text:
Film Your Kid Dancing To A McDonald's Happy Meal CD... Get A Takedown Notice From Google
from the prince-redux dept
You would think, then, that any takedown notices on similar short videos of kids dancing to music would avoid a similar scenario. Copycense points us to the news that a guy has received a notice from Google of potential infringement for his short clip of his kid dancing along to what appears to be a version (not the original) of the Kool & The Gang song "Celebration." As in the Lenz case, this video is a kid dancing to somewhere around 30 seconds of a song:
The next assumption, then, would be that Razor & Tie is guilty of sending the takedown, but I don't think that's true. If Razor & Tie had sent a DMCA takedown, the video would be down. When Google receives a DMCA takedown, it almost always (or perhaps always) pulls down the content immediately in order to retain its DMCA safe harbors. The user would then need to file a counternotice to start the process of potentially getting the video back up. The fact that the video is up and the notice the guy received simply tells him to review the videos suggests that no DMCA takedown was sent.
Instead, the blame almost certainly lies with Google's content recognition engine/filters that the record labels pushed them to use to try to catch copyright infringement ahead of time. Now, Razor & Tie is somewhat complicit here, in that it appears to have uploaded its catalog to train Google's filters (if I remember correctly -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- Google needs the copyright holder to submit copies for its filter to work). So, Google had this particular song on file, and noticed the similarity. Google's filter algorithms don't appear to consider fair use (or, perhaps more likely, they do a bad job of it in many cases) and the guy then is sent the automated notification, even though it makes everyone -- McDonald's, Razor & Tie and Google -- look bad, though the blame from the recipient appears to be in almost reverse order of culpability.
Unfortunately, the guy who received the notice also appears to be confused concerning his own rights. He says he is going to take down the video, though he clearly has a strong fair use case in asking for the video to be left alone. It seems likely that Google would allow the video to stay up, and I highly doubt that Razor & Tie would do anything else (it would be ridiculous to try to claim that this was not fair use).
Either way, this highlights a variety of interesting things. First, despite all the publicity of the Lenz case, these types of "takedowns" (even if it's not a DMCA takedown) still happen. Second, people on the receiving end of these notices assume that there is no recourse that would allow the video to stay up. People get official sounding notices and they assume they need to jump. Third, Google's content match filter isn't particularly good on fair use issues. Fourth, when these sorts of bogus notices are sent, it reflects very poorly on a variety of companies. In this case, McDonald's is getting most of the blame, despite being almost entirely blameless (well, it did decide to put out these silly music CDs, but that's a separate issue). Even Razor & Tie may be getting misplaced blame (though it may depend on the "rules" it set for Google's filter). Amusingly, it may be Google that deserves the most blame, and it appears to be getting the least.
Still, no matter what the situation, it's simply ridiculous that a guy filming 30 seconds of his kid dancing should have to worry about any of this.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
QySyaBizShop Enterprise (SA0157226-H) Menyediakan perkhidmatan mbuat Cookies, Wedding & Corporate gift, Hamper set, Catering,
Welcome to my official QySyaBiz Shop I'm offering various types of Women Clothing specially for all of u who lurves up to date trend .The clothing are made in
All Fabrics are shipped from me ( ready stock) or direct from
1-2 weeks
to arrive
Please note that should you cancelled order after deposit payment have been made, the deposit will not be returned to you. All sold items are not refundable or returnable.
Brief info :
I'm selling brand new items
Guidelines :
-Please leave your name and email address at Order Form
-Deposit 50% or full payment is required upon reservation within 3 working days
-Full payment must be made before shipment. Email me if u want any installment.
-In the case of waiting list, payment will be required once the item is available and before shipment.
-Please email me or Call to notify the payment and please provide your address.
-All items are authentic.
-Deposit is unreturnable.
-Items sold are non-exchangeable/non-returnable as the condition of the item will be checked first before shipping to ensure that they are in good condition.
-Serius buyers only.
AVAILABLE- Still available and up for grabs.
RESERVED - Someone already reserved the item...
Please enquiry availablity...you minght
get lucky.
SOLD - Already sold to someone.
Any reservation or enquiries with QySya Biz Shop collection please SMS us at Miesha 012-6913717 ( Apologies as calls will not be entertained ) or you can also E-mail us at email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com we assure you we'll get back ASAP.
- Hurry Up!! First Come First Serve.
- Serious buyers only!!
1. All payment should be transfer to our account.
( Bagi anda yang berada di Luar Malaysia)
* Melalui Westen Union
Nama : Nor Khamisah Muhammad
City : Seri Kembangan
State : Selangor, Malaysia
Pos Code: 43300
Kirimkan MTCN (Money Transfer Code Number)
melalui email atau SMS ke handphone saya
Postage Charges
RM6.00 (Semenanjung)
RM8.00 (Sabah & Sarawak)
RM35.00 (Singapore/Brunei/ Indonesia)
* Extra Charges for 500g above
2. Please email us the receipt of your payment for confirmation. Kindly include:
a) Item Name
b) Your Name
c) Contact No
d) Mailing Address
3. Should complete payment within 24 hours upon receiving the confirmation SMS, otherwise the items will be re-listed without prior notice. In special cases, reservation deadlines can be extended. If you do not ask for reservation deadlines to be extended, we assume that you can confirm payment detail within the stipulated time frame.
4. After you have make your payment, we well carefully check and packed well the products before they are delivered.
Term & Condition :
1. All items sold are brand new item. Item sold are based on first come first serve. All items are not returnable nor refundable and all sales are final.
2. All price exclude delivery changers. The exact amount will be inform upon confirmation email or SMS
3.Buyer is responsible for shipping fee. Please refer to the measurements stated before purchase.
4. Colours for the products displayedonline might be slightly different in the final product due to photographing and computer settings.
5. We are not liable for any damage/loss due to manhandling during delivery. Items are double-checked for defects, and if there are any, it will be mentioned beforehand. We also can't be responsible if the item do not meet your expectation.
6. Goods sold are not refundable and exchangeable after purchase.
7. New Item sold without warranty. Pls read the description of item carefully before proceeds purchase.
8. We can change term and conditions without any
9. Price stated are excludes delivery fees unless otherwise stated.
1. Item will be shipped out 2-3 day, after payment which a tracking code will be given to buyer.
2. Postage fee will be charged unless mentioned. I will use Pos Malaysia Parcel (3-5days ) . Pos Laju or local Courier (upon request) with additional payment. (Free Postage/Including postage only at WM)
3. Postage or delivery can be arranged... please allow 4-5 days for delivery process
I'll remove all sold items...to save more space....
Please sms your name, item name and item price for fast booking. Calls for queries will be answered when i am available. Please take note that if you sms to query on items, it does not mean that you have booked the item. Please be definite before booking placed. Payment to be made within the same day and please notify me shall you need any longer time to get an understanding among us. If you want to reserve items, kindly bank in 50% deposit for the reserve.....thanks
Thanks for looking and enjoy shopping ;-)
Terma dan syarat sebagai Ejen/PENGEDAR


text:
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Woods - Sue Purkiss
Yesterday, I took our dog, Jess, for her usual morning walk. Instead of going up over the hill, as we usually do, we cut along the bottom, through a small wood. There's a special little clearing here - special because at this time of year, cowslips grow there. A little further on there is a patch of primroses: unusual in this part of the Mendips.
It was early morning. The sun shone through the trees and it was very quiet, very still. Something stirred in the undergrowth - a bird probably, or maybe a rabbit or a fox. Nothing remotely threatening.
As I walked on, I thought about another wood - well, not a wood, a forest: far away on the other side of Europe, in south east Poland, on the other side of the Carpathians. We were there last summer. The hills are much higher than the Mendips; when you climb up through the forest, you reach alpine meadows where great clumps of deep blue gentians grow, and mountains curve and dip like blue and lilac waves.
The forest is spreading. There used to be more villages in these mountains, but the villagers were forcibly removed in the war, some to Russia, some to other parts of Poland. Their homes have crumbled now, their fields and gardens are part of the woods.
The trees are tall, so light falls in columns. Some of them have a fierce kink at the bottom of their trunks; this is caused by heavy snowfalls when the trees are young. As far as you look, there are trees, dim into the distance. The path is wide, but if you strayed, it would be easy to lose your way. You could wander for miles and not see another soul. If you went up hill, of course, you would eventually come out into the open - but a small child might not think of that.
There are bears in these forests, and wolves. Real ones. We didn't see any, but we saw their leavings: paw prints and droppings, pointed out to us by Olek, the forester who was with us. He's a hunter, too. He cares for the forest creatures, but sometimes he shoots them.
This was the forest of the Grimm brothers' fairy tales: the forest of little girls in red cloaks, of gingerbread houses, of wolves, of huntsmen who may be heroes or villains, of beasts who may once have been men. Perhaps too, it's the forest of picture book stories where small creatures have great adventures, where the Gruffalo could be just out of sight, where safety is a cosy cave with a warm bed and a welcoming candle.
It was a shock to find out that it is a real place.
12 comments:
- Mary Hoffman's Newsletter said...
How wonderful to have been in the actual forest populated by all those stories!
You describe it so eloquently, too. I feel I've been there - but then of course we all have, through the tales.
- 28 April 2010 at 13:54
- Ellen Renner said...
One of the first things that struck me on moving to the UK is how benign the landscape is compared with much of the rest of the world. It would be interesting to study how landscape affects the folk lore of a region.
Lovely post, Sue, thank you. I love the bit about the tree trunks shaped in infancy by the weight of the snow. Mostly coniferous, or mixed?
- 28 April 2010 at 14:09
- Sue Purkiss said...
Mixed, Ellen. I think the ones with the distorted trunks were beeches, but couldn't be certain.
Thanks for dropping by!
- 28 April 2010 at 14:25
- francesann said...
it's odd how deeply woods have got into our psyche. There's something immediately intriguing about a story that starts with someone going into the woods. I grew up surrounded by a suburban wood - found it very mysterious. It was in Norwood - which used to be the Great North Wood.
- 28 April 2010 at 14:37
- michelle lovric said...
Thank you for taking us on a walk, Sue. I feel quite refreshed and a pleasantly tired, and as if I deserve tea with scones and lashings of cream after all that exercise.
- 28 April 2010 at 14:38
- Stroppy Author said...
I'll come and have tea with you, Michelle!
Lovely post, Sue - thank you. I love the picture, too. I remember walking in the Black Forest in Germany as a child and realising I could get lost in about three paces. Nothing quite like it in the UK.
- 28 April 2010 at 16:39
- Sue Purkiss said...
Thanks, Anne!
- 28 April 2010 at 18:08
- Linda Strachan said...
Lovely Post, Sue!
I love walking in deep dark woods.
Count me in to the tea, too!
- 28 April 2010 at 18:45
- Penny Dolan said...
But is the tea in a gingerbread cottage, eh? specially if it is the deep dark wood as so well described?
Thanks for this post Sue!
- 28 April 2010 at 19:14
- Katherine Langrish said...
Oh, lovely, Sue! You transported me there. Now I want to go myself and see these dangerous fairytale woods.
- 28 April 2010 at 21:25
- Miriam Halahmy said...
The woods are so particularly beautiful at this time of the year in England. I've been in and out of woods all week, seeking bluebells. But now I want to visit the proper fairy tale woods. Lovely post Sue.
- 30 April 2010 at 08:31
- Lucy Coats said...
Very different from those Robert Frost snowy woods or those where Mole got lost--I think all woods are magical, and I certainly always want to write after walking in among trees. Great post, Sue.
- 30 April 2010 at 10:45


text:
Nov. 11, 2006
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Maria Monks continued her historic rookie campaign as she became the second freshman in the history of MIT women's cross country to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Monks finished 23rd overall at the New England Regional to lead the Engineers to a 14th-place finish out of 48 schools in the team standings.
Monks finished the 6000-meter circuit with a time of 22:51 and was the third highest finisher from the NEWMAC. Wesleyan's Ellen Davis broke the tape in 21:29, while Middlebury edged out Amherst for the team title.
Hana Adaniya finished second for MIT's contingent, capping a strong season for the rising senior. Adaniya split 23:53 and finished 58th out of 321 runners. Rounding out the scoring for MIT were Adrienne Bolger (76th - 24:16), Jessie Thompson (101st - 24:42) and Alisha Schor (102nd - 24:44).
Monks is the second freshman and the third runner from MIT to earn an NCAA berth. Janis Eisenberg did it as a rookie as well in 1994, while Debbie Won qualified in 1998. Eisenberg finished 34th and Won, 26th, as both runners earned All-America honors.


text:
So what might the lay of the U.S. economic landscape look like in 2014? This is not only a critical question for the nation as a whole, but for trucking in particular, as moderate to strong economic activity is what generates the freight this industry both moves and profits from.
On the positive side, gross domestic product (GDP) growth is moving in the right direction, increasing by 3.6% in the third quarter this year after a 2.5% gain in the second quarter, according to data tracked by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). On top of that, nonfarm payroll employment rose by 203,000 in November, noted the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, dropping the unemployment rate down to 7% from 7.3%.
Freight volumes are also projected to increase by year's end as well, with Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) noting recently that it expects a tonnage tons per day increase in the fourth quarter this year of 9.5% to 10%, as its tonnage per day increased at a rate of 8.5% in October followed by a 10.3% spike in November, as compared to the same months in 2012.
Yet the carrier also expects its revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, to slip a wee bit from its previous forecast for the fourth quarter, with the projected increase now only ranging between 1.5% and 2%, compared to previous expectations of 1.5% to 2.5%.
Then there's the big Commodity Flow survey pulled together by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which continues to show that trucking remains the dominant mode for moving freight in the U.S. – meaning that this industry remains the single most important cog in the nation's great supply chain machine.
"The Commodity Flow Survey showed once again that trucks move the vast, vast majority of freight in the United States," noted Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations, in a statement.
Here are a few critical data points Costello highlighted from this survey:
- In 2012, trucks moved 73.7% of all freight by value and 70% of the tonnage versus 3.3% of value and 15.8% of tonnage moved by rail;
- The average length of haul for trucks is 212 miles;
- Only 3% of freight tonnage moved on multiple modes – i.e. a train and a truck, or a barge and a truck;
- Just 15.1% of all freight shipments were longer than 500 miles and only 9.7% traveled more than 750 miles.
"The length of haul data is crucial, particularly when talking about rail and truck competition," Costello added. "While feasible under certain conditions, the potential for rail intermodal to gain a significant amount of truck market share is limited. Now more than ever, the two modes are more likely to complement each other than compete for business."
So, based on such near-term economic indices, how are things shaping up for 2014?
Let's start with David Shulman (at right), senior economist with the UCLA Anderson Forecast, who recently said that as long as the federal government does no harm, growth in the U.S. economy will be sparked by strength in the housing and automobile sectors, combined with increased business spending and an end to the dramatic drop in federal purchases.
Taken together, he believes those factors are expected to put the economy on track to a 3% growth path by midyear 2014, putting the economy on track to add approximately 200,000 jobs per month and bring thus bringing the unemployment rate down to about 6% by the end of 2015.
Shulman also thinks policy interest rates will stay low throughout 2014, but with inflation rising to slightly above 2%, due largely to rising housing and health care costs, some of it coming from the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He also expects that the zero interest rate policy of the Federal Reserve will come to an end in the spring of 2015.
[Just for fun, take a look at the global economic forecast from Allard Bruinshoofd, head of international research at Rabobank in the Netherlands. His outlook is in Dutch, of course, so follow along with the English subtitles!]
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) also sees some positive trends ahead for the U.S. economy in 2014, with positive expectations expressed by 69% of the manufacturing executives surveyed by the group across 16 different industries. Purchasing and supply executives also expect a 4.4% net increase in overall revenues for 2014, compared to a 4.6% increase reported for 2013 over 2012 revenues.
"Manufacturing purchasing and supply executives expect to see continued growth in 2014. They are optimistic about their overall business prospects for the first half of 2014, and are even more optimistic about the second half of 2014," noted Bradley Holcomb, chairman of the ISM's manufacturing business survey committee.
"Manufacturing experienced six consecutive months of growth from June through November 2013, while experiencing only one month of contraction during the entire first 11 months of 2013, which occurred in May 2013 when the PMI registered 49%," he added. "Our forecast calls for a continuation of growth in 2014, building on the momentum from the second half of 2013. Respondents expect raw materials pricing pressures in 2014 to be low, similar to levels experienced in 2013, and expect their margins will improve."
In the manufacturing sector, Holcomb said survey respondents report operating at 80.3% of their normal capacity, up very slightly from 80.2% reported in April 2013. Purchasing and supply executives predict that capital expenditures will increase by 8% in 2014 over 2013, compared to a 12.3% increase reported for 2013 over 2012.
He added that respondents also forecast that they will increase inventories by 0.9% to support their planned level of sales in 2014, with manufacturers expecting to increase employment by 2.4% in 2014, even though labor and benefit costs are expected to increase by an average of 2.3%.
ISM's poll also found that manufacturing purchasers are predicting growth in exports and imports in 2014. Respondents also expect the U.S. dollar to strengthen on average against the currencies of major trading partners.
Still, it's not all peaches as cream for manufacturers, as ISM's poll also found that the most challenging problems facing this industrial sector are: domestic sales growth (32%); international sales growth (18%); healthcare reform uncertainty (14.6%); ongoing government shutdown and debt ceiling concerns (13.5%); government regulations (9.6%); healthcare costs (8.4%); inflation (3.4%); and taxes (0.6%).
On the non-manufacturing side of the industrial ledger, ISM found that 58% of the non-manufacturing supply management executives it polled expect their 2014 revenues to be greater than in 2013. They also currently expect a 3.6% net increase in overall revenues for 2014 compared to a 4% increase reported for 2013 over 2012 revenues.
"Non-manufacturing supply managers' reported operating at 86.3% of their normal capacity, higher than the 84.7% reported in April 2013. They are optimistic about continued growth in the first half of 2014 compared to the second half of 2013, and they have a higher level of optimism about the next 12 months than they had last December for 2013," noted ISM's Anthony Nieves. "They forecast that their capacity to produce products and provide services will rise by 1.9% during 2014, and capital expenditures will increase by 4.6% from the 2013 levels. Non-manufacturers also predict their employment will increase by 2.1% during 2014."
The most challenging problems facing non-manufacturing businesses mirror those on the manufacturing side: domestic sales growth (31.8%); government regulations (18.9%); healthcare cost (14.9%); healthcare reform uncertainty (14.9%); ongoing government shutdown and debt ceiling concerns (8.1%); inflation (6.1%); international sales growth (4.1%); and taxes (1.4%).
One interesting factoid truckers should focus on: Non-manufacturing respondents to ISM's poll indicate that technology and process improvement is the most frequently cited means for improving their supply chain operations in 2014, with other tactical approaches including: strategic cost and contract management; strategic sourcing; supplier relationship management; and professional development.
Even those surveys that discerned a more negative outlook overall are finding some positives, too. Take Grant Thornton LLP's recent 2013 Fall CFO Survey for example: while 60% of the 1,000 CFOs polled by the firm believe the state of the U.S. economy will remain the same or worsen during the next six months, 43% said their company's headcount would increase or significantly increase – a moderate three-percentage point increase from the spring.
In addition, more than two-thirds of CFOs (68%) expect the average cost of an employee's salary to increase during the next 12 months, up from 65% in the spring.
All in all some pretty good stuff to contemplate as the finishing touches are made to 2014 plans.


text:
Julianne McMeen
|Franklin, Tenn./UT-Martin
UT-Martin:Transferred to Lipscomb after two seasons at the University of Tennessee-Martin of the Ohio Valley Conference. ...Finished with a 3-2 record in 2008-2009 as the No. 6 singles player with wins against Austin Peay, Tennesee State and Southeast Missouri. ...Also had a 2-0 record in doubles matches in 2008-2009 winning against Tennessee State in the No. 3 position and against Southeast Missouri in the No. 2 spot. ...Posted a 2-2 mark as a freshman, also in the No. 6 singles spot, finishing 1-1 in OVC matches. ...Had an 0-1 record in doubles at the No. 2 position and a 1-0 mark in the No. 3 spot. ...Also earned a sport on the OVC Commssioner's Honor Roll.
High School:Named First Team All-Midstate as a senior in both tennis and cross country at David Lipscomb High School. ...Was a member of the 2004 State Championship team. ...Runner-up in the state in doubles competition. ...Member of the 2003 State Champion cross country team.
Personal:Daughter of Tawana and David McMeen. ...One brother, Jim; and one sister, Natalie. ...Majoring in Dietetics.


text:
|Hello gorgeous...!
In a sea of celebrity tweets full of SMS spellings, extraneous exclamation marks, and vapid retweets and project promotion, here was someone who communicates real thought and character and likes talking with fans. From the moment he first sent me a direct message—a response to my enthusiastic support of his love for his espresso machine—I wanted to find out more about why he uses Twitter so differently than other actors. This fall he graciously talked with me about his use of and thoughts on Twitter. His replies were full of his usual thoughtful content and charm—happily unfettered by 140 characters and spaces.
Beth: First thing's first: tell me about your profile description "boutique Bollywood actor." Whenever I tell other film-loving friends about that, they clap with glee about how perfect that is. Heck, even my American friends and colleagues who don't know anything about Hindi films think it's delightful.
Rahul: It was born out of necessity. When I meet new people (mostly outside of India) and they learn I'm an actor in the Indian film industry they always go, "Oh, so you must do 5-10 films a year". It's often tedious trying to explain the esoteric space I occupy in such a prolific industry. I had been hearing the term "boutique" used to describe everything from hotels to investment companies that were more niche and realised it was also quite apt for me. I decided to try using it and found it always got my point across plus got a good laugh. Just the other day, Frieda Pinto and I were discussing films while cooling our heels in the airport lounge on our way to the Goa film festival and when I mentioned it to her, she burst into giggles.
Beth: Follow-up questions that aren't really about Twitter but I think readers would love to know about. You've had a really good string of roles that I think are evoked nicely by the term "boutique"—Dil Kabaddi, Love Aaj Kal, Wake Up Sid. In two of them you get to be the dashing, smart, deserving, almost perfect option that people overlook...I hope that's autobiographical neither to personal life nor to career!
Rahul: Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that but now that you mention it….
Beth: Your character in Wake Up Sid, though, treads very close to being insufferable, albeit in a realistic, "ohhhh, I know that guy" way. What was it like to play a suave villain who—gasp!—prefers jazz to vintage Hindi film music?
Rahul: I find villains very interesting. Especially the particularly stylish ones like Hannibal Lechter, Tom Ripley, Gordon Gekko, Keyzer Soze and even Eric Northman, to name a few. I would love to play one some day. That said, I didn't see the Wake Up Sid character as a villain at all. He was just someone who was very sure of himself and his likes and dislikes. Perhaps some of his perceived villainess came from the way he made Konkona's character feel about herself. (Which was, in fact, the same way she had earlier made Sid's character feel about himself.) When Karan (Johar) and Ayan (Mukherji) were discussing the character with me, Karan said, "He should be the kind of person you feel is always slightly judging you. So, just be yourself!" That was a bit worrying.
Beth: I've un-followed so many Hindi film actors because they never say anything relevant, engaging, or even intelligible, whereas you write like the other calm, self-effacing, humor-possessing, language-loving people I follow on Twitter. Is your tweeting style simply a brief, typed expression of how you generally talk and/or present yourself, or are there other factors that shape how you tweet? Has your experience as a host/emcee for various outlets and events given you a certain ease and fluency in speaking publicly?
Rahul: Thank you for your kind words. Some people's tweets make me cringe, too. But that's mainly because I hate abbreviations and bad spellings. Yet, most of those people have many more followers than me, so it's all about personal preferences. The way I choose to tweet is definitely an extension of how I generally communicate. Even when I send text messages, I always type out full sentences with correct capitalization and punctuations. My friends often complain they need a dictionary to understand my SMSes but, although I like words, I'm not a man of many of them so I find great comfort in the brevity that Twitter enforces. I don't tweet very often but I try and come up with at least one tweet a day (although, sometimes, even that is difficult). I also put a fair bit of effort into each tweet in terms of spell, grammar and fact checking. In spite of which, about 80% of the time, after posting, I think of a better way of saying something and wish I could go back and edit it. My worst Twitter nightmare is realising too late that I've posted a tweet with an incorrect spelling or a missing apostrophe.
Beth: Do you spend much mental energy trying to place yourself a certain way within the film or entertainment industries via Twitter? Your tweets are so charmingly different from everybody else's, and I wonder if the resources you've put into using Twitter have been productive for you?
Rahul: I haven't consciously tried to position myself in a certain way. I just make an effort to try and tweet in the same tone I would chat with friends and family on an instant messenger service. I can always tell when a PR person is tweeting for a celebrity and that often puts me off and is the reason I don't follow many people I otherwise find interesting. It's important to me that the people who have made the effort to follow me know it's actually me typing those 140 characters.
|According to my fortune cookie, there's still hope...
Beth: On that topic, your fortune cookie tweet awhile ago was a little poignant. http://twitpic.com/2j9ydk What projects would you like to be working on that you aren't currently or haven't done so far? What would you most love to be working on?
Rahul: Well, I really love working so I'd love to be working constantly on projects that excite me and I believe in.
Beth: If you are using Twitter to try to cultivate an audience, or a particular kind of audience, has the attempt been successful?
Rahul: It hasn't been so much about cultivating an audience as much as it has been about establishing an online presence. I needed a place where people who were interested in me could find out more about me and interact with me and where I could disseminate news. I don't have my website up and running yet and I find Facebook too fussy, so Twitter was the natural choice and has served the purpose beautifully. This interview is testament to that.
Beth: What about the social and community-building aspects of Twitter? I'm amazed by the number of people I've met and really gotten to know through it. I suppose as a celebrity you have to be more careful than the rest of us about jumping into discussions, even if they're just about news or recent film releases. Are there things you feel you can't or shouldn't do on Twitter that you wish you could?
Rahul: The other day I was in an elevator and this gentleman suddenly turned to me and handed me a toffee just before getting off on his floor. He wasn't looking to engage in conversation or anything and I barely had time to mumble a thank you before the doors closed. That's kind of what I want my tweets to be—an unexpected, sometimes irreverent, possibly eccentric and hopefully pleasant offering. I try and keep them as lighthearted and fun as possible. I want people to look forward to reading them and I would never post anything inappropriate or mean-spirited on my page. I am quite private by nature so, I'm not really comfortable giving out my location, blow-by-blow details of my day, offering lofty opinions or participating in public discussions, although I do enjoy following some of those.
Beth: Are there any tweets that you think really pinpoint your personality or sense of humor? One of my favorites is the "Hello gorgeous" Toblerone picture with opened wrapper and raised eyebrow. http://twitpic.com/wvbut It says so much in just two words and one image! Not only is loving one's chocolate totally relatable, as is the idea of an actor who tweets about yoga also mentioning his sugary companions, but there are layers of potential meaning, too: who's the gorgeous one, who's the chocolate hero, etc.
Rahul: Ha ha ha… There are a few I look back on and chuckle at, mainly because of the absurdity of the situation that inspired them. The one about the workmen on the scaffolding outside my bathroom, the one about the shaving bloodshed, the Federer tennis swing, the flatulent co-passenger… check my favourites.
Beth: It's probably not a surprise to you that there's a merry band of us who squeal (sometimes silently, sometimes not) whenever you send us a direct message after we've replied to one of your tweets. Do you have a particular approach to responding to fans' comments? Do you get many ear-piercing, exclamation-mark-filled tweets directed at you...or other types of responses that are hard to deal with?
Rahul: I'm amazed that people are even interested in what I have to say, so getting positive responses to my tweets is like icing on the cake. Unless I feel it would be of interest to others, I generally reply via direct message because I think it's more personal and also so that if someone wants to read through my tweets on my main page, they don't have to sort through a clutter of replies.
Beth: Are there any people in the Indian entertainment industry who aren't on Twitter but you wish were? If I could pick anyone, I think it'd be Prayag Raj—you know he would still come up with wild rides and magnificent irony in only 140 characters.
Rahul: Ironically, some of the most interesting personalities today are actually quite dull on Twitter. If Rumi were alive today, I think he'd be wonderful on Twitter. The same for Harivanshrai Bachchan. Oscar Wilde, too. I also see Twitter feeds as micro-memoirs. Imagine having daily updates from Gandhi or Moses or Da Vinci or Chaplin. From the contemporary Bollywood world, I think the one person missing from Twitter who might be a hoot is Rekha.
Beth: I notice you follow dictionary.com and Advice to Writers and never use SMS-style vocabulary—and recently you mentioned re-reading Love in the Time of Cholera. Are you in fact a word nerd?Rahul: Guilty as charged. I really like words. The bigger the better. Like a trophy-wife, I don't always understand them but I like the way they look and sound. I'm superficial that way. The downside is, I get a lot of "I can't understand a word you're saying. Why can't you tweet in normal English?" messages from followers.
Beth: I have no idea if you think of yourself as a writer, but your well-constructed tweets indicate that you like putting words together, and you clearly have many fans who love what you do with words. Do you have any plans for more formal writing projects?
Rahul: Twitter has certainly opened up the door to that world, if only a crack. After reading my tweets, Vogue commissioned me to write a piece for their January '11 issue and www.bpbweekend.com asked me to write a foreword for one of the sections of their new 'Guide to Secret Mumbai' book which will be out in February. Apart from that there have been a few other writing offers, too. Let's see where the road leads.
Beth: Have you seen the Mahabharata in tweet form? I think the idea of breaking revered works down into tweets is an interesting response to the common perception (particularly held by people who don't actually use Twitter) that Twitter is necessarily lightweight, silly, and fleeting...not to mention an amazing intellectual challenge to pull off. If I had an assignment to try that, I'd do A Suitable Boy. Not only is it one of my very favorite novels, but the big cast of characters and all their conversations in different locations could be evoked pretty well with Twitter, I think. What do you think are some of the most interesting uses (in practice or potential) of Twitter?
Rahul: That's a great idea, actually. Maybe some of the other classics broken down into tweets. Twitter Cliff Notes, if you will. Maybe even quick lessons in film history or art history.
Beth: And a silly question to close.... You once mentioned that Amar Akbar Anthony is one of your favorite masala films. Would Inspector Amar bother with Twitter? Maybe he'd scan it to find first-hand information about Anthony's boozy exploits: "VAT69 is flowing at @tonyg's tonight LOL" rolls across his screen and he jumps into his jeep to go bust it up. Just think if Kishanlal had had Twitter: "Left 3 boys under Gandhi statue in the park on 15 August *facepalm*" Or Akbar: "Just saw @DrSalma again. Sigh. Hope she comes to tonight's qawwal!!!"
Rahul: That is hilarious. I'm LOL-ing at the Kishanlal tweet. I've read Twitter parody pages of people like Steve Jobs, the Queen of England and one of my favourites, the fictional Mrs. Stephen Fry. Starting some for your favourite Hindi movie characters would be excellent fun, too. (And no, I don't think Amar would be the Twitter-type.)


text:
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I recently attended a funeral service for my brother, Mike, who was given final honors by the local military honor guard. He was also a proud member of the honor guard.
The service was the most humble and dedicated I have ever seen, even having served in World War II and more than 20 years in the United States Air Force and on numerous occasions having observed similar events.
The Embroski family and, indeed, this community and city owe all honor guard members a sincere debt of gratitude for their sacrifice and dedication to ensure that all veterans are given the final military burial honors.
If you have the occasion to visit one of the American Legion posts or the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where many of the members usually socialize, shake their hands and buy them a drink and thank them for their outstanding service to our military veterans.


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Shark, any of numerous species of cartilaginous fishes of predatory habit that constitute the order Selachii (class Chondrichthyes).
Sharks, together with rays and skates, make up the subclass Elasmobranchii of the Chondrichthyes. Sharks differ from other elasmobranchs, however, and resemble ordinary fishes, in the fusiform shape of their body and in the location of their gill clefts on each side of the head. Though there are exceptions, sharks typically have a tough skin that is dull gray in colour and is roughened by toothlike scales. They also usually have a muscular, asymmetrical, upturned tail; pointed fins; and a pointed snout extending forward and over a crescentic mouth set with sharp triangular teeth. Sharks have no swim bladder and must swim perpetually to keep from sinking to the bottom.
There are more than 400 living species of sharks, taxonomically grouped into 14–30 families, according to different authorities. Several larger species can be dangerous to humans. Numerous sharks are fished commercially. However, overfishing in the late 20th and early 21st centuries substantially reduced the populations of some shark species.
…cartilaginous fishes that includes the sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras. The class is one of the two great groups of living fishes, the other being the osteichthians, or bony fishes. The name Selachii is also sometimes used for the group containing the sharks.
Description and habits
Shark species are nondescript in colour, varying from gray to cream, brown, yellow, slate, or blue and often patterned with spots, bands, marblings, or protuberances. The oddest-looking sharks are the hammerheads (Sphyrna), whose heads resemble double-headed hammers and have an eye on each stalk, and the wobbegongs (family Orectolobidae), whose skin flaps and protective coloration closely resemble the seafloor. The vernacular of shark names indicate colours in living species, such as the blue (Prionace glauca), the white (Carcharodon carcharias; also known as the great white shark), and the lemon (Negaprion brevirostris) shark.
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) and the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), both of which may weigh several tons, are harmless giants that subsist on plankton strained from the sea through modified gill rakers. Whale sharks may grow up to 18 metres (59 feet) in length, whereas basking sharks may reach 14 metres (46 feet) fully grown. All other sharks prey on smaller sharks, fish, squid, octopuses, shellfish, other invertebrates, and, in some species, trash. The largest among the more predatory species is the voracious 6-metre (20-foot) white shark, which attacks seals, dolphins, sea turtles, large fish, and occasionally people. The more sluggish Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) of cold deep waters feeds on seals, large fish, and even swimming reindeer; they may also scavenge whale carcasses.
Normally, sharks feed on fish, often attacking in schools. Open-ocean species such as the mackerel (Lamna), mako (Isurus), and thresher (Alopias) sharks frequently feed near the surface and are much sought after with rod and reel for sport. Beautifully streamlined and powerful swimmers, those open-ocean sharks are adept at feeding on fast tuna, marlin, and the like. Bottom-feeding species of sharks are stout, blunt-headed forms that tend to have more-sluggish habits. The shellfish eaters among them have coarse, pavementlike, crushing teeth.
Fertilization in sharks is internal. The male introduces sperm into the female by using special copulatory organs (claspers) derived from the pelvic fins. The young in many species hatch from eggs within the female and are born alive. Other species may lay eggs or nurture their young in the uterus with a placental attachment to the mother, like humans. Some species may even consume their siblings before they are born.
The origin of sharks is obscure, but their geologic record goes back at least to the Devonian Period (419.2 million to 358.9 million years ago). Fossil sharklike fish appeared in the Middle Devonian Epoch and became the dominant vertebrates of the Carboniferous Period (358.9 million to 298.9 million years ago). Modern sharks appeared in the Early Jurassic Epoch (201.3 million to 174.1 million years ago) and by the Cretaceous Period (145 million to 66 million years ago) had expanded into the present-day families. Overall, evolution has modified shark morphology very little except to improve their feeding and swimming mechanisms. Shark teeth are highly diagnostic of species, both fossil and modern.
Sharks' geographic ranges are not well known. Their extensive movements are related to reproductive or feeding activities or to seasonal environmental changes. Tagging returns from large sharks on the east coast of the United States indicate regular movements between New Jersey and Florida, and blue sharks have been recovered after crossing the southern Atlantic Ocean. A tagged spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) was recovered after traveling about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) in 129 days. Advances in tracking technologies include the use of satellite tags that continuously beam a signal to orbiting satellites whenever the shark surfaces and in that manner reveal north-south movements, transoceanic movements, and roaming and migratory patterns that are beginning to be understood for many species.
Some members of the Carcharhinus genus—most notably the bull shark (C. leucas)—enter fresh waters. Riverine sharks are small to medium-sized and are exceptionally voracious and bold.
Shark behaviour
Information on shark ecology and individual and group actions has provided increased insight into their behaviour. Because large sharks feed on lesser ones, the habit of segregation by size appears vital to their survival. In a uniform grouping, dominance between various species is apparent in feeding competition, suggesting a definite nipping order. All sharks keep clear of hammerheads, whose maneuverability enhanced by the rudder effect of the head gives them a swimming advantage over other sharks.
Sharks circle their prey, disconcertingly appearing seemingly out of nowhere and frequently approaching from below. Feeding behaviour is stimulated by numbers and rapid swimming when three or more sharks appear in the presence of food. Activity progresses from tight circling to rapid crisscross passes. Under strong feeding stimuli, excitement can intensify into a sensory overload that may result in cannibalistic feeding, or "shark frenzy," in which injured sharks, regardless of size, are devoured.
Sharks may abstain from food for long periods, and in captivity they may refuse to feed. Feeding is inhibited in large males during courtship and in gravid females while on the nursery grounds. Areas selected for giving birth are usually free of large sharks.
In locating food, the shark primarily uses the chemical senses, particularly the olfactory. Visual acuity is adapted to close and long-range location and to distinguishing moving objects more by reflection than by colour, in either dim or bright light. Pit organs over the body serve as distance touch receptors, responding to displacement produced by sound waves. Irregularly pulsed signals below 800 hertz will bring sharks rapidly to a given point, suggesting acoustic orientation from considerable distances (see mechanoreception: Ampullary lateral-line organs [electroreceptors]).
In addition, electroreception, the ability to detect minute electrical activities, works effectively at short distances in sharks. Electroreception may be the last sensory system used to direct sharks toward live prey just before they capture it.
Feeding habits vary with foraging methods and dentition. Sharks with teeth adapted to shearing and sawing are aided in biting by body motions including a rotation of the body, twisting movement of the head and body, or rapid vibration of the head. In coming to position, the shark protrudes its jaws, erecting and locking the teeth in position.
Hazards to humans
In Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and elsewhere along coasts where sharks are considered a nuisance or pose a threat to humans, public beaches often have lookout towers, bells and sirens, or nets. Since 1937, meshing has been employed off Australian beaches to catch sharks, using gill nets suspended between buoys and anchors, parallel to the beach and beyond the breaker line. The nets enmesh sharks from any direction, and, though touching neither the surface nor the bottom and spaced well apart, the nets give simple effective control.
The most-feared species is the white shark, whose erratic presence in American coastal waters is associated with infrequent attacks along the California coast and elsewhere. Other sharks involved in attacks on humans are the tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), bull, oceanic whitetip (C. longimanus), blue, and hammerhead. Of course, the larger the shark, the more formidable the attack, but several small specimens can be hazardous as well, a fact well attested to by seasonal attacks off the southeastern coast of the United States.
Not all encounters with sharks can be characterized as "attacks." Studies have suggested that a more accurate method of reporting incidents involving sharks and humans would place the encounters into one of four categories, rather than calling every encounter an attack. Such categories could include:
- Shark sightings
- Shark encounters in which there is no bite but that may involve contact with a kayak, surfboard, or other object
- Shark bites resulting in nonfatal injuries
- Fatal shark bites
Attacks on humans occur when sharks are hungry, harassed, or, in some cases, defending territory, though many interactions with humans appear more likely to be due to mistaken identity. Provocation is heightened by the kicking or thrashing vibrations people make in the water (which to sharks resemble the irregular movements of a wounded fish), the presence of speared fish or bait in the water, or the presence of blood from wounds or menstruation. Most injuries occur on the lower limbs and buttocks. It has been estimated that there are about 100 shark attacks worldwide per year. Less than 25 percent of those are fatal, largely a result of hemorrhage and shock. It should be noted, however, that shark attacks are much less frequent than other aquatic mishaps.
Shark finning
Among the threats from humans that sharks face is finning, the practice of harvesting the lateral and dorsal fins and the lower tail fin from a shark by commercial fishing operations and others worldwide. After the shark has been captured and its fins have been removed, its body, which is most likely still alive, is often cast overboard to save weight and cargo space. The practice is thought to have arisen in China about 1000 ce primarily for the purpose of supplying fins for shark fin soup served to guests at social occasions where the dish is symbolic of the host's status. Although most shark fin products are traded through Hong Kong, some are sent to local markets around the world that supply restaurants. The yearly global demand for shark fin soup results in the harvesting of tens of millions of sharks each year.
Campaigns led by animal rights groups and environmentalists have discouraged the consumption of shark fin soup. Since 2011, some restaurants around the world have removed the soup from their menus, and, beginning in 2012, it was no longer served at official state functions in China.
Shark fin tissue is known to contain the neurotoxin BMAA (beta-methylamino-l-alanine), which is produced by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). The consumption of BMAA-contaminated food and water has been linked to certain forms of neurodegenerative disease in humans.


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Another Trip Down Memory Lane... Life in Kansas...
Our young rascal, Casper Cat, disappeared for a while today. About suppertime, we realized he was missing. When we called and Casper didn't appear, we decided to check the shed. Sure enough, when Dennis opened the shed door, there was Casper -- napping on the workbench. He awoke, stretched, and ambled out.
This reminded me of something I hadn't thought of for a while. When I was six and my family moved to the ranch at Rose (NE), there was an old cellar in the side yard. It looked like a small hill on the lawn. On one end, some steps led down to the cellar's door. The door and the cellar's floor were probably about 6 feet underground.
I was outside exploring the new surroundings and I decided to peek inside the cellar. I ventured down the steps and pulled the door open a few inches. To my surprise, an emaciated cat shot out like a bolt of lightning and began eating grass ravenously. Poor thing! He must have been locked in there for quite a while.
I also remember a bit about the cellar we had at the ranch south of Johnstown where we had lived before the move. As I recall, it was built into the side of a little hill, and the entry was at ground level on the outside. At any rate, the entry's roof slanted at an angle that reminded me of a playground slide. One day, I climbed it and slid down, and that night my mom picked out wood slivers from my legs and backside with a needle.
Those cellars were old, even when I was a little child. I don't think my mom used the one at Johnstown, and my dad tore out the one at Rose because it was in bad shape structurally. Wooden roofs of cellars tended to cave in. Concrete cellars were more durable.
Driving through the Ozarks, I've seen a few old cellars dug right into hillsides like caves. The front walls around the entry doors were made of native stone, mortared together.
I drew a little sketch of the cellars I remember from childhood and showed it to Isaac. He said, "Oh, like Uncle Dwight and Aunt Kathy's storm shelter." And he is absolutely correct about the similarity. Come to think of it, storm shelters are often called "storm cellars."
Not long after Dwight and Kathy and my parents moved to the ranch out west of Wichita, KS, a tornado passed by too close for comfort. Since they had no storm cellar, they got in the pickup truck, drove into the pit silo which sits deep in the ground between a couple of hills, and waited for the storm to pass over. Soon after that, Dwight built the storm shelter that Isaac was talking about. It's right there in the yard if they need it.
Dwight and Kathy's storm shelter is made of a huge old salvaged oilfield tank -- like maybe 2000 gallons in size(?) -- cut in half and set back into a small hill. (The other half of the tank was used for something else on the ranch that I don't recall right now.) On the part sticking out of the hillside, Dwight built a a door. The framing of the little stoop over the doorway is salvaged oilfield pipe.
Inside are a few lawn chairs so they can sit down. A dozen people could probably pack into the shelter if necessary, but it would be a little crowded.
The upside-down bucket on top is covering a vent that lets in a little fresh air. I assume the vent in the door has some mesh over the backside of it (or is completely closed off) because I remember Dwight saying he made it tight enough to keep out snakes.
With a few shelves and storage bins, Dwight's storm shelter would make a pretty good cellar, because it fits the criteria of being an underground room (though its round interior and steel walls are unique.) For conventional cellar construction, see "An Old Time Cellar" that gives a general plan for constructing a wooden cellar. Mother Earth News also has an informative article about "Root Cellars."
Updated 3/22/07: I found a larger version of the photo and posted it this morning. When I wrote this last night, I was thinking that Dwight put the tank on its side and that the floor was rounded, but after some memory searching and looking at the photo closely, I believe the half-tank was turned upside down onto a concrete floor and the sides are the rounded part. I apologize for my confusion. It's been about ten years since I peeked inside it!
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STARmeterSEE RANK
Down 193 this week
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz debuted at the theatre in 1961 and gained there a good reputation as a solid, young actor. In 1970 he founded with Peter Stein the theatre company "Schaubuehne" of Berlin. His debut at the movies was early and unsuccessful during the decade of 1960. His talent as a reflexive actor with tendencies towards introspection was widely known ... See full bio »
Born:in Zürich-Seebach, Switzerland
More at IMDbPro » Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro


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Hewitt, Kyrgios in bright Wimbledon start
Australia has made its best start at Wimbledon in 15 years after Lleyton Hewitt and Nick Kyrgios joined five compatriots in reaching second round.
Veteran Hewitt and rising star Kyrgios won opening-round matches in impressive style on Tuesday but James Duckworth and Matt Ebden both fell to seeded opponents.
After Bernard Tomic, Marinko Matosevic, Luke Saville, Casey Dellacqua and Jarmila Gajdosova all won on Monday, it took to seven the number of Australians making winning starts at the grass court grand slam.
It means the nation will have its largest presence in the second round since 1999, when Hewitt was one of 10 to make it through.
"It's great to see and really happy to see some of the young boys get through," Hewitt said after a beating Poland's Michal Przysiezny.
"(Saville) winning his first tour match at a grand slam, at Wimbledon, is fantastic.
"Bernie did his job yesterday and with Marinko winning his first match at Wimbledon, moving forward he's a late developer.
"There's been some good wins."
Hewitt's 16th straight Wimbledon campaign, and possibly his last, began with a a hard-fought 6-2 6-7 (16-14) 6-1 6-4 win over 120th-ranked Przysiezny.
The Australian squandered seven set points in a marathon second-set tiebreak but was otherwise in control, winning in just over three hours to set up a meeting with another Pole, 15th seed Jerzy Janowicz.
Kyrgios, the youngest man in the draw at 19, was convinving in his Wimbledon debut, defeating French veteran Stephane Robert 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (8-6) 6-2.
The world No.144, who earned a wildcard after winning a Challenger event at Nottingham last week, blasted 29 aces and was aided by 17 double faults from Robert.
"I thought I stayed strong," Kyrgios said.
"After (losing) the third set it could have got a bit interesting, getting broken at the start of the fourth but I thought I stayed composed."
Kyrgios will next face French 13th seed Richard Gasquet, who needed five sets to overcome Australian qualifier Duckworth.
Duckworth, 22, battled hard but faded late in a 6-7 (7-3) 6-3 3-6 6-0 6-1 loss to continue his encouraging form after pushing Tomas Berdych to the limit at Queen's Club earlier this month.
World No.85 Ebden fell 6-2 6-4 6-4 to Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic.
Australia has fielded its largest singles contingent at the All England Club in 13 years, with women's 17th seed Samantha Stosur and qualifier Sam Groth the other casualties on day one.
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Curcumin modulation of IFN-beta and IL-12 signalling and cytokine induction in human T cells.
J Cell Mol Med. 2007 Sep-Oct;11(5):1129-37.
- Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from the dietary spice turmeric. It possesses diverse anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Curcumin has been shown to exhibit an inhibitory effect on the production of inflammatory cytokines by human monocytes and has inhibited the animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in association with a decrease in interleukin 12 (IL-12) production and signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) activation. The type I interferon (IFN) IFN-B has the ability to suppress IL-12. Both IL-12 and IFN-alpha/beta signal through the activation by phosphorylation of STAT4. Our aim was to investigate the effects of curcumin on the ability of T cells to respond to IL-12 or IFN-alpha/beta. We report that curcumin decreases IL-12-induced STAT4 phosphorylation, IFN-gamma production, and IL-12 Rbeta1 and beta2 expression. IFN-beta-induced STAT4 phosphorylation, IL-10 production and IFN receptor (IFNAR) subunits 1 and 2 expression were enhanced by curcumin. Curcumin increased IFN-alpha-induced IL-10 and IFNAR1 expression. Prior exposure to curcumin decreased IFN-alpha-induced IFNAR2 expression and did not modify the level of IFN-alpha-induced pSTAT4 generation. Thus, the effect of curcumin on STAT4 activation in T cells is dependent upon the stimulus to which the T cells have been exposed.
...prior exposure to curcumin enhanced the ability of T cells to respond to IFN-B, not only at the level of cytokine induction but also upstream at the signalling pathway and receptor level.
We found that prior treat-ment with curcumin enhanced IFN-B-induced IL-10 production (an anti-inflammatory cytokine), whilst the induction of IFN-gamma (a pro-inflammatory cytokine) by IL-12 in human T cells was reduced by pre-treatment with curcumin.
Although it is clear that the differentiation of Th1 cells is crucial for an effective immunity to a wide variety of intracellular pathogens, Th1 cells and IL-12 may also contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of immune-mediated inflammatory disorders, including MS and rheumatoid arthritis. It has already been shown that curcumin inhibits IL-12 production and signalling in EAE. This, combined with the inhibition of IL-12 signalling in human T cells and curcumin synergistic effect with IFN-B observed in this study on immune cells from both normal volunteers and MS patients, could place curcumin as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of MS.


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Megaupload Renews Request For Criminal Charges To Be Temporarily Dismissed; Reminds Judge Of Earlier Request
from the er,-we-did-ask-for-that dept
In response, however, Megaupload quickly filed a motion reminding the judge that they had, in fact, suggested dismissal without prejudice back in July, quoting the transcript during oral arguments, which also points out why due process suggests this is the only proper result for a company that has effectively been killed and has no recourse since it hasn't truly been charged yet:
THE COURT: Well, that—can I require them to serve the company on any particular date? There's no date in the rule—there appears to be no statutory limitation, and I understand your due process argument. So I—what if I, you know, would start with a premise that I don't control when the Government decides to serve the company. Where do we go from there?In other words, Megaupload is saying dismiss this case until Dotcom is extradited, at which point (if he's ever extradited) then the company can be charged. But in the meantime, it's only fair to not have the company held back -- and the company did make that suggestion many months ago, contrary to the judge's suggestion otherwise.
MR. BURCK: Well, Your Honor, we would submit that if the Court were ruling—going in that direction as a reasoning matter, that the appropriate result would be to dismiss the indictment without prejudice.
Because the company, again, has already suffered all the consequences of a criminal prosecution, so the—even if there's a trial and the company is acquitted and the individuals are acquitted, of course the company is still done.
So, we think that the due process claims trump all the other issues, and we think that if the Court were so inclined, that the Government should take certain steps in order to effectuate service, then—or if the extradition proceedings would be the relevant time line for that, again, the company should have an opportunity during that period of time to try to rehabilitate itself, because there isn't currently a criminal case that is sufficient for purposes of service and they've suffered massive harm.
So, of course, that would not be our preference, and we do think that the Supreme Court has said you can't change the rules of service, et cetera, but the—that's all in our brief—but we do think that the alternative would be dismissal without prejudice, allow the Government at the appropriate time to then supercede the indictment again, add the corporation into the indictment.
And at that point, a year down the road, two years, however long it takes and wherever the MLAT process or the extradition process takes, at that point we could have this argument as to specific individuals, corporations, entities. But, in the meantime, having the company subject to the burden of a—the incredible burden of a criminal prosecution with no ability to defend itself and no service is an extraordinary result and one that is unprecedented.


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Water system upgrades are planned for New London, Waterford
New London - The city's water authority will spend millions of dollars over the next few years to improve a system that annually pumps 2 billion gallons of drinking water to 45,000 customers in New London and Waterford.
The water department is spending about $250,000 to replace a pipe across Alewife Cove and to hire a consultant to put together a 20-year capital improvement plan to keep 210 miles of pipes, four pumping stations and six water storage tanks in working order.
But the biggest project to date is installing a new intake pump in Lake Konomoc at a cost of $5.1 million. The project will draw an additional 366 million gallons of water from deep within the reservoir off Route 85 in Waterford. An additional $500,000 will pay for construction administration, including a full-time inspector who will oversee the project.
"Water is the most crucial commodity there is," said Barry Weiner, chairman of the Water & Water Pollution Control Authority. "Our forefathers were wise enough to start the system and purchase Lake Konomoc. This authority is very adamant about leaving it better than when we had it."
In 1942, according to an article in The Day about an expansion of Lake Konomoc, the lake had a capacity of 160 million gallons. Today, the capacity is 1.2 billion gallons.
The Lake Konomoc project includes a concrete building that will be partially submerged, with two "very large vacuum primed pumps," according to Joseph Lanzafame, director of Public Utilities. The new equipment will be able to pump additional water that is so deep in the reservoir that the existing pumps and pipes can't reach it.
"It's a very unique project," Lanzafame said, adding that it will be the first of its kind in the area. "These pumps are custom made for this project."
The extra water will add to the water supply during a severe drought, when the surface elevation in the 363-acre lake is lower than the existing intake pipe. Tapping into the new water source will increase the volume of "usable storage" in the reservoir, Lanzafame said, increasing the safe yield of the reservoir and reducing the frequency of drought advisories.
"It will give us access to water we can't reach," he said.
The project will take 15 to 18 months to complete.
The majority of the project will be funded with a low-interest loan through the Connecticut Department of Public Health Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The loan, with a 2 percent interest rate, will be paid back over 20 years. The state is also expected to reimburse 5 percent of the costs. The cost are figured into regular water rates.
The Alewife Cove project includes replacing a water pipe that connects Highland Avenue in New London to Peninsular Avenue in Waterford. The pipe failed about 10 years ago and was never replaced, creating deadends in the system where water can pool.
The new pipe will create a loop in the water system, which Weiner said will increase water quality for the area.
"The system works better when it loops," he said. "The water will be constantly moving in the pipe and there will be no stagnation."
The capital plan includes hiring consultants to assess the system and prioritize what needs to be done. All the water lines, sewer pipes, pump stations and the treatment plant will be inspected.
The project began several years ago when the water department completed a state-mandated inspection of the system using cameras, Lanzafame said.
"We realized we needed a comprehensive plan," he said.
Weiner said the exercise will help avoid having to make emergency repairs, which can be costly. The authority will be able to plan for work and adjust rates accordingly to pay for it.
"We want to be proactive and not reactive," he said.
In June, officials from New London and East Lyme broke ground for a project that will carry water from Lake Konomoc along Routes 85 and 161 to East Lyme.
Under the plan, expected to be completed in May, East Lyme will send water to the reservoir from fall to mid-May and then New London will send the stored water back to the town for the summer months when the demand is higher. East Lyme residents approved the $10.9 million to pay for the project in 2011.
McConnell courting Pompeo to run for open Senate seat in Kansas
Trump team weighs surprise tariff cut in hopes of securing China trade deal
Local roundup: New London beats Fitch on halfcourt shot at buzzer
T.J. Horner brings toughness from the football field to the basketball court
Samaritan helps police recover purse snatched from Day reporter in New London


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Hey there!
I'm having some recent trouble with xfce4. I posted this topic yesterday, you can find my post at:
In short, its the following:
If i shut down my system, xfce4 saves automatically the session and reopens all windows at next boot. I do not want this behaviour, but have no idea how to inhibit it. This behaviour is new since the last update.
I am using xfce4, lxdm and archlinux.
Well, I'm using Xubuntu, but it should be the same.
There are two places I know of that mention Saving your session. One is when you log out. Here is Xubuntus Log Out screen.
If the line Save session for future logins is check-marked, un-check it.
Also, in either Settings Manager, or in the menu as Session and Startup, there is another entry:
As you have seen, I've unchecked both.
Hope this helps. Just remember to close all windows before quitting.
Last edited by SantaFe (2013-05-23 15:48:55)
bah weep grana weep ninny bon.
Hello SantaFe,
thanks for your reply!
I have checked all those GUI-Settings and they all look fine.
Indeed, xfce4 does not save the session when i log out (it never did), but only if i shut down the computer directly with shutdown -h now. I couldnt find any other post on the net describing this.
I downgraded three xfce4 packages:
The downgraded versions are:
extra/xfce4-session 4.10.0-6
extra/xfce4-settings 4.10.0-3
extra/xfce4-xkb-plugin 0.5.4.3-3
The versions this trouble started with were:
extra/xfce4-session 4.10.1-1
extra/xfce4-settings 4.10.1-1
extra/xfce4-xkb-plugin 0.5.5-1
Downgrading these three packages could _not_ fix it.
Could it have something to do with... I am not real clear on exactly what it was, but I seem to remember once reading that "shutdown -h" wasn't technically a "turn off the computer," but instead brings down the system and either powers off or halts (thus the -h), choice being left up to the system. Seems like halt was something akin to suspend, so in that case it would make sense to save current session information. The bit about "choice being left up to the system," if I'm actually remembering any of this correctly, would cause me to assume that there is a setting somewhere which determines what results happen when the command gets called. And if all of that conjecture is right, lol, I wonder if instead of a simple one-or-the-other variable, it's more configurable than that and if something got misconfigured.
BtW, have you tried "shutdown -p" or using the "poweroff" (with or without the -n option, but be aware that this option is to "Prevent the sync before reboot or halt," which may cause more than just your session - such as, possibly, whatever data is in your hard disk's cache waiting to be written, IDK - to not be written and might, therefore, bring unwanted results.
Also, since you believe that this change in behavior is linked to an update... is there a log file (or several) that lists changes to the system related to updates over and above merely listing which new versions of files were downloaded and installed? IOW, something that would list in no uncertain terms any changes to configurations files and the like?
Good luck,
Mountain Dew Maniac
How to Ask for Help <=== Click on this link
MDM, this was the right direction!
I could observe the following:
shutdown -h now: Computer saves session, then turns off.
shutdown -H now: Computer halts, i had to manually power off, session was not saved
shutdown -P now: Computer does not save the session and turns power off.
shutdown now: Computer does not save the session (but firefox does!) and turns power off.
poweroff showed similar behaviour than shutdown -P now.
Any data which is still written at the moment were doomed anyway (the only exception was -H), no matter which option i gave shutdown.
Yes, there are logfiles for the update. I am using arch and i did not updated for at least 2 months, so its about 2GB of data, including the kernel ^^ this is about a fifths of the data of all programs on my pc. If you put out all programs i would not connect with this problem, the other would be
community/lxdm 0.4.1-22
several xfce4 packages
core/systemd 204-2
core/systemd-sysvcompat 204-2
core/linux 3.9.3-1
extra/xorg-server 1.14.1-1
To come to an end:
I replaced 'shutdown -h now' by 'shutdown now'. I wasn't able to "repair" the xfce4-panel shutdown button, so i build my own panel button with shutdown now. This is fine for me.


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Georgia peanut producers enjoyed an abundance of good fortune in 2003 — plentiful rainfall, record-high yields and the lowest incidence of tomato spotted wilt virus since 1990.
"We did see some late-season tomato spotted wilt virus showing up in farmers' fields, and it was easy to spot from the typical yellowing symptoms," says Steve L. Brown, University of Georgia Extension entomologist. "But it didn't appear to hurt our yields since it was so late in the season."
The University of Georgia Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Index has helped Georgia growers significantly in their continuing battle against the potentially devastating virus. Looking ahead to the coming growing season, Brown says there will be few changes in the index for 2004.
"The only thing changing for this year is the addition of some new varieties," says Brown. "We added AP-3 at 10 points and GA-01R at 15 points. Everything else is the same. We didn't see any reason to change anything else."
Researchers did come up with a table this year to help growers better understand the concept of a planting date window, he says. "It's a way for growers to see how the planting date window changes and other factors change. Many growers were saying they would like to plant peanuts earlier, but the index told them they couldn't plant until May 11. The index actually states that May 11-May 25 is the lowest risk time for planting.
"But if you do other things and plant some of these improved varieties, you still can have low risk and can get into the low-risk category by planting anytime in some situations. In other situations, you can't get into the low-risk category no matter what you do. It depends on other factors."
The 2003 Georgia peanut crop probably was the latest planted crop in recent history, notes Brown, with less than 2 percent of the peanuts planted in April. Despite the low incidence of tomato spotted wilt virus this past year, the virus still is present in Georgia fields, says the entomologist.
"In situations where we intentionally do everything to create a high-risk situation, we're still seeing heavy virus pressure. We contend the pressure is still there. But because of what growers are doing, the actual incidence of tomato spotted wilt virus is really going down."
Improved peanut varieties remain one of the best weapons against the virus, he says. "Everything that has been released in the past few years has been resistant to the virus at the Georgia Green level or better. Some of the newer ones are considerably better in terms of resistance than Georgia Green. DP-1 and AP-3 are pegged as the best in our index.
"All of these varieties have their own individual agronomic characteristics, and a grower must choose based on things other than tomato spotted wilt virus. But, if those varieties fit into a grower's program, he can drastically reduce the incidence of the disease in his fields."
Many improved varieties are in the research pipeline, says Brown. Some of the newer varieties have added characteristics such as resistance to CBR, leafspot and white mold. "There's quite a package of disease resistance being incorporated into these varieties."
Other components of the risk index, such as reduced tillage and twin rows, continue to be confirmed as lessening a grower's risk to the virus.
"But whenever we get one of these very good improved varieties, these other effects can be minor. In other words, it's difficult to show a difference between twin and single rows with respect to tomato spotted wilt virus when you're using a variety like DP-1 that's planted on May 20. You'll have such a low level of virus that you won't see a big effect from row patterns and tillage."
Growers should keep in mind that the risk index point total is what counts the most, says Brown. "Don't get hung up on an individual factor within the index. Your cumulative total is very important. You don't have to do everything in the index, but we'd like to see growers at 65 points or less. At that point total, we don't think you'll have a big problem with tomato spotted wilt virus."
Georgia growers finally saw the end of a multi-year drought in 2003, and the plentiful rainfall probably helped to lower the incidence of tomato spotted wilt virus, says Brown.
"We don't fully understand the effects, but we know that rainfall in the spring is not good for thrips. Thrips prefer dry weather conditions during the spring. Rainfall this past spring probably helped to drive down thrips populations. We had fairly heavy pressure in mid-May, but it was very brief. It lasted for only a week or two, and we saw generally light pressure throughout the remainder of the season."
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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March 2012
Culver City :: Jim Houser
Jim Houser :: 'As Quiet As It's Kept'
March 10th - April 7th, 2012
Artist Reception: Saturday, March 10th, 6-9pm
Los Angeles, CA - LeBasse Projects is proud to announce 'As Quiet As It's Kept,' a solo exhibition byPhiladelphia based artist Jim Houser.
In Houser's new exhibition, the artist returns to Los Angeles with an insightful array ofworks ranging from canvas paintings, mixed media compositions and installations. Here, Houser continueshis perpetual examination of self-exploration and the meditative peace found in quietness compared to thejoys of sound.
Through each whimsical character and play of words, the artist creates a visual dialog filled with personaland emotional tension. Inspired by his son, Houser also explores the impact of fatherhood and the newresponsibilities faced. Within this body of work, the artist beautifully weaves the idea of our nature to protectand the experience of witnessing growth of the ones we love.
About Jim Houser
Jim Houser, a self-taught artist, helped create Philadelphia's Space 1026 gallery and artist collective.Houser's paintings are the system by which he actively catalogs the images and noises that command hisattention. His installations create a mapping system, cataloging the contents of his head over the course of aparticular period of time.
Houser's collages, paintings and installations have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout theUnited States, Europe, Australia and Brazil. His work is included in the permanent collection of thePhiladelphia Museum of Art. Recently, Houser released a vinyl record of instrumental music composed toaccompany his installations.
For more info or preview, please contact the gallery at:
firstname.lastname@example.com or 310.558.0200
6023 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
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Customer Reviews
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What You'll Get
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text:
Feedback / Re: dustrho's feedback« on: November 9, 2003, 06:20 PM »
just completed my first two trades with dustrho and they could not have gone smoother. he was very patient with me and left many different offers on the table to provide as many possibilities for my indecisiveness. long story short, i couldn't make up my mind. chris , thanks for the goodies and we'll do business agian.


text:
Reviews | Write a Review
The PNY Elite 200GB Class 10, UHS-I, U1 microSD Flash Memory card is perfect for the latest smartphones, tablets, action cameras, drones and more. It features 200GB of storage, giving you more available space on your mobile device so you can enjoy more mobile content such as apps, eBooks, web video, music and movies. U1 technology is perfect for full HD video recording and HD photography, allowing you to capture high quality HD video and photos with your action camera, drone, or other mobile device. The Elite microSD card is rated Class 10, U1, which guarantees fast transfer speeds of up to 85MB/s so you can quickly transfer and share your content while you're on the go.
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