text:
* To scale down Maersk Line investments
* Expects group return on capital to exceed 10 pct
* Group has $10 bln for investments
* Shares down 1.8 percent
(Adds details, quotes, updates share price)
By Mette Fraende COPENHAGEN, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk
is stepping up investment in its oil, ports and drilling businesses to cut its exposure to a container shipping industry it expects to remain a victim of overcapacity and sluggish economies.
The oil and shipping group's containers unit Maersk Line swung back to profit in the second quarter but has for years wrestled with the sector's falling freight rates and glut of vessels - a trend which is set to continue, it said.
A change in strategy would see "significant" investments in areas such as oil exploration, the group said on Tuesday as it opened its doors for the first time in its 108-year history to invited analysts, investors and media.
The group's three other core businesses Maersk Oil, APM Terminals and Maersk Drilling, will in future benefit from a combined 50 percent of the group's total investment from its present 34 percent, it said.
Its Maersk Oil unit, in particular, would receive substantial investment, it added.
"The group is facing significant investments to grow our business and has undrawn facilities of $10 billion," said Chief Financial Officer Trond Westlie.
Investment in its container unit Maersk Line, meanwhile, would be reduced to between 25-30 percent from its current 38 percent.
"We will aim for more stable results," Chief Executive Nils Smedegaard Andersen said, adding the group aimed to deliver return on invested capital of above 10 percent in five years.
"It is going to continue to be a volatile business," Andersen said, referring to its Maersk Line. "We will continue to see vessel overcapacity for some years."
APM Terminals and Maersk Drilling were expected to contribute each $1 billion to the group's results within five years, the company added.
The units contributed $0.6 billion and $0.5 billion respectively of the group's $3.4 billion profit last year, while Maersk Line made a $0.6 billion loss and Maersk Oil a profit of $2.1 billion.
Westlie added the group had no immediate financing needs and would be able to grow via its own cash generation, and without increasing its gearing level.
Maersk Oil said it would target oil production level above 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2020, from around 265,000 barrels per year today.
The group has previously said it aimed for 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day without a specific time frame.
Shares in A.P. Moller-Maersk were down 1.8 percent at 1250 GMT against a 0.7 percent decline in the Copenhagen stock exchange's benchmark index .
"This (date) is later than what a number of market participants had expected," said head of Nordic shares at Sydbank Ole Jensen.
Maersk Oil spends $3 billion to $5 billion per year on maturing projects and development projects, in addition to $1 billion per year of exploration costs, it said.
(Additional reporting by Ole Mikkelsen and Teis Jensen; Editing by Mike Nesbit)
((firstname.lastname@example.com)(+45 3396 9649 Reuters Messaging: firstname.lastname@example.com))
Keywords: MAERSK/

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ooh, I'm going to hell for that title, aren't I?
I'm ashamed of myself, if it makes any difference. Let's just take a breath and move past it, can we do that?
I believe I have mentioned, somewhere around here, that I am not a morning person. I have compared myself to a vampire with a paper route, I think? I have expressed my views on people talking to me like it's daytime while I'm still clinically asleep. So you all know perfectly well not to wake me unless there's an actual emergency, yeah?
Here's the thing: I have good reasons for being so picky about this issue. I already suffer from delayed sleep insomnia: basically, no matter how tired I am, I can count on a couple hours of staring at the ceiling before I fall asleep, minimum. That means that, even when Husband and I go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time, I've gotten less sleep than he has, before you factor in all of the time I spent waking up to get him to stop snoring. Problem number two is this: after a certain point, once I'm awake, I can't get back to sleep no matter what I try. So waking me up at 3am and then telling me to go back to sleep is just about the cruelest goddamned thing you can do and I'll warn you now, I know how to improvise a flamethrower.
Now that we're all on the same page, you're definitely not surprised that I snapped when he woke me – again – to deal with a situation* and then went back to sleep, leaving me awake and bored and miserable in the company of his snores.
ME: … so, while I don't blame you for this morning, I do have to insist that I sleep in tomorrow. I need you to promise that you won't wake me like that for anything less than a fire. That has reached the second floor. Contained fire downstairs? Call the fire department, and tell them not to wake me either.
HIM: K. What if-
ME: (glares)
HIM: … What if there's a fire on the first floor, and it's contained, but there's a chance that there's some structural damage being done and the second floor is going to collapse and the bed (points) is going to end up downstairs (points) with you in the litter box?
ME: (ponders) … Fine. If chance of structural damage that will lead to a disrupting collapse is greater than 80%, you may wake me GENTLY.
HIM: Okay. As long as we've established a clear line. 80%
ME: GREATER than-
HIM: Greater than 80%
ME: Or, just don't light any fires in the morning.
*It was the damned dogs, if you must know.


text:
You Can Make a Difference
God uses one person, one decision, and one vision to Change Lives that Change the World. When one person makes one faithful decision to support one Christ-centered mission, many good things are going to happen. How blessed are we that our God will use our lives and gifts to transform the world!
For some of us, this decision will mean entrusting financial resources to God's church for the first time; for others it will mean giving out of faith that God will help make generosity possible; for others, still, committing to support the ministry of the church will mean sacrificing more than before, edging closer to a contribution goal you have prayerfully set.
Ways to Give
- You may give by cash or check during one of our worship services.
- You may give by mailing a check to our church office.
- You may give online by clicking here.
- You may give through automatic bank draft or online payment through your bank.
- You may give through credit card (Master Card, Visa, or American Express)
For more information on how you can make a difference through your financial generosity, please contact Stephen Mitchell, Business Administrator at firstname.lastname@example.com or Michael Andres, Executive Minister firstname.lastname@example.com. They may also be reached by contacting the church office at (405) 321-3484.


text:
There were times when I looked back,
Where I regretted my inaction,
Because you convinced me to stay,
And take your side all the time.
I looked back and found things,
Where I regret not walking away,
When your temper bursts,
Using my well-being as your excuse.
You were shouting at someone and making a scene,
And when I tried calming you, you turned on me,
"Why aren't you on my side? You're my girlfriend!"
I should've walked away back then.
You also once reminded me too much,
That if I leave you you will kill yourself,
That I am your only reason to live,
I should've told you, "your life is not my responsibility."
When I was breaking up with you in private,
Because of my sympathy for your reactions,
You pushed me down and cried while begging,
"Just one last sex, because it might never happen again."
I should've slapped you then,
But my emotions shut itself down,
I couldn't understand what I was feeling,
Was it pity, was it anger, or was it disgust?
You tried your best to get me pregnant,
I knew then but I was feeling lost,
I didn't know whether to stop you or just let you,
Because I was so confused because I've told you not to.
I regretted that I didn't push you away,
Because you convinced me from the start it was your right,
Your right as my boyfriend, to have sex often,
Because I'm your girlfriend, and I should let you.
Why didn't I realize the signs in the beginning,
When I rejected you and you didn't stop,
Spreading rumors and pressuring me,
To stop me from resisting so you can get what you want.
I really wish I was stronger back then,
To see the signs of your wrong actions,
But the society brought me up with misogynist views,
I didn't know better, no one could've told me.
I wish I've woken up sooner,
To know that your control is only because I let you,
Because I was strong but too kind to you,
When you never deserved my kindness from the start.


text:
Part One
It was time. Noah had begged and pleaded for a dog. I knew he wasn't old enough to take care of one. And I just wasn't up to the task. Trying to work, go to college in the evening and taking care of a 5 year old on my own was enough. Mama's plate was completely full.
So I compromised. We were in the pet shop and I was thinking I could get him a lizard, or a gecko or something easy. And quiet.
We had to struggle through the, "But mama, there are kitties." and take a left after, "Maaaaaama look, that rat is really cute though and he looks lonely." Those big brown sad eyes looking up to me begging for me to understand how deep his affection was for every living creature. I sped the walk up to the lizard area. Repeating more times than I would like, "I know baby. I do, but let's start small. Even small guys need love too!"
Then he saw them.
The guppies. There were what seemed like thousands of guppies in 5 aquariums. It was insane to see so many fish in one container. And I couldn't figure out the reason they were all swimming about so frantically. Quick zig here, another zag there, then back super quickly. As if every one was in a hurry, but they had no idea what for. Maybe it was the way the light hit their tails and they sparkled, I don't know but he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"What are those?"
To be honest I couldn't have told you what they were until I read the label and the very forgiving price tag that was written underneath.
"They are Guppies!" I emphasized the GUP-PIES!!!! because it sounded like puppies. I'm not proud.
We already had a 10 gallon tank that Eric said he was going to try and start a real salt water aquarium one day. Well, we've been divorced 3 years and it is still in my garage, so Score!
I asked an employee to come tell me a bit about the guppies. Let me know if they were easy to care for. She proceeded to give me the run down. They were essentially beginner fish. We were beginner pet owners and this sounded right up our alley. We purchased 8 guppies and an array of aquarium accouterments. In total, we walked out having spent less than $75.00. It was over my budget but watching my Noah Bug pick out each fish exclaiming, "That one, ooooh no wait, that one. No, he moved. The Silver one. That one!" His finger darting trying to track the exact fish he wanted. The glee he was exhibiting was worth doubling my pet budget.
We arrived at home thirty minutes after we left the pet store. I attempted to run into the grocery store to grab bread but my child screamed, "If we leave them in the car they will DIE!!!!!!!" Ok buddy. But it's canned soup for dinner, no grilled cheese. He didn't even seem to hear me. Once inside I rushed to finish cleaning out the aquarium for a second time, I had already thoroughly cleaned it a week ago, but a quick check for dust, etc wouldn't take long. And the water needed to be the right temperature so I got to work immediately. And also at the urging of one very excited little boy. "Maaaaaaaam they're going to die if they stay in these bags. Hurrrry."
After one solid hour and testing the water twice, we introduced each one in. One at a time giving them a moment, making sure they were ok with the water temperature. And then it began.
He sat in front of that tank for 3 hours. I fed him his chicken and stars as he sat crossed legged in front of the glass amazed and still throwing out names for each one. Chuck! That one is Buzz! That red one is Bolt! The pink one is Dora! I did notice he traced his finger lightly across the glass, maybe seeing if they would follow. I know he wanted a dog, but I would hate to have to tell him that fish don't, "come" when called. Then he used what sliver of a fingernail he had and tapped on the glass in frustration when they weren't paying attention
Tap, BANG, Tap, BANG, Tap, Tap
"Noah, stop that immediately!" I raised my voice and approached him. I asked him, why would you do that to your fish?" We were warned by the person at the pet shop never to tap the glass. She said they have to say it every time. Beginner fish advice 101 especially for the little ones. He said, They weren't watching me so I tapped so they could see me. I sighed. I got down to his level. I told him, "I understand what you mean. But, remember when we went to the July 4th parade last year and the fire engines went off right by you and you covered your ears? You were very upset by the loud noise and wanted to go home."
He said, "But that is different, it was just a tap. I explained it was just as loud for the fish with his tap as it was the fire engine was for him. He looked remorseful that he had done it and I reassured him that it was ok. They are fine. Just don't do that to them again.
After that it was finally time for Noah to head to bed. It had been a long day and I still had two papers due by Sunday night.
I could see he was on his stool brushing his teeth like a big boy as I approached the bathroom from the hall. Half way down the hall it happened.
It started as a rumble as if a train was going by somewhere in the distance. Then it picked up forcefulness. It was an earthquake. I ran as fast as I could to Noah, snatched him up like a football covering his head and headed into my closet.
Part II will come within a week or so.
If you are wondering why the hell I'm waxing poetic about guppies this is just the first part to a short story I am writing. It is a science fiction type piece. Don't let the beginning fool you.
Thanks for reading. 🙂
As Always,
Woman on Pause
© 2018 Woman on Pause All Rights Reserved


text:
Easy Returns. Quality Gear.
We've got your back
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On All Domestic Orders
We won't share your email address with anyone else, and unless you opt-in above, we won't send you any other emails.
Built with FlexLock handsewn construction and a polyurethane footbed, the Havoc provides flexibility and out-of-the-box comfort as well as airflow channels that keep feet dryer. Constructed on an UltraFlex big game broad sole platform, these boots will take you miles and miles over rocky and mountainous terrain. Tame the wild and claim your trophy in a pair of Havocs
Sizing info: D (or M) = Medium Width | EE (or W) = Wide Width


text:
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine
Volume 9, Issue 4, April 2016, Pages 402–409
Authors : Ariful Alam, Sahena Ferdosh, Kashif Ghafoor, Abdul Hakim, Abdul Shukor Juraimi, Alfi Khatib, Zaidul I. Sarker.
Clinacanthus nutans Lindau is known as snake grass, sambung nyawa, etc, belonging to the Acanthaceae family. This plant has diverse and potential medicinal uses in traditional herbal medicine for treating skin rashes, insects and snake bites, lesions caused by herpes simplex virus, diabetes, and gout in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China.
Phytochemical investigations documented the varied contents of bioactive compounds from this plant namely flavonoids, glycosides, glycoglycerolipids, cerebrosides and monoacylmonogalatosylglycerol.
The pharmacological experiment proved that various types of extracts and pure compounds from this species exhibited a broad range of biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic activities. The findings of toxicity study showed that extracts from this plant did not show any toxicity thus it can be used as strong therapeutic agents for specific diseased conditions.
However, further experiments on chemical components and their mode of action showing biological activities are required to elucidate the complete phytochemical profile and assess to confirm their suitability for future drugs. This review summarizes the medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of this plant in order to explore its therapeutic potential and gaps necessitating for prospected research work.


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Bright and early yesterday morning we boarded our boat and in the morning fog said good bye to lake atitlan. After the boat ride and a 3 hour bus ride filled with sleeping and laughter, we arrived in Comalapa. After much anticipation, we finally met the becadas. They performed a mayan ceremony for us with corn, and we sang the Castilleja song and read poetry. To break the ice, we played lots of games to get to know one another. Although we don't know as much Spanish as they do, we were still able to communicate and have an amazing time with one another.
After the games, we took a long walk through Comalapa on the way to lunch. Each Casti girl had a group they ate with and walked with, consisting of 2 casti girls and 2 becadas. When we arrived at lunch, we thanked the weavers who prepared our delicious meal of soup with chicken or pork, a side of rice, vegetables, and of course, tortillas!!
After lunch, we headed off in our groups on a mural tour in Comalapa. The becadas explained the long history of Guatemala through murals. It was interesting to not only hear about it, but to also see how the artists interpreted their history through art.
We headed back to the becadas school and had a small snack of hibiscus tea and a tostado shell with black beans. We said goodbye and headed back on the bus to our hotel where we rested and ended the night with a great dinner (and wifi!).
Although many of us were nervous with the language barrier, it was amazing to be able to communicate with the becadas on a more personal level. We can all understand what they're saying (most of the time), but the hardest part is responding back in Spanish. All of us are enjoying the ability to share stories with people who we wouldn't be able to talk with without our Spanish. It's truly amazing and we are so excited to get to know the becadas more and improve our spanish.
Julia N and Kenzie


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Photos can reveal changes occurring on the face. Recent photos may show one side of the the lips to be slightly more puffy or a bit bigger than the other side of the lips. Perhaps, one side of the cheeks is a bit raised than the other cheek.
We may blame the photographer for not taking our photos properly. Well! that was what I did when I was very much younger in my mid-thirties. Those thoughts flashed through my mind nowadays. Now, I realised it wasn't the photographer's lack of skill to take my photos at that time. It was the changes that were taking place on my face.
ID photo taken in my mid-thirties showing right side of the lips and cheeks slightly more raised than the left.
During those days I did suffer from sinus problems. The sinus problems contributed to my poor health and terrible migraines. At that time I didn't realise those sinus problems also made me age at a faster pace. I wish I have known. Even then, I wouldn't have the know-how skills to unblock my sinuses, but now I do have the skills to share.
Some of us may attempt on ways how to look young. It was thought the cucumber slices can freshen our looks when we had puffy eyelids and looking tired. Thus, we placed cucumber slices over our closed eyes for a few minutes to help us to look fresh.
We look out for best beauty products to pamper our faces to enable us to look younger. To maintain our youthful look we went for facial treatments. Yep! those were my days too. The money spent were enormous. I was not gifted with beautiful flawless skin, but there was always my hope to have a better facial skin. Like everybody else I do not like to age faster then it should be.
Remember the face we had. The face we've known when growing up. As we grow older our faces changed. We said it is due to old age. We accepted this fact. The truth is we can change this perception.
In ancient days there was this theory the earth was flat. However, it turns out to be round. In this era it is widely accepted we should age as it is, but how fast should we age ???……..
When lots of mucus/secretion trapped in the nasal cavity and in its surrounding cavities day after day and for sure they accumulate. Where would you think all these mucus/secretion will go?
Think for a moment ………………..
My answer will shock you. I am not a medical or surgical specialist, but I write from my own experience. At this point, please see your doctors if you have not done so. My answer below is not to deter you from seeing your doctors. It is equally very important for your doctor to examine your current health problem.
HERE IS MY ANSWER. Continuous blocked sinuses can have excessive mucus accumulating in them. These excessive mucus can cause our faces to gradually puff up long before we notice the eye-bags, frown lines, lines at corners of our lips, jowls, double chin and etc. All these changes occur without us noticing them.
Yes, we are the unfortunate people who belong to this group who suffer from excessive mucus, phlegmy throat, blocked nose and sinuses, migraines and the list goes on.
Perhaps, one day people will accept the fact that excessive mucus trapped in our nasal sinuses can change the way we look as we age. The trapped excessive mucus in our sinuses can also make us feel unwell most of the time.
Learning How To Clear Your Blocked Sinuses can be much easier than you thought if you have the know-how skills to do it.


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From time to time our property managers are asked "my tenant has been paying the same rent for a while shall I increase the rent"? It's likely that your costs of owning a residential property investment have increased and you would like your rent to increase with those costs or at least in line with CPI.
- Firstly it's important to note, like any market, prices change over time. Those change in prices can be both up and down.
- Ultimately the strength of the rental market is determined by the supply of vacant properties.
- A vacancy rate is defined, as the percentage of all available rental properties, that are vacant or unoccupied at a period of time.
- According to REI NSW, the vacancy rate in Sydney as at February 2019 is 3.2% and this is the highest it's been for over 14 years.
- The supply of available rentals has continued to increase on the back of the recent construction boom.
- Your costs are likely to have increased and you may be relying on the income, however when you assess the rental your tenant is currently paying, you need to compare it directly with the strength of the current rental market.
- It's a good idea to review your rent from time to time and recommend taking the following factors into consideration.
Factors to consider when assessing to increase the rent:
- What is the tenant like from a perspective of paying rent/ looking after the property/ requests for repairs etc
- How long has the tenant been in the property
- When was the last rent increase
- Current supply of vacant/available properties in the suburb and surrounding suburbs. How do these properties compare to your property
- Condition of your property
- What would be the cost of the tenant to move / relocate
- General state of the economy / unemployment rates
- Can you afford to have the property vacant / do you have surplus funds to pay any mortgage, if the tenant decides to move out
- Timing, when is an ideal time to send a rent increase notice
- Your goals
If you have identified that your rent is below market or you feel that it is appropriate to increase the rent, then do so.
To increase the rent for a residential property in NSW, you must provide at least 60 days written notice to the tenant. However you can't increase the rent if the lease has not expired, unless the rent increase has been agreed and included in that lease. If the tenant feels that the rent is excessive, then they can apply to NCAT (which is the governing body that handles all tenancy related matters) to have the rent reviewed.
Some property investors even after reviewing the rent, just choose to leave the rental as the current rent because they have good tenants that pay rent on time, care for the property and are don't request a lot of repairs. These investors aim to hold tenants for the longer term, have regular income coming in and maintain a low vacancy with the property or limit the costs associated with finding tenants.
- Currently our office is experiencing tenants request for a decrease in rent.
- The rental market is in favour of tenants, it is more challenging finding new tenants and properties remain vacant longer. (Avoid the stress of having your investment property vacant for too long)
- According to rent.com.au the average days on market for rental properties in Sydney as at January 19 was 35 days for units and 37 days for houses.
The good news is that our boutique and responsive office is generally leasing properties within 14-21 days.


text:
Proton therapy offers new, precise cancer treatment for children with high-risk neuroblastoma
Proton therapy, using high-energy subatomic particles, may offer a precise, organ-sparing treatment option for children with high-risk forms of neuroblastoma. For patients in a new study of advanced radiation treatment, proton therapy spared the liver and kidneys from unwanted radiation, while zeroing in on its target.
"As survival rates improve for children with neuroblastoma, we need to reduce treatment-related long-term toxicities," said study leader Christine Hill-Kayser, M.D., a radiation oncologist in the cancer center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). "Proton beam therapy offers precise targeting with less radiation exposure to healthy tissue."
Hill-Kayser and colleagues published their study online June 4, 2013 in Pediatric Blood & Cancer.
Owing to collaboration between Children's Hospital and radiation oncologists at Penn Medicine, the Roberts Proton Therapy Center, where the study was conducted, is the first proton therapy facility in the U.S. conceived with pediatric patients in mind from the earliest planning stages.
Protons, the positively charged particles in an atom's nucleus, are used in therapy to destroy DNA in tumors and prevent cancer cells from multiplying. In children, this therapy is often used against spinal tumors. CHOP has recently been directing protons at neuroblastoma, long a special focus of the Hospital's clinical and research programs.
Neuroblastoma, the most common solid tumor of early childhood, strikes the peripheral nervous system, usually appearing as a solid tumor in a young child's chest or abdomen.
Pediatric oncologists have an arsenal of weapons against neuroblastoma, but high-risk forms of this cancer present a particular challenge, often frustrating conventional treatment from the start or recurring in a resistant form.
The current study, said Hill-Kayser, included 13 children with a median age of 3 years who responded well to initial chemotherapy, followed by surgery, more chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, and in some cases, immunotherapy. The advanced radiation treatment aimed to destroy remaining microscopic areas of cancer cells while minimizing toxicity to healthy tissue.
In planning radiation treatment for each child, the study team determined that 11 patients should receive proton therapy, and that two other patients, because of their specific anatomy and the location of their tumors, should receive intensity-modulated X-ray therapy (IMXT). In IMXT, radiologists sculpt the radiation emitted from 7 different angles to modify radiation dosages in and around the targeted area.
None of the 13 patients had local disease recurrence or acute organ toxicity. For 11 of them, proton therapy provided the best combination of target coverage and organ sparing. "Protons are heavier than the particles in X-rays and have more stopping power," said Hill-Kayser. "They deposit 90 percent of their energy precisely at the tumor site, with nearly zero radiation away from the tumor. That protects healthy organs—which, as growing tissues, are especially vulnerable to radiation damage in young children."
The fact that individual characteristics made IMXT preferable to proton therapy in two children, said Hill-Kayser, underscores the need to meticulously customize radiation treatment to each patient. Overall, the current study shows that proton therapy should be considered for children with high-risk neuroblastoma. She added, "To better assess the use of proton therapy against high-risk neuroblastoma, we'll need to study larger numbers of patients and do long-term follow-up. However, this represents a great start."
Explore further


text:
24 Feb Ever Wonder What Gear Your Favorite Musician Uses?
Do you ever wonder what gear, pedals, amps, and guitars your favorite guitarist, bassist, or band uses? Well if you're like me and you like to check out what gear pro musicians use then you should check out UberProAudio. This is a great resource for seeing what amps, effects pedals, and cabs your favorite guitarist or bassist uses. I like to go on it every once and awhile just to see what some of my favorite guitarist's are using. It's just interesting to see what gear they use and how they get their sound. It's also useful to help decide on what gear you may want to get. Below is a screenshot of a small section of some of the artist's that they have listed on the website.
Another great place is Premier Guitar's Rig Rundown. You can go to their website at Premier Guitar or go to YouTube and search for Rig Rundown and you will get plenty of results. Rig Rundown is a segment that Premier Guitar does where they interview famous band's guitarists and bassists and ask them questions about their equipment. It's pretty interesting to watch and listen to these guys talk about their gear and how they use it live so definitely check it out. Below is Premier Guitar's Rig Rundown video for Soundgarden.


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Monday, May 7, 2012
Marc Faber : You have to be diversified in Your Assets
Marc Faber : I tell everyone that you have to be diversified in your assets. The risk of gold is that it doesn't generate a cash flow. So assuming you had all of your money in physical gold, and it goes down, it's going to be difficult to save your position. If you have a diversified portfolio and you have some physical gold and you have some fixed-interest securities and high-dividend shares and some real estate properties that provide you with some income, then if assets go down, you have at least have cash flow for reinvestment purposes. I am a cash-flow person and I have a large, physical-gold position. I keep on buying a little bit of gold every month. I want to increase my allocation to gold. But I think there is a chance that before gold really takes off towards the upside again, that we have one more move on the downside. I wouldn't rule it out. - in Seeking Alpha
Posted by Biz TV


text: Tom Cruise made his first ever Comic-Con appearance for Edge of Tomorrow, his sci-fi action movie for Warner Bros. previously titled All You Need Is Kill. Cruise had the crowd roaring from his first step and then kicked up the showmanship a notch when he belted out a few lines from I Want to Know What Love Is with moderator Chris Hardwick. Cruise played Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages and he mentioned that Hardwick played the part when the play was just a small stage production in L.A. Comic-Con: Warner Bros. Officially Unveils Superman and Batman Film Cruise praised Christopher McQuarrie's Edge of Tomorrow script for its humor and its uniqueness. "The alien invasion film has become a trope," said Cruise. "People understand the language of genre but now we can get into this kind of character journey." Cruise was gracious and humble during the appearance. "I just want to entertain you all," he said. "It's a dream of mine and an honor. Every day I think what I'd like to see or what you'd like to see."


text:
From: Muhammad Umer Shahzad
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
JAnimation 1.0
JAnimation is a new form of animation for the internet. It gives you a tool for creating compact and fast animation presentations or banners using Java's vast capabilities, instead of the regular huge and slow animated GIF files. It uses a simple protocol called JAN to deliver all the necessary data for Java to display the animation.
IFAlbum v3.0
This program is for image web-album design.
It makes small JPEG copies of your images and places them into a table.
When somebody clicks on small image in the table, a web page with original
image opens. The *.jpg, *.jpeg, *.bmp, *.gif, *.wmf, *.emf and *.ico files
are supported by the program.
Before program start you must create a separate directory and place image
files into it.
For use "FTP Loader" option download "FTPLoad.dll" from my site.
Example of IFAlbum work: http://www.ussr.to/Russia/igorfil/photo.htm (school photo-album).
Installation is not required.
This program is FREEWARE, freely distributable.
To contact the author in the event of questions or problems send e-mail:
Web page: http://www.kulichki.com/igorfil/progeng.htm.
IconView Pro 1.0
A handy utility to extract Windows icons, and create Icon Libraries
IconView is a handy utility to extract icons from EXE, DLL, Icon Libraries, and other executable files that contain icon resources.
The extracted icons can be saved in ICON/BMP/GIF/JPEG formats, and can also be saved in Icon Libraries (collections of icons).
Monday, November 29, 2010
Daily Quran and Hadith
Daily Quran and Hadith
Waqt waqt ki bat
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Buttonz & Tilez V 1.0
(Release Date: Sep 11, 98)
Welcome to Buttonz & Tilez. This software
is copyrighted freeware, and may be distr-
ibuted freely as long as all files are
kept together. For more info, please check
the help. For updates etc., please check
my webpage at:
Altough this software is free as are all
my products, please understand that I need
your support for continuing releasing free
software. So, if you really love B&T,
consider sending me a cheque or money order,
or even cash, to my private address:
Bjoern Ischo
Friesenstr. 24
D-20097 Hamburg
Also, I always look for contracts as a
freelance programmer and do custom
development at a low price, so if you need
something think of me ! :-)
If you can't afford a donation, please
consider either to placing the image
"bt_link.gif" (which can be found in your
Buttonz & Tilez install directory) somewhere
on your site, and link it to:
Release Notes:
This release was done in a hurry so please
note that the help file is incomplete. I
will add a better one in the next release.
Also, the palette editor of Buttonz! is not
yet similar to that in Tilez!. Further version
will include an option to use the same
gradients in both apps.
Download :
Captura 1.0
Captura allows you to take screenshots very easily so you can edit the result picture or send it by e-mail because it is saved in JPG format.
You have 3 options to take the screenshot
- Capture a section of the screen
- Capture the full screen
- Capture the full screen after 10 seconds
Now Captura is available not only for Macintosh® but also for Windows® and Linux®.
How To Access Windows Live SkyDrive From Your Desktop
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Album GV 1.7
Album Generator and Viewer for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/00
Last Freeware Version
Version 1.7
August 2001
Renate Schaaf
(Check this URL for latest versions)
*New in 1.7:*
When you make an album CD, it now contains a frontend menu which runs in autoplay. Users can see all the albums stored on the CD and easily pick one to view. Couldn't resist making the CD-menu an irregular form looking like a digital camera... There's help for the CD album viewer now.
Added more customization options for the web album, explore the items in the wizard. You now have the option to have album copy your original jpeg files into the web folder, in case you've optimized those manually, already. This will work if "Show original size" has been checked under layout options. You can also optionally have images in the web-album sharpened, in case they have been downsized from your originals. (I'm putting too much stuff into the last freeware :)
Thumbnails can optionally be stored on your hard disk for fast reloading of albums. It goes somewhat against my philosophy, but it sure is faster :). At least you have total control over where and when and if at all the thumbnails are stored. Also, if you find they are taking up too much space, just delete a bunch of them, and album will recreate as needed for the next albums shown. Works kind of like a web file cache.
Images can be shown with transitions. If turned on, a random transition is being picked each time. For customization, wait for the shareware version.
Added possibility to print an image with its description. Nothing impressive, but comes in handy. For better print support, wait for the shareware version.
For more add-ons browse through the menu to see what's new, or explore the (now updated) help file. There have been a few cosmetic changes, too, which make the program look more consistent, I hope, but more work is needed there. Also, I've reworked the whole layout routine for album/web-album.
Contains a new version of the Intel(R) Jpeg library. Now loading and saving of Jpegs is automatically performance optimized for your system.
When you add pictures to an album, they will be inserted right after the currently selected one instead of at the bottom, this helps saving some resorting work, I hope.
Bug fixes:
The 'file not found' error when starting to build a web album should be fixed now.
You can now use the letter 'a' when typing in an album title, even in the light table view.
The thumbnails in the web-album should load faster now, since I've fixed an error assigning the wrong size to the images.
*User Feedback*
As usual: I'm extremely grateful for bug reports. My users are great, when they report a bug, it usually really is one! Also, as usual, feature requests are most welcome. Most of the enhancements you might have seen over time are the result of those requests!
At this time I have a special request: Very rarely and irregularly I get an access violation on exiting album. These are very hard to debug. Once I have a reproducible scenario under which it happens, I can probably fix the bug. So: If you can produce this (or any) bug reliably, please, tell me how, thanks!
Now that you have all these digital pictures on your harddisks and CDRoms, maybe you would like to have a way to show them to friends and family like you used to show a scrapbook or photo album: Page by page on a nice background with photo descriptions, so the pictures can actually tell a story. Maybe you'd also like to show those albums on your web site or make album CDs from them for sharing your pictures. The program Album tries to help you achieve this in a way involving a minimal amount of hassle, but with a pleasant looking result. My design philosophy is, to sacrifice customizability for ease and speed of use. I'm trying to second guess user needs wherever possible. If you have ideas to improve on this feature, or other ideas, I'd be interested to learn about them.
The program is free, because it's the first thing I release to a wider range of people, originally having been written for my own use, then improved for friends and family. I release it, because I think for its usefulness and the work involved writing it, it should be used by more. Future, more professional versions might be released as shareware, actually I perceive this one as my last freeware version, right now. For now, make sure you read the item "Copyright, Pricing, License, Liability" at the bottom of the text. With the first use of the program you accept all this.
The following items describe what the application can do. To learn more about how to make it do this, use the online help, or (that's what I'd prefer:) just explore. I sure hope you enjoy using Album!
After unzipping, run the setup program.
If you have a previous version installed, it is recommended that you uninstall it first, using the Add/Remove Programs item in Control Panel.
*Supported file formats*
The picture formats that Album can read are
*.jpg; *.jpeg; *.bmp; *.emf; *.wmf; *.tif; *.tga; *.psd; *.png; *.cut; *.cel; *.pic; *.eps; *.pcd; *.pcx; *.pcc; *.ppm; *.pgm; *.pbm; *.pdd; *.rla; *.rpf; *.bw; *.rgb(a); *.sgi; *.tga; *.vst; *.isb; *.vda; *.win; *.tiff.
Thanks to Mike Lischke for providing support for that many file formats! Well, some of those are real oldies :), but the only one really missing is *.gif. I could add *.gif support in a blink of an eye, but I'd have to pay a (rather substantial) license fee to Unisys for using a patented compression algorithm. Same applies to some compressed *.tifs.
*Creating an Album*
You can mark picture files on your computer to be included in an album. In the menu choose File|Create New Album. You can browse and select a group of pictures from one folder. The pictures will then be displayed in a light table format, where you can
>sort them for display order
>add descriptions
>remove/replace individual pictures
>send individual pictures to a photo editor already installed on your system
>add more pictures, also from different folders
>choose title and description fonts
>choose background color or - bitmap and font colors
You can save collections into files which have the extension *.alb.
Note: Only the display options, the locations of the pictures, their order and the descriptions are saved. No new picture files are created, and your original picture files are not changed (unless you do it yourself by sending them to an editor, of course). Under preferences, you can choose whether to store the picture file paths as absolute (starting from the drive letter) or relative to the location of the *.alb file. The latter is more flexible in case you move your pictures together with the *.alb file to a CD, for example.
*Viewing an Album*
There are 2 main views: Sequence and Light Table. Show your finished album in the Sequence view. The menu item View|Sequence takes you there, or loading an album from disk does it automatically. You can then show the pictures in their order with descriptions. In the default layout, they will be displayed with a thumbnail list of all pictures to the left, and each individual picture size formatted so it and its description fit optimally on the rest of the page. You don't have to worry about what the pixel dimension of the original image is.
Using either keyboard or mouse, you can turn the pages. Or you click on one of the thumbnails to view its big brother. An AutoShow view has a timer turn the pages for you.
Display of the thumbnails can be turned off.
Whenever Album can't find or read a picture (because you have moved it elsewhere, say), it displays a white background with a black cross. You can right click on the picture, pick the menu item "Replace" and browse for the correct one.
Under the default setting, when loading an album, it might take some time in the beginning to load the pictures from disk and to make thumbnails from them. But you can now turn on an option to save them to your hard disk as they are created. It goes a bit against my philosophy, because I don't like applications myself that use my disk space without me noticing. To make up for this, the way the thumbs are stored is absolutely transparent, you choose a folder, and album will still work if you delete a bunch of thumbs in that folder to make room. Also, album can erase the folder contents for you when you turn the option off. (So use a dedicated folder, and turn the option off before you uninstall Album GV for good, the latter of course you never will :)
*Changing an Album*
Existing albums can be edited much in the same way as you originally created them. Load an album, and choose View|Light Table. Use the Edit|Add Pictures menu to add pictures. You can toggle back and forth between the light table view and the sequence view. Descriptions, title, font, colors can also be changed in the sequence view. Just click on the text to make it editable. Right click on the text to change fonts, colors.
*Saving as Web Album*
Yes, you can save your whole album layout to a (collection of) webpage(s) , which can show your pictures in a very similar way in a browser.
Invoke File|Web-Album Wizard while viewing an album as a sequence. A little wizard guides you through the steps involved, and a collection of html and picture files is created which show up in a browser in the same size and layout as in your album (as closely as I could get it). This time album creates new pictures in Jpeg format, because for the web, they need to be size optimized. It creates a main html file and a folder containing all the images and album pages needed for viewing. Upload all this to your web site, link to the main html-file, and you can share the album over the web.
*Making an Album-CD*
You can now easily make a distributable CD showing one (or more) of your albums. The menu item File|Album-CD Wizard opens a little wizard which collects all files necessary for burning the CD in a folder on your desktop, based on which *.alb files you choose for inclusion. A viewer front end program is included on the CD. This will run in autoplay mode, and shows a list of all the albums stored on the CD, so the user can easily pick which one to view. When run off the viewer front end, Album.exe has all the editing stuff disabled and acts as a viewer only. This hopefully makes it minimally intimidating for only casual computer users.
*Associating Album to *.alb files*
Using the View|Folder Options|File Types menu of any folder, you can associate all *.alb files with Album.exe. Double clicking on an album file will then bring up the album viewer. Note: I hate it when programs do this automatically, in particular, if they overwrite an existing association. So I'm leaving it up to you.
*Trouble Shooting*
See the item in help now.
This item is no longer needed, thanks to Intel releasing an updated version of their Jpeg-library. Your processor is now automatically detected, and Jpeg loading and saving is as fast as possible on your system.
*Resources used (thanks!)*
written in Delphi 5 (Borland)
GraphicEx library by Mike Lischke, to be able to support more file types. Thanks for a superb (and free for freeware) tool.
Lots and lots of how-to's on Earl Glynn's site www.efg2.com
Intel Jpeg library for fast Jpeg loading and saving (also provided free to developers)
IO unit for above by David Taylor
Component by Brad Stowers to automatically update version no. in About
JCL library by the JEDI knights
TShellTree component by J.P. Stotz, free for freeware, great, thanks.
Borland Newsgroupies, thanks guys.
(all trademarks mentioned are trademarks of whoever they belong to...)
*Very Special Thanks to: *
Klaus: For requesting most of the features which now make this program so easy to learn and fast to use.
J.W. Vraets: A user like you who spent quite a bit of time on pointing out limitations originating from sub-optimal use of resources, a bug reading 8bit Jpegs, and making great suggestions for better usability/feedback.
All other users who have sent me bug reports, feature requests and feedback. There are too many to list them all, but you should know that your input is much appreciated. This is the kind of thing that makes it worthwhile for me to keep enhancing the program.
**Copyright, Pricing, License, Liability**
© 1999-2001 Renate Schaaf
Use of the program 'Album Generator and Viewer' (album.exe) is free.
You are allowed to share the program with friends, as long as you leave the original distribution intact, but in no way is anyone allowed to directly or indirectly charge money for it or its use or its distribution.
I've recently learned, this needs to be all caps in order to be legally valid. Legal stuff is so funny. Don't worry, there's no way this program is going to reformat your hard drive.
*Supporting Album Development*
If you feel like you want to contribute to the further development of this program, you can do so by sending $15 to my account at www.paypal.com, using my e-mail address firstname.lastname@example.com. If you do so, also send me an email whether you would like to be notified of updates. Any contribution is of course completely voluntary, and only meant as a sign of appreciation for the not unsubstantial amount of time spent on the improvement of this software. Contributors will be able to register a future shareware version of the program at no extra cost. This is not a 100% promise though that there actually *will* be a shareware version, but it has climbed to, say 92.7% right now :)
*What's new* (Now consolidated for major version numbers)
1.5 - 1.6
Now comes with a wizard for easy making of distributable CDs containing one or more of your albums. Just pick which albums to include, and the wizard will collect all files necessary for burning the CD in a folder on your desktop. If autoplayed, the CD will show the first album in your list. If you include more than one album, those can be shown off the right click menu of the CD.
Added a command line option '/v' which turns Album.exe into a (hopefully) completely foolproof viewer with all the editing/saving options disabled. This is the mode in which album will run off a CD in autoplay, so even the most computer illiterate person should not be scared by it. Making a help file for this mode is still on the ToDo, though. Also, as usual, suggestions for improvement are welcome.
There's now an option to make prettier (but slower) thumbnails. Thumbnails for CD or Web-album are stored "pretty" now.
Bug fix:
All of a sudden album was giving me an AV on startup, hope I was the only one affected, but it is fixed now.
Pictures locations in root directories were not stored correctly, fixed now.
22.214.171.124 - 18.104.22.168:
I've been working on 3 wish lists.
When in the light table view, you can now bring up a real viewer for your pictures, with zoom options etc.. The keyboard shortcut for it is now 'Enter', so you can do keyboard-only navigation using the arrow-keys, then hit Enter for viewing, use other shortcuts for description etc... I like it :)
When picking image files, you can now also preview them in large size instead of just in the thumbnail.
You can now rotate/flip pictures and save them (as .bmp or .jpg only). (Cropping etc. and faster performance might be next... in the shareware version:)
Added another stretch option, for the poor Win9* users for which Smooth Windows Stretch doesn't work.
The web-album wizard has an additional page on which you can specify names for the html- and picture files different from the default. To make the name choosing easy, your album can display the page whose web-names you want to change. In case you put blanks into the names, album hopefully takes care of referencing them correctly now.
When you type an URL or an e-mail address into any description, it gets turned into a link in the web-album. (Not in the local one, so far, needs much more work, and I need to leave some things for the shareware version :).
Bug fix:
Multi-line titles are now supported and center correctly.
1.4 - 1.5:
Speed up:
Substantial improvement in the speed of loading and saving large album files. The load time it takes now, is really only due to making the thumbnails. (And this bit I had sped up already to what I see as the max.) Light table is drawn faster. Because of that the display had a chance to be prettied.
More options for picture frames: Lowered or raised bevel and drop shadow. The shadow has not made it into the web-album so far, I still need to figure out, how.
Web album creation is now done with a wizard which guides you step by step. You can also now interactively pick which of your own html-files should show up on the back-link of your album. The light table view looks more like the "real thing", with slide frames around the pictures. The picture file picker shows a better directory tree which is expandable/collapsable and lets you browse for your image folders more easily. The files in the file list show their icons now. You can now already use the album while it loads pictures.
Bugs Fixed:
File names with blanks and folder names with dots are being avoided for the web album now, because of some servers having problems with those. Album's temp folders are really scratched and don't clutter your recyling bin. Fixed memory leak occuring with textured backgrounds. Custum background loaded from file now is being remembered, sorry. Generally fixed display glitches.
When I used Album, I was moving the picture accidentally way too often. So I changed the way pictures can be moved from their default location: Now you have to hold down the shift key while dragging with the mouse.
Fixed bugs and glitches, probably introduced some new ones, sigh.
Generally spiffed up the display. Texts cast shadows and are thus (hopefully) easier to read. More. See it. Tell me if you don't like it.
Scrollbars show when needed. It was a major pain to keep the thumbs scroller and the turn buttons in place when scrolling, without causing flicker.
Scrollbars for the thumb scroller can be hidden, and panning can be used instead to scroll. Makes for a nice "flat" look, I think.
Completely reworked the thumbnail making and loading of .bmp files. Any (reasonable) pixel size of .jpg's and .bmp's should now get loaded. But loading those huge images (larger than 2000x2000 or so) is of course not fast, but it's as fast as I've seen others load them.
Added menu item File|Reopen, which gives a list of recently opened files.
Added option to display images using a fixed height or width. Can be good for webpages.
In Autoshow, time units can optionally be set to milliseconds. If you've shot that fast series of your pet playing, and you want to see it quasi movie like.
Added a picture preview to the image file picker.
Fixed bugs.
Added 'Import another album', so you can add pictures/descriptions from an already existing album.
The copyright info can now be set on a per picture basis.
Added "Auto Show" view, for slide show like display.
Added menu item 'General Preferences|Optimization|Use Pentium CPU optimization. Can be used if you have a pentium, to speed up jpeg loading/saving.
Added more frequent updates of the display for better feedback.
Reduced amount of resources used. It now loads 800 jpegs for me under Win98. This required a major rework of the thumb display.
Under Win98/95/ME, thumbs in the scrollbox could "wrap around" if there were too many, due to 16 Bit limit in the GDI. Should be fixed now. Please tell me, if the error still occurs.
Added option to change lighttable/thumbscroller background color.
Album files can now be larger than 64K (that was the limit under Win9* before)
Added customizable thumb size.
Added option to display pictures in original pixel size.
Load counter for album opening and creating.
Thanks to J.W. Vraets I was made aware of 2 rather showstopping bugs:
1) Jpegs having 8 bit format weren't read correctly
2) The program reacted very unappropriately to an out of resources condition.
Should both be fixed now.
Added 'Smooth Windows Stretch' to the resizing options. Note, it gives no effect under Win98 (a bug). This is still fast, but takes care of straight edges in pictures a little better than Default Windows Stretch. The penalty, images display a little 'flatter'.
Added a menuitem to the local picture-menu which saves the current picture as bmp or jpg, optionally with a new size and new location. Note that when you a) have a .bmp already, b) specify a new size and c) not a new filename or location, then the original picture gets overwritten.
Setting the wallpaper includes an option to make the desktop icon text box transparent, so the wallpaper shines through. Take it as a gadget right now, the effect will be gone as soon as you restart windows or change any desktop properties. A little utility "Trans.exe" can be used to set transparency from the start menu.
From 1.1 to 1.2:
Fixed bugs.
Made the web album resemble the local album more. (Note that this is not entirely possible because of the nature of how a browser interpretes tables and fonts.)
Added textured backgrounds. You can choose from predefined ones or load your own bitmap.
Added option to draw a frame around pictures. This way they resemble old fashioned photos with a white frame.
Added limited customizability for the layout of individual pictures by allowing pictures to be moved on a page.
You can now set a picture in an album as desktop wallpaper. The routine uses high quality resampling of your image for optimal effect, there are several options to choose from.
Album now automatically updates an image after it has been sent to and saved in an image editor.
salatMK is a FREE daily Muslim prayer time, reminder, and qibla locator for BlackBerry. The calculation based on your current location. It can be either from internal GPS or using cell tower to get the reasonable location. salatMK also support BlackBerry (BB) Maps for location detection.
Great for frequent traveller who must switch off their data while roaming. salatMK will automatically calculate today's prayer time with minimal input from user.
Main Features
- Calculation based on major world standards.
- No more manual location selection. Location can be detected via GPS, Cell tower, or within BlackBerry Maps. Get updated prayer time anywhere in the world, at anytime!
- Salat reminder five times a day with adzan or vibrate.
- Hijri calendar with notification of important date.
- Qibla direction fully integrated with BlackBerry Maps.
- User selected adzan.
- It is a signed BlackBerry app. Designed specifically for BlackBerry.
- Support all BlackBerry devices with Operating System 4.5 onwards.
- FREE for life.
Download now
Or browse http://m.matkeri.net within your BlackBerry Browser to download it into your device.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
VMware Workstation v7.1.3 Build 324285 Final
VMware Workstation is powerful desktop virtualization software for software developers/testers and enterprise IT professionals that runs multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single PC.
With support for over 200 operating systems including Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and over 20 other versions of Windows, along with Redhat, Ubuntu, OpenSuse and 26 additional versions of Linux. VMware Workstation delivers the broadest guest platform support for running multiple operating systems at the same time on your PC.
Essential features such as virtual networking, live snapshots, drag and drop and shared folders, and PXE support make VMware Workstation the most powerful and indispensable tool for enterprise IT developers and system administrators.
With this solution you can on a single computer to conduct processes of development, testing, debugging and running multi-tier browser-based applications that exploit the new operating systems and legacy applications on one computer, install new or upgrade existing operating systems without performing partitioning operations and restart the computer.
The new platform offers enhanced capabilities for application developers, engineers, quality control, sales of technology solutions and IT-administrators. One of the most notable innovations package VMware Workstation 7 has enhanced support for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows. To display the status of virtual machines are now fully use functions of Flip 3D and Aero Peek, implemented in the interface of Windows 7. VMware Workstation Package 7 was the first product with full support Aero GUI in Windows 7. Greatly expanded the list of three-dimensional applications based on technologies DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1, which can be run in virtual machines Windows.
Key features:
Simultaneously run multiple guest operating systems on one computer
Running a virtual machine in windows desktop core operating system and full screen
Installing virtual machines without re-partitioning
Starting already installed on your computer operating system without re-install or re-configuring
Launching Applications Windows operating system on a Linux box and vice versa
Creating and testing applications simultaneously for different systems
Running is not tested applications without the risk of endangering the stability of the system or lose critical data
Sharing files and applications to different virtual machines by using a virtual network
Running a client-server and Web applications on one PC
Running on the same PC multiple virtual machines and modeling of network
New features and improvments:
New Support for 32-Bit and 64-Bit Operating Systems
Create and run Windows in July 1932-bit and 64-bit virtual machines
Windows XP mode compatible
3D graphics improvements for Windows XP guests
vSphere 4.0 and ESX support
Print from virtual machines without mapping network printers or installing printer drivers
Create and run virtual machines with a total of four processor cores
Run virtual machines with up to 32GB of memory
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA)
And many more features
• Compatible with: Windows XP, Vista and, Win7 (32/64-bit)
• Language: English
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "The Compassionate One has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you." [Abu Dawud, Book 36, Hadith 4923]
Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd: Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever can guarantee about his tongue and his private parts, I guarantee Paradise for him." [Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 481]
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "There are two expressions which are very easy for the tongue to say, but they are very heavy in the balance and are very dear to The Beneficent (Allah), and theyare, 'Subhan Allah Al-'Azim and 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi.'" (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 75, Number 415)
Narrated Anas bin Malik (radi'Allahu anhu): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "None of you should wish for death because of a calamity befalling him; but if he has to wish for death, he should say: 'O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and let me die if death is better for me'." [Bukhari Book 70, Hadith 575].
Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) thus told him: When a non-believer does good he is made to taste Its reward in this world. And so far as the believer is concerned, Allah stores (the reward) of his virtues for the Hereafter and provides him sustenance in accordance with his obedience to Him. (Muslim Book 39 Number 6740)
From: Muhammad Khan
" whoever turns away from the Qur'an he will have a hard life, and we will raise him up blind on the day of judgment" [Quran 20:124]
From: Muhammad Khan
Athan Azan, Prayers Times, Qiblah for Blackberry - Free BlackBerry software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
CNN: Google award to Khan Academy
Dell OEM Windows 7 Theme
How do you calculate a percentage change from one number to another?
AnswerPercentage change between two numbers A & B can be calculated as:
For example, if a stock price increases in value from $123 to $145 the percentage increase is:
(145-123)/123 * 100 = 22/123 * 100 = 0.179*100 = 17.9%
Alternatively, if a stock price decreases in value from $145 to $123 the percentage decrease is:
(123-145)/145 * 100 = -22/145 * 100 = -0.152*100 = -15.2%
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_calculate_a_percentage_change_from_one_number_to_another#ixzz165bJ0o4O
Babylon Pro 8.1.0 (r16) Final - Multilingual
Babylon Pro 8 is the ultimate all-in-one translation solution operated by a single click on your mouse. Simply click on a word or text in any desktop application and get instant translation results into 75 languages. Translation of full texts, Web pages and comprehensive documents is supported by 31 languages. All these features and more, like the integration into Microsoft Office Speller menu, contextual access, language detection, currencies and units conversion, are accessible without interrupting your work flow. Babylon 8 comes with a new dictionary pack, including updated Babylon dictionaries and 17 new Wikipedia titles. You may enhance your translation experience with premium content dictionaries from acclaimed publishing houses such as Oxford, Britannica, Merriam-Webster, Larousse, Vox, Langenscheidt, Pons, and Duden. With Babylon 8, understanding, reading and writing in all languages is easier, faster, and more efficient than ever before.
Version 8.0 r20 features translation of full Web pages and documents, seamless integration into Microsoft Office Speller, easier access and new dictionaries.
Babylon Pro 8 features:
• Single Click activation
• Text translation - in 31 languages
• Results from the world's leading publishers
• Encyclopedias including Wikipedia content
• Translations in more than 75 languages
• Unit Conversions - Convert currencies, measurements and time
• Writing Tools for English
• Spelling Alternatives
• Technical Requirement
• Single Click Activation
Babylon online dictionary is a simple and intuitive tool operated by a single click. Just click on any text written in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, emails, web pages, instant messages or any other desktop application. A small window will instantly appear containing the translation results, as well as any information or conversion that you require. You can also easily copy/paste to and from Babylon. Actually, once installed in your computer, Babylon will become a powerful and innovative reference tool of easy use that will allow you immediate online access to dictionaries and encyclopedias covering all topics and themes.
• Text Translation
Text translations in 31 languages, all in a single click. Text translation has never been easier; no need for additional browsers or copy/paste. Just click any word in the text you want to translate and Babylon will automatically identify the inserted text passage and translate it. Despite the fact, that no machine translation is 100% accurate or delivers results equal to human translation, this great new feature, based on the most advanced text translation technology, helps you understand texts in languages you are less familiar with.
Babylon's text translation is available in the following languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Hebrew, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, Russian, Korean, Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, Polish and Ukrainian.
• Results from the world's leading publishers
Get single click results from the world's leading dictionaries and encyclopedias for a small additional fee. Babylon offers its users a wide range of titles from the world's premier publishing houses: Britannica, Oxford, Merriam Webster, Pons, Larousse, Langenscheidt, Taishukan, Michaelis, Van-Dale and many more. View a list of all the dictionaries and encyclopedias that Babylon offers.
• Wikipedia content
Babylon online dictionary's single click intuitive technology now offers its users results from Wikipedia, The Web Free Encyclopedia, a multilingual web-based encyclopedia in 13 languages covering more than 2.2 million articles and definitions that are constantly updated according to the current events and science latest innovations. The combined use of online applications such as Babylon and Wikipedia, are today imperative tools for pupils, students and professional translators.
• Translation in more than 75 languages
Babylon's translation and dictionary software offers results from a database of 1,300 sources in more than 75 languages. The database includes 25 professional dictionaries in 31 languages developed by Babylon's own linguistic team: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Hebrew, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, Russian, Korean and Swedish. In fact, Babylon has developed a unique instant computerized translation tool that will eventually replace your traditional printed dictionaries, offering an immediate and online access to Internet information sources and a wide range of online dictionaries and glossaries that are constantly updated.
• Units & Measures Conversion
Babylon converts currencies, measurements and time-units, just click on any value in any desktop application to get instant conversions. Babylon online dictionary will automatically identify the required conversion type, based on unit symbols that appear next to the numbers. There is no more need to contact the bank or surf the web, an advanced conversion technology will allow you to find out online, at a single click, actual timetables and currency values, which are automatically updated on a daily basis.
• Writing Tools for English
In addition to text translation, Babylon online dictionary also offers its users tools for finding the exact word they are looking for and guarantee a correct verbal conjugation. Given that many words may be translated in several ways, Babylon enables its users to see each possible translation with its equivalent translation, in the user's native language. Babylon also shows all possible conjugations, enabling thus the correct usage of the term.
• Spelling Alternatives
An automatic spelling feature available in Babylon provides solutions for common typos, misspellings and wording problems.
Multilingual: English, Spanish French, Italian, Japanese, Portugués, German, etc
Compatible with: Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 (32/64-bit)
Program + Crack UnREaL
Sunday, November 21, 2010
WinRAR 3.93 (32/64-bit) Final • Registered version
WinRAR is a powerful archive manager (Win32, Linux, Mac). RAR files can usually compress content by 8 percent to 15 percent more than ZIP files can. WinRAR is a powerful compression tool with many integrated additional functions to help you organize your compressed archives. It can backup your data and reduce size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.
WinRAR puts you ahead of the crowd when it comes to compression. By consistently creating smaller archives, WinRAR is often faster than the competition. This will save you disc space, transmission costs AND valuable working time as well. WinRAR is ideal for multimedia files. WinRAR automatically recognizes and selects the best compression method. The special compression algorithm compresses multimedia files, executables and object libraries particularly well.
Features of WinRAR:
* Using WinRAR puts you ahead of the crowd when it comes to compression by consistently making smaller archives than the competition, saving disk space and transmission costs.
* WinRAR provides complete support for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7Z, Z archives.
* WinRAR offers a graphic interactive interface utilizing mouse and menus as well as the command line interface.
* WinRAR supports NTFS file security and data streams.
* WinRAR is easier to use than many other archivers with the inclusion of a special "Wizard" mode which allows instant access to the basic archiving functions through a simple question and answer procedure. This avoids confusion in the early stages of use.
* WinRAR offers you the benefit of industry strength archive encryption using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a key of 128 bits.
* WinRAR supports files and archives up to 8,589 billion gigabytes in size. The number of archived files is, for all practical purposes, unlimited.
* WinRAR offers the ability to create selfextracting and multivolume archives.
Recovery record and recovery volumes allow to reconstruct even physically damaged archives.
* WinRAR features are constantly being developed to keep WinRAR ahead of the pack.
Compatible with:All Windows (32/64-bit)
WinRAR 3.93 (Registered version)
Virus Total Report: 0/42
Friday, November 19, 2010
Bura Lagta Hai.....
From: Amir Zaman
Thursday, November 18, 2010
PuTTYCS - PuTTY Command Sender 1.8.1


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There are many things that I don't pretend to have a good grasp on. One of those things is the behavior of teenagers. Why they are so manipulative, so cruel, so calculating, so malicious.
And by extension, I don't pretend to understand why people out GLBT teenagers.
I can understand why people out hypocritical politicians that are in the closet; it's a method to expose the truth.
But the difference between outing corrupt politicians and outing gay teens is that the politicians are adults. Unless they're Sen. John Ensign, they don't rely on their parents for financial help. They don't have a house over their head that their parents or other relatives have provided.
The world is a dangerous place for GLBT individuals everywhere they are, but it is more dangerous for teenagers. They have to attend high school, where chances are very likely that they will be bullied and there is also a good chance that the administrators of that school won't do anything because the student is gay or perceived to be gay.
If a gay teenager is in the closet, I don't blame them. If someone who is gay and in college is in the closet, I don't blame them. They are in the closet because they don't think that now is the right time to come out. They might not live in a city that has the right environment. They might go to a high school that isn't very accepting of homosexuals or bisexuals or transgendered individuals.
Some GLBT teenagers are very lucky to have supportive parents, but not all do. GLBT teens can face being kicked out of the house or having funds cut off from them. And can you imagine finding out that your child is gay or bi or transgendered from someone other than your child? I would imagine that it would feel very betraying because the parent would probably think that their child doesn't trust them.
I believe that people coming out of the closet can be very good for them. However, they have to come out on their own terms. For those of you that think that outing teenagers is fun need to have a wake-up call. It might seem like fun and games, but in reality, you are putting people lives and well being in danger.


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March Madness iPhone Applications: Four Free Apps
Apple iPhone application developers haven't overlooked March Madness and the potential it holds for establishing and furthering brand recognition. Among the Apple App Store's many college basketball applications are several devoted to the national championship of "America's game." Here are the top-four free versions of those apps, each having it's own premium version.
The applications are listed in order as they recently appeared under the "Top Free" tab of the Sports section in Apple's App Store.
CBS Sports Mobile NCAA March Madness on Demand (CBS Interactive)
At present, the CBS app opens to a to-the-minute Selection Sunday countdown display and a screen containing conference tournament results and upcoming games. Once the NCAA tournament is set, it's certain that the games displayed will show the match-ups in each of the four regions.
Aside from it's colorful, simple (read pleasing) interface, and the ability for users to pick their March Madness brackets, the best feature of the CBS offering is the tournament/game highlights and videos.
That feature will keep people who are on the go, in the know. Once they return home to friends, they'll no longer have to play catch-up, or pretend they saw the greatest play ever.
Breaking news stories and a direct link to Twitter compliment a great app. Whatever the paid version offers, it must be spectacular to top the free version.
Final Madness (Reflect 7)
A fan who is looking for minimalism has found their heaven with Final Madness. At the moment, since the field or this year's national championship tournament hasn't been set, the application opens to last year's tournament bracket. That can be a good thing, because just looking at the brackets all the way to the national championship game brings back memories.
Once selections are made for the NCAA tournament field, users will likely see match-ups and results as the tournament progressess. Clicking on a particular game will reveal a game wrap-up, summary, statistics and other features.
Final Madness has a solid interface, works well, and will be good for fans who just want the facts.
College Hoops & Bracket Challenge (Citizen Sports, Inc.)
This tournament bracket app opens to a page of clickable icons. Choose from Scores, which now takes users to conference tournaments and results, Standings (top-25), News, Teams, Alerts (user defined), Brackets and application info.
Clicking on the Scores icon and choosing the desired game will allow fans to see game details and an in-game timeline of highlights. For upcoming games, Bracket Challenge provides the point spread and over-under (for those who like to wager, legally) and a "Pick the Winner" feature. Fans can also take part in the Chat section. Oh, yes, fillable brackets are also an option.
Overall, the people at Citizen Sports have created a cool and creative app. Nice.
iMarch Madness (JBMJBM, LLC.)
iMarch Madness has the requisite college hoops news and national rankings from CBSSports.com/RPI, AP Top-25, Coaches Poll, and Parrish's Top-25 (and one). This app does not offer user-fillable brackets, like others.
What it does have is a unique in-app topical blog. In addition to live-game blogging, users can discuss Top-25 teams, coaches, player updates, recruiting, news and more.
iMarch is a great application, but don't expect to use it to keep up with your own brackets, unless the feature is added following selection of the field.
From the minimalist nature of Final Madness, to the highly funded CBSSports app, the college basketball national championship is well-covered by free iPhone applications.


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Meet Our Expert HIPAA Compliance Consultants
Strategic Management consultants are experts on HIPAA compliance issues, enforcement actions, training, as well as legal threats and have been solving HIPAA problems since its passage in 1996. Our HIPAA consultants have been engaged by health care providers, law firms, managed care organizations, and HIPAA business associates, who desire to make use of the extensive experience and expertise of the Firm. The Strategic Management team offers confidential consulting; several types of HIPAA training (both, web-based and in-person); and other essential compliance resources.
Scroll down to learn more about some of our key HIPAA compliance consultants.
Our HIPAA Compliance Consultants Are Here To Help
Founded more than 20 years ago, Strategic Management was among the very first consulting firms to provide HIPAA support to clients. Strategic Management's knowledge and experience in HIPAA and HITECH centers on the importance of understanding and incorporating the regulatory compliance requirements into an existing organizational strategy and compliance infrastructure.
Since the initial drafts of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules were released, the Strategic Management team has provided research, analysis, and program support on privacy and security rules and requirements to a number of organizations including both commercial sector entities and government agencies. More specifically, our experience includes:
- Developing privacy research briefs, educational programs, and project tracking tools for the Department of Defense Military Health System.
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Let Strategic Management address your organization's HIPAA needs.
Get in touch with an expert to guide you through the HIPAA compliance process.
Go from the HIPAA Consultants Team Page to the main HIPAA compliance homepage


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there are posting rules for comments on this blog: no disrespect to other posters, no name calling, no bad English, and keep criticizing of the parenting style to the minimum.
Suri is adorable child. I sincerely wish her Happy BirthDay! and anyone who is doubting that, will not be heard on this blog. sorry.
for those who missed it:
for her BD party celebration at their house in CA, Suri was wearing her Teal Sunglasses by Ray Ban and Popsicle Party Ruffle Dress by Biscotti.


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Bakfiets and Bands in Hart ParkPosted on
Yesterday after work I rode down to Wauwatosa to see my pals in Semi-Twang and the Mike Benign Compulsion play at the great new bandshell in Hart Park as part of the Tosa Tonight Summer Concert Series. I roll up and have my first bakfiets (Dutch for Box Bike) sighting in the Milwaukee area!
For six years after visiting Copenhagen, Chris tried without success to import one of these dutch cargo bikes. He had all but given up when he scored this Workcycles Bakfiets from Vince at the Dutch Bike Co. in Chicago. That is the same place we bought our Workcycles Omafiets. On a side note, Chris commutes on a Pugsley, which means he has both bikes I want that I don't have: a bakfiets and a snow bike!
This proven long-john design for cargo bikes has been around for decades. Most people who try them can't believe how well they ride compared to towing a trailer or even bikes with a long rear wheelbase based on the Xtracycle design. Since I had a chance to ride a Harry v. Larry last time I was in Chicago and now that there is a real Bakfiets in town, in the near future I will write a special post on OTB about cargo bikes.
There were plenty of other nice rides at the park. My old man of a Raleigh was lucky enough to hang with the three lovely ladies in the photo below left. That is my '36 Raleigh, Liz's Oma, Linsey's new Pashley Britania (look for a feature about this bike soon), and Jill's vintage French mixtie.


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With NVIDIA G-Sync accompanied by an ultra-high 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, the 27" wide AG273QCG is built for the more discerning connoisseur of gaming displays. Also comes with DTS Audio and Lighting FX for more immersive and exciting gameplay.
NVIDIA G-SyncScreen tearing doesn't only harm gaming performance, it also destroys immersion. NVIDIA G-Sync technology eradicates this disastrous problem by ensuring your monitor's refresh rate is always synced with your processor's. With AOC, you'll always be one step ahead in the innovation race.
165Hz frame rate and 1msWith a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, your display will be equipped to perform at the pro gaming standard. Enjoy an ultra-smooth experience with no visible screen blur to ensure you're always prepped to win.
QHDAt 2560 x 1440 resolution, Quad HD (QHD) offers superior picture quality, sharper images and finer details, without changing the screen shape, so Full HD videos will still fill the whole screen.
Curved designCurved screens offer a more immersive user experience that puts you at the center of the action. By mimicking the curvature of the eye, it is also less straining to track movement around the screen. The screen's deeper-than-average curvature provides a more engaging experience and allow you to enjoy beautiful visuals from almost any angle.
Light FXAOC Light FX offers a brand-new immersive gaming experience by emitting ambient light during gameplay. Choose 12 default modes or customize the technology to flash team colors at e-sport events.
DTSWith DTS audio tuning technology, you can enjoy a theatre-like audio experience from your screen without needing to buy extra speakers or headphones.
Game ModeIt can be a hassle to adjust monitor settings every time you load up a new game. AOC Game Mode allows quick adjustment and pre-designed setups (tailored for different genres) to enhance the gaming experience.
Shadow ControlAOC Shadow Control enables fast contrast adjustment of the in-game image. It improves areas of the screen that are too dark or washed out without affecting the rest of the screen.
Low Blue ModeLong exposure to short wavelength blue light may cause eye strain, sleep disorders, or headaches. AOC Low Blue Mode puts the user first by reducing the screen's short wavelength blue light emission without sacrificing color accuracy. Also provides four different filtering modes - reading, web browsing, multimedia, and office.
HDMI & DisplayPortHDMI compatibility unlocks a wider array of connectivity options for users, including gaming consoles, laptops, Blu-Ray players, and more.DisplayPort is the main PC-to-monitor connection format in the industry, with better refresh rates and the ability to carry audio in addition to visual data.
- Product Description
- AOC Gaming AG273QCG - AGON Series - LCD monitor - curved - 27"
- Device Type
- LCD monitor - 27"
- Energy Class
- Class C
- Energy Consumption per Year
- 74 kWh
- Power Consumption (On mode)
- Curved Screen
- Yes
- Adaptive-Sync Technology
- Native Resolution
- QHD 2560 x 1440 (DisplayPort: 165 Hz, HDMI: 60 Hz)
- Pixel Pitch
- 0.2331 mm
- Brightness
- 400 cd/m²
- Contrast Ratio
- 1000:1
- Response Time
- 1 ms (grey-to-grey)
- Colour Support
- 16.7 million colours
- Input Connectors
- HDMI, DisplayPort
- Display Position Adjustments
- Height, swivel, tilt
- Colour
- Black, red
- Dimensions (WxDxH) - with stand
- 61.21 cm x 24.94 cm
- Weight
- 8.16 kg
- Compliant Standards
- VCCI, BSMI, FCC, KCC, MEPS, J-MOSS, E-Standby, KC, RCM
Detailed Specification
- Display Type
- LCD monitor
- Energy Class
- Class C
- Energy Consumption per Year
- 74 kWh
- Power Consumption (On mode)
- Diagonal Size
- 27"
- Curved Screen
- Yes
- Adaptive-Sync Technology
- Native Resolution
- QHD 2560 x 1440 (DisplayPort: 165 Hz, HDMI: 60 Hz)
- Pixel Pitch
- 0.2331 mm
- Brightness
- 400 cd/m²
- Contrast Ratio
- 1000:1
- Colour Support
- 16.7 million colours
- Response Time
- 1 ms (grey-to-grey)
- Horizontal Viewing Angle
- 170
- Vertical Viewing Angle
- 160
- Features
- Low Blue Light Mode, Flicker Free technology, NVIDIA Ultra Low Motion Blur Technology, DTS Sound, AOC Shadow Control, AGON Light FX, Dial Point
- Colour
- Black, red
- Dimensions (WxDxH)
- 61.21 cm x 24.94 cm - with stand
- Weight
- 8.16 kg
- Type
- Speakers - stereo
- Output Power / Channel
- 2 Watt
- Interfaces
- HDMI , DisplayPort
- Display Position Adjustments
- Height, swivel, tilt
- Tilt Angle
- -5/+23
- Swivel Angle
- 60
- Height Adjustment
- 110 mm
- VESA Mounting Interface
- 75 x 75 mm
- Compliant Standards
- VCCI, BSMI, FCC, KCC, MEPS, J-MOSS, E-Standby, KC, RCM
- Voltage Required
- AC 100/240 V (50/60 Hz)
- Power Consumption Operational
- 45 Watt
- Power Consumption Stand by
- 0.5 Watt
- Power Consumption (Off Mode)
- 0.5 Watt
Dimensions & Weight (Shipping)
- Shipping Width
- 69.3 cm
- Shipping Depth
- 22.5 cm
- Shipping Height
- 52 cm
- Shipping Weight
- 10.8 kg
Bundle deals
Bundle deal on AOC AG273QCG 27" Curve QHD Gaming Monitor
Bundle includes:
|Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium 'in a box' 1 year subscription/license worth £99.17 | in stock
Bundle savings are calculated against the cost of buying items separately


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Design Services
Hello, and thank you for visiting my landscape architecture website.
Here you will find information about how I can help you:
- Fix landscape puzzles and problems.
- Create a new landscape or renovate an old one.
- Consider landscape issues when planning to build a new house or other structure.
In these pages, you can also discover:
- My unique approach to landscape design.
- How the design process works, so you'll know what to expect if we work together.
- Lots of photos of my projects and gardens.
- Photos of New England native plants I love to use in my work.
- Comments from various clients, past students and readers (of my book, Energy-Wise Landscape Design).
I look forward to hearing from you~
Sue Reed
"Sue Reed is an engaging teacher and inspirational designer. She makes difficult concepts accessible, and helps her students reach their potential with a unique combination of high standards and compassion."


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The Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is one of the biggest environmental problems that no one knows about. Right now there is an area larger than the size of the continental United States in the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan that has more plastic in it, by volume, than plankton and other sea life. The swirling ocean currents conspire to aggregate trash that doesn't biodegrade (i.e. plastic) into a giant soupy mass of environmental pain.
Eco-adventurer David de Rothschild recently set sail from San Francisco on a boat made up entirely of recycled materials, including 20,000 plastic water bottles used for floatation. His plan is to sail through the garbage patch on his way to Sydney to get people to start paying attention to this problem.
Oprah raised the attention bar by featuring a segment on the garbage patch on her Earth Day show.
It's hard to know what to do about it. Plastic doesn't biodegrade and ends up just breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces. This plastic dust now greatly outnumbers plankton found in the area and causes massive damage to sea life when they eat it. On top of the microscopic pieces of plastic, the water is also filled with shopping bags, old flip flops, soda bottles and discarded fishing equipment. How do you clean up something on that scale? We can't, at least with current technology.
And unlike a lot of environmental problems, we can't really pin this on any one group, corporation, political party or country. This one belongs to all of us. Plastic is a part of our lives and it's nearly impossible to live without it. There have been advances made in biodegradable plastics and it's entirely possible that we could someday fully make the transition to using them, but that won't change the fact that there are megatons of plastic floating around in the Pacific Ocean.
So what CAN you do? Start looking at plastic with an eye on the future. Find ways of cutting down on the amount that you use. Use cloth shopping bags, choose glass or aluminum containers when you can, and ask yourself a question everytime you go to purchase something that uses plastic: "Do I need this enough to justify this plastic being around FOREVER?".
Some days it's hard to be an environmentalist. Ignorance can be bliss.
Related story on MNN: Learn more about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch
Are you on Twitter? Follow me (@sheagunther) there, I give good tweets. And if you really like my writing, you can join my Facebook page.


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- Parkfield Press 29th November 2019 11th December 2019
- Parkfield Press 24th October 2019 24th October 2019
- Parkfield Press 9th October 2019 24th October 2019
Welcome to Class 1H
On behalf of all the staff of Class 1H welcome our class page. We recognise that in order to be successful in school, our children need support from both the home and school. A strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child's education. If there are any problems or concerns please do not hesitate to come in and speak to us.


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Candy-coated Considerations of Sugar
For many years I had been told that sugar is addictive, toxic and the source of many of the health problems in our country. Of course I didn't believe it (I'm somewhat of a skeptic), not because I had researched the effects of sugar and had come to alternative conclusions, but because I loved sugar so much. I was like that stereotypical parent that believed my son or daughter (sugar) could do no evil.
I'm not sure what it is – maybe genetics – but I have a wicked sweet tooth. The kind of sweet tooth that made me want to eat the whole box of popsicles within 24 hours of going to the grocery store. I was the kid that ran out of Halloween candy by the next morning. I've made myself sick eating sweets so many times it would cause a migraine just trying to estimate it. I simply loved sugar. What am I saying loved for? I still LOVE sugar, although I haven't had it in a while.
Several years ago, I discovered that I have psoriasis (a skin condition that causes irritated red and scaly patches). Through years of trial and error with tons of things like medicines, ointments and creams (pharmaceutical and holistic), I found that sugar was one of the main culprits of my psoriasis flare-ups. That discovery was probably one of the most devastating things for me to accept. I had no idea why sugar made my flare-ups so bad, all I knew is that when I stopped eating sugar, my psoriasis got better (almost overnight) and I lost over 10lbs in the first month off of it.
Please don't assume this post is to demonize sugar as being bad or evil or that people should avoid it altogether. I'm just a fella at TPC trying to spread some good things about helping you be healthier!
Whether or not you agree with many of the opinions and information out on the web, you may at least be interested in knowing how much sugar you are eating, if nothing else than for the sake of being aware.
The Basics
Our bodies need sugar, specifically the sugar known as glucose. This sugar is essential for proper brain and body function, and is the primary fuel source to keep us chugging along. The real neat thing about the body is that it is pretty efficient at breaking down the food we eat into glucose to keep that metaphorical gas tank full.
With the understanding that our bodies need sugar, does that mean you can eat the whole box of popsicles now? Well, probably not (although I'd sit right next to you and we would have a ball).
It's probably safe to say that the majority of people in our country know that we should be eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. The sugar found in things like milk, fruit and vegetables is generally enough sugar for our bodies in addition to everything else our bodies break down into glucose.
If you are at all like me, however, these sources of sugar weren't enough! Sometimes I just needed two hearty bowls of ice cream, or a dozen cookies, or half of a cake, or a whole package of Double Stuf Oreos, or… well, I think you know what I mean.
The problem isn't that we eat sugar, it's that we eat too much, even if we don't mean to! The website sugarscience.org has some great information of which they say that 74% of all the packaged foods at the grocery store have sugar, even those considered "healthy."
Too Much Sugar?
The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that American women should limit themselves to about 6 teaspoons of added sugar (see their definition of discretionary calories), and American men should limit to about 9 teaspoons of added sugar per day. The following list is just so you can compare to get an idea what 6 or 9 teaspoons looks like. Keep in mind that 1 teaspoon is 4 grams of sugar (16 calories if you were curious).
- Snickers bar – Regular– 29g of sugar or 7.25 teaspoons
- Can of soda – 12oz – 39g of sugar or 9.75 teaspoons
- Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino – Tall – 41g of sugar or 10.25 teaspoons
- Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll – 54g of sugar or 13.5 teaspoons
- McDonald's Oreo McFlurry – Large – 103g of sugar or 25.75 teaspoons
There is information all over that suggests Americans eat between 66lbs and 170lbs of added sugar per year. Estimates also range from 20 teaspoons of added sugar to 47 teaspoons per day. I know there were days when I went on candy-eating-binges that I had to be well over the upper limit of added sugar in a day. Just think… a Snickers bar (mmmm… Snickers…) and a couple cans of your favorite soda and you're already looking at 26.75 teaspoons of sugar!
I would hope that in the very least we begin to examine how much sugar we are taking in, and that we start looking at the nutritional (or lack of nutritional) information and values of the foods we eat.
So What?
I think we can all agree that having too much sugar in our diets is a bad thing. The threshold between bliss and bad is different for everyone, and I would encourage each individual to examine their level of activity and daily caloric needs to determine how much added sugar they should allow each day.
That being said, having too much sugar can lead to a wide variety of health problems. These include, but are not limited to: weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, high blood pressure, the development of excess fat around vital organs, spike in bad cholesterol, compromised immune system and an increased risk for certain types of cancer.
That sounds a lot like the "potential side effects" portion of a new drug commercial.
The Takeaway
Again, I'm not saying that all sugar is bad for us. We need it. Sometimes we just get too carried away, or we aren't looking at how much sugar is in the food we consume. I think it would be wise for us to examine how much sugar we are eating, and make plans to take control of what we are consuming. Being wise stewards of our bodies can help us feel better, reduce the likelihood of having health problems (which no one probably wants) and saving us money in both short- and long-term.
When you're at the grocery store, grab a few of the items you're putting into the cart and turn them around and look for words such as: high-fructose corn syrup, corn sweetener, lactose, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey, agave syrup, or any other type of sugar, and decide what is best for you.
Next time you're in the checkout line and decide to treat yourself to a candy bar, you may consider really treating yourself and put it back.