text:
The following blog post was really scheduled for a couple of months ago but I just never got round to publishing it. Having said all that, the science is still cutting edge and just as fascinating as it ever was so I hope you find it of interest.
Forelimb reduction in theropod dinosaurs has long since fascinated. It is a constant source of interest that some of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs reduced the size of their forelimbs to such a degree that it would appear that they were almost becoming vestigial or, at the very least, were only capable of speculative rudimentary function. Chief amongst palaeontologists looking at this enduring mystery is Sara Burch of Ohio University.
To tackle these enduring questions, Burch approached the issue in quite a unique way – firstly by constructing a model of the ancestral forelimb muscle arrangement highlighting any associated plesiomorphies. Then, by looking at the phylogenetic signals generated by examining the evolutionary processes in various theropod lineages, Burch has come up with some useful data.
Both allometric and evolutionary trends suggest that there is no evidence for a general reduction in forelimb size throughout Theropoda. A clade by clade study also revealed interesting myological trends – particularly in Abelisauridae and Tyrannosauridae. Abelisaurids display a quite unique morphology and yet, despite their forelimbs appearing to be useless, the study reveals them to be still functional. It is unlikely that they were capable of much, however, and it may be that the forelimbs were used for sexual stimulation – speculative, of course, but not the first time this has been suggested for abelisaurids or, indeed, tyrannosaurids.
Tyrannosaurids themselves have robust and muscular arms and one suggestion to try and describe a particular use for these forelimbs was that it enabled the animal to push itself up from the ground when required. This particular hypothesis was modelled accordingly with the outcome that there is no justifiable support for the theory. But what about possibly using their arms for grasping or holding prey? Muscle correlation concludes that this was indeed possible supporting the evolutionary trend that reduction in forelimb size is not necessarily about vestigiality but rather to satisfy an evolutionary demand. As with abelisaurids, the theory that tyrannosaurids may have used their forelimbs intraspecifically remains untestable.
Pterosaurs currently remain the biggest flying animals of all time and yet was there a size limit that dictated how big a pterosaur could be and still manage to take off, fly and land? Colin Palmer, of the University of Bristol, and Mike Habib of the University of Southern California, have been addressing these very issues.
Azhdarchids were the giants of the pterosaur world but estimates of their weight and mass vary considerably. For example, Chatterjee & Templin (2004) suggested a body weight in the region of 70Kg whilst Mark Witton (2008) and Witton and Habib (2014), more realistically for an animal approaching the size of a giraffe, estimated 260Kg. The general consensus is that the latter is probably correct.
As for wingspan it appears that the most common sizes vary from 5 metres to 9 metres with an upper limit, perhaps, of twelve metres – true giants. Computer models were generated for pterosaurs with 6, 9 and 12 metre wingspans which were as structurally and aerodynamically as accurate as the fossil record allows bearing in mind most of the data is derived primarily from ornithocheirids.
For an azhdarchid to remain in the air depends, essentially, on the available power that is generated by the muscles. The model indicates that these pterosaurs were capable of generating sufficient power to maintain station once airborne and, interestingly, that the ability to stay up does not limit the size of the pterosaur. In other words, pterosaur maximum size is limited by the amount of tensile stress generated but is not limited by size alone. Therefore, it is quite feasible for a pterosaur with a 12 metre wingspan to remain airborne.
What about landing? A large extant bird requires a stopping distance of around 4 metres per second and the models predict that large pterosaurs also fall within this range and the authors point out that the robust hind limbs of azhdarchids make for a pretty sturdy undercarriage so it seems possible that a pterosaur with a 12 metre wingspan could also land safely.
But could a pterosaur of these proportions generate the sufficient power, technique and thrust to launch itself into the air? It is safe to assume that pterosaurs utilised both forelimb and hind limb musculature to achieve take off and the computer models generated for this research reflect this although, interestingly, 80 to 90% of the required take-off thrust for both birds and pterosaurs is developed from the hind limbs.
|Anhanguera forelimb musculature - from Witton & Habib 2010
Taking other factors into account such as oscillation and both launch speed and height indicates that it is problematic for pterosaurs to achieve take off as they get bigger since they could not evolve a sufficient muscular array that would be structurally efficient for take-off. The results suggest that we can predict with confidence that pterosaurs with a 9 metre wingspan could successfully take off but with a lesser degree of confidence that those with wingspans between 9.5 and 11.5 metres could achieve launch.
Thus this research is indicative that 12 metres is currently the absolute wingspan limit for pterosaurs – which we know of. This is really interesting research and it would be fascinating now to see the response if another pterosaur is found with perhaps a 14 or 15 metre wingspan. Unlikely of course but that would really put the fat into the fire because who would not want to know how that would have been achievable and what other factors would need to be considered.
Theropods come in all shapes and sizes and we are familiar with the various sizes and morphological differences in their teeth but what about the actual mandible itself? Is theropod jaw form representative of function or, indeed, is the taxanomic, morphological and functional diversity of the lower jaw a predictor of functional and biomechanical diversity? Emily Rayfield, of the University of Bristol, and her colleagues have been asking these very questions.
A sample size of 103 specimens was analysed using a combination of geometric morphometry and biomechanical metrics. The authors point out that the sample size, although relatively broad, is still nowhere near large enough but included a diverse group sampling which included, amongst others, non-tetanuran theropods, non-maniraptoran tetanurans and maniraptorformes themselves.
So do theropods that feed on different things have different shaped jaws? Apparently not since the authors discerned no particular signal from this analysis. What about functional traits in theropod jaws? The authors recognised 19 traits in 68 of the taxa that are related to jaw robustibility and the enlargement of the coronoid process which contribute to the overall shape and biomechanical variation. As a side note it is worth pointing out the oviraptorosaurs, although included in the analysis, are quite distinct from this overall grouping and were obviously doing something very different.
Theropods that are herbivorous or exhibit omnivorous tendencies display different shaped jaws to traditional carnivorous types which is to be expected. Theropod mandibular evolution throughout the Mesozoic suggests that there is likely to be a link between form and function and this is supported by phylogenetics which does indeed exert a strong signal. However, this is probably exaggerated by the fact that Maniraptora filled many different ecological niches from the Late Jurassic onward which would have demanded more morphological variation. The overall link, therefore, between morphological change and functional diversity is tenuous at best and suggests that perhaps the shape of the jaw does not always necessarily reflect the evolved and/or derived state of different theropod jaw mechanics.
Burch, S. 2014 Osteological, myological and phylogenetic trends of forelimb reduction in nonavian theropods. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2014, pp100.
Chatterjee, S. and Templin, R. 2004. Posture, locomotion, and paleoecology of pterosaurs. Geological Society of America Special Publication 376: 1-64.
Palmer, C. & Habib, MB. 2014. All time giants of the air: new approaches to calculating the limits to the size of pterosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2014, pp200-201.
Rayfield, E., Conium, R., Benson, R. & Anderson, P. 2014. Ecomorphological and functional variation in the theropod dinosaur mandible. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2014, pp212.
Witton, M. P. 2008. A new approach to determining pterosaur body mass and its implications for pterosaur flight. Zitteliana Reihe B 28: 143-158.
Witton MP, Habib MB (2010) On the Size and Flight Diversity of Giant Pterosaurs, the Use of Birds as Pterosaur Analogues and Comments on Pterosaur Flightlessness. PLoS ONE 5(11): e13982. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013982


text:
By Fathers Glen Lewandowski, OSC, and Jerry Schik, OSC
Special to Catholic News Service
St. Luke was familiar with a great new energy source long before solar power or wind turbines or geothermal energy became a part of everyday conversation. His new energy source was spiritual and it came to him when he became a Christian. When he received the imposition of hands he was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to go forth and proclaim the Good News. He gave witness to this new energy source by emphasizing the work of the Holy Spirit. He mentioned the Holy Spirit 14 times in his Gospel — more than twice the number of references in Matthew and Mark combined.
His faith enabled him to see that the Holy Spirit gave strength to Zechariah so that he could proclaim a most important prophetic message: "God has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David." He saw the Holy Spirit giving energy and spiritual strength to John the Baptist during his years of fasting and praying in the desert. Luke said that the Holy Spirit kept Simeon alive until he could see the Messiah of the Lord. He described our savior's temptations in the desert and how the Holy Spirit gave Jesus power so that he could emerge victorious over the devil. When Jesus began his public ministry while visiting the synagogue in Nazareth he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gave him strength and ministry for his mission: "To bring Good News to the poor. To proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To let the oppressed go free. To proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Then Jesus called forth disciples and apostles to help him with his mission and told them that the Holy Spirit would teach them what to say during times of persecution.
And this is where we come into the picture. We are the modern-day disciples who are sent forth on the same mission. And we find the challenge of that mission to be overwhelming until we remember what Pope John Paul II said in "Redemptoris Missio": "The Holy Spirit is the principle agent for mission." The Holy Spirit will provide us with the strength we need to fulfill the mission of Christ, our savior. With that in mind I encourage you to read Luke's Gospel once again. I think that you will see that the Holy Spirit is the never-ending energy source for those who serve the kingdom.
Synod note: "Come, Holy Spirit!" — the main prayer at the synod's opening assembly.
The synod on the Word of God is just as much a synod on the Spirit of God. Word and Spirit, the right and left hands of God the Father, St. Irenaeus used to say. The Spirit is action-oriented. The spiritual action of the Holy Spirit, for readers, is aimed at appropriating the spirit of the Word. The Spirit helps us sense the spiritual sense of the Word.
Reading the words of the Bible is good, but just a cut below appropriating the Word in faith. The synod members invoked the Holy Spirit, on the church, also on all readers of the Word: Come!
Luke's Gospel, often called the Gospel of Prayer, always has Jesus praying, full of the Holy Spirit, just before the most significant events that occur and before decisions he makes. Jesus is impressed with the Spirit of God early on (Lk 4:1) and the Spirit remains on him (4:18).
Come, Holy Spirit!

subset: commoncrawl


text: Privacy in Prestigious Harbor Coves on almost an acre. Exceptional views from this waterfront home on Ryder's Cove which leads out into the Atlantic. This 6 bedroom, 4 1/2 bath home was designed & built by Polhemus, Savery, DaSilva & professionally landscaped by David Hawk Design. Premium details include high ceilings,wainscoting,crown moldings,hardwood floors,radiant heat in master bath floor,granite counters in kitchen,two wood burning fireplaces,1 gas fireplace, central vac, whirlpool tub,Library with cherry paneling throughout, Media room with 64 high def TV, premium surround sound system, screened in porch,His & her's study both with waterviews, security system, & an outbuilding with wood working shop that could be whatever your heart desires. Truly a spectacular spot. CLICK


text:
Twenty years ago, living in the suburbs, if not a badge of shame, was certainly not cool. But with space at a premium in our city centres and prices climbing higher, we appreciate our suburbs more than ever. The best British suburbs are great places to live, not simply dormitories for weary commuters. There are financial rewards to be reaped, too. In picking the top 20 suburbs, I have tried to focus on the quality of life, not just property prices and ease of access to the cities. Good schools, shops and leisure facilities, plus a strong sense of community, all play their part.
20 Jordanstown, Belfast
Seven miles north of Belfast city centre, with an attractive setting on Belfast Lough, this is a congenial suburb, popular with professionals. You can find a three-bedroom bungalow for about £240,000, which represents better value than suburbs to the south of the city. Sought-after streets include Circular Road and Old Manse Road. The area is living proof, as are the other suburbs listed here, that settling just outside a city centre needn't take you away from the heart of the property action.
On the market: a large semi-detached villa on Jordanstown Road: £249,950 with McMillan (028 9080 0000).Picture: Alamy


text:
A bunch of guys named Ronald McDonald gushing about Taco Bell's new breakfast? Bacon, sausage, eggs, wrapped in a waffle and dripping with syrup?
Bring it. That seems to be the response from McDonald's /quotes/zigman/233369/delayed /quotes/nls/mcd MCD , which might just be taking the yellow gloves off in a brewing breakfast war. The place with the golden arches late Thursday announced an offer for free McCafe coffee in a first-ever national Free Coffee Event. The coffee giveaway kicks off this Monday and runs to April 13 during breakfast hours at participating restaurants.
To kick off the event, McDonald's will host "Make Friends with McCafe" sampling events at "high-traffic locations and transportation hubs in multiple cities across the country." Ah-ha…Chicago, you're in, Boise, maybe not so much.
And that's not all: Busy commuters will also be treated to "live musical performances, spontaneous comedy experiences and more."
Tearing a page out of social-media charm school, McDonald's also says it'll surprise a @McCafe Twitter follower everyday this year with McCafe coffee and prizes.
All this comes a day after Yum! Brands-owned /quotes/zigman/303422/delayed /quotes/nls/yum YUM Taco Bell's breakfast bonanza, with Taco Bell top guns promoting it on the media circuit. As our own Quentin Fottrell points out, breakfast is business, people.
While some Tweeters were talking about cholesterol and other unpleasant aspects of those breakfast treats, Brian Niccol, the president of Taco Bell, had this to say to Bloomberg: "All our food is made fresh to order, the thing that's great about our food is also very customized…If you just get egg in the waffle it's less than 250 calories."
(He also talked to reddit a day prior and told one Canadian reader that the Taco Bell breakfast will make its way up north "when you take Justin Bieber back.").
Hard to say who's going to win this war when Tweeters still can't stop gushing about their Taco Bell breakfasts, though that Ronald McDonald irony was lost on at least one of them:
The real Ronald has come out swinging, in case you missed it.
— Barbara Kollmeyer writes for MarketWatch. Follow her @bkollmeyer
More must-reads from MarketWatch:
Used guillotine for sale. Going une fois, going deux fois…no deal!


text:
Join Our Mailing List
Connect to the
Jefferson Institute's
Annual Economic Forecast
Link to the Virginia Alliance
for Student Opportunity
CENTERS for
Vice President
He is a graduate of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, and resides in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County with his wife, Eileen. They are the parents of four children, Christian, Stephen, Brian, and Catherine.
[Read More]
Senior Fellow on Government Reform
Senior Fellow, State and Local Taxes
Director, Center for Environmental Stewardship
He received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina (1979) and Juris Doctor Cum Laude from the George Mason University School of Law (1999).
9035 Golden Sunset Lane
Springfield, VA
phone:(703) 440-9447
fax:(703) 455-1531


text:
The promotional code:
has been applied.
You have no items in your Shopping Basket.
☎ Order by phone on 0844 326 2200
⌚ 24 hours a day 7 days a week
FREE Weekly Email Offers
Tulip picking in a Lincolnshire field. 1000 piece puzzle - 66 x 50cm.
These lovely retro looking jigsaws are made in the UK from 100% re-cycled high quality 1.5mm millboard and printed using water based pigment inks. They are hand finished by expert craftsmen.
Aftercare - Easy:False
Aftercare - Moderate:False
Aftercare - High:False
Edible Flower:False
Likes Acidic Soil:False
F1 Variety:False
All Suttons products should reach you in perfect condition, just as they left us. If you are dissatisfied in any way with their condition on arrival, please let us know within 14 days. We are only liable for the cost of the goods as quoted on the website plus the cost of delivery if the goods are faulty.
Zzz NOSTORECOMMENDPRODS-CMR
SuttonsOrder Online or call 0844 326 2200 - 24hrs a day, 7 days a week Product or other query Email Customer Services Customer Services call 0333 043 0700 - 8:30am -5pm, Mon-Fri Charges to 0844 numbers cost 5p per minute plus your telephone company's access chargeCharges to 03 numbers are the same as standard UK landline numbers starting in 01 or 02 and mobile providers may vary
Suttons, Woodview Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 7NG. Registered in England and Wales No. 284448. VAT No 158 9318 27.


text:
But first, Haba Xueshan. It's a derivative of the ever popular Lynnderella: Connect the Dots. I remember seeing Connect the Dots before it became publicly available and DROOLING over it. I wanted it forever. And now there's different types of it everywhere and it makes me happy but my wallet sad.
The spin that Elevation Polish put on the white and black glitter craze (and I might be wrong in stating that Lynnderella started it but that's where the obsession started for me) is that it has light blue circle glitter. YUMMY.
How gorgeous is that? This was 1 coat + some manual placement. So lovely. Do you agree?
Information: website // shop
Like this? Click below to let us know!


text:
This blog discusses current weather, weather prediction, climate issues, and other topics
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
With westerly to NW central Puget Sound has been rainshadowed by the Olympics and virtually nothing has fallen...except for some ice pellet shows in a few locations. In fact, some places had blue skies! On the other hand, Skagit County and a zone extending westward across Whidbey and the San Juans have been hammered--some folks have gotten 5-6 inches of snow. See images at Friday Harbor and Anacortes.
And snowshowers have hit the south Sound south of Tacoma. The relatively mild temperatures (30s) have allowed roadways to be relatively decent even where snow has fallen....this IS late February!
But things are changing. As the low pressure system in the coastal water moves southward from Vancouver Island, the rainshadowing is weakening...as the flow aloft lessens and turns more to the southwest. Already we can see increased snowshowers moving into the south Sound and the rainshadowing (yes really snowshadowing) has lessened in the high-res visible satellite imagery. The pressure difference between Bellingham and the NW interior has increased and NE flow is increasing at Bellingham. The pressure difference between Bellingham and and Olympia has reversed, setting up the movement of northerly flow into the Sound. And it is at the interface between northerly flow and countervailing southerly flow where the real lowland action should happen. This is the big threat for the Puget Sound lowlands and we need to watch this afternoon whether it develops. If it doesn't the commute will be fine. If it does, you will have to deal with a slushy layer on the roadway.
This is all very complex and determined by the position and strength of the low, and the strength of the rainshadowing.
Over the short term, the zone from Everett to Tacoma is fine...but conditions should worsen after 2-3 PM. But at this point I don't foresee any major icing situation over Puget Sound roadways for commute time tonight--something I have heard incessantly on some media outlets. THIS WILL NOT BE LIKE NOV 22ND. No severe sudden freeze during the commute home.
More later....
53 comments:
- superdeluxe said...
What about the morning commute tomorrow?
- February 23, 2011 at 11:36 AM
- Lara said...
I really appreciate this "Nowcast". It helps a lot to have a better understanding of the complexity of forecasting snow. Thank you Cliff! Oh, just in case this helps, the conditions in Tacoma are occasional snow and wet/bare roads.
- February 23, 2011 at 11:37 AM
- Farmer's Veggie Wife said...
I am so thankful for your nowcasts! I am hoping we see some snow in Bellingham though.
- February 23, 2011 at 11:38 AM
- Rebekah Denn said...
Thank you, Cliff! I can't tell you how much I enjoy, appreciate, and rely on your thoughtful updates.
- February 23, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Overcast with flurries now on Sinclair Island. Wind has shifted to the NE. Got about 3 inches this morning. A northerly swell was hitting the beach on the north side of the island about 2 hours before the wind direction actually changed.
- February 23, 2011 at 11:50 AM
- Josh said...
They should cancel the winter storm warning for Bellingham. Dry air is dominating the show.
- February 23, 2011 at 12:03 PM
- smokejumper said...
The weather channel has a guy on Queen Anne Hill. Its just partly cloudy and green outside. I hope something gathers for ya alls.
If it happens to stay green and dry, I bet its the last time TWC will come to Seattle.
- February 23, 2011 at 12:08 PM
- Thompsonized said...
Sunshine and light snow flurries in Ellensburg now...
- February 23, 2011 at 12:08 PM
Cliff: Ten inches in my Oak Bay neighborhood (SE tip of Vancouver Island), including a half-inch accumulation in the past 45 minutes of snow shoveling. If you think Seattle is ill-prepared for snow, visit Victoria on a day like today! Maybe half a dozen blades for the whole metro area. We will send out a call for cereal and diapers in the next 12 hours!
- February 23, 2011 at 12:11 PM
- Warren said...
We definitely got some snow up here in Anacortes. I just shoveled off 6 inches from my driveway and it looks like we are in for more. Now some sunlight is popping through the clouds and it is time to head out for some snow-ladden landscape pics!
- February 23, 2011 at 12:16 PM
- Jim said...
Great, Thanks for the only accurate forecast of King county.
- February 23, 2011 at 12:20 PM
- Steve said...
South Shoreline still has southerly winds at about 5mph at 12:30am.
- February 23, 2011 at 12:27 PM
- WillL said...
It's coming down very heavy on Maury Island now. Accumulating rapidly with temp drop to 34F. Already have about .5"
- February 23, 2011 at 12:36 PM
- Jessica Moskowitz said...
I don't think it's going to snow at all now. The temperature just keeps going up. This morning in Seattle north of the UW it was 36F and now it is 39F. Seems like a normal cloudy day to me. Thanks for being real and not super crazy like those news forecasters.
- February 23, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Thanks Cliff--we always check your page in tandem with the weather service for these big events!
For what it's worth: dry all day so far in West Seattle, even sunny sometimes in the morning, but a few light flurries have just begun. Staying tuned.
- February 23, 2011 at 12:52 PM
- Branden said...
Unfortunately I was actually hoping for snow to happen bad tonight, so I could avoid some engagements. Doesn't look like that will happen? Still dry here in downtown seattle...
- February 23, 2011 at 12:53 PM
- superdeluxe said...
Snowing heavily in Tukwila, apparently snowing heavy in Kent/Federal way and sticking?
- February 23, 2011 at 12:56 PM
- some guy said...
Snowing heavily and sticking around Southcenter 1pm
- February 23, 2011 at 1:00 PM
- Jamie said...
The Nowcasts are fantastic and allow me to relay the voice of reason here at work to offset the media hype. Thank you for keeping them frequent as things change!
- February 23, 2011 at 1:01 PM
- TVN said...
Well after all this fuss (not to mention the candelling of school!), I sure hope something materializes in the Seattle area.
10" in Victoria is impressive.
- February 23, 2011 at 1:02 PM
- Aunt Monkey said...
Well we just got our first sticking snow - just a dusting, really - down in Auburn valley. Roads still look bare and wet form my window though.
- February 23, 2011 at 1:05 PM
- Tom said...
Snowflakes have just started falling in downtown Bellevue.
- February 23, 2011 at 1:14 PM
- Super said...
What a piddly "storm" so far, if you can call snow showers a storm.
But perhaps the storm is just late? It looks like it, which would mean a BAD day tomorrow morning.
- February 23, 2011 at 1:20 PM
- Pen said...
5 miles ESE of North Bend. We had 7 inches yesterday afternoon. Woke up to clear sunny skies this morning. It has now clouded over and started snowing very lightly again. NWS is calling for 3-7 inches today and an additional 3-5 inches tonight. Ha - just since I started writing this, the snow is now coming down heavy. Here we go!
- February 23, 2011 at 1:26 PM
- Christopher said...
1:30 pm, 5+ inches on west side San Juan Island, still coming down on and off. At least one injury accident on the island.
- February 23, 2011 at 1:31 PM
- mjgrota said...
Who needs Forman? Cliff is here to NOWCAST us through the darkness. I bet he is wearing his own yellow parka AND his slippers when looking out a window sipping his tea.
- February 23, 2011 at 1:36 PM
- Cheryl said...
Sunny and cold in West Seattle. Definitely NO snow.
- February 23, 2011 at 1:42 PM
- Colleen said...
I'm with Josh. The winter storm warning for Bellingham and environs isn't reality. Up here at the border it's cold, dry, and windy ~ and even the northeaster isn't as unusually significant.
Another non-event. Yawn. But keeping the snow up at Baker instead of in our barn is easier anyway...
- February 23, 2011 at 2:15 PM
Sun came out in West Seattle and 2:00 PM temp. is 42. Almost looks like the system is coming apart, but maybe there will be some overnight snow. In any event, things seem in delayed development.
- February 23, 2011 at 2:18 PM
- stephen said...
kinda breezy, not too cold with blue sky peaking through here and there in West Seattle right now (1425)
- February 23, 2011 at 2:27 PM
- gshall said...
It is still snowing lightly on the west side of San Juan Island, and we still can't see across Haro Strait to Sidney to the NW. The temp is 26 F, and the pressure is 29.77 and dropping. The wind has started to kick up, but unfortunately the anemometer is OTS.
- February 23, 2011 at 2:36 PM
- 245gt-turbo said...
Had some heavy snowfall about an hour ago here in Duvall, but it didn't stick, so there wasn't any more accumulation. Beginning to wonder if this storm is going to be like the one we had at the end of December...
- February 23, 2011 at 2:58 PM
- mig said...
Just had a strong snow shower come through the North Slope of Tacoma (elevation 350 feet). Got about half an inch that stuck to everything but the street.
- February 23, 2011 at 3:02 PM
- Pen said...
ESE North Bend at 700'. Well our snow has petered out.....sigh. Sun keeps trying to come out. NWS isn't giving up on it's storm warning. What do you think Cliff? Trying to decided if this is just a lull or should I actually venture out into the wider world.....
- February 23, 2011 at 3:16 PM
- weatherlover said...
After getting almost 8 inches in just a few hours in Western Skagit County, we have now lost about 3 and are down to 5 inches. The roads are fine, but it looks like another band of snow is coming.
- February 23, 2011 at 3:21 PM
- rich said...
Where the hell is my snow? I have no snow. I'm in Bellevue and I'll bet we don't get anything that sticks tonight.
- February 23, 2011 at 3:25 PM
- Mikey said...
South Lake Union area ...looking at patches of blue skies. I was really hoping to bail early from work. Come 'on snow!
- February 23, 2011 at 3:26 PM
- ken said...
Another snow bust for Seattle. When are we going to learn that when we are told of snow, it's not going to happen. The back tracking has begun from the networks.
- February 23, 2011 at 3:59 PM
- Kevin said...
After saying all day that Bellingham will get 3-7 inches, the forecast is now for no snow at all.
Time to find the snow shovel I think....:-)
- February 23, 2011 at 4:01 PM
- wymanbr said...
Dr Mass:
We all owe you one! Merci Beaucoups!
- February 23, 2011 at 4:02 PM
- Dan said...
And now, a haiku.
Flakes all around us
But quiet in Seattle
Damn you, rain shadow.
- February 23, 2011 at 4:15 PM
- Glenn said...
Starting about 3:00 pm it really dumped at Lower Hadlock. It took me almost an hour to make the 4 miles home on Marrowstone. That was with two stops to chain up. One for the rear, one for the front. I'd say 4 inches came down in that time. Building a fire in the cookstove now and will bake dinner. Still snowing heavily now (4:20)
Marrowstone Island
- February 23, 2011 at 4:20 PM
- dabobman said...
Poulsbo 4:15 pm beginning to snow 1/2 inch size fluffy snow.
Baro 29.73,
wind 8mphNW starting to get gusty.
altitude 270Ft.
- February 23, 2011 at 4:23 PM
- stevemcn said...
One inch on the ground at my house in SE Renton. Streets are clean, partly sunny, threatening clouds to the W. But still can see sun on the far west horizon.
- February 23, 2011 at 4:27 PM
- SkunkBayWeather said...
It started snowing here about an hour ago. The north wind just started and we are on the south edge of what looks like a signicant convergence zone that is forming. It is still fairly warm at 34-35, but it was 41 about an hour ago. If that weather moves south.... we could get a pile of the white stuff.
- February 23, 2011 at 4:32 PM
- Heathcare for Peace said...
Just measured outside Port Townsend, 300 ft elevation and we have 5 inches.
- February 23, 2011 at 4:37 PM
- JVP said...
Thanks, Cliff! Your blog helped me decide to drive from Port Townsend to Seattle and back last night, instead of staying over in the city. I hit a bit of black ice late at night on the way home, but good thing I came home--the Strait has been a complete whiteout since around 3pm.
- February 23, 2011 at 4:49 PM
- athos said...
I'm laughing about how stupid it is that LWSD closed school today -- it's 38 degrees outside and not a flake all day. Classic. There is a day of summer gone.
This has been the pattern for almost every snow event this year -- it threatens, the forecast is set and then some wind or some oddity prevents snow hitting the area. Obviously, forecasters were certain snow was going to hit our area today between 10-2, then it moved to 2-3, and now who knows if/when it's going to hit. What I do know is that the kids were home all day and there was no reason for it.
- February 23, 2011 at 4:53 PM
- scott said...
snowing hard at lake goodwin(stanwood area) for the last hour or so. 3 inches on the deck. 32 deg. 5:00pm
- February 23, 2011 at 5:01 PM
- Charles said...
Seriously coming down in North Lynnwood/Serene Lake since 4:30, now 33 degrees and all sticking, although only about half an inch on the ground so far.
- February 23, 2011 at 5:04 PM
- Aloha said...
Hi Cliff -
Crazy hard rain/snow mix coming down fast and furious but intermittently in lower QA - will be insteresting to see how it develops through out the evening.
But within 15 minutes the building across the street has snow on the roof - no accumalation on the street or cars - yet.
- February 23, 2011 at 5:32 PM
- Mike said...
I have to say I feel that the NWS missed it big in B'ham. I cancelled a meeting for tonight after watching the winter storm warning and forecast Tuesday night for today. The winds arrived late and less intense, the snow non-existent...We have one inch from the last 2.5 hours. This is the second straight snow prediction that didn't unfold correctly up here.
- February 23, 2011 at 8:09 PM
- Nadine said...
Ok for now, but what are the longer trends? Is the winter over, ir do we hold off on overseeding the pasture?
ps. You haveone of the more readable "word verification" algorithms out there.
- February 25, 2011 at 2:47 PM


text:
Management and Technical Consulting: The LS faculty is ready and able to provide individualized consulting services to Air Force and DoD customers. This includes consultations in areas of management and technical expertise, as well as small group and team facilitation. We have a long and proven history of providing premier consulting services to acquisition and sustainment program offices, depot maintenance organizations, other DoD and federal agencies, and to allied nations.
For faculty subject matter consultations, workshops, or other special requirements, contact our faculty by calling DSN 785-7777 ext. 3105.


text:
Empty basketMy Account
How can we help? t: +44 (0)1332 865554 email: email@example.com
Ref: 050-0413-FL
was £31.00
Ref: 010-0418
Size: A-F
Preformed Plunge Bra (Heart shape)
Ref: 010-0416
Size: A-E
Ref: 010-0419
Size: A-F
Ref: 010-0417
Size: A-C
Ref: 010-0413
Sizes: A-E
Our office hours are
Monday - Friday 9.30am - 5.30pm
Saturday 9.30am - 5.00pm
Shop visits are by appointment only.
t: +44 (0)1332 865554 e: email@example.com
© 2019 Copyright Bare Necessities.
The Courtyard, Sapperton Manor,
Sapperton Lane, Church Broughton,
Derbyshire DE65 5AU
Get Directions
Receive all the latest offers first
site by alt


text:
Friday, July 6, 2018
Oliver Philipp , who studied European and political science in Mainz, Dijon and Oppeln / Poland, has been working for the Department of International Policy Analysis of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).Oliver Philipp
A young Russian soccer fan shows his skills outside the Cathedral of St. Theodore Ushakov near the FIFA Fan Fest in Saransk, Russia
BERLIN, Jul 6 2018 (IPS) - Was your childhood room not adorned with posters of Gerd Müller or Zinedine Zidane? Were Willy Brandt or Mikhail Gorbachev the idols you looked up to in your youth?
And is the World Cup the worst time of the year for you, and are you already thinking about what remote place to flee to for four weeks to get away from the football frenzy? There's no need to. We are about to tell you why the World Cup, now in its final stages, could be interesting to you, too.
Football is football and politics is politics. This statement does not always hold true, as demonstrated recently by the debate about the photograph of German national team members Ilkay Gündogan and Mesut Özil posing with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Football just can't get away from politics. 60 members of the EU Parliament demanded a boycott of the World Cup in Russia in an open letter, and the debate about Putin's politics will be a constant fixture over the next four weeks. The statements from the German national team were rather predictable. Coach Joachim Löw said that taking part in a World Cup does not equate to 'associating with a system, regime or ruler', and no matter where the German national football team plays, it always advocates its values of 'diversity, openness and tolerance'.
Oliver Philipp
In Germany, you always had to decide at an early age whether you wanted to be famous, enjoy social recognition, have millions in the bank and keep in shape – or go into politics. The examples of Rhenania Würselen 09 defender and former German Chancellor candidate Martin Schulz and striker Gerhard Schröder, former German chancellor, show that football missed out on promising talents because they chose to go into politics.
It looks like it might be a while before the next German top politician with international football experience emerges. Other countries have made some more progress in this regard.
A former World Player of the Year is now head of state in Africa, and in Brazil, the idol of an entire generation has traded in his position on the right wing of the football field for the same position in the political arena. We would like to present four footballers who tried their hand at politics after their active career in football.
Over 30 years, no theorist of the digital age has better explained the next big thing than Don Tapscott. For example, in Tapscott was the first to show how the Internet provides the first global platform for mass collaboration. Now, he writes about a profound technological shift that will change how the world does business—and everything else—using blockchain technology, which powers the digital currency Bitcoin.
The Internet as we know it is great for collaboration and communication, but is deeply flawed when it comes to commerce and privacy. The new blockchain technology facilitates peer-to-peer transactions without any intermediary such as a bank or governing body. Keeping the user's information anonymous, the blockchain validates and keeps a permanent public record of all transactions.
That means that your personal information is private and secure, while all activity is transparent and incorruptible—reconciled by mass collaboration and stored in code on a digital ledger. With its advent, we will not need to trust each other in the traditional sense, because trust is built into the system itself.
Although many opportunities for the blockchain require a digital currency, Bitcoin is only one application of this great innovation in computer science. The blockchain can hold any legal document, from deeds and marriage licenses to educational degrees and birth certificates. Call it the World Wide Ledger. It enables smart contracts, decentralized autonomous organizations, decentralized government services, and transactions among things. The Internet of Everything needs a Ledger of Everything: the blockchain is a truly open, distributed, global platform that fundamentally changes what we can do online, how we do it, and who can participate.
Tapscott, writing with his son Alex, a financial analyst and technologist, argues that the blockchain will shape the next era of prosperity—in finance, business, healthcare, education, governance, and beyond.
In an article special to the Globe and Mail, Alex Tapscott writes Bitcoin is the mother of all cryptocurrencies, and the most famous of them. Created by a person or people using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, it defined the algorithms that enable the transfer of...
One of the great mysteries of modern life is the time it still takes for a check to clear. Every other financial transaction is being reduced to the tap of a phone or the press of a key. But checks take days to rumble their way from payee to the originating bank, days...
Father and son duo Don and Alex Tapscott have impeccable timing. Just as their new book, "Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, And The World," came out, ventures centered on blockchain, the technology behind Bitcoin,...
Blockchain today might be like the internet in 1993: a decade from now, you'll wonder how society ever functioned without it, even though most of us barely know what it is today. Some fascinating blockchain sprouts are poking through these days, such as one company...
The Financial Times' John Gapper has reviewed Blockchain Revolution in the May 18th edition. The review examines the Tapscotts' predictions for future areas of...
Don and Alex Tapscott have published an article on Harvard Business Review about how the impact of the blockchain will not be limited to just banking, value transfer, and other financial services. They write: Much of the hype around blockchains has focused on their...
0 Comments
Giuseppe Zanotti x Vionnet Leather Cutout Pumps Outlet Collections Order Cheap Online Footlocker Finishline Cheap Price Best Seller Sr5Cp43IU
Ezquer, Fernando; Bahamonde, Javiera; Huang, Ya-Lin; Ezquer, Marcelo
The liver has the remarkable capacity to regenerate in order to compensate for lost or damaged hepatic tissue. However, pre-existing pathological abnormalities, such as hepatic steatosis (HS), inhibits the endogenous regenerative process, becoming an obstacle for liver surgery and living donor transplantation. Recent evidence indicates that multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) administration can improve hepatic function and increase the potential for liver regeneration in patients with liver damage. Since HS is the most common form of chronic hepatic illness, in this study we evaluated the role of MSCs in liver regeneration in an animal model of severe HS with impaired liver regeneration . C57BL/6 mice were fed with a regular diet (normal mice) or with a high-fat diet (obese mice) to induce HS. After 30Âweeks of diet exposure, 70% hepatectomy (Hpx) was performed and normal and obese mice were divided into two groups that received 5 × 10 5 MSCs or vehicle via the tail vein immediately after Hpx. We confirmed a significant inhibition of hepatic regeneration when liver steatosis was present, while the hepatic regenerative response was promoted by infusion of MSCs. Specifically, MSC administration improved the hepatocyte proliferative response, PCNA-labeling index, DNA synthesis, liver function, and also reduced the number of apoptotic hepatocytes. These effects may be associated to the paracrine secretion of trophic factors by MSCs and the hepatic upregulation of key cytokines and growth factors relevant for cell proliferation, which ultimately improves the survival rate of the mice. MSCs represent a promising therapeutic strategy to improve liver regeneration in patients with HS as well as for increasing the number of donor organs available for transplantation.
Contribution of Toll-like receptor/myeloid differentiation factor 88 signaling to murine liver regeneration .
Seki, Ekihiro; Tsutsui, Hiroko; Iimuro, Yuji; Naka, Tetsuji; Son, Gakuhei; Akira, Shizuo; Kishimoto, Tadamitsu; Nakanishi, Kenji; Fujimoto, Jiro
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) act as innate immune signal sensors and play central roles in host defense. Myeloid differentiation factor (MyD) 88 is a common adaptor molecule required for signaling mediated by TLRs. When the receptors are activated, cells bearing TLRs produce various proinflammatory cytokines in a MyD88-dependent manner. Liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy (PH) requires innate immune responses, particularly interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) production by Kupffer cells, although the recognition and activation processes are still unknown. We investigated whether TLR/MyD88 signaling is critical for induction of innate immune responses after PH. In Myd88(-/-) mice after PH, induction of expression of immediate early genes involved in hepatocyte replication and phosphorylation of STAT3 in the liver , and production of TNF-alpha/IL-6 by and activation of NF-kappaB in the Kupffer cells were grossly subnormal and were associated with impaired liver regeneration . However, TLR2, 4 and 9, which recognize gram-negative and -positive bacterial products, are not essential for NF-kappaB activation and IL-6 production after PH, which excludes a possible contribution of TLR2/TLR4 or TLR9 to MyD88-mediated pathways. In conclusion, the TLR/MyD88 pathway is essential for incidental liver restoration, particularly its early phase.
Accelerating the pace of engineering and science
MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists.
© 1994-2018 The MathWorks, Inc.
Join the conversation


text:
PAVO - Evelyn Myrtice Booth Vonier, 81, died.
Born on July 8, 1930, in Oglethorpe County, she was the daughter of the late Mack and Pearl Graham Booth. She taught school at Pavo School and Central High School. She was a homemaker, Sunday School teacher and enjoyed genealogy. Mrs. Vonier was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Lauren Herndon; and brother, William (Bill) Booth.
Survivors include her husband whom she married June 10, 1951, Ronald B. Vonier; children, Kim Ingle and husband Bob of Arlington, Texas, Kathy Horton and husband Jeffrey, Montgomery, Ala., Jill Herndon and husband Mark, Pavo, and Nathan Vonier and wife Connie, Valdosta; grandchildren, Joshua Ingle, Burt Horton, Jane Horton, Ashlee Horton, Bart and wife Jade Herndon, Erin Hall, Kelsey Hall, Sadee Scarborough, Russ Vonier; great-grandchildren, Neya Herndon, Kinley Herndon and Bohen Herndon.
Funeral services will be held 3 p.m., Wednesday, January 11, at Salem Baptist Church, where she was a member, with the Revs. Milton Gardner and Thilmon Vonier officiating. Burial will be in the Salem Cemetery. The family will receive friends 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, January 10, at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Southwest Georgia, 114 A Mimosa Dr., Thomasville, GA 31792.
Allen & Allen Funeral Home, Thomasville, is in charge of arrangements.
Evelyn Vonier
No Trackbacks
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)


text:
Adapted from a recent online discussion.
Question: I usually hold my tongue when it comes to dishing out unsolicited advice, but I'm curious whether that policy holds with someone I love.
My sister is a wonderful in many ways, but has trouble dating men for longer than a few weeks. I have a few theories: She thinks she comes off as loose and carefree, when actually she exudes how high-strung and sensitive she really is; and her default conversational topic is complaining about other people.
Would a caring sister say, "I know you haven't asked my opinion, but maybe if you tried to find other topics" or "If you let the little things the guy said or did wrong go, you'd find more of what you're looking for"? Or do I just say nothing, remain supportive, and offer my opinion if she does ask?
Answer: The hold-your-tongue policy holds double for people you love, since they're presumably the ones you'll most regret alienating.
I'm also not sure what you'd accomplish with your theories except to put your sister on the defensive. Silence isn't the only alternative, but what you propose is close to suggesting she change her temperament and personality, when what you want is to actually help her, i.e., minimize pain and maximize pragmatism.
One way to avoid the unsolicited trap and remain realistic is to wait till she complains, then ask her what she thinks went wrong. Ask what she plans to do, how she thinks her actions will be received, etc.
Maybe her lens is too warped for this to yield good suggestions, but, if nothing else, that would tell you her lens is also too warped for your theories to have your intended effect.
Ideally, some prompts will get her thinking, plus the ideas will be hers, so automatically less painful. Best of all, you can wade in gently with questions, and back away if it doesn't work. With blurting out an opinion, there's no taking it back.
Last thing. While it can be useful to hear about aspects of ourselves that we can stand to improve, I think it's even more useful (and far better for one's confidence) to hear about the good stuff we'd do well to focus on and highlight around others. Right now, it sounds as if you can't see why a guy would want to date your sister, when it might help her most if you could help her see, and cultivate, why one would.
Comment: My sister always gives me some. Infuriating. Many years ago, before marriage, kids, etc., she said to me: I think you should date more. My answer was: Oh, yes, I do too.
And she was speechless. (If you knew her, you'd know how impossible that is.)
She thought I would argue with her, when by then I was so tired of that. Yes, she thinks we are oh-so-close. You probably think you and your sister are - when, with questions like that, you probably are not. Just some unsolicited advice.
Answer: Yep, that's the alienation I'm talking about. And if I'm ever in a slapfight, you're on my team.
Chat with Carolyn Hax online at noon Fridays at www.washingtonpost.com.


text:
From: NY, United States
Genre: Jazz, Fusion, Progressive
Yutaka Uchida:
Born in Tokyo, 1973.
Started playing drums at 16 years of age.
Majored Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music.
Has been a New York City resident since 1999.
A highly acclaimed composer, Yutaka Uchida has been awarded COAHSI Performing Arts Award, Premier Grant Award, etc. All About Jazz gave his first CD "Living Together" a rave review and called it "easily one of the top outings of the year [2007]."
Yutaka has also been contributing to the cutting edge NY music scene as a…


text:
TL;DR, being silly and slapstick is OK. Being a jerk is not OK. Being a jerk about being silly and slapstick is also not OK. Just have fun and be polite and you won't have to worry about getting banned.
Also, be careful about triggers. Most people with violence triggers won't be browsing a website like Onrpg dedicated to largely violent games. However, things that could be rape triggers, hate crime triggers, etc, are not allowed, ever. So don't use offensive language like the N-word, or the F-word (no, not the word that starts with F and ends with UCK, but the one that means bundle of sticks) ever.
Here's why:
The spam rule only sort of applies in General now.
Spamming, as defined as posting innocuous, non-sensical posts (like discussing how wombats are the best cheesemakers in a thread about cheese) is OK. Spamming wherein a bunch of bots are spamming links to get a free iPad (the only free thing you get is a VIRUS!) is still not considered OK, so please continue to report report that.
HOWEVER when people are trying to have a SERIOUS discussion, like about racist culture, the decaying moral influence that religion has upon the military-industrial complex, or why the PS3 has no games, you CAN and WILL get warned/infracted for disrupting that conversation, whether it's through SPAMMING or flaming.
How can you tell when people are having a serious discussion? Because you should be a mature person capable of making that distinction without me telling you. If you're unsure, then just don't post, or make a new thread dedicated to your wombat misadventures.
And yes! The flaming rule still applies!
Telling people to "**** off," "you're an idiot for thinking this," using racial slurs, making sexist remarks, etc, etc, constitute flaming. "It was just a joke," does not constitute a valid defense. No one cares if you were just joking when you're pissing other people off and disrupting conversations.
Flamebaiting, as in posting little snidy/snarky remarks for the purpose of inciting an angry response from someone, is still not allowed. And this is still not allowed if it's in the form of annoying little "spam" comments meant to get under a user's skin. If we suspect you're just trying to upset someone, we can and will warn or infract you.
The Mod team has noted that 90% of the time we warn/infract someone for making a flamebaiting comment they go, "Well why didn't you warn the other person?" or "I didn't know s/he would react like that!" Those are not valid excuses. 1. you can't see other warnings/infractions people have received, and 2. ignorance is not an excuse.
Q. So I can post whatever I want in General now?
Q. Hey, I got an infraction or warning for just making a joke! What gives?
A. "It's just a joke" is NEVER a valid excuse for breaking the rules. Usage of racial slurs, even if it's "just a joke" and/or are a member of the race that the slur would normally be derogatory toward, is still not allowed. This extends to all things that could be triggering. E.g. rape jokes, pedo jokes, abuse jokes, and so forth.
Q. But why isn't it a valid excuse?
A. Because of science.
Q. But don't I have free speech?
Q. Are wombats cute?
A. Yes!
Q. If I get banned, what's to prevent me from just changing my IP and making a new account and no one will know the difference?
A. Because we will hunt you down and throw sand into your face.
Q. What happens to those spam posts that I see for a few seconds and then disappear?
A. We assassinate them.
Q. Waaah I got an infraction!
A. If you think it was unjust or a mistake, please contact one of our site's admins. Infractions have been revoked in the past when we found out it was a mistake or a Moderator abusing their power. If it turns out it's not the case, then:
Deal with it
Furthermore, Onrpg makes its money from advertising. Sexist joking alienates a large potential userbase. So don't do it.
I really don't care if you think a sexist joke is just a joke or that I should lighten up. We lose money because you think you have freedom of speech on the site we run. We lose money because you feel entitled to post whatever joke you want. Not to mention, sexist jokes are actually sexist. (The "sexist" part gives it away.)
Therefore, we can and will ban you for posting sexist jokes. It is clearly against the rules. Did I mentioned we lose $$$ because of it? I will infract you every time, all the time for it (after your first warning, of course); other mods may be more lenient.
Let me answer your questions:
No, you do not have freedom of speech on Onrpg.
No, you aren't entitled to your opinion.
No, a sense of humor is not sacred.
No, I and others don't need to lighten up; but you probably shouldn't feel entitled to post offensive jokes because it might get you banned.
Keeping an offensive joke to yourself is actually not that hard nor a big deal.
I am perfectly fine and unperturbed with being called a white knight. :3
I am perfectly fine and unperturbed with you leaving the site in a huff of indignity over this. You really don't have to announce your departure; I'll just delete the thread. I say this because, if you leave over a rule like this, nothing of value was lost.
Yes, the same rule clarification extends to racist jokes and jokes made at the expense of GSM people.
P.S. if this post makes you feel uncomfortable or challenged, it might be a good idea to examine why a website taking a tough stance on attitudes and material that alienate a significant portion of its userbase would make you feel that way. Try thinking of it this way: in order for our site to be a safe place for a diverse group of people, it means boundaries must be respected and not all groups can do whatever they want. My strong recommendation is to deal with it, because it's not that hard, and we're not giving you a choice, anyway.


text:
We're proud to present the completely safe for work trailer for The Justice League XXX Meet the evil villains the JLA will have to fend off, most likely using their sex parts. And yes, Ron Jeremy is the Penguin.
Here's the blurb:
When a great evil threatens porn's very existence, The Justice League of Porn Stars Heroes comes together to battle The Legion of Poon. Can Batman and Robin tag-team Catwoman into submission? Are Wonder Woman's truth juices enough to get the General talking? Will the sexy Mob Boss stop the Flash in his tracks? Can Superman get Zatanna to turn a trick? Will the Green Lantern let Harley Quinn strip him of his clothes and his ring? What are Lex Luthor and Poison Ivy scheming, and will the blow bang of Wonder Woman help the heroes focus on the mission ahead? Only watching "The Justice League XXX" will reveal the answers, as the porn star heroes try to save the world, one orgy at a time.
Other comic book cast members not shown include Catwoman, Lex Luthor Lois Lane and Zatanna. Yay, Catwoman sex!
The Justice League XXX: An Extreme Comixxx Parody is brought to you by Extreme Comixxx and will be released on DVD March 1st.


text:
20707-2743 Zip Code
20707-2743 Zip Code is a 'Zip Code 5 Plus 4' zip code type in the state of Maryland, Laurel City. This Zip Code is assigned to a street address number or a street address range in Laurel, MD - US.
20707-2743 Area Code is 301/240/410/443 and Time Zone is Eastern (GMT -05:00).
Remember you have 2 kinds of blocks: even or odd. In this case, this Zip Code is assigned to Even and Odd numbers in the corresponding block(s)
20707-2743 ZIP Code 5 Plus 4
The U.S. Postal Service introduced an expanded ZIP code system in Laurel named ZIP Code 5 Plus 4, often called "add-on codes" or "add ons" zip code. A ZIP Plus Four Code (ZIP+4) uses the basic Laurel Zip code (20707) plus four additional digits (2743) to identify a geographic segment within the five-digit delivery area, such as a the Melbourne DR street block, a group of apartments, an individual high-volume receiver of mail or any other unit that could use an extra identifier to aid in efficient mail sorting and delivery in Maryland.
The zip code 20707-2743, applies to residential houses, business, buildings, and every Laurel City properties with Even and Odd numeration buildings in this range:
17200 - 17298 Melbourne DR, Laurel, Maryland - US
Street View 20707-2743 in MD
20707-2743 Zip Code 5 Plus 4 Street View
Next one, is the 20707-2743 Zip Code 5 Plus 4 Street View by Google


text:
|"Are you a wizard or not?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.
The McGregors owned a farm on the outskirts of Caithness, in Scotland in the early twentieth century.[1]
In the summer of 1954, Dougal McGregor proposed to Minerva McGonagall on a ploughed field in this farm. Minerva refused, as marrying a Muggle would be the end of her ambitions, and departed for London to work for the Ministry of Magic soon after. Dougal was looking forward to inherit this farm from his father and stayed in Caithness, where he later married the daughter of another local farmer.[1]
- Pottermore (Mentioned only)


text:
Catch-up Women's History Month Blog PostsMarch 3, 2011 at 03:25 | Posted in Bits and Pieces, Carnival of Genealogy, family history, family research, memories, Women's History Month | Leave a comment
Tags: ancestors, Carnival of Genealogy, famiglia, family, family history, genealogy, love of family, memories
Thanks to Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist I am going to submit a few posts this month in Honor of Women's History Month. This post will be a catch-up because I am a few days behind the start though. I was named for my grandmother Jane Brown Hyndman. She was also called Jean. Born and married in Scotland, she came through Ellis Island and brought her children with her to join with her husband James. No easy task for any woman, it was more difficult for her because she was lame from a childhood illness leaving her with one leg shorter than the other. Her son-in-law (my dad) chose my name for his mother-in-law – what a wonderful complement! So I was named Bonnie Jean to honor her and her Scottish roots!
I have often written about my husband's family and often about my parents but haven't really written about my maternal grandmother. She passed away when I was about 9 months old so I was not fortunate enough to have known her personally. Most of what I know has come through stories told by my own mother and my aunts. They all agreed there probably was never a sweeter woman than she born. She loved the Lord dearly and she encouraged all of her children to know Him in a real and personal way. Although lame she was mother to 10 children who lived. Half were born in Scotland and half here stateside. Even still her children always felt compelled to take care of her and protect her. They thought they had hidden the whereabouts of one son serving overseas in WWII only to learn later that she was well aware of his whereabouts!
Blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.


text:
About Domaine Meo-Camuzet/Meo-Camuzet Frere & Soeurs
Currently, Jean-Nicholas Meo runs the show here, producing flamboyantly aromatic Burgundies that offer sweet fruit and abundant oak spice character along with deep, velvety texture. This domaine got its start when parliamentarian Etienne Camuzet began purchasing blocks of land in the top Cote d'Or vineyards in the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, Meo-Camuzet offers seven Grand Crus including Clos de Vougeot, Richebourg, and Echezeaux as well as a slew of Premier Crus. The domain's very scarce Vosne-Romanee Cros Parantoux bottling is from a vineyard made famous by the most esteemed Burgundy winemaker of the last half-century, Henri Jayer.


text:
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Yankees had scouts watching Wandy
If you click the link, you'll find the story is mainly about the Yankees' interest in Ubaldo Jimenez. But if the Rockies screw up the process, the Yankees may turn to Wandy.
They like top Yankees catching prospect Jesus Montero, but also want young pitchers Manuel Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Ivan Nova in the package. Heyman said New York is willing to ship pitching prospects — but not any of those three.
Of course the Astros wouldn't be interested in Montero, with Jason Castro coming back in 2012, but I would imagine the Astros would ask for one or two of Banuelos, Betances, and/or Nova.
UPDATE: Treating Montero as a catcher - as you'll note in the comments - is not necessarily a given, and he could be shifted to 1B. Depending on how the Astros feel about Brett Wallace, this could complicate things.
4 comments:
- OremLK said...
Montero is likely a first baseman in the future, not a catcher, so he wouldn't be blocked by Jason Castro. He would, on the other hand, be blocked by Brett Wallace (or vice-versa). Montero has a higher ceiling than Brett Wallace, but has struggled this year at AAA.
- July 19, 2011 at 10:26 AM
- tpack said...
True, but have heard the guys at BP say that Montero just looks bored, needs to be in majors. I wonder how wedded to Brett Wallace the Astros really are, given that they don't play him against lefties.
- July 19, 2011 at 10:28 AM
I have also heard that Montero is playing Left Field which I could see if we could just cut Lee loose, while using Montero as part C part LF. Mostly catcher this year while Castro is out.
- July 19, 2011 at 10:50 AM
- Hal said...
I would consider Wandy & Carlos Lee + 90% of Lee's remaining salary if it would convince the Yankees to give us Montero(and maybe a pitching prospect they're down on like Brackman). The Astros would get Montero and save about $1 million.
By my estimate 90% of Lee's remaining salary + Montero's 2011-2012 salary is more than a million less than 100% of Lee's remaining salary would be.
- July 19, 2011 at 5:47 PM


text:
Just as the memory of "Meatball," Glendale's favorite bear, may be fading, it appears a new bruin has taken to the city.
And this black bear — described as 3 to 4 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds — has a fondness for hummingbird sugar water and a taste for honey. This dietary insight is based on its snacking habits during multiple visits over the course of at least six months to the Chevy Chase Canyon neighborhood.
In some cases, the bear has knocked down hummingbird feeders hanging up to 8 feet off the ground.
"I was kind of surprised another bear is back," said resident Suzanne Whitman, whose bird feeder was knocked down at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday at her home on Chevy Chase Drive. The bear, she said, visited her home twice last year.
The bear may also be responsible for destroying Herbert Harder's small apiary, which contained seven beehives that he had maintained for 30 years in his backyard. Harder hasn't replaced the hives and isn't entirely sure he wants to take the risk.
It only took three visits for the bear to completely decimate Harder's honey crop and population of bees, he said. But the bear's fourth visit was the most devastating, since it tore apart several hives and sent others rolling down a steep hillside.
Harder's hummingbird feeders also found themselves on the bear's menu.
According to residents, the bear visited the Chevy Chase Canyon neighborhood at least seven times last year, including a foray into a trash bin for chicken, rice and baklava.
Other trash runs, door-pawing and sunbathing sightings have prompted varied police responses, including a helicopter search and the use of air horns and flood lights.
After spending winter in their dens, bears typically leave their hide-outs around spring and begin foraging for food, said wildlife biologist Kevin Brennan of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A bear usually starts feeding on grass, but an urban bear may yearn for something a little tastier — and fattier.
Human garbage, Brennan said, is higher in protein fat than a bear's natural diet, making the human food irresistible.
"Bears are smart animals and they go back to those sources," Brennan added.
With a very acute sense of smell, bears will go virtually anywhere and put up with almost anything to reach a source of tasty food, he added.
While state wildlife officials were aware of a bear's past visits to the Chevy Chase Canyon area, they had not received any recent reports, Brennan said. Still, he added, "They are creatures of habit."
Harder said he wants the bear to be trapped and relocated just like Meatball, who was moved to an animal sanctuary in San Diego County after twice being relocated deep within Angeles National Forest.
"He is going to stay here until he destroys everything or hurts someone," Harder said.
The gender of the bear has yet to be verified.
But trapping and relocating doesn't work, Brennan said, noting the persistence of Meatball.
"The issue is not the bears. The issue is improper storage of garbage," he said.
Whitman, a neighborhood watch block captain, has urged neighbors to keep their trash bins covered and small children and animals inside at night.
In her 25 years of living in the canyon, she said she has never before had visits from a bear.
"It's a little too much nature," Whitman said.
Follow Veronica Rocha on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA.


text:
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
SAP's Mobility Strategy: One Million Developers Blooming
SAP in its press conference last week provided a major update on its database and mobility strategy. In my first post, I outlined my view of SAP's database strategy. Now, in this second post, I provide my perspective on SAP's mobility strategy.
SAP recognizes mobility as a critical element of its product strategy going forward, along with social business, cloud, and in-memory computing. But as some of my associates been hammering over the past two years, success in mobility requires SAP to enable thousands of small development firms and individual developers to build applications for SAP. Not just a few large system integrators or ISVs: SAP needs the enterprise equivalent of Apple's App Store ecosystem.
SAP's thinking on this front has been evolving. After its Sybase acquisition, it put the "Sybase Unwired Platform" (or SUP, but now renamed, the SAP Mobility Platform) at the center of its mobility strategy. You want to build mobile apps for SAP? Wonderful—buy, borrow, or otherwise get access to the SAP products you want to integrate with, plus an instance of SUP, and have at it. The problem was, however, that this approach limits the number of developers to the following categories:
For some reason, Oracle, Microsoft, and IBM are able to make life easier for small developers. But for a hint of what it's like for a small developer to work with SAP, take a look at this blog post (on SAP's own SCN community site!): Why Does SAP Make This So Complicated?
- Large or midsize ISV-partners of SAP, who were willing to make the investment in an SAP development environment, to develop mobility apps for sale to current and future SAP customers. This would be a small number.
- System integration partners of SAP, who had live project opportunities that included mobility apps as deliverables. The SI could use the client's SAP development environment. These resulting apps would be to meet the needs of a specific client, although the SI might reuse the code in future projects. But this approach would produce few apps for a wider audience.
- Individual developers or small SAP partners who understand SAP's middleware and development architecture well enough to forgo use of SAP's platform and can write mobility apps directly against SAP's back-end databases. This is where many "app store" type apps could be produced. But here is where small developers come up against a brick wall: SAP does not make it easy to gain access to trial or development versions of many of the SAP products that a mobility programmer would need.
Two Good Announcements, But More Work NeededSAP, to its credit, appears to understand the problem. In its announcements, two were especially noteworthy in terms of addressing the needs of the developer masses and in terms of filling out SAP's own mobile apps portfolio.
These are welcome announcements, but will they be enough? I don't think so. These announcements give the developers new tools, but they don't address the problem of getting access to an SAP development system for testing. Some of my associates, such as Vijay Vijayasankar and Dennis Howlett, echo this concern:
- First, to enable those thousands of developers, SAP announced partnerships with three leading mobility development tools providers: PhoneGap (recently acquired by Adobe), Appcelerator, and Sencha. These will allow developers, working with tools they are already familiar with, to build apps using a new OData connector to integrate with SAP's back-end systems. In addition, these tools will allow many simple apps to be built without having to rely upon SAP's Mobility Platform.
- The second big announcement was that SAP is acquiring Syclo, which has its own mobility platform as well as a suite of well-regarded field service and asset management applications. SAP said that what it is really after here is not the platform (which overlaps functionality of SAP's Mobility Platform) but the field service apps. This is another step in SAP building out its portfolio of its own out-of-the box mobile apps. Based on my own work with clients, I know that field service and asset management, in fact, are top use cases for mobility in enterprise systems. If SAP can continue to buy or build collections of key mobility apps like Syclo's, it will begin to fill out the major white spaces in its mobility portfolio, while still leaving much room for third-party developers to fill in the rest.
Dennis writes,
Needless to say there is a major hitch: developers who want to build apps with SAP data need access to a NetWeaver instance to test and model. Customers would have that, but small developer shops without an SAP license would not have that access without pricey, hair-pulling hurdles, which Sikka acknowledged during the press conference was a "19th century" approach. When pressed on this issue, SAP's Fawad Zakariya, VP of Mobility and a key player in mobility ecosystem development reporting directly to Poonen, asserted that good news on this front was coming.In a similar vein, Vijay writes,
I cannot stress enough on the licensing and monetization model to be figured out upfront – without that, access to software is practically meaningless. Developers have a lot of choice today, including many OSS choices. SAP needs a compelling story for them to use SAP technology….So here we have it. SAP is making significant progress to curry favor with small developers, but it still doesn't have a total solution to enable them with access to test versions or sandbox instances of SAP back-end systems.
… we are not sure how SAP handles the licensing/pricing in this scenario . And without that clarity coming real quick – I doubt if scores of developers will jump in and start developing cool apps. Sanjay Poonen responded on twitter few days ago than SAP will get it right quickly, and I totally trust him to do so – hopefully by SAPPHIRE in Orlando.
Listen to the DevelopersSome of my associates are still concerned that SAP has not found the right "pricing model" for mobility apps, but I think that is last year's debate. Although not part of the formal announcements last week, it appears SAP is working on a pricing scheme that differentiates between major functional mobility apps, casual apps, and even "free" apps. Add in occasional one-off "enterprise pricing" for very large corporate deals, and I don't think pricing needs to be an obstacle. Everyone can make money and customers can pay appropriately.
But the licensing problems are more systemic within SAP and most likely face legal or organizational resistance based on "how we've always done business."
I am not a mobile apps developer. Therefore, I have no experience on which to judge when SAP will have all the pieces in place to encourage, in the words of SAP, one million developers to bloom. I can only look to those small developers already within SAP's ecosystem for their reaction—when they are happy, then I'll know SAP is on the right path. And what I'm hearing from them so far is that they're still concerned about the licensing issues.
With SAP as the largest enterprise application company in the world, the mobility announcements are welcome news, but we still don't have a total solution to enable thousands, let alone, millions of developers. I look forward to hearing about progress reported out of the SAPPHIRE conference in a few weeks.
You can watch a video of the entire press conference.
Photo credit: Flickr/docentjoyce
Related PostsSAP's Database Strategy Faces an Uphill Battle
SAP in Transition on Mobile, Cloud, and In-memory Computing
SAP Innovating with Cloud, Mobile and In-memory Computingby Frank Scavo, 4/17/2012 06:02:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (1)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
SAP's Database Strategy Faces an Uphill Battle
Last week I attended a half day SAP press conference in San Francisco, on the subject of SAP's strategy for database technology and mobility. Both are hot topics in enterprise software, and there were plenty of announcements. In fact, it's quite easy to get lost in the weeds. So, in this first of two posts, I'll try to summarize what I see as the big picture for SAP's database strategy.
SAP Positioning Itself as a Database CompanyWhen SAP acquired Sybase in 2010, it said it was doing the deal primarily Sybases's mobility platform. But Sybase also has its traditional relational database products, leading with its Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) database. At the same time, SAP itself has been rolling out its HANA in-memory database (IMDB) technology. Until now, these two database products were managed separated, but no longer. SAP is consolidating all its database offerings—HANA and Sybase's—along with middleware and tools, under one management unit.
There were many tactical announcements. SAP announced general availability of its BW business intelligence product on HANA, and its plan to make HANA available later this year as the database of choice for its small business customers of its Business One ERP product. In addition, customers later this month will have the flagship Sybase ASE database available as a deployment option for SAP's Business Suite and All-in-One products.
SAP rolled out all of these announcements under the banner of its plan to become known as a database company.
Database Migrations Difficult to JustifyAfter the press conference, one SAP executive sensed my ambivalence about this plan. With Oracle taking an ever-increasing adversarial position toward SAP, I can understand SAP's discomfort with having a large percentage of its best customers running on Oracle's database. At the same time, the other two major providers of relational databases (IBM and Microsoft) are SAP-friendly. IBM is SAP's largest system integration partner, while SAP and Microsoft often find their technology interests aligned. So, how do you threaten Oracle while not also threatening IBM and Microsoft?
Furthermore, does SAP honestly believe that existing SAP customers are going to migrate in droves from Oracle, IBM's DB2, or Microsoft SQL Server to HANA or ASE? In the case of business analytics, there may be some movement toward HANA, yes, as the value of in-memory performance for analytic applications is somewhat easy to envision. But what about SAP's business applications, such as Business One, All-in-One, and the Business Suite? With all the challenges and demands placed on CIOs these days, it's difficult to imagine an installed SAP customer undergoing a database migration, simply to eliminate some Oracle, or DB2, or Microsoft SQL Server licenses. SAP insists there is business value for HANA in some transaction processing—and I can see that, say, in supply chain management. But is that enough to justify a database migration? Even less so, why would a customer swap out Oracle, DB2, or Microsoft for ASE, which is essentially a like-for-like product? I just don't see it.
In side-bar discussions, SAP executives basically agree. Alright then, so the target is net-new application customers? But here the challenge is essentially the same. In most cases, business apps prospects already have skills and experience with Oracle, DB2, or MS SQL Server. Are they really going to want to invest in learning Sybase ASE, or HANA? Unless they can completely eliminate those other database platforms from their environments, going with Sybase or HANA is adding to their complexity, not simplifying things.
I think that selling databases is going to be harder row to hoe than SAP is making it out to be.
Subsidizing HANA May Meet ComplicationsPerhaps recognizing the challenge, SAP realizes it is going to have to sweeten the pot, especially for HANA. So, at the press conference, SAP announced that it is putting up some serious money, through two funds:
It's encouraging that SAP is putting its money where its mouth is. For customers, making a database change may not be cost-justified without some help from SAP. Moreover, tech start-ups may need some financial encouragement to build new products on HANA.
- For new and existing customers: a $337 million fund to subsidize services for SAP customers to convert to HANA. I assume the initial target for these funds will be in migrating business analytics customers to HANA.
- For technology start-ups: a $155 million venture capital fund through SAP Ventures for start-ups to build new apps on HANA.
However, I see complications with each of these funding efforts.
Ultimately, very few organizations want to buy databases—or middleware. They want business applications, and those apps require databases and middleware as part of the technology stack. So, when SAP talks about becoming a database company, it's hard for me to become excited.
- With the customer fund, there may be issues with SAP's partners. By funding SAP's own services to assist with HANA, SAP is taking work away from partners, who typically play a key role in SAP implementations and migrations. In response to my question on this, SAP executives said that it will bring partners into this work at some point in the future.
Nevertheless, I have to believe that, at first, partners will view SAP as increasing its share of services at the partners' expense. This is especially true under current economic conditions where customers can only absorb a certain amount of change at once. Moreover, by delivering HANA services directly, SAP delays giving partners the HANA experience they will need for the future. SAP can solve this problem, of course, by ponying up the money but letting customers choose whether to use SAP's professional services group or partners to deliver the services, or by co-delivering services with partners.
- For start-ups, HANA may not be as attractive as SAP thinks. Looking back at SaaS and other tech start-ups over the past decade, most of them chose to build on open-source database technologies, such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. The reason, of course, is that open-source infrastructure minimizes their own costs as they grow. It also leaves more customer budget available to invest in the application, instead of the required infrastructure.
I once asked a start-up executive why his firm was building on MySQL instead of Oracle. He replied, "Oracle scales technically, but it doesn't scale economically." I have to wonder if HANA will face the same resistance, even with funding from SAP Ventures. A quick check with associates indicated that there are already open-source in-memory databases (IMDBs), including CSQL and VoltDB. I have no knowledge of the capabilities of these products or how they compare with HANA. It is likely that HANA is head and shoulders above open source alternatives. But Oracle's flagship database was and still is head and shoulders above open source capabilities, and that didn't stop cloud start-ups from using MySQL and PostgreSQL.
Perhaps SAP already knows that it's going to be difficult. Earlier this year, it began floating the idea of making its goal, "to become the No. 2 database provider by the year 2015." But by the time of the press conference, the goal had been watered down to "becoming the fastest growing database provider."
When you are starting from such a small market share, becoming the "fastest-growing" is not a very high bar.
Update, Apr. 16: Some deeper questions on Oracle's database strategy from Jonathan Wilson. And, a good post from Vitaliy Rudnytskiy, pointing out that HANA is more than an "in-memory database."
Related postsSAP in Transition on Mobile, Cloud, and In-memory Computing
SAP Innovating with Cloud, Mobile and In-memory Computingby Frank Scavo, 4/14/2012 10:00:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
Read/post comments! (10)


text:
Cocktails & Spirits
Category Main Page
Articles & Reviews
Main Nibbles
Main Page
Articles & Reviews Of Foods From A To Z
July 2009
This Fourth of July, celebrate our nation's independence with a summery yet sophisticated twist on classic sangria. Forget the paper flag and metallic tinsel, this patriotic punch is garnished with strawberries and blueberries for a chic red, white and blue effect. For more Fourth of July cocktail fun, try red, white and blue fruit purée cocktails and a red, white and "Sapphire" gin drink. This recipe was created by mixologist Darryl Robinson, of New York City's Hudson Bar, using Combier triple sec. For more Combier recipes, take a look at our colorful Spring cocktail recipes. They may be pastel-colored, but they're delicious all year-round!
Ingredients Per Cocktail
All materials
© Copyright 2005-2019 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. All images are copyrighted to their respective owners.


text:
Henri Bar & Co. Designer Fashion Jewelry Designs
"We offer a wide variety of styles to suit our customers' individual needs,"
- Henri Bar
Styles range from bold, sculptural shapes covered in diamonds, to nature-inspired florals, to ultra-flexible mesh designs. The collection uses mainly traditional luxury materials - gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds - with occasional departures for something less conventional, such as ceramic, to keep things interesting. Whatever the design or materials though, consistently well-made merchandise is the standard for Mr. Bar.
Additional Info
Additional Info
|Henri Bar & Co Jewelry
|Delivery Estimate
|2-3 Weeks
|Vendor Style


text:
Pianist and bandleader, Bennie Moten helped to establish what is called the Kansas City Jazz style. In 1922 he formed the B. B. & D. Trio (Beenie, Bailey and Dude, although they were popularly referred to as Big, Black and Dirty) and made his recording debut in 1923, when his band accompanied Blues singer Ada Brown on the song "Evil Mama Blues". In 1926, Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra began recording for Victor. Moten had several bands touring under his name in the 1920s. Moten started "raiding" another Kansas City band, The Blue Devils for musicians. Count Basie left the Blue Devils in 1929 and was followed by Jimmy Rushing, Hot Lips Page, Eddie Durham and Ben Webster, thus forming the nucleus of the future Count Basie Orchestra. When Moten died in 1935 from a botched tonsillectomy, Basie took over the band. Under his leadership the band emerged as one of the greatest of all Jazz bands.
|Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra
|Goin' To Kansas City, by Nathan W. Pearson, Jr, University of Illinois Press, 1994
|Jazz Style in Kansas City and the Southwest, by Ross Russell, University of California Press, 1971


text:
|Item Price
|your basket is empty
|sub total
Standard Membership
NAFEMS standard membership (previously 'site' membership) provides multiple benefits to your analysis team, including:
Access to the PSE Competency Tracker
NAFEMS members receive full access to the PSE (Professional Simulation Engineer) Competency Tracker - an online competency management system, incorporating 1000s of competency statements for analysis and simulation across 26 technical areas.
Competencies can be tracked and managed using the system, with links to educational resources provided for those wishing to develop their competency.
Find out more about the PSE Competency Tracker.
Copies of all new NAFEMS publications
Members receive copies of each publication NAFEMS produces during their membership period, as they are produced, and before they are generally available to the public
Large discounts on all NAFEMS publications sent to anyone at your registered site
Purchase multiple copies of any NAFEMS publication at a significantly discounted rate.
NAFEMS Joining Pack
The NAFEMS Joining Pack is a complete library of engineering analysis textbooks, reports, how-to guides and benchmarks, ensuring that all new NAFEMS members benefit from over 20 years of NAFEMS experience and knowledge.
Find out more about the Joining Pack.
'BENCHMARK' Magazine Subscription
Not only will you receive your own complimentary copy of benchmark, but you can nominate two colleagues to receive their own copy, free of charge.
Find out more about Benchmark.
Eight seminar credits per year
Each seminar credit is worth one half day at a NAFEMS seminar, or one complete copy of the proceedings of any recently held seminar.
Significant discounts on NAFEMS Training including e-Learning
Aside from your free places at our events, member sites will receive significant discounts on additional places.
Access to the members' area of the NAFEMS website
The opportunity to post your news, events, and experience details on the NAFEMS website - and to access member-only content such as BENCHmark archives, Discussion Forums, Jargon Guides, Software Listings and more.
The opportunity to contribute to NAFEMS activities
Participate in NAFEMS Technical Working Groups and Steering Committees, ensuring that you are involved at the very heart of the analysis community
Access to the NAFEMS community of over 1100 organisations worldwide, providing excellent networking opportunities
Get involved. Join NAFEMS Today.
Find out More
If you would like more information about the membership options available and how your company can become a member of NAFEMS please contact us.


text:
Dagny Design Group needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 328 designs submitted by 65 freelance designers.
Out of the designs that I haven't eliminated and not including your own designs - I'd like you to post a message stating which one you like the best and why. This is open to everyone, whether you are participating in the contest or not.
Just a reminder, I will be registering the winning logo with the USPTO as a Registered TM of Dagny Design Group. This message will serve as an opportunity for anyone who has posted any ripoffs/copies to remove them now. Thanks.
I'm looking for a LOGO for my web design company. I'm building a new site and would like to have a new logo as a basis for the design. For the WINNER, this would also be a good chance at a LONG TERM BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP. I'm looking for someone to create site mockups for projects that my company works on.
Dagny Design Group
I want a logo for my web design company - Dagny Design Group. Dagny Design Group offers web design services and ppc management. The logo should contain the text - Dagny Design Group, accompanied by a modern looking symbol.
- Dagny Design Group Text - In All Caps
- Accompanied by a unique symbol of some of sort
- Modern Look
- An Original Look
- Clean Font
- Professional Look
- Creative Feel
- Pink
- Purple
- Rainbows
- A Cheesy Logo
- A Rip-off of another company's logo
- Glossy Look
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
Newly Upgraded Alvin Sub Heads for West Coast
On Sat., May 25, 2013, the R/V Atlantis will leave Woods Hole carrying the newly upgraded submersible Alvin, marking a major milestone in the sub's $41 million redesign. Both ship and sub are owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for the benefit of the entire U.S. ocean science community. They are expected to reach Astoria, OR, on June 20.
"This is an important moment in the long process of building the sub and bringing it back online," said WHOI President and Director Susan Avery. "Alvin is a cornerstone of U.S. deep-ocean research, enabling untold scientific discoveries and greater understanding of our ocean. We're eager to have it back in service."
In September, Alvin will undergo the Navy certification process, making a series of progressively deeper dives off Monterey, Calif. Once certified, the sub will be put through its paces in a science verification cruise in Nov., to ensure all of its scientific systems are operational. Alvin is scheduled to return to service in December 2013.
Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and WHOI, the planning process for the sub's upgrade began over a decade ago. In 2005, work was begun by Southwest Research Institute to design and forge a new titanium personnel sphere, one of the biggest technical challenges in the Alvin upgrade project.
The sphere, which holds a pilot and two scientists, is designed to descend to 6500 meters (21,000 feet or 4 miles) – depths that generate nearly 10,000 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure on the sphere. Construction of the sphere, which has 3-inch-thick walls, required more than 40,000 pounds of titanium. Identical hemispheres were forged and then welded together with an electron beam. Its interior diameter is 4.6 inches wider than Alvin's previous sphere, increasing the interior volume from 144 to 171 cubic feet. With five viewports, it also has improved and overlapping fields of view for the pilot and scientists allowing for better observations and collaboration in selecting sampling sites.
The personnel sphere underwent hydrostatic pressure testing in June 2012, and was successfully tested to the equivalent of 8000 meters water depth.
Although the new sphere is rated to depths of 6500 meters, the sub's dives will be limited to 4500 meters until a second phase of the upgrade can be completed. Phase two hinges on the development of improved lithium ion battery technology and funding.
Improvements made to the submersible during the Phase one upgrade include:
- A new, larger personnel sphere with an ergonomic interior designed to improve comfort on long dives
- Five viewports (instead of the current three) to improve visibility and provide overlapping fields of view for the pilot and two observers
- New lighting and high-definition imaging systems
- New syntactic foam providing buoyancy
- Improved command and control system
Additional improvements were needed to the R/V Atlantis to accommodate the larger, heavier sub. Among the ship's upgrades were a strengthened A-frame, which is used to launch and recover the sub, and alterations of the hangar where the sub is stored when not in use.
"This upgrade has been painstakingly completed by a one-of-a-kind team of engineers, technicians, and pilots at WHOI. The Institution is very proud of their diligence and hard work in devoting themselves to this important project," said WHOI VP for Marine Facilities and Operations Rob Munier.
The world's longest-operating deep-sea submersible, Alvin was first launched in 1964. It has made 4,664 dives and played a role in a number of important deep-sea discoveries. Its most famous exploits include locating a lost hydrogen bomb in the Mediterranean Sea in 1966, exploring the first known hydrothermal vent sites in the 1970s, and surveying the wreck of RMS Titanic in 1986. Its final series of dives before the current upgrade period were in the Gulf of Mexico exploring deep-sea biological communities near the site of the Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill.The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the oceans and their interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the oceans' role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.
For Immediate Release
Media Relations Office
(508) 289-3340
Upgraded HOV Alvin was loaded onto R/V Atlantis at the WHOI dock on May 13, 2013. (Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
The R/V Atlantis is set to transport newly upgraded HOV Alvin to Oregon through the Panama Canal. (Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
On June 5, 1964, three passengers descended to what was then a remarkable depth for this new science research vehicle-about 12 feet.
See Also
Rebuilding Alvin: Loral O'Hara
A series in Oceanus on the people reassembling the iconic sub


text:
To ask less of the planet, we ask more of ourselves.
We strive to create products that are the best in the world and the best for the world. And we continue to make progress toward our environmental priorities. Like powering all Apple facilities worldwide with 100% renewable energy. Creating the next innovation in recycling with Daisy, our newest disassembly robot. And leading the industry in making our materials safer for people and for the earth. In every product we make, in every innovation we create, our goal is to leave the planet better than we found it.


text:
msvette2u wrote:It is my opinion that these things should have been brought to light sooner. I know that it seems, often, like "gossip" but if I'd had a suspicion things were wrong, I'd never have sent dogs there. Sometimes death would seem merciful compared to what these animals have to live through.
I totally agree. Things like this bring to light there there are some people with some truly messed up minds in this world.


text:
Wrexham Science FestivalActivity by Katie Dutton | added on May 13, 2011 | United Kingdom
The Wrexham Science Festival returns in July, and will include a whole host of talks, workshops and demonstrations to get you thinking about science. Events will be based around four themes – Earth and the Universe, Animal World, Human Mind & Body, and Bright Sparks
The 2011 Wrexham Science Festival will take place from Thursday 14th - Friday 22nd July.
The Festival will feature events aimed at schools, businesses and the general public, designed to inform, educate and get people thinking about a range of science and technology-related topics.
The themes for this year's Festival are: Earth and the Universe, The Animal World, Human Mind and Body and Bright Sparks. All events in the programme will be related to one of these four themes.
We will also be holding special events to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry and the International Year of Forests.
Want to submit your own activity or comment?
In order to do so you need to be part of the IYC network. Please log in or sign up now.
Join the IYC Network


text: > For my next cluster room, I am hoping to use 'liquid cooled' racks make by > Knurr (CoolTherm, http://www.thermalmanagement.de/). The scale is 67 racks x > 7.5kW heat removal per rack (36 U usable per rack). 7.5 KW/rack isn't much; are you designing low-power nodes? > The racks have front and back doors that close, and contains fans in the back > which circulate air through a heat exchanger located in the bottom of the > rack. The heat exchanger transfers the heat into chilled water. APC has something similar with the cooling on the side. > The advantages of this are that it is quiet, and that you don't need vertical > height for underfloor ducting or overhead hot air removal. Disadvantages are > cost, potential difficulty of working within the rack. and loss of one rack > of cooling capacity if you open both the front and back doors. I'm pretty skeptical of the sealed-pod approach, since it seems to multiply the number of parts, create access issues, doesn't seem to actually save on space, etc. I've also been burned by cold water cooling, so to speak (assuming you don't have your own, well-controlled CW plant.) I would definitely consider a normal big-chillers approach _with_ back-of-rack CW boosters (heat exchangers). and I'd definitely consider creative layouts of racks and chillers (for instance, I'm not crazy about the hot/cold-aisle approach - something W-shaped would be better for my ~50-rack machineroom. or even just lining all the hot racks up against the chillers along one wall.) > (In this case I have access to 'building' funds that can not be used to buy > more cpus, so the cost issue is not important.) are you sure you can't just be clever about laying out normal front-to-back racks? possibly with back-of-rack heat-exchangers? regards, mark hahn.