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If you had to guess what kids love most about the holidays, what would it be? Lots of people - kids and grownups alike - would probably say getting presents. Just look at those crowded shopping malls and all those catalogs that come in the mail! As the winter holidays draw near, kids are thinking only about what they will get, right?
Based on some research we did last holiday season, we happily report that kids look forward to a lot more than just presents. About 300 kids answered our 2004 email survey about the holidays. Here's what they told us:
Nine-year-old Preshious said: "You celebrate family and friends and it is NOT just about presents!"
Jordan, 10, likes to sing and help with the Christmas tree.
Fourteen-year-old Peter said his favorite part of the holidays is that "we're all together."
Christmas may be the first holiday that comes to mind this time of year, but kids are celebrating other special days, too. Ten-year-old Hallie celebrates Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday. She said she likes when her family reads a prayer from the Torah. Harley, 11, celebrates Hanukkah, too. She likes lighting the candles on the menorah.
Others kids are celebrating Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan, a month of daytime fasting for those who are Muslim. Hiba, 12, said she likes celebrating Eid by going on family trips to far-off places like the United Arab Emirates. For the holiday, Hiba likes to wear traditional clothes and put henna (a kind of dye) on her hands and legs. "I like wearing traditional clothes because everyone says I look so much like a nice village girl living in my country."
No matter which holiday kids were celebrating, many said spending time with family was special to them.
Jolene, 12, likes having dinner, opening presents, and going snowboarding with her family.
Nine-year-old Michelle likes singing "Holy One" in Spanish. And being around the Christmas tree "gives me time to tell my family I love them."
Georgia, 10, likes just being with family, especially her dad. "My dad works day and night working his bum off and in the holidays we get to see him."
Erika, 8, likes going to her grandparents' house. Lindsay, 8, also likes visiting her grandma, who she describes as "really fun!"
Shakara, 14, likes "sitting with family and talking about the good old days" at holiday time.
When you get families together, good food often follows. And lots of kids told us they have fun making holiday foods and eating them.
Eleven-year-old Alexa and her mom make chocolate-covered spoons and pretzels. Alanna, 9, likes to eat flaming Christmas cake.
At Sara's house, they have a party with lobster, but her mom won't let her see the lobster until it's cooked. "She doesn't want me to treat it like a pet. I won't eat it then!"
All this food isn't just delicious. It's another chance to spend time with family. Lizzie, 9, said she loves building a gingerbread house and baking cookies because "it's fun to cook with my mom."
And at Analyse's house, they bring food and family together in an unusual way: with a mashed potato-eating contest! To us, that sounds like a recipe for a stomachache, but Analyse disagrees. "It is fun and competitive ... and the potatoes are tasty!"
Besides eating, what else are kids doing at holiday time? Decorating the house, of course. Ryan, 9, likes setting up the Christmas tree because "it's fun and you can't really get into trouble."
Molly, 11, likes decorating and putting up the lights outside. In those well-decorated houses, families are singing and dancing. Yurat, 13, sent his comments to us in Spanish. Translated, we learned that his family does Mexican dances at holiday time.
Marianne, 13, likes doing Christmas karaoke with her family. (Karaoke is when people sing into a microphone along with the music - and they don't always sound good!)
At Abbie's house, they dance to Irish music because her family is part Irish. "The Irish songs are jolly and bouncy."
Nikki, 10, said she likes visiting a family friend's farm. They ride through the fields on a tractor to see dozens of decorated Christmas trees.
Lots of kids said they liked being out in the snow, throwing snowballs, skiing, snowboarding, or snowmobiling. Grace, 11, said her family has a splashing way to warm up after playing in the snow: They jump into the hot tub. "You get all cold and wet and then you warm up your whole body from head to toe. It's really fun!"
Speaking of warm holiday feelings, many kids also told us how they help others at holiday time. They help by supporting food banks, soup kitchens, shelters, and groups such as the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, and Operation Christmas Child. Kids said giving was the right thing to do, but many also told us how it made them feel. In a word, it makes them feel good.
Gina, 13, gives traditional holiday foods to the elderly. Morgan, 13, donates food to the food pantry at her church. The food goes into baskets that are delivered to needy people. Morgan said, "I like to see the joy on their faces."
Nine-year-old Kari said her family donates toys and presents to needy children. "I always feel great when I get presents. So when I give them, I am almost sure that the person who received it is very happy."
Sammy, 13, helps others by feeding the homeless and spending time with them. "It might sound creepy, but it's really not that bad. It's nice to see them smile."
So kids are donating money, toys, clothes, and food, but they're also sharing something that doesn't cost any money. What is it? Their kindness and good cheer.
Eight-year-old Deena visits relatives "so they won't feel lonely." Valerie, 12, also visits the elderly at the holidays.
And Jary, 11, helps others by sending letters to a soldier serving in Iraq. "It makes his days in Iraq a little more better."
Marissa, 7, said she helps others this way: "I have a good prayer for everyone in the world so I know they're OK and safe as can be."
You might not know it, but a lot of grownups are wondering how to celebrate the holidays in a more meaningful way. To grownups, more meaningful means slowing down, spending less money, and worrying less about buying tons of expensive gifts for everyone. To kids, this might sound like bad news. Does that mean you might get fewer computer games, clothes, and other cool stuff?
It might. But by the sound of it, a ton of presents isn't as important as the great family times and holiday traditions kids love sharing with the people they care about. And we're not talking about no presents at all. That would be awful - for kids and adults alike!
The good news is that families can start small. Here are some ideas that you might want to share with your parents. The goal is to slow down and enjoy the holidays together.
Maybe you've done this at school before? You put everyone's name on a little piece of paper and put all the slips in a hat or a shoebox. Then each person pulls out a name and buys a gift for just this person. Using this method, everyone gets a present, but each person only has to buy one gift. You can set a spending limit, too, to make it easier to decide what you should buy.
Lots of grownups like receiving homemade gifts. Here are some ideas:
Another twist on gift-giving is to give a gift in someone's name to a charity. For instance, you might donate money to your grandmother's favorite charity. Maybe she loves animals and would be thrilled if you donated money to the local animal shelter. Hey, animals need a little holiday cheer, too!
Sometimes groups have fund-raisers, where they sell bricks or stepping stones as part of a project. If your Aunt Lilly loves reading, wouldn't she love a brick that says her name in front of the new library?
Give gifts of time
Some families decide to give their time by serving people who eat at soup kitchens or live in homeless shelters. It's a good way to learn, up close and personal, about people who are needy. Sammy, whose family serves food at the homeless shelter, says they even play cards with the people who come to eat. That's really spreading holiday cheer!
How to Begin
If you're interested in trying some of these new family traditions, the first step is to have a family talk to see what everyone thinks. If you can't get everyone to agree on one idea, look for other ideas that might have more support. It may be too late to make changes this year. If so, maybe start early next year.
As a first step, you might want to tell your mom and dad what is most important to you about the holidays. We certainly liked hearing what kids had to say about the holidays. Your comments were the best kind of holiday gift. They didn't cost a thing, they were from the heart, and they made us feel warm and happy inside, like a cup of hot cocoa on a snowy winter's night.
Happy Holidays!


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Eric Archer, electronic media experimentor, has rigged up a vector art synthesizer with an oscilloscope, a digital pattern generator, and a set of identical cards called Quadrature Wavetable Oscillators, which convert digital information into analog voltages. The outputs are summed on a two-channel mix bus, with the two channels representing the X and Y coordinates in Cartesian space. The oscillations can make beautiful fine-line patterns reminiscent of the engravings on paper currency around the world.
Specialized lathes have been in use for hundreds of years to make complex patterns that are unreproduceable without directly copying them (i.e. photography or digital means). This is the historical art of guilloche (ghee-o-shay') or Engine Turning. Remember the old 1970's toy called Spirograph? It operates on a similar principle, producing mathematical curves called epitrochoids via revolving circular gears around each other while a stylus traces their motion. Other combinations of motion can be used, such as mounting the stylus to a rotating disc as it traverses a straight line. Watchmakers and jewelers have long used these techniques for ornamentation on their work. The famous Faberge eggs bear designs engraved by a similar technique.
Inside these sophisticated engraving machines, there are numerous settings to be made among the gears that revolve to cut the pattern. One doesn't need many meshed revolving gears before it becomes possible to produce endless patterns that are practically impossible to replicate. Hence this technique was adopted very early by national governments to mint their paper currency, postage stamps, and other monetary certificates. The U.S. Treasury is rumored to maintain such a machine, known as a Geometric Lathe, containing ten interlocked pattern-generating discs. The settings of the discs would only be known to a select few, as this information must be guarded from the hands of counterfeiters… at least prior to the digital age we are in now.
More here.
Flickr stream here.
Also: Archer has a gadget that lets you listen to the modulations in visible light. The sun apparently sounds incredible — like "pink static." Listen for yourself here.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Gregory Smith
Director, FOIA
Service Center
Gregory Smith is the Director of the of the U.S. Department of Education's Freedom of Information Act Service Center (FSC). FSC is responsible for receiving, assessing, and subsequently disclosing information in response to requests made to the department under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Greg has more than 20 years of federal service in managing information resources at multiple agencies, including the Departments of Justice and Treasury, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and the Patent and Trademark Office.
Greg makes a concerted effort to ensure the Department's FOIA program, in keeping with the spirit of Open Government and Transparency outlined in President Obama's 2009 FOIA Memorandum, provides a mechanism for making government more open by allowing the public to request information that the government is statutorily obligated to provide.
Contact Information:
Gregory Smith
Director, FOIA Service Center
Email: email@example.com
Home | Leadership | Organization | Outreach | Other Useful Links


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Self-Driving Cars Are Coming Soon. Would You Trust Them?
I remember growing up watching the Jetsons and reading books that talked of flying cars by the year 2000. Well that didn't happen and in 2014 we're still waiting (it would sure be nice to be able to fly over 41st and Louise on a Saturday afternoon, wouldn't it?)
Even though flying technology isn't even being talked about (in the open anyway), carmakers are working on self-driving technology. A viable model is still several years away, but when we do get there, what might your daily commute look like in a self-driving car?
Swiss company Rinspeed let their imaginations run a little bit wild and came up with a concept car, called the XchangE, for the Geneva Motor Show. Its features include front seats that can swivel 180 degrees to watch movies or play games on the 32-inch monitor built into the back seat, and an espresso maker to brew something to sip while doing it.
I don't know about you, but I couldn't see wanting to relinquish control in the city. Driving to work, the grocery store, out to a concert, it just wouldn't make a lot of sense. But if you have a longer commute, say into Sioux Falls from Dell Rapids, Canton, Larchwood, etc. I could see using it for part of the trip. And can you imagine how great some of those longer trips would be?
Most of us have driven out to the Black Hills at some point in our lives and you have to admit, until you reach the Badlands, it's a pretty dull trip across I-90. But if you could fire up the espresso machine, pop in a DVD or two and sit back to relax, I think I would take a few more long-distance trips!


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Can someone please explain the thinking behind this to me?
The lavender. The green triangle patterns. The flying goggles. The pointy elf hat. The ancient boots. The bum bag. It's all there. It's like.....text book.
It was all I could do to stop myself from leaping onto this man, wrestling him to the floor and screaming "GIVE ME YOUR OUTFIT! IT MUST BE MINE!"
Do you think this bloke realises that in seasonnaire terms, he is a fucking style icon? A beacon of outstanding naff ski dressing in a world of stease and advanced technology that takes itself waaaaay to seriously?
Whoever you are young man, I salute you.


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The Maternity Place at Samaritan Medical Center offers many resources and classes to moms and dads. For more information about any of these opportunities, please call The Maternity Place at 315-785-4050. All classes are all held in the 2nd floor Conference Rooms at Samaritan Medical Center, use the Pratt Elevator (C).
To be taken between the first trimester and second trimester. March of Dimes has developed an Early Pregnancy class designed for both first time and experienced mothers and their partners. This national program, taught by trained maternity nurses, is designed to promote optimum newborn outcomes.
Learn about your developing baby and the physical and emotional changes that mom will experience.
Hints about the developing baby, nutrition, exercise and preparing for the new arrival.
Learn ways to deal with pregnancy discomforts and warning signs to report your healthcare provider.
Your pregnancy will be much more enjoyable if you know what to expect and The Maternity Place staff would like to meet you!
Two-hour class • FREE to everyone
Co-Sponsored by The Maternity Place, North Country Prenatal Perinatal Council, March of Dimes and Excellus Blue Cross.
This course is offered as a free class from 5:00 - 7:00 pm one Sunday per month.
To be taken after the first trimester.
The two most popular classes – Caring for New Families and Breastfeeding – have combined into a two-part course. Feel free to sign up for just one part, but we hope you'll take both!
Part 1: Breastfeeding Basics - 9:30 am until 12:00 pm (on scheduled Saturdays) and 6:00 pm until 8:30 pm (on scheduled weeknights)
Topics include how to get the best start, achieving a good latch, positioning, establishing a good supply, and managing common challenges. Provides information on community resources and basic information for choosing a pump and returning to work. Fathers and support persons encouraged to attend.
Part 2: Caring for New Families - 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Saturdays)
Learn about the mother and baby unit at Samaritan Medical Center. Topics include: how to care for yourself and your newborn, bathing and diapering, circumcision care, safety, when to call the doctor, the difference between the baby blues and postpartum depression and more. Fathers and support persons encouraged to attend.
Classes are free and held on Saturdays. Breastfeeding Basics is also offered one evening every other month. Call the Maternity Place at 315-785-4050 for class dates and to schedule. All classes are held in the Conference Room area at Samaritan Medical Center on the 2nd floor.
What is labor exactly? How can I stay as comfortable as possible?
Find out in this course designed to be taken near the seventh month of your pregnancy. Topics include: relaxation and pain control options for labor, how to stay comfortable and healthy during those last weeks, stress reduction techniques and a tour of The Maternity Place. Find out how to make your experience enjoyable and satisfying.
This course is offered as a free class from 9:30 am - 1:30 pm one Sunday per month.
The course is designed for the expectant parents, but is open to anyone wishing to learn these techniques.
Teaches CPR and how to help a choking infant or child
Offers tips to make your child's environment as safe as possible
Enrollment is limited, so call early!
This course is offered as a free class from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm one Sunday per month.


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AIDS Treatment News
Buyers' Club Crisis by John S. James
The first AIDS "buyers' clubs" were started almost ten years ago
to obtain potential treatments which were legal but not readily available.
Throughout their history these groups have repeatedly provided the first access
to lifesaving treatments before they are approved in the U.S. -- and despite
important improvements in the drug-approval process, the clubs still continue to
do so (by making available NTZ, for example, or albendazole, before workable
formal mechanisms were ready; earlier examples included clarithromycin, ddC,
and thalidomide).
Another critical contribution of the clubs is patient education. Nonprofit organizations, controlled by community boards largely made up of persons with HIV, are more trustworthy than for-profit health-food stores for selecting what products to offer, and what information to bring to peoples' attention.
A key issue today and for the future will be more focused uses of "alternative" treatments to supplement mainstream therapies -- for treating specific conditions caused either by HIV infection or its complications, or by drug side effects. It is well known that mainstream research is slow to test potential treatments which are already widely available at little cost, since they offer little profit potential. If such approaches are to be considered and used at all it will usually be through the alternative system, at least for the first several years. And here the buyers' clubs are centrally important for collecting and sharing information, even when the treatment itself could physically be obtained elsewhere.
The Economics of AIDS Treatment Organizations
The original buyers' clubs (which still exist today, after almost ten years)
are part of a second wave of AIDS organizations, which challenged the
everybody-dies orientation of the early AIDS era. Other organizations in this
second wave include Project Inform, AIDS Treatment News, and treatment
committees in some ACT UP chapters and other activist groups.
Fewer AIDS Deaths: by John S. James
The most important benefit of AIDS treatment is saving lives, but this is
often hard to measure. While large clinical trials offer the most authoritative
proof that a treatment is working, "survival endpoint" trials often
take years, and present major ethical and practical problems, since no one
wants to be assigned to the group which spends months or years receiving a
treatment that results in more deaths. Also, clinical trials often test drugs
under artificial conditions, such as with a non-representative patient group to
get cleaner, more homogeneous data -- or with a design more focused on what a
company needs to get its new drug approved than on the practical information
doctors and patients need to know.
FDA Advisory Committee by Mark Mascolini
The FDA's Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee split evenly on whether to
recommend accelerated approval of delavirdine, the non-nucleoside reverse
transcriptase inhibitor developed by Pharmacia & Upjohn. After reviewing
data from three clinical trials at a November 22 hearing, four committee
members recommended approval despite delavirdine's variable effects on CD4
count and viral load when combined with AZT, ddI, or both. They argued that the
drug seems safe (rash is the only notable side effect) and that it may prove
useful for people who have failed or cannot tolerate most other drugs for HIV.
But another four members of the committee remained unconvinced that delavirdine's impact on CD4 cells and circulating virus would translate into slower HIV disease progression. Indeed, in the one study that evaluated delavirdine's effect on rates of opportunistic diseases or death, delavirdine plus ddI was no better than ddI alone.
Now the FDA must decide whether to approve delavirdine pending the results of an ongoing trial that may confirm a benefit, or whether to deny approval. After the hearing, Dr. Donald Batts of Pharmacia & Upjohn expressed confidence about winning accelerated approval and pledged to work with the FDA toward that end.
The study that assessed the effects of delavirdine on disease progression compared the standard dose of ddI plus 400 mg of delavirdine three times daily against ddI plus placebo in almost 1200 people with an average CD4 count of 135. All had taken AZT before and about 25% had taken ddI. An independent panel that looks at results as they come in decided to end the trial early because it judged that there would be no difference between the two groups in rates of disease progression or death. At that point there were 66 deaths in the ddI/delavirdine group and 61 deaths in the ddI/placebo group. There were fewer cases of herpes zoster (shingles) and parasitic infections in the ddI/delavirdine group than in the ddI/placebo group. But there was no major difference between the groups in overall rates of opportunistic diseases. Although CD4 counts were substantially higher and viral load drops greater in the combination group in the first 8 to 12 weeks of the study, those differences disappeared.
Another trial found that CD4 and viral load improvements were sustained for a year or more among people with less advanced disease who were taking delavirdine plus AZT. This study compared AZT plus placebo with AZT plus one of three doses of delavirdine: 200, 300, or 400 mg three times daily. There were about 180 individuals in each of the four study groups, and their average CD4 count was between 325 and 340. About 60% had not taken AZT before, while the rest had taken it for fewer than 6 months.
After 52 weeks of study, people taking either the 300- or 400-mg doses of delavirdine plus AZT sustained 20 to 30 CD4 cell increases, and this improvement was significantly better than the results in the other two groups. The level of circulating HIV stayed about a half-log (3-fold) below starting levels in the 300 and 400 mg groups for 52 weeks, and this decrease in viral load was again significantly better than the decrease in the other two groups.
An analyst from the FDA pointed out that CD4 improvements in the two higher-dose combination arms versus the low-dose combination arm and the AZT-alone arm did not begin to emerge until week 24 of the study and did not become significant until week 40. The FDA noted that there was no CD4 difference until 20% of the study participants had dropped out, and that the dropouts as a group were doing worse when they left the study than those who stayed in. As a result, the FDA told the advisory committee it found the CD4 improvement "suggestive but not convincing" and said that finding should be confirmed in another trial.
Because of the tight hearing schedule, the company did not have a chance to challenge the FDA conclusion. But Pharmacia & Upjohn's William Freimuth, M.D., later argued that the year-long CD4 response in the two higher-dose delavirdine groups matches the long viral load response in those groups and so is more than "suggestive." Dr. Freimuth also said the company can demonstrate that most of the dropouts in the study who had been taking delavirdine were doing nearly as well as those who stayed in the study -- and substantially better than dropouts who were taking only AZT.
Preliminary results from an ongoing study, ACTG 261, suggested that delavirdine plus AZT and ddI may boost CD4 counts more than AZT/ddI, AZT/delavirdine, or ddI/delavirdine after 40 weeks of treatment. But this improvement was not great in a strict data analysis in which results are figured according to original treatment assignments, even if study participants switch to another group at some point. (Experts believe this kind of analysis is the most reliable.) Further data from this study, two thirds of whose participants were drug naive, should be available in mid-January.
In the ddI/delavirdine study, nearly half of the persons taking that combination had some skin rash as a result of one or both drugs, and over 40% of those taking AZT/delavirdine had rash. Thirty-one of 296 people taking ddI/delavirdine left the study because of rash, and 7 of 122 taking AZT/delavirdine did so. The rash emerges in the first weeks of therapy, and Dr. Batts said that 85% of those who get rash can keep taking delavirdine at full dose if they also take an over-the-counter antihistamine.
But people taking delavirdine should not take nonsedating antihistamines such as terfenadine and astemizole. Other drugs that should not be taken with delavirdine are rifampin, rifabutin, cisapride, triazolam, alprazolam, and midazolam. Delavirdine doubles levels of clarithromycin in the blood. If treatment includes both delavirdine and ddI, the drugs are better absorbed if they are taken an hour apart.
An important and only partly resolved question is the effect of delavirdine on protease inhibitors. So far, studies in healthy people without HIV infection found that delavirdine increases concentrations of saquinavir 4 to 5 times and doubles the concentration of indinavir. Possible interactions with ritonavir are less certain because volunteers took only half the recommended dose of ritonavir in the interaction studies. The company is now studying these combinations in people with HIV.
The interaction between delavirdine and saquinavir seems enticing because low blood levels are a major problem with the current formulation of saquinavir. But this combination was associated with liver toxicity in the study with healthy volunteers, so it may prove crucial for anyone who takes the two drugs to have regular liver function tests.
Some committee members suggested that the most likely role for delavirdine--if approved--may be for people who have used up other HIV drug options, especially those who have failed with indinavir or ritonavir. But committee chair Dr. Scott Hammer noted that using delavirdine only for advanced disease could bias evaluation of its potential worth. He urged rapid study of the drug in triple and even quadruple combinations to see if it can strengthen regimens when used earlier in infection. All committee members agreed that delavirdine should not be used alone, and some were dubious about combining it with only one other drug.
Albendazole Free from Buyers' Club
Albendazole is a drug used in treating microsporidiosis; recently it has
been approved by the FDA for an unrelated use, so it is now available to U.S.
physicians. Some buyers' clubs carried this drug before it was available in the
U.S. There has never been a large demand (probably largely because
microsporidiosis is difficult to diagnose), but access has been important for
some people.
AIDS Treatment Initiatives (see listing above), the buyers' club in Atlanta, will no longer be carrying albendazole, but has a limited supply of about 140 boxes of three 400 mg tablets each. Since this medicine expires in January 1997, the group will give it away to persons with a prescription for it. There is a standard $6 per order charge for shipping and handling.
Mail or fax a request and prescription, including the doctor's name, address, and phone number, and the patient's name, shipping address, and phone number. AIDS Treatment Initiatives can be reached at 404/874-4845 phone, 404/874- 9320 fax.
Books: Impure Science: AIDS, Activism, by Steven Epstein,
This book on AIDS treatment activism is based on the author's sociology
thesis at the University of California. A striking difference from most AIDS
activism books is that the author followed a methodology of analyzing both
mainstream and dissenting views in the same way; this differs from the usual
approach which tends to accept a mainstream world view as true, and then tries
to "explain" other opinions as various kinds of errors. (Many books
on treatment activism pick the authors' favorite heroes -- and often villains
as well -- typically chosen arbitrarily depending on whom the author happened
to talk to; the need to maintain these arbitrary white-hat/black-hat assignments
gets in the way of telling what people said and did, and why it was important.)
The strength of Impure Science is in telling what happened; its weakness (for
the general reader) is that it tends not to come to conclusions, leaving no
easy bottom line to take away.
Part I of the book, "The Politics of Causation," looks at the questioning by Dr. Peter Duesberg and others about whether HIV causes AIDS. One looks in vain for Epstein's opinions about Duesberg and his views -- but does get a useful 135- page annotated chronology of the controversy.
The longer and more important part II, "The Politics of Treatment," looks at many issues in AIDS treatment activism, for example in drug regulation, and in the design and methodology of clinical trials. Epstein sees CREDIBILITY STRUGGLES as central to the dynamic of science -- and is most interested in what it means, for good and/or for ill, when lay persons and groups develop their own expertise and enter into specialized policy realms previously left to certified experts.
By making contemporary history accessible in an unbiased way, Impure Science will have lasting value for scholars, writers, policy experts, AIDS professionals and activists, and others with a deep interest in the subject. But it is probably too specialized to have much effect on the sound-bite world of general public discourse.
For treatment activists, the practical bottom line that this reader has taken (or, perhaps, constructed) from the book is support for the view that the key factor influencing technical issues of AIDS research/development/treatment policy is the professional consensus (primarily of scientists and physicians, in academic, government, corporate, private, and other roles, but also including some other AIDS professionals, and lay experts to some extent). When treatment activists have an important concern, the best place to take it for action (if action is possible) is usually this professional consensus -- although of course there are also times to address other centers of influence, such as Congress, or the White House, or the FDA, or the public and the media.
Buyers' Clubs List,
Each year AIDS Treatment News has published a list of AIDS buyers' clubs,
along with activist groups and PWA Coalition chapters, in one of our December
issues. This year we have listed the buyers' clubs separately, and provided
expanded information for them.
Although AIDS buyers' clubs have existed for about ten years, there has never been an exact definition of what is and what is not a "buyers' club." Most buyers' clubs have 501(c)3 IRS status, meaning that they can receive tax-exempt contributions; but other groups organized as businesses have often been included in buyers' club lists (a matter debated for years but never resolved). Our listing below indicates groups which have 501(c)3 status (or are programs of larger 501(c)3 organizations).
How did we decide which to include here? We started with our list from previous years, and also looked at lists kept by some buyers' clubs, and at community consensus or recommendations on which buyers' clubs or other businesses to list. Most of those below have been involved with AIDS (or sometimes other immune illnesses) for years. Some organizations which might qualify were not listed because we could not reach anyone by press time. If you believe we have omitted a group which should have been included (or included a group which should not have been), please let us know.
We did not include cannabis buyers' clubs here, as we prefer to list them separately.
Buyers Clubs (U.S.)
What kinds of articles should we publish in the future? We would like to hear from you. Our printed reader survey is also online, at: http://www.immunet.org/atn


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Advanced Search
Distance Learning | News
Semester Online, an online learning program that offers for-credit courses through a consortium of universities and colleges, has opened enrollment for its spring semester with a wider offering of courses.
The consortium that makes up Semester Online includes Boston College, Brandeis University, Emory University, Northwestern University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Notre Dame, Wake Forest University, and Washington University in St. Louis. Technology and infrastructure are provided by 2U, including the bi-directional learning tool ("BLT") used in Semester Online courses. The video below shows a teacher calling on a student during class.
For the spring semester, Semester Online has added nine new courses, bringing the total to 19. Courses being taught in spring 2014 include:
"The fall pilot of Semester Online has been a successful start for this groundbreaking online education program with more than 100 students enrolled across 10 courses. Beginning [this week], undergraduate students around the globe can apply for our spring 2014 courses, including new offerings led by faculty from Brandeis University and Wake Forest University," said Andrew Hermalyn, 2U's executive vice president and general manager of Semester Online, in a prepared statement. "The expansion of Semester Online's course offerings demonstrates the speed at which the program is growing, as we provide more students the opportunity to participate in this unique academic experience with live online classes of fewer than twenty students per class, led by renowned professors from the nation's best undergraduate institutions."
Further details about the spring courses offered through the program can be found at semesteronline.org.
About the Author
David Nagel is editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Technology Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal and STEAM Universe. A 25-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art and business publications.
He can be reached at email@example.com. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at or follow him on Twitter at @THEJournalDave (K-12) or @CampusTechDave (higher education).
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Wyoming State Fair From The Air [VIDEO]
The University of Wyoming Extension Office is at the Wyoming State Fair and having some fun with a helicopter this week. It gives a different perspective to the fairgrounds and actually is really cool.
Check it out!
We are told they will be flying every day of the fair. Be sure and keep a look out.


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It's now the 4th year of the Google Science Fair, and students who are 13-18 years old are encouraged to enter. In partnership with Virgin Galactic, Scientific American, LEGO Education and National Geographic, this competition has seen incredible inventions, including a battery-free flashlight, and an anti-flu medicine. Deadline is May 12, 2014. Here's a video clip of 17 year old Eric Chen, who is working on an anti-flu medicine.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


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trayner needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 57 designs submitted by 18 freelance designers.
Needing a logo and bug for new training and consulting group.
Randy Dickson & Associates
Randy Dickson & Associates is an offshoot of an established training and consulting group. The company will serve the private sector - corporations, companies and professional associations. RD&A will also provide training and consulting, but there will be a heavy emphasis on professional speaking. The new company will require a unique and seperate market presence.
From a marketing standpoint, we hope to leverage over thirty years of experience, emphasizing originality, experience, and integrity. In fact, these three attributes could be integrated into the logo.
- Bold, simple bug and logo.
- One concept that has been batted around is that of a medallion. Think about the JDPowers and Associates awards.
- Another componenet considered is the creative interaction between the characters RD or even RD&A. One pencil mock-up had a lower case r overlapping a lower case d - with the characters contrasting in color somewhat.
- Right now, the color schemes are variations of teal blues and golds.
- One of the mock-ups kicked around had the RD characters in deep, glossy gold - "embedded" in a dark teal blue.
- No microphones or podiums.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Water Works / Need Trash Bags for Course« on: July 17, 2012, 01:50:27 PM »
I played Works this morning and was disgusted by the overflowing trash cans. I live pretty close and would gladly do some trash pickup out there if I could get some trash bags. Who is the CC for WW now?


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Albanese Confectionery
Founded in 1983 and based in Merrillville, Indiana USA. Makers of World's Best Gummies (Bears, Worms, Butterflies, Sour Bears), Gold Label Chocolates, Rich's Chocolates and novelty gummi shapes.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Albanese Rainforest Gummi Frog
Albanese Confectionery is a small family-run confectionery company in Indiana. They started in 1983 and though their candies encompass chocolate covered nuts, nut mixes and chocolates. But in the past ten years, Albanese has become known for their extensive line of gummis that not only come in a wide variety of flavors, but also in some innovative shapes.
I finally picked up Albanese Rainforest Gummi Frogs at Lolli & Pops, since I was able to select them from the bulk bins instead of buying a 5lb bag on the internet (there were probably other options in between). There are three different flavor combinations: blue raspberry & orange, strawberry & grape and, sour lemon & sour green apple.
The pieces are quite large, about the size of tree frogs I was familiar with seeing in Northern California. (One lived in the shower of a house I shared in Arcata Bay bottoms.) The gummis weigh about a half an ounce each. They're two inches long and their armspan is 2.5 inches.
My first little buddy is the blue and orange one. The blue body is blue raspberry with orange legs. The flavor has a wonderful sour bite to it, and a good pliable chew that's not too tough. The legs are juicy, like an orange gummi should be, and a little more sweet than the body.
The yellow and green one is sour lemon and sour green apple. The green apple legs are absolutely sour, and it seems to emerge the more you chew. The flavor goes on, all the way until it's completely dissolved. The green apple flavor is very Jolly Rancher. The lemon is equally good, with strong zest notes as well as that metallic Country Time Lemonade powder flavor. (I used to eat lemonade mix as a kid because it was cheaper than Fun Dip.)
The final frog has purple legs and a red body. The red parts are strawberry. It's nicely tart and chewy, but not too tough. The legs are grape, and those have the same tart note, the flavor takes quite a while to develop and is very mildly "grape soda."
The pieces are quite large and two is more than a serving as far as I was concerned. I liked the flavor combinations and the molding and design is well done. I can see children and adults enjoying these. They'd also fit well in theme parties or as decorations. It might be fun if Albanese considered wrapping them individually for Halloween treating.
Note, I did not have the nutrition information for the Rainforest Frogs specifically, so I used the Gummy Army Guys. I think that Albanese should include the ingredients and nutritional information on their website, since so many of us buy their candies in bulk bins and do not have access to that information otherwise.
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:20 pm Candy • Review • Albanese Confectionery • Gummi Candy • 7-Worth It • United States •
Friday, August 29, 2014
Chocolate Covered Banana Gummi Bears
In general, covering anything in chocolate probably makes it better. Along those lines, there are plenty of examples of confections that are simply candy covered in chocolate. Chocolate covered gummi bears have been around for quite a few years, but in a rather limited concept: it's a fruity gummi bear (who knows what flavor) covered in chocolate.
At Lolli & Pops, a new chain of candy stores, I found Chocolate Covered Banana Gummis. So instead of the flavor gamble of most chocolate covered mixes, this was just one kind of gummi bear ... the Albanese Banana Gummi Bear.
They're easily identifiable as Albanese bears, as the little A on the belly can be seen clearly on many of the bears, even with the chocolate coating. (To confirm this, I also melted the chocolate off of a couple just to be sure. For the record, the Banana Bears are a transparent yellow, not white.) The bears are enrobed, not panned. This means they have a flat side, so though they're lacking some of the 360 degree qualities of regular gummi bears, they also don't have that glaze seal on them that can make it waxy.
They smell sweet and milky, kind of like breakfast cereal. The banana flavor is recognizable, not exactly artificial and not as caustic as Circus Peanuts. They taste rather creamy but have just a slight tangy bite, like a not-quite-ripe banana. The chocolate is thin and creamy, with a good melt but not an intense cocoa infusion overall.
By itself, a banana gummi bear is a little bland. And the milk chocolate itself is milky and sweet, but also not extraordinary enough for me to eat it on its own. But together ... yes, I ate my quarter pound portion of these with no trouble at all. They're passable on their own, but a new confectionery treat together.
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:24 pm Candy • Review • Albanese Confectionery • Chocolate • Gummi Candy • 7-Worth It • United States •
Friday, September 30, 2011
Albanese Chocolate Dipped Gummi Bears
There are two standard axioms for innovation in candymaking: Making it Bigger Makes it Better and Covering it Chocolate Makes it Gourmet. For the most part they're true.
Albanese Confectionery didn't invent the gummi bear and didn't innovate chocolate covered gummis. But that doesn't mean that they can't do it well and possibly better than most other confectioners.
The Milk Chocolate Gummi Bears assortment is interesting, first that they're pretty big. I can't say for sure, but the bears seem bigger than the standard, but that could be the chocolate coating messing with my ability to gauge their size. The other interesting thing about the assortment are the flavors of the gummis in the center. Albanese has gone with flavors that complement milk chocolate: Orange, Strawberry/Banana, Raspberry, Marshmallow, Strawberry, Apricot.
Of course you'll never know which you're getting when you pick one out, kind of a fruity roulette.
Like all of the Albanese gummis, these were soft and flavorful, quite chewy and smooth. The chocolate coating is thin and sweet with a strong milky flavor. (I know that Albanese uses Wilbur Chocolate for their malted milk balls, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is also Wilbur's couveture.) The bouncy nature of the gummi goes well with the quick melting chocolate.
Albanese sells their chocolate covered bears for about $6.00 a pound online. Chances are pretty good if you've found a candy store that sells individually flavored gummi bears (with an A on their bellies) that also carries chocolate covered bears then you've probably seen these. If you're looking for a chocolate treat that's not so high in calories, these are a great option. They clock in at only 106 calories per ounce, which is very low for a chocolate coated item. The individual pieces and variations in flavors should make for a lean treat that doesn't feel like a compromise.
They're far and away better than the Muddy Bears that come in theater boxes and I prefer them to the Koppers version (but these do have artificial colors in them). Still, the top chocolate covered gummi in my heart are the Japanese Gummy Choco.
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:05 pm Candy • Review • Albanese Confectionery • Chocolate • Gummi Candy • 8-Tasty • United States •
Friday, August 6, 2010
Candy Source: Albanese Candy Factory
The Northern Indiana town of Merrillville is home to Albanese Candy. They're known for their line of "World's Best Gummy Bears" that sport little A's on their chests.
One of the most exciting parts of my recent trip was a visit to a real, working candy factory. I didn't get a special tour or anything, but I always like to get close to the source of candy - even if it's through a wall of glass. The Albanese Candy Factory is easy to get to, at the junction of I65 and RTE30. (Though Google Maps took me on a far more direct but slower route through the neighboring Indiana towns from I80.)
The factory is nicely situated with a large parking lot and a charming "house" entry for the candy store and tour portion of the facility. Entering the space, at first it just looks like a huge candy store - probably about 2,000 square feet of not just Albanese Candy, but oodles of other bulk items in bins, novelties and classic favorites from all sorts of manufacturers. At the back of this space is the tour.
No photos were allowed of their candy factory tour, which amounts to walking along one wall of the factory and peering into the active operation. I was able to see the starch molds stacked up and ready to be fed into the depositor, which squeezes out the gummy goo that becomes the bears. The next steps were a bit hidden, but the next conveyer showed the completed gummi bears on a belt being tossed around and bagged up. (The true intervening step is that the gummy bears cure for a while in their molds, are then cleaned of their corn starch coats & given a little shine in a tumbler called a panning machine.) The bears were then bagged up and robots came in and created huge boxes then pallets that were moved around.
The space is just a wide carpeted ramp with a few videos to demonstrate and explain the processes. It's wheelchair accessible and easy for folks to spend as much or as little time on as they want.
I was really interested in the candy store and I wasn't disappointed. First and foremost they sold Albanese Candy. By the door were piles of boxes of "seconds" at reasonable prices - a 5 lb box of Peach Rings was $8. Great for a party.
The perfect candy was sold either in pre-packs or at one of the three bulk candy stations. There were plenty of helpful and knowledgeable staffers there. All of the items that weren't individually wrapped were packaged up by request by the staff. They stood there with their tongs, scoops, plastic bags and gloved hands at the ready for any request. They had every Albanese gummy candy I could think of. The standard items were all $2.49 a pound - a great price as anyone who has been to Dylan's Candy Bar or other mall bulk candy shop will recognize. (Those shops sell Albanese Candy for anywhere between $9 and $14 a pound.)
I picked out their new Natural Sour Poppers, Gummi Butterflies (now in small and large sizes) and Gummi Fishes. I've actually had the last two items before, but I thought I'd try them again, especially because I wanted a standard flavor to try against the natural ones.
The packaging was nice. Just little stand-up zipper plastic bags. What I appreciated was the each one got its own label that did list the ingredients for the product - a rare service when buying in bulk. These little four ounce bags were just $65 cents, quite a deal for getting exactly what I wanted.
The new Natural Sour Poppers are cute little smiley faced buttons of gummis. I have no idea what the flavors are supposed to be, or even how many are in the assortment. I didn't try to overthink them, I just ate them.
Though there's no sour sanding on them they're still quite tangy right from the start. They're soft and squishy with good, well rounded flavors but very much on the sour side. I could pick out the cherry, lemon, orange and pineapple ones, there might have been green apple, fruit punch, strawberry and maybe watermelon in there.
I liked that there were no weird aftertastes associated with the coloring, though the flavors were less vibrant than the traditionally produced ones. They recognizable "emoticon" shape will probably be quite fun for kids. I also appreciate that they're the same price as the unnatural gummi products.
I've reviewed the stunning-looking Albanese Gummi Butterflies before. I'm not quite sure why I picked them up again, but I was enchanted by their appearance. The wingspan on the large ones is a full 3 inches. The small ones are less than half that, at about 1.33 inches across and the same thickness.
Combining the two sizes was actually more satisfying for me than one or the other. I liked the look of them together, the small ones gave context for the large sized shape (which often get folded up). The flavors are the same charming Albanese cherry, orange, grape, punch and apple. I especially liked the orange ones, but found the cherry to have the robust woodsy notes and not too much red food coloring flavor.
Albanese's chocolate products are far less well known. I picked up only one chocolate item to review, their Dark Chocolate Caramel Marshmallow. The prices on the chocolate items varied depending on the product itself. They had a good selection of traditional chocolate treats like toffee, fruit creams, caramels and nuts. They're packaged just like the gummis, into little zipper bags.
The Caramel Marshmallow is smaller than the See's Scotchmallow. A nicely domed piece, they were in pristine, unmarred condition when I bought them but got jostled around a bit in transit (drove to Chicago from there, then flew back to Los Angeles four days later).
It has a nice dark cocoa scent, a little sweet but woodsy. The bite is not at all like I expected a marshmallow to be. Instead of a latexy puff, it was more of a light fluffed cream. It still had a little chew to it, but not at all like I was accustomed to with See's or Russell Stover. The flavor was barely sweet and had a light hint of vanilla to it (they use both real vanilla and vanillin in them). The caramel was soft and chewy but lacking much of a salty or burnt sugar punch. The dark chocolate was decent quality and well tempered though not complex. They're certainly edible but of course don't hold a candle to my favorite, the Scotchmallow. Since they're about the same price at $11.99 a pound, I can't see myself getting these again - even though I know they're extremely fresh.
The diversity of candy offerings in the store is amazing. They had a huge selection of nostalgic favorites, such as swirl lollipops, candy buttons, wax lips and theater box favorites. I lucked out and found Bonomo's Turkish Taffy as well as the more recent Doscher's French Chew. They also had a great wall of individually wrapped candies which included Mary Jane's, Anise Squares, Honey Drops and all sorts of items from Atkinson's like their Peerless line. I picked up Angel Mints and my mother found Sen Sen and got a tin of Anis de Flavigny. Prices for the candy that they don't make there is a little more than a drug store but less than most other candy stores.
The shop is only about one hour outside of Chicago and a half an hour south of Gary, Indiana. So if you're in the area, it's a nice place to stop. (Though it'd be nice if they also had coffee, we really needed some to go with our toffee that we ate in the car.)
Albanese Candy Factory Outlet Store
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:21 pm Candy • Albanese Confectionery • Chocolate • Gummi Candy • 7-Worth It • United States • Highlight • Shopping •
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Albanese Gummy Army Guys
Candy and toys are a classic combination. It's surprising that there hasn't been a candy version of the Plastic Green Army Guys before Albanese introduced them in the early 2000s. These guys, you know these guys, right? They were sold by the pound and featured all sorts of pre-posed soldiers doing soldier-like things.
This version of the candy features all opaque green candies in four different poses. They've even assigned names: "Bazooka" Bob, "Forrest Fight" Steve, "GI" Johnny, "Sniper" Scott, and "Rifleman" Rich! They're green apple flavored.
I got this 4.5 ounce bag for $1.99 at Powell's Sweet Shoppe in Paso Robles. It was the first store I saw them in and was a little surprised at the price, considering the fact that I can buy a half pound of Albanese other gummi products at the 99 Cent Store for a buck. But hey, these were cute and unique.
I don't have much else to say beside the fact that they're in fact green, look exactly like plastic army guys (except they're only about 2 1/2 D instead of 3D because they have a flat back). They're green apple flavored, soft and chewy. Above is Sniper Scott.
So enjoy the photos of the Gummy Army Guys. This is Rifleman Rich.
I'm guessing this is Forrest Fight Steve. I thought maybe he was Grenade Gary. Or maybe Shotput Sheldon.
Apparently Albanese also makes a smaller version of these in red and green - but they're transparent instead of the opaque army green. Albanese makes a lot of other fun shapes in their gummis, including fighter jets, snakes, butterflies, bears, rings and fish.
And that brings us to the last one: Bazooka Bob.
On the whole, a quality product. A little more expensive than the other really well priced Albanese gummis, but still a good deal, especially when you need a themed item. I'm not as keen on the green apple flavor - I prefer their citrus and pineapple.
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:50 pm Candy • Albanese Confectionery • Gummi Candy • 7-Worth It • United States •
Monday, July 21, 2008
All Gummies Gourmet Fruity Fish (Swedish Fish knock-off)
I was cruising through the 99 Cent Store and noticed a new line of candies called All Gummies Gourmet. I recognized the actual candies as Albanese Candy Company (and this was confirmed in the small print on the back of the package). So finally Albanese are available at stores without going into the bulk candy aisle.
This bag of Fruity Fish caught my eye. Here was a half a pound of red fish for less than a dollar? Could they be any good? A little further down the aisle and there was the good old, reliable Swedish Fish (made by Cadbury Adams), so I decided to see if this designer impostor could fulfill a penny pinchers craving.
First, the Swedish Fish package had only 4 ounces in it, the Fruity Fish was a full 8 ounces ... twice as much candy for the same price.
The packages are both attractive enough. The Swedish Fish is traditional, pretty much the same package I recognize from ten years ago - yellow with a little scale pattern on it. The All Gummies Gourmet packaging is rather generic - a vibrant blue and bronzy gold. The nice part is that the bottom of the package is clear cellophane and it's easy to see the candies inside. And they do look fresh, moist and tasty!
The detail on both is nice, they look like fish. The scales, lips and eyes on the Fruity Fish is sharper, but I wouldn't call one better than the other. So while I consider the appearance of both to be about equal, the comparable-ness ends there.
The fish themselves are about the same size. The Swedish Fish is a bit flatter and therefore weighs a bit less. The Swedish Fish are lighter in color and smell a little like raspberries and cotton candy. The Fruity Fish are a deep red and smell like, well, black cherry flavor with a touch of bitter amaretto. I wasn't happy about this.
First, Fruity Fish are gummis. That's right, they're not jelly candies like the Swedish Fish, they're full on gelatin-carrying gummis. (I can't be upset, it does say All Gummies Gourmet right on the front.)
Second, they're not any kind of berry flavor. Swedish Fish flavor is rather unique, I've always considered it lingonberry flavor, though it's never been officially declared what flavor they are. The Fruity Fish are soft, chewy and have a good mix of tangy and sweet. But the flavor is black cherry, through and through.
So, these are no designer impostor as I suspected. They're certainly a good deal, as the package heralds Big Value. But they are very jarring if you're expecting the dulcet berry tones of Swedish Fish. Even though the Swedish Fish cost twice as much, I'll stick with them ... but only because of the cherry flavor issue with Fruity Fish. They're still a darn good candy.
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:04 am
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Loud Truck Energy Gummies
I was enamored of the name of this new guarana boosted line of gummis called Loud Truck. (And I said so! Which prompted the company to offer me some samples, which I accepted.)
The crazy logo features a classic old truck with a gazillion different horns and loudspeakers mounted to it. It's cute and it gives the impression that these candies can wake me up! That they're in my face! They're in a blazing orange bag! I'm up! The flavor is called citrus blast! I'm up already!
It's a tiny little bag, it holds only an ounce, but then again, it's powerful stuff. I couldn't tell from the opaque packaging or any of the material on the Loud Truck website what they'd look like. I thought, you know, maybe like little trucks. Nope.
The gummis are little bears! Loud, truck driving bears! (Okay, they don't have their trucks on the, but if you look very carefully I think you can see the keys to their trucks in their pockets.)
But wait, they have little As on their bellies which either means they're adulterous bears (and being cooped up in a tiny bag with perhaps no hope of being reunited with their loved ones, you can imagine the temptations and perhaps even forgive any transgressions) or more likely it means that they're made by Albanese Confectionery Company.
They feature a blend of nutrients, though the package is kind of odd. They recommend a pair of bears as a serving, which features 7 mgs of caffeine and a blend of things like Vitamin C, B vitamins and Taurine. A whole package (4.5 servings) has about 32 mgs of caffeine. (Red Bull has 80, a 12 ounce cup of coffee can have anywhere between 70-160.)
So even if you eat the whole package, it's not gonna kill you. You'll be lucky if it keeps you up at all, depending on your sensitivities.
The texture is similar to most other soft gummis. Bouncy, soft and nicely scented. The smell, on the other hand, is kind of odd. It's more like jasmine tea than orange or lemon. The flavor is only slightly tart and has a slight zest, but not definable as citrus, per se. They are slightly bitter, at least to me.
They're odd, not unappealing, but I don't consider it citrus in the slightest. I think the bitterness is not zest but probably the guarana, which has a flavor of its own.
At about $2 per package, they're not cheap, but as a non-liquid caffeine source they're more palatable than many other items I've tried.
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:57 am
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Short & Sweet All Candy Expo Bites
Here are a few items I sampled, I'm probably not going to do a full review of them but I wanted to show them to you:
The newest addition to the ChocoPod line. I got this one in a simple little cellophane bag, so I didn't think it was fair to give it the full tilt boogie review without final packaging.
It's similar to the classic Spicy Maya ChocoPods, just a little cacao pod shaped disk of 60% dark chocolate, weighing in, I guess, at a little over a third of an ounce, it's about two bites.
The inclusions make it a little bumpy in spots. The chocolate smells more like chili, but a little sweet and smoky. There are a lot of pop rocks in there, they're completely unflavored, just lightly sweet little sugar bits ... that just so happen to pop. Some of the little bits, however, are salt crunches.
Some bites are pretty poppy, some bites are really hot, others are salty. It's a noisy bit of chocolate (and even got a few sneezes out of me).
It's a fun little diversion. I appreciate that it's a small piece, not a huge bar, but I don't think I'd want more.
Rating: 7 out of 10
First, you'll probably note that I don't mention PEZ much on Candy Blog. I don't like it. The candy just isn't very good and the idea of collecting the little dispensers never thrilled me. But I fully applaud those who get into it.
PEZ has brought out a few other flavors of their candy tablets. Last year it was Cola and they have a Sugar Free version as well. This year they're highlighting the Chocolate version.
As you can tell from the photo, they're very light in color, which should give you an indication of the depth of the flavor. It tastes like I've inhaled some Cocoa Pebbles. Not actually eat then, just, you know, been near the Cocoa Pebbles dust. They're sweet but have just a slight cocoa note.
Rating: 3 out of 10
Organic Confections Raspberry & Cream Bar
It's an organic twist on classic tastes.
So just looking at it, with only the name to go off of, I thought, "this is a white chocolate bar with dried raspberry bits in it." Which sounded pretty good in my head, kind of like the Hershey's Limited Edition one a couple of years back ... but organic!
Hmm, somewhere I led myself astray. It's not white chocolate, it's a non-colored confection made of organic sugar, organic whole milk powder and organic fractionated palm kernel oil. And it's crunchy. Those presumed raspberry bits are actually crushed raspberry flavored hard candy.
It took me a while to get used to the texture, but it wasn't creamy enough for me.
Rating: 5 out of 10
Albanese Confectionery Cappuccino Biscotti
These little milk chocolate covered nuggets smell sweet and like a light coffee drink. They're about the size of a garbanzo bean, though some are twinned (not that it keeps me from eating them). The nugget inside isn't quite as hard and crunchy as a biscotti, but they're plenty crunchy. They're almost like graham cracker nuggets.
The combo is quite nice, easy to eat and keep munching.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Albanese Confectionery Dark Chocolate Cranberries
It's not an illusion in the photo, these are very dark, like clumps of tar. The chocolate covered dried cranberries are not as flavorful as I'd hoped. Honestly, I've tried a few products over the years and none of them have really satisfied me. The cranberries, while soft and chewy, they're just not tangy or flavorful. The chocolate is sweet, but not dark and flavorful enough ... though the texture combo of the creamy melt and moist chew is good.
They're probably jam packed with antioxidants, but I'll probably stick with chocolate covered raisins, if only because they're cheaper and provide pretty much the same experience.
Rating: 6 out of 10
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POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:06 am All Candy Expo • All Natural • Candy • Review • Albanese Confectionery • Chuao Chocolatier • Carbonated • Chocolate • Coffee • Cookie • Organic • 3-Unappealing • 5-Pleasant • 6-Tempting • 7-Worth It • 8-Tasty • United States •
Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.


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The Senate is scheduled to take a test vote at noon Wednesday in whether to raise the minimum wage--and it's expected to fall short.
Sixty are needed to continue considering the measure. Democrats control 55 of the Senate's 100 votes, and virtually all are expected to back the increase to $10.10 from the current $7.25.
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While some Republicans are seeking a compromise, others are balking. "Those who are being hurt the most in the Obama economy are the most vulnerable among us – young people, Hispanics, African-Americans and single moms," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during Tuesday's debate.
"They are the ones paying the price for the great stagnation in which we find ourselves. The undeniable truth is if the president succeeded in raising the minimum wage, it would cost jobs from the most vulnerable."
Democrats plan to fight back hard, and vow to make this a big issue in the 2014 midterm elections.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Wednesday sent out a memo saying "A majority of Americans agree that raising the minimum wage is an 'absolute priority,' because it would benefit nearly 28 million American workers across all ages and races, including over 15 million women. That would lead to more economic growth, improve workers' productivity, and give more working families a chance to succeed and get ahead."


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SolaciumMktg needed a new other design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 20 designs submitted by 10 freelance designers.
Design a call to action graphic for New Have Residential Treatment Center website. The graphic needs to be designed to catch the visitor's attention when they arrive on the page but still be consistent with the overall colors and feel of the site.
New Haven Residential Treatement Center
New Haven is a residential treatment center and boarding school for struggling teen girls. We are offering a free parenting tip bookletto parents of troubled teen girls. We would like a call to actiongraphic for our website. The call to action graphic will go on all secondary pages between the top navigation and the content below. The graphic needs to fit within that area without pushing the content down. The final design needs to have the current New Haven logo + the current Call Now, Toll Free (with number) + the new graphic to promote the book.
The call to action graphic should have the following elements:
"Lasting Hope for Girls Who Are Lost"
"True Stories of Saved Lives"
a Click Here button
- Professional Look
- Attention Grabbing
- Text Listed Above
- Colors that match the website
- Unprofessional
- Flashing or animated


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UConn's Smallwood, Buffalo's Mack grab the spotlight
AMHERST, N.Y. -- While their respective programs are still struggling to generate some positive publicity in the Division I-A football world this season, individually, Yawin Smallwood and Khalil Mack are stealing away all the headlines.
Smallwood, the junior inside linebacker from UConn, and Mack, the senior outside linebacker from Buffalo, are both making opposing football coaches -- and dozens of NFL scouts -- sit up and take notice.
In three games, Smallwood has 43 tackles, an average of 14.3 tackles a game, to go along with a sack, two pass-breakups and two tackles for loss for the Huskies (0-3), while Mack, a projected first-round NFL draft choice by ESPN's Mel Kiper, has 23 tackles, 2½ sacks and 4½ tackles for loss for the Bulls (1-2) in addition to a highlight reel play that left Ohio State's Urban Meyer singing Mack's praises.
Today (3:30 p.m., ESPN3 online) at UB Stadium, Smallwood and Mack will face off against each other, each looking to lead their team to a much-needed victory.
"His stock in the draft just went up a little bit after playing against us," Meyer said after watching Mack intercept a pass and return it 45 yards for a touchdown in the Buckeyes' 40-20 win. "Mack is a fantastic football player. I mean, he could play anywhere at any school in America."
Trailing 23-7, Mack threw off his blocker and one-handedly picked off the screen pass from quarterback Braxton Miller that was intended for tailback Dontre Wilson at the Ohio State 45. Not only did Mack outrun Wilson -- who was clocked running a 4.51 40-yard dash in high school -- he also outran Miller, who was clocked in the 40 at 4.47, into the end zone.
Meyer isn't the only one raving.
"He's definitely different," Baylor head coach Art Briles said of Mack. "As soon as you put the film on it takes about one play to figure out who their `guy' is. I mean, he's it. He's good. He's earned his reputation and plays extremely well."
And this from UConn's Paul Pasqualoni: "Well, you know, this guy Mack, he's as good an outside linebacker as there is in college football. Period," Pasqualoni said. "If this guy doesn't go in the first round (of the NFL draft) ... I'd take him in the first round. He's that kind of player. He's really good. Everyone has struggled blocking him."
When told of Pasqualoni's comments, Buffalo coach Jeff Quinn acknowledged the love.
"That's quite a complement because I have a lot of respect for coach Pasqualoni for him to say that about Khalil," Quinn said.
"But he's not the only one that's said that. A lot of coaches have. Khalil is a tremendous competitor. What a lot of people don't see is that he's a very humble, young man. He plays for his team. He plays the game because he's got great passion. He's not an arrogant kid, he's just a locked-in football player. Just a great kid who loves to get out there and compete at the highest level."
But the Huskies have their own "guy" in Smallwood -- ranked 45th by Kiper among his Top 50 players for the 2014 draft -- who's posted 214 tackles in his first two years and earned all-Big East first-team honors last season as a sophomore.
"Yawin Smallwood, their inside `backer, is probably one of the best inside linebackers we'll see all year," Quinn said. "He's their leader in tackles and sacks and he's the leader of the defense. He's very active, especially last week against Michigan. He wants to get up in your face."
The challenge for Smallwood and Company will be continuing the defensive effort that nearly pulled the upset of No. 15 Michigan last week.
The D held the Wolverines to under 300 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers.
And unlike Maryland and Michigan that featured scrambling quarterbacks, the Bulls' signal-caller, Joe Licata, is a drop-back, stay-in-the-pocket passer with 592 yards passing, 56 completions and four touchdowns.
"This is a different style quarterback than we've faced the last two weeks, that's for sure," Pasqualoni said.
"This quarterback can really get the ball out on time. He throws the ball very, very accurately. He's a tall player, he's good and he's got good receivers and a good scheme.
"I really like the tailback, I think (Branden) Oliver is a difference maker. Probably one of the best players in their conference. I like their offensive line a great deal. The left side is very strong. This team has had a week to rest up and prepare for us and they'll be ready for us."
firstname.lastname@example.com http://Twitter@elsctpost


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First-Aid Kit
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
Guide to Safe Scouting
"A first-aid kit well stocked with the basic essentials is indispensable. Choose one sturdy and lightweight, yet large enough to hold the contents so that they are readily visible and so that any one item may be taken out without unpacking the whole kit. Keep a list of contents readily available for easy refilling. Keep the kit in a convenient location. Make one person responsible for keeping the kit filled and available when needed. Quantities of suggested items for your first-aid kit depend on the size of your group and local conditions."
Suggested First-Aid Kit Contents
- ___ Bar of soap
- ___ 2-inch roller bandage
- ___ 1-inch roller bandage
- ___ 1-inch adhesive
- ___ 3-by-3-inch sterile pads
- ___ Triangular bandage
- ___ Assorted gauze pads
- ___ Adhesive strips or tape
- ___ Clinical oral thermometer
- ___ Scissors
- ___ Tweezers
- ___ Sunburn lotion
- ___ Lip salve
- ___ Poison-ivy lotion
- ___ Small flashlight (with extra batteries and bulb)
- ___ Absorbent cotton
- ___ Water purification tablets (iodine)
- ___ Safety pins
- ___ Needles
- ___ Paper cups
- ___ Foot powder
- ___ Instant ice packs
Bloodborne Pathogens
Treat all blood as if it were contaminated with bloodborne viruses. Do not use bare hands to stop bleeding; always use a protective barrier. Always wash exposed skin area with hot water and soap immediately after treating the victim. The following equipment is to be included in all first-aid kits and used when rendering first aid to those in need:
- ___ Latex or vinyl gloves, to be used when stopping bleeding or dressing wounds
- ___ A mouth-barrier device for rendering rescue breathing or CPR
- ___ Plastic goggles or other eye protection to prevent a victim's blood from getting into the rescuer's eyes in the event of serious arterial bleeding
- ___ Antiseptic, for sterilizing or cleaning exposed skin area, particularly if there is no soap or water available.
Related Awards
- Emergency Preparedness Awards
|Emergency Preparedness-related awards
See also
- Camping Merit Badge - Camping Checklist
- First Aid Merit Badge - First Aid Kit
- Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge - Emergency Kit


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I had a very spirited exchange in the comment section to my friend and colleague Roger Algase's recent blog. Roger is an excellent attorney, and much smarter than I, so I appreciate the opportunity to voice a response to his always well written blogs. We mostly agree on both the facts and the law, but there appears to be one sticking point where we simply can't get over the hump. It relates to the upcoming Presidential election.
I'll take the liberty of paraphrasing Mr. Algase, and Roger please feel free to chime in with a response, as your thoughts are always welcomed and appreciated. In sum, Mr. Algase is throwing his support behind President Obama's reelection campaign as a result of his justifiable fears that the eventual Republican nominee will be adversely detrimental to the cause of immigration reform, and most importantly, immigrant rights. Of this there is no disagreement.
Our disagreement is principally over whether it is short sighted to turn our backs to President Obama, akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I argue that, to the contrary, supporting President Obama's reelection will in the long term retard the advancement of immigration reform and immigrant rights, that President Obama's administration is the one making the water dirty, and that they all need to be thrown out, dirty suds and all.
Although Mr. Algase points out that President Obama is the lesser of two evils (this point is debatable), this does not in any way detract from the fact that Obama's immigration enforcement and deportation policies ARE EVIL.
Should Obama win reelection immigration reform will continue to be ignored, and the Administration will deport another million immigrants. As such, supporting Obama's campaign for his second term sends the message to the Democratic party that they can continue to turn their back to immigration reform, while ignoring the torture, rape, abuse, and in some instances murder of immigrants unlawfully detained in immigration detention, while the Administration advances the goal of deporting more immigrants than at any time in history, enforcing racist and homophobic policy positions in the process.
Because the Democrats (rightly) believe that the immigration reform vote will come regardless of their (in)action(s), there is no motivation for the party to champion the issue after the election. The only way that this reality will change is if the Democrats lose the CIR vote to a third party candidate, and subsequently the Presidency in 2012. If this does happen, in 2016 the Democrats will finally be forced to understand the significance of effectuating fair and humane immigration reform, championing the issue, and putting an end to the destruction of hundreds of thousands (millions) of families through deportation, while taking meaningful steps to clean up the abuses permeating the immigration enforcement and detention system.
That is called foresight.
If Obama wins reelection while garnering the immigration reform electorate, I can tell you with 100% certainty that there will be another million+ immigrants deported, and we will be no closer to immigration reform than when he promised to address the issue in his first 100 days in office.
The point being, supporting the Deporter in Chief enables this President, and his party to ignore the very issue that he absolutely needs to maintain the office.
Respectfully, I implore all of you to stop being the enabler. Do not support this President.
If it means that we will see no immigration reform in the next four years under a Republican administration, so be it, because I guarantee you one thing, we won't ever see it in an Obama Presidency, and there is no possible way that a Republican can do worse than what we have seen under Obama.
To be blunt, Obama has done more damage to immigrants, the cause of immigration reform, and to the Constitution than any President in history, and that specifically includes George W. Bush.
Needless to say, labeling Obama as a disappointment, or a failure, is the understatement of the millennium.
So I ask you this, how many immigrants need to be rounded up, and thrown into solitary confinement, where they are raped, tortured, abused, and murdered before the issue is no longer an inconvenience to the goal of reelecting a man merely because he is the lesser of two evils.
Vote third party in 2012, and give a voice to the voiceless.
About The Author
Matthew Kolken is a trial lawyer with experience in all aspects of United States Immigration Law including Immigration Courts throughout the United States, and appellate practice before the Board of Immigration Appeals, the U.S. District Courts, and U.S. Courts of Appeals. He is admitted to practice in the courts of the State of New York , the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
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The Washington policy machine is all atwitter with the idea that the carbon tax's time has come. It is an elegant three-run homer that would tackle climate change, tax reform and the budget deficit in one fell swoop. It would meet the conservatives' quest for consumption taxes, the liberals' quest for new revenues and the economist's quest for market efficiency.
Some of the biggest policy players in Washington are holding an all-day event on carbon taxes today, sponsored by the liberal Brookings Institution and the conservative American Enterprise Institute, with co-sponsorship by the International Monetary Fund and the non-partisan Resources for the Future. Here's a list of RFF's papers.
This modest proposal, to borrow from Jonathan Swift, has so alarmed Grover Norquist that he has launched a counter-offensive. Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform (should we add "not" before "for"?) vowed to "work tirelessly" against any carbon tax because it "not only opens up a new revenue stream for proponents of big government, but threatens to forever damage the American economy."
Conservative cavalry has arrived from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which has filed a lawsuit "to force the Treasury Department to release more than 7,300 emails believed to discuss a new 'carbon tax' Obama administration allies in Congress are expected to propose in the upcoming lame duck session."
Obviously, a carbon tax would address climate change much more efficiently than any cap-and-trade scheme that attempts to put a price on carbon but gets tangled very fast in industry/political maneuvering, ala the House bill that died in Obama's first term. California launches its landmark cap and trade auction Wednesday. A carbon tax also would raise revenue that could be used to reduce the deficit and/or lower income taxes. Conservative economists have long argued that income taxes punish work and savings and that taxes on consumption are preferable.
Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a non-partisan think tank, told us today that there's an even simpler first step sitting right in Washington's lap. It's called the gasoline tax and it hasn't been raised since 1994. Atkinson calculates that the gas tax, now at 18.4 cents a gallon, costs Americans about one third as much as it did when it was enacted in 1994, given inflation, increases in fuel economy and rising incomes.
But it never gets raised no matter how many hurricanes annihilate New Jersey and Long Island, no matter how many bridges fall down and no matter how big the debt burden on the next generation, because Democrats and Republicans, reflecting public sentiment, view the gasoline tax as the next worst thing to child bondage.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, gave a pretty hard shove to Norquist the day after the election when he abandoned the stand that tax reform be revenue neutral. That was a huge give that has opened the door in Washington to a new grand bargain. Every interest group in town is maneuvering as we speak.


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The death of FrankenMcCain's monster
By J.J. Jackson
For years Senator McCain had a tenuous relationship with the conservatives. Sure, we supported him when we could and we respected and honored the great things he had done such as serving his country honorably in Vietnam and for which he suffered immensely. But when it came down to it most of us kept him at arms length and often held our nose while posing for pictures with him. Some of his ideas were really out there.
No man is perfect and we didn't hold that against him for certain. At least not much. And despite all his quirks, conservatives were still generally willing to invite him to the party and shake his hand even while we weren't willing to vote for him.
This was still true even after the bizarre and still unexplained attempted suicide of John McCain's presidential aspirations in 2001. That was the year of the infamous McCain/Feingold legislation; otherwise known as campaign finance reform; otherwise known as highly unconstitutional. That act caused an erosion in support for him as anything more than a Senator for his home state.
Miraculously however his candidacy for higher office didn't die from the attempt but it was the act that put his aspirations in the hospital and on life support. It was the act that made conservatives get a bigger clothespin for their noses as they questioned their tenuous support for a man that had now shown he would willingly violate the First Amendment and author a law which enabled Congress to infringe on the constitutional right to free speech.
Oh, he was still being invited over for cocktails after he recovered from that blow, but he found that fewer people flocked around him to hear what he had to say. He was, after that faux pas, kind of like the girl that wasn't quite as smart or quite as pretty as you'd like her to be, but would ask to the high school prom in a pinch. And if you could, you would ditch her in a second if the girl you really had your eyes on looked like she was available once you were there.
But as time wore on, conservative voters remembered more of the good things about Senator McCain. And we would smile and say that everyone makes mistakes. Slowly, after a couple years, we began shaking his hand and coming around him at the party once again.
So maybe we had some hand in pushing the Senator towards what he became in recent months. Maybe we gave him false hope that he had more support than he really did.
And then it happened. Then he confounded nearly everyone with a conservative bone in their body yet again. For some reason he thought, really thought, that the best way to solve the problem of people coming to America illegally was to forgive them of their crimes and welcome them openly to our society.
Conservatives raised their eyebrow at such a peculiar suggestion and McCain began to whisper of such things as amnesty that wasn't really amnesty but still basically amnesty over cocktails. He knew some even called him mad.
And as time went on, McCain became more and more adamant about his plans and those raised eyebrows were seen less and less. Not because he was convincing people he was right but rather because, like before, fewer and fewer people were hanging around to listen to what he has to say.
And as fewer and fewer people came around, Senator McCain just started to speak more loudly so that those distancing themselves from him would be forced to hear what he said. And when that was no longer working because people just moved even further away from him, he decided that it was time to make his move and get even with those now shunning him.
He was overheard saying, while clutching a drink and sitting on a couch in a lonely corner, "Mad? They think I'm mad! I'll show them MAD!"
So he bolted from the party and locked himself away with others who believed as he did. And when he emerged after months of work, he bore with him a hastily stitched together legislation that would reward people who had committed various crimes including entering the United States illegally and stealing the identities of law abiding citizens to avoid detection. He believed that once people saw his plan, his creation, they would finally see the genius of not just him, but others that thought like him.
But something quite different happened. When he presented his plan to the people, the people rose up and made their voices heard. They called it a monster and, unlike with his campaign finance reform and the abridgement of our rights to free speech, not only did they speak up, but they did so in a way that even made Mr. McCain take notice. And they stopped his efforts to bring it to life.
This was totally unexpected to the Senator. And he didn't know how to react. He thought conservatives embraced him. He had been invited to all the parties after all.
So he started to lash out. He lost complete control of his mental faculties and began to spout verbal diarrhea. He climbed up a small hill and cried to those below about how this creation of his was better than the status quo and that we had to do something. To which the people shouted back, "We just want the existing laws and penalties enforced John!"
They even offered their hands to Senator McCain and asked him to come back to the party and have another drink. But he refused.
Instead he climbed a higher hill and cried out again that this plan was better than the status quo and that we had to do something and then asked what the alternative plan was. So more people gathered and responded in a louder voice that, "We told you! We want the existing laws enforced and that our 'plan' is to uphold current laws!"
And with that rebuke the foul substance from Senator McCain's mouth became even more rancid. His face contorted as his mind attempted to process this information. He hunched over and, became more and more hideous like the bill he held in his hand, he scowled at those gathering before him that had once accepted him. Despite having his question already answered, he leapt up and climbed the highest mountain top and proclaimed that we had to do something! This was better than nothing! What is your plan?!?
By now nearly the whole nation had gathered. But this time they did not just come to shout back but also, having seen this monster now on the loose, brought with them their pitchforks and torches. And as Senator McCain flailed his arms and gave off several mighty "RAAAHHHHRR!"s, ones worthy of Howard Dean, the people rushed him and shouted back with a roar of their own that could be heard across this nation as they stabbed at the unholy beast now before them, "We told you! Enforce the existing laws and punish the criminals!"
So today we gather. We gather to remember the campaign of a man who sought the Presidency but that the people of these United States killed when that man left them with no other choice but to kill a monster that he had created.
But lest you think that our story ends here, I have a word of caution for you. For rumor has it that the still beating heart of FrankenMcCain's Monster was saved from his dying body and whisked away to a secret vault under the Capitol. And there it sits, preserved and awaiting a new host so that it can once again run loose across the country side.


text:
Back to Search results
Hari's Paraffin Heater
The winter of 1962 was terribly cold.
This type of heater
was one of the most powerful
that you could get.
Hari bought it at Morley's in Brixton
for sixteen pounds and ten shillings.
It kept his family warm
in their Clapham flat.
0 mins 0 secs
Hari Mungol
Hari first came to London in 1958:
"In those days
you'd get six months leave,
with full pay,
and assisted leave passage to Europe,
or America."
"The next thing that impressed me
in England was,
people used to queue up for the buses,
and they'd take their turn,
and if for instance,
the queue was crooked,
and the person
was in front of you slightly,
they would not go into that person
if they knew
that it was not their turn."
"In those days
I found people very polite,
But at the same time,
there were quite a lot of
racial prejudice because
In Balham I remember,
we were looking for rooms,
and one or two houses have got,
'room to let, no coloured or Irish,'
I saw that in 1958."
"The decision was not made
to settle here -
it was a proposal.
If my wife had liked the place,
then we would stay,
if she didn't like it
I had to go back home with the family,
that was the situation."
"And during 1962 it was,
62 - 63 winter was a deadly winter,
it was the most deadly winter
they'd had for years.
They had a thing called smog."
Escaping political unrest
Hari Mungol moved to Britain
from British Guiana in 1962.
He chose to leave British Guiana
because of political changes and unrest.
The country was renamed Guyana
when it became independent from Britain
in 1966.
Like many Croydonians
of Guyanese birth,
Hari lived in inner London
before moving to Croydon.
There were Guyanese communities
in Kennington, Brixton and Clapham.
Hari's family settled in Thornton Heath
in 1972.
Find out more
Hari and his family
moved to London
from Guiana.
To find out more
about migration histories
visit the
Moving Here website:


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Haha you thought it was going to be a transformer, but its actually a transformer.
Screen shots from Lightwave.
I started with these images.
I had to do some reconstruction of areas behind grass and concrete.
It was a cloudy day and that box has been taunting me for several years.
Overcast sky is best for pictures.


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Battlefield Hardline Changes Brought on by Beta
Visceral Games has announced some major changes coming to Battlefield Hardline based on its player feedback from last week's beta.
The official Battlefield website has unveiled some new changes that are coming to Battlefield Hardline as a result of findings from its latest beta test. Hardline's beta resulted in a lot of feedback from players and observations from Visceral Games employees in regards to what needs to be changed in order to optimize this cops and robbers-based shooter.
In terms of changes, expect a 10 percent increased running speed and an additional 10 percent bonus to running while you have your pistol out. The camera has been changed to remove a bouncing effect that happens during suppression. The High Tension map has lost a glitch which had players clipping into walls and has lost its heavy camera shaking that happens when the level's crane falls. Heavy armored vehicles now have a weak spot added to the rear. Fuel trucks, handbrakes and various changes to the UI are being added into the game as well.
Battlefield Hardline is due for an Oct. 21 release for PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Further beta testing will happen later this fall across all platforms.


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Team Looks to Keep Improving After Impressive Performances Last Week
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – This Friday, the Yale Bulldogs will suit up for the Boston Indoor Games, hosted by Northeastern University. After several strong performances lifted the Bulldogs to second place between Columbia and Dartmouth last weekend, the team will look to kindle its competitive spirit among non-Ivy opposition. Brown will be the only other member of the Ancient Eight present.
A performance to watch for will be from sophomore Nihal Kayali, who posted 2:50.00 in the 1,000-meter run last weekend, making her the fastest Bulldog time in the event for the last twenty-three years. This time qualified her for the ECAC Championships in March. Kayali will be competing in the mile run for the first time as a college athlete at the Boston Indoor Games.
All-American senior Kate Grace will also certainly be an athlete to watch. The two-time Hepstrack.com Female Athlete of the Week this season will only be competing in the 800-meter run, allowing her to have a strong race.
This meet will help the Bulldogs see where they stand against competitive teams. Looking ahead, Mark Young '68, coach of the distance and middle distance athletes, said that some athletes would be preparing for the Harvard-Princeton tri-meet on Feb. 12 and Heptagonal Championships (Heps) on Feb. 26.
"We will be moving people around and away, in some cases, from their strongest events in an effort to use the meet as a training opportunity against some good competition," said Young.
As the season progresses and Ivy schools loom on the horizon, the Bulldogs have only gotten stronger. Senior Stephanie Scaramella, of the throwing contingent, began her track season throwing 11.78m in the shot put on Dec. 4. She eclipsed this distance last weekend with a throw of 12.08m, good for third place. Senior Emily Standish has also gained height in the high jump, improving from 1.55m to 1.60m this weekend. In the 400-meter dash, sophomore Allison Rue ran 1:00.19 on Dec. 4 but posted a time of 58.81 this past weekend.
Freshmen especially have shown improvement as they adapt to collegiate contests. Rookie Teresa Parent has improved from 4.96m to 5.02m in the long jump. Emily Urciuoli, a pole vault stand-out, increased her range from 3.40m to 3.45m this weekend. In the 60-meter hurdles, Amanda Snajder dropped from 9.54 seconds to 9.22 seconds. Snajder has also dropped time from her 200-meter dash, completing the race in 28.03 seconds last month but finishing in 27.75 seconds most recently. Finally, in the 500-meter dash, Jenna Hessert has gone from 1:18.20 seconds to 1:17.25 seconds.
"The focus of this week's meet is on individual performance. The Boston Indoor Games will give our athletes the opportunity to improve seed times and distances leading up to the Heps and other post-season competitions," said head coach David Shoehalter, the Mark T. Young '68 Director of Cross Country and Track and Field.
The meet takes place at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, where ECAC Championships will be held in March. Field events will begin at 4 p.m. while track events commence at 5 p.m. Results will be available at www.directathletics.com and www.gonu.com, as well as www.yalebulldogs.com.
Report by Natalie Villa '13, Yale Sports Publicity


text: These are excellent grain feeders for show or home use. You can choose from three sizes of strong rubber pans. The large rubber pans ($11.95) measure about 4" deep, 16" diameter. The medium feed pan ($6.95) is about 4-1/2" deep and 10"1/2" in diameter, plus it works well as a feed pan for our Nigerian Headpiece milking stand. The small rubber pan ($4.95) holds 2 quarts and is 3-1/2" deep, 8" diameter. These rubber pans are easy to clean.


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Johnson & Johnson, Wal-Mart and Amazon.com are the latest corporate funders to have parted ways with ALEC. We're turning up the heat and asking more corporations to stop supporting an organization that has pushed discriminatory voter ID laws and deadly Shoot First legislation.
Thanks for all you've done for the effort so far. Can you help out with $3 (or whatever you can afford)?


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Pictures: 15 most jaw-dropping 'Breaking Bad' moments
Every 'Breaking Bad' fan has them: those jaw-dropping moments that have kept the AMC drama engrossing. Every fan's favorite moments will be different. But series creator Vince Gilligan and his colleagues have supplied many. Here are 15 from The TV Guy Hal Boedeker.
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