text:
Nanoparticles blast cancerous cells with killer drugs
April 19, 2011
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, the University of New Mexico, and the UNM Cancer Research and Treatment Center have produced an effective strategy for using nanoparticles to blast cancerous cells with a melange of killer drugs.
The silica nanoparticles are about 150 nanometers in diameter and are honeycombed with cavities that can store large amounts and varieties of drugs. The nanoporous core, with its high surface area combined with the improved targeting of an encapsulating lipid bilayer (liposome), permits a single protocell loaded with a drug cocktail to kill a drug-resistant cancer cell.
The nanoparticles and the surrounding cell-like membranes formed from liposomes together become a protocell: the membrane seals in the drug cocktail and is modified with molecules (peptides) that bind specifically to receptors overexpressed on the cancer cell's surface. The nanoparticles provide stability to the supported membrane and release the drug cargo within the cell.
The lipids serve as a shield that restricts toxic chemotherapy drugs from leaking from the nanoparticle until the protocell binds to and takes hold within the cancer cell. Few poisons leak into the system of the human host if the protocells find no cancer cells. This cloaking mitigates toxic side effects expected from conventional chemotherapy.
The particles are small enough to avoid the liver and other cleansing organs and can circulate harmlessly for days or weeks, depending on their engineered size, seeking their cancerous prey.
Ref.: David S. Peabody & C. Jeffrey Brinker et al., The targeted delivery of multicomponent cargos to cancer cells by nanoporous particle-supported lipid bilayers, Nature Materials, April 17, 2011


text:
Officially Official - Pictures of the new F20 BMW 1 series hatchback, gets 247 horsepower N20 turbo 4 cylinderTurns out the photo leaked early was not a joke. There is going to be a lot of controversy over this design, that is for sure. There will be a plethora of diesel models in Europe but what is interesting is the car is getting the new turbo four cylinder N20 motor putting our 247 horses. A sedan and coupe version have not been confirmed so it may be that the US will get the hatchback and the coupe/sedan will be the rumored 2 series.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Officially Official - Pictures of the new F20 BMW 1 series hatchback, gets 247 horsepower N20 turbo 4 cylinder started by Sticky View original post17 Comments
I will for sure take the new VW R20 over this. I would probably even take my GTI over this. I just don't like how it looks. It's not pleasing to the eye like the new 5 series. 247 hp, I think they could have done better but we'll see when some tuners get their hands on this.
vBulletin Message

subset: commoncrawl


text:
About the only thing the new legislation guarantees is job security for accountants. The already incomprehensible tax system even more incomprehensible.
FORTUNE — The legislation that edged our country away from the alleged "fiscal cliff" isn't named properly. Instead of calling it the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Congress should have called it the Accountant Full Employment Act of 2012. That's because the legislation, which supposedly doesn't increase taxes for anyone other than "the rich" with adjusted gross incomes of $400,000 for a single filer and $450,000 for a married couple, made an already incomprehensible tax system even more incomprehensible.
Then again, there's the bright side—at least for some people: accountants. They're in the one industry that needs lobbyists a lot less than other industries do, because they can just stand by and watch Congress and the President screw up the tax code year after year.
"If the tax system were simple, I wouldn't have a job," quips Roberton Williams, the Sol Price fellow at the Tax Policy Center.
MORE: Why the so-so jobs numbers are better than you think
Neither would someone considerably less famous: Carl Schwartz, senior tax partner at Rosenberg Rich Baker Berman Co. of Maplewood, N.J. Schwartz, my long-time accountant, has shown me over the years that without expert help, I have absolutely no idea how much I pay in taxes on each extra dollar of income that I make. Theoreticians say this "marginal tax rate" drives taxpayer behavior. But good luck in figuring it out yourself, even with online tax calculators.
If you consult the tax tables, my wife and I, whose income falls between the $250,000 that President Obama says makes us rich and the $450,000 level in the new legislation, pay the IRS 33 cents of each additional dollar of "earned income" that we make, and 20 cents for each added dollar of long-term capital gains and qualified dividends.
But if you consult Carl Schwartz, who used my 2011 income numbers to estimate this year's taxes, our marginal rate is considerably higher. And really difficult to calculate.
Schwartz says my wife and I are in something called the "phaseout" bracket of the alternative minimum tax. Rather than paying our 33% stated rate or the 28% stated AMT rate, our marginal rate is actually 35%.
MORE: 2013: The year we become the health care nation
Because of the long-standing Medicare tax of 1.45% on employees' earned income and another 0.9% added this year because I'm a high earner and someone has to pay for Obamacare, my marginal rate is 37.35%.
If I got a raise of $150,000 or so—boss, are you listening?—my marginal tax rate on earned income would drop. I think. And my marginal rate on investment income would certainly drop sharply.
My rate on dividends and long-term capital gains this year isn't the stated 20% maximum. It's 27%, thanks to the AMT phaseout. Like other high-income types and outright rich types, I'll also fork over an additional 3.8% on some of my investment income (or maybe all of it) to help pay for Obamacare.
I'm far from alone in having to deal with the incomprehensible (to non-accountants) impact of the AMT phaseout bracket. According to Bob Williams of the Tax Policy Center, married couples with alternative minimum taxable income (whatever on earth that is) of between $150,000 and $473,200 are affected this year. He doesn't know how many of those couples there are. But I think it's fair to say that it's a good part of the middle- and upper middle classes.
MORE: The world according to Karl Rove
The one good thing is that because I pay AMT, I'm not affected by the provision in the cliff avoidance legislation that reduces the value of personal exemptions and itemized deductions.
I'm not complaining about the amount of tax I pay. What bothers me is the convoluted way it's calculated and collected. Raise my stated rate and make things simple, please don't torture me.
Too bad we can't hire Apple to redesign the tax code. It would be high-priced and might break after two or three years, but it would sure be pretty while it lasted. And average people would be able to understand it without having to get Bob Roberton or Carl Schwartz to help them out.


text:
One of the skills parents and caregivers need to learn is how to deal with
stress. This is especially important when there seems to be no end to a
baby's crying. Too often, when a parent or caregiver loses control the results can be harmful or deadly.
The following is information from the American Academy of Pediatrics to help parents and caregivers cope with crying babies. Also included is information about injuries that could happen when parents and caregivers lose control of their tempers.
If you have tried to calm your crying baby but nothing seems to work, it is important to stay in control of your temper. Remember, it is never OK to shake, throw, hit, slam, or jerk any child—and it never solves the problem!
Anyone who cares for your children should know about the dangers of shaking or striking a baby's head. This includes anyone who cares for your children:
child care providers, boyfriends, girlfriends, older siblings,
grandparents, and neighbors. Make sure they know it is never OK to shake, throw, hit, slam, or jerk any child.
If your children are being cared for by others, take some time to observe the caregiver-child interaction. Do they enjoy talking or playing with your children? How would they calm a crying baby? Other important things to keep in mind when choosing a caregiver are the caregiver's personality and habits. For example, people who are patient, responsible, and trustworthy are ideal caregivers while people who are easily angered or heavily drink
alcohol or use other drugs are not ideal caregivers. Before
selecting a child care provider, make certain the program is licensed or certified.
It is not always easy to figure out why babies
cry. They may be hungry or overtired. They may be
cold or need their
diapers changed. Crying is their only way of expressing their needs, and it's not because they dislike their parents. Sometimes it seems like they cry for no reason.
If you have tried all of these and your baby continues to cry, go back and try them again. Most babies get tired after crying for a long time and eventually will fall asleep. If all else fails, call your child's doctor and share your concerns and your stress.
Abusive head trauma, including shaken baby syndrome, is a serious type of head injury. It is caused by shaking, throwing, hitting, slamming, or jerking.
Babies are not able to fully support their heavy heads. As a result, violent and forceful shaking or impact causes a baby's brain to be injured.
Abusive head trauma often occurs when a parent or other caregiver reacts impulsively in anger or frustration, often because the baby will not stop crying. Abusive head trauma is a serious form of
child abuse.


text:
An important feature of the SIR II™ survey is that mean ratings for each survey question are compared with an appropriate national group of two- or four-year institutions. The four-year comparative data report also includes data from graduate classes that have used the survey.
Comparative data is available from:
- nearly 8 million SIR II survey questionnaires from institutions nationwide
- 107,071 classes from two-year colleges, representing over 2,400,000 students
- 117,132 classes from four-year/graduate institutions, representing over 5,270,000 students
Reporting Categories
Institutions can compare specific aspects of their SIR II survey results, including:
- major area of study: more than 70 subject areas available
- full- or part-time instruction
- two- or four-year/graduate programs
- class size
- class level
- class type — lecture/discussion/laboratory
Comparative vs. Normative Data
When the SIR II survey is administered, the institution and/or individual instructors control all aspects of the administration. For example, when and how the survey is administered within the classroom is determined by the institution or faculty member. Because of this local control, and because the sample of institutions does not proportionately represent all types of institutions, the national data represents comparative rather than normative data.
Because students typically use the favorable end of the scale in making evaluations, comparative data provide a context within which instructors and others can interpret individual reports. However, institutions may wish to supplement the SIR II comparative data with their own comparative data developed over time.
For more information about the SIR II survey, contact an ETS Advisor.


text:
Visit and Connect
The Whitman Masters Program Office is committed to providing you with multiple ways to learn about and experience the Whitman community, learning culture, and academic programs. Providing best in class education comes not only from the degree itself, but from the experience you'll have as a student here. Our commitment to providing you with opportunities to meet with faculty, staff and students comes in many forms, and we invite you to join us on campus, online, or on the road to discuss your long term career goals and build your Whitman experience. Please contact the Enrollment Management team anytime at email@example.com or by phone at 1-315-443-4327.
On Campus Visits*:
An on campus visit is always encouraged. A personal visit typically includes meeting several staff members, faculty that teach in your field of interest, attending class, as well as building tours and time with current students. To ensure the most from your visit, please email email@example.com along with your resume, program of interest and dates you would like to visit. A representative from the Enrollment Management Team will follow up with you to schedule.
On Campus Programs:
The Masters Program Office offers multiple on campus programs such as open houses, evening information sessions and more! Visit the Whitman Calendar to find a program that fits your schedule.
Schedule a call:
Schedule a Skype call with a member of our Enrollment Management Team. Please fill out a form to schedule a personal call.
Connect with us on the road:
The Enrollment Management Team travels quite extensively during the fall and spring semesters. Visit the Whitman Calendar to learn about an event near you. If you are unable to attend that event, contact the Enrollment Management Team to schedule a personal appointment.
Social Media:
Join the MBA & MS Facebook group to learn more about the learning community, network with current students and more! You can also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
*Tobacco Free Campus
To help ensure a healthy, productive, respectful environment in which to work, learn and live, Syracuse University is committed to providing a smoke- and tobacco-free campus, effective July 1, 2015. While smoking is currently banned in all University buildings, in accordance with the Clean Indoor Air Act, this new, expanded policy prohibits smoking and the use of all tobacco products on property owned, operated, or controlled by the University, indoors and out, except as noted below. It applies to all University students, staff, and faculty, as well as all visitors, contractors and vendors. A full copy of the policy is available here.


text:
YouTube artist and Guild Wars 2 fan MattVisual takes a stab at World of Warcraft in his Get a Mac parody "Guild Wars 2: Vs Other MMOs". The man has a point.
Guild Wars 2's Karma System does indeed allow players to score nice gear without grinding. During my time in the game's beta I often forgot the Karma was there, pleasantly surprised when I finally clicked on a Karma vendor to discover I had amassed a small fortune.
That having been said, some people prefer to spend months gathering their equipment. Hell, back when I played the original EverQuest I spent months attempting to gather the components for a single epic weapon. It was a massive combined effort by my guild friends and I, one that ultimately brought us closer together.
So there's that, or you can just be handed the stuff. Which is better?
Guild Wars 2: Vs Other MMOs (Get A Mac Parody) The Karma [YouTube]


text:
You've probably seen the commercials of beautiful ladies dressed in beautiful dresses made from…er, toilet paper. It's all part of bathroom tissue brand Cashmere's campaign commitment to providing the finest quality tissue products to Canadian consumers — proving that their paper is so superior it should be showcased on a runway.
As such, for the past nine years, Cashmere has been hosting their annual White Cashmere Collection 2012: Fashion with Compassion, starring 15 of Canada's leading-edge fashion designers, including the likes of Adrian Wu, Rhod Philpott, and Laura Siegel. This year, the show was held at the newly renovated Arcadian Court at The Hudson's Bay Company Toronto Flagship Store, where fashion enthusiasts gathered to see corsetry, tissue paper flowers, and shoes all painstakingly fashioned in 100% pure, soft and luxurious sheets of Cashmere Bathroom Tissue.
The collection supports the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and its vision of creating a future without breast cancer. As you know, I'm already an aficionado of any collection that utilizes white after Labour Day, but this year's Cashmere BT (Bathroom Tissue) Couture also heralds the annual return of limited-edition Pink Cashmere, with twenty-five cents from the sale of every package of Pink going directly to the cause throughout October Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This year's collection pays homage to old time Hollywood glamour and designers created everything including eveningwear, jewelry and, for the first time ever, footwear and children's wear. Flip through the slideshow to see a selection of what was on offer and never look at toilet paper the same way again.


text:
l'industriale presents new and used machine tools available from the best european dealers and also interviews, economy, exhibitions, news from industry...
Search from thousands of new and used machine tools for sale, from auctions, clearance sales and bankruptcies.
Read the wanted ads of machine tools.
Not found the machine tool you are looking for? Enter a wanted ad.
Register your company and enter your used and new machine tools for sale.
visits N.2362
Rullatrice a pettine
marca sim
Id.no.5707 - rullatrice idraulica ort...
A pettini piani


text:
Chansdad necessitava di un nuovo design di pagina web con programmazione e ha lanciato un contest su 99designs.
È stato scelto un vincitore tra 11 design presentati da 5 designer.
We need stunning and out of the ordinary homepage and one inner page template - That is 2 tempaltes coded. Offered amount is for 2 coded templates WEB2.0 STyle , no tables and css based
Desired Color Scheme:
see logo
Desired Style:
see logo
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai); Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff)
Iam reposting this project again here on Sitepoint as in the past experts pointed out that the offered amount was too less for 6 template. and also I only received two entries and did not have a choice to select.
Though the contest lenght is set to 10 days, if I get the right design , i will end the content as we want to start with our next action items. Winner will have the option to work with us on other templates that we need for this site.
Our site will have the standard features of a networking site
in addition to some nice drag and drop features ..Heavy ajax and we are even considering using FLEX - If any flex programmers or designers please feel free to contact us.
every thing in the site is a resource ,
it can be tagged, and users are categorized or tagged as well ,
only users in certain category will be allowed to view other
users resource whether it be blogs or posts in a classifed
if such resources are tagged as well, all tagging is done via drag and drop
Some of the modules
-Registration Module with Captcha
-Invitation Module ,ex users are allowed 50 invitations
- Blogs Module - Rate blogs, mark as spam, etc.. popular blogs etc..
-Events Module users can subscribe to events posted by other users, can tag events , flag an event as spam etc..
-Classifieds Module - Buy sell
-Dating Module
-Yellow Book
-Mashups for businesses, contacts, Events
-Picture Gallery
-Personal Videos/Music


text:
You are about to enter a website that may contain content of an adult nature.
Hello everyone, this is Indian cam girl NataPinkXXX here. I'm 24 year old Female speak English and Italian in the Indian live sex chat action. I`m a seductive young slender girl with curly blond hair, perfect skin, perky tits, bubble butt and a passionate voice - the horny girl who knows what she wants and does everything to get it, right now!. Love 2chat w/men in real and cyber, about anything and everything. Cute, firm, fit, petite, very flexible. Perfect butt and abs, long shapely legs, big lips and clit. I have all kinds of stockings and pantyhose, lingerie/underwea r and a mindblowing collection of sex toys for vaginal/anal/oral , e. Classy. Perfect bodyline. All sex toys. All nylons. All heels. All lingerie. Good dancer. Twerking. Dirty little mouth - vocal, verbal, loud. Insane insertions - and yes, anal too! Horny and kinky as you. Yours ;) is my expertise and also what I will do in Indian live sex private show. I have Green eyes, Long Blonde hairs and my measurements are 30-22-30. For Turn ons: Dildos (all sizes), beads, strapon, vacuum pumps, clamps, butt plugs (also with tail for pet play), speculum, objects, oral/vaginal/anal , footjob/handjob, deepthroat, pee/watersports, REAL SQUIRT, nylons (stockings, hose), lingerie (all kinds), heels (all kinds, for all purposes), Dom/sub games, o. For TurnsOff: LET`s GO ON W/ TURN ONS INSTEAD: watching U, dirty talk, JOI, CEI, SPH, CBT, sissy, cuckold, pussylicking/assl icking, face-sitting, bi, all clothing/makeup fetishes, leather, wet`n`messy. If you prefer kinks, then Shaved,Branded, are mine. I'm just hungry for a HARD cock, can't wait to see u in my Indian webcam sex chat room! :)
This website contains indian cams, desi cam, free hindi chat and tamil sex chat related sexually explicit content.
You must be at least 18 years of age to enter this website.
© Since 2012 myindiansexcams.com Indian Sex Chat Network All Rights Reserved
AllHosts1 - AllHosts2 - AllHosts3 - AllHosts4 - AllHosts5 - AllHosts6 - AllHosts7 - AllHosts8 - AllHosts9 - AllHosts10 - AllHosts11 - AllHosts12


text:
Arnold Magnetic Technologies Rolled Products, Marengo, IL, a manufacturer of ultra-thin metal-alloy strip products, has been approved for certification to AS 9100:2004. The registration addresses the purchase, supply, manufacture and distribution of precision strip, foil, piece parts, wire, bar and rod. The company supplies material—titanium, red metals, aluminum, high-nickel alloys, magnetic alloys and several proprietary alloys—as thin as 0.000069 in., in strips as narrow as 0.03125 in.
Precision metalforming company and custom tooling manufacturer Ramcel Engineering Co., Northbrook, IL, has been recertified to TS 16949:2002 and ISO 9001:2000, and has begun the certification process to ISO 14001, which it expects to complete later this year. The company specializes in the application of state-of-the-art technology in the areas of in-line vision systems and in-die sensing.
Metal stamping, gasket and shim manufacturer Ohio Gasket & Shim Co., Inc., Akron, OH, has been certified to ISO/TS 16949:2002 without design. The firm offers short-run prototyping to full production stamping runs, and also offers fabrication capabilities including laser-beam cutting.
See also: Lincoln Electric Co., Arnold Magnetic Technologies Rolled Prod
Related Enterprise Zones: Materials/Coatings, Welding


text:
Longs Christian Bookstore
Online Shopping
Featured Shopping
- Just Released
- Sale Bestsellers
- Bargains
- Bible Study & Small Group
- Bulk Discounts on Books & Bibles
- Christian Book Award Winners
- Dove Awards Winners
- Easter Resources
- New & Bestselling Fiction
- Gifts for Her
- Gifts for Him
- Lifeway Resources
- VeggieTales
- Wedding & Marriage
Spiritual Helps
Inside Scoop
Product Description
Every passage in the Bible tells us something about who God is, who we are as those created in his image, and what God's purpose is for us and for the world. By reading it, we learn to discern his heart. When we know his heart, we begin to think in line with his purpose. This Bible provides teens with the tools to get to know God better. - Book introductions that point out the heart of God in each book - Short reading sections that each begin with a Setting the Stage summary - At the end of each reading section, a Seeing the Heart of God section draws out the message of the passage and helps teens apply its truths to their lives
- Biographical Snapshots profile people in the Bible to show how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things
- Behind the Scenes sections provide key historical and cultural information
- Big Questions address some of the hard questions and difficulties found in the Bible
- Encountering God articles explore God's relationships with biblical people and how he relates to us today God's purpose in giving the Bible to us was to establish, nurture, and grow a relationship with us. With this teen study Bible, young people will grow in their personal relationship with God and learn to discern his heart in the constantly changing circumstances of life.
More Product Information
- Publisher: Baker Books
- Release Date: February 19, 2019
- Pages: 1712
- Language: English
- Version: Other English
- Bible Type: Youth
- Location of References: N/A
- Binding: Hardcover
- Print Size: 0
- Red Letter: Y
- Page Edge Color: Not Applicable
- Bible Organization: Not Applicable
- Concordance: N
- Height: 2.00 inches
- Width: 5.80 inches
- Length: 8.30 inches
- Weight: 2.65 pounds
- Recommended Age Range: 14 through 17 years
- Recommended Grade Range: 9th Grade through 12th Grade


text:
Stranglehold sequel Gun Runner was in the works at Midway Games before closure
Stranglehold, the third-person shooter developed by Midway Games Chicago, "presented" by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-fat, had a sequel in the works before Midway was sold part and parcel in 2009.
Stranglehold headlines
Woo: Stranglehold movie happening, another game possible
Director John Woo's told Cinematical that a Stanglehold film is still on the cards. "We are going to make that into a movie," he said. More games? Maybe. "I don't have that much time, even though I want to make one again," he said. "But for the moment, I also am producing two movies. One […]
Ex-Midway producer says sometimes multiplayer's forced by execs
According to ex-Midway producer John Vignocchi, sometimes it's not the developers who want to toss in a bit of multiplayer in games, but the executives who run the joint demanding it be part of the finished product. Speaking during a Giant Bombcast last month, Vignocchi used Stranglehold as an example and cited the team's multiplayer […]
Warner Bros readying potential bid for Midway
MCV sources have claimed today that Warner Bros is ready to pounce on Midway. "Warner is pretty confident that they will get Midway – which will be an immediate boost to their portfolio," said one telltattle. "The deal isn't done yet. Midway is still open to offers from other potential buyers – but Warner looks […]


text:
This recipe was created exclusively to pair with the 2009 Viognier from Robert Hall. The wine is fresh and crisp with notes of citrus and honeysuckle, yet quite dry. Every time I eat fondue, I realize I should eat it more often!
The biggest trick to making it is mastering that cheesy-gooey texture that is just right for dipping. You want more cheese on your bread and fewer crumbs left behind in the cheese. By using brie, you kinda get to cheat. You can whip up this no-brainer fondue in 15 minutes flat. Variations: Instead of finishing it with kirsch, try some black truffle oil or even freshly ground white pepper.
15-Minute Brie and Champagne Fondue
Prep time: 3 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup dry Champagne
- 2 cups Brie cheese, outer crust removed and cubed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons kirsch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar
Cooking directions
- Rub the saucepan with the garlic clove.
- Add Champagne and cornstarch, warm over a low heat. Do not let boil.
- Add cheese one handful at a time while slowly increasing the heat. Do not let boil.
- When all cheese has melted, add in remaining spices and lemon juice.
- Turn off heat and finish with the kirsch.
- Serve in a fondue pot with cubed pieces of French bread for dipping.
- Other great dipping choices include broccoli and apples.
This story was originally written for Treehugger. Copyright 2011.
15-minute brie and Champagne fondue recipe
The biggest trick to making fondue is mastering that cheesy-gooey texture that is just right for dipping.


text:
Anything related to our great club, Central Coast Mariners FC. www.ccmariners.com
All local football, other than the Mariners, across the Central Coast! www.ccfootball.com.au
National teams, other A-League teams, State teams
Football Australia Football NSW
EPL, SPL, Asian football, World Cup, etc.
For discussion of non football stuff - No commercial touting, political stirring, or religious controvery please. ##Bad & crude jokes warning, and total nonsense alert!#
Forum Rules (must read), and suggested football links for fans, including Proboards archive and the Laws of the Game
Site related issues, development news, feature requests, etc.
Separate names with a comma.


text:
KMBC-TV Kansas City - A 53-year-old Raytown, Missouri, man was injured in an all-terrain vehicle crash in Camden County late Saturday.
Local News Provided in part by:
Having Kidney or Bladder issues? Make sure you take care of yourself! Get checked out for possible cancer in the bladder or cancer of the kidney before it gets worse. Kansas City Urology specialists are here to help you.
Read the full article link below the following comments:


text:
|Hardcopy (shipping and handling)
Historical Version(s) - view previous versions of standard
Work Item(s) - proposed revisions of this standard
More A05.17 Standards Related Products Standard References
This specification covers composite ribbed steel pipe, precoated and polyethyene lined intended for use for gravity flow sanitary sewers, storm sewers, and other special applications such as water transmission pipe, rehabilitation pipe, slip line pipe, and irrigation pipe. Pipes shall be fabricated in full circular cross-section with helical lock seams and helical ribs projecting outwardly. Specimens cut from production pipe normal to and across the lock seam shall conform to the required values of tensile strength. The pipe shall conform to the required values of nominal inside diameter and sheet thickness. Joint connectors for composite ribbed steel pipe precoated and polyethylene lined shall be specified as soil tight, water-resistant, or watertight.
This abstract is a brief summary of the referenced standard. It is informational only and not an official part of the standard; the full text of the standard itself must be referred to for its use and application. ASTM does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents of this abstract are accurate, complete or up to date.
1. Scope
1.1 This specification covers composite ribbed steel pipe, precoated and polyethylene lined intended for use for gravity flow sanitary sewers, storm sewers, and other special applications such as water transmission pipe, rehabilitation pipe, slip line pipe, and irrigation pipe where extra corrosion and abrasion resistance are required. The steel sheet used in the fabrication of the pipe has a polymer coating over a metallic coating of zinc on both sides. In addition, as the pipe is being fabricated, the ribs are filled with polyethylene and then a polyethylene liner is extruded onto the interior surface.
1.2 The exterior polymer precoating provides extra protection of the steel against soilside corrosion, in addition to that provided by the metallic coating, and also provides a dielectric barrier for cathodic protection. The interior polymer precoating provides an adhesive layer between the galvanized steel and the polyethylene lining. The applied lining provides internal protection against corrosion, erosion, and abrasion. By filling the rib which has a deltoid shape (smaller at the opening in the pipe wall than at the bottom of the rib), the polyethylene is mechanically connected to the pipe wall and the polyethylene liner is then thermally bonded to the filled rib.
1.3 This specification does not include requirements for bedding, backfill, or the relationship between earth cover load and sheet thickness of the pipe. Experience has shown that the successful performance of this product depends upon the proper selection of sheet thickness, type of bedding and backfill, controlled manufacture in the plant, and care in the installation. The installation procedure is described in Practice A798/A798M.
1.4 This specification is applicable to orders in either inch-pound units as A978, or in SI units as A978M. Inch-pound units and SI units are not necessarily equivalent. SI units are shown in brackets in the text for clarity, but they are the applicable values when the material is ordered to A978M.
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.
ASTM Standards
A90/A90M Test Method for Weight [Mass] of Coating on Iron and Steel Articles with Zinc or Zinc-Alloy Coatings
A153/A153M Specification for Zinc Coating (Hot-Dip) on Iron and Steel Hardware
A307 Specification for Carbon Steel Bolts, Studs, and Threaded Rod 60 000 PSI Tensile Strength
A563 Specification for Carbon and Alloy Steel Nuts
A563M Specification for Carbon and Alloy Steel Nuts (Metric)
A742/A742M Specification for Steel Sheet, Metallic Coated and Polymer Precoated for Corrugated Steel Pipe
A780 Practice for Repair of Damaged and Uncoated Areas of Hot-Dip Galvanized Coatings
A796/A796M Practice for Structural Design of Corrugated Steel Pipe, Pipe-Arches, and Arches for Storm and Sanitary Sewers and Other Buried Applications
A798/A798M Practice for Installing Factory-Made Corrugated Steel Pipe for Sewers and Other Applications
A902 Terminology Relating to Metallic Coated Steel Products
A926 Test Method for Comparing the Abrasion Resistance of Coating Materials for Corrugated Metal Pipe
A929/A929M Specification for Steel Sheet, Metallic-Coated by the Hot-Dip Process for Corrugated Steel Pipe
B633 Specification for Electrodeposited Coatings of Zinc on Iron and Steel
B695 Specification for Coatings of Zinc Mechanically Deposited on Iron and Steel
C443 Specification for Joints for Concrete Pipe and Manholes, Using Rubber Gaskets
C443M Specification for Joints for Concrete Pipe and Manholes, Using Rubber Gaskets (Metric)
D638 Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics
D792 Test Methods for Density and Specific Gravity (Relative Density) of Plastics by Displacement
D1005 Test Method for Measurement of Dry-Film Thickness of Organic Coatings Using Micrometers
D1056 Specification for Flexible Cellular Materials--Sponge or Expanded Rubber
D1238 Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer
D1435 Practice for Outdoor Weathering of Plastics
D2240 Test Method for Rubber Property--Durometer Hardness
D3212 Specification for Joints for Drain and Sewer Plastic Pipes Using Flexible Elastomeric Seals
D5576 Practice for Determination of Structural Features in Polyolefins and Polyolefin Copolymers by Infrared Spectrophotometry (FT-IR)
D5630 Test Method for Ash Content in Plastics
F568M Specification for Carbon and Alloy Steel Externally Threaded Metric Fasteners (Metric)
F593 Specification for Stainless Steel Bolts, Hex Cap Screws, and Studs
F594 Specification for Stainless Steel Nuts
F738M Specification for Stainless Steel Metric Bolts, Screws, and Studs
F836M Specification for Style 1 Stainless Steel Metric Nuts (Metric)
AASHTO StandardLRFD Bridge Construction Specifications, Section 2 Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, Division II, Section 26 T 249 Test for Helical Lock Seam Corrugated Pipe
ICS Code
ICS Number Code 23.040.10 (Iron and steel pipes)
UNSPSC Code
UNSPSC Code 40171500(Commercial pipe and piping)
|Link Here
|Link to Active (This link will always route to the current Active version of the standard.)
Citation Format
ASTM A978 / A978M-08(2013), Standard Specification for Composite Ribbed Steel Pipe, Precoated and Polyethylene Lined for Gravity Flow Sanitary Sewers, Storm Sewers, and Other Special Applications, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2013, www.astm.orgBack to Top


text:
Derailment East of Cheyenne
A 20 car derailment early Monday morning shut down two lines of the Union Pacific Railway. A Union Pacific spokesman says the derailment happened at about 1:45 a.m. just east of Cheyenne as the train was headed toward North Platte. No injuries were reported and all the cars were empty at the time. One of of the tracks was reopened this morning and crews worked on gettting the other track opened throughout the day. Still no word on what caused that derailment.


text: Koh Racha islands consists of two sister islands: Racha Yai and Racha Noi, located south of Phuket. The shores of Koh Racha Yai are blessed with white powdery beach and crystal clear water. Rise up to the peak of the hill at the center of the island and you'll soak up the panoramic views of the entire island. Ao Siam, Ao Tue and Khon Kae beaches are favorite diving spots while beaches in the west promise the picturesque sunset scene. Koh Racha Noi, located just 10 kilometers south if Racha Yai, on the other hand, is the accumulation of coral stones featuring rocky coastlines. It is not ideal for swimming but you can rent a boat to visit for sightseeing and some fishing. Packages are available from travel agencies.


text:
Big hair lives! Morphing from cover to cover
Aquanett at
Outback Lodge
Saturday, October 9
I've been meaning to check out '80s hair metal cover band Aquanett ever since they first started playing at Outback Lodge a short while ago, but last Saturday night proved to me that I should have started sooner.
Showing up an hour and a half early for the show, I made my drink last and chatted with a friend while the Outback sound system played a selection of music that seemed to be from another galaxy. I recognized only one band, Soul Coughing. Now, I don't consider myself a musically sheltered individual, but most of the hard-rock-laced-with-pop groups that drifted out of the speaker sounded like they came from another– notably more metallic– universe.
Though various wigged members of Aquanett had been walking around the club for some time before their 11pm start time, it was only when the group's five members took the stage that the majesty of the miraculous event began unfolding.
Four of the group's members– the lead and rhythm guitarists, the bassist, and the drummer– had adorned their noggins with long wigs of various shades, often accompanied by headbands, while the group's vocalist had, unless everyone was fooled by a very expensive nylon model, real, long-flowing locks.
"I wanna rock..." began Twisted Sister's hit of the same name, a song about, you guessed it, rocking when dorks (using '80s terminology) tell you not to. The group was pretty tight, not missing a beat, and the vocals were actually better than the original– although sung more in the style of Quiet Riot's Kevin DuBrow than Twisted Sister's Dee Snider.
But the important thing was the song got people up, dancing and headbanging with wanton abandon, some wearing Aquanett net shirts in various stages of cut-off fashion.
The group began their next number, the Scorpions' "Rock You Like a Hurricane," though the song's utterly forgettable verses had me wondering what the group was playing until the larger-than-life chorus came in. Singing backup vocals in the style of '80s pop/metal (background shouting in the same pitch) was the group's bass player, and when this combined with the echo on the singer's vocals, we witnessed an almost exact replica of the first two songs.
The crowd was, on the whole, a bit older than I've seen at the Outback before, I'd say early to mid-30s, bespeaking their youth during this music's heyday, but they were letting loose in a fashion that put their younger audience counterparts to shame.
I had some questions about the singer's age too– it seemed extremely possible that he had learned his technique, the utterly amazing ability to replicate the style, pitch, presentation, and even never-ending vibrato of the vocalist for whatever '80s act the group was performing, during an apprenticeship in a small act of similar musical mindset during that period.
Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages"– featuring a sizable amount of audience participation– Motley Crue's "Looks Can Kill," and Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorns" all rocketed off the stage as the evening wore on, and still the band continued morphing into whatever act performed the originals.
Their flexibility, especially the vocalist's was something to see, and I'm sure I'll be back again to relive the past.


text:
MindFire necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 125 diseños de 40 diseñadores freelance.
We're looking to build a super-cool and easily memorable online brand for a new shopping site. ShopBetter.com will incorporate all available deals, coupons, discounts, etc. for every major online merchant along with detailed merchant descriptions, product price comparison features, and even video product reviews with many if not all web 2.0 features built in for a unique social shopping experience.
Desired Color Scheme:
It's wide open.
Desired Style:
We like clean, simple, colorful (though not overly bright like neon), modern, & fun.
Accepted File Formats:
We are really looking for a new approach to a shopping site image. We do not want to have dollar sign ($), shopping cart, or price tag type icons. We like the idea of possibly including a fresh icon design of some sort with the name, but we could also see using just the name ShopBetter.com in a creative and visually interesting way. Fortunately, the name kind of says it all. Our target audience will be online shoppers of all types, so our demographic is about as wide as it gets. We are looking for real creativity that can appeal to all in mass. Uniformity, symetry, and fun should be evident in the design. Get creative!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
Chojnacki Surname Ancestry Results
Our indexes 1000-1999 include entries for the spelling 'chojnacki'. In the period you have requested, we have the following 1 record (displaying 1 to 1):
Try these...
chogle choh choham chohan chohen choi choice choimet choinacky choindealbhain choine choir choise choiseul choisey choisin choisnet choisseul choisy choitan chok choka choke chokerwyke chokes chokit chokk chokkanadhan chokke choksey choksi choksy cholale cholaton cholck choldecote choldesworth choldeswych' choldewille cholditch
These sample scans are from the original record. You will get scans of the full pages or articles where the surname you searched for has been found.
Your web browser may prevent the sample windows from opening; in this case please change your browser settings to allow pop-up windows from this site.
Want to be alerted about new results for this search?
Subscribe to this web feed
Research your ancestry, family history, genealogy and one-name study by direct access to original records and archives indexed by surname.


text:
With more than 38,000 locations in 100 countries, the SUBWAY® brand is the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise, and has become a leader in the international development of the quick service restaurant industry.
SUBWAY® restaurants first ventured outside North America when the first location opened in the small Middle Eastern island nation of Bahrain in December of 1984. Since then, the SUBWAY® concept has gone around the world, with restaurants opening from Argentina to Zambia.
Wherever SUBWAY® restaurants are located, the core menu stays relatively the same — with the exception of some cultural and religious variations. World travelers can expect the same high quality of ingredients regardless of what nation they are visiting. You can enjoy a footlong Turkey Breast Sub, with your choice of a variety of vegetables and condiments served on bread baked right in the restaurant in Jamaica, then travel to New Zealand and get the same footlong Turkey Breast Sub!
Ask Us!
Comments, questions and contact information.
Franchise Opportunities |
Menu |
Nutrition |
Restaurant Locator |
Virtual Tour |
Please send technical questions or comments about this web site to the SUBWAY® Web Team.
General comments and questions should be submitted using the Ask Us link above.
Legal Information
Privacy Policy


text:
After hearing the sad news about Neil Armstrong it seems rather coincidental that I'd posted about the moon only a few weeks ago. One of the enduring images of that event was, of course, the flag, and I post one of my own in tribute. It may be red, white and blue of a different kind but no less a tip of the hat to a pioneering explorer of another world.
Apparently the reason why there aren't many photographs of Armstrong on the surface of the moon is because he was the one behind the camera most of the time. I think a lot of us can relate to that.
Rest in Peace


text:
I want to find out how easy or hard the transition to C / C++ is for a mid-experienced Java programmer.
I've already read the questions about "C++ for Java Programmers" and "Is it necessary for Java programmers to learn some C/System programming?".
Everything sounds very interesting, but I want to specifically add the aspect I have experience in Python programming as well. I'm aware that you are able to run python on the JVM with jython, but I think it will provide better experience to get exposed to new concepts and to explore Python's origins. My target environment is mainly Linux.
Could you estimate (perhaps even tell from your own experience) how hard it would be and especially give a hint as to whether it would be better to go with C or C++ in order to interact with Python?


text:
Samsung profits beat forecast, mobile biz doubles
SEOUL, South Korea— Samsung Electronics Co. reported Friday forecast-beating results for the fourth quarter of 2012 as profit from its mobile business more than doubled from a year earlier.
Samsung's October-December net income reached 7.04 trillion won ($6.58 billion), a 76 percent surge of 4.01 trillion won a year earlier. Analysts expected 6.95 trillion won in income according to FactSet.
Sales and operating income were slightly higher than its earlier preview. Sales rose 19 percent over a year earlier to 56.06 trillion won and operating income jumped 89 percent to 8.84 trillion won.
Increased sales of smartphones were the key source of its stellar profit. Samsung, which overtook Apple Inc. as the top smartphone maker last year, said its operating profit from the division that makes and sells smartphones and tablets more than doubled to 5.44 trillion won in the fourth quarter, from 2.56 trillion won a year earlier.
Analysts said Samsung will likely to see a continued rise in smartphone sales this year, especially in low- and mid-priced smartphones, while Apple sees iPhone sales plateau.
Bullish analysts forecast Samsung smartphone shipments to rise as much as 50 percent this year from 2012.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.


text:
Diego Peretti, star of Argentine TV series "Los Simuladores," plus Juan Taratuto's romantic comedy hits "It's Not Me, It's You" and "Who Says It's Easy," is attached to star.
Headed by Frederic Corvez, Urban Factory is producing, along with Argentina's Magoya Films and Werner Cine and Brazil's Ondina Films.
Screenplay is by Puenzo ("XXY," "The Fish Child"), one of Argentina's best-known directors abroad, and Sergio Bizzio, whose "Bomba," produced by Puenzo, is one of the most eagerly anticipated titles at Ventana Sur's Primer Corte pix-in-post section.
The fiction feature debut of Argentine doc director Molnar ("Un mundo alas"), "Showroom" has Peretti as a salesman of upper-class apartments who, pursuing his dream of social status and life in a respectable neighborhood, begins to live in his own showroom. This is an exact replica of the apartments he sells, except that nothing works.
Popular on Variety
Living in the "Showroom," he looses contact with his wife and daughter, and reality at large.
"The film basically discusses human relationships. It talks about human beings and their difficulty to think about themselves, and about families that are torn
apart as a metaphor for society," Molnar said.
Shooting August 2013, "Showroom" will have a first cut ready for December 2013's Ventana Sur, he added.
"Showroom" was presented Friday at Ventana Sur's Independent Film Project showcase, a screening of eight Argentine projects or productions. A directors' assn., IFP groups many of Argentina's younger helmers.


text:
Thank you for visiting our Blog!
"We all look different but our hearts beat with the same dreams." ~HeathCliff Rothman Founder, Everyone Matters
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Tag Archives: discovery
New part of the body discovered
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown layer lurking in the human eye. The newfound body part, dubbed Dua's layer, is a skinny but tough structure measuring just 15 microns thick, where one micron is one-millionth of a meter and more … Continue reading


text:
Olympus PEN E-PL2 Review
The Olympus PEN E-PL2 is the entry-level Micro Four-Thirds SLD from Olympus. This digital camera is built around a 12 megapixels Four-Thirds sensor with a maximum ISO of 6400, 3 FPS full-resolution output and 720p HD video capability. The E-PL2 is one of the most compact ILCs with a rectangular body featuring a small hand-grip, a built-in popup flash and a hot-shoe with an accesory port which supports an optional add-on EVF.
Video capabilities of the E-PL2 are extremely sophisticated despite not supporting 1080p. The video mode supports Program, Aperture-Priority and Manual exposure as well as 6 art filters with automatic exposure. Video focus modes include continuous autofocus (AF-C), tracking autofocus and direct manual-focus (DMF). While the built-in microhone records mono sound, the hot-shoe supports a stereo microphone which connects to its accessory port.
This SLD provides an average number of external controls but an exceptional amount of customization, particularly when considering its target audience. A single control-dial is used to change exposure parameters which is expected for entry-level models.
This express digital camera review analyses the features, ergonomics, usability, performance and image quality of the Olympus PEN E-PL2.
Olympus PEN E-PL2 Features
- 12 Megapixels CMOS Four-Thirds sensor
- Micro Four-Thirds lens mount
- Sensor-Shift image stabilization
- Built-in ultra-sonic dust-reduction
- ISO 200 to 6400 sensitivity, 1 or 1/3 EV steps
- Auto ISO, customizable limit from 200 to 6400
- ISO Bracketing, 3 frames, maximum 1 EV increments
- 1/4000-60s Shutter-speeds, Bulb up to 30 minutes, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
- PASM Exposure modes
- Program-Shift in P mode
- Exposure-Compensation, ±3, 1/3 or 1/2 EV increments
- Exposure-Shift, ±1, 1/6 EV increments
- Multi-Segment, Center-Weighed, Spot, Shadow Spot and Highlight Spot metering
- Auto-Exposure Bracketing, 3, 5 or 7 frames, maxium 1 EV steps except 1/2 EV for 7 frames
- Flash Bracketing, 3 frames, maximum 1 EV increments
- Flash-Compensation, ±3, 1/3 or 1/2 EV increments
- Auto, Redeye, Forced, Off, Slow-Sync+Redeye, Slow-Sync, Rear-Sync and Manual flash modes
- Manual flash power between full and 1/64th power
- Remote-Control flash
Image Parameters
- Automatic, 7 presetsSunny, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Underwater, Flash, kelvin and custom white-balance
- White-balance fine-tuning along 2 axis in 15 steps
- Digital white-balance preview
- White-balance bracketing, 1 or 2 axis, 3 frames along each axis, 3 step sizes
- Optional One-Touch custom white-balance
- Optional and automatic long shutter noise-reduction
- Optional high-ISO noise-reduction, 3 levels
- 12 Color and 1 B&W Film modes
- Adjustable contrast, sharpness, saturation, 5 steps each
- Adjustable gradation, automatic or 3 levels
- Adjustable tone curve, 15 steps for highlights and 15 steps of shadows
- sRGB or Adobe RGB color space
- Continuous drive, 3 FPS, maximum 20 JPEG or 12 RAW images
- Multiple-Exposure, 2 frames, optional automatic gain and composition overlay
- Self-timer, 2s or 12s
- Single-shot (AF-S), continuous (AF-C), direct manual-focus (DMF) or tracking autofocus
- Manual-focus (MF), optional display magnification up to 14X
- 11-area AF system, automatic or manual point-selection
- Face-Priority toggle
- Optional bulb focusing
- Optionally reset lens focus to infinity
- Controllable focus-ring direction
- 1280x720 or 640x480 @ 30 FPS Video resolutions
- Program, aperture-priority and manual video exposure
- Automatic modes with 6 art meters
- Optional mono sound with built-in microphone
- Optional external stereo microphone via a hot-shoe accessory port
Display & Viewfinder
- 3" LCD, 460K Pixels
- Optional live histogram
- Optional guidelines, 4 types
- Optional blinking highlight
- Adjustable brightness, 15 steps
- Adjustable color, 15 steps, 1 axis
- Optional 0.2" EVF, 1.4 megapixels
- Single control-dial
- 4 Customizable buttons
- AE-L/AF-L button hold and toggle modes
- Customizable AE-L metering mode
Output Processing
- 4:3 Native aspect ratio
- 3:2, 16:9 & 1:1 cropped aspect ratios
- Aspect ratio bracketing from one shot
- 12, 8, 5, 3, 2 and 1.2 megapixels modes
- JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG capture
- 4 JPEG Compression levels
- Optional vingetting correction
- Hot-shoe for external lighting
- HDMI (1080i) output
- A/V (NYSC / PAL) output
- USB 2.0 connectivity
- Lens stabilization control, 3 modesBi-Directional, Horizontal, Vertical
- SDXC memory
- Lithium-Ion battery
- Customizable battery warning
- Customizable DPI settings
- Copyright data
Usability - How easy is it to use?
The Olympus PEN E-PL2 is solidly built and has a confidence-inspiring weight. The entire camera except for a small rubber flap covering the I/O connectors feels durable. Smaller M.Zuiko lenses add very little weight while the Olympus M.Zuiko 14-150mm F/4-5.6 ED
Olympus M.Zuiko 14-150mm F/4-5.6 ED balances well with the E-PL2. Only the 75-300mm F4.8-6.7
Olympus M.Zuiko 75-300mm F/4.8-6.7 ED makes the whole thing front-heavy. This SLD has a metal tripod mount which is neither inline with the center of the lens nor with the camera's center of gravity.
Holding the E-PL2 is comfortable for its size. There is a small grip which ensures a secure hold but its small size make it feel cramped after prolonged use. The rear of the camera is shaped to prevent slippage of the thumb which rests over the E-PL2's built-in speaker. Eyelets on each side of the camera make it possible to use a neck-strap or wrist-strap for additional security.
There a standard shutter-release with a distinct half-way point on the top plate. Just behind it is a recessed power-button. To the left is an 8-position mode-dial with good detents to prevent accidental changes. The universal PASM exposure-modes are there, with Program-Shift provided in Program mode and bulb exposures up to 30 minutes accessible in Manual mode. A dedicated Movie mode lets the camera set itself up for video recording and correctly preview framing. The SCN mode regroups all Scene Modes into one position, while the ART mode regroups 6 customizable digital effects.
The last position on the mode-dial is called iAuto. This is a semi-automatic mode which lets users control the camera in a result-oriented way. It locks out most menu settings but has its own quick menu with 5 controllable options and an integrated set of photography tips arranged by subjects:
- Saturation: Controls color-saturation in 15 steps.
- Color: White-Balance fine-tuning along Amber-to-Blue axis in 15 steps.
- Brightness: Exposure-Compensation, highlight and shadow toning with 15 steps per parameter.
- Blur Background: Depth-of-field (Aperture) control in 15 steps.
- Express Motion: Shutter-speed control in 15 steps.
The top of the camera also has the hot-shoe and a pop-up flash which raises itself by 2cm. This is barely enough to clear the Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm F/3.5-5.6 ED
Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm F/3.5-5.6 ED but not enough for the Olympus M.Zuiko 14-150mm F/4-5.6 ED
Olympus M.Zuiko 14-150mm F/4-5.6 ED which blocks the flash at wide-angle.
All remaining controls are found on the back of the Olympus E-PL2. There is a small spring-loaded flash-release just above the LCD display. To the right of the LCD is a column of 4 indistinct buttons:
- Magnify: Zooms the display to assist manual-focus in Capture mode. Zooms images in Playback mode.
- Demagnify: Zooms out from manual-focus assist or activates an assigned function such as One Touch White-Balance. Zooms out during playback.
- Playback: Enters and exits Playback mode. Does not turn the camera on, unlike most other cameras with a modeless power-button.
- Delete: Does nothing in Capture mode. Deletes images in Playback mode after asking for confirmation.
There are three more buttons of the same shape and size:
- Video Record: Located at the right edge of the camera, this one by default starts and stops video recording in any mode. This function is mostly useless since without entering Video mode, video framing cannot be accurately set up due to aspect ratio differences. Luckily, Olympus allows this button be configured as AE-L button which is infinitely more useful. Even better, the metering mode used by the AE-L function can be set independently of the camera's metering mode. Ideally, AE-L should be configured to use one of the spot metering modes. The Spot Highlight mode is particularly easy to use as you simply have to identify the brightest part of the frame.
- Info: Located to the right and a little lower than the Magnify button, this one cycles between various display modes. There are customization options to control which display modes get cycled through. This avoids going through most uninteresting modes. Once nice tough is that the full-info display mode shows the automatically selected ISO.
- Menu: Enters and exists menus.
The placement of these buttons in not intuitive, yet it must be memorized since distinguishing them by feel is impossible. This causes interruptions when using the camera at eye-level with the optional EVF.
The combined 4-way controller and control-dial is located between the Info and Menu buttons. The 4-way controller is straight forward to use with functions assigned to each direction. Two of these directions, Right and Down, can be customized. Unfortunately, the control-dial which surrounds the 4-way controller is the camera's only dial and is not comfortable as it requires shifting your grip. The dial is also quite thin. This makes using it and the 4-way controller with gloves challenging at best.
The control-dial normally controls the exposure parameter. When Up is pressed in modes other than Manual, the dial starts to control EC. This also makes the vertical buttons control EC and the horizontal ones control the exposure parameter. In Manual mode, pressing Up makes the dial and vertical buttons control shutter-speed. It also makes the horizontal buttons control aperture. So, once Up is pressed, the 4-way controller controls both parameters. To return to normal, press the OK button. While directions control exposure parameters, pressing the Info button allows the tone-curve to be changed separately in 15 steps for highlights and shadows. The OK button is used to either enter a quick-menu system or to exist ongoing functions such as MF-assist and EC. The quick-menu has ten options arranged vertically and is easy to navigate.
It is truly impressive that this entry-level digital camera has a ton of customizable options, many of which are genuinely useful. Exposure con be controlled in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps. ISO can be controlled in 1/3 or 1 EV steps. The Fn or Demagnify button can be customized to One-Touch Manual White-Balance. The Right direction of the 4-way controller can be customized between various options including ISO and WB. Down normally controls the drive mode but can be assigned to WB among other options.
Display & Optional Viewfinder
The E-PL2 has a nice 3" LCD with 460K pixels. The display is clear and refreshes reasonably fast. It is sharp but not enough to confirm precise focus without the handy MF-Assist function. That function can either be invoked manually using the Magnify button or automatically when the focus-ring is turned. Since it is relatively easy to accidentally turn the focus ring, it is preferable to not activate the Automatic MF-Assist option. The optional VF-2 EVF is sharper with 1.4 megapixels. One can clearly see more details with it, making it easier to confirm focus.
There are a number of oddities with the rear LCD. One is that color-saturation is not the same in the preview than in the instant review. The EVF suffers from the same problem but to a lesser extent. While the preview and playback can be toggled between the LCD and EVF, each time Playback mode is entered it reverts to showing on the LCD. This makes using the E-PL2 at eye-level somewhat frustrating.
The preview is exposure-priority in P and M modes. Both A and S simply flash an exposure parameter when outside of the exposure range but do not preview the resulting exposure. Since the live-histogram is based on the LCD display, it is only correct within a certain exposure range. For practical purposes, it is sufficiently close in Manual mode within a few stops from the metered exposure.
Outdoor visibility is average for a modern camera. The LCD has an excellent viewing-angle though. Under bright light is preferable to use the optional EVF. Speaking of the VF-2, it can tilt upward 90° to be used as a waist-level finder. When installed on the E-PL2, the VF-2 makes the camera rather clunky looking which seems to deter curious people for some unknown reason.
Performance - How well does it take pictures?
Performance starts with image quality, which is the criteria used as the foundation of our digital camera ratings. Ergonomic issues may get in the way, but in the end, image quality counts the most. For an ILC, image quality greatly depends on the lens used. While color, noise, exposure and dynamic-range are properties of a camera, distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberrations are properties of the lens. Sharpness and contrast depend on the weakest link. That is, a camera cannot capture more details than a lens lets through. Conversely, it is quite possible for a lens to transmit more details than a sensor can capture.
Image Noise & Details
The Olympus PEN E-PL2 shows extremely low image noise until ISO 800 while retain a good amount of fine details. ISO 1600 barely shows noise and very fine details start getting damaged. This only reduces maximum print sizes a little but remains perfectly usable for most common sizes. There is a noticeable jump in image noise at ISO 3200 along with smudging of fine details. Still, a 9x12" is still completely acceptable showing only a hint of noise. The maximum sensitivity of 6400 is even more noisy but small 4x6" prints are quite nice.
Color & White Balance
Color accuracy is good. The Neutral color mode produces the most realistic colors with a slight under-saturation. A +1 increase in saturation and contrast improves things while giving more punch. There are five color modes and one B&W one to choose from. Each can be adjusted for contrast, sharpness and saturation in 5 fine steps to tune JPEG output.
Automatic while-balance performance is not so reliable. It is capable of producing good results under most conditions but has trouble staying consistent under artificial light. Small changes in scenery cause the color-temperature to noticeably change, generally leaving a slight yellow cast. Still, it is rarely completely wrong. Preset while balance are good, with the usual caveat that there are too many types of incandescent and now CFL lighting to match most bulbs perfectly. Custom white-balance though is perfectly accurate.
Multi-Segment metering on the Olympus PEN E-PL2 is average. It may over-expose dark-scenes by about 1 stop and under-exposure unusually bright subjects by a similar amount. Since the LCD clips a little early, it is likely that an image appears over-exposed in the preview but comes out perfectly. The live-histogram is accurate in P mode and in M mode for exposures that are so far from the metered one. There is also a center-weighed mode which is less sophisticated but more predictable.
The E-PL2, like all Olympus ILCs, features three variants of spot-metering: Normal, Highlight and Shadow. All these modes sample a small area of the scene and using that to compute exposure. The Normal spot sets free exposure parameters so that the metered subject appears as a midtone. This is exactly how spot-metering works on most cameras. The Highlight spot sets free exposure parameters so that the metered subject appears as a highlight with details. This corresponds to zone 9 in Ansel Adams' famous Zone-System and is genuinely a useful tool since it is far easier to estimate what should be a highlight than what falls exactly as a mid-tone. The Shadow spot setting works the other way, metering for a shadow area which corresponds to zone 2 in the Zone-System.
Auto Focus
The E-PL2, like all compact SLD cameras, uses a contrast-detect focus system. The implementation on the Olympus PEN E-PL2 is highly variable and greatly depends on the light and how far off the lens is. In bright light, focusing is fast, taking just over 1/2s on average. Indoors, where light is generally dim, it takes between 1s and 2s to lock focus. This is certainly on the slow side, enough to make autofocus problematic in typical indoor conditions.
Focus accuracy is good but not perfect. During controlled tests, a non-trivial portion of shots were slightly out of focus. This is a problem to get perfect sharpness on a flat subject, otherwise depth-of-field tends to hide most inaccuracies. Using direct manual-focus, called S-AF MF on the E-PL2, this can be corrected after the camera locks focus. Nevertheless, having to do this slows down the photographer unnecessarily. In moderately low light, the E-PL2 fails to focus more often than most cameras.
Contrast-Detect AF must move the lens back and forth to determine when focus is achieved. This is one reason why it is generally slower than Phase-Detect AF but is not troublesome for single-shot autofocus (AF-S). On the other hand, continuous autofocus (AF-C) on this digital camera suffers greatly from this. When the camera sees changes in the scene it must refocus and this causes the image to continuously pulsate. Tracking AF works the same way. The detection area follows the subject but, unless the subject becomes relatively still, the camera rarely manages keep focus locked.
The AF system is presented as having 11 areas, covering a large central part of the frame. The camera will lock focus on one of those areas in AF-S and Tracking AF modes. Continuous focus does not present any area and simply tries to follow the center of the frame unless a specific area is selected. When the camera automatically selects a focus area, it seems to choose the closest object. Given that focus areas covers a large part of the frame, this often causes missed shots by focusing on a foreground object. Too bad we did not try Face Priority earlier as it nicely corrects the problem when photographing people. With Face Priority enabled, the E-PL2 continuously tracks a face and performs autofocus on the correct area when the shutter is pressed halfway.
The Olympus PEN E-PL2 is quite responsive during most operations other than autofocus, as discussed already. Most buttons and dials get an instant response. Performance is characterized by the following rough measurements:
- Power-On: 2 seconds
- Power-On to First-Shot: 3 seconds
- Autofocus: 1 second on average
- Shutter-lag: Very slight with just over 1s blackout
- Shot-to-shot: 2 seconds
- Playback: ½s to enter, ¼s to exit
- Power-Off: 1second
- Video Start: Instant start in Video mode, 1 second in all other modes
- Video Stop: Immediate in all modes
While these numbers are generally reasonable, they are problematic for action and sport photography. The 2s shot-to-shot speed and 1s black out time are notably troublesome. Add the slow autofocus to those and we can confidently say that the E-PL2 is not suitable for action shots. The one thing to notice, and we may sound like a broken record here, is the performance advantage of Video mode. Video recording starts instantly and framing can be setup correctly from there. In other modes, one can start recording video without properly framing and still miss 1 second at the start of the action.
The Olympus E-PL2 is powered by a proprietary Lithium-Ion battery which provides 280-shots per charge according to the CIPA standard. This is about average among SLDs.
Performance - How well does it shoot video?
The Olympus PEN E-PL2 captures HD video at 1280x720 @ 30 FPS, also known as 720p HD, or at 640x480 @ 30 FPS, known as SD. Videos are saved as AVI files using the Motion JPEG codec. This is a high quality codec that is extremely simple to playback and manipulate. As expected, files take more space this way compared to a more compressed stream. Sound is recorded along with it using the 16-bit 44Khz PCM codec.
This SLD has a built-in mono microphone near the hot-shoe. Using the accessory port, an add-on stereo microphone can be used. Regardless of which sound input is used, the E-PL2 stores the sound in stereo within the AVI file. The built-in microphone is extremely sensitive and can record noise from within the camera, particularly AF noise in AF-C mode. Olympus makes three M.Zuiko lenses which are labeled MSC. These lenses have sound isolation to reduce autofocus noise.
Video quality is excellent. The camera captures plenty of details and renders motion smoothly. Compression artifacts are hard to notice. ISO is always automatic during video recording which is quite necessary to keep the shutter-speed faster than the frame-rate. In low-light, where the camera must raise the ISO, this is visible as fine grain. This is completely normal and the E-PL2 does a great job at keeping the sensitivity low.
Exposure during video is either AutomaticIn Program mode and all Art-Filter modes., Aperture-Priority or Manual. Outside of Manual mode, the E-PL2 keeps a decent exposure throughout filming. The main issue is that there are noticeable jumps in exposure when the camera responds to changes in the scene. Naturally, Manual mode avoids this completely but puts the responsibility to set a good exposure on the user.
This Olympus provides 5 focus modes which can all be used for video:
- S-AF: This is the standard single-shot autofocus, which is the most typical mode for video focus. On the half-press, the camera focuses and the focus distance cannot be changed while filming.
- C-AF: In this mode the camera continuously focuses while filming. This feature has existed in video cameras for a long time but only a handful of ILCs can do it. In practice, it is not very useful since cameras, Olympus E-PL2 included, have a hard time keeping up with moving subjects. With Contrast-Detect AF, the lens moves a lot in this mode which is disturbing in video.
- MF: Focus is completely manual. The focus-ring can be used at any time before or during filming to adjust focus. It takes some practice to stop at the right point, but is the most predictable and is completely silent.
- S-AF+MF: This mode works like S-AF except that it allows manual focusing during filming. The same comments apply for this mode than for MF.
- C-AF Tracking: This is a more sophisticated type of C-AF which tracks subjects as the move around the frame. Just like C-AF, the camera spends far more time catching up than actually being in focus.
Given how few ILCs can focus continuously while filming, there has been a lot of boasting for each such new model. As the E-PL2 proves again, that technology is not advanced enough to be generally useful yet. Those who want their videos to look polished and professional have to focus manually for now. In the case of this camera, we recommend the S-AF+MF mode which gives a head-start for manual focusing.
The Olympus PEN E-PL2 proves to be an interesting camera with more capabilities and sophistication than expected from an entry-level model. The Micro Four-Thirds sensor used in the E-PL2 delivers excellent results with low image noise and good sharpness. Exposure and color are also quite good. AWB is not so reliable but custom white-balance renders whites impeccably and the one-touch white-balance function makes it a breeze to use. The true weakness of this digital camera is its autofocus system which is slow and not entirely accurate. It is serious enough to make it miss our highest digital camera rating.
The surprise of the E-PL2 are its video capabilities. While shooting at 720p, instead of the headline-grabbing 1080p seen on some models, this digital camera shows excellent video quality with full manual controls and stereo sound-input, which is easy to miss considering the E-PL2 uses its special accessory port rather than a mini-jack. You have to buy a proprietary microphone for that but wont get annoyed by a dangling audio cable. The Video mode lets the E-PL2 start filming instantly and even properly setup framing before starting.
The Olympus PEN E-PL2 is a compelling choice for high-quality video in a compact camera with the flexibility of interchangeable lenses. For photographs of relatively still subjects, the E-PL2 also excels, delivering DSLR-like image quality at a fraction of the size and weight.
TIP Like this camera but wondering about lenses? Read our M.Zuiko Lens Round-Up.
Olympus E-PL2 Highlights
Sensor-Size: 17 x 13mm
Actual size when viewed at 100 DPI
|12 Megapixels Mirrorless
|Micro Four-Thirds Mount
|Shutter 1/4000-60s
|2-Axis Built-in Stabilization
|Full manual controls, including Manual Focus
|0.20" Optional EVF 1.4 Megapixels (0.58X)
|Custom white-balance with 2 axis fine-tuning
|Built-in Dust Reduction
|3 FPS Drive, 12 Images
|1280x720 @ 30 FPS Video Recording
|Lithium-Ion Battery
|3" LCD 460K Pixels
|Secure Digital Extended Capacity
Mirrorless Digital Camera Buying Guide 2020
The Mirrorless Digital Camera Buying Guide was fully rewritten for 2020, including all new systems from Nikon, Canon and Leica joined by Panasonic and Sigma. This new extensive 2020 Edition shows in 5 simple steps how to choose a mirrorless camera.
Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 Review
This highly capable and compact mirrorless ranked as Best Beginner Mirrorless Digital Camera of 2019. Its 20 MP Four-Thirds CMOS sensor with Anti-Alias Filter is pared with 5-axis stabilization to maximize sharpness. Features a tilting 2.8 MP 0.39" EVF with large 0.7X view and Eye-Start sensor in a body with dual control-dials.
Best Digital Cameras of 2019
The Best Cameras of 2019 awarded by Neocamera: Best Travel-Zoom, Best Premium Compact, Best Ultra-Zoom, Best Mirrorless and Best DSLR.
10 Gifts Photographers Will Love
The 2019 gift guide for photographers showcases photography gear that amateur and enthusiasts will enjoy. It is divided into 3 price categories to suit different budgets from $50 to $200 USD.
Sony Alpha A7R IV In-Depth Review
The newest Sony high-resolution mirrorless packs a 61 MP Full-Frame BSI-CMOS sensor on 5-axis Sensor-Shift system. It shoots at 10 FPS, records 4K Ultra-HD video and focuses with a new 567-Point and 425-Area Hybrid AF system with Realtime tracking. This professional-grade camera features a 5.8 MP 0.5" EVF with 0.78X magnification, 100% coverage and an Eye-Start Sensor plus triple control-dials in a weatherproof body. This review shows exactly how the A7R IV performs and compares to top Full-Frame and Medium-Format digital cameras.
Olympus OM-D E-M1X Review
Professional Micro Four-Thirds mirrorless sporting an ultra-high speed 20 MP sensor with 121-Point Phase-Detect AF on a 5-axis image-stabilization system effective to 7-stops. 60 FPS drive with blackout free view on a huge 0.83X magnification 2.4 MP 0.5" EVF. Even a builtin GPS in a dual-grip double dual-control-dial IPX1-rated weatherproof and freezeproof body.
Nikon D3500 Review
The lightest DSLR packs a 24 MP APS-C sensor with ISO 100-25600 sensitivity-range, 5 FPS drive and Full HD video capture. Basic features with simple ergonomics.
Time-Lapse Photography for Beginners
Learn how to get started with time-lapse photography in 4 easy steps.
Fujifilm X-T30 Review
The newest 26 MP 4th-Generation X-Trans CMOS sensor and X-Process 4 from the flagship X-T3 in more compact body. ISO 80-51200, 1/32000-30s, 20 FPS Continuous drive, Cinema 4K video. Dual control-dials and 2.4 MP EVF with Eye-Start Sensor.
Nikon Z6 Review
Nikon Full-Frame Mirrorless with 24 MP and 5-Axis Built-In Image-Stabilization effective to 5-Stops. ISO 100-202400. 12 FPS Continuous Drive. 3.7 MP 0.5" EVF with 0.8X Magnification and 100% Coverage. 4K Ultra-HD video.


text:
Thursday, December 1, 2011, 05:59 PM - Inventions and Curious Things
Posted by Administrator
Posted by Administrator
This is a remarkable 18th century invention called a shaving mill. Up to 60 men can get a clean shave in just one minute! It may seem impractical at first, but imagine if you had a garrison of soldiers?
view entry ( 12064 views ) | permalink


text:
A leading music theatre company for young people, which boasts alumni including Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, is looking for young performers and musicians to join the 2016 company.
Youth Music Theatre UK is touring the nation to find 300 talented young people aged 11-21 to join them.
Members will work with leading theatre professionals to create eight brand new musicals.
YMT will be at: Culloden Academy, Inverness on Saturday, February 13; Aberdeen Arts Centre on Sunday, February 14; Studio at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Monday, February 15.
Auditions are open to ages 11-21 and no preparation or previous experience is necessary.
Performer auditions are £40 and can be booked online at www.youthmusictheatreuk.org/auditions or over the phone 020 8563 7725.


text:
Pure House Kick Drums is one of our original series, delving into the sample world of house, progressive house and mainstream house kick samples.
These 100% exclusive jaw dropping, tight as f*#k kick drums are the most up to date kick drum samples available, period. Every house kick drum has it's own sound, frequency response and decay ratio to deliver an amazing collection of kick samples no serious producer should be without. Whether it's classic house, electro house, progressive house, tribal, tech or minimal house these kick drum sounds can not be missed.
All audio files within this Zenhiser pack are 16bit 44.1khz wav
Please note: As with all Zenhiser packs, no samples are ever duplicated in our catalogue so each & every sample pack you purchase is fresh and new


text:
Get your pupils out of the classroom for a unique and memorable learning experience at the Royal Armouries Museum or Fort Nelson.
Use the filters below to find the education workshops available.
Fort Nelson Big history: from dominant castle to hidden fort 2,000 years of history Romans KS4 Find out more


text:
My mom put a keylogger on my computer, so she knows what I'm doing when she was not around. How do I remove it?
My mother dosen't trust me even when I tell her the truth.
So I am trying to figure out how to remove the keylogger? If anyone can help me, please do...


text:
Nailed It | Promo
Preview: Season 7 Episode 8 | 30s
In virtually every city, state and strip mall across the U.S., women get their nails done in salons likely owned by Vietnamese entrepreneurs. How did this community come to dominate an $8 billion dollar nail economy? NAILED IT takes viewers from Los Angeles to the Bronx to meet the people behind this booming and sometimes controversial industry.
Aired: 05/07/19
Problems Playing Video?
Major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding provided by the Wyncote Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Reva & David Logan Foundation and the Park Foundation.


text:
Care and Wash Guide
Dressify recommends the following points to keep the t-shirts looking good for a longer time.
- Soft Machine cycle or Gentle hand wash.
- Line dry. Avoid wringing. Detangle in case of machine wash/dry.
- Dry in shade, inside out.
- Iron on low heat, avoiding printed areas.
I don't need Google, Wife knows everything
Available Options
Unmatched Premium Quality
Premium quality fabric with long lasting prints.
FREE Shipping
Shop above Rs.1000 and get FREE shipping on your order.
Trusted Secure Shopping
Every order is covered by our 100% Refund Guarantee plus Easy and Free Exchange promise.
Pay using Cash on Delivery
Choose Cash on Delivery during Checkout at a convenience fee of Rs.50.
In each pack you'll receive:
- 1 Half(short) sleeves T-shirt
- Neck type: Round Neck
- Material: Cotton 100%.
- Regular comfort fit.
- Bio-washed and pre-shrunk.
- Digitally printed design on front/back as shown in the image.


text:
SEATTLE - The estate of rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix says it has won a trademark infringement lawsuit against a company that promoted Hendrix Electric vodka.
The Experience Hendrix and Authentic Hendrix companies in Seattle say they won a $3.2 million federal court judgment that orders the vodka to be pulled from the market.
The family owned companies filed the lawsuit in 2007 against Seattle businessman Craig Dieffenbach, who packaged the vodka in purple-tinted bottles with Hendrix's face and signature above the label.Hendrix died in 1970 at the age of 27.
Copyright AP - Associated Press


text:
policy briefs
The prices of many staple food commodities have increased substantially over the past year. As a result, many developing countries are facing larger food import bills. The cereal import bill of the world's poorest countries is forecast to rise by 56 percent in 2007/08, following an already significant increase of 37 percent in 2006/07. Given the growing dependency of many developing countries on imported food commodities and on foreign aid, as well as their generally high levels of debt, increasing food prices have important implications for growth and development.
At the micro level, poor households in both food importing and food exporting countries are exceptionally vulnerable to increases in food prices, given the large share of food in total expenditure and the constraints they face in terms of low income and capital endowment. However, higher global food prices present an opportunity for agriculture.
Many countries are currently faced with difficult choices on how to respond to the global increases in food prices. High prices have prompted a number of policy responses by governments aiming to ensure food supplies at more affordable domestic prices. Several food importing countries have reduced or suspended their import restrictions, while many exporting countries have limited, or even banned, exports in order to avoid food shortages and higher domestic prices. Other countries have released stocks in order to stabilize domestic prices. Furthermore, a range of measures have been taken to mitigate the adverse impacts of high prices on vulnerable households, including subsidized food sales or food distribution to targeted households in distress.
The purpose of this policy brief is to highlight a number of issues that countries ought to be aware of when designing national policy responses aimed at the market - and at micro-level. These policy responses address two basic challenges:
Consequences of food price shocksThe impact of increasing prices on the wider economy is determined by a number of structural characteristics. Typically, low income food importing countries that rely heavily on tradable cereals for their diets (deriving most the country's dietary energy needs from imports) and are already experiencing high levels of foreign debt, are most of vulnerable to global food price shocks. Given high levels of exposure to world markets, food price increases directly affect purchasing power, increasing the incidence of poverty, as well as government expenditure and debt. A deterioration of the terms of trade may destabilize the economy and hinder economic growth.
Households react differently to price increases depending on their initial endowment and production structure, their consumption patterns, the investment constraints they face, and the policies that are in force. Urban and rural households that are net food buyers may lose, as they have to pay more to maintain adequate consumption levels. However, some rural households, especially those that are net producers of staple foods, or those whose wages may increase by more than the increase in food prices as a result of increased demand in rural labour markets, could benefit. Female-headed households tend to be more vulnerable to food price increases as they normally spend a greater share of their income on food, as compared to male-headed households. Female-headed households also stand to lose, as they often lack access to productive resources.
Policy responses to high food pricesTwo interrelated categories of response are considered:
Market-level responsesPolicies aimed at directly influencing domestic markets include trade policies and market management policies. In the context of soaring food prices, two types of trade policies have been used by many countries: reductions in import tariffs and export taxation, or restrictions.Reducing or eliminating import tariffs on food productsReducing or eliminating import tariffs on food products has been the most widespread policy response for stabilizing domestic food prices. However, for this type of intervention to succeed and have a meaningful impact, applied tariffs need to be sufficiently high at the time when world prices begin to rise. Among 60 low-income, food-deficit countries surveyed in early 2008, applied tariffs on cereals and vegetable oils were already fairly low, with 2006 data showing on average rates of only 8 and 14 percent respectively.2 Hence, even when reduced to zero, reductions in tariff levels were able to offset only a small proportion of the overall price rises of food imports.
Export prohibitions, restrictions and export taxationOf the 60 low-income, food-deficit countries surveyed, about one quarter resorted to some form of export restrictions in response to soaring food prices. Export restrictions lower domestic prices but also reduce government revenues where exports are taxed. In addition, export restraints exacerbate price instability in world markets and negatively affect importing countries. Export restrictions also have longer-term implications, as they discourage producers in exporting countries from investing in agriculture.
Market management policiesMarket management policies include measures such as price controls through administrative orders, restrictions on stockholding by private traders, restrictions on interdistrict movement of foods and open market operations, such as selling public stocks of foods to reduce market prices. These measures, which aim to control prices in the short run, were applied widely in the 1970s and 1980s, but have generally been discontinued given a number of disadvantages, including high costs of maintaining stocks, negative impacts on producers, leakages in the sense that the operations also benefit rich consumers and discouragement of private sector engagement in food markets.
Market management measures may be effective for very short periods, but can be destabilizing in times of food shortages, and can promote hoarding, which contributes to further price rises. The concentration of market power in government-appointed agents or agencies is perceived by many as a major source of market instability in developing countries. For long-run market stability, policies that improve the functionality and competitiveness of food markets are needed. Responses to increased food prices in a sample of 77 countries surveyed in early 2008 vary by region. In Asia and in the Middle East and North Africa, both trade and market management policies were widely used.
In Africa and in Latin America and the Caribbean, fewer interventionist policies were used, with a significant proportion of sampled countries not having intervened at all.
Given the high costs associated with open market operations and their unintended effects, the preferred policy has been to rely on trade for price stabilization. Where governments perceive trade to be an unreliable source of food at short notice, stockholding and open market operations are still carried out. The experience of soaring food prices provides an opportunity for food importing countries to reassess their relative reliance on trade and stocks.
Direct support at the micro levelMicro-level interventions implemented in response to increased food prices are generally motivated by the reduction in the ability of poor consumers to purchase sufficient quantity and quality food and the associated adverse effects on their nutritional status. The characterization of "net buyer — net seller" status of rural households provides a partial guide to the shortrun impacts of high prices but needs to be modified in medium- and longer-run analyses to account for substitution in consumption, increases in production and the effects that these changes can have on local food and labour markets.
Three main categories of micro-level interventions designed to mitigate adverse consequences of higher food prices have been identified:
Cash-based transfersCash-based transfers can include the distribution of cash or cash vouchers and can be tied to cash for public works programmes and/or microfinance initiatives. They are appropriate where food markets function well and the key constraint that households face is insufficient income. In addition to providing the ability to procure higher priced food, unrestricted cash transfers allow households to make their own decisions on how to spend or invest the cash. Such interventions can foster local market development in food and other goods by providing greater incentives to the private sector to engage in higher volume, more stable marketing channels. However, where markets work imperfectly, for example where they are geographically isolated and poorly integrated with other markets, or where there is limited supply response to increased prices, such interventions can result in further food price increases due to the increase in the households' purchasing power in conjunction with fixed local food supplies. Where food prices are increasing rapidly, adjustment to the value of transfers will be necessary to maintain purchasing power and this can pose significant administrative difficulties.
Food access-based approachesFood access-based approaches include food stamps or vouchers and restricted cash transfers (for example, in exchange for attendance at schools or clinics). As with cash transfers, these interventions are appropriate where local food markets function well and improving access to food is the objective. Vouchers can become a parallel currency in food and other goods' markets. As such, they can have some of the positive effects of unrestricted cash transfers in fostering local market development, but, due to their restrictive use, tend not to be used for investment. The schemes also tend to have higher transaction costs than cash-based measures. The design of these interventions can be complicated. For example, school feeding programmes can miss target populations, such as poor households without children, or whose children do not attend school. It is also important to determine ex ante any potential disruption to private marketing channels. Such policies should only be implemented in combination with targeted food sales through public food stores if private channels are constrained in their ability to scale up distribution. The choice and design of intervention also needs to recognize that the transaction costs associated with the different interventions will vary significantly depending upon the specific context in which they are to be implemented. Schemes appropriate for densely populated cities with well developed financial services may be inappropriate in sparsely populated rural areas.
Food supply-based approachesFood supply-based approaches consist of interventions primarily aimed at alleviating the effects of short term emergencies and those targeted at increasing supply to local markets in the longer term. Short-term approaches, such as the distribution of food aid, are most appropriate where insufficient food supply is the main reason for reduced consumption. Longerterm measures work through facilitating access to inputs, and/or improving technologies and infrastructure to increase the production of food. The former include productive safety nets (for example, seed and fertilizer distribution), subsidies to selectively reduce the cost of inputs, and support to finance institutions to help alleviate credit constraints. Where input markets are working well and inputs are available, but producers are cash-constrained, voucher systems may be best, as free distribution of inputs could undermine input markets. Where input markets are not functioning well, starter packs could be distributed. However, if local output markets are not well integrated with larger markets in the country, interventions for increased production could result in a significant fall in local food prices to the detriment of producers and wage labourers.
Most micro-level interventions can be designed as either universal or targeted programmes. The case for universal coverage is that targeting is administratively too expensive and that in many cases the costs of targeting can exceed the benefits. The case for targeted interventions can be made on budgetary cost grounds or to avoid leakage to non poor populations. The main issue that should be highlighted is that unless a safety net with targeted interventions already exists, any speedily arranged programme is likely to lead to leakages and could be ineffective.
Selecting the appropriate responseIn determining the appropriate policy responses to rising food prices, the root causes of the price shock need to be well-understood. Questions to consider include:
Answering these questions is not easy and there may be legitimate differences of opinion among analysts. However, the choice of policy interventions should be based on:
Sign up to receive the Policy Brief newsletter
Economic and Social Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsViale delle Terme di Caracalla00153 Rome, ItalyTelephone: +39-06-57051Fax: +39-06-57053152Email: ES-Policy-Briefs [at] fao.org
Contact us | Terms and Conditions | Scam Alert


text:
E. Coli Outbreak Leads to Expanded Recall of Frozen Food Products
The Washington State Department of Health is warning people that several types of frozen food products – Farm Rich, Market Day, and Schwan's brands – have been recalled due to possible contamination with E. coli.
The products were distributed widely throughout Washington.
The recalls are related to a national E. coli outbreak that sickened 27 people from 15 states, including a Pierce County woman in her 20s.
"The foods in this recall were sent to stores throughout our state," said Dave Gifford, Food Safety program manager. "E. coli can be very serious. We're asking people to look at the recall list, check their freezers carefully, and throw out any of these products that they find."
The type of E. coli in this outbreak is a strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121 (STEC O121), which is similar to E. coli O157:H7.
It can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. It can sometimes result in severe, life-threatening illness.
The recalled product list continues to expand and now includes several varieties of frozen snacks and mini-meal products.
The full list of the products currently covered by the recall is on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website; more info is on the Food Safety Program website.


text:
What was apparent about This Will Destroy You's Young Mountain and the band's equally acclaimed self titled debut was that the records established the Texan band firmly into the post rock canon and defined a style that worked extremely well for them. But some felt TWDY were starting to push the auto pilot switch, not really adding anything new or groundbreaking to the genre, sounding like a copy and paste version of Mogwai, Caspian and 65daysofstatic. So what's changed in the two years since their last release? Well… not much really.
While their earlier records managed to keep you drawn in through a direct manner via the rippling intricacies they both possessed, Tunnel Blanket keeps you at a distance, favouring an emphasis on the reverberant aspects that they had touched on previously. The distance works in TWDY's favour as the clouded atmosphere creates a sense of curiosity, drawing you ever so closer each time to unravel what secrets the band is offering. However, Tunnel Blanket's ideas do little to pass more than a subtle intrigue as the ideas do run dry. But when ideas do start to arise, they're all quite interesting.
'Little Smoke' is a blistering opener, with its glimmering glacial build up slowly becoming possessed by a looming undercurrent of enveloping distortion, droning guitars and asphyxiating haze that is the mid section. It simmers down into a lonely swell of elegant strings, beautiful yet melancholic. After that, frustratingly, the flames only smoulder, with only slight glimpses of inspiration. 'Glass Realms', in particular, takes a long nine minutes to come into the fruition of 'Communal Blood's' mid section where everything runs amok again. The only element really keeping those lifeless nine minutes from dwindling is a stream of pulsating, ice cold ambience, all subtly freezing over on what otherwise is a dull and stagnant build up, never really taking off quick enough due to its time.
But when the TWDY do get things right, it's interesting. 'Killed The Lord, Left for the New World" is throbbing glisten of chiming bells and synths that are hallucinogenic in tone as they shift to the ricketing thump of the percussive acoustics creating a natural pastoral element different to the artificial chilling breaths in earlier tracks. Like 65days, TWDY do enrich themselves with a whitewash of electronic effects but whereas 65days come across as an overwhelmingly artificial beast, TWDY present themselves in a more natural way, always touching the line between the spiritually innate and the destructively fabricated. This is proof that can balance songs in terms of pace and ideas. Closing tracks 'Black Dunes' and 'Powdered Hand' are combinations of placidity and apocolyptia that can be awesome to behold but an end does have a start, and these tracks are very similar to the album's opener. It's acceptable to get away with such a thing on debut releases but with Tunnel Blanket being so far into the band's career, you can't help feel that TWDY are sitting a little too comfortably.
6Alex Yau's Score