimore Ravens incarnation, had been to a Super Bowl, much less wonone.
It wasn't so much the trophy that seemed incongruent in the same sentencewith the Ravens owner. It was the Lombardi name. In 40 years in the NFL, Mr.Modell had earned a reputation as what Paul Brown, the first and legendaryBrowns coach, called a "playing owner." Playing, as in meddling.
Before Vince Lombardi, Mr. Brown had been the NFL's greatest coach.(Arguably, he still is.) Mr. Modell fired him. The only Lombardi that Mr.Modell was associated with was Mike Lombardi, one of the many allegedpersonnel geniuses whom Mr. Modell persisted in helping.
It was Mr. Modell's team. He could run it anyway (or anywhere) he wanted.
On Sunday, after the Ravens had dismantled the New York Giants, it wasn'tthe Lombardi Trophy in Mr. Modell's hands that was the biggest change in ArtModell's life. It was two of the men who flanked him -- Ozzie Newsome andBrian Billick.
Mr. Modell, now 75, finally had surrounded himself with the right men andallowed them to do their jobs -- Mr. Newsome, the Browns' Hall of Fame tightend, in personnel, and Mr. Billick, the coach Cleveland had wanted.
It is hard not to be happy for a man who has learned a lesson before it istoo late and received the reward. It also is impossible not to wish he hadlearned it sooner, in Cleveland.
Had Mr. Modell done so, the city would have built not only a new stadiumfor him but also a pedestal and he might not have moved to Baltimore. An ironyof the Cleveland-Modell estrangement is that everyone wanted the same thing:to win The Big Enchilada.
New Browns owner Al Lerner has proved himself to be a "non-player," but themen he has allowed to run his team, Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark, seem benton repeating many of Mr. Modell's old management mistakes.
Maybe that is the final, Super irony.
This article appeared as an editorial Tuesday in the Akron Beacon Journal.


text:
The Wasp Woman
Son of Ali Baba
Ride Clear of Diablo
Flame of Araby
The Enforcer
All Susan Cabot films
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2018 FANDANGO MOVIES.


text: As a child, I deeply loved the Ice Capades and circus costumes – spectacle, color, general exuberance, a joy of surface. I am haunted by the mirrored house I saw at LACMA and Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" ride, with its screwy-colored flora. The counterpoints of paint/beads, digital imagery/hand-sewn embellishment exist in my carefully constructed narratives. A wealth of fanciful materials continues to serve as my palette; nostalgia becomes a vehicle for marking time, with painstaking and obsessively crafted moments showing a portal to our romanticized past.


text:
Homeland Security Complains To USTR That ACTA Is A Threat To National Security
from the oops dept
"I am concerned that some possible outcome of the ACTA negotiations may harm national security and the ability of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to exercise managerial discretion in setting priorities for intellectual property right (IPR) enforcement."Then it includes the short position paper, which highlights numerous concerns with ACTA, some of which were dealt with in later drafts of ACTA, but not all of them. In particular, it's interesting to see DHS explicitly note that it wants to make sure that ACTA doesn't lead other countries to "devote resources to IPR enforcement at the expense of more important anti-terrorism efforts."
DHS also makes it clear that, contrary to claims from tons of ACTA supporters, the original intent of the proposal was to bind Congress -- something that DHS is quite worried about:
the proposed language on the "Border Measures" section of ACTA could codify in international law, certain provisions that would be unfavorable to CBP and, once adopted as an international agreement, even Congress would be unable to alter the rules to make them more economically justifiable. .DHS also questions why the government should be the one to enforce intellectual property issues, rather than the rights holder directly (apparently, the new folks in charge at DHS have no such qualms):
. . . The cost of enforcing private rights, such as trademarks, can reasonably be placed on the beneficiary. That is particularly true in a context such as this; rights holders often have a choice whether to bring enforcement actions on their own or through border measures. That choice should not be influenced by the consideration that using governmental enforcement resources will save the rights holder the cost of storing and destroying the infringing goods. For these reasons, if CBP concludes that waiving storage or destruction fees has created an unhealthy incentive to shift enforcement from the private sector to government, it should have authority to recommend that fees for storage and deconstruction be charged to the beneficiary of the enforcement action.The report also worries that ACTA will harm "international goodwill," and that ACTA could come back to haunt the US by letting other countries punish US companies under ACTA rules. That was certainly prescient, though it appears the USTR ignored that part:
This section of ACTA could be interpreted as taking away that authority and protecting rights holders from measures to recover costs incurred for their benefit. This is imprudent and difficult to justify on fiscal or policy grounds.
ACTA would expend international goodwill by requiring other governments to change organizational and legal structures. . . .Many of these concerns were dead on, though it appears that the USTR only took a few superficial concerns into account. Also, it appears that DHS's more recent obsession with aggressively acting as Hollywood's private police force means that the current management isn't as aware of the negative impact of these actions.
In essence, this language would encourage foreign customs authorities to bar imports and exports if the authorities concluded on their own intiative that the goods might violate copyright or be confusing similar to trademarked goods. These are sweeping powers to act against suspected IP violators, and the powers can easily be misused either intentionally or unintentionally. Misuse could even harm small U.S. exporters competing with foreign companies favored by local governments. Generally speaking, the customs agencies of the other participating countries do not possess the same level of authority as CBP -- many of them are not designated competent authorities to make determinations on IPR infringements. This substantially increases the risk that the sweeping powers wiill be misused. . .


text:
Pictured: Jason Duboe has five goals this spring.
Photo courtesy: Gil Talbot Photography
Vote for Jason for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award!
Complete Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Release
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Senior midfielder Jason Duboe of the 14th-ranked Harvard men's lacrosse team has been honored as a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, it was announced Monday. Duboe is one of 10 finalists for the award, which is presented to a senior student-athlete with notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 20 candidates who were announced in February. Nationwide balloting begins immediately to determine the winner. Lowe's will announce the winner in late May at the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships in Baltimore, Md.
The 10 finalists will be placed on the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award lacrosse ballot for a nationwide vote beginning today and concluding May 17. Fan balloting is available on the award's website, as well as through text messaging. Fans can text LAX to 74567 to vote for teh finalists. Standard text messaging conditions and rates apply. These votes will be combined with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.
An economics concentrator with Harvard, Duboe has achieved a 3.44 grade-point average during his collegiate career. He earned a spot on the prestigious Academic All-Ivy League team as a junior in 2008 and is slated to graduate from Harvard in May 2010. Duboe recently completed a highly competitive internship at Credit-Suisse, participating in their sales and trading program.
Coming from the state of Illinois, Duboe had to travel around the country in order to earn a chance to play collegiate lacrosse, teaching himself much of the game. Duboe became the first Division I lacrosse player from Adlai Stevenson High School and became an instant key player at Harvard as a freshman. When some of his teammates suffered injuries in 2009, Duboe transitioned to defensive midfielder after playing mainly offense for his first two seasons. Duboe has fit the mold of the Harvard lacrosse community, which focuses on nurturing good citizens, students and athletes in that order.
As a member of the Harvard lacrosse team, Duboe has taken part in several Habitat for Humanity projects, as well as tutoring inner city youth. Individually, Duboe has participated in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program, and G.I.V.E. program, which consisted of tutoring special education program classes. He helped to organize the walk for humanity, which donates proceeds to giving resources to impoverished countries. He has also participated in donating and delivering gifts and canned foods to people who utilize local homeless shelters. Every year, Duboe and his family help organize and decorate the Valentine's Day dance for people with mental disabilities. Duboe has also coached in 10-15 camps, helping students learn how to play lacrosse. In addition, he has served as a private tutor, and has worked for a small venture capital firm (Elite College Admissions) which helps students (over 100 internationally) gain admission to college.
A two-time Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American, Duboe, a
midfielder, has also been honored on two Tewaarton Trophy Watch
Lists. A preseason All-Ivy League choice this year, Duboe has
been named to the All-Ivy League team the last two seasons, as well
as the All-New England first team. He ranked third on the
Crimson with 19 points in 2009 and led Harvard with 26 goals and 32
points as a sophomore during the 2008 season. This spring,
Duboe has netted five goals, helping the Crimson earn five wins in
its first seven games.
Lacrosse 2010 Finalists
Gavin Buckley, goalkeeper, St. John's
Ken Clausen, defense, Virginia
Pierce Derkac, midfield, Cornell
Jason Duboe, midfield, Harvard
Ridge Flick, attack, Air Force
Andrew Maisano, midfield, Army
Thomas Muldoon, attack, Brown
Max Quinzani, attack, Duke
Scott Rodgers, goalkeeper, Notre Dame
Kyle Wimer, midfield, Maryland-Baltimore County


text:
In honor of Presidents Day, here's an ink wash drawing that I did in Washington, DC of the Lincoln Memorial.
One urban legend about Daniel Chester French's sculpture is that the hands spell out Abraham Lincoln's initials in sign language. Lincoln's left hand supposedly forms an "A" while the right hand forms an "L."
Although the Park Service denies the story, it's possible that French did indeed intend it, because French had a deaf son and he was familiar with sign language. He might have wanted to honor Lincoln's support of Gallaudet University, a university for the deaf.
Wikipedia: Lincoln Memorial
Monday, February 20, 2012
Lincoln Memorial
Posted by James Gurney at Monday, February 20, 2012
Labels: Pen and Ink
3 comments:
- Carol said...
I just love this monument. Lincoln sitting in a chair made of books. Books made him. "The ability to read opened a new and magic world for him, a world he had never dreamed of before. It changed him. It broaded his horizon and gave him vision ; and, for a quarter of a century, reading remained the dominant passion of his life. (The Unknown Lincoln)". And you did just the perfect painting. Thanks !
- February 20, 2012 at 10:48 AM
Daniel Chester French did not have a son, only a daughter.
- November 21, 2012 at 10:36 PM
- James Gurney said...
Anonymous, thanks for clarifying that. My source was a Wikipedia article quoting a National Geographic publication "Pinpointing the Past in Washington, D.C." which must have been in error.
- November 22, 2012 at 8:08 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
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text:
02 August 2010
So far, we've gone to a market
To Maastricht in the Netherlands, where we had some wonderful fries
And to a typical Belgian village:
Pam was warmly welcomed by all:
My friend Françoise is on holiday. Today we went to her garden and raided the raspberries and currants and wild strawberries. (Hello, Françoise!)
We had a supervisor:
And we cooked, of course.
Tomorrow we're off to Ghent to explore, and Wednesday we'll go to Aachen in Germany. At some point we'll come up for air and share some recipes for you. meanwhile, here are a couple of teasers:
Stay tuned!
13 comments:
- Ju (The Little Teochew) said...
Hi Kate! Hi Pam! :)
- August 3, 2010 at 3:14 AM
- Carol at Serendipity said...
Sounds like fun! I will look forward to your recipes.
- August 3, 2010 at 3:12 PM
- Linda said...
Have fun ladies...how cool it it that you could visit together and play!
- August 3, 2010 at 5:46 PM
- The Rowdy Chowgirl said...
What fun! Can't wait for the recipes.
Is that really, truly a nun pushing a wheelbarrow with a dog in it? And here I thought that pushing your dog in a stroller was strictly a Seattle thing!
- August 3, 2010 at 5:51 PM
- Stella said...
Pam & Kate together-that's double trouble (smile)! Hope you guys are having fun and relaxing (sleep in Europe is good. I don't know why-it just is). Oh, and your photos are so nice, guys! Pretty...
- August 3, 2010 at 8:42 PM
- Kate at Serendipity said...
Thanks for your comments--we are having fun! Ju, Pam says hi right back.
Rowdy, that's not really a nun. We went to a village fete and some of the villagers were dressed as nuns. The little boy is in costume too. He was absolutely darling. We both fell in love with him.
- August 3, 2010 at 9:39 PM
- Hungry Dog said...
How fun! I am jealous but happy you two are having such a good time. Hi, Pam!
- August 4, 2010 at 4:11 AM
- Kate said...
Enjoy! It is fun to travel and explore together...and to cook!!
- August 4, 2010 at 5:00 AM
- My Carolina Kitchen said...
How fun. It's wonderful to have friends visit.
- August 4, 2010 at 8:18 PM
- Barbara said...
I love that you and Pam are having such a super time! I wish I could be a little mouse in your pocket.
That little teaser looks suspiciously like a verrine! I'm going away for a couple weeks but will be back to catch up on the recipes.
- August 6, 2010 at 12:43 PM
- The Dutch Baker's Daughter said...
How fun! I really did have aunts who were nuns in Holland, and they wore their habits always...so you had me fooled. :) I had the chance to stay with one of them in the convent. It was beautiful! I can't wait to see what kind of recipes you'll post--take care!
- August 10, 2010 at 3:52 AM
- A Canadian Foodie said...
Where was I when you were making these marvelous plans!!! I haven't been to Gent, but have a list of must sees of Flemish artist work in the museums there. The trip to the market looked like so much fun, and I am green over the pretty little glass bowls. Do you have a source for them? I have a glass fetish!
I have been away - so am so far behind on my readings, but really enjoyed this one. Did the two of you meet through blogging?
What a blast!
- August 14, 2010 at 7:26 PM
- Sophie said...
Teasers indeed!! It looks that you all had fun!!
I too recently went to gent & maastricht!! I love those 2 cities,...they have many culinary shops & restaurants!
- August 17, 2010 at 9:08 AM


text:
One of the great success stories of recent years is U.S. energy production, particularly natural gas. Late last month, an Associated Press article joined the lengthening parade of reports touting the growing acceptance and economic importance of this domestic fuel.
One of the great success stories of recent years is U.S. energy production, particularly natural gas. Late last month, an Associated Press article joined the lengthening parade of reports touting the growing acceptance and economic importance of this domestic fuel.
To be sure, the expansion of the natural gas supply, and consequent price drop that has made it unexpectedly affordable, are game-changers:
Natural gas reduces deadly air pollution because it burns far more cleanly than coal or oil. It is also more efficient.
Shifting the nation's fuel habit toward natural gas has the effect of shrinking U.S. dependence on foreign oil. (While our biggest source for that is now friendly Canada, the turbulent Middle East remains a significant player.)
The natural gas industry has become a job creator par excellence — and could attract other manufacturing jobs because of this available, affordable resource.
As welcome as natural gas growth is, however, Americans should recognize related realities.
Foremost among the caution flags is the potential for the gas-drilling technique of hydraulic fracturing to damage major sources of drinking water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has undertaken a large study of hydraulic fracking, with a draft report due for release this month, reports The Washington Times.
Fracking, as it is known, is the process in which water, sand and chemicals are used to fragment underground rock, unleashing trapped oil and gas.
While the jury is still out on the environmental risks of fracking — with few confirmed cases of contamination — it is important to recognize that the industry faces other potential hurdles, as well.
For example, an analysis in the industry publication www.rigzone.com suggests that while gas reserves are vast, individual wells lose significant productivity after five years.
Despite the challenges, natural gas is gaining against oil. This is encouraging, but the industry and government should do three things:
Release a scientifically thorough report on the safety study of fracking and horizontal drilling, and make sure regulations reflect the findings.
Require full public disclosure of drilling risks (including chemicals used in the process) and rigorous approval regimens. They should tie best practices to local geological conditions and water supply.
Remember that even some of the staunchest proponents of natural gas consider it a transition fuel — not the ultimate answer. Do not allow the gas rush to sideline the need to develop clean, affordable, renewable energy.


text:
NEW YORK (AP) 50 Cent thinks the recent blockbuster deal between Beats by Dre and Apple only helps his headphone company.
''The success of Beats is great for us. It makes the category understand how valuable our association is to that company,'' he said. ''When they see the company, and see that it sold for $3.1 billion, they go: `That one is definitely next, that's the one that has the cool factor connected to it while producing quality products.'
''If there's another company that does it, it'll be SMS,'' he said. ''So it's like when you're playing basketball in the park: We got next.''
Beats Electronics, the leader in the headphone market and a music streaming company, was acquired by Apple last month. SMS Audio has been around since 2011.
On Wednesday night, 50 Cent was joined by the company's new pitchman, New York Knicks basketball star Carmelo Anthony, at a penthouse hotel party as SMS introduced its new line of sports headphones in both wired and wireless editions.
Anthony said he was interested in being more than a spokesman, saying he already ''did the endorsement thing.''
''You're seeing everyone make so much money off of me. I want to start making money off of myself,'' he said. ''That was one reason I sought out the opportunity.''
While he talked freely about his work with SMS, he laughingly brushed off questions about his basketball future. Anthony is considered one of the top prizes in the offseason free agency market if he opts to test it.


text:
It seems to happen often enough that we're no longer shocked to hear it: A teenager commits suicide after being bullied online by peers.
But the recent death in Florida of 12-year-old Rebecca Ann Sedwick and arrest of two of her former middle school classmates makes it clear that victims are getting younger and bullies more brazen online.
Two girls, 12 and 14, have been charged with felony aggravated stalking based on evidence of a year of online taunts and threats. Sheriff's deputies confiscated the cellphones and laptops of more than a dozen girls accused of bullying Rebecca and found messages such as "You should die."
This may be the first time children have been accused of a crime in connection with suicide. But it's also a window into bigger issues that criminal charges can't resolve:
The tools and tenor of bullying are different and more dangerous in this generation than they were in mine. Anti-bullying programs are good but not enough. We rely on them to promote empathy and respect for those who don't fit in. But it's not just misfits singled out for torment; it can be anybody that somebody doesn't like.
The same sort of crowd-sourcing that helps startups thrive can turn a middle school clique into an online mob.
It's easy for bullies to enlist allies who can just post something nasty — even anonymously — online, instead of risking an unpleasant confrontation face to face. And it's hard for victims to hide from insults delivered 24-7 on their cellphones.
Parents are clueless about the culture and temptations online.
The 14-year-old charged with stalking displayed a stunningly callous message on her Facebook page just after Rebecca died. "Yes [I know] I bullied REBECCA nd she killed her self but [I don't care]," it said. The message ended with a little pink heart.
Her parents insist that the teenager is "a loving, caring, supportive young girl with many friends." Her Facebook page must have been hacked, they said. But when the sheriff asked them to bring her in for a talk, they refused and lawyered up.
Rebecca's mother knew she was being bullied. She pulled Rebecca from school and taught her at home, monitored her Facebook page and took away her cellphone. But when things calmed down, she loosened the reins and Rebecca went back online.
Rebecca posed questions about suicide, set up new social media accounts, even made a screen saver with a photo of her head resting on railroad tracks. She called herself "That Dead Girl" on one of her secret online sites that her mother never saw.
Rebecca attended a school that discouraged bullying. Her mother tried to protect her.
But careful parenting and school assemblies are no match for an adolescent ethos where nastiness is acceptable and being popular means everything.
Our culture is part of the problem.
Our children grow up watching reality shows where boorish behavior is rewarded and insults, taunts and racist remarks hike ratings and create stars. And nothing is off-limits for criticism on countless makeover programs. Your clothes, your voice, your cooking, your weight … judges find fault with everything, while contestants try not to cry.
Then there are the marathon sessions that boys spend with popular violent video games, where beating and raping women is an entertaining backdrop. The latest installment of Grand Theft Auto raked in $1 billion in three days. And we wonder why teenage boys might think it's all right to have sex with a drunken 14-year-old girl.
Middle school has never been a very easy passage. But it's been made harder by social media, which invites immersion and seclusion at a time when teenagers should be learning to actually talk with one another.
Rebecca's case shows that online connections can be both a noose and lifeline.
She was shunned by her real-life best friend, the 12-year-old charged with tormenting her. The girl feels terrible about Rebecca's death, investigators said. She told them she was more afraid of becoming a target of bullies herself than she was aware of just how much pain she might have been causing Rebecca.
Rebecca responded by seeking solace from far-flung friends she knew only online. They listened, liked her and didn't judge her face, her weight, her skin.
But being online meant being vulnerable to former classmates' cruel and endless taunts. One message read: "nobody cares about you." Her response: "Lol I know."
But she wasn't laughing when she reached out for one last time, to a boy from North Carolina that she'd met when their paths crossed randomly in an airport.
"I'm jumping. I can't take it anymore," she wrote in a message he received the day she jumped to her death from a silo in an abandoned cement factory near her home. He apparently told no one. Maybe because he didn't know anyone in her life to warn.