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Of Bitcoin and bubbles – in our three-part book we explore what constitutes speculative bubbles, whether we are currently in a bubble and what the future could look like. Today: What are investment bubbles?
"Money alone does not make us happy. It also includes stocks, gold and land."
The comparison with the soap bubble is no accident: it shimmers, contains only air in principle, has a short service life and then bursts just like that. Investment bubbles are similar. Something is artificially inflated, so that from the outside it seems much more important and above all more valuable than it actually is. In the hope of getting rich quickly, people then pay too high prices without the actual value justifying it.
Everything shimmers so beautifully colorful – but what is behind it?
Tulip mania – expensive tulips, greedy investors. A popular example of speculative bubbles is the 17th century tulip mania in the Netherlands. Tulips were a popular ornament here – members of the richer houses in particular liked to decorate their pompous gardens with the handsome lily plants. At first the members of the noble houses exchanged among each other – after all one wanted to get a high variety in his gardens.
Then the market took up the cause – more and more people realized that the tulips or their onions were ascribed a high value. Thus began a wild trade based on speculation: people paid more and more money for their tulip bulbs. In the end, this spread through all strata of the population; behind every tulip bulb suddenly hid the promise of becoming rich.
The bursting of the bubble
The bubble swelled – while the price continued to rise, the value remained the same – apart from the promise to grow into a piece of jewellery, the tulip didn't offer much. (One may be able to eat it, but the nutritional value is very low here). Accordingly, the price dropped again quickly. Many speculators had gambled away house and court and now sat there with their worthless tulip bulbs – the bubble had burst.
One factor was responsible for this. The difference between the fundamental value and the bubble component. While the former represents the material intrinsic value of the tulips, the latter – strongly broken down – represents the option of profit. But we are moving further into the future.
Everything bubble or what? From tulip mania to DotCom bubble
The dotcom bubble
The dotcom bladder is a bladder that goes back much less than the tulip bladder. Although it is a much more recent phenomenon, the mechanism was the same: many were greedy, invested (too) much money and lost it.
This time we are talking about the numerous start-ups that the New Economy brought with it. While the Internet began its triumphal march in the 1990s, the new companies sprouted from the ground up. And they all promised a golden future, as it were, without having enough technical back-up to ever fulfill these promises.
Gold rush atmosphere
And yet: people invested – generously. There was a sense of optimism everywhere with regard to the new technology. Most start-ups went directly to the stock exchange, most investors bought the shares – sometimes just as blindly and blindly as so many Dutch investors centuries before. The investment object stock became socially acceptable – whether Lieschen Müller or Franz von nebenan – everyone could suddenly buy shares. This led to the stock market valuation of many companies multiplying from mid-1999 – the bubble swelled.
Much excitement about nothing – little return despite gold rush mood
Shut up and take my money!
The dotcom bubble was filled with the hopes and greed of many investors and the expansion drive of many companies. Those who were worth more as a result of the IPOs continued to invest the funds they had gained, while new investors were attracted by double-digit price increases. In the course of this, many day traders established themselves, who were (at least in part) well aware of the bubble component, but at least were able to profit from the daily price increases. The mood was clearly bullish: everyone ran headlong in the direction of investment – "Shut up and take my money" was the motto in many places.
In the year 2000 the bubble was then filled to burst – nothing more worked. The market value of many companies was not covered by material countervalues – the capital was not tangible in the classic sense of material goods. Many of the companies filed for bankruptcy, and reports of fictitious sales arose. While the air was already escaping from the bubble, many investors were still clutching at the hopes


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Now, with the 25th 10-year art fair opening (January 19-22), the self-taught artists became the best part of the art world. It also shows to the audience at the same time a large number of despise the oil painting work of inherent genre, and even more incredible, these works also has a its own very active trading market.
The exhibition centre is used to display fair history, by Edward m. Gomez curator, which mainly show the 9 1993 veteran exhibitors, including: Chicago Carl Hammer galleries (Carl Hammer Gallery), Fleisher/Ollman Gallery in Philadelphia and New York Luise of Ross Gallery. The special planning of the exhibition entitled "10-year art fair: the 25th anniversary of the". This small show certainly will present enough to show 25 years history of 25 major works, one which is already appear in after each session of international art exposition.
The show will focus on presenting a by artist Moshe Zephaniah coloring composed chalk and pencil sketches. And it is also the first time this year in Texas Webb gallery of new artists, all of his works in his last year was out of the apartment live in Denver are all thrown away.
Moshe Baronestrevenakowske, "untitled". Images: thanks Webb gallery
Moshe Baronestrevenakowske, "untitled". Images: thanks Webb gallery
Luckily, he that is full of spiritual drawings were picked up from the dustbin, and through a local dealer stuck. Nowadays, Moshe has built up a new home and workshop, through the art behind the agent support, he is likely to become the next artist like Thornton (Thornton Dial) through 10-year art as a huge success stories.
Although in the history of the art fair runs through many stories, but as time goes on, it also has changed a lot. In 2012, the art agent Andrew aldrin (Andrew Edlin) and began his company Wide Open Arts acquired 10-year art fair. He also have their own expectations to the fair, including: in the second half of next year Paris version of its art fair, continues to erode already very fuzzy, the self-taught artist, the boundaries between the contemporary and modern artists.
Lucy - Mingo, "untitled (1947). Images: thank you, Lucy Mingo/ARS, New York
Lucy - Mingo, "untitled (1947). Images: thank you, Lucy Mingo/ARS, New York
Wide Opend Art in the international Art exposition of the also have a belong to your booth, and showed the focus from Alabama Gee 's Bend of female artists, the community has a lot of the seed of the quilt of custom oil painting factory workers in the 20th century. Because such background and tradition, the female artist, feed bags, or his old clothes and fabrics made from clastic fabrics, through their own design, production is amazing in abstract geometrical design mainly arts and crafts.
Thank you with Souls Grown Deep foundation (an African-American created art foundation) donations in 2014, the part of the production by the community special quilt has now become a part of the New York metropolitan museum collections. Part of the sales income in addition, the international art exposition will donative charity God 's Love We Deliver (this is a New York suffer from the serious illness of providing food group)
Article source : http://www.buy-painting.com

subset: commoncrawl


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My First time.....
That title can be misleading but seemed fitting for my first blog post. Since I am new to this I hope you will be forgiving while I learn the ways of bloggers. We all have to start somewhere and I have so much I want to share with you about my adventures in farming. I have learned so much in such a short time. Being a farm virgin can be overwhelming with the amount of knowledge you need to succeed.
The motto of our farm is 'Grow with us". A fitting motto as we adapt to our new lifestyle and hope to help other beginners in their journey.
Back Story..
It's hard to believe that only a couple of years ago we were living in a beautiful subdivision with an H.O.A. that was 5 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico. My husband had a good job that allowed me to stay home. My title was Wife, Mother and Domestic Engineer (housewife). My day to day was filled with suburban housewife duties such as, driving the kids to school, cleaning house, grocery shopping, brunch with friends and planning our weekends. I had a newer home with 2 new vehicles in the driveway. I paid a landscape company to tend and care for my lawn, got my vehicles detailed monthly and hired people to replace light fixtures in the house. While some of you may think we had it made as a working middle class family, I always knew I was destined for more.
slowly my very plain backyard started to turn into an urban farm. over the course of a year I had built a producing garden, added 6 chickens and a chicken coop. The thought of producing our own food and getting eggs from loved and cared for healthy chickens just seemed like a no brainer. Gradually over the next couple of years my garden expanded and my chickens quadrupled. I spent every waking moment learning as much as I could about chickens and gardening. I started making my own laundry soap and removing chemicals from our home and diet. My H.O.A home on a 1/2 an acre was slowly converted into an urban homestead.
In 2014 we decided to put our house up for sale and search for a farm. We had outgrown our little 1/2 acre and needed more land. We found the perfect property in Alabama. We were so excited and immediately put in an offer contingent on the sale of our home in Florida. Unfortunately due to difficult sellers and the lack of offers on our home, what I considered my dream farm just didn't happen. I didn't let this detour me, I continued to build and expand. I became known as the crazy chicken lady in my neighborhood. For the next two years we focused on learning as much as we could so when we did buy a farm we would at least be somewhat prepared. Summer of 2016 my husband was offered a job in Georgia. The position was a career advancement he just couldn't pass up. We put our home on the market again with little hope of a quick sale and within 8 days we had an offer. I had 1 week to find a farm in Georgia to ensure a back to back closing and that my family and chickens wouldn't be homeless.
It happened so fast..
I was looking at farms on craigslist a couple of months before my husband received the job offer. Once you have viewed everything in your area, craigslist will show you search results on nearby pages. I remember seeing an ad for this beautiful property located just outside of Macon. It had everything I wanted and honestly its was absolutely stunning. I doubted that the home would still be available, but in my curiosity I decided to look for it. "Hallelujah"! The farm was still for sale. My husband was already working in Georgia so I quickly called him and said "Babe! You have to go see this house now!" My husband had already viewed several farms and none seemed to fit. We had a list of requirements for our new farm and to be considered it had to meet the following-
Melanie is the owner of BuckleBerry farm. Located in the beautiful state of Georgia. Born in England, Melanie moved to the U.S. In 2000. She is the wife of a Navy Veteran and has 2 Children. Melanie always dreamed of owning a farm since she was a little girl. Her passion and love for animals has been her driving force. In 2016 her dream became a reality, with only self taught experience and education Melanie is tackling the challenges and enjoying the benefits of owning a mini farm.


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Cheap glasses can be found on our every step and the main reason for that is because wearing glasses today is more a matter of necessity than a matter of luxury or a fashion statement. The way we live is fatal for our sight. Without using the computers, no student can say that has done their homework, when hiring new people comes to question, the basic and advanced knowledge of computers and information technology are criteria of the highest priority when deciding for the person that will take a certain job post.
Cheap glasses are the most convenient way to go because their affordable price will make you feel less sad when something bad happens to them. You can always get another pair of cheap glasses, undoubtedly.
However, if only the glass is damaged, you will not have to give up your glasses. You will go at a store that specializes in retailing glasses and you will ask for a person or a company that can reglaze glasses. Having your glasses reglazed, you will put your favorite frames in a good use and wear them again.
This especially goes if you have paid a small fortune and bought designer glasses. Knowing that there are institutions of the kind, it would be a great pity if you do not turn to people offering this kind of services and your expensive designer glasses' frames are in a good condition.
Since expensive glasses come to question, it has come the time for us to elaborate shortly on varifocal glasses, or as you can find them in some literature, as progressive glasses. The lenses of these glasses are made to treat multiple issues with vision and are of very complex structure which probably the reason why they are so expensive. Luckily, the number of those people that need to wear them is relatively small.


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Jake Peavy limped away into the sunset with a walking cast and a .98 difference between his ERA and his FIP, which means his ERA could've been below a 3 when he went down. Pardon me as I cry into a bowl of beer-battered onion rings. Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and a frozen Ted Williams are standing on a cloud somewhere mocking us. Baseball gods, why didn't you take Joe Blanton? Anyway, here's a list of pitchers with the biggest difference between their actual ERAs and their FIPs. If your guy is on the list, there's hope. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing. Some would even say you could go out and trade for some of these guys, you educated fantasy baseball owner you! (FYI, I did this on Sunday, so the numbers may be slightly off, but the gist remains. Oh, and loved loved loved what Merchant Ivory did with The Gist Remains.)
Jorge de la Rosa – 1.89. Member what I said two sentences ago about trading for these guys? Yeah, ignore that for this guy. He's a very risky starter. Caveat Jorge.
Carl Pavano – 1.63. Has a 5.73 ERA and a 4.10 FIP. Hmm… Are these buy lows? Or just "Continue to Ignores?" Good question, Razzball reader. I'm ignoring Pavano.
Andy Sonnanstine – 1.25. These FIP lists never work out the way I want them too. I'm not going after Sonnanstine either.
Francisco Liriano – 1.09. How does that quote go? Best intentions is a dish best served without any intentions? Is that it? Yeah, Liriano's sitting on a 4.82 FIP. So he's not as bad as he's been, but he's still not good.
Justin Verlander – 1.05. Wow, he has a 3.39 ERA and a 2.34 FIP, while striking out almost 11 batters per nine. I know, Greinke, Greinke, Greinke… but Verlander could win the Cy Young this year. Believe it or not, I'm walking on air…
Jon Lester – .95. Over 10 K/9 and under 3 BB/9. Then throw in a team that will give him run support. Lester!
Scott Baker – .92. There were some trying times early on for Baker's owners, but his June has been terrific. He's still an injury risk, but I'd own him at this point.
Joel Pineiro – .86. Ignoreio.
Gavin Floyd – .85. Has a 3.80 FIP, which makes him someone that's worth being on your team rather than waivers.
Javier Vazquez – .75. Could be below a 3 ERA right now… If only Cox could pull him from the game in, say, the 6th then pitch him again in the 7th.


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The headquarters of staggeringly rich tech giants (and the construction of said HQs) are stuff of Silicon Valley legend. Apple's been building its new campus for months now, and you this beautiful video gives the latest look at Apple's extravagant second complex.
Technology is filled with all kinds of rumours and speculation — real and fabricated. BitStream collects all those whispers into one place.
Speaking of legends, Apple's new complex has been churned through the rumor mill for years now. But finally, the futuristic-looking second campus is all coming together, especially compared this other video taken only 10 months ago.
Apparently the complex is costing Apple $5 billion, will be 2.8 million square feet, and looks awesome with an accompanying Hans Zimmer-like Batman soundtrack. [MacRumors]
Which New BlackBerry Phone Might Run Android? People are starting to wonder if a new BlackBerry phone will run Google's OS. Two different models of new BlackBerry, apparently codenamed "Prague" and "Venice," may or may not feature Android. [Digital Trends]
Twitter's Touch-and-Go CEO Sitch: On Monday, Twitter announced it's looking for a CEO who can make a "full-time commitment," casting doubt on whether interim CEO Jack Dorsey will stick around. Though Dorsey will take the reins July 1, he's busy enough as the head of Square. [San Jose Mercury News]
What You Might Have Missed on Gizmodo
Clarkson and Top Gear Chums are 'Very Close' to Signing a Deal With Netflix
Terminator Genisys Review Round-Up: Arnie's Back, But Should He Be?
Why Abolishing the Monarchy is a Good Idea (But Not For the Reasons You're Thinking)
Ikea Abandons Confusing "Maze" Layout for New Store
"Twerking" Enters the Oxford English Dictionary, Will Now Score 16 Points in Scrabble


text: The film is an intriguing portrait of the Czech village from 1945 until the end of the fifties. It is a concise and poetic depiction of various life stories affected by the tragic political changes. Main heroes and heroines remind the viewer of archetypal characters in old Christian legends. The ethos and conscience of the village is impersonated by a farmer called František. His "Gospel" is genuine virtuousness grounded in patriarchal tradition and directed towards the heaven.


text: Environmental policy initiatives see Ricardo-AEA grow in Scotland Home page/ News and media / News and Press / Environmental policy initiatives see Ricardo-AEA grow in Scotland 29 January 2013 Leading environmental consultancy Ricardo-AEA has grown by around 20 percent in Scotland over the past year.Ricardo-AEA is currently working on a number of projects in Scotland across resource efficiency, carbon management, renewables and air quality. A major area of focus at present is supporting the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland in moving Scotland towards a zero waste economy and in particular providing support to SMEs to realize the substantial economic benefits available through resource efficiency. Leadership by the Scottish government in important policy areas such as resource efficiency and the development of the Low Carbon Economic Strategy intends to increase the value of the low carbon goods and services sector to more than 10 percent of the Scottish economy by 2015, creating 60,000 green jobs. The Low Carbon Economic Strategy also aims to encourage Scottish companies to exploit commercial opportunities. Jamie Pitcairn, director of Ricardo-AEA in Scotland said: "The growth of Ricardo-AEA in Scotland is a direct result of the country's ambitious targets, supported by the policies and practical leadership of the Scottish government. We look forward to supporting both government agencies and the private sector in realizing the potential for a low carbon Scotland." EndsA full copy of this press release is available from the link at the top right of this page.


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Horse Jumping game is exactly that: a game about a horse that jumps. But it's actually quite a bit more than that as well. Horse Jumping is a well-rendered and beautiful game with stunning backgrounds and a very realistic young lady on a gorgeous horse (you even get to pick the color)!
At it's heart, Horse Jumping is about timing, but not in the usual press space to jump kind of way. Instead, you must hold space to build up jump power, and release it in time to clear your hurdle. But hold it too long and you'll build up a Long Jump, which can be a bad thing if two obstacles are too close together: you'll crash into the second before you can build another jump back up.
Between levels, you get to scrub your horse clean. You're timed, and it's harder than it sounds, but if you succeed you gain an extra life. Every five levels you get a bonus level where the goal is not to avoid obstacles, but to leap up and collect glowing stars for bonus points.
All told, Horse Jumping is exactly that, and more. By including the realistic graphics and the more intimate details like cleaning your horse between runs, Horse Jumping brings the game much closer to the heart than many of the other games in the genre.
Horse Jumping has been played 266951 times by our visitors. This horse game is available from our collection of Horse Jumping Games. Horse Jumping is hosted on HorseGames.net, your number one place for horse games of all type.


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If you want to buy in Roslyn Harbor
It's no wonder that in 1843, William Cullen Bryant, a poet, newspaper editor and civic leader, chose to purchase property in Roslyn Harbor for his country getaway, which he named Cedarmere.
Roslyn Harbor, about 18 miles from Manhattan, is bucolic. The compact village, which straddles the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, stretches along Hempstead Harbor for more than a mile.
The environment makes you feel like you're removed from the hustle and bustle of today's life, says Joy Benjamin of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.
Roslyn Harbor is "mostly known for its beautiful spacious properties and for the schools," says Joyce Styne of Laffey Fine Homes. (The school districts are Roslyn and North Shore). The village also boasts historic sites and is home to museums, a preserve and private golf course, says Connie Liappas of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
There are about 365 homes in the village, according to its website. Zoning is one acre. Styne says that houses, dating from the early 1900s to the 2000s, vary in size and architectural style. But there is a price to pay to live in a countrified atmosphere so close to Manhattan. Of 10 properties listed on the Multiple Listing Service website, six have asking prices of more than $1 million. Even so, "inventory is always low, and houses sell rapidly," Benjamin says.
SALES PRICES. According to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island data, there were 11 sales with a median price of $967,500 from Feb. 1, 2012, to April 1, 2013. The low price was $750,000 and the high was $2,700,000. From Feb. 1, 2011, to April 1, 2012, there were 13 sales. The median price was $974,500 with a low of $795,000 and a high of $2,633,000.
ATTRACTIONS. Cedarmere (Bryant's home) on Bryant Avenue is closed for renovation, though the grounds are open daily; Nassau County Museum of Art, housed in a restored Georgian mansion on the former Frick estate, is on 145 acres with nature trails and sculpture gardens; the private Engineers Country Club has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts and a pool.
Towns: North Hempstead and Oyster Bay
Area: North Hempstead, 1.0 square mile; Oyster Bay, 0.2 square mile
ZIP code: 11576
Population: 1,118
Median age: 45
Median household income: $204,375
Median home value: $1,430,000
LIRR time to NYC: From Roslyn, 47 minutes to 54 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $276
School districts: Roslyn and North Shore
Sources: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;
*Based on four sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI


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The Green Party's deputy leader makes a valid point here. If councillors are elected locally then shouldn't any public money they have access to be spent for the benefit of the local community on democratic principles? It should surely not be spent to further the national aims of central governments.
During an interview on the BBC's Sunday Politics West Midlands, Will Duckworth, the national Party's Deputy Leader and Dudley Borough Councillor, criticised 'top down' Coalition policies, which finance only activities it supports, while reducing cash for vital services provided for entire communities.
He said: 'The money authorities receive from central government is useful, but surely it can't also tell local authorities what their individual priorities must be? It shouldn't tell councils what to spend their money on, because democratically-elected councils know what their local policy priorities need to be.'
Cllr Duckworth's criticism of central government micromanagement of local priorities and spending – which councils elected by voters have traditionally been expected to control – was made during a televised debate on rubbish collection.
In common with councils across the country, Dudley Borough Council has been offered money by the government to collect rubbish once per week, but at the same time the Coalition has cut funding which would have been spent on priority policies including education, employment and services to help the elderly and vulnerable in the region.
He said: 'The money the government has offered – £1.8m for five years – is fine, but this is about priorities. How can central government decide our priority should be weekly litter collections and give us a small bribe to do that, but at the same time say that services to help old and young people must be low priority and reduce our funding for those things?'
He added: 'I can understand that people want weekly collections of some waste. So do we. Kitchen waste should be collected once per week, but we simply don't need all rubbish collected that often. In almost every case, people who have changed from weekly to fortnightly collection, with weekly kitchen waste collections, have preferred the new system.
'Imposing priorities on local authorities, who have been elected to look after the needs of the people, is not localism, whatever the government says.'


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Some popular North Carolina beaches have been strewn with venomous Portuguese men-of-war in recent days, prompting a warning from the town of Emerald Isle that even the corpses are a hazard.
"We are seeing Portuguese man-of-war along the beach strand," said the town's Facebook post, which included photos of the creatures dotting the beach. "So when you're out walking our beautiful beach, do not touch or step on these creatures as they can still be harmful."
Portuguese men-of-war are often mistaken for jellyfish, floating on the surface of the ocean with a capacity to sting, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. They have thread-like tendrils that can trail 165 feet out from the creature's bulb-like body, reports UntamedScience.com.
The tentacles "are covered in venom-filled (cells) used to paralyze and kill fish and other small creatures," reports NationalGeographic.com.
"For humans, a man-of-war sting is excruciatingly painful, but rarely deadly. But beware — even dead man-of-wars washed up on shore can deliver a sting," says the site.
One photo posted by Emerald Isle Police on Facebook showed 17 of the sea creatures dotting a few feet of beach. The photos have been shared more than 1,000 times in the past day.
Commenters on Facebook noted men-of-war had been floating ashore for more than a week, including sightings at Atlantic Beach and Topsail Beach.
Men-of-war are often mistaken for jellyfish, which were blamed for stinging more than 700 people one weekend last August in the waters near Charleston according to the Charleston Post & Courier.
At least one the 100-plus commenters on Emerald Isle's Facebook post was a man who wanted to know if he could save the men of war by throwing them back in the ocean — something police were warning against.
"I thought these were plastic trash and picked up a ton to throw away, thinking I was cleaning up the beach," posted Karyn Honigford. "Glad I did not get hurt!"
"These things are no joke!" wrote Katie Richards on the town's Facebook page. "One got me over the summer, most painful sting ever followed by a week of severe itching!"
"A dead one washed over my foot a few years ago while walking along the water's edge," posted Samantha Rochelle. "Full on 24 hours of the worst pain ever."


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Kx announces impressive results at the Chicago STAC summit
Kx Systems, the leader in high-performance database and time-series analysis, has announced today the release of kdb+ v3.1 as well as its latest benchmark results for the STAC (Securities Technology Analysis Center) summit in Chicago. The results of the STAC M3™ vendor-independent market data benchmark suite demonstrate very significant performance improvements in v3.1, with results up to 8x faster than any previous STAC M3 benchmarks.
The tests highlighted Kx's unparalleled performance in such real-world calculations as generating the complete NBBO (National Best Bid and Offer) for one day, on thousands of symbols. Compared to previous best results, v3.1 runs over 4x faster, taking about half a minute to read, calculate, and write the entire table. In other benchmarks, calculations such as VWAPs (Volume Weighted Average Prices) on tick data were more than 8x faster.
"The simplifications introduced in v3.0 have allowed us to build on and enhance the current version," said Simon Garland, chief strategist at Kx Systems. "The custom code designed to automatically detect and take advantage of Intel's Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) and SSE 4.2 instructions, available on the Intel® Xeon® processor 2600/4600 families, provides additional speed-ups. Kx's q language, combined with the fastest possible DRAM storage, translates directly to optimal performance. Our clients don't need to make any changes to benefit from the improvements in v3.1; the upgrade from the previous version of kdb+ is seamless."
John Overton, CEO of storage manufacturer Kove, noted: "This benchmark is an excellent example for demonstrating that it's no longer necessary for a database architect to design around storage. Users can now achieve optimal application performance more effectively, by simply deploying kdb+ with high-speed storage solutions using the industry's best determinacy like Kove® XPD™ L2 drives as strategic business tools."
"Kx's financial services customers require continuous performance increases to keep pace with the market. The improvements Kx has implemented with kdb+ enhance both scaling with cores and concurrency," said Garry Thall, Intel Director of Financial Services, North America. He added: "Instruction Set Parallelism delivers improved Floating Point performance through enabling AVX instructions providing critical performance gains for Kx Customers."
"The number of cores which are seen as 'standard' will continue to increase," noted Kx's Garland. "Our clients need to be able to make effective use of all cores for numerous applications, including faster algorithmic trading, pre-trade risk, and real-time analytics. The new version extends the ability of kdb+ to work even more efficiently with all available cores, giving our clients plenty of room for future growth."
The STAC benchmarks were carried out using the latest release kdb+ v3.1, running on industry-standard hardware, with Kove high-performance DRAM storage and Intel Xeon based servers.


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How to Grow a Tabebuia
As members of the trumpet creeper family Bignoniaceae, the 150 species within the tabebuia genus are most commonly known as trumpet trees. Native to South America and Mexico, these deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical trees grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture cold hardiness zones 9 through 11, with individual species varying in preference. Tolerant of many different soil types as long as they are well drained, the trees are drought-tolerant and resistant to most pests and diseases. Colorful tabebuia trees often provide shade cover beside decks and patios or are pruned into covering canopy shapes beside streets and sidewalks.
Collect seed pods from mature trees once the pods turn brown and begin to crack open. Remove the seeds from cracked pods only.
Plant tabebuia seeds in peat pots filled with potting soil, at a depth of 1/2-inch. Place the pots in a sunny indoor location and keep the soil moist by spritzing it with a spray bottle.
Transplant tabebuia seedlings into larger pots once leaves develop. When seedlings reach 18 inches in height, move them outdoors.
Prepare an outdoor planting spot with full to partial sun and well-drained soil. Amend the soil with organic compost by adding 4 inches of compost over the soil and mixing it to a depth of 6 inches.
Dig holes 12 to 20 feet apart that are 2 times as wide as each plant's roots and just as deep, so that the seedlings are planted at their original depth. Place plants into the holes and add back the soil, firming it. Water seedlings immediately.
Water seedlings deeply twice each week for the first two months of growing, and then cut back to once each week. After a year, water the young trees only once every two weeks. After trees become established, they will only need watering during dry spells.
Fertilize trees four to six weeks after planting with 12-6-8 fertilizer or similar formulation. Each year, fertilize trees in the early spring, and then again in the middle of the summer. After three years, taper off fertilizing, as it tends to prevent blooming.
Prune tabebuia trees regularly during the dormant season to keep trees from growing beyond their selected garden areas or to create a desired shape. Additionally, prune away all dead or damaged branches.
Things Needed
- Mature seed pods
- Peat pots
- Potting soil
- Plastic spray bottle
- Compost
- Garden rake
- Spade
- Fertilizer
- Pruning saw and loppers
- Protective goggles
- Heavy gloves
- Wear protective gear when pruning trees.
- To grow tabebuia in containers, choose a well-drained potting medium to prevent root rot.
- Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening; Rita Buchanan and Roger Holmes
- Flowering Trees of Florida; Mark Stebbins
- University of Florida Cooperative Extension: Tabebuia Impetiginosa Purple Tabebuia
- University of Florida Cooperative Extension: Tabebuia Aurea
- Florida Gardener's Guide; Tom MacCubbin and Georgia B. Tasker


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Walk Away Renee (NR)
IFC Films
I was never a big fan of Jonathan Caouette's Tarnation, and I'm even less a fan of his most recent documentary Walk Away Renee. While Tarnation was about Caouette's family, this is supposed to be about his mentally ill mother, but, instead, he once again shifts the focus away to a far less interesting idea: himself. Like Morgan Spurlock before him, it's obvious that Caouette wants to be a star, and with this well-dipping retread, it reaches a boiling point of annoyance. The idea of the filmmaker documenting his cross-country move with his mother in the midst of her losing her lithium and other medicines should have been an enthralling, moving character study. But, instead, too many times this is pushed to the wayside by Caouette and his need to be in front of the camera. It feels exploitative and self-serving. Just get it over with and make a documentary about yourself, man. — Louis Fowler
Roseanne: The Complete Series (PG)
Mill Creek Entertainment
It's hard to overstate the importance of Roseanne's debut in 1988. Marking the end of an eight-year U.S. war on the poor, Barr's family sitcom was a deft display of what blue-collar families who relied on the social services Reagan nearly demolished actually looked like. The Conners loved and laughed hard, dancing clunkily around creeping despair, aided by a brilliant writing staff that included Joss Whedon, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Tom Arnold and Danny Jacobson. Roseanne mirrored the Average Joe's American experience, and by the final episode, the Conners' latter-season financial upturns were revealed as a fantasy the matriarch concocted to ease the tragic weight of real life. At the time, the move was derided as a cop-out. Now, it's clear what truly made Roseanne famously cackle in the opening credits: the very notion of escaping one's circumstances. — Justin Strout
The Wicked (NR)
RLJ Entertainment
I just knew from the first three minutes that The Wicked would not be a good movie, clues ranging from the obviously melodramatic use of child endangerment to the painful overuse of cheap spectral special effects. I'd hoped we'd at least be getting a watchable bad movie, but even that proved too much to ask. Instead of focusing on "the Wicked" — a local evil ghost-witch thing that eats children who break the windows of her house, or something like that — the filmmakers spend far too much time with the unlikable cast of pretty teens who drink, smoke weed, fornicate and get Justin Bieber haircuts. Even the subplot about the local troubled girl and her romance with a sensitive boy is grating. No one cares about these people, and we spend so much time with them that we just quit caring altogether. The only thing wicked here is how much time I wasted watching this. — Louis Fowler


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ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITY —The New Jersey law that extends the statute of limitation within which the state may sue an alleged polluter based on violation of an environmental law encompasses claims under the common law.
The state filed two complaints against an oil refinery owner asserting Spill Act claims and common law claims of public nuisance and trespass. It sought natural resource damages for the discharge of hazardous substances at two sites. Over the refiner's objections, it then moved to amend the complaints to include strict liability counts. The refiner asked for partial summary judgment asserting, among other things, that the statute of limitations had expired on the state's common law claims for nuisance and trespass, and that a New Jersey statute extending the statute of limitations for certain environmental claims did not apply. The lower court granted that motion, and the state did not seek interlocutory relief. The refiner then moved for partial summary judgment to dismiss the common law strict liability claim using the same statute of limitations rationale. The lower court granted that motion and dismissed that count. It rejected the state's argument that the common-law claim could fit into the extension statute as being a state environmental law because environmental laws often involve aspects of strict liability.
On appeal, the state argued that the lower court erred in dismissing the strict liability claim. It argued that the common law is a component of the state's environmental laws and therefore the extension statute applied; the lower court's conclusion was contrary to caselaw; and the conclusion reached by the lower court would lead to absurd results. The Appellate Division noted that the extension statute lacked the article "a" before "law or regulation," meaning that the statute made general reference to environmental laws, and was not restricted to one or more such laws. It also held that the extension statute did not have a savings clause referring to the common law. Further, the law's approach to preemption, seeking to foreclose any action that a local government entity may undertake, is to be restrictive and that preemption is contrary to the expansive attempt to maintain regulatory authority over polluters. Lastly, the Court held that the statute was clear and unambiguous. It surveyed the legislature's intent and found that the goal was to provide the state with additional time to pursue environmental claims and thus the legislature crafted the statute without using words of restriction. At the end of the day, the Court was reluctant to interpret the extension statute to foreclose common law causes of action unless the legislative intent specifically provided otherwise.
The Court next noted that the only cases cited as the basis to contend that the lower courts ruling was contrary to other caselaw were unpublished cases and, thus, not precedential or binding on the lower court. In considering the absurdity argument, it noted that federal law sources underscored the relevance of the timing of the commencement of natural resource damages claims. To insist that common law claims must precede the statutory claims would turn this rational procedure on its head. That reasoning that would allow for such a scenario would indeed generate an absurd result.
The Court concluded that the legislature extension used the words "any other law" to encompass common law strict liability claims, such as the one at issue. Thus, it reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the matter to the lower court.
Copyright ©2011. Meislik & Meislik. All rights reserved.


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Weekly message audio from Daybreak Community Church in Royersford, PA. Join us every Sunday 9:30am at 775 W. Main St. Trappe, PA 19426 (Community Music School)
Feb 20, 2016
Pulling out the flavor that God has already placed within every
one of His followers.
Matthew 5:13-16
Weekly message audio from Daybreak Community Church! Join us at 9:30am Sundays at 321 S. Limerick Rd. Royersford, PA.
Connect. Grow. Serve. Shine!
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Earn points toward FREE PIZZA with Piece of the Pie Rewards
More About Domino's Near Firth
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With over 34 million different ways to make a single Domino's pizza, you can be sure we've got a slice for any taste. From its sauce to its size, build your own pizza or choose from one of our famous specialty pizzas, like the popular Honolulu Hawaiian, Philly Cheese Steak, or Memphis BBQ Chicken, and have it delivered fresh and hot to your door, today!
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The design of a highly configurable continuous flow mixed-radix (CFMR) Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processor is presented. It computes fixed-point complex FFTs and inverse FFTs (IFFTs), and utilizes a flexible addressing scheme to enable runtime configuration of the FFT length from 16-points to 4096-points. A configurable block floating point (BFP) unit increases numerical performance. Compared to a floating point Matlab FFT function, the accuracy of the proposed architecture is 80 dB for a 64-point FFT and 74 dB for a 1024-point FFT with random complex input data.
Anthony T. Jacobson, Dean N. Truong, Bevan M. Baas, "The Design of a Reconfigurable Continuous-Flow Mixed-Radix FFT Processor" IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), May 2009, pp. 1133-1136.
@INPROCEEDINGS{Jacobson:ISCAS, author={Jacobson, A.T. and Truong, D.N. and Baas, B.M.}, booktitle={Circuits and Systems, 2009. ISCAS 2009. IEEE International Symposium on}, title={The design of a reconfigurable continuous-flow mixed-radix {FFT} processor}, year={2009}, month={May.}, pages={1133-1136}, doi={10.1109/ISCAS.2009.5117960} }


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I've typed ten different intro sentences to this post. And with the end of each one I hear the "click click click" of the delete key – I don't even know I'm doing it. I'm speechless. Dumbfounded. How has this little girl been in our lives for an entire year? I don't even know how to write about what I'm feeling. I'm not sad. I'm not surprised. Maybe it's a little bit of relief? Excitement for what's to come, is definitely at the top of the Emotions List.
All I can say is Rose, you are a huge pain in our ass, but we love you more than that word can even define. It's not even love anymore – it's beyond that. Thank you for making us laugh every single day. You can be exhausting and frustrating, but one look at that 5-tooth grin makes the world okay again. You are our Mush Mush, our Rosie Poesy, and our Munch Face. Mom and Dad love you from here | to here | , around the world and back.
To my readers, I'll be back this week with a post about Rose's first birthday party. I didn't take as many pictures as I had hoped – which I should've planned for. Hosting is a busy job! But I did snap a few good ones. Until then, have a happy Tuesday! Do something nice for someone today. 🙂


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Verstappen: Red Bull "not lying" about Honda
Max Verstappen insists Red Bull is "not lying" when it declares Honda is ready to put the team into Formula 1 world championship contention in 2019.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko recently declared he was so confident in the team's new engine supplier that he saw no reason why Verstappen could not become F1's youngest ever world champion as soon as next year.
That was despite Honda having so far failed to reach the podium with McLaren or Toro Rosso during the first four years of its F1 return.
But Verstappen is adamant Red Bull has the data to prove that Honda will be that big a step forward over his team's current engine partner Renault.
"It also shows in the numbers," he replied when asked by Motorsport.com about Marko's comments. "We're not lying or just putting something in the world which isn't true.
"It also depends on how much the other people are going to improve as well. We have to wait and see."
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He acknowledged Honda might still start the 2019 season behind Mercedes and Ferrari.
"I'm realistic. I think initially we're still a bit short on power, but it's definitely going to be better than what we have now," Verstappen added.
"For sure we will be closer. If it's going to be enough initially, I don't know. Then it's all about trying to get the best results possible, to not lose too many points initially."
The 21-year-old said it was impossible to be certain if he was ready to put together a season-long world title challenge himself until he had the car to try.
"I think I can because I've done now almost four seasons, and Lewis [Hamilton] for example was fighting for a title in his first season," Verstappen mused.
"Are you ready for it? You're not sure. Was he? Maybe yes, maybe not.
"But once you have that car underneath you, you are definitely going for it, because normally you're only fighting your teammate, because there's always a bit of a dominance with the cars.
"It's never 100% clear if somebody is ready or not.
"As soon as you have that car you're going to drive it as fast as you can, and if it's the fastest car on the grid you're normally winning races or you're second."
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major macro economic indicators
|2019 (e)
|2020 (f)
|GDP growth (%)
|Inflation (yearly average, %)
|Budget balance (% GDP)
|Current account balance (% GDP)
|Public debt (% GDP)
(e): Estimate. (f): Forecast.
- Prudent economic policy
- Skilled workforce and favourable business climate
- Advanced industries
- High standard of living
- Highly vulnerable to international economic conditions
- Industrial crisis and loss of competitiveness
- Dependence of the Finnish banking sector on the Swedish and Danish financial sectors, despite the return of a major institution in 2017
- Ageing population
Risk assessment
Resilience of activity, driven by domestic demand
Growth is expected to remain resilient in 2020, thanks to the rebound in domestic demand. After slowing sharply in 2019, household consumption will pick up after substantial wage increases were agreed on during sector collective bargaining at the end of 2019, in line with the low unemployment rate (6.1% in August 2019). After stalling, business investment will also accelerate as supply constraints persist – both in equipment and labour – in an environment that remains supportive, with low interest rates and resilient domestic demand. The recovery in equipment investment will help to offset the pronounced slowdown on the way for residential construction, with the number of building permits falling by 21% in the first seven months of 2019 after already declining 11% in 2018. Moreover, as the regional context remains unfavourable – the country's two main partners, Sweden and, above all, Germany (25% of exports in total), will continue to be sluggish – exports will slow down in 2020. In addition, while the economy made substantial competitiveness gains in 2017 as a result of the Competitiveness Pact (labour costs fell by 3.4% in real terms), significant wage increases in the following two years have somewhat eroded these advances. Imports will accelerate, driven by domestic demand. As a result, foreign trade will be a drag on growth in 2020.
Fiscal rigour despite a more expansionary budget
The new coalition's first budget will be relatively expansionary. Additional public expenditure will be mainly allocated to "green" investments (transport and energy infrastructure, for a total of €750 million or 0.3% of GDP) and education (€256 million). On the tax side, the main measure in the 2020 budget is the income tax reduction (€200 million) achieved through bracket adjustments for the least well-off households. This measure will be paid for by an increase in excise duties on alcohol and tobacco (€100 million in total) and especially by an increase in fuel tax from August 2020 (€250 million). Revenues will remain high thanks to the resilient economy and low unemployment. Consequently, even if the government deficit deteriorates, it will remain well below 3%, and public debt, which has now fallen below the threshold set by the European Stability and Growth Pact (60% of GDP), will decline slightly. However, rapid population ageing will be a challenge for the social security system and public accounts in the medium term. Reforms to public social and health services with this goal in mind and designed to generate estimated annual savings of €3 billion have been repeatedly postponed and even led to the resignation of the Sipilä government in March 2019.
In terms of external accounts, Finland features a structural deficit in the balance of services and a surplus in trade in goods, although this has shrunk over the past decade. While wood and paper remain the main export sectors (21% of the total), the automotive industry (8% of the total) has been particularly vibrant in recent years, with exports almost doubling between 2016 and 2018. The tourism sector has also grown strongly, particularly around protected natural areas and the northern lights, and is now much less dependent on Russian visitors (12% of foreign tourists, down from 28% in 2013), thanks to the arrival of Asian tourists (18% of the total). Like the balance of services, income is structurally in deficit due to the repatriation of dividends by foreign investors. As a result, the current account balance will remain in deficit in 2020, but will continue to be comfortably financed through foreign investments (direct and portfolio).
Unstable centre-left coalition with five parties
Social Democrat (SDP) Antti Rinne, who was forced to form a centre-left coalition with four other parties – the Centre Party (KESK), the Green League (VIHR, environmentalist), the Left Alliance (VAS) and the Swedish People's Party (SFP, centre) –, following his narrow victory in the April 2019 parliamentary elections (with 17.7% of the vote), resigned less than eight months later, under pressure from KESK, in a context of social protest. Sanna Marin (SDP) has taken the lead in the coalition which - while the party of the outgoing prime minister, Juha Sipilä (KESK), is still in government - has rallied around a much more left-wing agenda, including increases for public spending, the lowest pensions and energy taxes. Despite a solid majority in parliament (116 MPs out of 200), the coalition is very fragile, both because of the number of parties and the political spectrum they cover - from the left (VAS, former communist party) to the liberal centre (KESK, which governed with the far right in the previous term).
Despite potential political instability due to party fragmentation, the business environment remains very favourable, particularly with regard to insolvency settlement (1st worldwide), according to the World Bank's Doing Business 2020 report.
Last update : February 2020
Bills of exchange are not commonly used in Finland because they signal the supplier's distrust of the buyer. A bill of exchange primarily substantiates a claim and constitutes a valid acknowledgment of debt.
Cheques, also little used in domestic and international transactions, only constitute acknowledgement of debt. However, cheques that are uncovered at the time of issue can result in the issuers being liable to criminal penalties. Moreover, as cheque collection takes a particularly long time in Finland (20 days for domestic cheques or cheques drawn in European and Mediterranean coastal countries; 70 days for cheques drawn outside Europe), this payment method is not recommended.
Conversely, SWIFT bank transfers are increasingly used to settle domestic and international commercial transactions. When using this instrument, sellers are advised to provide full and accurate bank details to facilitate timely payment, while it should not be forgotten that the transfer payment order will ultimately depend on the buyer's good faith. Banks in Finland have adopted the SEPA standards for euro-denominated payments.
Debt collection
Amicable phase
The goal of the amicable phase is to reach a voluntary settlement between the creditor and debtor without beginning legal proceedings. Finnish legislation obliges creditors to begin the amicable phase amicable phase via letters, followed up as necessary with a final demand for payment by recorded delivery or ordinary mail. This demand for payment asks the debtor to pay the outstanding principal increased by past-due interest as stipulated in the contract.
In the absence of an interest rate clause in the agreement, interest automatically accrues from the due date of the unpaid invoice at a rate equal to the central bank of Finland's (Suomen Pankki) six-monthly rate, calculated by reference to the European Central Bank's refinancing rate, plus seven percentage points.
The Interest Act (Korkolaki) already required debtors to pay up within contractually agreed timeframes or become liable to interest penalties.
Since 2004, the ordinary statute of limitations for Finnish contract law is three years.
Legal proceedings
Fast-track proceedings
For clear and uncontested claims, creditors may use the fast-track procedure, resulting in an injunction to pay (suppea haastehakemus). This is a simple written procedure based on submission of whatever documents substantiate the claim (invoices, bills of exchange, acknowledgement of debt, etc.). The court sets a time limit of approximately two weeks to permit the defendant to either respond to or oppose the petition. In addition, this fast track procedure can also be initiated electronically for cases of undisputed claims. The presence of a lawyer, although commonplace, is not required for this type of action.
Ordinary proceedings
Ordinary legal action usually commences when amicable collection has failed. A written application for summons must be addressed to the registry of the District Court, which then serves the debtor with a Writ of Summons. The debtor is given approximately two weeks to file a defence.
During the preliminary hearing, the court bases its deliberations on the parties' written submissions and supporting documentation. The court then convokes the litigants to hear their arguments and decide on the relevance of the evidence. During this preliminary phase, and with the judge's assistance, it is possible for the litigants to resolve their dispute via mediation and subsequently protect their business relationship.
Where the dispute remains unresolved after this preliminary hearing, plenary proceedings are held before the court of first instance (Käräjäoikeus) comprising between one and three presiding judges, depending on the case's complexity.
During this hearing, the judge examines the submitted evidence and hears the parties' witnesses. The litigants then state their final claims, before the judge delivers the ruling, generally within 14 days.
The losing party is liable for all or part of the legal costs (depending on the judgement) incurred by the winning party. The average time required for obtaining a writ of execution is about 12 months. Undisputed claims in Finland can normally last from three to six months. Disputed claims and the subsequent legal proceedings can take up to a year.
Commercial cases are generally heard by civil courts, although a Market Court (Markkinaoikeus) located in Helsinki has been in operation as a single entity since 2002, following a merger of the Competition Council and the former Market Court.
Enforcement of a Court decision
A judgment is enforceable for fifteen years as soon as it becomes final. If the debtor fails to comply with the judgment, the creditor may have it enforced by a bailiff, who will try to obtain an instalment agreement with the debtor, or enforce it through a seizure of assets.
For foreign awards, since Finland is part of the EU, it has adopted enforcement mechanisms applicable to court decisions issued by other EU members, such as the EU Payment Order and the European Enforcement Order. For judgments issued by non-EU members, the issuing country must be part of a bilateral or multilateral agreement with Finland.
Insolvency proceedings
Out-of-Court proceedings
Finnish law provides no specific rules for out-of-court settlements. Negotiations between creditors and debtors are made informally. If an agreement is reached, it must still be validated by the court.
Restructuring proceedings
The goal of restructuring is to allow an insolvent company to remain operational through administration, with the view that if the company is able to continue its business, it will be able to repay a larger part of its debts than would have been possible in the case of bankruptcy of the company. The commencement of these proceedings triggers an automatic moratorium, providing the company with protection from its creditors.
The board of directors maintains its power of decision but the receiver is entitled to control certain aspects of the company's operations, including the creation of new debts and overseeing transfers of ownership.
When debtors are unable to pay their debts when due and this inability is not temporary, they are placed into liquidation. Upon acceptance of a liquidation petition by the court, the debtor is declared bankrupt. A receiver is appointed, and a time limit is established for any creditors to present their claims. The receiver then establishes a proposed distribution scheme, whilst creditors supervise the selling of the estate and the distribution of the sales' proceeds.


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Happy New Year's, everyone. It's been a lazy, rainy day here in New York opening up 2007, but I'm contentedly looking forward to what for me, at least, promises to be a good year for making music. Sure, forming New Year's Resolutions is a pretty arbitrary activity, but I say any excuse that lets you […]Read more
brings together the latest breaking news on music, technology, gear, and live visuals. Got a project, found a news tip, or want to share your product? Submit to us directly.


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Vision AfriKa has now taken over the managing role of the "2-22" educational programme in Kayamandi and has already introduced an innovative, new initiative in collaboration with another charity.
The "2-22" programme was jointly set up with the not-for-profit Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust at the Ikhaya Trust Centre in 2012 in order to support the development of underprivileged children from their early years – two years of age onwards – until becoming young adults – aged 22 or more. The partnership culminated in Vision AfriKa being the managing partner and the GSDT continuing to be the funding and logistics partner of programmes offered to Pre-School, Primary School and High School learners. The 3 focus groups comprises the Ikhaya Pre-Primary School with 87 pre-schoolers (two to six year olds), attending the well-resourced facility in Kayamandi.
The Macias Restis Aftercare facilities also provide 150+ learners in Grades One to Seven with homework support. A specialised 'Reading Eggs' programme offers technology based help with English literacy, while Vision AfriKa's existing high School programmes focuses on life skills, personal development and community involvement.
But Vision AfriKa has also just got together with a third party non-governmental organisation, The Anna Foundation, in order to enhance its Aftercare initiative further.
Based on a philosophy of holistic individual development and the need for a healthy mind and body, the focus of the new initiative is to develop the '3Rs'. These consist of Reading (academic education), Running (sports) and 'Right-ing' or developing useful life skills.
Mbasa Rola, who is currently in Grade Five, said: "The Ikhaya Trust has done a lot for us in the past and I hope it will be able to do the same in future like sponsor us, help us with our homework and provide us with activities such as soccer, dancing, acting and singing."


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Product Description
Product Description
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Ready When You Are
Weekend away or camping at a music festival and you don't want to worry about charging your phone? The Nokia 108 features up to 31 days of standby time. Perfect if there's nowhere to charge it nearby. Or great if you don't want to pack your charger. The long-lasting battery means you can always go the extra mile knowing your phone will too.
Music On The Go
Hear the latest tracks and keep up with this year's hot new acts with the Nokia 108. It comes with a built-in music player and a slot for a microSD card with a maximum capacity of almost 7,000 songs – great for storing everything from old favourites to current hits. Plus keep up with the latest news stories and sports results with the built-in FM radio.


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Nintendo fans will want to be on the lookout for the company's new console this holiday season. No, not that one. Nintendo has unveiled the Mini NES Classic Edition console, a palm-sized replica of the groundbreaking entertainment device that includes 30 built-in NES games, support for two controllers, and HDMI output. Some of the built-in games include the Super Mario Bros. trilogy, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, StarTropics, and Tecmo Bowl. The Mini NES includes one new "classic controller" and will hit store shelves on November 11th for $59.99. Additional controllers can be picked up for $10 each, and are compatible with Virtual Console games on the Wii and Wii U.
Check It Out: Nintendo Mini NES Classic Edition


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We have investigated the occurrence of bifidobacteria in human milk samples, and we provide evidence regarding the predominance of members of the Bifidobacterium breve species in this environment. Moreover, evaluation of the growth capabilities and transcriptomic analyses of one representative isolate of this species, i.e., B. breve 4L, on different milk types were performed.
The human intestine is sterile at birth but is then rapidly colonized by bacteria, ultimately leading to the development of a complex intestinal microbiota (4). Bifidobacteria are among the first bacterial colonizers of the intestine of neonates and are believed to represent the largest fraction of the infant microbiota (6, 27–30). Recently, bifidobacteria have been isolated from human milk, suggesting vertical mother-to-child transmission from the maternal gut to that of breast-fed infants (4, 14). However, an alternative hypothesis is that bifidobacteria are introduced into human milk through newborn-mother contacts, resulting in breast colonization by bifidobacteria that are present in the infant oral cavity during suckling, and that infant colonization occurs during birth from specific components of the mother's fecal/vaginal microbiota.
Human milk represents a continuous supply of nutrients to the neonate and also stimulates growth of specific bacterial groups/species in the infant intestine (23). Only a few species of the Bifidobacterium genus, such as Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bifidobacterium bifidum, are considered typical inhabitants of the infant intestine (13, 25). From an ecological context, (components of) the gut microbiota are considered to influence the health status of their host and, in particular, bifidobacteria have been claimed to positively impact the development and maintenance of a balanced immune system as well as to aid in the nutrition activities of intestinal cells (1, 7).
Recently, the genome sequences of various common infant bifidobacterial species, such as Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697 and Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010 (26), have become publicly available (22). In silico as well as proteomic analyses revealed the existence of a large arsenal of genes encoding enzymes, such as fucosidases, sialidases, β-galactosidases, and N-acetyl-β-hexosaminidase, predicted to be involved in the metabolism of host glycans, like human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and mucin (22). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the promotion of human milk to specific development of the intestinal bifidobacterial community is still poorly understood. In the present study we surveyed the bifidobacterial composition of the human milk microbiota and analyzed the molecular response of a milk-derived representative, i.e., Bifidobacterium breve 4L, during cultivation in human, cow, and formula milk, as well as in plant-derived milks.
Isolation and identification of bifidobacteria from human milk samples.The bifidobacterial population of the six collected human milk samples was assayed using mupirocin-based medium (BSM), which has previously been described to be selective for bifidobacteria (24, 27). Bifidobacterial cultures were incubated in an anaerobic atmosphere (2.99% H2, 17.01% CO2, and 80% N2) in a chamber (Concept 400; Ruskin) at 37°C for 72 h. All 25 colonies that developed on BSM plates were subjected to DNA isolation by means of rapid mechanical cell lysis, as described previously (31). PCR was used to amplify the 16S sequences and intergenic transcribed sequences (ITSs) of these Bifidobacterium isolates by using previously described primers (27). To analyze the biodiversity of these cultivatable bifidobacteria, all isolated colonies were analyzed by sequencing of this section of the rRNA operon. Each 16S rRNA gene-ITS amplicon thus generated from individual colonies originating from milk samples was sequenced and was then subjected to a BLAST search against the GenBank database. All 25 sequences thus obtained showed more than 98% sequence identity to their nearest database entries, and thus no new bifidobacterial species were identified. Based on these BLAST results, all sequences were assigned to three phylogenetic taxa, representing B. breve, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum/infantis, and Bifidobacterium adolescentis (Table 1). The phylogenetic relationships between the 25 isolated bifidobacterial strains were analyzed using a 16S-rRNA gene-based tree, which clearly demonstrated separation into three distinct phylogenetic clusters and which corresponded to the bifidobacterial species identified by BLAST analysis (Fig. 1). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the majority of the investigated strains (56% of the total isolates) belonged to B. breve. As described previously, the high degree of variability of the ITSs at an intraspecific level in bifidobacteria renders this molecular marker suitable for the specific molecular characterization of bifidobacterial strains (28). When we compared the 16S rRNA gene-ITSs from all bifidobacteria isolated from human milk samples, we identified a level of similarity below 8%, thus suggesting that each of the isolated strains is genetically distinct (data not shown).
Evaluation of growth capabilities of different human milk isolates.All strains from each bifidobacterial species isolated from human milk, except for B. adolescentis, were assayed for their growth abilities on different milk-based substrates, i.e., human milk, bovine milk, formula milk, soybean-based milk, and rice-based milk. Although the isolation attempts led to the identification of three strains belonging to the B. adolescentis taxon, we decided not to include such strains in further experiments, due to the fact that members of this bifidobacterial species have previously been associated with infants suffering from allergic diseases (8).
Cell growth curves on these substrates of all these bifidobacterial strains were monitored for 48 h by a plate reader (Biotek, Winooski, VT), which was set as described previously (26, 32). About 109 CFU/ml for each bifidobacterial strain were inoculated in basic medium (20) supplemented with 0.5% (wt/vol) of a particular milk (i.e., bovine milk, reconstituted formula milk, human milk, soybean-based milk, and rice-based milk). We also tested growth on higher concentrations of milk in the growth medium without noticing differences (data not shown). The various milk types were pasteurized (80°C for 20 min) and kept at 4°C until use. Notably, a large variability of growth on milk-based media was evident among both the B. breve as well as B. longum strains, even if growth behavior was comparable for all the analyzed milk types (Fig. 2). Furthermore, mid-exponential phase was reached at similar times for the various milk types utilized. Notably, B. breve 4L showed the best growth ability on milk-based media (Fig. 2), thus prompting us to further investigate the behavior of this strain in order to obtain a better understanding of the molecular adaptation of this strain to utilize such milk products.
The milk sources used, i.e., bovine, reconstituted formula, human, soybean based, and rice based, displayed very different gross chemical compositions, which may explain the different growth performances shown by the strains analyzed. In fact, whereas mammalian-derived milks exhibit a high protein content (from 1.1% in human milk to 3.2% in cow milk), such as caseins and whey proteins, plant-derived milks do not contain such a high protein level. Furthermore, the carbon sources identified in these two different milk types are very different in terms of complexity and chemical composition, i.e., lactose in mammalian milk (2% in cow milk and 7% in human milk) versus sucrose and fructooligosaccharides in plant-derived milks.
Transcriptional profiling of B. breve 4L cells grown on different milk substrates and adaptation to the infant gut.Characteristics contributing to the ecological fitness in the infant gut, such as utilization of milk, should be discernible in B. breve 4L. To determine if B. breve 4L functionally and distinctly responds to different types of milks, we performed transcriptional profiling studies using CombiMatrix arrays (CombiMatrix, Mukilteo, WA) based on the genome sequence of B. breve DSM20213 (NCBI source NZ_ACCG00000000). Oligos were synthesized in 18 replicates on a 2x40K CombiMatrix array. Replicates were distributed on the chip at random, nonadjacent positions. A set of 29 negative-control probes designed on phage and plant sequences was also included on the chip in 60 replicates at randomly distributed positions. Three hybridization assays were carried out for each condition analyzed (experimental replicates). All experimental replicates showed a high correlation (>0.98).
To identify the potential transcriptional signatures of different types of milk, the transcriptome profiles recorded upon growth on the various milk substrates were compared to the transcriptome obtained after growth on MRS plus lactose. RNA samples for each culture condition were prepared from cells grown to mid-exponential phase.
Total RNA was isolated with the macaloid acid method (37) and treated with DNase (Roche, United Kingdom). Briefly, cell pellets were resuspended in 1 ml of QIAzol (Qiagen, United Kingdom) and placed in a tube containing 0.8 g of glass beads (diameter, 106 μm; Sigma). The cells were lysed by shaking the mix on a BioSpec homogenizer at 4°C for 2 min (maximum setting). The mixture was then centrifuged at 12,000 rpm for 15 min, and the RNA-containing upper phase was recovered. Each RNA sample was further purified by phenol extraction and ethanol precipitation according to a previously described method (21).
Transcriptome analysis showed that a total of 623 genes were differentially transcribed upon growth of B. breve 4L cells on one or more of the test milk-based media compared to MRS plus lactose. A gene was considered to be differentially expressed between a test condition and a control when an expression ratio of >2 or <0.2 relative to the result for the control was obtained with a corresponding P value that was <0.001. As indicated by the cluster analysis data reported in Fig. 3 a (derived from a representative subset of culture medium-modulated genes), distinct transcriptional profiles were associated with the different milk types under investigation. This was further corroborated by a global comparison of the transcription profiles associated with the six different growth media (Fig. 3b), which revealed a close relatedness between the animal milks, whose transcriptional response profiles markedly differed from those associated with the plant-based milks and the reference (MRS plus lactose).
As shown by the Venn diagram in Fig. 3c, increased transcription of 134 genes relative to the reference (MRS plus lactose) transcriptome was observed upon growth on either of the three mammalian milk types (i.e., human or bovine milk or formula milk), while the transcription levels of 163 genes selectively increased upon cultivation on plant-derived milks (i.e., soybean-based milk or rice-based milk).
Functional classification of milk source-upregulated genes indicated that most of them code for proteins (enzymes and transporters) involved in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism (Fig. 4).
Genes preferentially expressed upon growth on mammalian-derived milks.Despite the abundance of carbohydrates in animal-derived milks, relatively few genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and transport were found to be upregulated (≥2.0-fold versus the lactose reference condition) during growth on human, cow, or formula milk (Table 2 and Fig. 4). These included a putative β-galactosidase (BIFBRE_04539), a galactoside symporter (BIFBRE_04540), and several ABC transporter systems and phosphotransferase system (PTS) components that are predicted to be directly or indirectly involved in sugar uptake (Table 2). This finding might be explained by the fact that animal milks contain high levels of lactose (∼5% of the total content), which is a preferred carbon source that can suppress expression of genes involved in alternative carbohydrate metabolic pathways.
Among the genes whose expression was significantly upregulated upon cultivation of B. breve 4L on human, bovine, or formula milk were those encoding the galactose-1-phosphate-uridyltransferase (GalT) and the galactokinase (GalE) enzymes. These genes are part of the lnpABCD operon (17), which is responsible for the utilization of lacto-N-biose (LNB; Galβ1-3GlcNac). This carbohydrate forms the core structure of HMOs, which have been identified in human milk as important constituents that selectively stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria in the infant intestine (2, 35) and represent the third most abundant component of human milk, after lactose and lipids (11, 34). The observed upregulation of this gene cluster is consistent with previous findings reported for B. longum cultivated on breast milk (5).
Notably, genes involved in glutamate metabolism were found to be upregulated during growth of B. breve on human, cow, and formula milk compared to MRS plus lactose. These included an ABC transporter specific for glutamate (BIFBRE_04715 and BIFBRE_04716), whose activity may be linked to nitrogen metabolism through the condensation of glutamate and ammonia to form glutamine (5). Other gene products linked to glutamine synthesis, such as glutamine synthetase itself (BIFBRE_03611) and N-acetylglutamate transferase (BIFBRE_03625), were also significantly upregulated in B. breve cells cultured on formula milk compared to MRS plus lactose.
Also worth noting is a genetic locus comprised of five genes (BIFBRE_03895 to BIFBRE_03899), coding for an ABC transporter, an oligopeptide binding protein, a cysteine desulfatase, and a sulfur cluster assembly complex, that was selectively upregulated upon growth on human milk but not on cow or formula milk. This finding may reflect the presence of higher levels of sulfur-containing amino acids (e.g., cysteine) in human milk than in either bovine or formula milk (3).
Genes preferentially expressed upon cultivation of B. breve 4L on plant-derived milks.There were 163 genes significantly upregulated upon cultivation of B. breve 4L on the two tested plant-derived milks (soybean and rice) compared to animal/human or formula-based milk (Fig. 3c). Among these differentially expressed genes there were various open reading frames annotated as gene products involved in carbohydrate utilization, including an ABC transporter system (BIFBRE_04186 to BIFBRE_04183) and an α-glucosidase (BIFBRE_02991). Furthermore, a genetic locus encompassing three genes predicted to encode a glucosamine-6-phosphate isomerase, a glucosamine-6-phosphate deacetylase, and a NagC transcriptional regulator was highly upregulated in both soybean-based milk and rice-based milk compared to animal-derived milks.
Of note, two genes (BIFBRE_02994 and BIFBRE_02830) coding for proteins similar to the type II fimbrial major subunit (FimA) of Actinomyces naeslundii were upregulated upon cultivation of B. breve 4L on soybean-based milk and rice-based milk. In closely related microorganisms, such as Corynebacterium diptheriae and A. naeslundii, fimbria are crucial for bacterial adherence to specific host cells, including epithelial cells, erythrocytes, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (12, 16), as well as for binding to other bacteria (15, 36), a scenario which also applies to human gut commensals, such as lactobacilli (9, 33).
Genes upregulated during growth in both mammalian- and plant-derived milks.The transcription of 76 genes was shown to be significantly upregulated upon cultivation of B. breve 4L on animal and plant milks compared to MRS plus lactose as the only carbon source (Fig. 3c). Among these genes were those involved in the synthesis of amino acids, such as chorismate mutase (BIFBRE_03188) and chrorismate synthase (BIFBRE_03889), which are part of the shikimate pathways responsible for the metabolism of aromatic amino acids, such as phenylalanine and tyrosine, and hystidinal dehydrogenase (BIFBRE_04783), which is involved in histidine metabolism. In addition, expression levels of BIFBRE_03118 and BIFBRE_03119, which encode, respectively, an ammonium transporter and a nitrogen regulatory protein, were found to be more than 6-fold higher in milk-cultured bacteria than in bacteria grown on the reference synthetic medium. This finding, together with the upregulation of genes involved in amino acid metabolism, indicates that nitrogen assimilation in B. breve 4L mainly proceeds through peptide hydrolysis. Indeed, increased levels of transcripts coding for an endopeptidase (BIFBRE_02980), a predicted peptidase (BIFBRE_03114), and a putative aminopeptidase (BIFBRE_04898) were also detected in B. breve 4L cells cultured on animal or plant milk. Other upregulated genes shared by both milk types included a complete putative ABC peptide transporter system, including the solute binding subunit (BIFBRE_03436), the permease (BIFBRE_03444), and the ATP binding protein (BIFBRE_02843), as well as a PTS (BIFBRE_02846).
Additional genes that were found to be upregulated regardless of the specific milk substrate utilized for B. breve 4L cultivation included the tadE/F genes (BIFBRE_03022 and BIFBRE_03023), which are part of the tad locus. In B. breve UCC2003, the products of the tad genes have been reported to be responsible for gut colonization and for the persistence of this commensal in mouse intestine (18). It is thus interesting that dietary components such as animal- or plant-derived milks appear to induce transcription of genes whose products mediate interaction of bifidobacterial cells with their hosts. Such results suggest an interesting level of coevolution between vegetables used for human consumption and their effect on their human host, based on selection of intestinal bifidobacteria.
Conclusions.In recent times, scientific data have emerged on how specific bifidobacterial species colonize the infant gut (4, 14), although very little is currently known about the contribution of an infant's nourishment to the overall microbial population structure. It has been proposed that specific components of human milk, i.e., HMOs, have a significant impact on the composition of the intestinal microbiota of infants and represent a fascinating example of reciprocal evolution between mammals and their inhabiting commensals (22, 23). The identification of B. breve as the predominant bifidobacteria taxon present in human milk corroborates previously published data (10, 19) and reinforces the hypothesis that members of this species are important colonizers of the infant gut.
The genomic knowledge on how growth of bifidobacteria can be sustained in milk is important for understanding the molecular mechanisms governing the initial stages of bacterial colonization of the human gut. Such knowledge is of pivotal importance for gaining insights into host-microbe interactions and the produced beneficial effects of the bifidobacterial population. It is worth mentioning that the molecular dissection of the metabolic capabilities of B. breve 4L described here is based on a reductionist vision that does not consider the concomitant coexistence of different strains/species, which is a common feature of the human gut. In fact, the breakdown of complex substrates, such as those present in milk in the human gut, is the consequence of the collective action of the enzymes produced by the various members of the microbiota. Furthermore, the identification of genes expressed by B. breve might be important as potentially catabolizing components necessary for the degradation of human milk. Future research activities will be carried out in this direction in order to understand how different members of the gut microbiota may influence each other, and the use of the infant gut microbiota may prove an appropriate model in this respect since, in contrast to the adult type, the infant intestinal microbiota is rather simple.
This work was financially supported by the Italian Award for Outstanding Young Researcher scheme "Incentivazione alla mobilità di studiosi stranieri e italiani residenti all'estero" and by a Marie Curie Reintegration grant (MERG-CT-2005-03080) to M.V., by Spinner 2013, Regione Emilia Romagna, and EFSE. This work was also financially supported by an IRCSET Embark postgraduate fellowship to F.B. D.V.S. is a member of The Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, which is a Centre for Science and Technology funded by the Science Foundation Ireland, through the Irish Government's National Development Plan (grant numbers 02/CE/B124 and 07/CE/B1368).
- Received 2 May 2011.
- Accepted 10 August 2011.
- Accepted manuscript posted online 19 August 2011.
- Copyright © 2011, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.


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Four dead in fire at Florida mansion owned by former tennis star
TAMPA, Fla. - A fire at a Florida mansion belonging to a former tennis star was intentionally set and four bodies were discovered in the charred remains, police said Wednesday.
The victims were described as two adults and two teenagers, but they have not been positively identified, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Col. Donna Lusczynski said.
She called the fire as "unusual" and said there were "various fireworks" throughout the nearly 6,000-square-foot home in Avila, an exclusive community north of Tampa.
Two of the bodies appeared to have "upper-body trauma," Lusczynski said, but she didn't indicate which ones or give any more details.
The teens' bodies were found in their respective bedrooms and the two adults were found in one bedroom, she said.
She also said no weapons had been found and that murder-suicide was a possibility.
Former tennis star James Blake had been renting the five-bedroom, five-bathroom home, valued at more than $1 million, to a family for about the past two years, Lusczynski said. Blake was not there at the time of the fire.
The Tampa Bay Times said voter records identify the address as the home of Darrin James Campbell and his wife, Kimberly Ann Campbell. Their two teenage children, Colin and Megan, were students at the private Carrollwood Day School.
A neighbor told CBS affiliate WTSB that the Campbells had not been seen since Tuesday and called them "the nicest people you'll ever meet."
A former neighbor, George Connley, told The Associated Press that Darrin Campbell was the treasurer at the school his children attended. Word of the fire sent shock waves among students and staff.
"The tenor of the school is sadness," Ryan Kelly, head of Carrollwood Day School, told the Tampa Bay Times.
At one time, Darrin Campbell was the senior vice president at PODS, a company that provides mobile, temporary shipping and storage containers. According to his LinkedIn profile, he left PODS in 2007 and was a vice president at IVANS, an insurance company.
IVANS was purchased by another company and Campbell no longer worked there, said Matt Fogt, a spokesman for the new company, Applied Systems, who was reached by telephone.
"They were a very nice family. We know nothing of any problems," Connley said. "The kids were outstanding children. This is very difficult to put our arms around."
He said that Kimberly Campbell was "sophisticated and classy."
The fire was reported about 6 a.m. Wednesday. Video showed the house totally engulfed in flames.
Lusczynski said it took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze as hot spots continued to pop up and the fire kept restarting. Investigators were able to finally get inside of the mansion around 3 p.m.
Blake bought the home in the Avila subdivision in 2005 for $1.5 million, according to Hillsborough County property records.
Avila is an exclusive enclave known for its mansions and heavy security. Many well-known athletes call the community home and over the years, various football, baseball and tennis players have bought homes in the subdivision, which has a country club and golf course.
Blake, 34, was ranked fourth on the ATP world tour in 2006. He retired last year. He also has the James Blake Foundation, an organization dedicated to cancer research, in memory of his father who died of gastric cancer.


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Thursday, October 11, 2018
I'm lucky. My polling place is about 200 feet away and I don't think I've ever had to wait more than 5 minutes to vote. It's easy. I doubt anyone in Philly is more than a quarter mile from their polling place, if that. We have lots of them! The stories you hear every election cycle about people lined up for an hour or more to vote are insane. There is zero reason for it to be that way. Zero good reason anyway. You can just add more polling places, more machines, whatever (I'm not going to get into the absurdity of our voting systems). I think when I lived in California I voted in someone's garage. This is not a problem without solutions, and the solutions cost negligble amounts of money.
by Atrios at 15:32