text:
Former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, who lost to Rick Scott in the bitter Republican gubernatorial primary, is helping out his former pal, Newt Gingrich, with whom he served in Congress.
McCollum is scheduled to open Gingrich's Orlando headquarters on Jan. 13,
McCollum's endorsement doesn't mean much (few do, so it's not a knock on McCollum). Consider this story from News 13 in Orlando, which gives McCollum the same billing as former Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, who's to co-chair the campaign.
McCollum has a good work ethic, an ability to raise money and his knowledge of Florida and its election map are tough to match. McCollum's endorsement and support of Gingrich is a pretty sure sign that few people from Scott world will be on Gingrich's team. Most, like pollster Tony Fabrizio, are already on Texas Gov. Rick Perry's squad anyway.
The 2010 race wasn't the only bitter election featuring McCollum. In 2004, he was beaten in the Republican primary by Sen. Mel Martinez, who's now heading up Mitt Romney's efforts in Florida.


text:
Anyone who's heard Anar Badalov's previous musical output in the Baltimore standouts Metal Hearts, or the Somerville-based Travels, might be surprised to hear that there's yet another plane of hushed introspection to uncover. But this release from his New Dog solo project digs deeper under the covers for a sick day of the heart. With stripped-down instrumentation, a delicate guitar riff, distant horn touches, and a hesitant, playful piano synth, songs like "I'm Your Man" (a Richard Hell and the Voidoids cover) lay bare Badalov's slightly skewed lovelorn confessions. "Dog Bite" is a largely instrumental track that devolves into static percussion, while "Smoking in the Living Room" glistens with brightly interlocking guitar lines. "Do you wanna start a family? You can almost smell the fire. Do you wanna see the flames?" he asks on the slow-burn bucolic folk of "Baltimore," sounding both ominous and amorous at once, a pretty close approximation of the record's overall unsettling affect.
"Lost Weekend" will be available Nov. 26 at

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I am thankful for a great many things, not just today, but every day. Of course today is the traditional day to really take the time to think about what we're thankful for. Health, relative wealth (or at least not impoverishment), great family and friends – these are the things we truly have to be thankful for.
But sometimes it's about the "little things", the things that help get us through a hard day. The Buffalo Sabres are a source of entertainment and inspiration for a great many of us.
For instance, last night, a battle royale with the Boston Bruins. We didn't get the full two points, but it was an amazing contest to kick off the holiday weekend. A spirited game by the Sabres, Gaustad taking on Lucic, Regeher versus Chara, tons of heart and entertaining hockey throughout most of the game. Not to mention some bonus four on four hockey and a shootout that went into extra innings.
In the end, it's just a game and shouldn't really change any of our lives, but it does. We cheer, we applaud, we cringe, we scream … and many of of cuss up a storm. We may startle our pets when a goal is scored or a Carruba Collision candidate happens.
I still feel lucky that the team is around after the Rigas bankruptcy. It's hard to believe it's been almost ten years since we came close to losing the Sabres, but I never take them for granted. Perhaps I'm just scarred by the potential loss of the team.
I'm thankful for the new Terry Pegula era and what his ownership has brought to the team and the city. It's been truly an amazing story that's still unfolding and perhaps the greatest reason for this site's existence.
I'm thankful for Rick Jeanneret's calls, the way his voice cracks a bit sometimes when he says, "SHO-TTTT", and continually amusing me with his homer wisecracks. A bit of love for Harry Neale and Roby Ray as well, but mostly for their comedic antics, intended or otherwise.
I'm thankful for my partner @slackin who will watch any and every hockey game with me. I'm thankful she's a Sabres fan as well and for one of the best gifts I ever got many moons ago – a Sabres goathead jersey. (I forgive the fact that she didn't know who Don Cherry was until last night. After all, she grew up here in the cornfields of Ohio where hockey has been unknown until recently.)
I'm thankful for other Sabres fans, because it wouldn't be much fun if it was just two people rooting for the team in their living room. It's the shared experience that makes it really special. The chatter on Twitter is always a blast, perhaps even moreso than going to a game for me. And of course there's the most awesome @scottyMCSS, without whose witty and insightful prose this site wouldn't exist.
I'm thankful that the Sabres goal is to win the Stanley Cup, that they have a spot reserved for it and are doing everything they can to attain it.
I could go on and on about individual Sabres, the Sabres management or a number of other things, but I think that's enough from me. What about you? What are you most thankful for as a Sabres fan?
Continue Reading


text:
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Green is the new black. With all of us more aware of global warming and the need to save our environment, the big question we at MIGA are asking is: what can we as an institution do to contribute?
One answer is that we can continue to do what MIGA has always done: supporting private investors. Specifically, however, MIGA can support those investors in the now well-established market of certified emission reductions (CERs) that are freely tradable on the European market, but depend heavily upon activities undertaken in developing countries. Investors relying on CERs as returns on their investments (in lieu of dividends) want assurance that governments that have signed up to the Kyoto Protocol will not renege on their commitments. This is very much a political risk, and with the right structuring is potentially a powerful political risk insurance product line.
Here is how it works: under the Kyoto Protocol, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has created a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows industrialized countries to invest in emission reductions wherever it is cheapest globally, so long as this takes place in countries that are signatories to the Kyoto Protocol. Often the least expensive emission reductions occur in lesser developed countries. When approached by the investor, the host government issues a statement, called the Letter of Approval (LoA) validating that a particular activity will assist the country in its sustainable development objectives. Once the LoA is issued, and the investor receives the appropriate licenses and permits to undertake its activities, it quantifies its reduction of carbon emissions through an independent expert accredited by the UNFCCC. This expert verifies the reductions, which are then referred to as "Verified Emission Reductions" (VERs). The VERs are then taken to the country's UNFCCC body where they are officially certified and transferred into CERs where they are bought and sold in industrialized countries that are signatories to Kyoto. (Although Kyoto is set to expire in 2012, all indications are that the market for CERs will continue to exist thereafter). The CERs can be used by companies to offset activities that increase carbon emissions. This is sort of like controlling your energy bill by using less energy to heat one room in your house and using the energy saved to heat another.
So where does political risk insurance fit in? Since the CERs constitute an investors' return on investment, they want certainty, just like with any other investment, that the government will not interfere with their ability to capture this return. This can include the risk of expropriation of the investment, revocation of the LoA, failure to allow the CERs to be transferred outside the host country, and war and civil disturbance that damages the underlying project. These are all traditional political risks that MIGA and other providers can cover; they just need to be fit into the CDM world.
MIGA has already received several inquiries regarding projects such as these. One contract was already issued for a project in El Salvador back in 2006, and projects in our pipeline include several in sub-Saharan Africa. These involve the flaring of methane in landfills, transforming the gas into carbon dioxide, which is 21 times less potent than methane, and will significantly reduce the landfills' emissions.
Hopefully, by putting our footprint in the CDM world, MIGA can manage our own carbon footprint on the global scene by actively supporting projects such as these.


text:
martin, PA
Notwithstanding the way that we rely on upon helpful authorities to recoup and recovery us, sometimes they don't give the thought we require and merit. Things we decried in the later past, for instance the capacity to walk, eat up, or grab a living, could be taken away when a part of the medicinal calling gives an omission. Medicinal thoughtlessness lawsuits hold masters, support, recovering centers, and helpful staff careful when they don't furnish the best possible standard of expectant thought to patients. Since professionals and master's work places continually have "critical pockets," they can surrender the honest to goodness system, forcing low settlements on medicinal lack of regard duped people who can't stayed to hold up. Lawsuitloanss.com can help level the playing field for you by equipping medicinal unfortunate behavior lawsuit store.
A nonattendance of valid lawyer funding and capital stakes can put a strain on your enhancing practice. In our quick paced business planet, incidentally it takes cash to profit. Obliging access to legitimate capital belonging can put your practice at danger and place you in circumstances where you leave behind an extraordinary chance for or overpay for helpful business shots.
Dissimilar to most sorts of particular loans, a lawsuit credit's reimbursement depends on upon if a borrower wins or loses their lawsuit. Outfitted that a borrower wins their lawsuit, then they reimburse the lawsuit recognize moneylender for premium. In the unlikely event that a borrower loses, then they don't need to reimburse the lawsuit improvement. The lawsuit improvement industry offers this financing knowing some of their loans may not be reimbursed. Be that as it may they do this recalling the completed destination to pass through takeoff stipulation that permits them to stay away from usury laws, which may need to be cohorted if the financing was obliged to be paid back in the occasion of a lawsuit hardship.


text:
This resource is no longer available
Virtual Machine Backup without Compromise
The flexibility of virtual machines can create some pretty serious managerial challenges. Luckily, today's vendors are creating solutions that can enable the benefits of virtual machines without the IT management issues.
This ESG Lab review documents hands-on testing of a leading data protection appliance and the backup & replication software that works with it. It also demonstrates how this recommended combination allows instant VM recovery and significant capacity and costsavings through deduplication.


text:
Beluga lentils. Where have you been my whole life? Really. Not around my parts as far as I know. I've lived without you for some 30-odd years, but I'm now determined to carve a niche for you in my heart. You've charmed me with you diminutive size, dusky color, and, certainly not the least of it, the way you remain perky when other lentils would have gone to mush – making you perfect for all sorts of salad-type preparations. Or just to have in the chiller, cooked and at the ready, for tossing into any impromptu lunch.
I found and procured these beluga lentils on a recent trip to Barcelona. I had seen them in cookbooks and other blogs but, as they are not readily available here, have never tried them before now. We have other lentils, mostly the brown types. You can also find puy lentils in some specialty stores. But beluga lentils I have yet to come across. When I saw a jar of them at the spice stall in La Boqueria I was torn. My suitcase was getting dangerously heavy and I didn't have any kilos to spare. I looked at the lady imploringly and asked, in my broken Spanish, what was the smallest portion she would sell me. I explained about my living on an island (ok, group of islands) in Asia with no beluga lentils, about my suitcase bursting at the seams, about my wanting to just have a taste of these famous lentils for once in my life. Moved by my story (or desperate to stop the barrage of my horrific Spanish) she packed a 250-gram bag for me.
The most common use for lentils here is the Spanish dish lentejas, which is much like a soup or stew. For these little black pearls though I wanted a more delicate preparation that would highlight the beans more (as opposed to melting them away in a soup – albeit a delicious one!) and maintain their sprightly personality. I decided a more bean-salad type treatment would be ideal (as is really more popular with this type of lentils). And if bacon and balsamic roasted shallots are not quite so delicate, I think the deliciousness of this dish totally justifies the addition.
Beluga Lentils with Bacon & Balsamic Roasted Shallots
- ¾ – 1 cup shallots, peeled but left whole
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup beluga lentils, cleaned and picked over
- 2 1/2 water
- 150 grams slab bacon, cut into lardons or strips
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (through a garlic press)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- Optional: sun-dried or oven-roasted tomatoes, goat's cheese or cottage cheese
– Place shallots in a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I don't have exact amounts but enough to get the shallots good and coated. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a 350F oven and roast for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, tossing the shallots every so often so they brown evenly. You want them soft on the inside with sticky burnished outsides.
– While your shallots are roasting, place lentils and water in a pan, cover, and cook for about 25-30 minutes. Cook them just until soft, no further. Drain and set aside.
– While the shallots are roasting and the lentils are cooking, heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the bacon and fry until some of the fat has rendered and the edges are toasty.
– In a bowl whisk together the garlic, extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk again. Pour dressing, parsley, and lemon rind over cooked and drained lentils and toss gently, taking care not to smoosh the lentils. Add cooked bacon (and some of the bacon drippings too!) and roasted shallots. Toss gently again. Top with sun-dried tomatoes and cheese if using.
I absolutely love the way beluga lentils hold their shape when cooked. They are ideal in a salad, although what you add is completely up to you and your imagination. I think beans and bacon are a magic combination (although I could be rightly accused of thinking that anything with bacon is a magic combination) and the balsamic roasted shallots, all soft and sweet and sticky, do well with the lentils' earthiness. You can pile a bit on a sundried tomato and top with some fresh white cheese for a tasty appetizer, or you can just toss the tomato and cheese with the beans as part of the salad. Goats cheese would be excellent, but my organic farmer gifted me with a circle of fresh cottage cheese that they have just started making so I used that instead***. I imagine this would also be good atop some brown rice with a splodge of garlic-herb yogurt.
Now, if only it was easy to find them here. If only I didn't have to cross an ocean to obtain some! I remain optimistic however. I will search every specialty food store and delicatessen until I find these lentils. We will meet again my friend.
P.S. If anyone has seen beluga lentils in Manila please let me know! 🙂


text:
Back in January, there was quite the kerfuffle surrounding working conditions at Foxconn, an assembler of electronic products for Apple and other companies in China. As it turns out, one major source for those stories — Mike Daisey, who created a one-man show and This American Life episode on the subject — made a bunch of stuff up.
Which is a shame, because while many of his personal anecdotes were fabricated, the situations and conditions he described are quite real, and corroborated by other news sources.
When The New York Times did its own investigation, also in January, it told stories of a dust explosion that killed and injured workers on an iPad production line; "toxic chemical exposures" that left employees permanently sick; violations of Apple's policies that had people working more than 70 hours per week; and riots and suicides in overcrowded factory dormitories.
None of these facts are in dispute. Daisey incorporated them into his monologue, but presented the incidents as if he met the people involved. In most cases, he did not. Some of them occurred at factories more than a thousand miles apart. He didn't visit that many factories, and the workers certainly didn't travel that far. So they happened, they just didn't happen to him. They were dramatizations, not journalism.
Apple, for its part, has continued the factory audits it began several years ago. Things certainly aren't perfect, but they're improving, and it makes clear that the most objectionable conditions are, at least officially, not condoned by Apple. Regular reports are posted at www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility.
That doesn't mean Chinese workers are treated just as well as American assemblers would be; if the labor weren't cheaper, why outsource to China at all? Foxconn announced last month that it would be raising salaries by up to 25 percent, so that most workers would earn the equivalent of about $400 per month, based on 160 hours of work. Overtime would still be available, but not at the excessive levels that have sometimes been required. That probably translates to hiring more people; not having to pay overtime will help compensate for increased overhead costs like training.
Not that increased labor costs would affect the price of products that much. Market research company iSuppli estimates that all the components making up the base model iPad released March 16 cost $306.05. Manufacturing? A mere $10. Since the iPad sells for $499, there's plenty of room left for profit (and software development, and design, and other overhead). The most tricked-out model only costs about $90 more to produce but sells for $829.
It's not immediately clear what exactly that "manufacturing" entails. Presumably it's just the final assembly step; the manufacturing costs of all the components are built into the price estimates of the components themselves. If the components are also made at Foxconn, a pay increase would raise those costs as well. And these are just estimates anyway.
Another thing that's important to remember: Apple isn't the only one having products assembled by Foxconn. HP, Dell, Samsung and others contract out to them, and they release their own Foxconn-branded computers and components as well. And Foxconn is not the only supplier in China and other countries. They all may feel pressure to lower costs, but skimping on worker pay and comfort is not the way to do it.
I'm not paid at all to post at twitter.com/CitizenjaQ.


text:
This tree is really beautiful, the perfect circumference for my living room, full of life, light, excitement and fun for all who see it. Its absolutely OUTSTANDING.
—Princess Fluffanutta's Mommy from Hudson, MA
Bring out the sweet and sassy side of your personality when you display our adorable pink Christmas tree. The Frosted Pink Flocked Christmas tree is truly a delight to the eyes with its matching pink lights shining around its posh pink tips and needles. Its matching pink tree stand ensures that this charming tree is pink from its inner durable core to its outer pink flocking.
Perfect for smaller spaces with high ceilings, this flocked Christmas tree has a slim frame to occupy less space. Its hinged branches assure you a hassle-free set-up. Show off your fun and feminine side, and enjoy decorating our Frosted Pink Flocked Christmas tree.
Fully hinged branches allow you to spend less time setting up and more time enjoying the holidays.
Hand-strung pink lights top off this sweet, delightful tree.
We pride ourselves in providing an exceptional, enduring product. For more warranty information, please visit our WARRANTY FAQS »
What's included in the box:
Unless marked otherwise, all items are in stock and ready to ship. Orders received on business days by 7 am Pacific Standard Time (10 am EST) will ship the same day. We offer three domestic shipping options through Fedex to meet your needs. For more shipping information, including information about shipping to Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada, please visit our Shipping Information »
will arrive to almost all populated regions of the continental USA in four to six total days
will arrive in three total business days
will arrive in two total business days
Free ground shipping sitewide for all domestic orders in the continental US
The first time you assemble and shape your tree will require the most shaping to give the tree its full lush appearance.
To ensure an easy setup every holiday season, follow these simple steps to storing your tree safely in the off season.
Get fast answers from the Treetopia community


text:
|photo by Craftaholics Anonymous
Designed and created by Craftaholics Anonymous.
Click here for the free tutorial.
Welcome to Free Felt Patterns! We are working to build the largest collection on the web of free felt patterns and tutorials for stitching and creating with felt. The patterns come from many talented and generous artists and crafters, the world over. I hope you enjoy this collection, and have lots of fun creating, but please be sure to respect the terms of use set by each individual designer of these patterns.
|photo by Craftaholics Anonymous


text:
Games That Can't Be Duplicated: Arc System Works' Ishiwatari Speaks
January 23, 2012 Page 1 of 4
With the West taking over stewardship of the console marketplace over the course of this generation, and setting the tone of technical innovation and gameplay styles, some Japanese game developers might question their future in a global video game market.
Daisuke Ishiwatari, creator of the Guilty Gear fighting game series and composer of the music for its spiritual successor BlazBlue, has been working at Arc System Works for around 15 years. He took the company from an unknown contractor for other publishers to a studio with a dedicated, hardcore fan base around the globe.
While he's not working on any of the company's currently-announced projects -- that would be the Persona fighter that Arc is developing in conjunction with Atlus and the latest version of BlazBlue -- he does have his own project, which he teases in this interview. His goal is to ensure that his company gains a bigger global foothold while creating games that could not come from the West.
What game are you making?
DI: Ah, that I can't say right now. It's a secret.
Arc has Persona and BlazBlue in the works.
DI: With BlazBlue, I'm only involved with the music.
What role do you have in the company right now, as a producer? What is your title of the game you're working on?
DI: I'm working as a director right now.
Do you think the fighter genre is booming right now?
DI: That's a good question. I'd say the first fighter boom pretty well wrapped up around 15 years ago, but now we're seeing a lot more excitement for the genre, especially over in Europe. That's helped contribute to what I think is a becoming a growing scene for fighters.
I spoke with your colleague Mori earlier. He said that Arc may make fighting games normally, but the boom doesn't have anything to do with Arc. Arc is always developing fighters, so to Arc, the boom doesn't matter.
DI: Well, Arc has been making fighters for a while now, so that's the genre that we have the most knowledge about. Going into the future, well, Street Fighter is the most popular game in the genre worldwide, but we make our games with the goal of becoming a major player as well.
Recently you also made Hard Corps: Uprising, a downloadable title. What do you think of downloadable games?
DI: I think that download content, in itself, is a great opportunity to give users a lot of fresh and interesting stuff. However, I also have the impression that there are too many titles out there.
Everyone wants new things, but I also think there are a lot of fun older games that people have never really picked up. I think it'd be better if there was a way to reintroduce titles like those to users.
There are a lot of downloadable games, but do you think people can't find them through the current user interfaces?
DI: Yes, I do have the impression that downloading games off the net is still difficult for a lot of people; it's too much of a hurdle. That's about what I think.
Packaged software gets a lot of promotion, but downloadable titles don't get much promotion or commercials.
DI: I think the Castlevania downloadable game [Harmony of Despair] received a fair amount of advertising, but it's true that you don't see a lot of it. If there's anything, it's just little notices in magazines and so on. Back when we made Hard Corps, we had wanted to see more done along those lines for it.
Do you that modern consoles, with their ability to do DLC and game updates, has changed the development style of Arc?
DI: It has changed. The effect of DLC sales is pretty large, after all, in the end.
Do the fans like the DLC?
DI: Yes, and that's especially the case with fighting games, since everybody likes having more characters. That's the type of DLC that fans want the most.
The DLC characters were originally in the story mode, but players can't use them. They became DLC later on.
DI: Well, things like the story can get added on to later, but I'd like to try and provide better service for the fans.
Downloadable games are popular in North America, but I heard that they aren't as popular in Japan. Is that true?
DI: I think so. There aren't that many people in Japan who want to go through all of that in order to play games; they think it's too much work to connect to the net for that, or make an account, or pay money for something that isn't a package. That sort of thing is difficult for them.
Between the U.S., Europe and Japan, which region had the most people purchase BlazBlue characters online?
DI: Japan, probably. I don't recall the full numbers, but I think Japan has the most people purchasing.
Why do you think that?
DI: I think it may be because Japan has the most people who enjoy the anime or manga-like look that is prevalent in most of Arc System Works' titles.
Is that in terms of percentages?
DI: I think Japan has overwhelmingly the largest percentage.
What percentage of people who bought the game went on to buy DLC for it?
DI: There are a lot of different types of DLC, but new characters are something that really fills a need among users. I'd say over half of the game's purchasers have also bought DLC for it. They say that figure averages out to around 8 percent for games overall.
Has your development process changed with this new generation?
DI: Certainly. The scope has gotten a lot larger. The first original fighter that Arc made was Guilty Gear on the PS1, and that was made with a team of maybe 12 people. Now, though, we have teams of 30 or so working on projects, and we have other companies do some of the work for us as well. So we've definitely expanded, and the way we work has changed as well.
Do you have any news on Guilty Gear?
DI: A lot of people are definitely asking what's up with the series, that's true; a lot of gamers want to see it. I can't say when it may come out or anything like that, but I definitely want to answer the voices of the fans someday.
I heard rumors that there were problems with Guilty Gear in the past, with another company.
DI: Oh, right! Well, rumors are rumors. (laughs) I'd be lying if I said there were no problems at all, but much of that has been cleared away since. There's no impediment to making it now.
Page 1 of 4


text:
Viewing All Posts For › Realmud
Active Server
Selected: Realmud
Quick Navigation
Latest News
Realmud Update Coming!Realmud don't look to far the update is almost upon us.Apr 07 2019 | Realmud | mouse
Realmud PVP Tournament!Come join us as our Lord of War, Chacal GM, oversees a Tournament of Heros! Bring your strongest, your…Apr 02 2019 | Realmud | Shinigami
Realmud Virtual Reality (VR) SystemT4C is stepping into a new realm of gaming by introducing RVR or Realmud Virtual Reality! Experience…Mar 31 2019 | Realmud | Shinigami
Server Maintenance 3-25server will be down on 3-25 around 730 am for general Server Maintenance.Mar 25 2019 | T4C News | mouse
Realmud Harvest Event RaffleToday Realmud hosted our Harvest Event Raffle live on Twitch and gave some amazing prizes to some even…Feb 02 2019 | Realmud | Shinigami
Update on Realmud! Part 1The Realmud Development Team has been working hard on bringing you new content! Here's part one…Feb 02 2019 | Realmud | Shinigami
Post-Event AnnouncementHeros of Realmud! You have successfully beaten back the Great Darkness that threatened to spread across…Jan 27 2019 | Realmud | Shinigami
Server Maintenance / Client upgradeON 1 /22 /2019 We will be bringing down the t4c servers in order to perform general Server Maintenance…Jan 18 2019 | T4C News | mouse
Happy New Year and strange tidings...Happy New Year! We've made it to the new year, but what is this eerie feeling that is creeping across…Dec 31 2018 | Realmud | Shinigami
Happy Holidays 2018Everyone At Dialsoft would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Safe New Year!Dec 19 2018 | T4C News | mouse


text:
This is motivated by a recent question by Wadim.
The negative answer should be known, since t is very natural, in this case I would be happy to see any reference.
May Pafnuty Lvovich Chebyshev's approach to distribution of primes lead to PNT itself, if we replace $\frac{(30 n)! n!}{(15 n)! (10 n)! (6 n)!}$ to other integer ratios of factorials? If not, what are the best constants in asymptotic relation $$ c_1 \frac{n}{\log n}< \pi(n)< c_2 \frac{n}{\log n} $$ which may be obtained on this way?


text:
Forms Jobs
Members of the Winston-Salem Youth Advisory Council attended the N.C. League of Municipalities Youth Summit for "Making Cents: Youth, Innovation in a Troubled Economy" in October 2011. They explored several topics, including government budgeting in the current economy and the changing vision of the American Dream. Members of the Youth Advisory Council served as spokespeople for their assigned teams. Attendees voiced their concerns, shared their ideas, and learned how to make a difference back in their home community.
Audience at NCLM Youth Summit
Youth Advisory Council Member talks with other students
Youth Advisory Council Member serves as spokesperson for group
Receive E-Mail Notification When New Information is Posted on this PageAs a member, enjoy the benefits of MyCityofWS, including your choice of newsletters, and notifications about events and site updates. Login and Manage Your Subscriptions Now.


text:
HTC knows it has got to do something about its position in the market, which has been steadily declining ever since Samsung became de facto king of the Android smartphone. Its plan involves a marketing blitz, which it has named Marketing 2.0 internally, as it has obviously found out being "quietly brilliant" just isn't enough.
To herald this new beginning, HTC has appointed Benjamin Ho as the new head of marketing, and he will join the company in January. Former marketing boss John Wang will leave the company, while Jason Mackenzie – who has been looking after marketing and sales strategy – will now solely focus on sales.
Ho comes to HTC from Far EasTone Telecommunications, where he was VP of Business Strategy and Marketing and prior to this, he was CMO at Motorola Asia. When he arrives at HTC, his first project will be Marketing 2.0, which according to HTC is designed to "refocus [the company's] efforts around holistic marketing and mass-market brand outreach." Just in case you don't speak Marketing Fluff, this means HTC wants a broader, everything matters strategy, presumably feeling its current approach is too niche or abstract.
HTC has captured business headlines recently due to its poor financial performance, having posted a fourth consecutive loss during the third quarter of this year. According to Interbrand, HTC's brand value has fallen by 24-percent this year, but it remains the number one Taiwanese brand name, beating Acer and Asus. Samsung, however, was listed as one of Interbrand's top rising brands of 2012, gaining 40-percent brand value over the previous year. The Korean firm has also been linked with a rebranding project, set to be revealed during CES 2013, but it may not be as grand as many initially thought.
As for HTC, it has signed a joint patent licensing deal with Apple, is still hanging on to fifth position in IDC's global smartphone market share report and has recently launched the exciting Droid DNA with Verizon. It's not all doom and gloom, so maybe a new marketing play will help turn things around in 2013.
Editors' Recommendations
- Apple boss hints at lower iPhone prices to fight falling sales
- In 2018, smartphone sales stopped growing annually for the first time
- The compact XC40 crossover will kick off Volvo's electric-car push
- Samsung's massive Galaxy S10 5G will be the first 5G phone you can buy
- Smartwatch sales soared in 2018, with Apple leading the charge


text:
Regal FCBarcelona, defeated Spanish rivals Real Madrid 3 games to 1 in a best-of-5 series to advance to the Euroleague Final Four. Morris was injured early in game 1, did not play in game 2, but came back to play in games 3 and 4, scoring 11 points and grabbing 2 rebounds in the two full games he played in.
This is Regal FCBarcelona's second consecutive Final Four, and their 11th overall (a record for most appearances since the tournament format was adopted in 1988). Up next for Barcelona: Morris's team from last year, and last year's Euroleague runner-up, CSKA Moscow. The Final Four is single elimination, with the semifinals on May 7th and the finals on May 9th in Paris, France.


text:
Select your Patch -
OurPatch is focused on rural and regional Australia. Our aim is to replace the local paper with a vibrant online version that reflects what's happening in your town.
You can:
OurPatch is a network of more than 180 websites aimed at delivering information and services to rural and regional Australia. There is a Patch in most towns across Australia. In fact we have around 200 Patches. OurPatch helps business and community groups with simple easy to use tools to help promote their activities on the internet. We help connect rural communities ...


text:
- News
WXXI News
Special Coverage
Innovation Trail, Capitol Bureau
News Programs
Connections with Evan Dawson, Need to Know
Latest News
Interactive Grid, Printable Listings, Kids TV Schedule
Watch Online
WXXI-TV 21, World, Create,
Kids 24/7, City 12
Homework Hotline, Second Opinion, Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival,
Arts InFocus, Need to Know, All WXXI Productions, Other Programs A-Z
- Radio
- Little Theatre
Now Showing, Coming Soon, Series
Also at the Little
- Education
Information for
- Events
- Support WXXI
Support WXXI
myWXXI, Membership, Corporate Sponsorship, Planned Giving, Volunteer, Vehicle Donation
Pledge Now!more...
- From the President
Contact WXXI - Passport Questions
You can leave a message for WXXI using the contact form below.
Other contact methods:
- Phone: 585-258-0200.
- US Mail or direct e-mail: Click for Addresses.
Support provided by:


text:
FOX Business: Capitalism Lives Here
Wall Street ended the week deep in negative territory as traders fretted about the looming fiscal cliff on the heels of U.S. elections that did little change the status quo in Washington.
Continue Reading Below
Today's Markets
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 4.1 points, or 0.03%, to 12815, the S&P 500 gained 2.3 points, or 0.17%, to 1380 and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 9.3 points, or 0.32%, to 2905.
With the U.S. elections out of the way, Wall Street is looking squarely at Washington, D.C. for answers on how politicians will overcome deep ideological schisms on how to get the nation's fiscal house back in order. Thus far, traders have sold into the uncertainty.
The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all shed more than 2% over the course of the week. The Dow and Nasdaq are both at late July levels, while the S&P 500 is at its lowest point since early August. Conversely, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond has slumped to its lowest level since October 3 as traders have bought up the safe-haven asset.
President Barack Obama delivered his first speech at the White House following his re-election victory. The President vowed to continue pursuing a bargain on the fiscal cliff -- a set of painful spending cuts and tax hikes that go into effect in January. However, he said tax increases on America's highest earners need to be part of the negotiations, a point of contention among Republicans. Indeed, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the highest ranking Republican, spoke before Obama, saying he was willing to compromise but any plan should keep tax rates steady.
On the economic front, a reading on consumer sentiment from Reuters and the University of Michigan for early November rose to 84.9 from 82.6 in October, topping expectations for a reading of 83. The reading was the highest since July 2007. The measure often has a market impact, especially within the consumer discretionary and consumer staples sectors.
Wholesale inventories jumped 1.1% in September on a month-to-month basis, far bigger than the 0.4% increase expected. Generally, rising inventories are seen as a sign that firms are expecting greater sales and tends to be bullish for economic growth.
A separate report showed U.S. import prices rose 0.5% in October from September while export prices remained unchanged. Economists were expecting import prices to remain unchanged and export prices to rise 0.2%.
In Europe, talks between Greece and the European Union and International Monetary fund over a crucial aid package dragged on. A decision may not be made next week on a $40 billion rescue package, according to a report by Bloomberg News. However, the country is still unlikely to default on a debt payment that is also due next week, the report that cites unnamed sources said.
Commodities markets were to the upside. The benchmark crude oil contract jumped 98 cents, or 1.2%, to $86.07 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline soared 3.5% to $2.70 a gallon.
Gold rose $4.90, or 0.28%, to $1,731 a troy ounce.
Foreign Markets
The Euro Stoxx 50 rose 0.03% to 2480, the English FTSE 100 dipped 0.11% to 5770 and the German DAX slipped 0.58% to 7164.
In Asia, the Japanese Nikkei 225 skidded lower by 0.9% to 8758 and the Chinese Hang Seng dropped 0.85% to 2241.


text:
Rocket, any of a type of jet-propulsion device carrying either solid or liquid propellants that provide both the fuel and oxidizer required for combustion. The term is commonly applied to any of various vehicles, including firework skyrockets, guided missiles, and launch vehicles used in spaceflight, driven by any propulsive device that is independent of the atmosphere.
General characteristics and principles of operation
The rocket differs from the turbojet and other "air-breathing" engines in that all of the exhaust jet consists of the gaseous combustion products of "propellants" carried on board. Like the turbojet engine, the rocket develops thrust by the rearward ejection of mass at very high velocity.
The fundamental physical principle involved in rocket propulsion was formulated by Sir Isaac Newton. According to his third law of motion, the rocket experiences an increase in momentum proportional to the momentum carried away in the exhaust,
where M is the rocket mass, ΔvR is the increase in velocity of the rocket in a short time interval, Δt, m° is the rate of mass discharge in the exhaust, ve is the effective exhaust velocity (nearly equal to the jet velocity and taken relative to the rocket), and F is force. The quantity m°ve is the propulsive force, or thrust, produced on the rocket by exhausting the propellant,
Evidently thrust can be made large by using a high mass discharge rate or high exhaust velocity. Employing high m° uses up the propellant supply quickly (or requires a large supply), and so it is preferable to seek high values of ve. The value of ve is limited by practical considerations, determined by how the exhaust is accelerated in the supersonic nozzle and what energy supply is available for the propellant heating.
Most rockets derive their energy in thermal form by combustion of condensed-phase propellants at elevated pressure. The gaseous combustion products are exhausted through the nozzle that converts most of the thermal energy to kinetic energy. The maximum amount of energy available is limited to that provided by combustion or by practical considerations imposed by the high temperature involved. Higher energies are possible if other energy sources (e.g., electric or microwave heating) are used in conjunction with the chemical propellants on board the rockets, and extremely high energies are achievable when the exhaust is accelerated by electromagnetic means.
The effective exhaust velocity is the figure of merit for rocket propulsion because it is a measure of thrust per unit mass of propellant consumed—i.e.,
Values of ve are in the range 2,000–5,000 metres (6,500–16,400 feet) per second for chemical propellants, while values two or three times that are claimed for electrically heated propellants. Values beyond 40,000 metres (131,000 feet) per second are predicted for systems using electromagnetic acceleration. In engineering circles, notably in the United States, the effective exhaust velocity is widely expressed in units of seconds, which is referred to as specific impulse. Values in seconds are obtained by dividing the effective exhaust velocities by the constant factor 9.81 metres per second squared (32.2 feet per second squared).
In a typical chemical-rocket mission, anywhere from 50 to 95 percent or more of the takeoff mass is propellant. This can be put in perspective by the equation for burnout velocity (assuming gravity-free and drag-free flight),
In this expression, Ms/Mp is the ratio of propulsion system and structure mass to propellant mass, with a typical value of 0.09 (the symbol ln represents natural logarithm). Mp/Mo is the ratio of propellant mass to all-up takeoff mass, with a typical value of 0.90. A typical value for ve for a hydrogen–oxygen system is 3,536 metres (11,601 feet) per second. From the above equation, the ratio of payload mass to takeoff mass (Mpay/Mo) can be calculated. For a low Earth orbit, vb is about 7,544 metres (24,751 feet) per second, which would require Mpay/Mo to be 0.0374. In other words, it would take a 1,337,000-kg (2,948,000-pound) takeoff system to put 50,000 kg (110,000 pounds) in a low orbit around Earth. This is an optimistic calculation because equation (4) does not take into account the effect of gravity, drag, or directional corrections during ascent, which would noticeably increase the takeoff mass. From equation (4) it is evident that there is a direct trade-off between Ms and Mpay, so that every effort is made to design for low structural mass, and Ms/Mp is a second figure of merit for the propulsion system. While the various mass ratios chosen depend strongly on the mission, rocket payloads generally represent a small part of the takeoff mass.
A technique called multiple staging is used in many missions to minimize the size of the takeoff vehicle. A launch vehicle carries a second rocket as its payload, to be fired after burnout of the first stage (which is left behind). In this way, the inert components of the first stage are not carried to final velocity, with the second-stage thrust being more effectively applied to the payload. Most spaceflights use at least two stages. The strategy is extended to more stages in missions calling for very high velocities. The U.S. Apollo manned lunar missions used a total of six stages.
The unique features of rockets that make them useful include the following:
1. Rockets can operate in space as well as in the atmosphere of Earth.
2. They can be built to deliver very high thrust (a modern heavy space booster has a takeoff thrust of 3,800 kilonewtons (850,000 pounds).
3. The propulsion system can be relatively simple.
4. The propulsion system can be kept in a ready-to-fire state (important in military systems).
5. Small rockets can be fired from a variety of launch platforms, ranging from packing crates to shoulder launchers to aircraft (there is no recoil).
These features explain not only why all speed and distance records are set by rocket systems (air, land, space) but also why rockets are the exclusive choice for spaceflight. They also have led to a transformation of warfare, both strategic and tactical. Indeed, the emergence and advancement of modern rocket technology can be traced to weapon developments during and since World War II, with a substantial portion being funded through "space agency" initiatives such as the Ariane, Apollo, and space shuttle programs.
Chemical rockets
Rockets that employ chemical propellants come in different forms, but all share analogous basic components. These are (1) a combustion chamber where condensed-phase propellants are converted to hot gaseous reaction products, (2) a nozzle to accelerate the gas to high exhaust velocity, (3) propellant containers, (4) a means of feeding the propellants into the combustion chamber, (5) a structure to support and protect the parts, and (6) various guidance and control devices.
Chemical rocket propulsion systems are classified into two general types according to whether they burn propellants stored as solid or as liquid. Solid systems are usually called motors, and liquid systems are referred to as engines. Some developmental work has been carried out on so-called hybrid systems, in which the fuel is a solid and the oxidizer is a liquid, or vice versa. The characteristics of such systems differ greatly depending on the requirements of a given mission.
Solid-rocket motors
In a solid-rocket motor (SRM) the propellant consists of one or more pieces mounted directly in the motor "case," which serves both as a propellant tank and combustion chamber. The propellant is usually arranged to protect the motor case from heating. Most modern propellant charges are formed by pouring a viscous mix into the motor case with suitable mold fixtures. The propellant solidifies (usually by polymerization) and the mold fixtures are removed, leaving the propellant bonded to the motor case with a suitably shaped perforation down the middle. During operation the solid burns on the exposed inner surfaces. These burn away at a predictable rate to give the desired thrust.
The motor case generally consists of a steel or aluminum tube; it has a head-end dome that contains an igniter and an aft-end dome that houses or supports the nozzle. Motor cases ordinarily have insulation on their interior surfaces, especially those not covered by propellant, for protection against thermal failure (that is, the exhaust's burning through the case) during the burn. When a mission requires particularly lightweight components, motor cases are often made by filament winding of high-strength fibres on a suitable form. The filaments are held in place by continuous application and curing of plastic during winding. In motor cases, the front and aft domes are wound as integral parts of the case, with suitable openings and fixtures included to permit removal of the (collapsible) motor case form, loading of propellant, and attachment of igniter and nozzle. In nearly all applications, the motor case constitutes the main structural component of the rocket and must be designed accordingly.
Propellants for solid-rocket motors are made from a wide variety of substances, selected for low cost, acceptable safety, and high performance. The selection is strongly affected by the specific application. Typical ingredients are ammonium perchlorate (a granular oxidizer), powdered aluminum (a fuel), and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, or HTPB (a fuel that is liquid during mixing and that polymerizes to a rubbery binder during curing). This combination is used in major U.S. space boosters (e.g., the space shuttle and the Titan). Higher performance is achieved by the use of more energetic oxidizers (e.g., cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine [HMX]) and by energetic plasticizers in the binder or by energetic binders such as a nitrocellulose–nitroglycerin system. In military systems, low visibility of the exhaust plume has sometimes been a requirement, which precludes the use of aluminum powder or very much ammonium perchlorate and makes it necessary to use other materials such as HMX and high-energy binder systems that yield combustion products involving mainly carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen.
Propellant charges must meet a variety of often conflicting requirements. From a performance standpoint, they should burn inward at the burning surface in a consistent and predictable manner that is not unduly sensitive to pressure or bulk temperature at a rate typically in the range of 0.2–20 cm (0.08–7.8 inches)per second. They should be as dense as possible (to maximize the amount of propellant in a given motor size) while still producing reaction products of low molecular mass and high temperature (to maximize exhaust velocity). From a practical standpoint, propellants must be insensitive to accidental ignition stimuli and amenable to safe manufacturing and loading in the motor. Once they have been loaded in the motor, they must achieve and retain the mechanical properties necessary to maintain structural integrity under shipping, storage, and flight conditions. Since the energetic materials used in high-performance propellants are often explosives, manufacturing the propellant is a complex technology involving special facilities and strict safety guidelines. To a degree this is true also of less sensitive propellants (e.g., ammonium perchlorate–aluminum–polymeric binder propellants) used in intermediate-performance systems, such as the space shuttle booster motors.
The principal requirement for a nozzle, common to both solids and liquids, is that it be able to produce a supersonic flow of the exhaust gas from the combustion chamber pressure to an exterior pressure (or thereabouts), a function that is accomplished by proper contouring and sizing of the conduit. The contour is initially convergent to a "throat" section. The velocity of the gas in this region is equal to the local velocity of sound, and the throat cross-sectional area controls the mass discharge rate (and hence the operating pressure). Beyond the throat, the channel is divergent and the flow accelerates to high supersonic speeds with a corresponding pressure decrease. Contours are often carefully designed so that inside the nozzle shock waves and flow separation, which both degrade thrust, do not form.
The details of nozzle design depend strongly on application. Most applications require at least some use of insulation or special high-temperature materials (e.g., graphite) in order to protect the load-carrying structures from thermal failure. Many applications require that the direction of the exhaust flow be controllable over a few degrees in order to provide for "steering." This is accomplished in a variety of ways that frequently complicate the design considerably and increase nozzle mass.
The igniter in a solid-rocket motor provides a means of heating the surface of the propellant charge to a high enough temperature to induce combustion. At the same time, the igniter is usually designed to produce some initial pressure increase in the motor to assure more reproducible start-up. The igniter consists of a container of material like a metal–oxidizer mixture that is more easily and quickly ignited than the propellant; it is initiated by an electric squib or other externally energized means. The igniter case is designed to be sealed until fired and to disperse hot and burning products when pressurized by its own burning. In large motors the igniter may feed into a miniature motor containing a fast-burning propellant charge, which exhausts into the main motor to produce ignition and pressurization. Most ignition systems include some kind of "arming" feature that prevents ignition by unintended stimuli.
The thrust level of a solid rocket is determined by the rate of burning of the propellant charge (mass rate in equation [2]), which is determined by the surface area (Sc) that is burning and the rate (r) at which the surface burns into the solid. The designer may choose a charge geometry that will vary with time during burning in the manner needed for a particular mission and chooses a propellant formulation that gives the desired burning rate. This means that the thrust-time function is not amenable to any intentional modification after manufacture, and most missions using solid-rocket motors are designed to take advantage of the predictability of the thrust-time function rather than to regulate thrust during flight. The lack of real-time control on thrust is compensated for by the ability to achieve extraordinarily high mass-flow rates without the propellant pumps ordinarily used in liquid-propellant rockets. The thrust levels occurring in practice depend on motor operating pressure, which in turn is shown in internal ballistic theory to depend on motor and propellant properties according to the equation
where At is the nozzle throat area, Cd is a coefficient that depends on the thermochemical properties of the propellant reaction products, ρp is the density of the solid propellant, and C and n are constants in an equation that gives the approximate dependence of burning rate of the propellant on pressure,
The thrust is then given by an engineering equation,
where CF depends on nozzle geometry, thermochemical properties, and to a lesser degree on external pressure. Typical values of the quantities in this equation are given in the table.
In most applications, the need to minimize the mass of motor components is a major design consideration. This need is so important that it is often "bought" at the expense of low safety margins and sometimes by the use of exotic construction and structural materials. These considerations are constantly weighed against the cost of mission failures. With the advent of manned flight and commercial payloads sometimes costing $1 billion or more, the thinking on safety margins and acceptable propulsion-system cost has been changing.
Liquid-propellant rocket engines
Liquid-propellant systems carry the propellant in tanks external to the combustion chamber. Most of these engines use a liquid oxidizer and a liquid fuel, which are transferred from their respective tanks by pumps. The pumps raise the pressure above the operating pressure of the engine, and the propellants are then injected into the engine in a manner that assures atomization and rapid mixing. Liquid-propellant engines have certain features that make them preferable to solid systems in many applications. These features include (1) higher attainable effective exhaust velocities (ve), (2) higher mass fractions (propellant mass divided by mass of inert components), and (3) control of operating level in flight (throttleability), sometimes including stop-and-restart capability and emergency shutdown. Also, in some applications it is an advantage that propellant loading is delayed until shortly before launch time, a measure that the use of a liquid propellant allows. These features tend to promote the use of liquid systems in many upper-stage applications where high ve and high propellant mass fraction are particularly important. Liquid systems also have been used extensively as first-stage launch vehicles for space missions, as, for example, in the Saturn (U.S.), Ariane (European), and Energia (Soviet) launch systems. The relative merits of solid and liquid propellants in large launch vehicles are still under debate and involve not only propulsion performance but also issues related to logistics, capital and operating costs of launch sites, recovery and reuse of flight hardware, and so forth.
The typical components of a liquid-rocket propulsion system are the engine, fuel tanks, and vehicle structure with which to hold these parts in place and connect to payload and launch pad (or vehicle). The fuel and oxidizer tanks are usually of very lightweight construction, as they operate at low pressure. In some applications, the propellants are cryogenic (i.e., they are substances like oxygen and hydrogen that are gaseous at ambient conditions and must be tanked at extremely low temperature to be in the liquid state).
The liquid-propellant engine itself consists of a main chamber for mixing and burning the fuel and oxidizer, with the fore end occupied by fuel and oxidizer manifolds and injectors and the aft end composed of the supersonic nozzle. Integral to the main chamber is a coolant jacket through which liquid propellant (usually fuel) is circulated at rates high enough to allow the engine to operate continuously without an excessive increase of temperature in the chamber. Engine operating pressures are usually in the range 1,000–10,000 kilopascals (10–100 atmospheres). The propellants are supplied to the injector manifold at a somewhat higher pressure, usually by high-capacity turbopumps (one for the fuel and another for the oxidizer). From the outside, a liquid-propellant engine often looks like a maze of plumbing, which connects the tanks to the pumps, carries the coolant flow to and from the cooling jackets, and conveys the pumped fluids to the injector. In addition, engines are generally mounted on gimbals so that they can be rotated a few degrees for thrust direction control, and appropriate actuators are connected between the engine (or engines) and the vehicle structure to constrain and rotate the engine.
Each of the main engines of the U.S. space shuttle employs liquid oxygen (LO2) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) propellants. These engines represent a very complex, high-performance variety of liquid-propellant rocket. Not only does each have a ve value of 3,630 metres (11,909 feet) per second but is also capable of thrust-magnitude control over a significant range (2–1). Moreover, the shuttle engines are part of the winged orbiter, which is designed to carry both crew and payload for up to 20 missions.
At the opposite extreme of complexity and performance is a hydrazine thrustor used for attitude control of conventional flight vehicles and unmanned spacecraft. Such a system may employ a valved pressure vessel in place of a pump, and the single propellant flows through a catalyst bed that causes exothermic (heat-releasing) decomposition. The resulting gas is exhausted through a nozzle that is suitably oriented for the required attitude correction. Systems of this kind also are used as gas generators for turbopumps on larger rockets.
Most liquid-propellant rockets use bipropellant systems—i.e., those in which an oxidizer and a fuel are tanked separately and mixed in the combustion chamber. Desirable properties for propellant combinations are low molecular mass and high temperature of reaction products (for high exhaust velocity), high density (to minimize tank weight), low hazard factor (e.g., corrosivity and toxicity), low environmental impact, and low cost. Choices are based on trade-offs according to the applications. For example, liquid oxygen is widely used because it is a good oxidizer for a number of fuels (giving high flame temperature and low molecular mass) and because it is reasonably dense and relatively inexpensive. It is liquid only below −183 °C (−297 °F), which somewhat limits its availability, but it can be loaded into insulated tanks shortly before launch (and replenished or drained in the event of launch delays). Liquid fluorine or ozone are better oxidizers in some respects but involve more hazard and higher cost. The low temperatures of all of these systems require special design of pumps and other components, and the corrosivity, toxicity, and hazardous characteristics of fluorine and ozone have prevented their use in operational systems. Other oxidizers that have seen operational use are nitric acid (HNO3), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), which are liquids under ambient conditions. While some are somewhat noxious chemicals, they are useful in applications where the rocket must be in a near ready-to-fire condition over an extended period of time, as in the case of long-range ballistic missiles.
Liquid hydrogen is usually the best fuel from the standpoint of high exhaust velocity, and it might be used exclusively were it not for the cryogenic requirement and its very low density. Such hydrocarbon fuels as alcohol and kerosene are often preferred because they are liquid under ambient conditions and denser than liquid hydrogen in addition to being more "concentrated" fuels (i.e., they have more fuel atoms in each molecule). The values of exhaust velocity are determined by the relative effects of higher flame (combustion) temperatures and molecular masses of reaction products.
In practice, a variety of choices of propellant systems have been made in major systems, as shown in the table of liquid propellants. In flights where cryogenic propellants can be utilized (e.g., ground-to-Earth-orbit propulsion), liquid oxygen is most often used as the oxidizer. In first stages either a hydrocarbon or liquid hydrogen is employed, while the latter is usually adopted for second stages. In ICBMs and other similar guided missiles that must stand ready for launch on short notice, noncryogenic (or "storable") propellant systems are used, as, for instance, an oxidizer–fuel mixture of nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine–unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (also designated UDMH; [CH3]2 NNH2). Systems of this sort also find application on longer duration flights such as those involving the space shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System and the Apollo Lunar Module. Solid motors have proved useful on long-duration flights, but liquid systems are often preferred because of the need for stop–start capability or thrust control.
|*Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine.
|German V-2
|liquid oxygen
|ethyl alcohol–water (75%–25%)
|Atlas ICBM
|liquid oxygen
|RP-1 (kerosene)
|first stage
|liquid oxygen
|RP-1 (kerosene)
|second stage
|nitrogen tetroxide
|hydrazine-UDMH* (50%–50%)
|first stage
|liquid oxygen
|RP-1 (kerosene)
|second stage
|liquid oxygen
|liquid hydrogen
|third stage
|liquid oxygen
|liquid hydrogen
|Apollo lunar module
|nitrogen tetroxide
|hydrazine-UDMH* (50%–50%)
|space shuttle
|main engines
|liquid oxygen
|liquid hydrogen
|orbital maneuvering system
|nitrogen tetroxide
|monomethyl hydrazine
|Ariane 4, first stage
|nitrogen tetroxide
|Energia, first stage
|liquid oxygen
|liquid hydrogen
|liquid oxygen
Other systems
As suggested earlier, systems using energy sources independent of the propellant fluid have been studied, and they offer promise for several space missions. In certain systems the propellant is electrically heated at elevated pressure and then accelerated by exhaust through a nozzle. In others the propellant is accelerated without a nozzle (as in the ion and Hall thrusters) by electromagnetic means, in which case at least part of the fluid must be electrically charged first. In these systems the energy source may be nuclear, solar, or beamed energy from an independent source. The outlook for most current missions is that on-board energy sources of this kind would not be suitable for high-thrust missions. There are, however, missions such as flights to other planets where sustained low thrust from on-board energy sources would save on propellant. Such missions originate from an Earth orbit, with flight system and on-board materials being transported to Earth orbit by chemical rocket propulsion. Electrically heated fluids can be used in missions involving manned space stations, where low-thrust capability is needed to control orbit and station attitude. Consideration has been given to the use of human-waste products as propellants; these could be heated electrically from power systems already on board for station operational needs.
Development of rockets
The technology of rocket propulsion appears to have its origins in the period 1200–1300 in Asia, where the first "propellant" (a mixture of saltpetre, sulfur, and charcoal called black powder) had been in use for about 1,000 years for other purposes. As is so often the case with the development of technology, the early uses were primarily military. Powered by black powder charges, rockets served as bombardment weapons, culminating in effectiveness with the Congreve rockets (named for William Congreve, a British officer who was instrumental in their development) of the early 1800s. Performance of these early rockets was poor by modern standards because the only available propellant was black powder, which is not ideal for propulsion. Military use of rockets declined from 1815 to 1936 because of the superior performance of guns.
During the period 1880–1930 the idea of using rockets for space travel grew in public interest. Stimulated by the conceptions of such fiction writers as Jules Verne, the Russian scientist Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky worked on theoretical problems of propulsion-system design and rocket motion and on the concept of multistage rockets. Perhaps more widely recognized are the contributions of Robert H. Goddard, an American scientist and inventor who from 1908 to 1945 conducted a wide array of rocket experiments. He independently developed ideas similar to those of Tsiolkovsky about spaceflight and propulsion and implemented them, building liquid- and solid-propellant rockets. His developmental work included tests of the world's first liquid-propellant rocket in 1926. Goddard's many contributions to the theory and design of rockets earned him the title of father of modern rocketry. A third pioneer, Hermann Oberth of Germany, developed much of the modern theory for rocket and spaceflight independent of Tsiolkovsky and Goddard. He not only provided inspiration for visionaries of spaceflight but played a pivotal role in advancing the practical application of rocket propulsion that led to the development of rockets in Germany during the 1930s.
Due to the work of these early pioneers and a host of rocket experimenters, the potential of rocket propulsion was at least vaguely perceived prior to World War II, but there were many technical barriers to overcome. Development was accelerated during the late 1930s and particularly during the war years. The most notable achievements in rocket propulsion of this era were the German liquid-propellant V-2 rocket and the Me-163 rocket-powered airplane. (Similar developments were under way in other countries but did not see service during the war.) A myriad of solid-propellant rocket weapons also were produced, and tens of millions were fired during combat operations by German, British, and U.S. forces. The main advances in propulsion that were involved in the wartime technology were the development of pumps, injectors, and cooling systems for liquid-propellant engines and high-energy solid propellants that could be formed into large pieces with reliable burning characteristics.
From 1945 to 1955 propulsion development was still largely determined by military applications. Liquid-propellant engines were refined for use in supersonic research aircraft, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and high-altitude research rockets. Similarly, developments in solid-propellant motors were in the areas of military tactical rocket applications and high-altitude research. Bombardment rockets, aircraft interceptors, antitank weapons, and air-launched rockets for air and surface targets were among the primary tactical applications. Technological advances in propulsion included the perfection of methods for casting solid-propellant charges, development of more energetic solid propellants, introduction of new structural and insulation materials in both liquid and solid systems, manufacturing methods for larger motors and engines, and improvements in peripheral hardware (e.g., pumps, valves, engine-cooling systems, and direction controls). By 1955 most missions called for some form of guidance, and larger rockets generally employed two stages. While the potential for spaceflight was present and contemplated at the time, financial resources were directed primarily toward military applications.
The next decade witnessed the development of large solid-propellant rocket motors for use in ICBMs, a choice motivated by the perceived need to have such systems in ready-to-launch condition for long periods of time. This resulted in a major effort to improve manufacturing capabilities for large motors, lightweight cases, energetic propellants, insulation materials that could survive long operational times, and thrust-direction control. Enhancement of these capabilities led to a growing role for solid-rocket motors in spaceflight. Between 1955 and 1965 the vision of the early pioneers began to be realized with the achievement of Earth-orbiting satellites and manned spaceflight. The early missions were accomplished with liquid-propulsion systems adapted from military rockets. The first successful "all-civilian" system was the Saturn launch vehicle for the Apollo Moon-landing program, which used five 7,740-kilonewton- (1.7-million-pound-) thrust liquid-propellant engines in the first stage. Since then, liquid systems have been employed by most countries for spaceflight applications, though solid boosters have been combined with liquid engines in various first stages of U.S. launch vehicles (those of the Titan 34D, Delta, and space shuttle) and solid-rocket motors have been used for several systems for transfer from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit. In such systems, the lower performance of solid-propellant motors is accepted in exchange for the operational simplicity that it provides.
Since 1965, missions have drawn on an ever-expanding technology base, using improved propellants, structural materials, and designs. Present-day missions may involve a combination of several kinds of engines and motors, each chosen according to its function. Because of the performance advantages of energetic propellants and low structural mass, propulsion systems are operated near their safe limits, and one major challenge is to achieve reliability commensurate with the value of the (sometimes human) payload. Environmental compatibility has become a significant concern.Edward W. Price Oscar Biblarz
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
telescope: Rockets and spacecraftThe quest for new knowledge about the universe has led astronomers to study electromagnetic radiation other than just visible light. Such forms of radiation, however, are blocked for the most part by Earth's atmosphere, and so their detection and analysis can only…
combustion: In rocket propulsionThe products of combustion of gaseous, liquid, or solid propellants in rockets are ejected from the combustion chamber through the (de Laval) nozzle at a high velocity. Knowledge of the kinetics of chemical processes in the nozzle is essential to determine the thrust…
space exploration: Goddard…his first two patents for rocket technology in 1914, and, with funding from the Smithsonian Institution, he published a theoretical treatise,
A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes, in 1919. Goddard's claim that rockets could be used to send objects as far as the Moon was widely ridiculed in the public…
chemical industry: Nitric acid…to the explosives are the rocket propellants. A rocket-propelled missile or spacecraft launch vehicle must carry both reactive components (fuel and oxidizer) with it, either in different molecules or in the same molecule. Essentially, rocket propellants consist of an oxidant and a reductant. The oxidant is not necessarily a derivative…
spaceflight: Gravity…and calculations of earlier scientists, rocket pioneers understood Newton's laws of motion and other principles of spaceflight, but the application of those principles had to await the development of rocket power to launch a spacecraft to the altitude and velocity required for its mission.…
More About Rocket16 references found in Britannica articles
Assorted References
- combustion process
- principles of ballistics
- In ballistics
- use in bazookas
- In bazooka
contribution of
- Braun
- Congreve
- Goddard
- Karman
- Korolyov
- Oberth


text:
AIDS InfoNet
Index of articles from AIDS InfoNet Sobre La InfoRed Sida
Indice de InfoRed SIDA
The AIDS InfoNet is a project of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) and the New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center in the Infectious Diseases Division of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. The InfoNet was originally designed to make information on HIV/AIDS services and treatments easily accessible in both English and Spanish for residents of New Mexico. Its mission has expanded to that of providing HIV/AIDS treatment information in non-technical language in various languages. The primary audience for InfoNet materials includes people living with HIV and their caregivers, especially nurses and other first-line treatment providers. Through collaborative agreements with AIDS service organizations in various countries, the InfoNet is expanding the range of languages in which its materials are offered.
The information provided on this site is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her existing health care providers.
InfoNet Fact Sheets
AIDS InfoNet treatment information is provided in the form of single-topic Fact Sheets.
How to Reach AIDS InfoNet
AIDS InfoNet
Email: InfoNet Project Coordinator


text:
Till Death Do Us Part (Journey Into Mystery #15, April 1954)
Vic Carrabotta was born in The Bronx, New York City, and attended the High School of Music and Art in Brooklyn, as well as the School of Visual Arts. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1948 to 1951, and then worked in construction for a while, before he got his first art jobs through Famous Studios and Will Eisner. He was active as a comic book artist for Stan Lee's Atlas line during the 1950s.
He contributed to many of the Atlas war, mystery, horror and western titles, such as Journey into Unknown Worlds, Strange Tales, War Comics, Astonishing Comics and Western Gunfighters. He additionally illustrated crime stories for Fiction House and Story Comics, and 'Red Fire' and crime stories for Lev Gleason. Carrabotta was furthermore present in Atomic Attack and Chilling Tales, published by Youthful Magazines. He was also a storyboarder and designer for commercials. He eventually went into the printing business and became art director in the Atlanta office of the advertising agency BBDO. After winning an award for a Delta Air Lines project, he began freelancing as a storyboard and conceptual artist for several agencies, including Grey Advertising, McCann-Erickson, and Young & Rubicam.
We Don't Want Your Head! (Journey Into Mystery #13, Dec 1953)


text:
Suresh has always been thoughtful and insightful with regard to my needs, rather than his own. His investment suggestions have been sensible and fair. He has demonstrated sound and conservative financial ability.Parveen Sharma, Bilaspur (HP)Suresh is truly what I will call you as Financial Doctors/True Certified Financial Planners looking after my financial health. I fully recommend his name to whosoever who wants to come to them for getting their financial planning done.Parvesh Bansal(NRI), Mandi Gobindgarh (Punjab)I would unequivocally recommend Suresh's services to anyone who cares about his financial health. The very reasonable fee that Suresh charges for his services are well worth the results.Suresh Kumar, Sirhoi (Raj)Suresh's monthly cash flow management calculations and the consequent recommendations take into account all the requirements of a family and offer complete clarity as to the way forward.Vishal Kakar, Panchkula (HR)Prudent Financial Planners gave me a totally different perspective about money and how you can make your money work for you. I got to know about term plans and health insurance and other modes of investments.Amit Goyal, Panchkula (HR)Suresh has been advising me on my financial affairs since long time. I have already been burnt my fingers in stock market and then, Suresh had realized and brain stormed me about my investment plan.Kulbhushan Jamwal, Distt Kangra (HP)Your articles are really fabulous; I am your great fan. Sir I want my son to become great person like youR.K. Mulchandani, Through e-mailCFPCM , CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERCM, and are certification marks owned outside the U.S. by Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB). Financial Planning Standards Board India is the marks licensing authority for the CFPCM marks in India, through agreement with FPSB.
Expert Advice
We are regular contributor in Expert Advice of Business Bhaskar where we answer reader's queries on various personal financial matters such as Financial Planning, Insurance Planning, Investment Planning, Tax Planning, Retirement Planning, Behavioral Finance and Product Review etc.
You could access our Samadhan Section at http://www.sureshcfp.com/hindi-blogs/expert-advice


text:
Felt 2013 mountain bike range launched
Revamped Nine 29er hardtails, new carbon Compulsion, and 29er Edict
Major revamp for 2013 Felt Nine 29er hardtail
Felt's Nine 29er carbon hardtail hasn't changed much since its introduction back in 2008 but the 2013 version looks to be worth the wait with huge leaps forward in performance. It's slightly lighter but that's not the big story – claimed stiffness figures jump by up to 50 percent and the geometry is a further refinement over what was already a winning formula.
The new Nine carbon frame follows in the footsteps of Felt's road-going F series with more smoothly flowing lines, straighter tube and fiber paths, fewer radical kinks and flat surfaces that previously served as unintended flex points, and the same InsideOut internal and external molding process that yields more precise internal shapes and less wasted material. It's a quieter design visually but if our experience on the current F-series is any indicator, what it loses in flair it should gain in performance on the trail.
A key element to the carbon Nine's new design is the seat cluster, which trades the previous version's wishbone-style seat stays to a new twin stay setup with a more bulbous joint. According to Felt research and development director Jeff Soucek, the new design effectively allows the seat tube to 'float' in the seat cluster for more comfort. But the more organic lines – plus a vertical rib running inside the aft section of the top tube – lend more full-frame torsional stiffness than before for better handling and an overall snappier feel.
Tapered head tubes are used across the board on Felt's new Nine carbon frames
Felt will also bring the new Nine up to date with the ancillary features, which include a tapered head tube, fully lined and guided internal routing for the front and rear derailleurs, hollow tubular-style carbon fiber dropouts (with replaceable hangers for standard or Shimano's new Direct Mount fitment), a slimmed-down 27.2mm diameter seatpost to further soften the ride, and new InForcewovencarbon fiber 'shields' built into the down tube, top tube, and chain stays to provide impact resistance without the need for thick and heavy plastic guards.
The bottom bracket area is puffed up from before and, in fact, it's big enough to easily accommodate a BB30 shell. However, Felt has decided to stick with a conventionally threaded aluminum two-piece overlapping insert for more precise bearing alignment, better crank compatibility (not to mention the option of BB-mounted XC-style chain guides), and reduced creaking. Aluminum is also used in the bearing seats for the integrated headset and the IS-style rear brake caliper mounts.
Geometry has been updated with 100mm-travel forks, chain stays that have shortened by 5mm courtesy of a subtly kinked seat tube, head tube angles slackened half a degree to 71° (while retaining the same trail thanks to new fork offsets), and shorter head tube lengths – as little as 90mm in the smallest sizes – to retain aggressive cockpit positioning. Speaking of which, the size range grows by two with the total spread now running from 14 inches all the way up to 22 inches.
Frame sizes from 14 to 22 inches
Despite the continued use of aluminum, claimed frame weight for the new Nine FRD flagship is a paltry 900g for a medium size – 150g than last year's LTD – thanks to a new partnership with Swedish Formula 1 carbon fiber supplier oXeon. According to Soucek, oXeon'sTeXtreme fabric uses woven fiber plies that are thinner than the norm by as much as half, thus allowing less material for the same stiffness or – as Felt has chosen to do – a greater number of plies in select areas to more finely hone the ride quality and boost stiffness while still maintaining thin and lively tube walls plus the inherent impact resistance of a woven cloth.
Moreover, TeXtreme supposedly conforms better to complex curves for less fiber wrinkling.
Retail pricing on the Nine FRD is quite high at US$2,850 for the bare frame. However, the clever thing about Felt's new frame design is that the benefits are inherent to the new shape instead of exotic materials or ultra-expensive construction techniques. Therefore, Soucek claims the stiffness and ride quality gains trickle down to the more reasonable price points, too. According to Felt, the mid-range Nine carbon variant weighs only 100g more than the FRD but is roughly half the cost at US$1,499. The entry-level version is still just 1,120g for the frame and costs only US$2,700 for a complete bike built with a SRAM X7/X9 2×10 drivetrain.
New alloy Nine frames
Felt has completely revamped its Nine carbon and aluminum hardtails for 2013
Alloy Nine frames have been completely redesigned for 2013 in a similar fashion to the carbon chassis, with smoother and more puffed-up shapes plus more flowing lines that supposedly distribute stresses across a larger area than before for improved stiffness and ride quality. The new frames – used on complete bikes down to US$1,000 – also get tapered head tubes, bridgeless twin seat stays, and a two-piece forged chain stay yoke that provides extra tire clearance.
Geometry is also updated on these bikes although Felt has decided to steer the alloy Nines towards a slightly more hard-hitting crowd. Travel is again bumped up to 100mm but the head tube angle is yet another half-degree slacker and the head tube is about 5mm longer than the carbon bikes, too.
New carbon Compulsion, Edict goes 29er, plus tweaks to other models
The new carbon fiber Felt Compulsion
The current 150-160mm-travel Compulsion was introduced in Europe last year as an all-alloy model but 2013 will bring two higher-end versions with carbon fiber front triangles that will now be offered in the US, too. The rear ends will stick with TIG-welded aluminum construction but gets upgraded to triple butted material for reduced weight.
Suspension travel comes courtesy of Felt's long-running Equilink six-pivot linkage system, which is somewhat similar to a standard short dual link setup with the exception of an additional CNC-machined aluminum strut that ties the upper and lower links together to help tune the anti-squat characteristics. The top-end frame will get titanium hardware across the board to supplement the mix of full-complement bearings and DU bushings.
Additional features include an AngleSet-compatible semi-integrated tapered head tube, a 142x12mm thru-axle rear end, and a wealth of routing options that include TruvativHammerSchmidt and dropper post compatibility.
Pricing for the Compulsion runs from US$6,199 for the top carbon model with Shimano Deore XT and Fox's latest 34 fork with aluminum models starting at US$2,899.
Felt will offer a full range of 29″-wheeled Edict short-travel cross-country bikes for 2013
Felt's new Edict 29er 100mm-travelcross-country full-suspension bikes were already previewed at Sea Otter – and we already have one on hand for an upcoming review – but one new detail is how truncated the 26″ version has become. Whereas Felt previously offered a broad range of 26″-wheeled Edicts, Felt now only lists a bare Edict Six LTD frame option at US$3,099.
Carbon Virtue 26″-wheeled trail bikes carry on for 2013 but now get carbon rear ends instead of the previous alloy ones.
Many of the new bikes are either available now or will be in stock at dealers within a month or so.