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7. Limitation of Liability YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND ANY SOFTWARE OR FIRMWARE DOWNLOADED THEREFROM. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ANY INFORMATION YOU SEND OR RECEIVE DURING YOUR USE OF THE SITE MAY NOT BE SECURE AND MAY BE INTERCEPTED OR LATER ACQUIRED BY UNAUTHORIZED PARTIES. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND ANY SOFTWARE OR FIRMWARE DOWNLOADED THEREFROM IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. RECOGNIZING SUCH, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER VTECH NOR ITS SUPPLIERS, LICENSORS, PARENT, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AGENTS, CO-BRANDERS, OTHER PARTNERS, OR EMPLOYEES WILL BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY OR OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER TANGIBLE OR INTANGIBLE LOSSES OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES OR LOSS BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY OR ANY OTHER THEORY (EVEN IF VTECH HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), RESULTING FROM THE SITE OR SOFTWARE OR FIRMWARE DOWNLOADED THEREFROM; THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE SITE; UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OR DESTRUCTION OR DELETION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA OR DEVICE; STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SITE; ANY ACTIONS WE TAKE OR FAIL TO TAKE AS A RESULT OF COMMUNICATIONS YOU SEND TO US; HUMAN ERRORS; TECHNICAL MALFUNCTIONS; FAILURES, INCLUDING PUBLIC UTILITY OR TELEPHONE OR INTERNET OUTAGES; OMISSIONS, INTERRUPTIONS, LATENCY, DELETIONS OR DEFECTS OF ANY DEVICE OR NETWORK, PROVIDERS, OR SOFTWARE; ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE TO COMPUTER EQUIPMENT; INABILITY TO FULLY ACCESS THE SITE OR ANY OTHER SITE; THEFT, TAMPERING, DESTRUCTION, OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, OR ALTERATION OF, ENTRIES, IMAGES OR OTHER CONTENT OF ANY KIND; TYPOGRAPHICAL, PRINTING OR OTHER ERRORS, OR ANY COMBINATION THEREOF; OR ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SITE OR THE SOFTWARE OR FIRMWARE DOWNLOADED THEREFROM. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, VTECH'S LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE ACTION, WILL AT ALL TIMES BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID, IF ANY, BY YOU TO PURCHASE A VTECH DEVICE OR SOFTWARE. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages. Accordingly, some of the above limitations may not apply to you.
The Death of InfoSec
Security should be built-in, not bolt-on. Security should never be an afterthought. Secure by design, secure by default these and more have become mantra, at least in information security circles. It is clear that technology, infrastructure and services initially designed for ease-of-use, maximum compatibility or openness will appear to be constrained by the security team after the event.
A notion that has been rolling around in the sometimes preternaturally silent caverns of my cranium for a while now, and something I have brought up on the last couple of panels I have sat on, is "Are we insisting hard enough?" This is not a security issue; this is a business issue.
If "secure by design" is the ideal state, why is it that we continue to have a bolt-on Information Security function? Information Security should be embedded in the enterprise structure; a business secure by design.
Another truism is that security professionals "need to learn to speak the language of business" and I have heard many security professionals express that same desire. It is equally true that business needs to learn to speak the language of security.
Every successful breach relies on a vulnerability, but there is still a disproportionate focus on vulnerabilities in code or configuration, rather than in process or people. Frequently it is simply the way that we do something, rather than the tools that we use, that enables an attacker to gain a foothold in our enterprises. Yet we still focus on patch and vulnerability management instead of embedding security in business processes.
Some more forward-looking organisations may already be exploring the concept of "security champions" or "security ambassadors" as a component of their security awareness program, but we can and should go further. The Information Security team should be distributed and embedded throughout the organisation, empowered security experts within each business function who carry that responsibility. Our business needs to be secure by design.
Meet your new InfoSec Team
The Human Resources team, Sales, Marketing, Research & Development, Finance, whatever is relevant to your enterprise; each of these need a full-time security specialist with direct impact on departmental strategy and governance, procurement, third-party management, manufacturing, design, communications and more. Each of these reporting to the CIO/CISO with a dotted line to their own departmental heads. This is your new Information Security Team
The most obvious counter argument to this kind of structure is, of course, cost. The prospect of finding the cash to fund an extra head in every department is alarming at face value, but the more you consider how this approach translates to your own enterprise, the more attractive it becomes. It is not always an extra resource, often a redistributed one; the Information Security diaspora. This individual is a security expert, but also a full-time member of their respective team with a clear understanding of the goals, the roadmap, legislation and regulation, business requirements and drivers of that part of your business. They understand the use cases and respective urgency of technology requirements and are able to correlate the business need and the security "bigger picture". Your embedded security resource learns new skills themselves from their departmental peers and also passes on their own security culture. Your distributed team simplifies the security audit, training, incident reporting and enhances customer experience, both internal and external.
No more marketing emails that ask your customers to "click a link to update their details", no more ad-hoc appointment of third-party suppliers with inadequate security, no more public-facing web-servers vulnerable to SQL injections, no more shadow IT. No more.
Unparalleled visibility, integration and control, continuous education and improvement, and security embedded in every aspect of the business. Information Security is no longer the Department of No, it becomes the Department of How.
The more this architecture is adopted by leading businesses, the more secure we will make our inter-corporate communications and projects, as well. Security will find its counterpart in every partnership, you are building a secure physical API for the enterprise.
TalkTalk – The case for a Chief Security Officer
While the importance of the Chief Information Security Officer has been in constant growth over the past few years, organisations that employ a CISO/CSO are still far too few.
As the latest breach at broadband provider TalkTalk descends slowly into farce, the perils of relying on the CEO to fill these shoes become apparent. Almost one week on from the initial attack many important questions still remain unanswered or answered in unacceptably vague or contradictory terms.
The "significant and sustained" attack against TalkTalk was initially characterised as a Distributed Denial of Service attack. Commentators rightly pointed out that a DDoS in itself does not lead to information theft and that there must have been another element to it. Later reports appear to confirm that the theft was the result of a simple SQL injection attack. At a technology company! Affecting 4m people! In 2015!
TalkTalk are still unable to confirm which and how much data was encrypted. In addition to personal information including name, address, date of birth and email address, the breach also exposed financial data. The CEO initially said that they "didn't know" if this data was encrypted or not (How can this be the case?). Now, it appears that "only" the first and last digits of credit card data may have been exposed. Of course this still carries risk, think how often those "last four digits" are requested as verification data. Since then Baroness Harding has even gone as far as the last refuge of the wicked, legislation, claiming in an interview with The Sunday Times (paywalled) that TalkTalk is under no obligation to encrypt credit card data. Really? I think that the PCI-DSS may well dispute that point with you, not to mention your customers.
Ah yes, the customers… Those four million people who will now be finding that their names, addresses, contact information and dates of birth are far more difficult to change than their credit card details (or their broadband provider) and that a year of free credit-monitoring involves entrusting yet another corporate with all their extremely sensitive information.
The handling of the breach illustrates that the role of the CISO is never a purely technical one; the CISO also owns the breach response plan, an important aspect of which has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with communications. How do you inform your customers and when? How do you engage law enforcement or forensics? What information do you need always to have to hand about the care and sensitivity with which you treat the information that has been entrusted to your organisation and how do you sensitively, accurately and promptly convey this?
Rule 1: It's not all about you. To say, "I'm a customer myself of TalkTalk. I've been a victim of this attack" is crass and insensitive in the extreme. To include an assertion in your FAQ that you have not breached the Data Protection Act is both short-sighted and ill-informed, as I addressed in this piece for The Guardian.
This apparent lack of plan, this visible lack of any senior Information Security management team could well be the eventual downfall of TalkTalk, time, the markets, the regulators and their customers will decide. We could be watching the first major corporate disintegration as a result of data breach. Welcome to the future.
So, assuming you have or are planning to hire a CISO, to whom should they report? In too many organisations the CISO is still reporting to the CIO despite the frequent pitfalls. This reporting structure can be counter-productive. The question of reporting lines is often a source of friction and can really only be answered if you have managed to effectively differentiate and delineate your CIO and CISO roles.
Job descriptions are slippery amorphous things, so in the interest of impartiality I'll use Wikipedia's definition. CIO is "a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals", whereas CISO "is the senior-level executive within an organization responsible for establishing and maintaining the enterprise vision, strategy and program to ensure information assets are adequately protected".
When put this simply, the conflict of interest in having a CISO report to a CIO becomes very clear. The person responsible for ensuring organisational information security can not be subordinated to the person responsible for technology selection and implementation. Rather the two should operate as a team, driving operational and information security up the boardroom agenda. An effective CIO/CISO team will take board level strategic directions and translate them into technological and process requirements for the organisation. The CIO ensures that best of breed technologies are selected and architected in the most operationally beneficial manner, the CISO ensuring that those technologies meet the security requirements of the business on an ongoing basis; neither one being able to pull rank on the other.
In the case of a conflict arising between the two, which cannot be resolved through discussion the final say must comes down to business risk and operations, requiring the involvement of COO, CRO or even CEO depending on the organisational structure.
Security should be a regular boardroom agenda item and it is only through the checks and balances of the independent CIO and CISO that it can be effectively addressed.


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In some ways, London Fashion Week is my favorite, season after season. It's the shortest of all the cities - something of a Fashion Long Weekend, if we're being honest - and in that space, it packs in tons of incredibly talented young designers who are doing bold, sometimes even brave, things with clothing, alongside a few bold-face names like Burberry and, this season, Tom Ford.
The downside of LFW, at least as it pertains to what we do here, is that few of the designers who grace us with their presences are known for bags, and a lot of them don't even make so much as a clutch. Still, we tracked down 10 lust-worthy runway handbags from the runways of London Fashion Week Fall 2013, from beautiful exotics in traditional shapes to, well, the kind of zaniness for which London fashion is known.
When I think of British handbags, the first brand I think of is Mulberry. Its show was full of beautiful bags, including this yellow ostrich ultra-structured stunner.
For Mulberry, Fall 2013 also marked the debut of the simple, elegant Mulberry Suffolk Bag.
I've never thought about TopShop Unique as a source for interesting bags, but this dark red fur (is that fur?) and black leather satchel has my interest piqued.
Matthew Williamson is usually known for his colors and embellishments, but this textured black shoulder bag is a nice departure.
This Louis Grey clutch looks like a weathered find that someone plucked out of obscurity at a thrift shop, and I mean that as a compliment.
Louis Grey isn't a traditional luxury handbag designer, but this big, bold tote is pretty fun.
Another crazy-good find from TopShop Unique - the big, matte black chains hanging off this collection's bags are amazing.
This season marked L'Wren Scott's first LFW runway show, and she made her debut with this glorious gold croc clutch.
Most of Burberry's Fall 2013 bags were squishy pouches carried in models' hands, but this bold satchel stood out from the pack.
This Christopher Kane Cage Clutch was unquestionable the best evening bag of the week.
P.S. Please consider supporting our small, bag-loving team by clicking our links before shopping or checking out at your favorite online retailers like Amazon, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, or any of the listed partners on our shop page. We truly appreciate your support!

subset: commoncrawl


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Missoula City Fire Fights Two Weekend Blazes [AUDIO]
Missoula City Fire Department was called to a structure fire at about 10:30 Friday night at 630 Dixon Avenue, and another early Sunday morning at 1407 Stoddard.
In both fires, three engine companies and a battalion chief responded, along with city police and an ambulance.
On the Dixon fire.. one bedroom on the first floor was fully engulfed when they arrived, and all the occupants had already left the building. The fire was quickly knocked down and brought under control.
No injuries were reported, and damage was estimated at about $5,000.
In the Stoddard fire, an apartment on the second floor had heavy smoke and fire in the living room. The occupant of the apartment was not home at the time, and all other residents in the building had been safely evacuated.
Damage in that fire is estimated to be over $15,000.
Both fires are currently under investigation.
Captain Robin Powell, Missoula Fire Department


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dumas, AR
So what did they do? In those days without pre settlement claim financing, to save their major needs after their case settled they got help from family, propelled Visa duty, or needed to settle their valid case early just to get some money to escape complete money related ruin. Today, with pre settlement claim financing from acquaintanceships like Pre-settlementfunding.com, the exhaustive neighborhood has a trade choice. One that obliges the present money needs of the mischief collecting, and gives the aggravated assembling's legitimate counselor the time they have to headway to a sensible and just settlement remunerate.
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Welcome to the CRG Discussion Forum!Forum registration problems: Make sure you enter your email correctly and you check your spam box first. *Then* email KurtS2@gmail for help.Classified ads are not allowed on the forum.
The reason you see different colors on restored cars? Everybody and their brother has tried to duplicate the blue/grey color of original springs. You finally get something you can live with and call it a day. We probably mixed 20 pints of paint trying for a color. The only thing that jumps out at me is you are missing a retainer on the mid rear section of the springs. Mine has 3 where you only have 2. Mike keep in mind I have 5 leaf springs and that maybe the difference. Somebody with 4 leaf setup will let you know


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Dot Ventures needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 42 designs submitted by 21 freelance designers.
an online directory of white water rafting companies.
White Water Guides.com
a professional logo that would look good on a hat, a business card and a web page. I don't care for logos on colored backgrounds or vertical logos that are too high and end up taking up too much room on the top of a web page. Also I like logos with 2 colors (saves on printing).
- see description
- see description
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Hawkeye: In Those Days
"Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth… Tame the dragon and the gift is yours."
Good morning to all good friends, loyal readers, and fans of Hawkeye.
Hawkeye feels like a million bucks this morning even though he is near broke! They say that Tupe {money} isn't everything, but Hawkeye is here to tell you that you won't get very far without it! And there is good news today coming out of the great state of Wisconsin. They will be able to continue to make Cheese! They will also retain their incumbent Kovana, {Govnah} and their LT. Kovana, which is due to the incumbents winning the ridiculous "Re-Call" election. California tried recalling their Governor, and they ended up with Ernie Swartzerneiger who wasn't much better than the first.
Hawkeye, not claiming to be a Politician will hereby shut his face on the subject. Over.
And as it has been written, in those days, traveling was very dangerous. There were Cannibals who would chase you down, kook you and ate you up! And while we are on the subject of cannibalism, what about the Homo that ate the other homos face? Just when we think it cannot get any worse, it does. Could this sort of behavior be drug induced? And on to some good news: The military have exterminated the No. 2 bad guy with Al-Qaida. These are the Homos that are constantly trying to kill freedom loving people of the world… This imbecile was slain in Pakistan, a so called allied Country that we support by donating billions of our hard earned tax dollars to annually. It is time to spread the wealth amongst ourselves for a change fans. It is time to clean out the barn, and shear the sheep. And while we are doing that, we might as well clean each other's toenails.. Humm..
Hawkeye and Sweet Leanor watched a couple of good movies this week end folks. "Act of Valor" was well worth the time taken to watch. This was our Navy Seals in live action, acted out by genuine Navy Seals, and based on real life activities. Hawkeye will hereby make this his Movie Pick of the Month. Go get it, and salute our men & women in uniform of all branches of our armed forces. You'll be glad you did! Another great movie is "Good for nothing." A very different movie with lots of dry humor throughout. Now: speaking of dry humor, how about driving through an obstacle course in the form of the Post Office Parking lot! If you can negotiate your Taavales {Automobiles} through that Parking lot, you can succeed at doing the run over 3 mile Gorge in Southern Peru! This is next to murder in disguise folks. Homo-sapiens will squeeze in to parking spaces that do not exist. If that don't work, they will park smack dab in front of you, hemming not only you in to the point that you cannot move in any direction, but so many others while they simply step out of their Chariots and head off to who knows where to take care of their own selfish agendas. Hawkeye will hereby practice what he preaches now fans: If ya don't care for Wonderland, the Planes still fly in both directions. Hawkeye can vouch for this over the past 27 years, confusion in the Post Office Parking Lot or not! Hawkeye, along with hundreds of other Homos has had the Flu Virus for the past two weeks.
This comes with the rains that carry the virus, and there is nothing in the world you can do to prevent it, or cure it. You simply have to keep your fever down, clear out the "Logies," and get on with your lives without causing too much hardship on other family members or co workers who happen to have it just as bad as you do. Show some sympathy for those around you by telling them that you are very sorry that they have the flu, but what about you? You feel just as bad as they do, so to hell with the sympathy, Over.. Let's all sing and cough it up together fans. This sort of group therapy can be nearly as good as showering with a close friend during the heavy drought seasons.
Hawk was reading an actual book the other evening about one of his favorite subjects: Alien's. It seems as though there is more and more listening devices being put in to service now, the closer we get to December 21st, 2012. The question is now, if we discover intelligent life forms, and actually establish communications, what do we say to them? Do we ask them "How Da Weddah Dare Bro?" Or "Is you a-cumin ta take us out?" Hawkeye is going to ask them who else is out there and should he lock up his daughters! Anyway, it will not hurt to be on the safe side, and stand by with a nice bottle of Bubbly for the reception just in case!
That ought to do it until next week folks.
Love to all from Hawk & Sweet Leanor.


text: House numbers allow your house to be easily identified, while creating a unique touch. Choose from our selection of polished chrome, polished brass, bronze, satin nickel, antique pewter and matte black house numbers available in 3", 5" and 7" sizes. Pick your favorite for 20% off retail price. You'll also get FedEx shipping for free on orders $100 and above. Orders less than that are only $7.50 for shipping.


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Understanding Language Use in the Classroom A Linguistic Guide for College Educators Author: Susan J. Behrens
- Price: £9.95
- Price: $14.95
- Price: €12.95
Add to basket (GBP) Add to basket (USD) Add to basket (EUR)
It is clear that a proper understanding of what academic English is and how to use it is crucial for success in college, and yet students face multiple obstacles in acquiring this new 'code', not least that their professors often cannot agree amongst themselves on a definition and a set of rules. Understanding Language Use in the Classroom aims to bring the latest findings in linguistics research on academic English to educators from other disciplines, and to help them help their students learn and achieve. Behrens combines a powerful argument for the importance of explicit teaching of language skills in college with answers to common questions from professors and students, as well as sample teaching materials to help make these issues come alive in the classroom.
Behrens provides a wealth of practical information about linguistics, the language of schooling, and the history of the study of their intersection for a diverse audience – educators and students of all stripes. The book and its rich resources demonstrate how the field of linguistics is stretching beyond its traditional borders in productive ways.- Kristin Denham, Western Washington University, USA
From the opening chapter on the fundamental role played by academic English in higher education to the final section containing study sheets, additional resources and a comprehensive glossary, this highly accessible book addresses a real gap in the literature by outlining and providing solutions for the linguistic obstacles faced by our students. This is essential reading for educators around the world working with academic English and deserves to reach a very wide audience.- Kerry Mullan, RMIT University, Australia
Susan Behrens' brilliant book is a concise, comprehensive guide for professors in all disciplines who are working to help students understand and express themselves in the academic language that is so crucial to college-level achievement. The first section of the book provides an overview of the language of academe. Then the rest of the book provides the tools for readers with no previous knowledge of linguistics to work with students' language in the context of their academic work. This book is an important contribution to the pedagogy of post-secondary education.- Sandra Wilde, City University of New York, USA
This volume meets a real need in applied linguistics as it links knowledge of linguistics to effective teaching. The author's strongly held viewpoint that college instructors should have a background in the workings of language is supported by the material presented in the book. Beyond that, very clear and practical examples on applying the material covered in the classroom setting are presented. Put simply, this very concise, well organized, and well researched book achieves its intended aim. In sum, this is an outstanding book.- LINGUIST List 26.728 http://linguistlist.org/issues/26/26-728.html - Martin R. Gitterman, The City University of New York, USA
Behrens has written an accessible, well-organized, well-researched book...In short, what Behrens has masterfully done is to translate the esoterica of linguistics into accessible language, just as she asserts the need for teachers to do the same (make academic language accessible to students) in their own discourse. All teachers—K-12 or college—in all subject areas would become better at building communication skills in their classrooms, as well as in professional discourse, by reading this very readable book.- Journal of the Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar, 2015 - Amy Benjamin, former president of ATEG
Susan J. Behrens is Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Co-Director of the Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence, Marymount Manhattan College, New York, USA. She contributes to The New York Times Learning Network and The New York Times in the First Year. Her publications include Grammar: A Pocket Guide (Routledge 2010) and Language in the Real World: An Introduction to Linguistics (with Judith A. Parker, Routledge 2010).


text:
The gettext module defines the following API, which is very similar to the GNU gettext API. If you use this API you will affect the translation of your entire application globally. Often this is what you want if your application is monolingual, with the choice of language dependent on the locale of your user. If you are localizing a Python module, or if your application needs to switch languages on the fly, you probably want to use the class-based API instead.
If localedir is omitted or
None, then the current binding
for domain is returned.6.2
None, then the current global domain is returned, otherwise the
global domain is set to domain, which is returned.
Note that GNU gettext also defines a dcgettext() method, but this was deemed not useful and so it is currently unimplemented.
Here's an example of typical usage for this API:
import gettext gettext.bindtextdomain('myapplication', '/path/to/my/language/directory') gettext.textdomain('myapplication') _ = gettext.gettext # ... print _('This is a translatable string.')
For this reason, it is always best to call
bindtextdomain() with an explicit absolute path at
the start of your application.


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RTE's Big Science Debate is a nationwide road show, radio series and website brought to you by RTÉ Radio 1, in association with Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Council for Bioethics.
A panel of expert guests, including some celebrity scientists, debate ethical dilemmas facing humankind in front of a local audience. RTÉ's Big Science Debate is hosted by Rachel English. The producer of the series is Ella McSweeney. You can subscribe to the series as a podcast here http://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_sciencedebate.xml
If 2006 was the year the world accepted climate change as a problem caused by human activity, is 2007 the year that we have a moral obligation to a move to a more eco-friendly society? Who should be responsible for combating climate change, individuals or the Government? Since we now know that we are to blame for climate change, can it be considered immoral not to act to stop it? Should we be looking to nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels?
Panellists: Oisin Coughlan; Bryan Wynne; Sean McDonagh; Mike Hopkins
Contributors: Oisin Coughlan; Bryan Wynne; Sean McDonagh; Mike Hopkins
Do terminally ill people have the right to decide how and when they wish to end their lives? Supporters of euthanasia say that they hold individuality, self-determination and autnomy as their highest values. But does euthanasia devalue life? How can we guarantee that euthanasia is voluntary and not enforced?
Panellists: Gerrit Kimsma; Michael Irwin; Regina McQuillan; Santiago Sia
Contributors: Gerrit Kimsma; Michael Irwin; Regina McQuillan; Santiago Sia
Few scientific developments have been both as promising and controversial as stem cell research. Some experts have suggested that stem cell research is the only way to unlock treatments for devastating disorders such as Parkinsons Disease and Alzheimers. Others say that destroying embryos for the sake of stem cell research is indefensible. Should embryos be used for research? What is the difference between adult and embryonic stem cell research? And what is the potential of the use of human-animal cybrids that were recently approved by the UKs Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority?
Panellists: Sorcha Ui Chonnachtaigh; Helen Wheadon; Muireann Quigley; Martin Clynes
Contributors: Sorcha Ui Chonnachtaigh; Helen Wheadon; Muireann Quigley; Martin Clynesia


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Rapid City Man Assumes Command of South Dakota Guard Company
BROOKINGS - A Rapid City man has assumed command of the South Dakota Army National Guard's 115th Brigade Signal Company.
Capt. Bracken Robinson takes over from Capt. Samuel Bjornestad, who had served as the 115th leader since April 2011.
A change of command ceremony was held last weekend in Brookings.
The 115th provides 24-hour communications systems network to support the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade headquartered in Sioux Falls.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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The compensation forms below will help guide you in requesting, creating, and evaluating position changes.
Position Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ) is completed when a brand new position is requested or when a current job is being reevaluated.
A Job Description is a summary of the essential functions of a job and must include the duties, responsibilities, and level of the work performed. A job description should describe and focus on the job itself as well as on the qualifications and skills required, not on a specific individual who might fill the job. A job description is used to post a new position or to update a current job when the duties and responsibilities have significantly changed.


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Where Can I Find Fresh Fish In Chicago? Hellya: Isaacson & Stein!!
We get a lot of seafood sympathy from our seaboard friends for Chicago being landlocked and so far away from the coasts? (Lake Michigan grunts. Sorry Dude, you know what I mean). While its true, you'll never see lobster for $3.00 lb here, not all the sympathy is warranted. So, is it possible to find fresh, reasonably priced fish in Chicago?
Ugh!! Did I hear you say Whole Foods? I'm sorry you've been paying so much! No, no no! The answer is Isaacson and Stein's!
This has to be one of my favorite spots in Chicago, which the Yelper, Emily L. rightly describes as "Holy Foodie Heaven!" Isaacson and Stein, a fish wholesaler in the meatpacking district (Fulton off Halsted) which is, as it's sign reads, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!! If you've never been here, its worth a trip, just to look at the fish!
Ohh! Wild Caught Red Snapper!
"Ah, the smell of fish on a sunny afternoon. Once your nose adjusts to the waft of fish stank (if that is possible), this place is really a gem."
-Scott A.
This store's one big room is a weekly conduit of over 10 reeking tons of the most beautiful fresh fish and seafood in the city. If its good enough for the best restaurants in Chicago, its good enough for me! I'm no snob.
Their selection is awesome, ranging from the exotic to local, with rare South American varieties next to locally caught whitefish and perch. Classic seafood options are almost always available, including my favorite fresh muscles, succulent scallops and shrimpies of various sizes. Most of the fish is sold whole, but as the week wears on, you'll see more and more piles of fillets all cleaned and prepped that day.
Whole fish? Don't worry, after you buy the fish, you can take it over to the two cleaning stands and have one or their amazing mongers gut and clean everything for you, so you get to leave with the freshly cleaned fillets ready for your dinner.
Action shot: Cleaning an Alaskan Halibut! I'd never seen even a partially whole halibut before. This fish is huge and he filleted it in one solid quick motion. These guys really know how to wield a knife!
Okay, I know I sound like a paid commercial, but I'm not alone. People freak out about this place. Don't believe me? Check out their 4 1/2 star yelp page.
"I LOVE this place…minus the fish juice I get on my shoes (don't go in there in flip flops!)"
-Cat B.
Ha! Thanks Cat for the great tip! Speaking of tips, check our User's Guide to Isaacson and Stein so you can make the most of your I&S fishing expedition!
Related posts:


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From Openmoko
microSD is the format of the removable flash memory cards used in Neo 1973 and Neo Freerunner devices. Additionally the Neo Freerunner support microSDHC.
For more informations about this format see microSD on Wikipedia.
A list of supported cards can be found at Supported microSD cards.
Importent features
Importent note: Wear-leveling and ECC error correction and detection is not part of the SD card specification (version 2.0 SDHC), so please check for yourself that the SD(HC)-card support and use:
- built-in ECC error correction and detection
- Wear Leveling technology
Other importent specifications are:
- Low power consumption
- 2/17/2008, notebookreview.com: SDHC Cards vs Hard Drive vs SSD Quote: "...That sounds like an absolutely manditory thing to have in flash storage ... and luckily "high-performance" SDHC cards such as the 16GB A-DATA SDHC card and many other class 6 cards from other manufacturers incorportate wear-leveling [Please check before you buy!]..."
- MicroSD(HC) cards are a sort of a SSD: December 7, 2008, robert.penz.name: No SWAP Partition, Journaling Filesystems, … on a SSD? Quote: "...They assume perfect wear leveling...We stay also with the 2 million cycles and assume a 16GB SSD *With 50 MByte/sec we get 20 years! *With 2 MByte/sec we get 519 years! *And even if we reduce the write cycles to 100.000 and write with 2 MByte/sec all the time we're at 26 years!!...1. Never choose to use a journaling file system on the SSD partitions: Bullshit, you're just risking data security. Stay with ext3...7. One more thing to consider is that flash-devices handle their space in blocks. The blocksize typically varies between 16KB and 512 KB. Therefore writing one byte may cause erase and rewrite of up to 512KB..."


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Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Have you ever had a puffball?
Puffballs can be cooked much in the same way as regular cremini or button mushroom, although they have more of a soft, spongy, marshmallow-like texture. They reduce a lot when cooked and are best enjoyed warm. Even though I stocked up on heirloom tomatoes, golden beets and wild blueberries for the week, I was most excited about these over-sized cartoon-worthy goodies.With a little white wine, herbs and garlic, they make a perfect side dish. They soak up flavour with ease and plump up when cooked with wine.
Basil-Garlic Puffball
Serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups of coarsely chopped puffball
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup white wine
One handful of torn fresh basil
Add olive oil, butter thyme and garlic to a large saute pan on medium heat; cook for 2 minutes. Add puffballs, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add white wine; cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
Sprinkle with basil and serve. Enjoy!
7 comments:
- Jenn Kendall said...
i've never seen or heard of puffballs, but they look so good and delicious! i adore mushrooms!
- August 21, 2012 at 11:05 PM
- Kavey said...
I remember us foraging for and eating puffballs as a child, not done so since then so must keep an eye out!
- August 22, 2012 at 4:10 AM
- Cakelaw said...
I have never eaten a puffball - so this is an interesting recipe.
- August 22, 2012 at 8:13 AM
- In and Around Town said...
The puffball is impressive - I have never seen one before, but I will definitely be on the look out now!
- August 22, 2012 at 9:25 AM
How delicious and puffy!
- August 22, 2012 at 4:17 PM
- Suzanne Perazzini said...
Obviously your puffballs are different to ours here in New Zealand. They grew in the paddocks on our farm when I was young but they were poisonous and we learnt from a young age to stay away from them. Yours are a lot bigger too.
- August 22, 2012 at 10:02 PM
- Venetia said...
I wait impatiently every year for September to come so I can find some of these in a market in London to buy and cook! They used to be called "poor man's steak" as they have a very meaty taste, and you can cook them like a steak, by cutting thick slices and frying them in a little oil. I top them with crispy bacon for a yummy non-veggie "steak" :o)
- August 23, 2012 at 5:07 AM


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Pre May Crown ThoughtsThursday, May 9th, 2013
Now that the tourney season is upon us, there are many more instances of media attention as we move out into the public demo and tourney season. Even a martial arts practice in a local park may bring a reporter or two. I have added a new document in Helpful Hints to clarify (I trust) authorized media contacts, speaking at public meetings, and some other observations on quotes, misquotes, and where reporters do their story research (surprise! The same resources that we use ourselves).
I myself have been on both the giving and receiving end of journalistic misquotes. As you encounter your local media, please remember to treat then with every courtesy. Remember, they are often working under tight deadlines, and I know from personal experience, my accuracy decreases when I am in a rush.


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The Miami Dolphins own the 12th overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft. Here is a list of the all-time selections at No. 12, including defensive end Marco Coleman to the Dolphins 21 years ago:
2012: DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State, Eagles
2011: QB Christian Ponder, FSU, Vikings
2010: RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno State, Chargers
2009: RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia, Broncos
2008: T Ryan Clady, Boise State, Broncos
2007: RB Marshawn Lynch, California, Bills
2006: DT Haloti Ngata, Oregon, Ravens
2005: LB Shawne Merriman, Maryland, Chargers
2004: LB Jonathan Vilma, UM, Jets
2003: DT Jimmy Kennedy, Penn State, Rams


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FYI Monday: Abstract Geometric Portraits by Nicola Felaco
This post is part of the For Your Inspiration Monday series showcasing the most inspiring designs out there. Each week a new artist or design style will be presented in order to get your creative juices flowing for the upcoming week. I hope you enjoy the series.
Nicola Felasquez Felaco is an Italian graphic designer who loves to play with geometric shapes to create abstract portraits. Each pieces uses subtle textures to counter-balance the stark vector feel. My favourite designs are the Super Mario illustration and the Lassie poster. If you like Nicola's work as much as I do then please visit felasquez.com for more inspiration.


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Home Buying & Selling
Don't Foreclose on Your Future!
4 Minute Read
Today's housing market is facing two big problems: a spike in foreclosures and millions of "underwater" mortgages—homes with mortgage balances that are higher than the homes are worth. According to a recent survey from Zillow.com, 27% of homeowners with mortgages owe more than their homes are worth.
Compounding these issues is the phenomenon of "strategic" defaults. That means a homeowner who can pay his mortgage stops because he sees no reason to continue paying for an asset that is worth less than the debt it carries.
A 2009 study said about 25% of foreclosures are so-called "strategic" defaults—that translates to 700,000 of the 2.8 million foreclosures initiated in 2009.
Is Walking Away a Strategy?
Is it possible that many people are so short-sighted about the investment they've made in their homes?
Let's say a homeowner bought his home at the peak of the market in 2006 for $220,000, the median home price that year. We'll say he put 5% down and got a 30-year mortgage for $209,000. Now, fast-forward to 2009, when the median home price dropped to $173,000.
If this is a fixed-rate mortgage at 6% interest, the balance at the end of 2009 is $198,000. If our homeowner sells, he's lost his down payment plus four years of principal and interest payments, a total of $71,144, and he still has to make up the $25,000 difference between the selling price and the balance of the mortgage.
Local experts you can trust.
$209,000 (original mortgage amount in 2006)
$198,000 (mortgage balance in 2009)
-$173,000 (home value in 2009)
$25,000 (difference between the 2009 sell price and mortgage balance)
The "wisdom" of the strategic default is to take the $71,144 loss and save yourself the $25,000 hit by walking away instead of selling.
Time for a Reality Check
Maybe, in some alternate reality, this is "wisdom." That alternate reality would have to be based on stagnant home values and banks that don't come after you for what you owe them. Let's try a true reality check:
Reality #1 – Your home is an investment, and any investment—even real estate—will go up and down in value. Walking away from your mortgage now is the equivalent of selling your stock portfolio at the bottom of the market. You guarantee yourself a loss if you don't stick with your investment until values come back up.
Reality #2 – Home values will recover. If our homeowner sticks it out and stays in his home, he'll be back to even in five years, based on a conservative 5% rate of appreciation. In less than 20 years, his home will have doubled in value. That is wisdom!
Reality #3 – The bank is not letting you off that easily. Lenders are covered up with foreclosures, so while homeowners who walk may not hear from the bank right away, they are by no means off the hook. Some banks will pull credit reports to see who is current on their other payments to determine if a default is "strategic." Banks will go to court to garnish wages or hijack tax refunds—whatever it takes to get what they're owed.
If you are truly unable to make your mortgage payments, you still should not walk away. You signed the contract, so you're under a moral obligation to pay. If you truly can't pay and keep food on the table, then it's time to talk with the bank about a possible short sale.
For expert help to buy or sell a home, work with one of Dave's real estate Endorsed Local Providers. Your ELP will be able to advise you on your local market and help you buy or sell your home at the best price.


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Also, please don't confuse my lengthy post(s) with you getting my knickers in a twist.
I just greatly enjoy putting idiots in their place, that's all, and sometimes that takes more than pathetic one-liners to adequetly accomplish.
In fact, why would speedermike be asking folks who are already selective with their figure purchasing if they're going to remain selective based on the relatively boring waves 1 & 2 of the new 2013 line? Aside from the obvious B-A-D aspect (which Mike isn't emphasizing), that'd be a borderline stupid and seemingly repetitive question. [/Mikey]
Remember Mikey from the Life cereal commercials? Like that....like Mikey....he'll eat anything.
Don't sweat it, Mikey. I'm actually quite flattered that my opinion has such a great impact on you, so much so that you took the time to type up lengthy post after post to justify yourself to me. You're my number one fan and I appreciate you. I will have some Force Guy T-shirts made up and as soon as they're done, I'll send you one. XXXL, yes?Wow, pretty pathetic if you get your jollies from "putting idiots in their place." If I'm supposedly such an idiot, and you take the time to respond with lengthy post after post, uh, what does that make you? Think about it. I know you want to look witty and cool and impress people on a toy forum, and I know you were pretending to be Dr. Phil earlier, but let's analyze you for a minute. You get joy from "putting idiots in their place" on a toy forum, and you feel the need to buy everything with a Star Wars logo stamped on it so that you can get that feeling of being "complete".....hmmm.....sounds like there's something major missing from your life. A void that can never be filled, but you obviously get comfort from collecting little plastic men. Don't worry though, I'm here for you. I'll give you my email and/or phone number so we can talk. I'm here to support you. Maybe you just need a hug, in which case, I can't help you. But here's a virtual hug in the meantime.[hugs]Hug[/hug]
Um, I've been nothing but civil in this discussion and don't really appreciate my question being called "borderline stupid."
I think speedermike's thread here had a very valid (edit: that means good) question, speaking to exactly what many collectors have gone through over the years...
I'll just shut up and politely excuse myself now.
Honestly, if I could get past wanting the build a droids, my buying would probably look something like this:Wave 1 - Anakin, Padme, Biker Scout, Sandtrooper, Pablo Jill (possibly R2 and TIE Pilot)Wave 2 - Ceremony Luke, Rex, Mace Windu, Mara Jade, Biggs, Vader, A-Wing Pilot
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Show that you mean business when it comes to cheering for your Cincinnati Bengals with this Heron Lakes Striped polo from CBUK by Cutter & Buck!
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Josh Turner to Host 'Today' Show Monday, March 19
Josh Turner had better get used to the early morning hours this weekend because on Monday (March 19) he will co-host the 'Today' show, alongside Hoda Kotb. Monday will mark the second time Turner has filled in for Kathie Lee Gifford on the show.
Turner's hosting duties come at a prime time in his career, as his latest single 'Time Is Love' is approaching the Top 20 on the country singles chart. The tune is the first release from Turner's forthcoming album titled 'Punching Bag.' It's one of the fastest rising singles of his career.
"I'm looking forward to co-hosting again with my beautiful Egyptian goddess!" says Turner of the opportunity. "It's always a blast for me."
Turner's co-hosting duties will air live on NBC Monday, March 19 starting at 10:00AM ET. Also on Monday, Turner's brand new video for 'Time Is Love' will make its premiere on Great American Country (GAC). The video will be put into regular rotation that morning.
Following his television time on the 'Today' show, Turner will head back out on the road with stops next week in Texas, Louisiana and more. Click here for a complete list of dates.


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Message Board
Dennis King Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that King has written!
Author King's Book Reviews
Lyndon LaRouche and the New American Fascism
King tells the rather scary tale of Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., leader of various political groups, perennial fringe-candidate for the presidency, accused cult leader, and convicted conman. The book traces LaRouche's rise from obscurity as a Marxist and member of the 1960's New Left movement to his place at the forefront of America's extremist right at the head of the National Committee of Labor Caucuses, a group of loosely affiliated political organizatio...


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Specifying thermal components systematically
A common mistake made when specifying a heater or its components is not fully appreciating interactions. Taking a systems approach when specifying thermal components can help.
Interactions are at two levels: between the components and with the environment. Some interactions can be complex. For example, engineers often request heaters with very specific temperature uniformity; power dissipation is an attribute of a heater not uniformity. Temperature uniformity is a characteristic of the interaction between the heater and the environment. Similarly, when it is discovered that a new thermal system design doesnt control temperature within desired tolerances its often concluded that the accuracy or precision of the temperature control unit must be the problem. What is more likely is that the sensor or heater response is unstable due to mechanical fit or related assembly tolerance problems.
To make the best thermal component choice for any given application, its essential to remember that a systems performance isnt simply a sum of its parts. Considering interactions will avoid start-up problems during the checkout of new equipment and improve process reliability during its lifecycle.
Even for very simple thermal systems, taking the time to develop a complete system description before starting detailed design can save time. Many potential headaches such as mismatched components and escalating development costs can be avoided by preventing the quick fixes that are typical for a sketchy system description.
Key components
In its most basic form, a thermal system consists of the following primary components, as illustrated in Figure 1:
Figure 1. A system scheme for temperature control.
- Work load the fluid, to be heated or cooled (e.g., a liquid or gas);
- Heat transfer medium the materials and environment that must transfer heat to and from the work load (e.g., a vessel or pipeline);
- Heat/cool source a device that changes the input power source into heating/cooling energy (e.g., a band heater or chiller unit);
- Process temperature sensor an instrument that indicates the temperature of the work load (e.g., a thermocouple or infrared pyrometer);
- Process temperature control manages the temperature of the work load (e.g., a thermostat or electronic control); and
- Power control connects/disconnects input power to the heat/cool source as determined by the process temperature control (e.g., a thermostat or solid-state relay).
Some thermal systems require additional safeguards. If the system or process is not inherently safe (meaning it is capable of posing a hazard to people, equipment or the environment in the event of a malfunction), good thermal system design must include the following secondary components, also shown in Figure 1:
- Limit temperature sensor provides a redundant or back-up indication of the temperature of the work load, the temperature of the heat/cool source, or both;
- Limit temperature control prevents the temperature of the work load from reaching a hazardous level; and
- Safety contactor an independent means of removing or disconnecting input power from the heat/cool source in the event a hazardous condition occurs.
When schedules are short, design engineers frequently dive right into the details. A specification of a particular component is generated with little effort spent understanding the relationship between other parts. Just as it is the interplay of ingredients that gives richness to the flavor of a great bowl of chili, power dissipation across a heater surface is just one ingredient that adds up to temperature uniformity in a thermal system. A heat/cool source can be designed such that the system attribute of temperature uniformity emerges. To do so requires that the heat/cool source be combined with the other system components in a very specific and controlled manner. Defining the relationship of system components such that the desired system performance emerges is the primary challenge when describing a thermal system.
Describing the system
Many different methods have been developed for describing a system or defining system relationships. The important aspects of the most effective approaches are summarized in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Describing the system.
System development should start with a clear statement of need from the users perspective. In the case of a bowl of chili, the corresponding statement of need might be I want to win the chili cook-off championship. More relevant to thermal systems, this statement of need might be I want to maintain the temperature of the reactant flowing in my stainless steel gas delivery line between 170°C and 180°C to prevent it from condensing or degrading.
Once the need has been clearly established, begin the system description. This document defines how the system will fulfill the need, its behavior: what it does. For our cook-off need, one characteristic of behavior is taste in this case award-winning. For our gas line heating need, one characteristic of behavior is temperature control range in this case 175 + 5°C. Often behavior is referred to as function and is defined in a functional specification describing the following:
- Mission objectives to be fulfilled, information to be collected or received, plan or process to be followed and degree of cooperation with others in the environment;
- Viability the extent the system is able to maintain a separate existence in the environment; and
- Resources what is required for pursuit of mission and maintenance of viability.
Next, its helpful to describe the systems structure specifically, how its built and how each component interconnects with others. That chili needs to be competition chili, not eatin chili. Its going to need good fresh spices, and lots of them. Some good lean beef cut into cubes will be a good host for the spices. Maybe adding some fresh peppers instead of dried peppers will improve the flavor lets skip the beans to avoid distractions. Yes, Texas Style is potentially a good structural solution for our chili. But lets not forget about that gas delivery line. The 175 + 5°C temperature control range is a very tight tolerance and is going to require knowledge of the flow rates involved and consideration of the specific physical geometry of the line.
A potentially good structural solution is to heat the steel tubing by conduction using insulated heater jackets with integrated PIDcontrols. Heater jackets can be custom-fitted to the tubing. Heat can be applied in zones accounting for the different losses that result from the changing line geometry and process conditions. Often, structure is referred to as form and is added to a functional specification to create a complete system development specification. However, its important to avoid defining a systems structure until its behavior is well defined. Quite literally, form should follow function to arrive at the best solution. For a structure definition to be complete, it should address the following:
- Configuration identification of each physical element that makes up the system and its position, properties, materials and characteristics;
- Context the environment acting on the system including what holds it together and works to break it apart; and
- Capability the level of achievement that can be expected based on internal features.
While a clear definition of behavior and structure represents a complete system description, it isnt necessarily the best available combination of behavior and structure. To achieve the best solution, effectiveness should be defined. Effectiveness is the measure of how well the system satisfies the statement of need. Without defined measures of effectiveness, theres no specific way to determine whether one particular system description is better than another, or even if a given system description is feasible. This is sometimes referred to as fit. What makes one chili recipe award winning over another? When you said lots of spices, did you mean a-few-beads-of-sweat-on-the-forehead spicy, or tongue-curling-inferno spicy? As for that gas delivery line, over what range of gas flow rates and external ambient conditions must the temperature range be maintained? Did that temperature range need to be maintained while changing flow rates? A good definition of fit or effectiveness measures for a system will address three areas:
- Performance the minimum acceptable limits for characteristics such as stability, responsiveness and uniformity;
- Availability (of performance) the ability of the system to continue to perform under normal conditions; and
- Survivability the ability of the system to restore performance following abnormal conditions.
A variety of tools are available to assist the system engineer in understanding and defining effectiveness. These tools are often called requirement management software. Some examples include: cost/benefit analysis, quality function deployment (QFD), production, preparation, process (3P) and object modeling/simulation. Regardless of the specific method, once an effectiveness filter is in place, optimization can begin.
This process defines which behavior/structure combination best fits the system and meets the need statement. Is the richness of flavor in our chili better achieved with cascabel peppers or guajillo peppers? Should we use prepared powders or boil and puree the peppers ourselves? In striving to achieve the requirements for temperature control with the gas line, the degree of difficulty (and cost) associated with achieving the required performance with a given construction will be evaluated.
Optimization means commitment to one of many alternatives. One could be that a flexible heater jacket can be controlled to the required temperature range. Or, it could be revealed that a different method (structure) should be considered such as model-based control. Perhaps convectively heating the gas delivery line by surrounding it with a heated box to create a mini environment is an alternative. Maybe controlling the internal temperature of the equipment or room the line is mounted in is the best choice that is presuming that doesnt create a problem for other items in the same area.
Through optimization, a clear description of the critical characteristics of the system will emerge. If the process of describing the system, defining effectiveness and optimization are successful, the emergent properties that result should closely align with the original statement of need.
Stating requirements
Engineers make detailed design decisions based on their understanding of the requirements driving the design whether these requirements are very well defined or even written down. Often, the characteristics of a hastily chosen component can end up constraining an entire system, with very unsatisfactory results. In fact, leading providers of optimization tools report that as much as 70% of product development projects fail because of bad requirements. While the process of describing the system, defining effectiveness and optimization is intended to provide a more complete basis for setting and understanding requirements, it can still muddy the important distinction between requirements and design implementation.
Any organization or individual involved in the process of transforming need into product will likely have an opinion or definition of what a requirement. For the purpose of this discussion, here is a relatively short one: If it mandates that something must be accomplished, transformed, produced, or provided, it is a requirement.
The key here is to emphasize the what (need) and avoid the how (implementation). This distinction is a common problem when trying to state clear requirements. Continuing with our heated gas delivery line example, a specification was written that included the requirement: Gas lines must be wrapped at 100% coverage of heater, insulation and outer tape over insulation to minimize heat losses and improve temperature uniformity.
This statement includes both a what (minimize heat losses and improve temperature uniformity) and a how (lines to be wrapped at 100% coverage). The 100% wrapping of the lines is a design implementation. Requirement documents shouldnt state implementation. Stating implementation may force a design solution that isnt really intended, may be unnecessary or, even worse; you may actually interfere with the desired result. In this case, if the heat loss and temperature uniformity cannot be achieved another more effective way, 100% wrapping will be the design solution selected, so it doesnt need to be stated. The best way to avoid the implementation trap when writing requirements is to ask yourself why you need the requirement. Applying the why question to our gas line, the real requirement was revealed: Provide the capability to maintain the gas temperature within +5°C of set-point.
Maintain a touch-safe temperature on external surfaces.
Studying this requirement further proved a useful exercise. Asking why revealed an additional very important requirement that might otherwise have remained unstated the need for the solution to be thermally touch-safe. At each level of development (particularly in a complex system) the problem of what versus how will occur. Our process began with statements of user need about a chili cook-off and about keeping a gas at the right temperature. This top level what allows how statements of behavior, structure and effectiveness to be derived, which in turn become the what for the next level of development and so on down to the component, part or material level.
So the logical question becomes, How do I know when the transition from requirement to design implementation occurs? This is a problem particularly in software development Most programmers view the whole process from customer need to finished code as a requirements process not as a transition from requirement to design to product. The same problem occurs in hardware development as the effort of developing requirements progresses to lower and lower levels. Ultimately the question: Is this a requirement or a design solution? cannot be avoided. Unfortunately there is no black and white answer. Fortunately there are a couple of guidelines that can help:
- If there are no reasonable alternatives that can be considered, other than the one stated its highly likely the statement is actually a design solution, not a requirement. In effect, its forcing a design solution as discussed above. If this is the case, it should be removed from the requirements document and be included in the drawing package or other detailed design documentation.
- Sometimes, there is a lack of reasonable alternatives. When the one stated isnt a feasible design solution without further customer interaction or external input, it should be treated as a requirement. In this case, its reasonableness as a design solution depends upon understanding of the implementation context, so it cannot stand alone as a true design solution.
Additional caveats
While stating design implementation instead of requirements may be a leading cause of bad requirements, there are a few other common problem areas to watch out for:
- Bad assumptions: these result from either unknown information or information that simply does not exist. Developing a complete system description is one of the best ways to resolve this, but capturing project-related information such as the names of the stakeholders, the budget, and schedule and who is responsible for accomplishing the project are also key. If you dont know all of this, indicate what you dont know. Make sure this information is available to everybody who is defining requirements for the project. To safeguard against nonexistent information, make sure you write down any assumptions at the same time that you write down a requirement (similar to stating what you dont know). It is often helpful to create a requirements matrix using a simple spreadsheet to list each requirement and its assumptions. Categorizing the source of the requirement can also be useful:
- Customer needs stated on behalf of the end-user;
- Regulatory fiats from government bodies;
- Internal limits of your capabilities; and
- Project standards based on the business environment.
- Requirements always use shall;
- Statements of fact always use will;
- Goals always use should; it never hurts to actually use the word goal in the statement if it is a goal, e.g., As a goal, the item should
Most requirements can be written in a pretty simple format:
- The item shall provide ;
- The item shall be capable of ;
- The item shall contain ;
- The item shall weigh ;
- And lastly, avoid ambiguous terms unless you are a lawyer;
- Maximize or minimize (you never know when you are done);
- Support (unless you are talking about a structural requirement for supporting a weight);
- But not limited to (supposes other things are acceptable without saying what they are);
- Etc. (depends on who you ask);
- And/or (either you need both or either are acceptable).
Taste success
In summary, attempting to fulfill product requirements by selecting components without a substantial understanding of the system is ill advised. It is essential to carefully convert the understanding gained from developing a system description into workable requirements. Investing in a description up front can make the difference between a system that requires endless tweaking in pursuit of minimally acceptable performance or a system that is surprisingly painless to get running. Just as many good dishes are associated with one particular spice, relying on chili pepper alone will not result in a first place cook-off championship.
Christopher C. Lanham is director of engineering at Watlow in St. Louis, Mo. Email him at: email@example.com.
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Todos Santos offers what can only be described as some of the best sunrises and sunsets in the world. Here the moon rises over the Sierra Laguna mountain range at sunset. Click for more info..
World class surf lies just around the corner. There are spots nearby that cater to every level. Surfboard rentals are available. Click for info...
Casita del Sol 2
The "Villa of the Sun" is aptly named. Watch the sunset from outdoor shower or savor the hammock for two on your generous terrace. This casita is designed as an upstairs and downstairs suite that can be utilized together or separately. Click for more info...
ActivitiesEvent – Todos Santos International Guitar Festival – November 27 – 29, 2015
Pacific Coast pueblo magico Todos Santos welcomes six-string enthusiasts from around...Event – Todos Santos Music Festival – January 14 – 16, 20 – 23, 2016
Now in its fifth year, this collaboration between former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck,...Event – 4th Annual Gastrovino Food and Wine Festival – April 24 – 26, 2015
Gastrovino returns April 24 -26, 2015, luring gourmands and oenophiles to the charming...Event – 12th Annual Todos Santos Film Festival – March 12-22, 2015
This annual showcase for Mexican and Latin American films was founded in 1994, and...Activities Index
Here's a Table of Contents for All Activities Postings. [catlist id=134 numberposts=-1...Event – Todos Santos Patron Saint Fiesta – October 10-13, 2013
Each October, Todos Santos celebrates its foundation with a fiesta in honor of its...Read More Posts From This Category
PressPress Index
[catlist id=113 numberposts=-1 orderby=title order=asc] Possibly Related Posts: Beware...Beware Airline Surfboard Bag Fees
Before you decide to take that killer cheap flight to Cabo (SJD) or La Paz (LAP),...Todos Santos Ranked Top Emerging Destination in the World
Travelanthropist ranks Todos Santos as one of the top 10 emerging travel destinations...Southern Baja is Safe from Crime
Southern Baja is Safe The latest results of a two-year-long study of Mexico's...Todos Santos Dunes Building Stopped!
Buyers Lead to Believe the Construction Had Permit? Building on the dunes in Todos...Baja California Sur – President Calderón Inaugurates Hospital in La Paz
Declares that it will benefit over half a million inhabitants in Baja California...Read More Posts From This Category
FAQsFAQ Index
Click on any of the following for the full text. [catlist id=135 numberposts=-1 orderby=title order=asc] Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions you would like to see answered here. Possibly Related Posts: How Far is Todos Santos from…? How do I Get to the CalyCanto Casitas? What is a Pueblo Magico? Is There a... [Read more of this review]How Far is Todos Santos from…?
Driving Distances from Todos Santos (Centro) to… CalyCanto Casitas 2.5 Miles La Paz 48 Miles Cabo San Lucas 48 Miles San Jose del Cabo Airport 75 Miles US Border 1025 Miles Other Distances… Tijuana – Rosarito 12 Miles Rosarito – Ensenada 56 Miles Ensenada – San Vicente 52 Miles San Vicente- San Quintin 64 Miles San Quintin... [Read more of this review]How do I Get to the CalyCanto Casitas?
A map to CalyCanto is below. It can be enlarged and printed. You can possibly also negotiate airport transportation to Todos Santos with a passenger van here. Map to Cal y Canto Casitas - Click to Enlarge Possibly Related Posts: FAQ Index How Far is Todos Santos from…? What is a Pueblo Magico? Is There a Bus Between Todos Santos and the... [Read more of this review]What is a Pueblo Magico?
The Most Magical Moment in a Magical Place For decades artists, chefs, surfers, environmentalists and others recognizedthat Todos Santos had that something special, a quality that couldn't adequately be captured in print or photos, that needed to be experienced. Well, the Mexican government, amidst absolutely no oppopsition whatsoever, has finally... [Read more of this review]Is There a Bus Between Todos Santos and the Airport?
General. There are three major bus companies on the Baja Penninsula: Autotransportes de Baja California (ABC); Transportes Aquila; and Tres Estrelles de Oro. All provide efficient service on the peninsula with modern, clean, fast buses. The "primary" bus serving Todos Santos is Aguila. There is a station in the center of town. The bus has... [Read more of this review]Read More Posts From This Category


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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
Israel could be entering the final stages of negotiations to turn over control of Mount Zion to the Vatican, if recent reports by Israel National News are to be believed.
According to the online news source, a secretive meeting took place this week between the Jerusalem Municipality, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Tourism and senior Catholic officials.
During the meeting, the Catholic delegation reportedly pressed Israel to follow through on a years-old proposal to give the Church control over the compound that houses the traditional "Hall of the Last Supper."
The problem is that the same compound also houses the traditional "Tomb of David," a holy site revered and frequented by religious Jews. Not to mention that Mount Zion is symbolic of Jerusalem as a whole, and surrendering it to the Vatican would be seen by many Israelis as a repudiation of Judaism's claim to the city.
In response to reports regarding the negotiations, the Jerusalem Municipality released a statement insisting that it would remain "the central sovereign power on Mount Zion."
Others are not so sure, and believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to turn over control of Mount Zion prior to Pope Francis' visit to the Holy Land in May.
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Webroot SecureAnywhere Wins Prestigious Edison Award
Winners run the gamut from Orville Redenbacher's Pop Up Bowl to the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft created SpaceX. In the Electronics and Cameras catetory, the Lytro Light Field Camera took the gold for Photography/Images, and the iPhone 4S for smart devices.
Webroot's win showed up in Personal Safety / Security, under the overall category of Innovative Services. The gold medal winner in this group was onStar's First Assist service, with Rave Mobile Safety's Smart911 service taking silver.
"Winning this award is an honor, not only because it recognizes product innovation, but because it is a testament to the rising importance of Internet security to personal safety," said Dick Williams, Webroot CEO. "We are honored that Webroot was recognized alongside emergency response and notification providers, which drives home the point that protection against online threats is now an integral part of overall personal security. Webroot is committed to making the world a safer place by providing solutions that take the burden out of managing online security." Webroot notes that this is the first time an award in the area of personal safety innovation has gone to a computer security product.
Getting from a host of nominees to the winners in each category required some serious work on the part of the judging panel, a group with over 3,000 members. Judges include "leading business executives including past award winners, members of the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), academics and leaders in the fields of product development, design, engineering, science and medical." You can view the full list of winners at the Edison Awards website.
For more from Neil, follow him on Twitter @neiljrubenking.


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Debunktion Junction online special: Everybody panic! I think the conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh is not telling the truth about something.
Dear Mr. Limbaugh:
Here's what you said yesterday, for which we made fun of you last night on msnbc:
Have you heard this new movie, the Batman movie, what is it, The Dark Knight Lights Up or whatever the name is? That's right, Dark Knight Rises. Lights Up, same thing. Do you know the name of the villain in this movie? Bane. The villain in The Dark Knight Rises is named Bane, B-a-n-e. What is the name of the venture capital firm that Romney ran and around which there's now this make-believe controversy? Bain. The movie has been in the works for a long time. The release date's been known, summer 2012, for a long time. Do you think that it is accidental that the name of the really vicious, fire-breathing, four-eyed whatever-it-is villain in this movie is named Bane?
Here's how you responded today to criticism of your remarks :
Everybody's out there running around saying I got this giant conspiracy theory that the Batman people, the creators, the comic book creators, created this thing to campaign against Romney. I never said that. I didn't say there was a conspiracy. I said the Democrats were going to use it… .
Mr. Limbaugh, actually, you did say it was a conspiracy. You did so when you asked your rhetorical question ("Do you think that is is accidental?") about whether it could conceivably be an accident that this new Batman movie has a villain in it with a name that sounds like Mitt Romney's former firm.
Was that not a rhetorical question? When you asked "Do you think it's accidental?" did you actually mean to imply that you do think it really was an accident, it really was a coincidence?
I think we were factually accurate when we made fun of you for trafficking in one of the stupidest right-wing conspiracy theories of all time. You are contesting our characterization of your remarks, but we didn't mischaracterize what you said. And now I think you're just lying about what you said in order to avoid the embarrassment of having been so wrong.
We'll correct the record if we need to, but I don't think we need to.
All best wishes,
Rachel Maddow


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This anodized aluminum extrusion has the same inner profile as our 1/4 T-slot extrusion, but the outer profile incorporates a pair of wings designed to lock the extrusion in place. Installation simply requires undercutting a 3/8" x 3/4" dado using the undercut slotting bit. The resulting T-slot securely holds the extrusion in place, without the need for screws or glue.
Both the T-nuts and the T-bolts are offered in packages of 10. T-bolts are available in 1" or 2" lengths. Optional hex bolt shoulder washers allow them to be used with commonly available hex bolts.
T-slot tracks made in Canada.


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Patient Navigators: Ending the Epidemic
By Paul A. Kawata
April 4, 2013
This article was provided by the National Minority AIDS Council; Paul Kawata is the organization's executive director.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will transform healthcare in America. Is your mix of services aligned with what will be funded? As we get closer to the start of enrollment and implementation of the ACA, the federal government has started to examine how their programs will compliment and not duplicate ACA services.
The HIV/AIDS Bureau at the Heatlh Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently posted guidance on their website that highlights which Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program services can be used to pay for outreach, benefits counseling and enrollment services. Study this page carefully. Do your services align with what they will be funding?
State health exchanges and/or the federal government will be issuing requests for proposals to support Patient Navigators (PN). PNs will operate similarly to case managers in many AIDS service organizations, except they will be focsuing on ensuring eligible individuals gain access to the health insurance they need. The Ryan White Program aleady pays for many navigation services provided often times by people living with HIV. The federal RFP will be out shortly; however, it is only for those states that have opted out of the ACA. Maryland, New York and Nevada have already issued their RFPs. You may want to review them to get an idea of what to expect.
A good resource on PNs was developed by Families USA.
According to Families USA:
Skills of Navigators:
Finally, Families USA makes recommendations for successful programs:
If you have an existing case management infrastructure, you may be able to modify your programs to fit the criteria for PNs. This will allow you to move beyond the RWCA for funding and help your constituents enroll in these new programs. The value of enrolling our constituents into the health marketplace is directly related to our work to end the epidemic. Before you begin treatment, you need to ensure PLWHA have access to healthcare. This must remain our primary mission.
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The opinions expressed by TheBody.com's bloggers are entirely their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheBody.com itself.


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Cruising down Las Vegas Boulevard while being distracted by the bright lights, beautiful women and assorted strange characters leads to thousands of automobile accidents every year. In surrounding areas like North Las Vegas and Henderson, the streets are crowded with careless drivers. If you drive anywhere in Nevada, you must have car insurance. Continue reading
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Nevada Docs Agency has the best priced Nevada homeowners insurance quotes around. Continue reading
Best Gift For The Holidays: Save Money On Your Nevada Insurance Policies
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To use all features of KLM.com safely, we recommend that you update your browser, or that you choose a different one. Continuing with this version may result in parts of the website not being displayed properly, if at all. Also, the security of your personal information is better safeguarded with an updated browser.
Toulouse is the starting point of one of the oldest canals in Europe, the Canal du Midi. Since the 17th century, this canal has connected the city to the Mediterranean Sea. The shaded towpaths are now popular with hikers and cyclists.
Green water, rows of sycamore trees, picturesque locks and bridges – the Canal du Midi has its own unique charm that seduces even the most casual passer-by. The canal runs from Toulouse to the port town of Sète through a scenic landscape of hills and vineyards. The canal was not only used by cargo boats but also passengers travelling by mail boat. As a result, shops and inns sprang up around the locks and many of these still exist today.
For centuries there had been plans to build a waterway from Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea to allow wheat, wine and textiles to be transported by ship. But it was only halfway through the 17th century that Pierre-Paul Riquet, a noble tax inspector from Béziers, managed to convince King Louis XIV of the technical viability of the project. Between 1666 and 1681, 120,000 workers toiled with picks and shovels to dig the 240-kilometre-long canal. The waterway contains 91 locks and various other ingenious constructions, such as aqueducts, dams and tunnels.
Although there are numerous cycling and hiking possibilities, the most unique way to explore the Canal du Midi is from the water. From Toulouse, there are short boat trips of a few hours that include lunch or dinner. There are also multiple-day river cruises on converted flat-bottomed boats equipped with all amenities. Guests have a private bedroom and meals are prepared by the onboard staff.
More adventurous travellers may also rent their own boat. Various companies rent small motorboats that you can skipper without a boating permit. Set out to explore the canal at your leisure. You just need to pay attention to how the locks work, but other than that it is a piece of cake. During the day you can moor wherever you would like to explore and at night you choose a place to stay. You may of course choose to cook on board the boat, but another option is to dine at a local restaurant in one of the villages along the canal.
The best known destination along the Canal du Midi is undoubtedly Carcassonne, a medieval fortress city that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Even from a distance one can admire the impressive silhouette of the citadel that proudly arises above the Aude hills. The romantic turrets are not actually from the Middle Ages but were the brainchild of Viollet-Le-Duc. This famous 19th-century architect also renovated the Notre Dame Cathedral. The meticulously restored city walls, gates and buildings with their fairy-tale charm attract millions of visitors to Carcassonne each year.
"The impressive silhouette of the citadel can be seen from afar"


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If you are a rural electric membership cooperative (REMC) customer, you are a member-owner of a not-for-profit electric utility. The rates and charges of all Indiana REMCs are regulated at the local level rather than at the state level.
State law allows REMCs to withdraw from Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) jurisdiction for purposes of setting rates and charges, and obtaining financing. All Indiana REMCs have withdrawn from state oversight, with Northeastern REMC being the last to withdraw in September 2012.
REMCs wishing to withdraw from IURC jurisdiction follow the steps below, including taking a vote at a meeting of the utility's member-owners. To view the state statute, please visit the Indiana General Assembly's website at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/2014/ic/titles/008/articles/001/chapters/013/.
The OUCC recommends that all REMC member-owners:
For more information:
Each Indiana REMC gets its wholesale power from one of two distribution cooperatives:
Additional information on REMCs is available from the Indiana Statewide Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (www.isa.coop).
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What types of utilities can withdraw from IURC jurisdiction?
A: Municipal water and electric utilities may withdraw, as well as rural electric membership cooperatives (REMCs). Not-for-profit utilities can withdraw, as well as small privately owned water and sewer utilities (with fewer than 300 customers) and water utilities operated by conservancy districts (with fewer than 2,000 customers). For more information, visit www.in.gov/oucc/2634.htm.
Q: When a utility is withdrawn, does that mean it is no longer regulated?
A: No. However, it does mean that all rates, charges, and financing decisions are made by the REMC's Board of Directors. The rates of a municipal utility are regulated by the city or town council.
Q: If I am dissatisfied with a utility's rates, have discussed my concerns with the board, and the utility is not under IURC jurisdiction, what else can I do?
A: In most cases, a circuit or superior court at the county level would be the proper venue for such a challenge. The general common law standard is that rates must be "nondiscriminatory, reasonable and just." Consumers wishing to challenge utility rates in court are strongly urged to consult with private legal counsel before doing so.
For more information and additional consumer publications, please visit the OUCC's website at www.in.gov/OUCC.
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC)
115 W. Washington St., Suite 1500 South
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Toll-free: 1-888-441-2494
Voice/TDD: 317-232-2494
Fax: 317-232-5923
Website: www.IN.gov/OUCC
Email: email@example.com
Twitter: @IndianaOUCC
Facebook: IndianaOUCC


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I was staring directly into the fissure — a ragged scar that ripped across the face of the asphalt and heaved up mounds of broken black rock on either side of the opening, leading off into the swaying scrub that grew alongside the road. I read the sign, photographed for posterity the warning that I was standing on top of an underground fire. This was Centralia, just about smack-dab in the middle of eastern Pennsylvania, the heart of anthracite coal mining country. Below me — I wasn't sure exactly how deep — was the fire that brought me here and sent everyone else away, burning since 1962 and showing no interest in extinguishing itself or being extinguished by the occasional intervening hand of man.
According to most stories, a trash pit was set aflame to get rid of refuse, and the folks who lit the fire didn't realize that the pit was connected to the vein of coal on top of which the town of Centralia sat and upon and off which most of the town's residents made a living as miners. Whatever money there'd been in being a coal miner went up quickly as the vein caught and the fire spread throughout the underground caverns. No one was hurt, at least not physically, which if nothing else made it less tragic than the shaft collapse that happened in nearby Avondale some years earlier.
There was no mining to be done after that, though there was plenty of fire fighting going on. The mines were flushed with water. Chunks of flaming coal were excavated. Shafts were backfilled and redrilled, but the fire refused to be tamed. In 1983, as the fire continued to spread, an engineering study was released that stated the fire could very well be burning for another hundred years or more and consume an underground area of roughly 3,700 acres. This spelled pretty dire news for the town of Centralia. Living on top of a raging mine fire was generally considered to be bad for the locals. Smoke, steam, and toxic fumes crept up through the soil. Water became contaminated. Trees died in droves and sat in barren patches of blackened, smoking soil that made the whole town look like it ought to be criss-crossed with trenches full of German and British troops locked in a Western Front stalemate. And then the sinkholes and fissures began opening. One nearly swallowed a young boy whole, and people started thinking that maybe Centralia was a lost cause.
I pressed my hand against the surface of the road. It was a cold day, gray and sickly with a trickle of limp silver-white sun. Damp fog clung to the scrub-spotted hills and mixed freely with the smoke boiling up from the fire. The ground felt warm, but that was probably just my imagination. I could hear Ellie shuffling around somewhere beyond the murkiness, a hint of a shadow in this sulfuric mess that stank of wet weeds, mud, and rotten eggs.
We covered ground carelessly. Each crack in the earth was a warning sign to stay away, as well as a seductive hand beckoning us to come, come peer into the mystery, and I was like a little boy enticed by a carnival stripper standing half-cloaked by the dirty linen door of her tent, dutifully following the finger and gazing slack-jawed at the forbidden treasures within. In the case of the mine fire fissures, however, all I got was a load of smoke and dirt in the face. I assumed one got a decidedly different experience when gazing at the forbidden treasures of a carnival stripper, but I'd never had the opportunity to compare and contrast — not for lack of desire.
My car was parked at one end of a posted stretch of road that used to be part of highway 61. The highway department built a new stretch of road away from the portion that was collapsing into a fiery pit of doom, presumably because it was judged that roads collapsing into fiery pits of doom were generally unsuited for automobile traffic, light or otherwise. At either end of the condemned road, they'd piled dirt and stuck a sign in warning of toxic fumes, sinkholes, and the generally inhospitable conditions waiting to engulf anyone foolish enough to venture past the dirt mounds and explore the ruined road. There were actually quite a few of these people every year, and though photographic evidence exists to suggest that most were just as thoughtless and foolhardy as me, the Centralia mine fire had yet to claim any lives.
When, in the 1980s, it became clear that the fire wasn't going to burn itself out, that it was apparently feasting on a seemingly endless smorgasbord of rich anthracite coal, the government began buying up the land and condemning the property. Houses were razed, and what had once been a bustling burg became a ghost town. Neighborhood roads bent and curved around houses that were no longer there. Driveways, cracked and green with disrepair and the weeds that manage against all odds to force their way up through solid slabs of concrete, lead to empty lots where once there had been a garage to greet them.
We climbed a small hill and stood staring down at what was currently ground zero for the fire. Somewhere down there it still smoldered. Or raged. Honestly, I didn't know a whole lot about underground coal mine fires, so whether they smoldered or raged was unknown to me. I imagined it was a little bit of both, depending on the particular conditions for that day. Above the fire, raging or smoldering, sat what was left of the St. Peter Paul Orthodox Cemetery. The mine fire burning somewhere below it meant that the grass was yellow and dying, and here and there fissures in the ground billowed with smoke. It was the sort of landscape you'd see on late-night television, usually in black and white movies that involved a hideous Frankenstein monster lumbering across it. Pressure and the occasional upheaval of ground had set several of the tombstones at curious angles, toppled others.
Most of the residents of Centralia left town, either by choice or because of lack of choices. By the time we rolled into town, there were only four houses and a shuttered, deserted-looking auto parts store remaining. In the front yard of one of the houses someone had strung a banner between two gnarled trees. "We Love Centralia" it said in glittery letters. It was certainly a sweeter sentiment than the Federal sign about toxic fumes and sinkholes.
Among the very few who remained in Centralia, it was assumed that, despite evidence to the contrary, the government could extinguish the mine fire if it really wanted to, either by digging a system of trenches or, more recently suggested, by flooding the tunnels with flame retardant foam. However, if this was done while private citizens still owned chunks of the land, the government would be doing the work for private industry. If, however, the land was fully vacated, then the government could claim it, put out the fire, then sell the land and the mine back for a handsome profit. It didn't seem outside the realm of possibility to me, but my firm belief in the deceitful nature of the government was well-balanced by the equally firm belief that the government was, by and large, a surprisingly large collection of idiots and incompetents with not a lick of sense, perhaps genuinely incapable of figuring out how to put out the fire.
Whatever the case, a few people remained behind and strung up banners to show their support for the dead remnants of their town. I thought they should find a way to make a tourist trade out of all the people who came up specifically because there was a fire burning.


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Our client is an exceptional company to work for. Their culture and values underpin everything they do and individuals are encouraged and supported to develop in their careers.
They are particularly well known within the Diabetes and Respiratory fields.
They are looking for an Account Manager who will be accountable for ensuring that sales targets are met in a designated geographical area by implementation of brand strategies
The new incumbent should have the ability to adapt and successfully execute differing selling strategies and styles and have the ability to maintain an in-depth understanding of the local customer environment and priorities.
They would be accountable for investment and monitoring of promotional budget with constant consideration of ROI and would be responsible for ensuring a high level of product, disease area and competitor knowledge and display competence with both customers and all relevant validations.
It is necessary that this candidates will be ABPI qualified and have proven sales and account management ability with a strong level of analytical and evaluation skills. It will also be necessary for them to have an in-depth knowledge of the NHS structure and the changing NHS environment.
This role comes with an Excellent Basic Salary, Bonus and Benefits Package.
Please apply online or call CHASE on 0131 553 6644 for more information.
Closing date for applications will be Monday 3 September.
You may return to your current search results by clicking here.
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