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SOPA inspires widespread web activism
I've been hesitating to write about SOPA for a few reasons, but mainly for the fact that there are a number of far more knowledgeable individuals writing about the topic. I knew I had something though when web users started targeting companies that support the SOPA bill. The most recent wave of companies to renounce their SOPA ties include Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts. The movement didn't start there, though. It started on Reddit as a force against GoDaddy, the popular domain name registrar. The social content site didn't stop there, though. They're also going after legislators who favor the bill, like Wisconsin representative Paul Ryan.
We've seen focused activism from the internet before, but never quite on this scale. In just a couple of days GoDaddy lost more than 40,000 domains and, although hard statistics are tough to nail down, something to the tune of $500,000. That's not exactly small money. Then again, roughly the same number of people registered new domains in the same time frame, so it's difficult to say just how much of an effect the movement will have on the domain registrar.
It is having an impact on the SOPA bill and the bill's supporters, though, as evidenced by the aforementioned media companies' stance change and the impact on Paul Ryan's campaign. That's not to say web activism is without its flaws. In another recent news story, Redditors rallied against Ocean Marketing's Paul Christoforo, who horribly mismanaged one customer relationship over email. Unfortuntely the company that hired Christoforo for marketing was caught in the crossfire and took a lot of negative press on Amazon and other review sites.
I find this type of mistargeted web activism just as disconcerting as I find the SOPA activism heartening. SOPA is a terrible idea, supported for the most part by people who don't understand the way the internet works today. But so much of the experience on sites like Reddit revolves around feeling like a part of the collective "we" that people often get caught up in the movement without considering where the gun is being pointed.
I do, however, find it difficult to hold activist groups to such a high standard without doing the same with the politicians crafting this legislation. Lamar Smith, who wrote the SOPA bill, said the following about Reddit:
"It's a vocal minority. Because they're strident doesn't mean they're either legitimate or large in number. One, they need to read the language. Show me the language. There's nothing they can point to that does what they say it does do. I think their fears are unfounded." A simple look at the GoDaddy numbers could show anyone just how legitimate a force sites like Reddit can be, to say nothing of the fact that Smith clearly doesn't understand how vague language in a bill like SOPA can affect its interpretation down the road.
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Posted in: Gadgets
Tags: ea, godaddy, godaddy loses domains, lamar smith, move your domain day, nintendo, reddit, sony, SOPA, sopa activism, sopa bill, sopa support


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Released: 9/3/2014
September 3, 2014
Community Sees Increase in Children with Rhinovirus
ROCKFORD, Ill. — An increase in pediatric asthma flare-ups and breathing difficulties related to the Rhinovirus has local hospitals urging parents to be aware of their child's symptoms if they get sick. Rhinoviruses are among the most common causes of the common cold, but can cause more severe illnesses in people with underlying lung disorders. They can trigger asthma attacks and have also been linked to sinus and ear infections.
While asthma flare-ups typically increase during the fall, local hospitals are seeing a greater number of cases and more severe cases than usual. Testing of patients has linked these flare-ups to the Rhinovirus. Since Rhinovirus is not a reportable disease, no statistics are available.
Physicians say early treatment and prompt recognition are key to keeping asthma under control. Parents of asthmatic children are urged to be proactive should their child become sick and contact the physician if symptoms increase.
The virus is spread through the air and close personal contact. Symptoms usually include sore throat, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, headaches and body aches. Most people recover in seven to 10 days. You should call your doctor if you or your child has one or more of these conditions:
- A temperature higher than 100.4° F
- Symptoms that last more than 10 days
- Symptoms that are severe or unusual
- Breathing that is difficult, fast or unusual, or if the child is using stomach muscles tobreathe.
The Winnebago county health department recommends the following ways to protect yourself and others:
- Frequent hand washing
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
- Stay away from sick people
- Stay home if you are sick and avoid close contact with others
- Cough and sneeze into a tissue
- Disinfect frequently touches surfaces and objects such as toys and doorknobs
Should you have questions regarding the Rhinovirus call your pediatrician or primary care provider, or you can call the Winnebago County Health Department at (815) 720-4050.

subset: commoncrawl


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The sucker punch that dropped a Dolphins fan in the parking lot after Sunday's game vs. the Eagles is so brutal that the meathead who threw it should do some time. The sound of head hitting parking lot is chilling. The louder sound of the initial contact may be worse. Hearkens back to the near-death Bryan Stow case. Better be enough to convince anybody who recognizes the cheap-shot artist to call police.
Here's a link to the Miami Gardens PD anonymous tip line. Do the right thing.
Dolphins Fan Knocked Out by Sucker Punch in Stadium Lot Fight (Video) [Miami New Times]
Miami Dolphins Fan Gets KO'd by BRUTAL Sucker Punch (Warning: Graphic Content) 12-DEC-2011 [YouTube]
(UPDATE: The guy who got hit could be wearing an Eagles No. 10 away jersey, but the Miami New Times says Dolphins fan, so I'll stick with that.)


text: The winter weather has been spectacular. After a substantial post-Christmas snowstorm, the temperatures have remained cold and the skies sunny — perfect for outdoor pursuits. Carolyn and I snowshoed from Route 127 to Robinhood Cove, through the Schoener Preserve, one of the many largely undiscovered preserves open to the public in Georgetown, to the western shore of the cove.


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A super(conducting) career
Joe Brown explains why he is still enthusiastic about designing and manufacturing superconducting magnets after nearly 40 years in the industry.
Shortly after the discovery of superconductivity in 1911, many scientists believed that it would soon be possible to construct electromagnets that could generate high fields without the high power requirements of conventional resistive windings. Those hopes were, however, quickly dashed when it was discovered that the presence of magnetic fields of ~30 mT destroyed a material's ability to carry current without resistance. It would be another 25 years before researchers found materials such as PbTl2 that retained some ability to carry current without resistance in the presence of a magnetic field, and it was not until the late 1950s and early 1960s that materials such as Nb3Sn and NbTi were developed into forms that would allow superconducting magnets to be manufactured commercially.
One of the first firms to take advantage of these developments was Oxford Instruments, which was formed in 1959 as the first spin-out company from the University of Oxford. Today, superconducting magnets have applications that range from the "big physics" of the Large Hadron Collider through to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines used in medical diagnosis, and producing or maintaining them is still very much a part of Oxford Instruments' activities. As a consultant magnet engineer in the firm's nanoscience division, I am involved at every step of the process, from understanding customers' requirements, through design and manufacture, to delivery, installation and technical support.
From welder to magnet engineer
My involvement with superconductivity began almost by accident when, in 1972, I applied for a job as a welder at a company in Oxfordshire. I had done my apprenticeship as a fitter/welder at the UK Atomic Energy Research facility in nearby Harwell, and then spent five years developing advanced welding technologies related to nuclear-fuel and medical-isotope containment. During those years, I had also studied applied physics part-time at what was then Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University).
Perhaps because of this experience, instead of offering me a position as a welder, the company, Thor Cryogenics, asked if I was interested in a role as a superconducting magnet technician – someone responsible for winding and assembling superconducting magnets. I had always been interested in science, and the opportunity to work in a company using superconductivity was very attractive to me, so I said yes.
My role as a magnet technician developed, and by the time I joined Oxford Instruments in 1986 I had moved into project engineering, where I mixed technical activities such as designing magnets and cryogenic systems with project-management work like ensuring equipment was built on time and within commercial constraints. In 1999 I progressed to my current role, which is biased towards the technical aspects of magnet design. However, most magnet engineers do have some project-management responsibilities, and I am also involved in mentoring and training junior colleagues, visiting customer laboratories and speaking at conferences.
My career path has not been a typical one: most of my colleagues who have joined Oxford Instruments in recent years have taken the more academic route of full-time university education to first degree or even PhD level. However, there is little formal training on the specifics of magnet design available, so much of the required knowledge has to be gained "on the job". This means that a good general education to degree level in physics or engineering is adequate as a foundation because it gives you the information you need to understand the concepts and processes involved in magnet design and construction.
The design process for a superconducting magnet is a marriage of mathematical modelling and engineering. Today, much of the modelling is done via computer programs, most of which have been developed to provide the specific information needed by the magnet designer. There is, however, a large part of magnet design that is based on empirical data that have built up over the years, related to the processes used to build a working magnet. This is where the engineering comes into play, with the need to understand how to work with the materials and structures used in magnet construction.
A good example of the type of magnet I am currently working on is one designed for use in neutron-scattering experiments. This magnet has two windings separated by a gap through which researchers can fire a neut_ron beam at the sample being studied and observe the resultant scattered neutrons. This type of magnet is known as a "split pair" and several factors make it particularly challenging to design. One is the huge attractive forces between the two halves when the magnet is energized, which can be as high as a few hundred tonnes. Such forces present challenges for the mechanical structure and the interfaces between coils and supporting structure; if the magnet is not designed and manufactured correctly, its performance can degrade over time. The usual solution is to separate the two halves of the magnet with a series of aluminium alloy rings, which, while sufficiently transparent to neutrons, are strong enough to support the attractive force.
Another design challenge with this type of magnet is that there are trade-offs between the particular geometry of the coils that would minimize the superconductor volume (and hence cost), and geometries that produce the required uniformity of magnetic field over the sample volume. Resolving this problem normally comes down to a compromise depending on the individual circumstances: financial versus technical.
A third consideration is the need for sufficient operating margins in terms of flux density, current density and temperature for the superconducting wires used within the magnet coils. There are also design considerations related to dimensional constraints such as the size of the samples and the neutron-scattering angles. The magnet's overall size, both mechanically and in terms of "magnetic footprint" (stray flux density), can be a problem in many applications because of restricted access or proximity to other equipment.
When we design magnet structures we do so with the aid of finite-element modelling, where the magnet assembly is computer modelled under its loaded condition to determine stress and strain magnitudes and distributions. This is an iterative process in which the structural components are optimized to provide the required structural integrity. After a magnet has been designed, the next steps are to manufacture and test it. Here, engineers like me are involved at every stage, from defining manufacturing processes and testing strategies to analysing test results and presenting them in the form of operating instructions and manuals.
Seeing results
With my roots firmly in the practical side, I find my role very satisfying because it means that I get to be involved with the complete process – from the customer's first ideas of what they require to a piece of hardware that allows the experiment to be performed. I also get a great sense of pride when I read an article or paper detailing the experimental results obtained using a magnet I have designed and helped to manufacture. Most of the magnets we manufacture at Oxford Instruments are for laboratory-based research and tend to be "one-offs" specially designed to suit a particular set of experimental requirements.
When it comes to job satisfaction, I think the fact that I have been in the business for almost 40 years says it all. It has not always been easy because, even after 50 years of superconducting-magnet manufacture, there are still times when a new behaviour of a magnet will catch you out, leading to sleepless nights when you are trying to work out what is going on. However, it is very rewarding, and for anyone looking for a challenging role in a hi-tech industry that is still developing, I cannot think of a better place to be.
About the author
Joe Brown is a consultant magnet engineer at Oxford Instruments NanoScience, UK, e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.
This article appears in the April 2011 issue of Physics World.
last edited: September 11, 2018


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The Browns have issued an unspecified discipline, tied to an incident while he was on a scouting trip in North Dakota, to director of player personnel Jon Sandusky.
Sandusky pleaded guilty to refusing a chemical test when he was pulled over for suspicion of drinking and driving.
Sandusky's attorney, Mark Friese, said Sandusky received a suspended sentence Tuesday in Fargo (N.D.) Municipal Court, which placed him on unsupervised probation. The probation is conditional on undergoing chemical dependency tests.
The DUI charge was dismissed.
Sandusky initially was pulled over Oct. 8 for making an illegal turn in downtown Fargo.
Sandusky is one of the few employees from general manager Tom Heckert's regime who was retained by Browns CEO Joe Banner. Sandusky and Banner worked together with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Browns left tackle Joe Thomas did not think either one of the holding calls slapped on him at Kansas City was legit.
If those plays were holding, everything is holding, Thomas opined Wednesday.
Head coach Rob Chudzinski said both plays were submitted to the league office for "clarification." To clarify the Browns' position, they thought the calls were bogus.
One of them took the Browns out of field goal position in the fourth quarter with the Chiefs clinging to a 20-17 lead.
Ravens right tackle Michael Oher did not practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury. Wideout Brandon Stokley, who sat out the Ravens' recent game at Pittsburgh with a leg injury, might be back to face Cleveland.
No Browns player missed Wednesday's practice.
• Rob Chudzinski said he is "excited" that wideout Josh Gordon was not traded.
Weeks of trade rumors left Gordon questioning whether the Browns want him. Does he feel wanted now?
"I can't answer that for him," Chudzinski said. "From my part and our part, we want him here, and he's here."
• Chudzinski calls 6-foot-8 offensive lineman Reid Fragel, signed to the Browns' active roster off Cincinnati's practice squad, "a developmental guy."
Fragel was an Ohio State tight end from 2009-11 before converting to offensive tackle in 2012.
The Browns have been in the habit of signing players from teams they will play soon.
• The Browns will have to decide before their Nov. 17 game at Cincinnati if Jason Pinkston will be activated from "injured reserve/designated for return." He will not be activated for the Baltimore game.


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IBM, Lenovo Deal Likely to Spark Security Review
U.S. Regulators Will Scrutinize Details of the Transaction
International Business Machines Corp. has agreed to sell its low-end server business to Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd. after talks broke down last spring. Now the companies face a new challenge: convincing U.S. security agencies to bless the transaction.
Lawyers who specialize in U.S. security issues say regulators will scrutinize details of the deal, potentially delaying it for several months or even making it impossible to complete. The $2.3 billion deal, which comes amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington,...


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COLUMBUS, Ohio – UCLA coach Cori Close didn't want one defeat to overshadow a season.
After Oklahoma got a mix of inside and outside production to beat the Bruins 85-72 on Monday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Close wanted to make sure the final score didn't overshadow what her team had accomplished.
"Ten years from now I'm going to value that they cared for each other and that they played their rear ends off and they never stopped being willing to look in the mirror and grow day by day," she said, fighting her emotions. "I never want that to be lost just because we didn't go as far as we wanted."
Atonye Nyingifa had 18 points, Markel Walker 14, Jasmine Dixon 13 and Alyssia Brewer and Thea Lemberger 10 apiece for third-seeded UCLA (26-8), which fell to 11-12 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
"We started at the beginning of the season kind of on our own paths," Nyingifa said. "We built it together and as a team. We kind of collaborated well together.
"Everything we've done thus far has been building since day one. We have grown and we see the growth."
Aaryn Ellenberg scored 27 points from the perimeter and Joanna McFarland handled things inside with 20 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Sooners into a regional semifinal against Tennessee (26-7) on Sunday, not far from campus in Oklahoma City. Sharane Campbell added 19 points and Nicole Griffin had 10 for the Sooners, who never trailed after a 15-3 first-half spurt.
The game was a rematch of each team's second game this season, when UCLA came to Norman, Okla., and beat the Sooners 86-80 on Nov. 14. In that game, the Bruins had bludgeoned the Sooners with their inside game, out-rebounding them 56-34 and turning 24 offensive boards into 23 second-chance points.
But on this night, the Sooners fought on relatively even terms inside and outscored the Bruins 33-6 from 3-point range by hitting 11 of 27 to UCLA's 2 of 12. Three times in the last three minutes, it was McFarland who grabbed offensive rebounds to take time off the clock and add to the lead.
"We just played together and we played with a lot of emotion," McFarland said. "We refused to lose. It was all or nothing. It was a team effort and it just felt amazing the whole night."
The Bruins, down 40-30 late in the first half, closed with a 7-2 run and scored eight of the first 11 points in the second half to tie it briefly at 45.
But then Campbell hit a three, McFarland made a free throw and Ellenberg made a three from at least five feet behind the arc to put Oklahoma ahead 52-45. The lead swelled to eight points when Griffin hit a free throw.
After the teams traded baskets over the next 2 1/2 minutes, Ellenberg raced down the floor in transition and hit a three to push the lead back to 10 with 12:19 remaining.
"We felt like were chasing them from the start of the game," Close said.
The advantage remained at or near 10 points until Ellenberg came off a pick out high and hit nothing but net on a three for a 74-60 lead with just 4:31 left. UCLA never got closer than nine again.
As before, the Bruins won the rebound battle, 50-37. But every time the Sooners needed a big basket, it seemed Ellenberg got it, and every time they needed a rebound it was McFarland grabbing it.
The Bruins will lose four senior starters.
"The last thing I told our team, I said, 'You have to understand that this group of seniors has brought the program to a new level. They persevered through a lot and there's only one way to honor them. And that's to take the baton and go to a new level,'" Close said. "They blazed a really incredible trail."


text:
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Topic: Boba Fett t-shirts
Some new Boba Fett t-shirts are coming out through the Star Wars Shop webpage. They have a retro "youth's" t-shirt (meaning, I can't wear it--how fair is that?) and a "comic" style t-shirt that also looks pretty retro. Kind of pricey for a t-shirt, but not too shabby.
http://shop.starwars.com/catalog/produc … ory_id=402
http://shop.starwars.com/catalog/produc … ory_id=402
"I'm just a simple Fan, trying to make my way in the universe."


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We know many students have to borrow to attend college. On top of that, the interest rates on many new federal student loans doubled on July 1 from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.
There are congressional efforts to lower the rates. But regardless of whether congressional Republicans and Democrats find a compromise on the student loan interest rate, the bigger issue is curbing the cost of college so interest rates don't matter as much. This is particularly important because a large number of students borrow and then don't finish college.
Just a little more than 50 percent of those who enter college leave with a bachelor's degree, notes Jeffrey J. Selingo, editor at large for the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Selingo has written a compelling book that looks at the state of higher education. "College (Un)bound: The Future of Higher Education and What it Means for Students" (Amazon Publishing/New Harvest, $26) is the July Color of Money Book Club selection.
"American higher education is broken," Selingo writes. "Like another American icon — the auto industry in Detroit — the higher-education industry is beset by hubris, opposition to change, and resistance to accountability."
Part of the reason higher education is in trouble can be traced to the "Lost Decade," as Selingo calls it. He defines it as the period from 1999 to 2009 when colleges were "chasing high-achieving students, showering them with scholarships to snatch them from competitors, and going deep into debt to build lavish residence halls, recreational facilities, and other amenities that contribute nothing to the actual learning of students."
But the decade of more has come to an end, leaving many people in debt. In 2003, according to Selingo, only two colleges charged more than $40,000 annually for tuition, fees, room and board. By 2009, 224 had crossed the mark, and another 58 had passed the $50,000 plateau.
Selingo takes the approach that we can't move forward without looking back. He talks about how we arrived at colleges becoming similar to corporations — with administrative salaries ballooning — to the great credential race in which colleges and universities created an "almost insatiable demand for college credentials" by people looking to gain a competitive advantage in the job market.
"For the unemployed or those stuck in dead-end jobs, the constant barrage of advertisements by colleges seems to offer a way to stand out in a pile of job applicants," Selingo writes. "The bachelor's degree, the symbol of success and the ticket to the middle class for the post-World War II generations, has slowly become the new high-school diploma."
The schools themselves have been racing to gain prestige. "But as with individuals who try to differentiate themselves by earning another credential," Selingo writes, "the vast majority of schools that try to stand out end up looking like everyone else trying to do the same thing."
Selingo's historical tour of higher education is important in order to understand how to resolve the problems in the scholastic industry. You come away with a keener understanding of why college costs so much and how schools have been able to get families to ignore prices. His research is peppered with real-life examples of high-school students sold on colleges they couldn't afford. "I was really stubborn," he quotes one young woman. "I wasn't going to let anyone tell me I couldn't go because my parents didn't make a lot of money."
But she needed to be told — because her financial aid package was top-heavy with student loans. "Under pressure, families sometimes make bad financial decisions: students because they don't know any better and parents because they don't want to disappoint their sons and daughters," Selingo reports.
Moving forward to the future, Selingo talks about the forces that are and will continue to change higher education. Schools are in debt, state funds to colleges have been cut, and fewer families are willing to pay skyrocketing prices. Such developments will force schools to deliver their product in increasingly different ways, such as providing more online courses. He profiles a program that allows students, especially older adults returning to college, to demonstrate the mastery of a subject through a series of assessment tests, thereby reducing the time and money they need to spend to get a degree. He sees an unbundling of the traditional structured college experience.
This is a compelling look at higher education. Selingo is critical, but he's also encouraging. With so much time and money at stake, the issues he raises and the possibilities he explores are well worth your time.
I'll be hosting a live online discussion about "College (Un)bound" at noon Eastern on Aug. 8 at washingtonpost.com/discussions. Selingo will join me to answer your questions. Every month, I randomly select readers to receive a copy of the featured book, which is donated by the publisher. For a chance to win a copy of this month's selection, send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com with your name and address.
Readers may write to Michelle Singletary at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 or email@example.com. Personal responses may not be possible, and comments or questions may be used in a future column, with the writer's name, unless otherwise requested. To read previous Color of Money columns, go to postbusiness.com.


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Antidepressant use during the first trimester of pregnancy was not associated with a greater risk of cardiac malformations in the offspring, a large cohort study showed.
The rate of cardiac malformations was 72.3 per 10,000 babies who were not exposed to antidepressants early in pregnancy and 90.1 per 10,000 babies whose mothers did take antidepressants, although the difference was not statistically significant in a propensity-matched analysis confined to women with diagnosed depression, according to Krista Huybrechts, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues.
The findings were consistent for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) -- the most commonly prescribed agents -- and other antidepressants, the researchers reported in the June 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
In an interview, Huybrechts indicated that the study can help inform the decision made by women and their physicians about the relative risks and benefits of using antidepressants during pregnancy, which can involve numerous factors.
"What this study indicates is that concerns about a potential increased risk of cardiac malformations should not factor into that decision," she said. "The accumulated evidence suggests that the absolute risk is low, and our study indicates that there is no substantial increased risk of cardiac malformations associated with first trimester use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or other antidepressants during pregnancy."
RELATED: Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy May Not Affect Baby's Growth
Previous studies have shown that 8% to 13% of pregnant women in the U.S. use antidepressants, with the rate increasing over time, and that there are possible relationships between prenatal exposure to the drugs and heart defects in the offspring. Results are mixed, however, and "it has remained unclear ... whether these associations are causal or due to systematic error or chance."
To explore the issue, Huybrechts and colleagues examined data from the nationwide Medicaid Analytic eXtract covering 2000 through 2007. The analysis included 949,504 adolescents and women ages 12 to 55 who were enrolled in Medicaid from 3 months before the last menstrual period through 1 month after delivery of a live-born baby.
Overall, 6.8% of the women used antidepressants during the first trimester (with some exposed to more than one such medication) -- an SSRI was used by 4.9%, a tricyclic antidepressant by 0.6%, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) by 0.7%, bupropion by 0.9%, and "other" agents by 0.7%. The most common SSRIs were sertraline, paroxetine, and fluoxetine.
When comparing babies born to women who used antidepressants in the first trimester with those born to mothers who did not, there were greater risks of cardiac defects associated with the use of SSRIs, SNRIs, and "other" antidepressants in unadjusted analyses.
Those risks were attenuated when the analyses were restricted to women with diagnosed depression and were rendered nonsignificant in fully adjusted analyses that used propensity-score matching among women with depression.
Prior studies have raised particular concerns surrounding the use of paroxetine and sertraline, but the researchers found no significant relationship between paroxetine and right ventricular outflow tract obstruction or between sertraline and ventricular septal defects.
"Our results do not support earlier findings of an association between antidepressant use and cardiac anomalies, in particular findings with respect to the use of paroxetine and sertraline," the authors wrote.
They noted that the current analysis differed from the previous studies in that it was restricted to women with diagnosed depression "to mitigate potential confounding by the underlying psychiatric illness and associated conditions and behaviors, factors that might increase the risk of structural cardiac malformations by means of several mechanisms."
"Smoking, alcohol and drug use, poor maternal diet, obesity, and chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are all more common in patients with depression than in those without depression, and are potential risk factors for congenital cardiac anomalies," they wrote.
Also, they wrote, women with depression and anxiety are more likely to have cardiac defects detected in their offspring because they tend to use more healthcare resources -- including ultrasonography, amniocentesis, and echocardiography of the infant -- during pregnancy compared with other women.
The researchers acknowledged some limitations, however, including the restriction to women who had live births (which resulted in missing cardiac malformations that caused fetal death or resulted in termination of the pregnancy) and the potential for misclassification or residual confounding from incomplete or missing factors.
Although the data came only from a Medicaid population, Huybrechts said that she thinks the findings are applicable to the broader group of pregnant women. Medicaid cohorts tend to be younger and more racially diverse than the general population, she said, but neither age nor race/ethnicity had significant interactions with the results.
"Therefore, unless there are other factors distinguishing our study cohort from other populations of pregnant women that affect the biologic relations under study, our results should be generalizable to other populations," she and her colleagues wrote.


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Alex Song is best known for his defensive capabilities, but his all-round game has come on leaps and bounds in recent months according to Arsene Wenger.
The 24-year-old Cameroonian international's rise to prominence has come as a surprise to everyone, after a memorable week which first saw the midfielder turn provider for Robin Van Persie's winning goal against Norwich last weekend.
Days later he was at it again, as Song produced a piece of wing-wizardry, to assist the Gunners captain in breaking the deadlock against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
"It shows that players need to be given time and confidence," said Wenger. "Unfortunately in the big clubs you cannot always do it.
"He is one of the players who surprised everybody. You wouldn't expect what he delivers at the moment.
"He looks to me also to be a creative player. He was a centre back, but him and Andre Santos are players who look like they could play in creative midfield."
It hasn't all been plain sailing for Song though - the African ace took time to settle into his north London surroundings, but he has gone on to establish himself as an important player at the Emirates Stadium.
"He had periods when he had doubts in his mind, when people would say he was a bad buy or things like that," continued Wenger. "When you are a young boy that is difficult to take but he's got over that. He went through some difficult periods.
"You can talk and talk as a manager but either you play somebody or you don't. That is the best way to show confidence in a player. In the last three years he has played a lot."


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Things to see and do in Golden Bay
A few tips on what to see and what to do in the beautiful Golden Bay region
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- Take a tour through the Te Anaroa Caves in Rockville, and be amazed by the fossils, stalagmites, stalactites and glowworms.
- Make a day of it up the Anatoki River: see the animals and feed the tame eels at Bencarri Farm Park, then pop next door and go fishing and have your catch hot smoked at Anatoki Salmon.
- Hit the water! Kayaking the quieter and beautiful northern end of the Abel Tasman National Park is a great way to explore the park.
- Take a scenic coastal drive past the massive limestone cliffs at Tarakohe, to the Golden Beaches of Ligar Bay and Tata Beach.
- Pack your togs and go for a bush walk – the Wainui Falls are a 30 minute walk from the carpark, and there's some great swimming holes in the river on the way to the falls, and there's a swing bridge too!
- Sample and apple cider or manuka beer, with a steaming plate of mussels at the iconic Golden Bay venue The Mussel Inn.
- Take a stroll through native forest to Te Waikoropupu springs, New Zealands largest freshwater springs, and home of the clearest spring water in the world.
- Jump on a horse! Choose from a beach ride on the shaggy haired Icelandic horses, or see some seriously dramatic Farewell Spit scenery from horseback at Puponga.
- Drive to the most northerly tip of the South island and take a walk around Puponga farm, or take a guided tour along Farewell Spit.
- Visit Wharariki Beach at the northern end of Golden Bay.


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Our crew of over 5+ SDS/2 steel detailers right here in India is familiar with area codes and basic engineering principles. Staying in your time and efforts zone hastens communication. When you would like our abilities in a challenge meeting.
All steel members necessary to Establish the framework are fabricated and erected from shop and erection drawings developed from the structural steel detailer.
Steel detailing consists of the generation of specific drawings for fabricators and contractors, and features designs and estimates, along with other studies and significant tasks. The process consists of two main different types of drawings—store drawings and erection drawings.
A pc-aided detailer also needs expertise in utilizing personal computers and an knowledge of the particular CAD application she or He's to work with.
We create the 3D products instead of 2nd point of view drawings which has specifics of structure, portions, resources and also other details that can be Employed in both of those — the construction and management of the setting up.
3D modeling tools for steel detailing Progress Steel detailing computer application is built around the AutoCAD System. Structural engineering gurus make use of the program to aid accelerate design, steel detailing, steel fabrication, and steel development.
Structural and miscellaneous steel detailing to general contractors, steel erectors and fabricators throughout the world. We've got executed quite a few significant initiatives in US, British isles and Australia, where by Now we have sent quality services with accuracy and shopper fulfillment.
Sophisticated 3D design lets All people linked to the making lifecycle – architects, engineers, contractors and building owners – to see the design in different ways and share all necessary information.
The bottom line is the fact that through the use of SSC to Detail your task, you'll be able to make certain that your entire program desires is going to be Steel Detailing Services achieved and We are going to make good quality operate. Our popularity is built on it.
An organization that makes inventory merchandise, which may be offered directly to customers and/or as a result of distributors.
Setting up Data Product, is really a technological innovation platform on which Skilled here from architecture, engineering and design field can operate and share details collaboratively and efficiently.
A detailer's drawings typically go through quite a few phases. Subsequent development with the drawing, the detailer should commonly (as explained earlier mentioned) post a duplicate of your drawing to website the architect and engineer Steel Detailing Services for evaluation ("approval") Copies with the drawing could be despatched to other recipients presently also, including the builder, for informational reasons only.
Interaction with our customers is vital to SSC. We established obvious undertaking goals and preserve our clients routinely up-to-date on undertaking developments and milestones.
Working with specific, constructible different Structures designs minimizes highly-priced surprises and rework, and lets a lot more financially rewarding assignments with full method optimization.
We simply believe in providing accuracy in our steel detailing and solely concentrate on the project for aptness. If you want steel detailing services, Steel Structural Consultant helps you in every way to fulfill your requirements with reasonable charges.


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Welcome to I've Had That a place where as a community we can catalog and discuss cigars, beer, and whiskey. Please register and introduce yourself.Dismiss Notice
The Cabinet - Whiskey Discussion
A place to chat about bourbon, scotch and other whiskey. Make trades, buy and sell, and discuss just about anything else.
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Handsome Dan II
There was no successor to Handsome Dan I until 1933, when the freshman class bought with pennies they had collected, a white bulldog and presented him to Yale and he remained until his death (heart trouble) in 1937. He was taken out to a couple of football games but did not "bring any luck" as a mascot. He was given to Head Football Coach Ducky Pond. On the eve of the 1934 Yale-Harvard football game, he was dognapped by a group of Harvard students. The following day, Yale men winced when the newspapers carried a photo of him licking "a hamburger", and quite joyously, at the feet of the John Harvard's statue. His death was the result of a leg fracture received in a jump.


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I got a new regular-ish freelance writing gig and one of my first assignments was to pen a few "accidentally vegan" pieces. I proposed a few potential items, Speculoos spread among them. The stuff has a sort of cult following among Euro-savvy vegans, and I'd always wanted to try it. The ingredients are roughly 60 percent Speculoos cookies (the toast-colored kind you get at cafes and on airplanes that have a subtle cinnamony-ness to them), and the remaining 40 percent is stuff you wish you didn't know about, like oil and sugar.
|Looks innocuous enough, right?
|Going in for the kill.
|The aftermath. Deadly!
My next "accidentally vegan" review will be researched and written the old-fashioned way: using first-hand reporting methods that include interviewing people who've tried the product rather than indulging myself. That, or I'm going to have to start reviewing things like carrots and water.


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18 Sep 2016
room-at-inn Posted in By Katy Kelley On September 18, 2016
Follow @TwinCitiesGeeks on Twitter or Like Twin Cities Geek on Facebook for more great stuff from Minnesota geeks in your feed!
About the Author
Katy Kelley
Katy is a teacher by trade, a fosterer of language development and critical thinking. Outside of teaching, she spends time playing Star Trek Catan, reading lengthy novels, volunteering, cooking, and wishing she lived on Pern, complete with telepathic dragon.


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Integration Product Manager
Click the Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn icons to share this job with your friends or contacts. Click the Twitter icon to tweet this job to your followers. Click the link button to view the URL of the job, which then can be copied and pasted into an e-mail or other document.
Job Details
Overland Park, KS 66210
Job Description
Lead a team that acts as the central resource and driving force for the design, process, manufacturing, test, quality and marketing of product(s) as they move from conception to distribution. Organize interdepartmental activities ensuring completion of the project/product on schedule and within budget.
As a member of the product development division, you will specify, design and implement major changes to existing software architecture. Define project needs. Build and execute unit tests and unit test plans. Review integration and regression plans created by QA. Communicate with QA and porting engineering to ensure consistency, testability and portability across products in general.
Provide leadership and expertise in the development of new products/services/processes, frequently operating at the leading edge of technology. Recommends and justifies major changes to existing products/services/processes. BS or MS degree or equivalent experience relevant to functional area. 8 or more years of software engineering or related experience.
Oracle is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans status or any other characteristic protected by law.
On the CX Platform team, we arelooking for a few great people to join our non-traditional product managementorganization. Our group is an umbrella organization encompassing all of the CXCloud products at Oracle. Our job is to ensure that the CX products work andplay well with each other as it pertains to feature, function, security,standards and integration. This team is highly visible to executive managementand has executive backing on projects enabling multiple projects to get startedand completed in parallel.
On a day to day basis, the PM onthis team will:
- Work on generating next-gen ideas that will be used to make Salespeople, Marketers, Merchandizers and Service people more effective
- Collaborate with our own product management and engineering teams as well as those across the Oracle CX suite of products to promote, plan and execute projects that will further unify those products
- Present to and work with executives to strategically determine the right projects to move forward and get backing for projects moving forward
- Manage and perform various research projects to help determine the viability of proposed projects as it pertains to technical feasibility, return on investment and other criteria
We are looking for folks with thefollowing skillsets:
- Technical Background – You've got to understand integrations in the modern world. You must be able to talk the talk with technical people from diverse backgrounds. It is important to build strong relationships with technical staff. You must build a credibility that typically only comes from living in that world for some time.
- Domain Experience – You must be able to talk the talk with business people who work with Sales, Service, Commerce, Social and / or Marketing. It is important to understand the business processes and problems that we are trying to solve. Without this knowledge, it becomes difficult (if not impossible) to effectively build solutions. Experience with SaaS based enterprise software is a must. Experience with middleware and integration technologies such as SOA Suite, Oracle Integration Cloud, OpenAPI / Swagger, GraphQL, etc. is also a must.
- Communication – You don t need to have 1mm views on Ted Talks, however, you do need to be able to communicate to executives and stakeholders in written and visual (ppt, lots of ppt) communication.
- Flair for Innovation – We are looking for next generation ideas. We are thinking about solutions and technologies that may be 3-5 years out. If you are a person who has the latest IoT devices in your house and have been constantly thinking about the latest in ML advancements while driving your Model 3 to CES, we may be looking for you.
/As part of Oracle semployment process candidates will be required to complete a pre-employmentscreening process, after a conditional offer has been extended./
- *
Oracle is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment withoutregard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation,gender identity, disability and protected veterans status or any othercharacteristic protected by law.
Job: Product Development
Organization: Oracle
Title: Integration Product Manager
Location: United States
Requisition ID: 19000RVP
To view full details and how to apply, please login or create a Job Seeker account.


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DOWNLOAD: Abdu Ali, "Push + Slay"
Sitting outside a Mid-Town Belvedere coffee shop on a warm October afternoon, Abdu Ali Eaton was dressed a lot like his music sounds. He wore beat-to-hell pink-and-yellow Adidas high-tops, black sweatpants that scrunch at the bottom and a vintage Cosby sweater that peaked through a buttoned-up oversize camouflage jacket.
It's a messy, couldn't-care-less-what-anyone-thinks collage that defies categorization, yet somehow works in the 23-year-old's hands.
When talking with Ali, who records simply as Abdu Ali, it quickly became apparent he is adamantly uninterested in following any trend — fashion, music or otherwise.
"I don't want to sound like nobody else," Ali said, punching his fist. "That's one of my main goals. It's kind of crazy; a lot of these rappers want to sound like ASAP Rocky or they try to sound like Kendrick Lamar. I don't understand. Why do you want to sound like other people?"
As he has made clear on his two mixtapes (November 2012's "Invictos" and May's "Push + Slay"), Abdu Ali does not sound like ASAP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar or any other rapper who has even sniffed a Billboard chart. He describes his music as a mix of noise, punk, Baltimore Club and funk, but it has rapping and ambient vibes, too.
In a short process, the man who grew up in central Baltimore's Orchard Mews Apartments has become the city's most transfixing new artist. From his chaotic, danceable music and surreal videos to his electric live performances, Abdu Ali is a creative force making must-hear and must-see art that is rooted in Baltimore but aims for global acceptance.
"A lot of people would be scared to say this out there, but I'm not going to be scared," Ali said in his Charles Village bedroom, a few days after our first conversation, between sips of hot green tea from a jar that once held pasta sauce. "I do want to be respected by the biggest, most talented artists that I look up to. I want my name to come out of their mouths. If anything, I'm striving for international respect as a musician. Not fame, not mainstream."
When discussing his music, Ali boldly talks with confidence, but he grew up "this shy kid who didn't really say anything." Ali, who is gay, can vividly describe being teased and bullied in elementary and middle school. He remembers a peer frequently pointing at him while singing the Jay-Z song "Girls, Girls, Girls." He was called "faggot" for declining to play in a neighborhood football game. Ali wonders now if he was being overly sensitive, but knows these moments have stuck with him for a reason.
"I know it's serious because I still remember these things at 23 years old and I still feel some type of way," he said.
Things improved when Ali attended the magnet high school Baltimore City College, which he describes as "very open" and "free-spirited." The change of scenery was the catalyst Ali needed to discover who he truly was.
"That's where I started to grow as me. That's when my personality came out. I built confidence in myself," he said.
He went on to attend the University of Baltimore, where he is set to graduate this spring with a bachelor's degree in creative writing. Ali mainly expressed himself through poetry until January 2012, when he recorded his first song, "Banjee Musick," an ominous dance track produced by Baltimore producer Schwarz. He adds that he was lost, in a "real dark place" when he finally decided to write it. "I won't be afraid. I can't be afraid," Ali chants.
Although his only musical background was singing in the middle school choir, Ali says he had always wanted to make music but never had the courage to follow through. He partially credits seeing the success of DDm, a Baltimore rapper who is also gay, for inspiring him to finally record. To Ali's surprise, modest music blogs and YouTube commenters responded positively to "Banjee Musick," which encouraged him enough to create his first mixtape, "Invictos."
Ali played his first show in March of this year, and in the same month he traveled to Texas for the South by Southwest music festival. On the last day, Ali played GayBiGayGay, a festival-within-a-festival described as "a yearly celebration full of queer music." Standing before about 300 people, his biggest audience by a large margin, Ali knew music was now his No. 1 priority.
"When I did that, I was like, 'I can't stop,'" he said. "It felt so good. People was feeling it."
Fully committed to music, Ali shifted his attention to his second mixtape, "Push + Slay." He considered "Invictos" an announcement of his arrival — an introduction of sorts — but the follow-up had to be more raw, aggressive and abrasive. His sources of inspiration came from the soundtracks of the nights his family played Spades together: the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ready to Die," Lil Kim's "Hardcore," Three 6 Mafia's "Lord Infamous" — albums obsessed with power, respect and hustling at all costs.
"A lot of the '90s hip-hop albums was about survival of the fittest. Social Darwinism and all that," Ali said. "I wanted to contribute to that scenario and put my own perspective on it. Like, 'Now I'm about to tell what the [expletive] I want, how I want and what way I'ma go and get it."
"Push + Slay" is Baltimore's "Yeezus," an uncompromising album that is unafraid to be ugly, forceful and harsh in the name of impassioned deliverance. "Mad Ambrosia" sounds celebratory and utterly paranoid. "Told Em (Pig Wigz) Remix Magahour" denounces law enforcement ("It's very direct: cops, pigs. I don't think they're good people, to be honest with you," Ali said matter-of-factly). "Crye" is his version of a "hip-hop sexual song" where Ali tells a lover their encounter is strictly physical.
He recites "Crye's" lyrics: "Ain't no point in loving a man who running like a bullet from a gun" before adding, "It emphasizes that all I'm thinking about is hustling. I'm not into making love. It's like 50 Cent." He smirks while quoting 50's "In Da Club."
"Bleed," a "Push + Slay" standout, was produced by Baltimore Club producer James Gross, aka James Nasty. Ali's hook echoes the same fortitude found all over "Yeezus": "I'm gonna give you what you need until it [expletive] bleeds." Gross said the pair's studio sessions succeeded because they forced each other to explore sounds they normally shied away from.
"We get pretty heated sometimes. I would always consider it challenging," Gross, 32, of Mount Vernon, said. "With my Club background, I'm way more into this tribal, percussive, guttural, earth-y sound. He challenged me to add more atmosphere and space to things."
Gross says Ali is poised for a national breakthrough because he refuses to compromise his integrity.
"He has a unique vision and he ... makes sure he gives all of him," Gross said. "He's far from the cookie-cutter hip-hop artist right now, where it's about a certain lifestyle and all that. He's like, 'This is me.'"
Ali mentions "Push + Slay's" other influences: Blackie, Death Grips, Patti Smith, the Beatles. While there is no guarantee that elements of those acts will find their way onto Ali's next project, one influence definitely will: Baltimore Club. It was a staple in his adolescence and remains a source of pride. He's a child of drag-performer Miss Tony, "Club Queen" K-Swift and the genre's other unforgettable stars.
"Baltimore Club was probably the No. 1 musical influence in my childhood," Ali said. "I didn't grow up in the best neighborhood, but it was always a way for us to express ourselves. It was our music. We owned it."
Ali wants his music to reach the world, but he will not do it without incorporating his hometown's genre. It's in his DNA, so it must also be in the music's. And he's frustrated and frankly dumbfounded more Baltimore artists don't do the same.
"Me and my friends always talk about, 'Why don't local artists rap on Baltimore Club beats?' It's kind of like they're ashamed of it or something. They're so afraid of being localized, but then they end up sounding like other people," Ali said. "You have to use it. I can hear Magnolia [Projects in Louisiana] in Lil Wayne's early [music]. I can hear New York in Biggie or even Nicki Minaj when she first came out. You can hear it."
Randy Seay, the 22-year-old Cedonia producer known as Matic808, crafted "Push + Slay's" opening track, "Hustle Da Apple." He says "Push + Slay" and "Yeezus" are similar because both push listeners beyond their natural comfort limits.
"His music doesn't sound like anybody else's here," Seay said of Ali. "Some songs, he might be screaming. Then the next one is more chilled out. It's a totally different vibe for a whole new scene on the rise."
Next year, Ali wants to perform at New York's annual CMJ Music Marathon and "big festivals." He also plans to release "Octarine," what he calls the third installment of the trilogy. He predicts "Octarine," named after the imaginary color of magic, will turn his art into his career.
"This is going to be my project that is going to make people pay a lot of attention," Ali said. "It's going to be that mixtape that a lot of rappers did before they got signed."
And yes, the goal is to get signed. At first, Ali's DIY ethic turned him off to the idea of signing with a major label. As his aspirations have grown, he is more open to it. In his words, Abdu Ali is on a mission to "uplift and inspire" the world, and he plans to hustle his way to the mountaintop by any means.
"I will get signed. I'll get distribution, a management team — whatever works," Ali said. "At first I was anti-[corporation]. But no, I gotta do whatever it takes to get where I need to be."
If you go
Abdu Ali performs Saturday at The Crown, 1910 N. Charles St., second floor, as apart of Kahlon, a dance party. TT The Artist, Ponyo, Gurl Crush and David Revlon will also perform. Entrance is $5. Call 410-625-4848 or go to facebook.com/thecrownbaltimore.


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(Repeats story that ran earlier in the day, no changes)
* April-June 1988 was drier in Midwest than this year
* Fears mount as bulk of US corn crop enters pollination
* Corn Belt weather outlook for next week is hot and dry
By Christine Stebbins
CHICAGO, June 28 (Reuters) - Just one year ago Jeff Scates saw the worst flooding on his southern Illinois farmland since 1937. Today, Scates is watching his corn fields shrivel from the driest season in 24 years.
"We've gone from one extreme to the other, from being flooded on three-quarters of the farm now to a drought," said Scates, 42, who with his family members farms 15,000 acres of corn, soybeans and other crops along the Kentucky-Indiana border where the Ohio and Wabash Rivers meet.
Scates said his corn is still in better shape than many fields of his neighbors, who farm sandier soils that do not retain moisture. Moisture is needed to develop a strong root system to sustain plants in the hottest months of July and August.
He says this growing season is reminiscent of the summer of 1988, when the central Corn Belt had significant crop losses. Field conditions were hot and dry early this spring, similar to what happened 24 years ago when local crops, especially corn, were disseminated by lack of summer rains.
"Clearly it's one of these nasty droughts. If it doesn't surpass 1988, it certainly is going to rival it or be among the so-called great droughts we've had in the past 30 years," said Bob Nielsen, extension agronomist at Purdue University, who recalled his time as a crop advisor in 1988 to Indiana farmers.
U.S. corn prices have soared 17 percent this month as day after day of hot dry weather persists in the heart of the Midwest, where Iowa and Illinois alone produce one-third of all U.S. corn and soybeans.
The markets are "on fire" as concerns mount that the United States, the world's top exporter of these two food and feed crops, will be hit with crop losses. That would hit not only the U.S. government budget and insurance companies with crop insurance payments but also spur a fresh round of world food price inflation, experts say.
Concerns right now are zeroed in on corn, which is planted before soybeans and is just entering its key growth stage of pollination — the period when the corn plant starts producing the grain kernels. In the Midwest, the pollination will be under way for the next four weeks. There is a direct correlation between pollination and final yields, with the success of pollination determined by the level of moisture and amount of heat the corn plant receives.
USDA on Monday rated 56 percent of the U.S. corn crop as good/excellent, the lowest rating in that category in late June since 1988. That year, U.S. farmers produced only 4.9 billion bushels of corn, a full 33 percent below the government's initial May estimate of 7.3 billion bushels. Currently, USDA is forecasting a record U.S. corn crop of 14.8 billion bushels for 2012. That estimate came on June 12, before the latest drought pressures.
Among the Midwest states hardest hit by drought at the moment are Illinois and Indiana, which rank second and fifth in corn output. In each state, less than 40 percent of the young corn crop is now rated in good to excellent condition.
Counter-balancing this concern for overall U.S. production are much better rated crop conditions currently in other key areas of the Midwest including top producer Iowa and Minnesota, which just received some rain, and Nebraska where about 40 percent of the corn is irrigated.
Nielsen said 2012 is shaping up as "a perfect storm" for Indiana that will threaten this year's corn crop. His current worry: persistent drought conditions coupled with a forecast for extreme heat and little moisture over the next seven to 10 days as Indiana's corn crop pollinates.
The National Weather Service is calling for above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation for the next six to 10 days from Ohio to Nebraska, southward to Missouri. Highs on Wednesday were 100 F in Des Moines, Iowa; 102 in Omaha; and 93 in Champaign, Illinois.
Crop watchers say that despite similar fears 2012 is far from an exact match of 1988. Conditions were drier, for example, for the April to June quarter in 1988 compared with 2012, so the stress was earlier in the crop cycle, crop experts say.
This year the extreme drought conditions so far are in a smaller chunk of the belt, specifically the southern tips of Indiana and Illinois and southeast Missouri. These areas currently have the same rain deficits as in 1988. Rain in July will be absolutely key to the corn crop's fate: in 1988 rainfall during the spring to early summer was some 8 to 10 inches below normal, according to the Midwest Climate Center.
Heat also matters, as the corn plant stops growing when temperatures go above 90 degrees. So far, 2012 has been hotter across a broader swathe of the Midwest than 1988. For instance, the average temperature from April to June in Indiana has been nearly 2 degrees above 1988.
"It does not mean that conditions cannot become as serious as they were in 1988," said Elwynn Taylor, climatologist for Iowa State University. "It's just that most of the damage to the crop in 1988 was done in May and June. This year June will be ending with the majority of the crop still considered in good condition."
Emerson Nafziger, an agronomist with the University of Illinois, said his biggest fear is that many farmers in the southern areas of the Midwest have already thrown in the towel and halted fieldwork, irrigation, spraying and so on.
"Rain is the only thing we need on this crop. There isn't a lot of things we can go out and do to fix it," Nafziger said. "People aren't willing to spend any money if they are already into an insurance claim, and many of them are."
There are reports were corn in southern Illinois is only 2 to 3 feet tall and tasseling, he said. "That's a field that is not going to produce a yield." (Reporting by Christine Stebbins. Editing by Peter Bohan and Bob Burgdorfer)


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Individually handcrafted in a thirty-step process, the EuroCave Performance 259 will provide years of smooth, quiet, vibration-free service with the utmost ease of operation. Stored in these true wine cellars, your finest vintages will develop to their full potential. The Performance 259 series has built-in versatility: build this wine cellar into your kitchen counter, or stand it on the floor in your den, TV room, or office! Also the security lock and key will keep your valuable collection protected.
Available with either a 1-Temperature Zone or a Multi-Temperature Zone.
• The 1-temperature cabinet re-creates the natural deep cellar and ensures a constant optimum temperature between 55°F and 57°F. The hygrometer provides an LCD display to advise of humidity range. Built-in alarm alerts when humidity level has fallen below 50%. Water can be added to cassettes to increase humidity to optimum range of 50-80%. The multi-temperature cabinet has a temperature graduation; the upper section (59-72°F) for red wine service and the lower section (41-54°F) for chilling white wines and champagne for service. The unit will create a temperature graduation from the top to the bottom using the two temperatures that you set as the minimum and maximum. The unit can also be used for long term storage for proper aging of your wine. The multi-temperature unit does not contain a hygrometer or a lava rock cassette.
*Capacity is based off using standard 750 mL size bottles, using larger Pinot Noir/Rhone size bottles may limit the capacity. If you would like to store larger bottles you can easily adjust the height of any of the shelves. Additional shelves will lower bottle capacity.*Please allow 1 to 3 weeks for delivery
EuroCave Performance 183 Dimensions: 70"H x 23-1/2"W x 22-1/4"D Weight:140 lbs. (Does not include shelving or wine)
EuroCave Performance 183 Capacity: Up to 165 bottles*
EuroCave Performance 183 Model Number:258 25 01 1X
Collections: EuroCave Wine Refrigerators, Wine Refrigerators


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Thrive in a Rapidly Changing World – The Next Generation of IT
Networking is predicted to become the second fastest growing occupation in the U.S., faster than the average for all occupations, and should continue to grow as we invest in new, quicker technology and mobile networks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for network administrators, network support specialists and computer network architects alone is projected to grow by more than 20 percent by 2018.
Here's an infographic to show the industry's growth, what the future of tech looks like and the skills that will be in demand.
The combination of new security threats, regulatory compliance mandates, and the need to protect customer and organizational data has driven the demand for a more efficient use of network security technologies within architectures. The increasing complexity of network security responsibilities with mobility, social networking, voice, video, virtualization, cloud computing and physical safety and security requirements is driving greater specialization and advanced skills on the products that facilitate these solutions, including virtual private networks, firewalls, authentication and intrusion prevention.
Explosive data growth and new transformational technologies such as cloud computing, converged infrastructure, unified networking and big data are changing the way organizations are running their businesses today. These new technologies affect not only IT systems and infrastructures, but also the practitioners that design, install, operate and manage them.
The hyper-growth of video traffic over IP networks demands that all related staff begin to speak the language of "jitter, loss, and latency" for the CEO's broadcast messages to employees, for the factory floor's use of digital signs to control production systems, and for the mobile professional viewing video conferences on a mobile tablet.
Staying in touch with these industry advancements is necessary to survive and thrive in this rapidly changing world. It's never been a better time to enter into this market or reskill employees. This is an exciting career opportunity for anyone that wants to be at the forefront of what technology can do for business.
In this video, Jeanne discusses the changing role of the Internet, and its fueling of the next generation of jobs in the industry.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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Assembly and Deploy Tools for WebSphere Administration 8.5.5
Downloadable files
IBM Assembly and Deploy Tools for WebSphere Administration 8.5.5.
Download Description
This download document contains updates for IBM Assembly and Deploy Tools for WebSphere Administration.
You must have IBM Assembly and Deploy Tools for WebSphere Administration 8.5.0, or later, installed on your computer.
You need up to 1.5 GB of disk space to install the fix pack. To download and extract the compressed installation files, you need an additional 4 GB of disk space.
Installation Instructions
Important: By default, you do not need to download the compressed files that contain the update; the update is downloaded and installed by IBM Installation Manager directly from the IBM update repository.
For instructions on installing this update using Installation Manager, see the topic "Updating Installed Product Packages" in the information center for Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software.
To download and install the update from the compressed files, complete the following steps:
- Download the update files from Fix Central by following the link listed in the download table below.
- Extract the compressed files in an appropriate directory. For example, choose to extract to C:\temp\update .
- Add the update's repository location in IBM Installation Manager:
- Start IBM Installation Manager.
- On the Start page of Installation Manager, click File > Preferences, and then click Repositories. The Repositories page opens.
- On the Repositories page, click Add Repository.
- In the Add repository window, browse to or enter the file path to the diskTag.inf file, which is located in the disk1 sub-directory in the directory where you extracted the compressed files and then click OK. For example, enter C:\temp\updates\disk1\diskTag.inf.
- Click OK to close the Preference page.
- Install the update as described in the the topic "Updating Installed Product Packages" in the information center for Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software.
Download package
You can download the fix pack from Fix Central using either Download Director, HTTP or FTP.
- Click the link in the table that follows to access Fix Central.
- Under Fix pack: 184.108.40.206-Rational-RAD-groupfixpack (IBM Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software Version 8.5.5), click Show contained fixes.
- Ensure that you select fix pack: 184.108.40.206-Rational-RADAD-fixzippack (IBM Assembly and Deploy Tools for WebSphere Administration version 8.5.5).
- Follow the prompts on the Fix Central download page to complete the download.
For information about how to download WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 from Passport Advantage Online website, see
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|13 Sep 2013
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Application Deployment
Software version: 8.5.5, 9.0.1
Operating system(s): Linux, Windows
Reference #: 4035729
Modified date: 14 December 2013


text:
DETROIT – As cars become more technologically advanced it is becoming increasingly important for automakers to collaborate with the high-tech firms in Silicon Valley, industry experts at the 2014 SAE World Congress say.
But there are challenges in building a bridge between the Motor City and Silicon Valley. Chief among them are the dramatic differences between the two industries.
Jeff Owens, chief technical officer for supplier Delphi, notes some of the disparities, including short development times for tech firms compared with the lengthy schedules needed by automakers, as well as the need for auto companies to build products that last for decades, while consumer electronics have much shorter life expectancies.
"There are different perspectives so how do we successfully blend cultures?" he says. "The (auto industry) is risk-averse vs. risk-tolerant in Silicon Valley. But the convergence is speeding up and there is no going back."
Owens says the penetration of computers in cars is increasing, with vehicles produced in the U.S. and Europe now containing 50 on average. Delphi, he says, ships more computers daily than Dell and Hewlett Packard combined.
"There's no doubt the future of the industry is heavily dependent on building a bridge between Silicon Valley and the auto industry," Owens says.
Takeshi Mitamura, general manager-Nissan Research Center, agrees there are substantial cultural differences between the two industries that must be overcome, but says there is much each can learn from one another.
Silicon Valley has developed practices that could be beneficial to the auto industry, such as rapid prototyping.
To leverage the talent in Silicon Valley, Nissan hosts group meetings every two months to foster new ideas from the roughly 450 attendees.
"The human network is the key component for this dynamic, and this also applies to building the bridge between the Motor City and Silicon Valley," he says. "We believe the human aspects are an essential part to develop a working bridge between completely different worlds."
John Suh, managing director-Hyundai Ventures, says there already is a bridge between the two industries, but there is a need to fortify it.
Technology moves at a rapid pace, evolving from desktop computing just over a decade ago to wearable devices like the new Google Glass. Suh says the auto industry would be wise to keep abreast of new developments and adopt them if they are a fit for vehicles.
"Change happens quickly," he says. "If we take that as a given, what will it mean 10 years from now? The impact and differences will be bigger, and by being in Silicon Valley (automakers) can understand how to respond."
Like Nissan, Suh says Hyundai fosters collaboration, calling it necessary to bridge the gaps between the two industries. The network there is "great (and) the ability to talk and share ideas is easy," he says, adding "we're not talking about sharing secrets."
Rob Csongor, vice president and general manager of the automotive business at tech firm NVIDIA, foresees even greater integration between the automobile and advanced technology.
NVIDIA has long produced technology used in computer-aided design software and 3D modeling and now supplies infotainment components for Audi and other luxury brands.
But going forward he says NVIDIA will help turn cars into rolling supercomputers with advanced features.
"Tomorrow's car computer is a virtual supercomputer, the most powerful any consumer will ever own," Csongor says.
Features the new supercomputers will provide include high-fidelity navigation, augmented-reality head-up displays, natural-language processors, intelligent-driver assist technologies, photorealistic digital clusters and systems that interact seamlessly with humans.
To develop the technology affordably, NVIDIA has designed its systems to be upgradeable so consumers can update devices over the life of their vehicle.
"We build the base and can exchange modules and reduce cost of the architecture, and you leverage that investment that allows you to think forward," he says.


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(This post was edited after creation to correct the first name of Ms. Rubin from the Post).
Jennifer Rubin, a conservative commentator who writes the "Right Turn" blog for the Washington Post has an extended set of musings on Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution today, in which she criticizes Hillary Clinton for a "wishy-washy" statement in support of the nation's protesters and advises President Obama to push the region to give its people a real political voice.
Obama should adopt "concrete polices that can assist democracy advocates not only in Tunisia, but in Jordan, Egypt and elsewhere. If Obama wants to do some more productive "Muslim Outreach," he should stop trying to ingratiate himself with despotic leaders and show that America is, and will continue to be, on the side of those yearning for freedom," she writes.
The problem has always been what concrete action Obama, or any American president, should take as they seek to balance America's often competing interests in the region. Sacrifice intelligence sharing with Egypt or Yemen in exchange for a principled stand and cutting off military aid? Demand fair elections that might well deliver political forces hostile to the US agenda in the region into power?
And in the specific case of Tunisia, the fact that the uprising that drove President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was both spontaneous and entirely local, has been one of its great assets in the eyes of activists that would like to emulate the Jasmine Revolution in places like Egypt or Algeria. There's an argument to be made that the US should express support for democratic change in Tunisia, but avoid getting in the way of a revolution it's had nothing to do with so far and whose ultimate outcomes remain unguessable. (Kristen Chick, the Monitor's correspondent in Tunis, writes this afternoon that many protesters are vowing to resist an interim government that is packed full of Ben Ali's erstwhile underlings.)
One question in Ms. Rubin's column does have a clear answer however. "How much did the emergence of a democratic Iraq have to do with this popular revolt in Tunisia?" she asks.
Having covered Iraq and Egypt full time between 2003-2008, and having explored the question of whether the US invasion of Iraq would spur regional political change at length with academics, politicians, and average folks in and out of the region over a period of years (and talked to people in touch with current events in Tunisia the past few days) the answer to her question is clear: "Little to nothing."
The sectarian bloodletting in Iraq, the insurgency, and the US role in combating it claimed tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and Iraq remains unstable today. The regional view of the Iraq war was and is overwhelmingly negative, the model of Iraq something to be avoided at all costs. Before I read Rubin's piece earlier today, Simon Hawkins, an anthropology professor at Franklin and Marshall, was kind enough to chat with me about Tunisian politics and history.
Hawkins, whose dissertation was about Tunisia, has been coming and going from the country since the late 1980s. He recounted (unprompted) how the word "democracy" had been given a bad name among many of the Tunisian youth (the same sorts who led the uprising against Ben Ali) because of the Iraq experience, "That's democracy," a group of Tunisian youths said to him in 2006 of Iraq. "No thanks."
The Obama Administration's policies towards the Arab world, largely focused on counterterrorism cooperation and avoiding pushing hard for political reform in autocracies like Egypt, are in fact an almost straight continuation of President Bush's approach, particularly in his second term. It's true that Bush made a ringing call for freedom in the Middle East a centerpiece of his inaugural address, but soon came up against the hard reality that close regional allies like Egypt, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia weren't much interested in tolerating challenges to their rule.
After the Muslim Brotherhood tripled its share in Egypt's parliament in one of the fairest (but still fraud marred) Egyptian elections in decades and the Islamist group Hamas swept free and fair Palestinian elections in 2006, the US took a big step back from Arab democracy promotion. That's a situation that persists today.


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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College (25-14) pitching staff had trouble holding down a potent Erskine College order (25-21) Wednesday night at John Kurtz Field, as the Flying Fleet beat the Bobcats 17-6.
Erskine took control of the game from the very first pitch, as centerfielder Chase Corn deposited the first offer of the game over the rightfield fence for a solo home run, igniting a five-run first for the Fleet.
Erskine posted multi-run innings over the first four frames, finishing with a 14-0 lead over the first five. Georgia College posted three-run innings in both the sixth and seventh innings, but the rally stopped there.
First baseman Clay Ardeeser (Loganville, Ga.) was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, driving in two and scoring twice. Shortstop Daniel Bick (Alpharetta, Ga.) and designated hitter Taylor Hinshaw (Winder, Ga.) both went 2-for-5 also, Hinshaw driving in a run and Bick scoring one. The 2-3-4 hitters tallied six of the team's nine hits.
Erskine starter Austin Gambrell went six innings, surrendering three runs for the win (1-0). Bobcat starter Christian Bragg (Augusta, Ga.) dropped to 3-2 in the loss. Erskine first baseman Drew Willingham was a perfect 4-for-4, plating three runs and scoring two.
The Bobcats are back in action Friday, April 19 at 6 p.m., traveling to Young Harris College.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.


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Photograph by Juliana Sohn
Even after four decades the emotions of the participants in the film 40 Years Later: Now Can We Talk? are raw, as the first African American students to attend South Panola High School in Batesville, Mississippi, shared their memories in a documentary that premiered on the Barnard campus in September. The three women who created the piece—Professor Lee Anne Bell, the Barbara Silver Horowitz Director of Education at Barnard, educator and advocate Fern Khan, and director Markie Hancock—hope it will promote dialogues about the power of educators to create environments that foster learning for everyone
"We didn't have a clue about what we were getting into," says Cheryl Johnson, from South Panola's class of 1969, describing what awaited the black students when their parents decided to send them to a previously all-white high school.
When Johnson and her black classmates were invited to the South Panola reunion—the first invitation they had received from the school since their graduation—she started doing Web searches to find someone who could help them tell their stories. She found Bell's Web site with information about the professor's ongoing project to use storytelling to teach students about race, racism, and social justice. Johnson contacted Bell, telling her about the reunion and that she and her classmates, most of whom eventually moved from Mississippi, had never discussed their experiences with each other or with any of their white classmates. Recalls Bell, "I naïvely (not having ever made a film) said, 'Seems like an historic occasion and we should film it.'"
Johnson consulted her 12 black classmates and all agreed to participate. Bell enlisted Hancock Productions; what Bell terms a 'just-in-time' grant from Barnard enabled the team to travel to Mississippi and compile eight hours of footage with the black alumni. "We had the most amazing, moving discussion about their experiences," she says. Things such as abuse from classmates and teachers, lack of recognition for academic accomplishments, and even being turned away at the door of their prom were among their memories.
Bell accompanied them to the reunion—to this day there has never been a clear answer about why they'd never previously been invited. A few months later, she arranged for 13 of their white classmates to share their recollections on film. "It was interesting to see how, in each group, the same themes emerged, but from radically different perspectives," she notes.
After writing numerous grant proposals and raising money from various groups (including major funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation), Bell and Hancock were able to bring most of the alumni who'd participated in the two separate dialogues together for a shared discussion. The documentary, with Barnard faculty members Kim Hall and Monica Miller serving as consultants, includes three sessions of discussions with the South Panola graduates. Although the completed work was first shown officially on September 13, Bell had given preliminary copies to all the participants, presented rough cuts at educational conferences, and shown clips to students in Barnard's education program.
"There are so many layers to the film. There's the inability of our country to come to terms with its racial past that lives on in the present," says Bell. "Another layer that my students find particularly powerful in the film is when the students talk about their teachers and their experiences in classrooms. It really brings home the power teachers have to do harm or good."
At present, Bell is writing a facilitation guide that will go with DVDs of the documentary when sent to educators. She hopes the work will foster honest and open discussions of the issues addressed and how genuine progress can be made. "Our primary goal as a program is to ensure that our students who will be teachers feel confident and capable to address discrimination, stereotyping, bias, and bullying in their classrooms," says Bell. "We want them to develop the skills to halt these practices and…create a safe environment where all the kids can thrive."
More about the Storytelling Project at: education.barnard.edu


text: The state's unemployment fund is facing a $184 million deficit by the end of 2011. That's huge, and can't be solved by a single proposal. Rather, a multi-pronged approach that will require the unemployed to do with less and employers to pay more is the only way a deficit of this size will be resolved quickly. Unfortunately, the state Legislature may again postpone action until the following session because the answers are too politically hot to tackle.


text:
Elaine LaVelle
Research Associate Psychiatry; CTNA Database Manager
Departments & Organizations
Center for the Translational Neuroscience of Alcoholism
Elaine LaVelle has a background in statistics and data analysis. She works closely with Dr. Stephanie O'Malley on a number of projects. She is also closely involved with the Center for the Translational Neuroscience of Alcoholism where she oversees database management.
Education & Training
|Southern Connecticut State University, Statistical Methods (1999)


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After a long day pounding the show floor pavement at the Consumer Electronic Show, it feels oh so nice to get back to the hotel room—even more so when that room is automated. I use the term "automated" loosely, as the only part of my two-night stay at the Aria that was truly automated was the first minute or so. As I entered the room for the first time, the drapes and sheers opened, music started playing the lights gradually brightened. Was I impressed? Yes. More than that, though, the welcome scenario made that smallish space seem a lot friendlier, and well, welcoming.
In typical Control4 style, wall-mounted keypads let me set groups of lights for reading, sleeping and waking up by just tapping a button. My favorite was the keypad by the door. Here, I could press a button to request that my room be serviced or that I not be disturbed. The appropriate icon by my door in the hallway illuminated to alert the Aria staff—kind of like hanging out a modern-day, electronic "Do Not Disturb" sign.
No Control4 system is complete without a touchpanel, and my room had one, as well as a hard-buttoned handheld remote. The touchpanel—the far sexier of the controls—happened to be on the nightstand by my side of the bed. Nice. My hubby got the remote. Both eager to test drive the controls, we started pushing buttons—in my case, icons. We toyed around with the window treatments, parting the shades half-way, leaving the drape open, closing both—any arrangement we could think of. The controls worked flawlessly. We played around with the lights, again, success. At times, the system got confused and devices failed to respond—we chalked it up to too many commands being thrown at it at the same time. Obviously, we needed to take turns.
If you need a little instruction in the use of the control system, Aria provides an online .PDF so you can study up before you arrive.
A nice feature of the Control4 system that came in particularly handy for my remote-wielding husband was the on-screen display. Using the buttons of the remote he could navigate the same interface that I could on the touchpanel. The only difference was that his interface showed up on the screen of the room's ample-size flat-panel TV.
The main menu of this interface presented icons for controlling the motorized draperies, the lights, the thermostat, the audio and the video. The A/V should have been fun, but it ended up being quite frustrating. There were an awful lot of choices; scrolling through them was quite a chore, considering the "slow" response time of the Control4 system. I'd press a button; when I didn't hear or see anything I'd naturally press the button again, which brought up a song I really didn't want to hear or a show I really didn't want to watch. Eventually, I learned to be patient—to let the system catch up with my commands. The same punch-and-wait exercise had to be applied when setting up a wakeup routine, which was one of the coolest high-tech features of my room. Using the touchpanel, I told the Control4 system to wake me up at 6 by opening the sheers and drapes, gradually bringing up the lights and playing music from a soft-rock station. It's a much better way to wake up than to the sound of a blaring alarm.
All said and done—my stay was a hit. The automation system enhanced the luxurious design and atmosphere of the room. Once I was in that room, I never wanted to leave.


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What we do
The Daisy Garland charity was set up in November 2004 to keep Daisy's memory alive and to help other little children like her.
We fund an increasing number of Ketogenic Dietitians who work in National Health Hospitals treating hundreds of children with intractable epilepsy.
We are the only charity funding full-time Ketogenic Dietitians working within NHS hospitals nationwide - each dietitian costs up to £47,000 per annum. If you think you could help us fund our next Daisy Garland Ketogenic Dietitian go to HOW YOU CAN HELP. Be in touch today.
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text:
The editors at The Financial Times also want John Kerry to issue hollow threats on Syria:
If Mr Kerry is to have any diplomatic force in discussions he must be able to threaten an alternative. Mr Assad has cynically exploited the west's reluctance to intervene to stay in power. This bluff has to be called.
If the U.S. and its European allies have no intention of taking more aggressive measures in Syria, and it still seems that they don't, no one will take these threats seriously. If Kerry followed this advice, he would be the one bluffing and Assad and the rest of the world would know it. It doesn't help that the ideas that the editors propose as part of the threat Kerry is supposed to make are thoroughly bad ones that have been repeatedly rejected and discredited over the last two years. "Arm the rebels" is the new fallback position for anyone who wants to advocate for "action" in Syria, but there is never much thought given to whether the proposal makes any sense.
Threatening more aggressive measures at this stage lacks credibility because the proposed measures in question are all so severely flawed, and they have been picked apart so many times that I doubt that anyone still believes they will achieve the desired goals. Threatening to arm Syrian rebels directly wouldn't make it easier to reach a negotiated settlement, since following through on that threat would prolong and intensify the fighting. As a general rule, governments should not threaten to take actions that they have already considered and rejected as unwise. It makes them appear ridiculous and achieves nothing.


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This app was removed from the App Store.
My First Animal Games
iOS Universal Education
Perfect for little hands and inquisitive minds, DK's My First Animal Games is the latest interactive game in the popular 'My First…' series, which has sold over 15 million books and apps. It makes learning enjoyable, with games that teach children the basics in a fun, communicative way using bright, lively pictures and large, simple words.
My First Animal Games is ideal for pre-school children who love to learn all about animals. The various games bring dozens of popular feathered and furry friends to life against a vibrant and creative background. Intuitive and easy to use, children can safely play with this app by themselves or alternatively share the fun with a little help from their parents.
•Four My First Animal games:
oMothers & Babies – touch the spots to reveal and match mother animals to their babies in this memory game
oMissing Letter – drag the correct letter into the word to name the animal
oAnimal Puzzle – place the correct pieces into the puzzle
oAnimal Painter – choose from different textures such as 'spotted or 'fluffy' to paint the animal; the right choice will reveal if you're right!
•Two extra play environments:
oMagnets – drag and drop animal pictures and words on different habitat backgrounds
oAnimal zoo – dictionary that allows children to learn animal words and sounds
•Handy hints to help children complete the games
•Amazing illustrations, animations, and sound effects throughout making it a fully interactive experience
•Choice of UK or US voiceover – simply change your device system settings
•Universal format so you can download once and use it on all your iOS devices
About DK
We are award-winning publishers for adults and children. We craft illustrated reference products – books, ebooks, and apps – for people in more than 100 countries and 60 languages. Founded in London in 1974, we are enormously proud to be the world's leading illustrated reference publisher. We strive to make everything we publish approachable, authoritative, and beautifully illustrated.
What's New
- description adapted for Spanish and Chinese markets