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The Raiders offense finally had a let down game. Unfortunately, it came on the biggest game of the season thus far. The run game was inconsistent and the Raiders were too reliant on the passing game in a rainy game in which the field conditions were terrible. Carr's control of the ball in rainy games is better than most quarterbacks but it is still a lot to ask for a quarterback to throw the ball 34 times in those conditions.
One player that did not struggle in the rain was Amari Cooper. Although the stats may not reflect it, Cooper gave Marcus Peters fits last year. Peters simply does not have the long speed to run with Cooper, so the Chiefs put him on Crabtree and matched up Steven Nelson on Cooper. The results was a dominate game by Cooper, who finished with 129 yards receiving. A lot of those yards came on simple curl routes.
Cooper's short and quick steps helped him to take sudden cuts even in the rain. The chiefs played a lot of man coverage. Their corners were afraid of getting beat deep and they could not stop as suddenly as Cooper, leading to many easy connections for Cooper and Carr.
The Interception
The Raiders looked like they might dominate the Chiefs after they scored a touchdown on the opening possession and forced he Chiefs to go three and out right after. On the first play of the Raiders second possession, Crabtree got open on a beautiful double move that had cornerback, Marcus Peters, turned around.
Crabtree breaks down and Peters, who is always aggressive, gets ready to jump the route, but Crabtree gets behind him. However, Carr gets pressured and instead of stepping up and resetting his feet, Carr throws off his back foot and while he might get away with it in better weather, the ball sails and is easily intercepted. Although Carr has improved his pocket maneuvering this season, he clearly has to work on that aspect of his game.
Know the Situation!
In addition to pocket maneuvering, Carr has to be more aware of the situation. Carr had a clear lane to run for a first down, but chose to wait and throw a contested pass to Deandre Washington on a critical third and three.
There was a similar situation against the Ravens in which Carr should have ran but didn't. Carr has the ability to be a threat with his legs and although he isn't going to be the next Michael Vick, he has to start taking advantage of some of the wide open lanes that are opening up in front of him.
Another Fourth Down Gamble
The Raiders got away with a big gamble against the Chargers by throwing a fade to Crabtree on a fourth and two against the Chargers for a touchdown, but this time their over aggression came back to bite them in the rear end.
The play was designed to get the ball to Seth Roberts running a hitch and go. It is a good call against an aggressive Chiefs defense, but the defense was in 2-man. It is very difficult to throw deep against 2-man because there are two safeties deep while defenders play man underneath. The weakness of two man is the short to intermediate middle of the field. Carr should have known this and went to Crabtree running a dig into the middle of the field instead of taking a chance throwing to Roberts especially with a wet ball.
Chiefs Second Half Adjustment
Carr said, "They changed their coverages up, they did in the second half… We could see it, we knew what they were doing." The Chiefs went from playling Cover 0 or single-high coverage on 19 of 21 passing plays in the first half to playing a 2-high coverage 17 of 20 pass plays in the second half.
Single High Coverage usually means cover 1 or cover 3.
Two-High Coverage usually means cover 2 or 2-man or cover 6 (combo coverage)
The Chiefs were concerned with giving their corners help with two deep safeties in the second half and it worked. Two deep safeties meant that there was less people in the box and the Raiders ran the ball well in the second half averaging 5.8 yards a carrie in the second half. However, they couldn't covert on third and short/ medium situations.
On this play, the Chiefs are playing 2-man once again. The Raiders are running a shallow cross concept with Cooper running a drag and Roberts running a dig behind him. It's third and five so Carr understandably wants to go to Cooper running a drag underneath. However, the Chiefs are only rushing three and fortunately drop Tamba Hali right into where Cooper ran his drag route. It was would have been very hard to see Hali and in retrospect, Carr should have went to his second progression and hit Roberts.
As Coach Del Rio said, this is just one game and the Raiders have to move on. It was just wasn't their game on either side of the ball. Carr had an off-day in the rain and right now, the team just isn't good enough to overcome that. This group has shown they have the ability to work hard and learn and Raider Nation should expect a bounce-back effort against the Jaguars.


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Seven Home Décor Tips From The Interior
Stephanie Michaan is the founder of The Interior (@the.interior), a New York- based lifestyle brand that offers interior design services and home goods. With a house in Bridgehampton, an apartment in Manhattan, and a variety of clients in New York and beyond, Michaan is clearly an interior design guru.
Focusing on an aesthetic that she herself defines as "very minimal," Michaan spends most of the year in the Hamptons, enjoying her "sanctuary" of a home, her favorite local design spots (JANGEORGe, MONC XIII, Bloom), her go-to beach (Ocean Road Beach) and, of course, entertaining friends and family. Who better, then, to give us some tips on how to revamp our homes just in time for summer hosting duties?
1. When decorating, never rush the process
Michaan urges all homeowners to slow down when picking out new furniture. "I think you really need to take your time buying," she says. "I think it's good to get your big pieces of furniture and live in the space and see what [else] you need," she advises. "Oftentimes, people buy things because they just like them, but there's really no space, rhyme, or reason for it."
2. There's something to be said about keeping things neutral
Remember: You can always add a touch of creativity with simple objects. As the weather changes, the interior designer uses "different pillows, bedding, and even art" to spruce up her space. "I love to kind of live seasonally," she explains. "Especially being in the Hamptons, you design a beachy house that's very appropriate for the summer, but people come out all year." To do that, "I'll switch out the bedding to something a little warmer, I'll do some more pillows, some sheepskins in the living room, and then there's the little things, like flowers."
3. Let your own life inspire you
Michaan describes her childhood home in Pound Ridge, about an hour north of New York City, as "very laid back." Her mom, a yoga teacher, taught her about the practice, "and I took a lot of that into design school and my philosophy on design." The result? A belief that "your house should kind of be your sacred place, a place that you walk in the door and you feel instantly relaxed," she says. "It's your space," so infuse it with who you are and where you come from.
4. Looking for help? You might want to think small
When prompted about the pros and cons of hiring a big interior design firm versus a smaller one, Michaan expounds on the differences between the two. "Working one-on-one with someone, we go to a lot of the showrooms together, we're in close communication, and it's a fun process." A bigger firm, in contrast, is "doing 10 or 15 projects at a time. They're very busy." It all comes down to the person that you are and the experience that you are seeking: "If you're the type of person who just wants to hand the project over to a big company, and you trust that everything is going to be perfect, [go for it]. With me, we work together, and I get very granular with everything."
5. Social media is your friend
In some way diverging from popular opinion, Michaan feels rather hopeful about the use of social media within her industry. "Instagram is great," she says. "It's free advertising, and it really is a way to show my brand." Specifically, she utilizes it to connect "with a lot of different vendors who I never heard of through the design world." How can you, as a consumer, make the best of it when redecorating? "It's a very visual business," says Michaan, so feel free to browse through your feed and get inspired.
6. You're allowed to add items to your wish list even after redecorating
Who says that being an interior designer means fulfilling all your furniture-related desires? Mentioning two easy chairs by Heinz Henry as some of her favorite pieces in her Bridgehampton home, Michaan admits that there are still some things she dreams of adding to her space—namely, a "beautiful bed frame." Which begs the question, what is on your home décor wish list?
7. When hosting, your outdoor space is just as important as your indoor one
Summer in the Hamptons means lots of friends coming over all the time. "I think the beautiful thing about entertaining out here is you don't need very much," Michaan says about hosting. "It's always [nice] to have bottles of wine [on hand], and then I go to the farm stands a lot and I'll get some fruit, I'll get some cheese, and then [it's all about] being outside." After all, as she reminds us herself, "the Hamptons kind of sells itself: sitting outside having some wine is really all you need."

subset: commoncrawl


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Jones died in Martin County, Florida, after suffering a heart attack, according to the local medical examiner's office.
He was reportedly admitted to the Martin Memorial Hospital after complaining of chest pains at home the previous evening.
Baby-faced Jones was the lead singer of the 1960s made-for-television band, whose string of hits included Daydream Believer, I'm a Believer and Last Train to Clarksville.


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Fairy Tail 224 focus on Kemokemo as he keeps on getting bigger and bigger, they get on the island to find a large sea monster there. A cruel virus has been released when Kemokemo grows into his monstrous form, he releases a gas which neutralises the virus and keeps everyone alive, him and Natsu battle the great Sea Monster.
Fairy Tail 224 begins as they all get to the island, they notice that everything seems to be normal when a large monster appears. They try to fight it, it's massive when Natsu and Lucy are trapped underground, they go ahead to read the inscriptions written underground, it seems to be similar to that of before seen with Jura.
A large heartbeat like thing is heard, the Sea Monster is pushed down, some kind of virus is spread throughout the village, there seems to be a gas where Natsu and Lucy are, we also see many people from the council as well as Lahar fall down. Lucy nearly gets crushed by a rock when Natsu helps her.
Lahar gives the order to submerge the village, Lucy gets it as she reads into it. We also get to see Kemokemo grow a lot larger while the Sea Monster outside crushes things. Kemokemo grows even larger as he see's his true form and memories come back to him. Kemokemo fights against the sea monster to beat it.
Natsu also helps out, and with a few good shots we see Natsu and Kemokemo beat the Seamonster, it's mentioned that he's the saviour of the village, there is a natural virus on the island while Kemokemo is the cure to it all. Kemokemo begins joining back into the village as he tells him that he should go back, and that he's had fun and always been part of his family and Fairy Tail. Natsu receives an acorn from the village which he plants.
A good episode, Kemokemo was pretty good, on top of which It's nice to see such episodes such as these. Can't wait for more good episodes as we continue with Laxus in next week's Fairy Tail 225, titled "The Lightning Man"!


text: Hi there, Just a couple of questions to the guys who know: 1. Anybody seen any rain fall? If yes does it influence gameplay? 2. Anybody know where to find the files for tweaking the game play? 3. Has anybody created a list of encrypted names of files to what they actually contain. Thanks, Garth.


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Hoping to save taxpayer money by reducing energy use by state and local governments, the Senate yesterday gave final approval to a bill to overhaul a program aimed at spurring energy savings projects.
With no debate, lawmakers passed the bill (A-2313) by a 33-0 vote. Gov. Chris Christie is expected to sign the bill.
Passed with great expectations in 2009, the law has failed to live up to its promise because of procurement-related issues, as well as a lack of clarity in its procedures, according to its sponsors.
The original law was designed to allow government entities to enter into performance-based contracts with energy service companies, enabling them to cut energy use without any capital expenditures. The agencies pay off the projects over a 15-to-20-year period through the energy savings they capture, which can run as much as 25 percent.
Few argue that the program offers huge opportunities to significantly reduce energy costs without laying any capital, but neither state nor local governments are taking advantage of the program, according to an advisory group that helped draft the state's new Energy Master Plan.
As a result, local school boards and governments are missing the opportunity to reduce energy bills, curb greenhouse gas emissions, and create new, well-paying jobs, proponents say.
By putting off making expenditures to invest in new and more efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, the towns rely on aging, obsolete equipment, which only increases their energy costs.
Among other things, the bill would eliminate a requirement that state contracts be awarded to the lowest bidder. Instead, it would allow contracts to be awarded on a basis of best value, a standard that would permit New Jersey to award deals based on which bids provide the greatest energy savings.
Energy savings companies were unwilling to respond to bids based on the low bid standard, said Steve Goldenberg, an energy lawyer who has been pushing for changes in the law, known as the Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP).
"This is expected to loosen up literally hundreds of millions of dollars for projects," Goldenberg said. "It's a major job play. It's a major economic development tool — most importantly, at no cost to taxpayers."
Asssemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Somerset), a sponsor of the bill, agreed. "Energy Savings Improvement Programs can be a valuable asset, and with these improvements to the program we'll be taking a large stride toward realizing taxpayer savings," he said.
The bill also includes a provision allowing energy service companies to choose among a list of prequalified vendors to perform the work on energy savings projects.
Without giving these companies more flexibility in deciding who actually performs the energy efficiency work, they will never invest in long-term contracts that guarantee energy savings, according to some who have followed the bill through the Legislature.


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Your chance to win up-to £1million
Soccer Saturday Super 6 are giving football fans the chance to become a millionaire every Saturday without spending a penny!
The Sky Sports free-to-play football prediction game are providing players an opportunity to land a life-changing cash prize by boosting the weekly jackpot to a staggering £1million.
Already the weekly £250,000 prize has been won by Burnley fan Ed Houghton, while the previous £1million jackpot was almost landed with four players in contention heading into the late kick-off.
To be in with a chance of winning £1million all you have to do is correctly predict the scores for six selected Premier League matches on Saturday, entry to take part in the Super 6 is completely free.
Please show your affinity to the Alex by clicking through www.skybet.com/crewe
You can enter your predictions online, via the Super 6 mobile site or by downloading the apps in the iOS App Store and Google Play store.
Entries close at 3pm on Saturday, so get predicting...
Click here to play now Skybet.com/crewe


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Ri Son-gwon (right), chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, shakes hands with Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon of the Republic of Korea in the truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday. XINHUA
Beijing says it "feels happy" to see improved relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea after the two sides held high-profile talks. China called on the international community to lend its backing to such efforts.
The DPRK on Tuesday agreed to send a "high-ranking" delegation to participate in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in the ROK as officials of the two countries started their first high-level meeting in two years.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China hopes the talks will be a good beginning for the ROK and the DPRK to improve ties, promote reconciliation and cooperation, and reduce tensions.
Piao Jianyi, an expert from National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the talks went "surprisingly good and smooth" and people can look forward to improvement in the direction of the Korean Peninsula issue.
"Usually the proposal put forward by one side will be rejected by the other," he said. "However, this time both sides have reached more consensus than before."
Ri Son-gwon, head of a five-member DPRK delegation for Tuesday's talks, said in his introductory remarks that he hoped to give a New Year's gift to the people of the Korean Peninsula.
In response, the ROK's unification minister, Cho Myoung-gyon, said he expects the Olympics to become a peace festival with "precious visitors" from the DPRK. He also said the inter-Korean dialogue had resumed after a long hiatus, calling on the DPRK to continue talks with a firm will and patience.
The DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency said in a commentary on Monday night that Kim Jong-un, top leader of the DPRK, "clarified a bold and compatriotic stand and proposal for improving inter-Korean relations in his New Year's address."
The DPRK's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an earlier commentary that Kim's appeal for detente with Seoul has won overwhelming support at home and abroad.
Russia also welcomes dialogue between the DPRK and ROK, a Kremlin spokesman said on Tuesday. "This is exactly the kind of dialogue that we said was necessary," he said in a conference call.
However, Yoichi Takahashi, a professor at Tokyo-based Kaetsu University, said people should not pin their hopes on the talks because the DPRK may not stop nuclear and missile tests, and the potentially explosive tension on the peninsula has not eased.
Piao also said it is hard to predict whether optimism will remain for the future, especially considering that half of the government in Seoul is conservative, and holds a hostile attitude toward the DPRK. "And we can't ignore the role the United States is playing."


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Knowledge Center
At Human Longevity, our team of clinical and scientific experts integrate health data to generate a complete picture of your individual health. Below, see what we're learning about the new frontier of technology-driven health, advanced imaging and genomics research. We're pushing the boundaries and uncovering new discoveries to mitigate the impacts of chronic age-related diseases.


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Christmas Jammies from Target!!!!
Hello. My name is Ashley and I am a Christmas Jammies junkie. Read More
Delightfully inspired trials and tribulations
Hello. My name is Ashley and I am a Christmas Jammies junkie. Read More
"Dress shabbily and they remember the dress. Dress impeccably and they
remember the woman." – Coco Chanel
Ahhh, the Capsule Wardrobe, a term coined in the 1970's by London boutique owner Susie Faux, according to Wikipedia. Defined further as "a collection of of a few essential items of clothing that don't go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces."
Self care is so important in our busy lives.
Here are some of my favorite things to make "me time" that much better!
Isn't it amazing how crazy busy life can get? Between the 8-5, soccer practice, recitals, playdates, homework and… and… AND! There's the need to feed the family. The following meals have been tried and true staples during the super busy times. Enjoy!
White Chicken Chili (without beans) – Just 100% good and quick! Follow the crock-pot recipe to make it ridiculously easy. www.TheRealFoodRDS.com Serve with some tortilla chips or diced avocado. (photo from TheRealFoodRDS)
Taco Tuesday Stuffed Peppers – Not the easiest or quickest but it's totally worth the work. Recipe is here. I love to make these in addition to our regular Taco night menu. They make perfect leftovers for lunch to-go. (My photo)
Sheet Pan Dinners – One pan and done. I love these type of dinners. Just be sure you have a higher quality sheet pan so it doesn't warp in the middle of baking (my…
View original post 149 more words
If there's one thing I love about fall fashion, other than boots it's leopard print! I'm drawn to the warm gold, brown and black patterns like a moth to a flame. I can't seem to find anything it doesn't go well with. I've paired my shirts with white jeans, leggings, dressy pants, casual denim and my pencil skirt, the sky is the limit!
Mother's day is coming!! Don't be a jerk and forget 🙂 I mean that politely, of course. Everyone has someone who has been a mother figure in their life.
In hopes you can start thinking about what you would like to do for your mom, mail to your mom, deliver to your mom, surprise your mom….. START THINKING NOW.
Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
Gift ideas:
Deliver the gift in person if possible. If it's not possible than call. facetime, skype. Just make some kind of contact in some way.
I realize we are all in different places and situations. I hope that on Mother's Day you can find peace and joy knowing that you were born on purpose. It's your job to find that purpose.
What are your thoughts on planners? I started using one a long time ago. Actually it was a desk calendar long before I became an "apple product addict" and started using an online calendar. Eventually I realized I'm a visual person and need to write things down.
My most favorite planners are the ones that have the whole month layout as well as weekly layouts. I need one that lays flat with tabs that separate each month. I would prefer a 15-18 month planner but find I get tired of it after 12 months and start looking for something new.
I used the Lilly Pulitzer planner last year and thought it was really nice for $30++! They have since changed the design and I have to say I'm not a fan. It had a protective thick cardboard cover with spiral binding that allowed it to be folded backwards. Pockets, stickers and plenty of room to personalize was secondary to the layout.
I found a planner made by Me&My Big Ideas and it's almost as good. Only 12 months but the thick plastic coated cover and large spiral make it a decent runner up to my previous love.
And then there are bullet journals and although it seems fun it may be a little to overwhelming.
What's your favorite planner?
Plant-based recipes
The Everything Bagel of Lifestyle Blogging
Living my best life and eating my way through Chicago
Makeup & Skincare | Cruelty Free | Reviews
Helping mommas learn how to manage it all and love motherhood (and themselves) in the process!


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English • العربية • български • català • čeština • Deutsch • Ελληνικά • español • فارسی • français • hrvatski • magyar • italiano • română • 日本語 • 한국어 • lietuvių • Nederlands • norsk • polski • português • русский • Türkçe • українська • 中文(中国大陆) • 中文(台灣) • עברית • azərbaycanca •
The CoreXY arrangement and the very similar H-bot arrangements are popular mechanical arrangement for a RepRap motion stage.
The CoreXY and the H-bot are a Cartesian arrangements -- they makes it easy to move the head in straight lines along axis 90 degrees from the other axis.
There is a change in the belt pattern from the H-bot arrangement to the CoreXY arrangement. The belt loads on the carriage of an H-Bot tends to rotate it around Z axis. So the positioning accuracy rely only on the stiffness of the carriages. H-bot shall be very solidly built for good accuracy. CoreXY mechanism add two pulleys to equilibrate loads and so the carriage stays always perpendicular without relying on the stiffness of the sliding mechanism. In fact, the CoreXY mechanism is the same as what was used for decades in cable based auto-parallel drawing tables. CoreXY have longer belts than H-Bot but they allow lighter construction. [1][2] The advantage of coreXY are discussed by some:[3]
There is two ways to built the CoreXY belt system.
- Both belts are on same plane so belts are crossing and they tend to rub one against the other at crossing point. Twisting the belt on the crossing path limits the rubbing. A small finger can be installed to separate the belts at crossing point.
- The two belts could be set on two different levels (see image). This creates a small tilting momentum on the hotend carriage and increase the momentum on shafts if pulleys are installed on cantilevered shafts. This also save some space on the return pulley side as the pulleys could be stacked.
Firmware option are identical for CoreXY and H-Bot.
A CoreXY and a H-bot are a parallel manipulator system. In other words, the motors on a CoreXY system or H-bot system are stationary.
Parallel manipulator systems, such as CoreXY and h-bot and Dualwire-Gantry (DW-G), typically have much lower inertia than serial stackup arrangements. The lower inertia of a parallel manipulator system, when using the same motors and the same forces, typically gives more rapid acceleration than serial stackup arrangements. (For example, the Prusa i3, RepRapPro Mendel, etc. use a serial stackup -- in other words, some of their motors are pushed around by other motors).
To maintain the low inertia, they are generally equipped with 'Bowden' tube hot-end.
In DIY world, the D-Bot, derivative of the C-bot, A V-wheel based design, had some success and is probably the most frequently self-built CoreXY. The more recent hypercube design[4] based upon tubes also drafted interest, needing less printed parts than a C or D-Bot. An HyperCube built with very light carbon tubes have low mobile mass allowing good performance.
Some Chinese manufacturers are confusing people while presenting H-Bot printers as CoreXY (Creality Ender-4 is presented as being a CoreXY while it is an H-Bot with associated problems)[5].
Machines in standard aluminium profiles
|Last update
|Movement XY
|Movement Z
|Useful volume
|Speed (print/travel)
|Vulcanus (different sizes)
|may 2015
|Frame in aluminium profiles, with metal and printed parts
|bearings on rods
|4 rods and two trapezoidal screws (2 motors)
|200 x 200 X 260 (up to 520 x 520 x 1500)
|440 x 440 x 600
|300 (print? travel?)
|http://www.instructables.com/id/Vulcanus-V1-3D-Printer/ http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:821066 http://www.instructables.com/id/Vulcanus-MAX-CoreXY-Aluminum-Frame-RepRap-3D-Print/
|february 2015
|Modification and update of project AluXY by zelogik/jand while using Openbuild profiles. Good documentation.
|V-slot with wheels (said to be more silent)
|with 2 rods 12mm and trapezoidal screw 10mm thread 2
|? / ?
|january 2015
|Profiles Openbuilds and printed parts
|with V-slot with wheels, non crossing belts
|with V-slot, transmissions with 2 trapezoidal screws (2 motors)
|? / ?
|RepRap-XY by "jand"
|january 2015
|Machine like the AluXY by Zelogic, but with printed parts. Detailed BOM with complementary information
|? / ?
|AluXY by "Zelogik"
|march 2014
|Aluminium frame with parts in aluminium
|rods 8mm with Igus bearings, crossed belts
|With two rods and trapezoidal screw
|200 / 350
|http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?397,297740 https://github.com/zelogik/AluXY
|forkLIFT MK1
|3030 extrusion aluminum frame, 2020 bed frame, all motors out of the chamber. Belt tensioner at the motors to the back. F623ZZ bearings. Tool changer ready. All rods and bearings removable without disturbing belts.
|Pair of 8mm rods for X with 3xLM8UU bearings for X. Pair of 12mm rods with 2x LM12LUU for Y. Parallel belts no twist. Belts aliment assured by self aligned parts.
|4x 12mm rods with 8x LM12UU bearings and two leadscrews for 300+ beds and half for up to 220mm beds. Fully integrated carriage and motor/rods/nut holders for easier alignment.
|300x300x300 standard version.
|Up to 100m/s and 300mm/s. Maybe more with better tuning.
External links
- CoreXY theory
- Kevin Craig. So, you want to build an H-bot?.
- OpenBuilds: H-bot
- Google groups: H-bot and CoreXY 3d printers.
- So You Want To Build An H-BOT?.
- RepRap forum: H-bot type Reprap?.
- RepRap forum: H-bot with Fishing line concept.
- RepRap forum: HBot using fishing line (actually uses the CoreXY configuration)
- "Concept: h.ORD" is a "CoreXZ" 3d printer.
- CoreXZ discussion: "RepRap forum: Vertical H-bot with x and z axis?"
- "Tantillus sized h-bot"
- Dice: Tiny coreXY in aluminium structure


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Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Our home is very family oriented. It is a clean single storey home with attached double garage on a corner block - 5 mins drive to local shops and 15mins to...
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We offer a large and beautiful 5 bedroom detachedhouse, close to Sydney and the beaches. We have 5 bedrooms, main with ensuite one with one single bed, one with single beds, one with a queen bed and an other one with a queen bed. There is 2 living rooms, one study (with a sofa where 2 people can sleep), and a large kitchen where all the family can eat. It's a very big house, brand new (built june 05 ), with tiled floors, carpet to bedrooms and main lounge, a double car garage and gardens with patio.
Hi, my name is Karen,
My mum, two children and myself are returning to England in July for a visit and would like to stay around the Worksop area.
Our home is in a beautiful part of NSW. A very quaint town.
A small village, situated in the national park, 5 min from Stanwell Park beach NSW, 50 min from Sydney and 30 min from Wollongong.
All amenties such as tennis courts, free local pool, local shoping centre 20 min from Miranda Fair shopping town.
Our home is very family oriented. It is a clean single storey home with attached double garage on a corner block - 5 mins drive to local shops and 15mins to...
Sunny modern and stylish 2 bedroom penthouse. Located close to sandy beaches, public transport, restaurants, bars and the city centre. Our unit offers...
This sunny, modern open plan villa apartment is in a secure 2 year old complex of 12, designed for over 55's. It is single level with no one above and only...


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Canadian Prime Minister Not Greeted with a Bow - Photo
Via The Anchoress
Quite a contrast to the way Obama greeted China's Communist Leader. I guess friends like Canada or Israel don't rate a bow.
We Have a New Home! Please Click Below to Go to the New Freedom's Lighthouse!
Like I've said before: Barry has not met a dictator he did not like.
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Friday, January 23, 2009
LASIK: Question of the Day: Why is LASIK the most popular type of Laser Eye Surgery?
The first type of laser eye surgery for the correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism was called Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) and the Excimer Laser was approved to perform it in the US in 1995, PRK is still performed for selected patients who have thin corneas, dry eyes or certain corneal dystrophies. The LASIK procedure was developed due to two limitations of PRK. First-LASIK offers a fairly quick visual recovery, usually allowing patients to drive without glasses or contacts within 24-48 hours after their LASIK Surgery. Second-LASIK Surgery is performed between the layers of the Cornea rather than on the surface and as such causes minimal discomfort for patients. These two advantages have made LASIK the most popular laser eye surgery,
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Intrinsyc (TSX: ITC and OTC: ISYRF) Reports Quarterly Revenue Growth of 58% over Prior Year with Adjusted EBITDA of US$602,619 (CDN$766,107)
Net income of US$484,797 (CDN$611,772) and earnings per share of US$0.02 (CDN$0.02)
Vancouver, BC – March 7, 2018 –– Intrinsyc Technologies Corporation (TSX: ITC and OTC: ISYRF) ("Intrinsyc" or the "Company"), a leading provider of solutions for the development of intelligent connected devices, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. Intrinsyc achieved year over year revenue growth of 58% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, with Adjusted EBITDA of US$602,619 (CDN$766,107), net income of US$484,797 (CDN$611,772), and earnings per share of US$0.02 (CDN$0.02).
The strong revenue growth was a result of increased shipments of embedded computing hardware to new and existing clients, as well as improvement in revenue from engineering services. Revenue was US$6.8 million (CDN$8.7 million) which was an increase from US$4.3 million (CDN$5.7 million) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016.
Fiscal 2017 revenue was US$20.7 million (CDN$ $26.8 million), which was an increase of 18% over the prior year. Annual revenue growth was a result of very strong growth from hardware sales, partially offset by a decline in software and services revenue. Since services revenue is generally at higher margins than hardware revenue this change in revenue mix impacted overall gross margin and earnings. The decline in services revenue was primarily as a result of the reduced revenue from a single major client as they delayed their product development. Net income for Fiscal 2017 was US$642,337 (CDN$808,382), with earnings per share of US$0.03 (CDN$0.03).
"Our strong performance in the quarter is confirmation of the Company's successful strategic execution and transition from a non-recurring engineering services business model, to providing integrated solutions with a repeat revenue model," stated Tracy Rees, Chief Executive Officer, Intrinsyc Technologies Corporation. "When our computing solutions are designed into our clients' products it typically leads to repeat hardware purchases over multiple years and the benefits of this model are evident in our increasing revenue contribution from the Company's embedded computing products, which increased by 76% annually".
"Although the decline in services revenue from a major client negatively impacted our gross margin and earnings in Fiscal 2017, we have indications that our client will once again be a significant contributor to our services revenue beginning in the second quarter of 2018."
"I'm confident that Intrinsyc is on the right track with our expanding product portfolio, strong technology partnerships, industry leading technical expertise, and growing client base. While we expect that our continued execution of our strategic initiatives will lead to annual revenue growth; there is a greater likelihood for quarterly variability in Fiscal 2018 due to the timing of our clients' hardware orders and the availability of components needed for manufacturing."
Quarterly Business Highlights
- The Company increased design wins for the Company's Open-Q™ computing modules from 44 in the previous quarter to 50 in the fourth quarter, and production wins from 19 to 22, over the same period. Design and production wins are important metrics to track our progress in building our business with scalable repeat revenue.
- New production wins, agreements, and orders announced during the fourth quarter included:
- A production win and order for the Company's Open-Q™ 2100 System on Module ("SOM"). The SOM will power an advanced GPS asset tracking product built for government applications by a leading government systems integrator. The initial order received will support a client rollout and field trials with larger production expected beginning in the second quarter of 2018.
- A new production win and the receipt of an initial order valued at US$470,000 for the Company's Open-Q™ 410 SOM. The SOM will be used in a camera based IoT product.
- The receipt of orders for hardware and services from new and existing clients, that are in aggregate valued in excess of US$800,000. Among the engineering services orders are commitments from an industry leading company in the robotics industry, a Fortune 500 computing company, and an Industrial IoT company that is planning on using the Company's recently launched Open-Q™ 626 SOM.
- Announced the Open-Q™ 660 Hardware Development Kit. Mobile Platform. The development kit supports an advanced mid-range processor that is designed to provide a leap in performance; supporting advanced photography and enhanced gaming, in addition to long battery life for top-tier mobile and IoT devices.
- Intrinsyc was named to Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™, ranking 407 on this list of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies in North America. Intrinsyc achieved this award as a result of our 196 percent revenue growth over a three-year period, from 2013 to 2016.
Financial Highlights
Three Month Comparative Results
The Company reported fourth quarter revenue of US$6.8 million (CDN$8.7 million), up 58% over the same period in the prior year of US$4.3 million (CDN$5.7 million) and up 41% over the prior period of US$4.8 million (CDN$6.0 million). The increase in revenue over the comparative periods was due primarily to increased revenue from the sale of hardware products.
The Company had net income of US$484,797 (CDN$611,772) in the three months ended December 31, 2017 compared to net income of US$210,128 (CDN$327,171) in the same period in the prior year and net income of US$93,006 (CDN$112,859) in the prior quarter.
Gross margin[2] in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 was 35%, which was consistent with the 36% gross margin in the same period in the prior year but higher than 30% in the prior quarter. Decrease in gross margin over the same period in the prior year was due to the change in revenue mix, which saw a significant increase in revenues from the Company's Embedded Computing Hardware business which has a lower gross margin than the Company's engineering services, and a decrease in engineering services revenues. The increase in gross margin over the prior quarter was due to an increase in engineering services revenues. Adjusted EBITDA was as follows:
Annual Comparative Results
The Company reported revenue of US$20.7 million (CDN$26.8 million) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, up 18% over the same period in the prior year of US$17.5 million (CDN$23.1 million). The increase in revenue was due to increased revenue from the sale of hardware products partially offset by a decrease in product development engineering services.
The Company had net income of US$642,337 (CDN$808,382), with earnings per share of US$0.03 (CDN$0.03) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, compared to net income of US$1,662,782 (CDN$2,232,617) in the same period in the prior year.
Gross margin for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 was 33%, which was lower than the 39% gross margin in the same period in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA was as follows:
Financial Position as at December 31, 2017
Working capital[3] as of December 31, 2017 was US$12.4 million (CDN$15.5 million) inclusive of cash and short term investments of US$7.3 million (CDN$9.1 million). This is compared to net working capital of US$11.7 million (CDN$15.7 Million) as of December 31, 2016 inclusive of cash and short-term investments of US$7.6 million (CDN$10.1 million).
Financial Statements and Management Discussion & Analysis
Please see the audited consolidated financial statements and related Management's Discussion & Analysis ("MD&A") for more details. The audited consolidated financial statements for the three months and year ended December 31, 2017 and related MD&A have been reviewed and approved by Intrinsyc's Audit Committee and Board of Directors. Intrinsyc recognizes that the majority of its investors are now accessing Intrinsyc's corporate and financial information either through pushed news services, directly from www.intrinsyc.com or SEDAR. Thus, Intrinsyc has prepared this truncated news release to alert investors to its results and that a more detailed explanation and analysis is readily available in the MD&A. These reports have been filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and also posted at www.intrinsyc.com.
Conference call
The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2017 financial results at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time) today. On the call, Tracy Rees, Chief Executive Officer and George Reznik, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the financial results announced. This conference call may be accessed, toll-free, by dialing 1-877-340-8005, and internationally by dialing 1-416-641-6110 approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. This conference line is operator assisted and an access PIN is not required. The conference call will also be broadcast live over the Internet and available for replay on the Company's Investor Relations Conference Calls web page (https://www.intrinsyc.com/company/investors/). Analysts and investors are invited to participate on the call. Questions may be submitted to firstname.lastname@example.com prior to the call.
Financial information is reported in United States dollars and in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS").
Non-IFRS Measures
The following and preceding discussion of financial results includes reference to Gross Margin, Adjusted EBITDA and Working Capital, which are all non-IFRS financial measures. The measure of gross margin is provided as management believes this is a good indicator in evaluating the operating performance of the Company. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as operating income (loss) inclusive of revenue reclassified as interest income (as per IFRS) less other operating expenses. The measure is provided as a proxy for the cash earnings from the operations of the business as operating loss for the Company includes non-cash amortization and depreciation expense and share-based compensation which are classified as other operating expenses. The measure of working capital is provided as management believes this is a good indicator of the operating liquidity available to the Company.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements which, to the extent that they are not recitations of historical fact, may constitute forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities legislation that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements or information may include financial and other projections as well as statements regarding the Company's future plans, objectives, performance, revenues, growth, profits, operating expenses or the company's underlying assumptions. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "expect," "anticipate," "intend", "plan", "forecast", "project", "estimate" and "believe" or other similar words and phrases may identify forward-looking statements or information. Persons reading this press release are cautioned that such statements or information are only predictions and that the Company's actual future results or performance may be materially different. Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those suggested by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the need to develop, integrate and deploy software solutions to meet the Company's customer's requirements; the possibility of development or deployment difficulties or delays; a customer's decision to cancel or fail to proceed with a commitment to purchase units of the Company's products contained in an executed purchase order; the dependence on the Company's customer's satisfaction; the timing of entering into significant contracts; customers' continued commitment to the deployment of the Company's solutions; reliance on products manufactured by other companies for resale or distribution and reliance on third-party suppliers; the performance of the global economy and growth in software industry sales; market acceptance of the Company's products and services; the success of certain business combinations engaged in by the Company or by its competitors; possible disruptive effects of organizational or personnel changes; technological change, new products and standards; risks related to international expansion; concentration of sales; international operations and sales; dependence upon key personnel and hiring; reliance on a limited number of suppliers; industry growth; competition; intellectual property; product defects and product liability; currency exchange rate risk; and other factors described in the Company's reports filed on SEDAR, including its Annual Information Form and financial report for the year ended December 31, 2017. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information.
These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by this cautionary statement and there can be no assurance that actual results or developments anticipated by the Company will be realized. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
About Intrinsyc Technologies Corporation
Intrinsyc Technologies Corporation is a product development company that provides comprehensive and tailored solutions that enable the development and production of next-generation embedded and IoT devices. Solutions span the development life cycle from concept to production and help device makers and technology suppliers create compelling differentiated products with faster time-to-market. Intrinsyc is publicly traded (TSX: ITC and OTC: ISYRF) and is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
For more information, please contact:
George W. Reznik, CPA-CA, CBV, CFE
Chief Financial Officer
Intrinsyc Technologies Corporation
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: +1-604-678-3734
[1] Non-IFRS measure that does not have a standardized meaning and may not be comparable to a similar measure disclosed by other issuers. The closet comparable IFRS financial measure is Operating Income (Loss). Adjusted EBITDA referenced here relates to operating income (loss) inclusive of revenue reclassified as interest income (as per IFRS) less other operating expenses. [2] Gross Margin is a non-IFRS measure that does not have a standard meaning and may not be comparable to a similar measure disclosed by other issuers. Gross margin referenced herein relates to revenues less cost of sales.
[3] Working Capital is a non-IFRS measure that does not have a standardized meaning and may not be comparable to a similar measure disclosed by other issuers. This measure does not have a comparable IFRS measure. Working capital is defined as current assets less current liabilities.


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This popular fun event will start at 6pm. Tickets must be purchased in advance priced at £9 adults and £6 children aged 3-16 years. All under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, tickets will not be available on the gate and Ironbridge Gorge Museum Passports are not valid for this evening. No dogs will be allowed; for more information call 01952 433424 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk.


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Posted: October 6, 2017
Congressional hearing injects the facts about the Jones Act and Puerto Rico into Capitol Hill
In a hearing convened October 3 by the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation in the House of Representatives, the facts about the Jones Act and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the beneficial role the crucial American cabotage law is serving in the devastated island's recovery from Hurricane Maria, were placed in the public record and injected into the roiling debate in Congress.
At the time of the hearing, more than 11,000 containers of crucial supplies and construction materials had been delivered to Puerto Rico by Jones Act carriers. Because roads and other elements of the island's surface transportation infrastructure were blocked, damaged or destroyed by the hurricane, fuel could not be adequately distributed over land from terminals on the island, and trucks and drivers were in very short supply. As a result, the relief cargo that had already been delivered to Puerto Rico could not be readily distributed over land to the American citizens living there as Jones Act vessels continued to deliver more supplies to the island, filling cargo terminals to near capacity, and shipping fuel trucks directly to San Juan to help alleviate the bottleneck in moving cargo on the island.
Despite the reality on the ground, political interests aggressively and shamelessly capitalized on the crisis and the desperation of the island's leaders and residents, seeding media coverage and political debate with a fraudulent narrative that the Jones Act was to blame for essential supplies not reaching the people who needed them most.
On September 28, the Trump Administration issued a 10-day blanket waiver of the Jones Act for Puerto Rico. In a press conference, Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert explained Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello had called him the night before and requested the waiver as a 'just in case' measure. Bossert said there was no real need for the waiver and no shortage of Jones Act qualified vessels. The waiver was issued only because the governor requested it to ensure all steps that could be taken had been taken to bring relief to Puerto Rico.
On October 5, David Lapan, a Homeland Security Department spokesman, said the department does not believe an extension of the 10-day waiver is needed to support relief efforts for the hurricane-ravaged island, according to a Reuters report. Lapan said the department had not received any requests from commercial interests to waive the Jones Act and the Defense Department had not requested an extension.
"There is an ample supply of Jones Act-qualified vessels to ensure that cargo is able to reach Puerto Rico," Lapan told Reuters.
The hearing October 3, "Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Coast Guard Stakeholders' Perspectives and Jones Act Fleet Capabilities," focused both on the budget needs of the U.S. Coast Guard for repairs, operations and facilities following three devastating hurricanes, and on the needs of the people of Puerto Rico and the service available and being provided by Jones Act carriers in dedicated trade with the U.S. territory. Witnesses at the hearing for the panel discussions were U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. William Kelly and Rear Adm. Melvin Bouboulis, Seafarers International Union Political and Legislative Director Brian Schoeneman, TOTE President and CEO Anthony Chiarello, Crowley Senior Vice President Michael Roberts, and Philly Shipyard, Inc. Government and Regulatory Advisor John Graykowski.
Subcommittee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) opened the hearing. "Hurricane Maria was a category 5 hurricane when it hit the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Massive relief efforts were immediate and included over 7,000 emergency response personnel from various departments and agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, FEMA, and the Army Corps of Engineers, among many others. Included in the response efforts were U.S.-flag vessels. There are 15 vessels that regularly supply Puerto Rico with cargo. These vessels were prepared with food and water, equipment and supplies to restore power, and emergency relief provisions for FEMA and the Red Cross."
Rep. Hunter continued: "Critics continue to assail the U.S.-flag fleet and the Jones Act as an antiquated industry and law, unnecessary in today's world. These critics promoted claims the law prohibited supplies from getting to Puerto Rico. However, as we know, that was false. Supplies have been getting to the island and have been backlogged at the ports, due to the devastation of logistics on the island. Foreign vessels are also bringing fuel and supplies to the island from foreign ports; the Jones Act does not prohibit that from happening.
"There are over 40,000 U.S.-flag vessels that work U.S. waterways. These vessels are U.S.-built, -owned and -crewed. These are good American jobs. This should be a positive thing, not critiqued as antiquated or expensive. The Jones Act also ensures that our country has U.S. merchant mariners available to man U.S. military support vessels. This is a point ignored by many and something that needs more attention."
Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), ranking member on the subcommittee, also made opening remarks at the hearing. "There's been a lot of misinformation, especially about the Jones Act, that continues to float around in the media. This hearing provides a timely and valuable opportunity to set the record straight.
"The response of the U.S. merchant marine and the fleet of U.S. Jones Act carriers has been nothing short of superb," Rep. Garamendi said. "These domestic carriers immediately re-routed and assigned additional vessels to carry emergency supplies - food, fuel, water, medical supplies and building materials - to Puerto Rico in its time of greatest need.
"The President yielded to the political pressure and granted a 10-day waiver," he said. "What remains clear, however, is that more vessels delivering more supplies without any improvement of the island's surface transportation infrastructure will do little to improve the recovery effort on the island. In fact, it may create even greater congestion and confusion, which regrettably will only add to the misery of United States citizens and others on the island."
During the hearing, several members of the subcommittee questioned the witnesses on the panels and commented directly on the Jones Act, its importance to the U.S., and on the misinformation being spread about the law and its impact.
Rep. Don Young (R-AK), whose state is also served by Jones Act vessels in non-contiguous trade with the U.S. mainland, said of the most recent attacks upon the cabotage law, and of the waiver: "As much as I like Puerto Rico, there's been a group of people over the years trying to subvert the Jones Act. This is not new, and they saw an opportunity.
"I'm a little worried about that nose under the tent right now."
"No one has justified it to me ... we do have the ships," Rep. Young said. "I know that they're trying to do this to Hawaii, and trying to do it to Puerto Rico, then they go down the line. That affects a large very viable section of our domestic industry and our national defense. The Jones Act is a great deal of that."
In an exchange with the Coast Guard officers, Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) clarified that foreign ships carrying cargo from foreign ports are in fact allowed access to Puerto Rico and are not affected by the Jones Act.
"It's my understanding also, as of last week, there are more than 9,000 containers that were sitting at port facilities in Puerto Rico, and the challenge was not getting the containers there, the challenge was actually distributing the containers," Rep. Graves said. "And, if I recall correctly, the throughput, meaning the processing of these containers, into Puerto Rico for various commerce is in the hundreds per day ... You can do the math, and even if their logistical system (and) their transportation system were operating optimally, you would still be looking at several days before that capacity could be distributed.
"I am concerned that some folks believed that, by waiving the Jones Act for 10 days, we were going to provide some immediate relief to the logistical challenge of getting the relief supplies distributed around Puerto Rico, and I believe it's very clear that's not the case," he said. "I think we need to make sure that we stay focused on real solutions that are going to address these logistical problems, as opposed to solutions in search of problems."
Rep. Hunter commented directly on the media coverage of the issue, and reported on statements from the administration establishing there was no need to waive the Jones Act for Puerto Rico. "I've never seen a direct attack by the media, from MSNBC to Fox News, on an American institution like maritime - shipbuilding, ship repair, all American workers, all American made - I've never seen this," he said.
He read from a statement issued by the Maritime Administration one day before the Jones Act waiver was enacted: "Waiving the Jones Act now will not provide any additional relief to the hurricane victims on the island. The U.S.-flag fleet has the capability of carrying food, water, fuel, and emergency and recovery supplies that Puerto Rico needs from the rest of the United States. The problem for Puerto Rico in the next few weeks is not procuring enough ships to carry the cargo, it is the difficulty of unloading the ships and getting the relief supplies to where they are desperately needed, given the fact that the ports, the roads, the power grid and communications have all been heavily damaged by Hurricane Maria."
The statement concluded: "As Puerto Rico's infrastructure is repaired, the administration may ultimately decide that additional ships are needed to serve the people. If so, CBP and MARAD should be allowed to follow the established procedures for a case-by-case review of any waiver request. There should not be any blanket waivers of the Jones Act."
Rep. Hunter also cited statements made by Homeland Security Advisor Bossert: "If there are not U.S.-flagged vessels, the capacity in other words, to meet the need, then we waive the Jones Act. In this particular case, we had enough capacity of U.S.-flag vessels to take more than or to exceed the requirement and the need of diesel fuel and other commodities into Puerto Rico.
"The idea here is that we had provided as many commodities as were necessary to the island. The challenge became land-based distribution. That remains the challenge, that remains the priority today."
Rep. Hunter noted that Bossert was asked: "Had Governor Rossello not requested proactively a waiver of the Jones Act, would you have seen a compelling reason to initiate a waiver?"
Rep. Hunter read Bossert's response from the transcript: "No, I would not have. And I was not recommending to the President that he waive the Jones Act at the time, until I got the governor's request. And it may be a historical note of relevance, sometimes we'll see the carriers request the waiver, right, so you'll have foreign-flagged vessels or U.S.-flagged vessels, or carrier companies call us and say please waive it because there is an issue. We did not to my knowledge get any carrier requests."
Rep. Hunter said: "Those are two things from the administration saying there was no need to waive the Jones Act. They had plenty of capacity. You have plenty of everything that you need. This was pure politics."
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) questioned witnesses regarding the potential service of foreign vessels operating between the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico. Chiarello explained that information circulating informally was that one foreign carrier probing the possibility of moving cargo from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico had quoted a transit time of 15 days. This contrasts with TOTE's transit time of 2 1/2 days.
Rep. DeFazio asked how that could be possible and Chiarello explained Puerto Rico would be a very small market for a foreign carrier and they would probably try to fit a port call on the island into a larger multi-national cargo route, rather than providing direct service to Puerto Rico from the U.S. mainland, as is provided by Jones Act carriers.
Rep. DeFazio ascertained from the witnesses the Jones Act does not apply to the U.S. Virgin Islands. He then commented: "I've been to both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and I didn't observe any discrepancy. In fact, it seemed to me that things were more expensive in the U.S. Virgin Islands than they were in Puerto Rico."
Roberts responded: "When we've looked at this in terms of the shipping rates, for example, we've found that the rates - and we did this a couple of years ago - the rates in the ... Virgin Islands trade, again a non-Jones Act trade, were 20 to 40 percent higher than in the domestic ... Puerto Rico trade. And it has to do with market size and other factors like that, but that's the reality in those markets."
Rep. DeFazio said: "That's essentially reinforcing what Mr. Chiarello just said, which is Puerto Rico would sort of be like a comma in a paragraph in terms of interest of major foreign fleets and directly serving them, versus trying to squeeze it in somewhere in the schedule that makes sense for their other routes."
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) asked if there would be a practical effect of extending the 10-day waiver after it expires.
Chiarello responded: "It didn't make sense to us why the waiver was put in place the first time, so an extension of the waiver would make even less sense. We have the capacity. We're moving the freight. There isn't a bottleneck of cargo to get to the island. The bottleneck is on the island."
Roberts added: "Let me emphasize that our primary priority, our top priority, is to help the people of Puerto Rico get the supplies they need. And if there was a particular movement that couldn't be satisfied with a Jones Act vessel, we would not stand in the way of getting that done quickly. That's just not the case now."
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) raised the point that Jones Act carriers provide inexpensive backhaul rates to businesses on Puerto Rico, carrying cargo manufactured or grown on the island to market in the U.S. mainland at a discount. The congressman emphasized getting help to Puerto Rico was a priority, but the long-term economic recovery of the commonwealth is also very important.
"I'm also concerned about the reconstitution of the industries and the businesses in Puerto Rico, and getting those goods back to the mainland," he said. "I would like ... to discuss the backhaul rates your companies offer from Puerto Rico back to the mainland and how these inexpensive rates help Puerto Rican manufacturers and other businesses serve the American markets. Because, unless we're also concerned about that, how we're going to help the Puerto Rican economy, we are only doing half the job here."
Chiarello responded: "The export rates from Puerto Rico back to Florida are significantly less than the rates going from Florida down to Puerto Rico, just because of - number one - the demand, and for us, because we move so many empty containers coming out of Puerto Rico in a two-to-one trade, there are opportunities to help support that exporting community.
"There should be more opportunity for freight, and from a carrier perspective, we're trying to work with the government and the shippers to support that."
Roberts said: "The backhaul rates are a competitive advantage that Puerto Rico has that the other islands in the Caribbean don't have. I would estimate, and it's only an estimate, that you could probably get a container load of cargo from Puerto Rico to Jacksonville cheaper than you can get it from Atlanta to Jacksonville.
"They have built industry around that, and around the tax breaks that unfortunately expired, and that's an issue," Roberts said, referring to tax incentives for U.S. companies to locate manufacturing operations in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, which were phased out over a period of 10 years, resulting in an exodus of industry from the island.
Rep. Hunter concluded the hearing with powerful remarks on the extreme importance of maritime cabotage to the national and homeland security of the United States, and to other nations around the globe, which have cabotage laws similar to the Jones Act. He expressed his hope and expectation the Trump Administration would learn from this experience that the Jones Act waiver was not necessary, and supporting the law is essential for the U.S. in many ways.
Rep. Garamendi's closing questions to the panel focused on the significant capital investments Jones Act carriers have made in providing dedicated service between the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico - approximately $500 million for TOTE and approximately $600 million for Crowley.
"We do have a challenge out ahead, and that is to push back against all of the 'fake news' surrounding the Jones Act," Rep. Garamendi said.


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It's true, Chaos and Creativity go together.
I need to get going on my next project, and I'm still looking for ideas. I have a deadline, which might bring pressure, panic, despair, and CHAOS. But wait! Chaos and creativity can be a good combination.
If I go into the dark forest, I might come out with a rare find, a new species, a basket of really cool mushrooms. You never know what you will find in the unmapped territories, and you can't get to the good stuff without going there.
So here I go.
A shot of my worktable early in the brainstorming process. Nice and tidy.
Time for some free association. Woods . . . spring . . . botanical paintings . . . I love botanical paintings . . . I can get out the watercolors and see what happens! Oh, wow, discovery. Flowers are really, really hard to do well in watercolor . . . harder than berries, twigs and dry leaves . . . I need to learn how to do this. . . . I'll look at my books, find some exercises. Flat washes! Give it a try! Wow, flat washes are really, really hard . . . how many will I have to do before I get it right? Ok here's one that's kind of ok, I think it's the 50th one I've done. Uh oh, #51 looks terrible. Also #52.
A few hours later, the work table is somewhat less tidy. My 1″ x 1″ flat wash experiments are embarrassingly untidy.
More hours later, chaos is howling at the door. All hope of an orderly work table is gone.
The flat washes are still pretty rough. Is there a Plan B? Hmmm, at least I can draw. I'll look at my drawings.
Maybe it's time for Plan B.
Having a look at recent sketches, these two pages seem promising. I thought they were failures when I drew them. I even had to paste fresh paper over the baby's face so I could redraw it. And the dog isn't quite right either, but still . . . I might have something here.
Yes. mom and baby and dog all together, I like the feel of that. If only I can work some irises into it? The iris looks like a monster flower compared to the figures, kind of funny! Still free associating here, but on the scent of an idea, ha ha. I bet it turns out to be an etching. Stay tuned. More to come in the next blog post.
Unless the chaos gets me. (Just kidding.)
These wonderful books on Botanical Painting encourage and instruct me.
Titles and authors listed below. To see some amazing work in botanical illustration, follow the link at the end of the list.
The first two are especially good for starters.
Martin, Rose Marie, and Thurston, Meriel. Botanical Illustration Course with the Eden Project, Batsford, London, 2006.
Scott, Mary Ann, with Stevens, Margaret. Botanical Sketchbook, American Artist Books, 2010.
Stevens, Margaret. The Art of Botanical Painting, Harper Collins, 2005.
Stevens, Margaret. The Botanical Palette, Colour for the Botanical Painter, Harper Collins, 2007.
The American Society of Botanical Artists (online)
I'm starting a new feature:
From time to time, I will be telling you about art-related podcasts, such as these:
- Two talented contemporary representational painters interview other talented painters/artists on their lives and careers in the Podcast Suggested Donation (no donation is required.) Tony Curanaj and Ted Minoff are serious about art and completely irreverent about everything else, so be prepared for both silliness and great conversations.
- The National Gallery of Art has hundreds of videos, audio podcasts, and music programs available on iTunes at no cost. I just downloaded a great free video. I have listened to many excellent talks by curators of special exhibits while working in my studio. This is a fantastic resource, and an easy way to learn about art and artists.
Now for this post's installment in the series How It Looks in a Frame.
This etching fits the theme of today's post: being in the woods, waiting for inspiration. I can't say I am as relaxed as these characters. There is some dreaming going on, though, and that's always a good sign.
Before the Fall, etching on paper, 5″ w 5.5″ h.
To see it without a frame, click here.
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For many people, sexual intercourse is an intimate and essential act between a couple, as well as a practice that preserves the species. However, nature is very wise and sexuality not only gives us the ability to show love or pleasure, but also for the well-being of the whole organism. The best way to reach climax is barcelona escorts vip, where the sexiest women will take care of your pleasure.
A study published in the British Medical Journal evaluated 1,000 men, aged 45 to 59, for about 10 years. Those who had sexual activity 2 or more times a week had half the deaths, compared to those who had a lower frequency. On the other hand, research by psychologist David Weeks of the Royal Hospital of Edinburgh determined that having sex 3 or more times a week could be a way to stay young, prolonging life by 10 years. This, after interviewing 3,500 people who appeared to be underage at their age.
1. Increases the defenses: having sexual relations as usual, once or twice a week, causes greater secretion of the hormone dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), increasing by up to 30% the levels of antibodies called immunoglobulins A, which favors the defense mechanisms against diseases such as cold or flu.
2. Decreases risk of prostate cancer: In light of research published in the British Journal of Urology International, men who ejaculate four or more times a week reduce the chance of prostate cancer by 30%. Because the seminal fluid that accompanies spermatozoids is produced, the prostate and seminal vesicles take zinc, citric acid and potassium from the blood, concentrating them up to 600 times. The same could occur with certain carcinogenic elements of the blood, therefore, a high ejaculatory frequency would avoid its harmful effect on the organ.
3. Reduces pain: Before orgasm oxytocin rises up to five times its normal level, which helps the production of endorphins, hormones that relieve any type of pain from migraine to arthritis. In the case of women, and due to the increase in estrogen production, it reduces premenstrual pain.
4. Battles depression: During sexual intercourse, various hormones such as endorphin and oxytocin are released. The first generates a feeling of well-being and a state of euphoria, while the second increases the levels of serotonin and dopamine, substances related to mood and well-being.
5. Burns calories: Sex is one of the most complete exercises, as it activates blood circulation, works the heart and optimizes respiratory capacity. With 30 minutes of this activity you can consume between 150 and 200 calories, similar to running 15 minutes in the gym. It also improves strength, cardiovascular condition, flexibility and balance.
6. Boosts olfactory capacity: after sexual intercourse, another hormone is generated, prolactin, which promotes the development of new neurons of the olfactory bulb, allowing greater ability to perceive odours.
7. Improves sleep quality: oxytokines and endorphins that are released during sexual intercourse have a relaxing and sedative function, promoting and improving sleep.


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Gifted Children – Getting a Good Night's Sleep
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep,
and miles to go before I sleep."
(Contritbuted via Jerry Blumengarten)
Sleep can be elusive for many gifted children. Many parents reported their children saying that their minds began racing at night preventing them from falling asleep. It was also noted that gifted children simply seemed to not need as much sleep. According to Webb & Kleine (1993) and Winner (2000), 20% of gifted individuals need less sleep; 20% need more. Sleep patterns remain well into adulthood. Nightmares/Sleep Terrors/Sleepwalking appear to be more prevalent among gifted children. (Webb et al)
What strategies did parents use to help their gifted children get to sleep? Suggestions included establishing a night time routine where children are required to shut down all electronics at a set time and allow for a 'wind down' period of time. They also allowed their children to read for an extended time, using melatonin temporarily, snacks, back rubs, music, and yoga. A complete transcript can be found here.
Tips to Help Your Gifted Child Fall Asleep
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children
Hidden Gifted Learner: The Exceptionally Gifted Child
"I Can't Get to Sleep Mum." from NZ Association for Gifted Children
Early Signs of Giftedness (pdf) by Linda Silverman
Gifted Children and Sleep (You Tube 41:22)
Navigating the Gifted Child Maze
The Problem with Gifted Children
Sleepless Gifted Children from Lorel Shea
Tips for Parents: Sleep and Learning
Cybraryman's Sleep Page
Photos: Courtesy of the Morgue File
Posted on April 7, 2014, in Emotional intensity, family, gifted and talented, parenting and tagged gifted, gifted and sleep, gifted and talented, gtchat, Sleep issues, TAGT, Twitter. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.